FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146   147   148   149   150   151   152   153  
154   155   156   157   158   159   160   161   162   163   164   165   166   167   168   169   170   171   >>  
orest, before commencing their usual invocations, both men and women hasten to stick in their hair all their combs and hairpins with the firm conviction that the wind, blowing upon these miraculous carvings will lose its power to do them harm. [Illustration: Trap for big game. _p._ 184.] Here it must be observed that, apart from the superstitious character of the fear the Sakais (especially those of the hills) have of the wind, this terror may be said to be almost justified. The impetuous currents of air coming from below often bring amongst them the germs of various infections and in particular malarial fevers. The poor natives in their ignorance of this, when they see their dear ones fall ill and often die after the wind's raging believe that it has brought into their village and left there, an invisible enemy. * * * * * The _Ala_, sorcerer, physician, and magician of the local superstitions does all he can to keep unshaken the belief in spirits and exorcism. He fulfils the functions of his two-fold office with all the ignorance and the deception which is possible to him; ignorance, because he shares with the others a sincere terror of the Evil Spirit, and deception because he makes the others think that he can see the dreaded Being and has a certain power over him by means of words and gestures. He is, upon a close and vigorous analysis, nothing but a vulgar swindler who obtains some sort of advantage by his artefices and succeeds in over-ruling his own people by giving advice which is often sought and always followed. The _Ala_ is generally the son of an _Ala_, a circumstance that might lead someone, who is fond of similar studies, to make accurate researches in order to ascertain if imposture should be considered as a hereditary disease. When the Evil Spirit, notwithstanding the cabalistic signs and mysterious words that proclaim the _Ala's_ prerogative in resisting and defeating him, has overcome and killed him, the corpse is not buried but is placed in an upright position between the roots of a tree not very far from his late residence. For seven days continual watch is kept over it and it is provided with food, tobacco and betel. An old tradition, which I have managed with difficulty to piece together from fragments unconsciously dropped now and then, pretends that _ab antiquo_ a covenant was made between the tigers and sorcerers that after one of the latter
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146   147   148   149   150   151   152   153  
154   155   156   157   158   159   160   161   162   163   164   165   166   167   168   169   170   171   >>  



Top keywords:
ignorance
 

deception

 

terror

 

Spirit

 

circumstance

 
ascertain
 
similar
 

studies

 
accurate
 

researches


ruling

 

swindler

 
obtains
 

vulgar

 
gestures
 

vigorous

 
analysis
 
advantage
 

artefices

 

sought


generally

 

advice

 

giving

 

succeeds

 

imposture

 

people

 

prerogative

 

tradition

 

managed

 

difficulty


provided

 
tobacco
 

fragments

 

unconsciously

 

tigers

 
sorcerers
 

covenant

 
antiquo
 

dropped

 
pretends

continual
 

mysterious

 
proclaim
 
resisting
 

overcome

 

defeating

 
cabalistic
 

notwithstanding

 
considered
 

hereditary