The history of mankind (1896) (14761569174)

Identifier: historyofmankind01ratz (find matches)

Title: The history of mankind

Year: 1896 (1890s)

Authors: Ratzel, Friedrich, 1844-1904 Butler, Arthur John, 1844-1910

Subjects: Ethnology Anthropology

Publisher: London, Macmillan and co., ltd. New York, The Macmillan co.

Contributing Library: Wellesley College Library

Digitizing Sponsor: Wellesley College Library

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op as with a cloud. In the rest of Melanesia, next to the zvaranlizard, the buceros, hornbill or rhinoceros bird, is the most frequent subject ofsculpture. In the Hamburg Museum is a carving, in which he is taking a childfrom its mothers body with his ripping beak. Among animals, the pig is the most distinguished in fable. Giants from Tahitiembarked in rafts to fight the man-eating pig in Eiva ; or Hiro, born of the sun,slew it. Pigs were the most costly victims for sacrifice, and only the priests mightenter their styes. In Nukahiva a stone image of a pigs head was found incompany with human bones. Besides these, we find fabulous animals. Thesubject, at once oceanic and amphibious, of an animal living on the land andwith a serpent or eel-shaped extremity reaching to the sea, occurs in Fiji andelsewhere in Melanesia, in the form of tailed gods, as in the souls of the chiefslying in prayer before Siuleo. Here, as in Australia, lizards are involved in a special cycle of legends, bringing

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Ancestral images from Easter Island—one-tenth real size.(Munich Museum.) RELIGION IN OCEANIA 307 them into close connection with the divine figure which strikes its roots deeply,the god of earthquake. In Fiji he lived in a cave, and when he was driven thenceby incantations the giant lizard which he kept in a cage as a plaything remainedbehind till it was killed by the chief Tara. With it the legend connected anearthwork built in the form of a great lizard, on the river Waitio. On a campaigna green lizard is counted a bad omen. The Atuas like to appear in the form oflizards. Lizards creep through the openings of the body and bring illness ; andso among the Maoris the lizard god Mokotiti causes headache. Tare was alsospoken of as dwelling in a lizard. Among the Melanesians, snakes were, of allanimals, the most revered, and some places in Fiji were actually famous for snakeworship. On the other hand, the Hattams of New Guinea preferred the snake toall other animals for food. Among the

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1896

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