THE ISLANDS OF THE SEAS.
I believe that the ignorance which has prevailed regarding the
mythological systems of barbarous or semi-barbarous races has
too generally led to their being considered far grander and more
reasonable than they really were.--W. VON HUMBOLDT.
Oceanica is one of the five great divisions of the globe. It embraces
all the islands lying in the Pacific Ocean between the south-eastern
shores of Asia and the western shores of America.
The people may be divided into two classes; the one called the Papuans,
the other the Malayo-Polynesians. The first resemble the African
Negroes, having a black skin, and crisp (Papua means “crisp”) and
woolly hair, broad noses, receding chins and foreheads and thick,
protruding lips. These Oceanica Negroes live mainly in New Guinea.
They are also found in the woods and mountain fastnesses of some other
islands. They seemed destined to be utterly destroyed in the struggle
with new-coming races. The second, the Malayo-Polynesians, are the
brown or copper-colored race of Oceanica. They greatly resemble the
Arabs in character, customs and appearance. They are half-civilized,
while the Papuans are barbarous. They overspread almost the whole of
the southern Pacific Islands. They readily responded to the religious
teachings and civilizing influences of Asia. In Java especially they
became almost a reproduction of the people of India, in their religion,
language and habits.
THE DEPRAVED CONDITION OF THE PAPUANS.
[Illustration: A PAPUAN FETICH HOUSE.
Various charms and fetiches are here brought together, and persons
afflicted in all imaginable ways assemble to secure the benefits
supposed to emanate from such a collection. Fetiches may also be
purchased here in sizes and styles to suit the necessities and the
means of purchasers.]
The religious condition of the Papuans is very low. They resemble
somewhat the American Indians and the lower African peoples in
their faith and worship. The idea of God has almost vanished from
their minds. They recognize, indeed, not a moral Ruler, but a great
awe-inspiring and mysterious power. Their whole worship is a mere
attempt at propitiating the angry and malignant gods and evil spirits.
There are no shrines or temples, no priests, no sacred books. They
make _fetiches_ of pieces of sculpture, a snake, a lizard, a
bit of bone or sometimes an image of a man. This last is called a
_karwar_ and is found in almost every hut, and answers the purpose
of an oracle and idol. In consulting it, they squat before it, clasp
their hands over the forehead, bow repeatedly, at the same time stating
their intentions. If they are seized with any nervous feeling, it is
considered a bad sign. If they feel hopeful, the idol is supposed to
approve. It is deemed necessary that a _karwar_ should be present
on all important occasions.
[Illustration: TATTOOED GIRL OF OCEANICA.]
THE PAGAN POLYNESIANS.
We see in the Malayo-Polynesians a reproduction of the worship of
the Aztecs of Mexico. Together with some knowledge of arts and
civilization, the most savage atrocities exist--infanticide, human
sacrifices, the choking to death of whole families in honor of some
fallen chief, brutish feasts upon the bodies of their foes and even of
their fellow-subjects.
The chief god is called _Ndengei_. Besides him there is a host
of good and evil gods, who are always warring in the attempt to help
or to hurt mankind. One of these gods of the infernal regions is said
to sit upon the brink of a huge fiery cave, into which he casts the
spirits of the dead. Another, the one-toothed Lord, is described as
living in the figure of a man, with wings instead of arms, and claws
instead of fingers, to snatch his victims. His tooth is so large that
it reaches above his head, and he throws out sparks of fire as he flies
through the air.
[Illustration: POLYNESIAN IDOL AND ITS DEVOTEES.]
Among this people there is a priesthood, and their temples, or
“spirit-houses,” are called _Mbure_. They are exceedingly devout
in their way and superstitious. Their religious ideas enter into their
every-day life. They have some interesting traditions, from which a few
selections may be used as illustrative of the whole.
TRADITIONARY ORIGIN OF HUMAN PRIESTHOOD.
The gods first spake to man through the small land-birds; but their
utterances were too indistinct to guide the actions of mankind. To meet
this emergency, an order of priests was set apart, the gods actually
taking up their abode, for the time being, in their sacred persons.
Priests were significantly named “god-boxes” (pia-atna), generally
abbreviated to “gods,” _i. e._, living embodiments of these
divinities. Temples were naturally conjoined with priesthood, but they
were usually of the rudest and simplest sort.
[Illustration: A FIJIAN BURE TEMPLE.]
Whenever consulted, a present of the best food, accompanied with a bowl
of intoxicating “piper mythisticum,” was indispensible. The priest,
throwing himself into a frenzy, delivered a response in language
intelligible only to the initiated. A favorite subject of inquiry was
“the sin why so-and-so was ill;” no one being supposed to die a natural
death unless decrepit with extreme old age. If a priest cherished a
spite against anybody, he had only to declare it to be the will of the
divinity that the victim should be put to death, or be laid on the
altar for some offense against the gods. The best kinds of food were
sacred to the priests and chiefs and they were never slow to make use
of it.
Although unsuited for the delivery of oracles, birds were ever regarded
as the special messengers of the gods to warn individuals of impending
danger, each tribe having its own feathered guardians.
POLYNESIAN NOTION OF THE SUN AND MOON.
A curious myth obtained in the now almost extinct Tongan tribe relative
to the origin of the sun and moon. Vátea and Tonga-ita quarreled
respecting the parentage of the first born of Papa, each claiming the
child as his own. At last the child was cut in two. Vátea, the husband
of Papa, took the upper part as his share, and forthwith squeezed it
into a ball and tossed it into the heavens, where it became the sun.
[Illustration: IDOL OF SOUTH SEA ISLANDS.]
Tonga-ita sullenly allowed his share, the lower half, to remain a
day or two on the ground. Seeing the brightness of Vátea’s half, he
resolved to imitate his example by compressing his share into a ball,
and tossing it into the dark sky during the absence of the sun in
Avaiki, or nether-world. Thus originated the moon, whose paleness is
attributed to the blood having all drained out of the body as it lay so
long on the ground and to decomposition having commenced.
They believed that men could become gods. Māni, by his mighty prowess,
entered the rank of the gods, and his example could be followed by
others.
TRADITION OF MĀNI’S SECURING THE FIRE-GOD’s SECRET.
One of the most peculiar traditions of Oceanica is this: To Ru and
Buataranga was born a famous son, Māni. At an early age, Māni was
appointed one of the guardians of this upper world where mortals live.
Like the rest of the inhabitants of the world, he subsisted on uncooked
food. The mother, Buataranga, occasionally visited her son, but always
ate her food apart, out of a basket brought with her from nether-land.
One day, when she was asleep, Māni peeped into her basket, and
discovered cooked food. Upon tasting it, he was decidedly of opinion
that it was a great improvement upon the raw diet to which he was
accustomed. This food came from nether-world; it was evident that the
secret of fire was there. To nether-world, the home of his parents, he
would descend to gain this knowledge, so that ever after he might enjoy
the luxury of cooked food.
[Illustration: GREAT IDOL OF OCEANICA,
Six feet in Height.]
On the following day Buataranga was about to descend to Avaiki
(nether-world), when Māni followed her through the bush without her
knowing it. This was no difficult task, as she always came and returned
by the same road. Peering through the tall reeds, he saw his mother
standing within easy hearing distance of him and directly opposite a
black rock, which she addressed as follows:
“Buataranga, descend thou boldly through this chasm,
The rainbow-like must be obeyed;
As two dark clouds parting at dawn,
Open, open up my road to nether-world, ye fierce ones.”
[Illustration: HAWAIIAN IDOL, KNOWN AS THE POISON GOD.]
At these words, the rock divided, and Buataranga descended. Māni
carefully treasured up these magic words, and without delay started off
to see the god Tane, the owner of some wonderful pigeons. He earnestly
begged Tane to lend him one; but the proffered pigeon not pleasing
Māni, was at once returned to its owner. A better pigeon was offered
to the fastidious borrower, but was rejected. Nothing would content
Māni but the possession of Akaotu, or _Fearless_, a red pigeon,
specially prized by Tane. It was so tame that it knew its name; and,
wander wherever it might, it was sure to return to its master. Tane,
who was loth to part with his pet, extracted a promise from Māni that
the pigeon should be restored to him uninjured. Māni now set off in
high spirits, carrying with him his red pigeon, to the place where his
mother had descended. Upon pronouncing the magic words which he had
overheard, to his great delight, the rock opened, and Māni, entering
the pigeon, descended. Some assert that Māni transformed himself into
a small dragon-fly, and, perched upon the back of the pigeon, made
his descent. The two fierce guardian demons of the chasm, enraged
at finding themselves imposed upon by a stranger, made a grab at
the pigeon, intending to devour it. Fortunately, however, for the
borrower, they only succeeded in getting possession of the _tail_,
whilst the pigeon, minus its beautiful tail, pursued its flight to the
shades. Māni was grieved at the mishap which had overtaken the pet bird
of his friend Tane.
Arrived at nether-land, Māni sought for the home of his mother. It
was the first house he saw; he was guided to it by the sound of her
clothflail. The red pigeon alighted on an ovenhouse opposite to the
shed where Buataranga was beating out cloth. She stopped her work to
gaze at the red pigeon, which she guessed to be a visitor from the
upper world, as none of the pigeons in the shades were red. Buataranga
said to the bird, “Are you not come from daylight?” The pigeon nodded
assent. “Are you not my son, Māni?” inquired the old woman. Again
the pigeon nodded. At this Buataranga entered her dwelling and the
bird flew to a bread-fruit tree. Māni resumed his proper human form,
and went to embrace his mother, who inquired how he had descended to
nether-world, and the object of his visit. Māni avowed that he had
come to learn the secret of fire. Buataranga said, “This secret rests
with the fire-god, Manike. When I wish to cook an oven, I ask your
father Ru to beg a lighted stick from Manike.” Māni inquired where the
fire-god lived. His mother pointed out the direction, and said it was
called Are-aoa--_house-of-banyan-sticks_. She entreated Māni to be
careful, “for the fire-god is a terrible fellow, of a very irritable
temper.”
[Illustration: IDOL FROM POLYNESIA.]
Māni now walked up boldly toward the house of the fire-god, guided by
the curling column of smoke. Manike, who happened at the moment to
be cooking an oven of food, stopped his work and demanded what the
stranger wanted. Māni replied, “A fire-brand.” The fire-brand was
given. Māni carried it to a stream running past the bread-fruit tree
and there extinguished it. He now returned to Manike and obtained a
second fire-brand, which he also extinguished in the stream. A third
time a lighted stick was demanded of the fire-god. He was beside
himself with rage. Raking the ashes of his oven, he gave the daring
Māni some of them on a piece of dry wood. These live coals were thrown
into the stream as the former lighted sticks had been.
Māni correctly thought that a fire-brand would be of little use, unless
he could obtain the secret of fire. The brand would eventually go out;
but _how to reproduce the fire_? His object, therefore, was to
pick a quarrel with the fire-god, and compel him, by sheer violence, to
yield up the invaluable secret, as yet known to none but himself. On
the other hand, the fire-god, confident in his own prodigious strength,
resolved to destroy this insolent intruder into his secret. Māni, for
the fourth time, demanded fire of the enraged god. Manike ordered him
away, under pain of being tossed into the air; for Māni was small of
stature. But the visitor said he should enjoy nothing better than a
trial of strength with the fire-god. Manike entered his dwelling to
put on his war-girdle (ume-i-tono maro); but on returning, found that
Māni had swelled himself to an enormous size. Nothing daunted at this,
Manike boldly seized him with both hands and hurled him to the height
of a cocoanut tree. Māni contrived, in falling, to make himself so
light that he was in no degree hurt by his adventure. Manike, maddened
that his adversary should yet breathe, exerted his full strength, and
next time hurled him far higher than the highest cocoanut tree that
ever grew. Yet Māni was unhurt by his fall, whilst the fire-god lay
panting for breathe.
It was now Māni’s turn. Seizing the fire-god, he threw him up to a
dizzy height, and caught him again like a ball with his hands. Without
allowing Manike to touch the ground, he threw him a second time into
the air, and caught him in his hands. Assured that this was but a
preparation for a final toss, which should seal his fate, the panting
and thoroughly exhausted Manike entreated Māni to stop and spare his
life. Whatever Māni desired Manike promised should be his.
[Illustration: NEW ZEALAND MOON-GOD.]
The fire-god, now in a miserable plight, was allowed to breathe awhile.
Māni said: “Only on one condition will I spare you--tell me the secret
of fire. Where is it hidden? How is it produced?” Manike gladly
promised to tell him all he knew, and led him inside his wonderful
dwelling. In one corner there was a quantity of fine cocoanut-fibre; in
another, bundles of fire-yielding sticks--the “_au_,” the “oronga,” the
“_tauinu_,” and particularly the “_aoa_,” or banyan tree. These sticks
were all dry and ready for use. In the middle of the room were two
smaller sticks by themselves. One of these the fire-god gave to Māni,
desiring him to hold it firmly, while he himself plied the other most
vigorously, uttering as he did it the following song:
THE FIRE-GOD’S SONG.
Grant, oh, grant me thy hidden fire,
Thou banyan tree!
Perform an incantation;
Utter a prayer to (the spirit of)
The banyan tree!
Kindle a fire for Manike
Of the dust of the banyan tree!
By the time this song was completed Māni, to his great joy, perceived
a faint smoke arising out of the fine dust produced by the friction
of one stick upon another. As they persevered in their work the smoke
increased, and, favored with the fire-god’s breath, a slight flame
arose, when the fine cocoanut fibre was called into requisition,
to catch and increase the flame. Manike now called to his aid the
different bundles of sticks, and speedily got up a blazing fire, to the
astonishment and great delight of Māni.
The grand secret of fire was thus secured. But the victor resolved to
be revenged for his trouble and his tossing in the air, by setting fire
to his fallen adversary’s abode. In a short time all nether-world was
in flames, which consumed the fire-god and all he possessed. Even the
rocks cracked and split with the heat; hence the ancient saying in that
land, “The rocks of Orovaru (in the shades) are burning.”
Ere leaving the land of ghosts, Māni carefully picked up the two
fire-sticks, once the property of Manike, and hastened to the
bread-fruit tree, where the red pigeon, “Fearless,” quietly awaited
his return. His first care was to restore the tail of the bird, so
as to avoid the anger of Tane. There was no time to be lost, for the
flames were rapidly spreading. He re-entered the pigeon, which carried
his fire-sticks one in each claw, and flew to the lower entrance of
the chasm. Once more pronouncing the words he learnt from Buataranga,
the rocks parted, and he safely got back to this upper world. Through
the good offices of his mother, the pigeon met with no opposition from
the fierce guardians of the road to the shades. On again entering into
light the red pigeon took a long sweep, alighting, eventually, in a
lovely, secluded valley, which was thenceforth named Rupe-tau, or
_the pigeon’s resting-place_. Māni now resumed his original human
form, and hastened to carry back the pet bird to his friend, Tane.
Passing through the main valley of Keia, he found that the flames had
preceded him, and had found an aperture at Teava, since closed up. The
kings Rangi and Mokoiro trembled for their land; for it seemed as if
everything would be destroyed by the devouring flames. To save Mangaia
from utter destruction, they exerted themselves to the utmost, and
finally succeeded in putting out the fire. Rangi thenceforth adopted
the new name of Matamea, or _Watery-eyes_, to commemorate his
sufferings; and Mokoiro was ever after called Anai, or _Smoke_.
[Illustration: HAWAIIAN WAR-GOD, Covered with red feathers,
having seal’s teeth and eyes of pearl.]
The inhabitants of Mangaia availed themselves of the conflagration to
get fire and to cook food. But after a little time their fire went
out, and as they were not in possession of the secret, they could
not get new fire. But Māni was never without fire in his dwelling; a
circumstance that excited the surprise and the envy of all. Many were
the inquiries as to the cause. At length he took compassion on the
inhabitants of the world, and told them the wonderful secret--that fire
lies hidden in the hibiscus, the urtica argentra, the “tauniu,” and the
“banyan.” This hidden fire might be elicited by the use of fire-sticks,
which he produced. Finally, he desired them to chant the fire-god’s
song, to give efficacy to the use of the sticks, and from that
memorable day all the dwellers in this upper world used fire-sticks
with success, and enjoyed the luxuries of light and cooked food. By
such wonderful deeds Māni succeeded in introducing himself among the
gods. He is to-day much reverenced throughout the Pacific Isles.