Balder the Beautiful Part 7

Compare E. Jacottet, _etudes sur les Langues du Haut-Zambeze_, Troisieme Partie (Paris, 1901), pp. 174 _sq._ (as to the A-Louyi).

[82] E. Beguin, _Les Ma-rotse_ (Lausanne and Fontaines, 1903), p. 113.

[83] Henri A. Junod, _The Life of a South African Tribe_ (Neuchatel, 1912-1913), i. 178 _sq._

[84] G. McCall Theal, _Kaffir Folk-lore_ (London, 1886), p. 218.

[85] L. Alberti, _De Kaffers aan de Zuidkust van Afrika_ (Amsterdam, 1810), pp. 79 _sq._; H. Lichtenstein, _Reisen im sudlichen Africa_ (Berlin, 1811-1812), i. 428.

[86] Gustav Fritsch, _Die Eingeborenen Sud-Afrika's_ (Breslau, 1872), p.

112. This statement applies especially to the Ama-Xosa.

[87] G. McCall Theal, _Kaffir Folk-lore_, p. 218.

[88] Rev. Canon Henry Callaway, _Nursery Tales, Traditions, and Histories of the Zulus_ (Natal and London, 1868), p. 182, note 20. From one of the Zulu texts which the author edits and translates (p. 189) we may infer that during the period of her seclusion a Zulu girl may not light a fire. Compare above, p. 28.

[89] E. Casalis, _The Basutos_ (London, 1861), p. 268.

[90] J. Merolla, "Voyage to Congo," in J. Pinkerton's _Voyages and Travels_ (London, 1808-1814), xvi. 238; Father Campana, "Congo; Mission Catholique de Landana," _Les Missions Catholiques_, xxvii. (1895) p.

161; R.E. Dennett, _At the Back of the Black Man's Mind_ (London, 1906), pp. 69 _sq._. According to Merolla, it is thought that if girls did not go through these ceremonies, they would "never be fit for procreation."

The other consequences supposed to flow from the omission of the rites are mentioned by Father Campana. From Mr. Dennett's account (_op. cit._ pp. 53, 67-71) we gather that drought and famine are thought to result from the intercourse of a man with a girl who has not yet pa.s.sed through the "paint-house," as the hut is called where the young women live in seclusion. According to O. Dapper, the women of Loango paint themselves red on every recurrence of their monthly sickness; also they tie a cord tightly round their heads and take care neither to touch their husband's food nor to appear before him (_Description de l'Afrique_, Amsterdam, 1686, p. 326).

[91] The Rev. G. Brown, quoted by the Rev. B. Danks, "Marriage Customs of the New Britain Group," _Journal of the Anthropological Inst.i.tute_, xviii. (1889) pp. 284. _sq.; id., Melanesians and Polynesians_ (London, 1910), pp. 105-107. Compare _id._, "Notes on the Duke of York Group, New Britain, and New Ireland," _Journal of the Royal Geographical Society_, xlvii. (1877) pp. 142 _sq._; A. Hahl, "Das mittlere Neumecklenburg,"

_Globus_, xci. (1907) p. 313. Wilfred Powell's description of the New Ireland custom is similar (_Wanderings in a Wild Country_, London, 1883, p. 249). According to him, the girls wear wreaths of scented herbs round the waist and neck; an old woman or a little child occupies the lower floor of the cage; and the confinement lasts only a month. Probably the long period mentioned by Dr. Brown is that prescribed for chiefs'

daughters. Poor people could not afford to keep their children so long idle. This distinction is sometimes expressly stated. See above, p. 30.

Among the Goajiras of Colombia rich people keep their daughters shut up in separate huts at p.u.b.erty for periods varying from one to four years, but poor people cannot afford to do so for more than a fortnight or a month. See F.A. Simons, "An Exploration of the Goajira Peninsula,"

_Proceedings of the Royal Geographical Society_, N.S., vii. (1885) p.

791. In Fiji, brides who were being tattooed were kept from the sun (Thomas Williams, _Fiji and the Fijians_, Second Edition, London, 1860, i. 170). This was perhaps a modification of the Melanesian custom of secluding girls at p.u.b.erty. The reason mentioned by Mr. Williams, "to improve her complexion," can hardly have been the original one.

[92] Rev. R.H. Rickard, quoted by Dr. George Brown, _Melanesians and Polynesians_, pp. 107 _sq._. His observations were made in 1892.

[93] R. Parkinson, _Dreissig Jahre in der Sudsee_ (Stuttgart, 1907), p.

272. The natives told Mr. Parkinson that the confinement of the girls lasts from twelve to twenty months. The length of it may have been reduced since Dr. George Brown described the custom in 1876.

[94] J. Chalmers and W. Wyatt Gill, _Work and Adventure in New Guinea_ (London, 1885), p. 159.

[95] H. Zahn and S. Lehner, in R. Neuhauss's _Deutsch New-Guinea_ (Berlin, 1911), iii. 298, 418-420. The customs of the two tribes seem to be in substantial agreement, and the accounts of them supplement each other. The description of the Bukaua practice is the fuller.

[96] C.A.L.M. Schwaner, _Borneo, Beschrijving van het stroomgebied van den Barito_ (Amsterdam, 1853-1854), ii. 77 _sq._; W.F.A. Zimmermann, _Die Inseln des Indischen und Stillen Meeres_ (Berlin, 1864-1865), ii.

632 _sq._; Otto Finsch, _Neu Guinea und seine Bewohner_ (Bremen, 1865), pp. 116 _sq._.

[97] J.G.F. Riedel, _De sluik--en kroesharige ra.s.sen tusschen Selebes en Papua_ (The Hague, 1886), p. 138.

[98] A. Senfft, "Ethnographische Beitrage uber die Karolineninsel Yap,"

_Petermanns Mitteilungen_, xlix. (1903) p. 53; _id._, "Die Rechtssitten der j.a.p-Eingeborenen," _Globus_, xci. (1907) pp. 142 _sq._.

[99] Dr. C.G. Seligmann, in _Journal of the Anthropological Inst.i.tute_, xxix. (1899) pp. 212 _sq.; id._, in _Reports of the Cambridge Anthropological Expedition to Torres Straits_, v. (Cambridge, 1904) pp.

203 _sq._

[100] Dr. C.G. Seligmann, in _Reports of the Cambridge Expedition to Torres Straits_, v. (Cambridge, 1904) p. 205.

[101] L. Crauford, in _Journal of the Anthropological Inst.i.tute_, xxiv.

(1895) p. 181.

[102] Dr. C.G. Seligmann, _op. cit._ v. 206.

[103] Walter E. Roth, _North Queensland Ethnography, Bulletin No. 5, Superst.i.tion, Magic, and Medicine_ (Brisbane, 1903), pp. 24 _sq._

[104] Walter E. Roth, _op. cit._ p. 25.

[105] Dr. C.G. Seligmann, in _Reports of the Cambridge Anthropological Expedition to Torres Straits_, v. (Cambridge, 1904), p. 205.

[106] From notes kindly sent me by Dr. C.G. Seligmann. The practice of burying a girl at p.u.b.erty was observed also by some Indian tribes of California, but apparently rather for the purpose of producing a sweat than for the sake of concealment. The treatment lasted only twenty-four hours, during which the patient was removed from the ground and washed three or four times, to be afterwards reimbedded. Dancing was kept up the whole time by the women. See H. R. Schoolcraft, _Indian Tribes of the United States_ (Philadelphia, 1853-1856), v. 215.

[107] Dr. C.G. Seligmann, in _Reports of the Cambridge Anthropological Expedition to Torres Straits_, v. 201 _sq._

[108] A.L. Kroeber, "The Religion of the Indians of California,"

_University of California Publications in American Archaeology and Ethnology_, vol. iv. No. 6 (September, 1907), p. 324.

[109] Roland B. Dixon, "The Northern Maidu," _Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History_, vol. xvii. Part iii. (May 1905) pp. 232 _sq._, compare pp. 233-238.

[110] Stephen Powers, _Tribes of California_ (Was.h.i.+ngton, 1877), p. 85 (_Contributions to North American Ethnology_, vol. iii.).

[111] Stephen Powers, _op. cit._ p. 235.

[112] Charles Wilkes, _Narrative of the United States Exploring Expedition_, New Edition (New York, 1851), iv. 456.

[113] Franz Boas, _Chinook Texts_ (Was.h.i.+ngton, 1894), pp. 246 _sq._ The account, taken down from the lips of a Chinook Indian, is not perfectly clear; some of the restrictions were prolonged after the girl's second monthly period.

[114] G.M. Sproat, _Scenes and Studies of Savage Life_ (London, 1868), pp. 93 _sq._

[115] Franz Boas, in _Sixth Report on the North-Western Tribes of Canada_, pp. 40-42 (separate reprint from the _Report of the British a.s.sociation for the Advancement of Science_, Leeds meeting, 1890). The rule not to lie down is observed also during their seclusion at p.u.b.erty by Tsims.h.i.+an girls, who always sit propped up between boxes and mats; their heads are covered with small mats, and they may not look at men nor at fresh salmon and olachen. See Franz Boas, in _Fifth Report on the North-Western Tribes of Canada_, p. 41 (separate reprint from the _Report of the British a.s.sociation for the Advancement of Science_, Newcastle-upon-Tyne meeting, 1889); G.M. Dawson, _Report on the Queen Charlotte Islands, 1878_ (Montreal, 1880), pp. 130 B _sq._ Some divine kings are not allowed to lie down. See _Taboo and the Perils of the Soul_, p. 5.

[116] George M. Dawson, _Report on the Queen Charlotte Islands, 1878_ (Montreal, 1880), p. 130 B; J.R. Swanton, _Contributions to the Ethnology of the Haida_ (Leyden and New York, 1905), pp. 48-50 (_The Jesup North Pacific Expedition, Memoir of the American Museum of Natural History_, New York). Speaking of the customs observed at Kloo, where the girls had to abstain from salmon for five years, Mr. Swanton says (p.

49): "When five years had pa.s.sed, the girl came out, and could do as she pleased." This seems to imply that the girl was secluded in the house for five years. We have seen (above, p. 32) that in New Ireland the girls used sometimes to be secluded for the same period.

[117] G.H. von Langsdorff, _Reise um die Welt_ (Frankfort, 1812), ii.

114 _sq._; H.J. Holmberg, "Ethnographische Skizzen uber die Volker des Russischen Amerika," _Acta Societatis Scientiarum Fennicae_, iv.

(Helsingfors, 1856) pp. 319 _sq._; T. de Pauly, _Description Ethnographique des Peuples de la Russie_ (St. Petersburg, 1862), _Peuples de l'Amerique Russe_, p. 13; A. Erman, "Ethnographische Wahrnehmungen und Erfahrungen an den Kusten des Berings-Meeres,"

_Zeitschrift fur Ethnologie_, ii. (1870) pp. 318 _sq._; H.H. Bancroft, _Native Races of the Pacific States_ (London, 1875-1876), i. 110 _sq._; Rev. Sheldon Jackson, "Alaska and its Inhabitants," _The American Antiquarian_, ii. (Chicago, 1879-1880) pp. 111 _sq._; A. Woldt, _Captain Jacobsen's Reise an der Nordwestkiiste Americas, 1881-1883_ (Leipsic, 1884), p. 393; Aurel Krause, _Die Tlinkit-Indianer_ (Jena, 1885), pp.

217 _sq._; W.M. Grant, in _Journal of American Folk-lore_, i. (1888) p.

169; John R. Swanton, "Social Conditions, Beliefs, and Linguistic Relations.h.i.+p of the Tlingit Indians," _Twenty-sixth Annual Report of the Bureau of American Ethnology_ (Was.h.i.+ngton, 1908), p. 428.

[118] Franz Boas, in _Tenth Report of the Committee on the North-Western Tribes of Canada_, p. 45 (separate reprint from the _Report of the British a.s.sociation for the Advancement of Science_, Ipswich meeting, 1895).

[119] Franz Boas, in _Fifth Report of the Committee on the North-Western Tribes of Canada_, p. 42 (separate reprint from the _Report of the British a.s.sociation for the Advancement of Science_, Newcastle-upon-Tyne meeting, 1889); _id._, in _Seventh Report_, etc., p. 12 (separate reprint from the _Report of the British a.s.sociation for the Advancement of Science_, Cardiff meeting, 1891).

[120] "Customs of the New Caledonian women belonging to the Nancaushy Tine, or Stuart's Lake Indians, Natotin Tine, or Babine's and Nantley Tine, or Fraser Lake Tribes," from information supplied by Gavin Hamilton, chief factor of the Hudson's Bay Company's service, who has been for many years among these Indians, both he and his wife speaking their languages fluently (communicated by Dr. John Rae), _Journal of the Anthropological Inst.i.tute_, vii. (1878) pp. 206 _sq._