the golden bough-第236节

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　be　in　his　totem；　but　alleges　other　grounds　for　respecting　the　sacred　animal　or　plant　of　his　clan。　For　if　a　savage　seriously　believes　that　his　life　is　bound　up　with　an　external　object；　it　is　in　the　last　degree　unlikely　that　he　will　let　any　stranger　into　the　secret。　In　all　that　touches　his　inmost　life　and　beliefs　the　savage　is　exceedingly　suspicious　and　reserved；　Europeans　have　resided　among　savages　for　years　without　discovering　some　of　their　capital　articles　of　faith；　and　in　the　end　the　discovery　has　often　been　the　result　of　accident。　Above　all；　the　savage　lives　in　an　intense　and　perpetual　dread　of　assassination　by　sorcery；　the　most　trifling　relics　of　his　personthe　clippings　of　his　hair　and　nails；　his　spittle；　the　remnants　of　his　food；　his　very　nameall　these　may；　he　fancies；　be　turned　by　the　sorcerer　to　his　destruction；　and　he　is　therefore　anxiously　careful　to　conceal　or　destroy　them。　But　if　in　matters　such　as　these；　which　are　but　the　outposts　and　outworks　of　his　life；　he　is　so　shy　and　secretive；　how　close　must　be　the　concealment；　how　impenetrable　the　reserve　in　which　he　enshrouds　the　inner　keep　and　citadel　of　his　being！　When　the　princess　in　the　fairy　tale　asks　the　giant　where　he　keeps　his　soul；　he　often　gives　false　or　evasive　answers；　and　it　is　only　after　much　coaxing　and　wheedling　that　the　secret　is　at　last　wrung　from　him。　In　his　jealous　reticence　the　giant　resembles　the　timid　and　furtive　savage；　but　whereas　the　exigencies　of　the　story　demand　that　the　giant　should　at　last　reveal　his　secret；　no　such　obligation　is　laid　on　the　savage；　and　no　inducement　that　can　be　offered　is　likely　to　tempt　him　to　imperil　his　soul　by　revealing　its　hiding…place　to　a　stranger。　It　is　therefore　no　matter　for　surprise　that　the　central　mystery　of　the　savage's　life　should　so　long　have　remained　a　secret；　and　that　we　should　be　left　to　piece　it　together　from　scattered　hints　and　fragments　and　from　the　recollections　of　it　which　linger　in　fairy　tales。

4。　The　Ritual　of　Death　and　Resurrection

THIS　view　of　totemism　throws　light　on　a　class　of　religious　rites　of　which　no　adequate　explanation；　so　far　as　I　am　aware；　has　yet　been　offered。　Amongst　many　savage　tribes；　especially　such　as　are　known　to　practice　totemism；　it　is　customary　for　lads　at　puberty　to　undergo　certain　initiatory　rites；　of　which　one　of　the　commonest　is　a　pretence　of　killing　the　lad　and　bringing　him　to　life　again。　Such　rites　become　intelligible　if　we　suppose　that　their　substance　consists　in　extracting　the　youth's　soul　in　order　to　transfer　it　to　his　totem。　For　the　extraction　of　his　soul　would　naturally　be　supposed　to　kill　the　youth　or　at　least　to　throw　him　into　a　death…like　trance；　which　the　savage　hardly　distinguishes　from　death。　His　recovery　would　then　be　attributed　either　to　the　gradual　recovery　of　his　system　from　the　violent　shock　which　it　had　received；　or；　more　probably；　to　the　infusion　into　him　of　fresh　life　drawn　from　the　totem。　Thus　the　essence　of　these　initiatory　rites；　so　far　as　they　consist　in　a　simulation　of　death　and　resurrection；　would　be　an　exchange　of　life　or　souls　between　the　man　and　his　totem。　The　primitive　belief　in　the　possibility　of　such　an　exchange　of　souls　comes　clearly　out　in　a　story　of　a　Basque　hunter　who　affirmed　that　he　had　been　killed　by　a　bear；　but　that　the　bear　had；　after　killing　him；　breathed　its　own　soul　into　him；　so　that　the　bear's　body　was　now　dead；　but　he　himself　was　a　bear；　being　animated　by　the　bear's　soul。　This　revival　of　the　dead　hunter　as　a　bear　is　exactly　analogous　to　what；　on　the　theory　here　suggested；　is　supposed　to　take　place　in　the　ceremony　of　killing　a　lad　at　puberty　and　bringing　him　to　life　again。　The　lad　dies　as　a　man　and　comes　to　life　again　as　an　animal；　the　animal's　soul　is　now　in　him；　and　his　human　soul　is　in　the　animal。　With　good　right；　therefore；　does　he　call　himself　a　Bear　or　a　Wolf；　etc。；　according　to　his　totem；　and　with　good　right　does　he　treat　the　bears　or　the　wolves；　etc。；　as　his　brethren；　since　in　these　animals　are　lodged　the　souls　of　himself　and　his　kindred。

Examples　of　this　supposed　death　and　resurrection　at　initiation　are　as　follows。　In　the　Wonghi　or　Wonghibon　tribe　of　New　South　Wales　the　youths　on　approaching　manhood　are　initiated　at　a　secret　ceremony；　which　none　but　initiated　men　may　witness。　Part　of　the　proceedings　consists　in　knocking　out　a　tooth　and　giving　a　new　name　to　the　novice；　indicative　of　the　change　from　youth　to　manhood。　While　the　teeth　are　being　knocked　out　an　instrument　known　as　a　bull…roarer；　which　consists　of　a　flat　piece　of　wood　with　serrated　edges　tied　to　the　end　of　a　string；　is　swung　round　so　as　to　produce　a　loud　humming　noise。　The　uninitiated　are　not　allowed　to　see　this　instrument。　Women　are　forbidden　to　witness　the　ceremonies　under　pain　of　death。　It　is　given　out　that　the　youths　are　each　met　in　turn　by　a　mythical　being；　called　Thuremlin　（more　commonly　known　as　Daramulun）　who　takes　the　youth　to　a　distance；　kills　him；　and　in　some　instances　cuts　him　up；　after　which　he　restores　him　to　life　and　knocks　out　a　tooth。　Their　belief　in　the　power　of　Thuremlin　is　said　to　be　undoubted。

The　Ualaroi　of　the　Upper　Darling　River　said　that　at　initiation　the　boy　met　a　ghost；　who　killed　him　and　brought　him　to　life　again　as　a　young　man。　Among　the　natives　on　the　Lower　Lachlan　and　Murray　Rivers　it　was　Thrumalun　（Daramulun）　who　was　thought　to　slay　and　resuscitate　the　novices。　In　the　Unmatjera　tribe　of　Central　Australia　women　and　children　believe　that　a　spirit　called　Twanyirika　kills　the　youth　and　afterwards　brings　him　to　life　again　during　the　period　of　initiation。　The　rites　of　initiation　in　this　tribe；　as　in　the　other　Central　tribes；　comprise　the　operations　of　circumcision　and　subincision；　and　as　soon　as　the　second　of　these　has　been　performed　on　him；　the　young　man　receives　from　his　father　a　sacred　stick　（churinga）；　with　which；　he　is　told；　his　spirit　was　associated　in　the　remotest　past。　While　he　is　out　in　the　bush　recovering　from　his　wounds；　he　must　swing　the　bull…roarer；　or　a　being　who　lives　up　in　the　sky　will　swoop　down　and　carry　him　off。　In　the　Binbinga　tribe；　on　the　western　coast　of　the　Gulf　of　Carpentaria；　the　women　and　children　believe　that　the　noise　of　the　bull…roarer　at　initiation　is　made　by　a　spirit　named　Katajalina；　who　lives　in　an　ant…hill　and　comes　out　and　eats　up　the　boy；　afterwards　restoring　him　to　life。　Similarly　among　their　neighbours　the　Anula　the　women　imagine　that　the　droning　sound　of　the　bull…roarer　is　produced　by　a　spirit　called　Gnabaia；　who　swallows　the　lads　at　initiation　and　afterwards　disgorges　them　in　the　form　of　initiated　men。

Among　the　tribes　settled　on　the　southern　coast　of　New　South　Wales；　of　which　the　Coast　Murring　tribe　may　be　regarded　as　typical；　the　drama　of　resurrection　from　the　dead　was　exhibited　in　a　graphic　form　to　the　novices　at　initiation。　The　ceremony　has　been　described　for　us　by　an　eye…witness。　A　man；　disguised　with　stringy　bark　fibre；　lay　down　in　a　grave　and　was　lightly　covered　up　with　sticks　and　earth。　In　his　hand　he　held　a　small　bush；　which　appeared　to　be　growing　in　the　soil；　and　other　bushes　were　stuck　in　the　ground　to　heighten　the　effect。　Then　the　novices　were　brought　and　placed　beside　the　grave。　Next；　a　procession　of　men；　disguised　in　stringy　bark　fibre；　drew　near。　They　represented　a　party　of　medicine…men；　guided　by　two　reverend　seniors；　who　had　come　on　pilgrimage　to　the　grave　of　a　brother　medicine…man；　who　lay　buried　there。　When　the　little　procession；　chanting　an　invocation　to　Daramulun；　had　defiled　from　among　the　rocks　and　trees　into　the　open；　it　drew　up　on　the　side　of　the　grave　opposite　to　the　novices；　the　two　old　men　taking　up　a　position　in　the　rear　of　the　dancers。　For　some　time　the　dance　and　song　went　on　till　the　tree　that　seemed　to　grow　from　the　grave　began　to　quiver。　Look　there！　cried　the　men　to　the　novices；　pointing　to　the　trembling　leaves。　As　they　looked；　the　tree　quivered　more　and　more；　then　was　violently　agitated　and　fell　to　the　ground；　while　amid　the　excited　dancing　of　the　dancers　and　the　chanting　of　the　choir　the　supposed　dead　man　spurned　from　him　the　superincumbent　mass　of　sticks　and　leaves；　and　springing　to　his　feet　danced　his　magic　dance　in　the　grave　itself；　and　exhibited　in　his　mouth　the　magic　substances　which　he　was　supposed　to　have　received　from　Daramulun　in　person。

Some　tribes　of　Northern　New　Guineathe　Yabim；　Bukaua；　Kai；　and　Tamilike　many　Australian　tribes；　require　every　male　member　of　the　tribe　to　be　circumcised　before　he　ranks　as　a　full…grown　man；　and　the　tribal　initiation；　of　which　circumcision　is　the　central　feature；　is　conceived　by　them；　as　by　some　Australian　tribes；　as　a　process　of　being　swallowed　and　disgorged　by　a　mythical　monster；　whose　voice　is　heard　in　the　humming　sound　of　the　bull…roarer。　Indeed　the　New　Guinea　tribes　not　only　impress　this　belief　on　the　minds　of　women　and　children；　but　enact　it　in　a　dramatic　form　at　the　actual　rites　of　initiation；　at　which　no　woman　or　uninitiated　person　may　be　present。　For　this　purpose　a　hut　about　a　hundred　feet　long　is　erected　either　in　the　village　or　in　a　lonely　part　of　the　forest。　It　is　modelled　in　the　shape　of　the　mythical　monster；　at　the　end　which　represents　his　head　it　is　high；　and　it　tapers　away　at　the　other　end。　A　betel…palm；　grubbed　up　with　the　roots；　stands　for　the　backbone　of　the　great　being　and　its　clustering　fibres