the golden bough-第71章

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In　Mangaia；　a　Polynesian　island；　religious　and　civil　authority　were　lodged　in　separate　hands；　spiritual　functions　being　discharged　by　a　line　of　hereditary　kings；　while　the　temporal　government　was　entrusted　from　time　to　time　to　a　victorious　war…chief；　whose　investiture；　however；　had　to　be　completed　by　the　king。　Similarly　in　Tonga；　besides　the　civil　king　whose　right　to　the　throne　was　partly　hereditary　and　partly　derived　from　his　warlike　reputation　and　the　number　of　his　fighting　men；　there　was　a　great　divine　chief　who　ranked　above　the　king　and　the　other　chiefs　in　virtue　of　his　supposed　descent　from　one　of　the　chief　gods。　Once　a　year　the　first…fruits　of　the　ground　were　offered　to　him　at　a　solemn　ceremony；　and　it　was　believed　that　if　these　offerings　were　not　made　the　vengeance　of　the　gods　would　fall　in　a　signal　manner　on　the　people。　Peculiar　forms　of　speech；　such　as　were　applied　to　no　one　else；　were　used　in　speaking　of　him；　and　everything　that　he　chanced　to　touch　became　sacred　or　tabooed。　When　he　and　the　king　met；　the　monarch　had　to　sit　down　on　the　ground　in　token　of　respect　until　his　holiness　had　passed　by。　Yet　though　he　enjoyed　the　highest　veneration　by　reason　of　his　divine　origin；　this　sacred　personage　possessed　no　political　authority；　and　if　he　ventured　to　meddle　with　affairs　of　state　it　was　at　the　risk　of　receiving　a　rebuff　from　the　king；　to　whom　the　real　power　belonged；　and　who　finally　succeeded　in　ridding　himself　of　his　spiritual　rival。

In　some　parts　of　Western　Africa　two　kings　reign　side　by　side；　a　fetish　or　religious　king　and　a　civil　king；　but　the　fetish　king　is　really　supreme。　He　controls　the　weather　and　so　forth；　and　can　put　a　stop　to　everything。　When　he　lays　his　red　staff　on　the　ground；　no　one　may　pass　that　way。　This　division　of　power　between　a　sacred　and　a　secular　ruler　is　to　be　met　with　wherever　the　true　negro　culture　has　been　left　unmolested；　but　where　the　negro　form　of　society　has　been　disturbed；　as　in　Dahomey　and　Ashantee；　there　is　a　tendency　to　consolidate　the　two　powers　in　a　single　king。

In　some　parts　of　the　East　Indian　island　of　Timor　we　meet　with　a　partition　of　power　like　that　which　is　represented　by　the　civil　king　and　the　fetish　king　of　Western　Africa。　Some　of　the　Timorese　tribes　recognise　two　rajahs；　the　ordinary　or　civil　rajah；　who　governs　the　people；　and　the　fetish　or　taboo　rajah；　who　is　charged　with　the　control　of　everything　that　concerns　the　earth　and　its　products。　This　latter　ruler　has　the　right　of　declaring　anything　taboo；　his　permission　must　be　obtained　before　new　land　may　be　brought　under　cultivation；　and　he　must　perform　certain　necessary　ceremonies　when　the　work　is　being　carried　out。　If　drought　or　blight　threatens　the　crops；　his　help　is　invoked　to　save　them。　Though　he　ranks　below　the　civil　rajah；　he　exercises　a　momentous　influence　on　the　course　of　events；　for　his　secular　colleague　is　bound　to　consult　him　in　all　important　matters。　In　some　of　the　neighbouring　islands；　such　as　Rotti　and　eastern　Flores；　a　spiritual　ruler　of　the　same　sort　is　recognised　under　various　native　names；　which　all　mean　〃lord　of　the　ground。〃　Similarly　in　the　Mekeo　district　of　British　New　Guinea　there　is　a　double　chieftainship。　The　people　are　divided　into　two　groups　according　to　families；　and　each　of　the　groups　has　its　chief。　One　of　the　two　is　the　war　chief；　the　other　is　the　taboo　chief。　The　office　of　the　latter　is　hereditary；　his　duty　is　to　impose　a　taboo　on　any　of　the　crops；　such　as　the　coco…nuts　and　areca　nuts；　whenever　he　thinks　it　desirable　to　prohibit　their　use。　In　his　office　we　may　perhaps　detect　the　beginning　of　a　priestly　dynasty；　but　as　yet　his　functions　appear　to　be　more　magical　than　religious；　being　concerned　with　the　control　of　the　harvests　rather　than　with　the　propitiation　of　higher　powers。

Chapter　18。　The　Perils　of　the　Soul。

1。　The　Soul　as　a　Mannikin

THE　FOREGOING　examples　have　taught　us　that　the　office　of　a　sacred　king　or　priest　is　often　hedged　in　by　a　series　of　burdensome　restrictions　or　taboos；　of　which　a　principal　purpose　appears　to　be　to　preserve　the　life　of　the　divine　man　for　the　good　of　his　people。　But　if　the　object　of　the　taboos　is　to　save　his　life；　the　question　arises；　How　is　their　observance　supposed　to　effect　this　end？　To　understand　this　we　must　know　the　nature　of　the　danger　which　threatens　the　king's　life；　and　which　it　is　the　intention　of　these　curious　restrictions　to　guard　against。　We　must；　therefore；　ask：　What　does　early　man　understand　by　death？　To　what　causes　does　he　attribute　it？　And　how　does　he　think　it　may　be　guarded　against？

As　the　savage　commonly　explains　the　processes　of　inanimate　nature　by　supposing　that　they　are　produced　by　living　beings　working　in　or　behind　the　phenomena；　so　he　explains　the　phenomena　of　life　itself。　If　an　animal　lives　and　moves；　it　can　only　be；　he　thinks；　because　there　is　a　little　animal　inside　which　moves　it：　if　a　man　lives　and　moves；　it　can　only　be　because　he　has　a　little　man　or　animal　inside　who　moves　him。　The　animal　inside　the　animal；　the　man　inside　the　man；　is　the　soul。　And　as　the　activity　of　an　animal　or　man　is　explained　by　the　presence　of　the　soul；　so　the　repose　of　sleep　or　death　is　explained　by　its　absence；　sleep　or　trance　being　the　temporary；　death　being　the　permanent　absence　of　the　soul。　Hence　if　death　be　the　permanent　absence　of　the　soul；　the　way　to　guard　against　it　is　either　to　prevent　the　soul　from　leaving　the　body；　or；　if　it　does　depart；　to　ensure　that　it　shall　return。　The　precautions　adopted　by　savages　to　secure　one　or　other　of　these　ends　take　the　form　of　certain　prohibitions　or　taboos；　which　are　nothing　but　rules　intended　to　ensure　either　the　continued　presence　or　the　return　of　the　soul。　In　short；　they　are　life…preservers　or　life…guards。　These　general　statements　will　now　be　illustrated　by　examples。

Addressing　some　Australian　blacks；　a　European　missionary　said；　I　am　not　one；　as　you　think；　but　two。　Upon　this　they　laughed。　You　may　laugh　as　much　as　you　like；　continued　the　missionary；　I　tell　you　that　I　am　two　in　one；　this　great　body　that　you　see　is　one；　within　that　there　is　another　little　one　which　is　not　visible。　The　great　body　dies；　and　is　buried；　but　the　little　body　flies　away　when　the　great　one　dies。　To　this　some　of　the　blacks　replied；　Yes；　yes。　We　also　are　two；　we　also　have　a　little　body　within　the　breast。　On　being　asked　where　the　little　body　went　after　death；　some　said　it　went　behind　the　bush；　others　said　it　went　into　the　sea；　and　some　said　they　did　not　know。　The　Hurons　thought　that　the　soul　had　a　head　and　body；　arms　and　legs；　in　short；　that　it　was　a　complete　little　model　of　the　man　himself。　The　Esquimaux　believe　that　the　soul　exhibits　the　same　shape　as　the　body　it　belongs　to；　but　is　of　a　more　subtle　and　ethereal　nature。　According　to　the　Nootkas　the　soul　has　the　shape　of　a　tiny　man；　its　seat　is　the　crown　of　the　head。　So　long　as　it　stands　erect；　its　owner　is　hale　and　hearty；　but　when　from　any　cause　it　loses　its　upright　position；　he　loses　his　senses。　Among　the　Indian　tribes　of　the　Lower　Fraser　River；　man　is　held　to　have　four　souls；　of　which　the　principal　one　has　the　form　of　a　mannikin；　while　the　other　three　are　shadows　of　it。　The　Malays　conceive　the　human　soul　as　a　little　man；　mostly　invisible　and　of　the　bigness　of　a　thumb；　who　corresponds　exactly　in　shape；　proportion；　and　even　in　complexion　to　the　man　in　whose　body　he　resides。　This　mannikin　is　of　a　thin；　unsubstantial　nature；　though　not　so　impalpable　but　that　it　may　cause　displacement　on　entering　a　physical　object；　and　it　can　flit　quickly　from　place　to　place；　it　is　temporarily　absent　from　the　body　in　sleep；　trance；　and　disease；　and　permanently　absent　after　death。

So　exact　is　the　resemblance　of　the　mannikin　to　the　man；　in　other　words；　of　the　soul　to　the　body；　that；　as　there　are　fat　bodies　and　thin　bodies；　so　there　are　fat　souls　and　thin　souls；　as　there　are　heavy　bodies　and　light　bodies；　long　bodies　and　short　bodies；　so　there　are　heavy　souls　and　light　souls；　long　souls　and　short　souls。　The　people　of　Nias　think　that　every　man；　before　he　is　born；　is　asked　how　long　or　how　heavy　a　soul　he　would　like；　and　a　soul　of　the　desired　weight　or　length　is　measured　out　to　him。　The　heaviest　soul　ever　given　out　weighs　about　ten　grammes。　The　length　of　a　man's　life　is　proportioned　to　the　length　of　his　soul；　childr