O. Finsch - Ethnologische Erfahrungen und Belegstücke aus der Südsee, Wein, 1893, p.

395

p.316

7. Spirit and superstition.

The questions most difficult to discover in the life of primitive peoples, those of spiritual life and of
religious beliefs, have hitherto mainly been obtained from Kirby and Wood. However, they lived long
enough as white Kanaka among the Gilbert Islanders; However, they are not to be regarded as
researchers, and they are certainly not as competent in their education as would be desirable.

According to Kirby, the principal deity is called "Wanigain" or "Tabu-eriki," which is worshiped by the
majority of the people in the form of special stones, as well as Itivinic and Itituapea, both female deities.
Others worship certain birds, fish, or the spirits of their ancestors, the latter only the Makinians, who,
according to Wood, know no gods. In memory of famous chiefs not only festivals are celebrated (page
33), but also large stones are erected, which are decorated with coconut leaves and where coconuts are
deposited. On Kuria such stones are partly in special houses (»Ba-ni-motac or» Bota-ni-antic)
housed, which differ from ordinary only in that the roof rests on coral blocks and missing in the interior
of the floor space. Hudson also mentions such houses under the name "Teo-tabu" by Tapiteuea. The
approximately 3 7a foot high stones or pillars made of coral stones have a cavity in the middle, to which
the "Iboyac or" Boyac, priest, sets his ear to receive the inspiration of the god and prophesy thereupon.
According to Wood, there are no priests on Makin, but persons who pretend to associate with the spirits,
and also prophesy and interpret signs. Kirby also tells of the "Kainakakic or Elysium of the Kurians,
which is said to be on the island of Tavairac (Maiana), where the souls live delightfully and joyfully, but
which can only reach those of" tattooists "and thus only a very small one Minority would be accessible.
Apart from this belief in immortality, which requires much closer confirmation, the so-called religion of
the Gilbert Islanders reduces itself to a kind of fetishism in which the ancestors play a prominent role, as
is already apparent from the worship of the skull. The so-called "priests" are nothing other than the kind
of prophets found in so many primitive peoples (eg, shamans in Asia) and correspond to the "Drikanan"
of the marsh allaner.

The prophets also make use of certain things as oracles - and regard many signs as omens for the
favorable or unfavorable outcome of a business, a disease, or the like, as they discuss the latter, or by
sorcery can attach or even kill someone with it. All processes that are similar everywhere. According to
Wood, falling stars are a sign of the death of a member of the family on Makin, and I witnessed that bird
flight was interpreted, but it was not clear which event would occur, but it was thought that the birth
would take place
of a child. There were also windmills. A woman promised to make good wind for some pieces of tobacco;
when he did not, and jokingly reclaimed the tobacco, she (and I) was laughed at by the natives.
Of the ghost dread of the Gilbert Islanders, I've often had rehearsals. The plaintive cry of the "Tscheggun"
(golden plover, Charadrius fulvus), which sounded from the reef during the nocturnal wanderings,
frightened at times so that the natives did not leave the hut. But they especially feared "Tebe-
rainimen, "an apparently evil spirit, just as the New Britannians" Toberan "and the Koiäri the" cotton
wool "(I, p. 33 and II, p.

I have often seen so-called stone fetishes or "places of sacrifice" on all the islands I have visited, but have
always regarded them as graves of excellent chiefs or other commemorative signs, which is what Wood's
information covers. These monuments usually consisted of coral stones, laid out in a circle or erected,

p. 395
The disgusting customs of the Gilbert Islanders in the treatment of the deceased do not take place on the
Marshalls, nor is any worship of the skulls by preserving them, as a result of which the inhabitants of both
archipelagos, even in this relationship, differ substantially. The former burial way had by the
Christian influence at the mission sites, in part already suffered losses, but I still received detailed
information from Kabua and a chief of the Atoll Kwajalein.
At the death of one of the chiefs or the honorable ones, there was a great peal at first, chiefly on the part
of the women; then song and dance performances took place for a whole day and a night, often for two
days. But these were not special, but the same as those described above (p. 388), especially under Eluluc.
In the songs, wise men (Drikanan) celebrated the life and deeds of the deceased, who by the way was not
exhibited in parade. meanwhile
Men (six men!) had dug the approximately 3-foot-deep grave ("Uliej": Kubary, "Lüp": Hernsheim), a
laborious piece of work on the hard ground.
The corpse is (but not in "sitting position", as Chamisso says) constricted in thick sleeping mats (No. 196)
and placed in the grave, that the especially covered with two mats head is after sunset, with the face so to
the east

[Sgc] Ethnological experiences and samples from the SQdsee. L3G

applies. As a gift, the dead man receives a raffia skirt (Him), two mats and other jewelry, now often a
woolen blanket, to the grave. The next of kin, especially the brother of the deceased, will be given a gift
from Allen on the occasion. The tomb is filled with sand by the (six) men, a flat hill
made of coral debris piled up, with a border of coral plates placed on the high edge. Sometimes short
sticks are used as fencing and at the head of the tomb an old oar is buried in the ground, sometimes a
second at the foot, as I saw this at the grave of the king on Arno. The (six) dead
Graves had to keep watch over the grave for three weeks and have a fire, probably to scare away evil
spirits, and were fed during the time.
Noble women were buried in much the same way as men, but with lesser middle-classes of the lower
classes, as was the case everywhere, they did not have much trouble, either burying them in less deep
graves or handing them over (to Hernsheim).
bound in a mat, the seas. According to Chamisso, "an implanted staff with ring-shaped incisions referred
to the grave of the children who were not allowed to live," a kindergarten, as I did not see it. Kabua, who
was only nominally converted, bought a lacquered chine for his dead son, about two years old.
sische box with lock as a coffin, in which the small corpse with rich gifts of BaumwollenstofF u. s. w.
remained standing over the earth for a long time.

Incidentally, the tombs are not in and around the houses, as in the Gilberts, but off the beaten track,
mostly hidden in coconut palms, which is related to the spirit fear. Also, no coco palms are planted at
graves, as otherwise, z. In Melanesia (II, p. [252])
Custom is.

7. Spirit and superstition.

Much has been changed in the inner spiritual life of the natives by the mission, but even so-called
Christians - "Dri-anitsch" ("Dri" = bones, human; "anitsch" ^ = spirit, soul) still cling to the old spirit
belief and that will probably stay that way for a long time. Are still in Hawaii today
In the old day, old-fashioned customs were cultivated, and even in our country some reminiscences of it
have been preserved in somewhat different ways.

The Marshallans have no religion, no priests, but there is a rather raw fetishism, and there are Drikanan
("Dri" = bone, man and "kanan" = prophesy), ie prophets who do not form a certain guild, but earlier in
the People seem to have been very influential. The word "Jageach," like it
Chamisso translated for "god" on ratak is at least unknown to ralik. Nor can we speak of the "worship of
an invisible God in heaven," but only of spirits ("Anich"), and there was and is a great deal of this,
higher and lower, yes, everyone becomes "Anich" after his death. But this does not mean a belief in
eternal life, the hereafter, according to the Christian conception, but a certain spirit life in association with
the existing world, in the narrowly defined spiritual horizon of the Marshaller. There are people who hear
the spirits, especially at night, and indeed see them, and just as our spiritualists can talk to them; but that's
why they're not always "Drikanan." On the occasion of the war on Jalut, Kabua consulted his "Anich,"
who assured him of the victory. It
There are also evil spirits, ghosts ("Jiteb"), which is why the graves of certain dead are avoided and spirit
fear prevails. A part of the minor ones

I40 dr. O. Finch. [396]

Sacrificings, usually bits of coconut, are therefore made out of fear for the reason that the fires mentioned
(p. [387]) are set on fire for this reason. Idols of any kind do not exist, but one considers certain passages,
stones, trees, even fish, as the seat of Anich, without worshiping them, or even regarding them as "holy."
Not even "taboo" is associated with such passages, for Chamisso mentions that a square enclosed by four
beams enters unhindered by such a "holy coco-palme," probably a burial-place
was allowed to. Kabua showed me the place where there used to be an old tree stump, which was
considered a big Anitsch. Hernsheim let him unconsciously blow away, but the natives were not offended
in the least. On Ebon there is another stump of an old "Bingebing" tree, which is still green, "Dhololang"
called, which is also the seat of an Anich; the people tend to lay down small stones there. On the Namo
atoll is the big stone »Luadonmul«, after Kabua a real stone and not a coral rock, only for Irodsche; yet it
remained unclear whether the seat was accessible only to the assailants of the chiefs, or only to the latter,
for it is difficult to obtain clear information on such things from natives. They are more difficult of terms
than Ostiaken or Samoyed. Also on Jabwor of the Djalut Atoll there are stones called "Ladshibundao",
which are considered the seat of spirits; but it was not possible to determine whether these Anich were not
merely the habitation of the deceased, that is, of souls. Also Anitsch in the form of fish are known, but
they show only very rarely, often only after years. Who sees the big fish-Anitsch first,
call "Ladji Bunda-6" and everyone rushes to Canus as soon as possible. After this fish and the number of
small ones swimming with it (well, a kind of shark), it is prophesied how this happens and for what
purpose, Kabua knew nothing about it.

Sacrificial places were but such Anitsch trees, stones u. not, but otherwise they make modest sacrifices on
certain occasions. Thus, a certain place in the house, usually behind the head of the camp, is regarded as
the "Anich site",
after which you can not actually look and where to throw a bite at the beginning of the meal backwards.
The accompanying saying "Giedin Anis mne jeo" Chamisso has probably written only by ear, he must go
to Hernsheim "Kidschin
(the bite) Anitsch (for the spirit) idschu «. In the case of the "idschu" ("here"), the bite is interpreted as the
place where Anich should help. Does someone have z. For example, headache, he holds the bite to the
painful spot with his left hand, and then throws it behind him; If there is no rain, the bite indicates the
clouds. Of course, the seers (Drikanan) play an important role in such important occasions, as do all those
people who have not quite disappeared with us. The "Drikanan" is not a wind and rain maker, he
prophesies only the alleged outcome of important events and events, such as war and peace, Canufahrten,
drought or rain, diseases u. Sometimes he retired for a few days fasting in his hut (because there are no
temples) and finally let himself be well paid in coconuts and food, while the Anitsch went out empty-
handed. For "solemn sacrifices in which the fruits of the god were consecrated," as Chamisso reports to
Kadu, did not take place. The story of the "blind god" on Bigar also has no other authority than the Kadu's
and should be recorded with caution.