PAPUAN BELIEFS.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 3573, 24 February 1914, Page 3

PAPUAN BELIEFS.

MAX WHO BFRJXOS MOSQUITO -

The weird, quaint customs and beliefs of the different tribes inhabiting Papua often provide most amusing incidents for the white people and the missionaries who are foiling on behalf of the Anglican and other churches. Their faith in their peculiar convictions are of an unswerving character, and it will probably take years and

years of Christian influence to wear away their novel beliefs. The Rev. F. W. Ramsay, for many years a missionary amongst the New Guinea natives, who is on furlough, is very familiar with their customs.

They believe, he says, that the sun and moon were made by a woman. According to their story a woman was cutting up a largo taro when two of the centre pieces fell into deep water and became two suns, both shining at the same time. Owing to the great heat from the double sun causing everything to become scorched, it was arrangd between them that only one should shine at a time. Thus the moon became a night ilium inant. They have a great belief in the power of the sorcerers and witches and spirits of evil. They think that persons in the villages have the power to cast a spell over them, so that their hunting, fishing, and trading expeditions shall be unsuccessful, and they recognise different sorcerers who produce wind and rain. There is also a man who is held responsible for bringing the mosquitoes. There is litle or no use for a detective amongst the natives, who have their own opinions about crime. They believe that a spirit is cast abroad by a spirit that dwells in two stones at Paiwai to induce people to steal, and that the evil desires of the spirit can-

not l>e avoided. But they have novel and effective ways of dealing with the kleptomaniacs. They rely on a diviner to trace the thief. His method of detection , which is more distressing to the suspocte<r thief than the third

degree, never varies. He places a pearl shell on his forehead, and at the same time mentions the name of some person in the village. If the shell rolls off, the person is exonor.i r id from all blame of the crime, but when it adheres to the forehead the person whose name is mentioned is regarded as the thief. Everyone believes that the unfortunate person named is die thie ’.

RITES OF THE DEAD. The rites of the dead are most ceremoniously carried out. After death the eyes and mouth are closed, a“d the body is washed and laid out on a native mat. Then the principal mourners have a meal, after which the conch is blown announcing the death, the body is decorated with plumes and other ornamentations, and the lace is painted with a native dye. The principal mourners sit around the body, while in the case a man, the wid who is covered with ashes, will lie beside the body with her arms encircling it. All this .a melancholy dirge is being sung, with different persons chanting a different verse, the purport of which is to remind the wife of her dead husband’s past kindness to her. The dirge has a noisy refrain, in which all around join. When a death occurs all the men of the clan cease work and sit around the house where their friend has died, fasting from certain foods. Work is not resumed for ten days. Before the body is taken to its resting place it is placed on a bier surrounded by men with spears. One man asks the body, “Who caused you to die?” and all the other members of the ci relent and around with poised spears. The question is repeated, and the name of a different sorcerer is mentioned each time,’until the body is believed to shake the bier. The sorcerer who is being mentioned is regarded as tbe evil culprit, and the men set out to revenge the death.