File:The history of mankind (1896) (14761568214).jpg

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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regarded asseats for the gods, andso sacred. The goodlittle soul-deities of theVeli sing from hollow trees. Weapons are Magic dolls made of human bone, votive bunches of hair, and tortoise skull, ... . , . from a temple in the Admiralty Islands—one-fifth real size. (Christy rubbed with certain Collection.) leaves to ensure suc-cess ; but in Vate, leaves are buried near a house in order to cast a shadeover it and cause illness. In the New Hebrides the pandanus receives specialreverence. At sacred dances the neophytes appear shrouded in bunchesof pandanus, and crowned with garlands of the same. In Micronesia, too,sacred trees are reverenced ; for example, in Bygor, coco-palms standing inenclosures, because the Am descend on to their tops. In Pelew, the Kalitwho created the names of the chiefs, and dwelt originally within the earth,is embodied in great forest trees. A bush that grows before the kings housein Korror passes for the last scion of a plant brought from a submerged spirit X
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3°6 THE HISTORY OF MANKIND land ; and at Tapituca in the Gilberts, New Years sacrifices are offered underan old Mawairi-trce. Birds appear in the Mani-legend as bearers and guardians of fire ; and alsoin a legend of the creation of man. Men were formed by the snipe or the lark,who was sent to earth by its father Tangaroa, during the process of scratchingup worms. A Samoan legend makes the souls of men in bird shape be broughtdown by the same birds. The seeds of useful plants are brought to earthby a bird from the gardens of the moon. The New Zealander regarded the cockatoo as sacred ; while it wasa bad omen if the tarata-bird flewover a column of warriors on themarch. The owl caused absoluteterror. Various other birds were alsosacred in Polynesia as the bringers of fireand souls ; and in Tahiti the heron andthe otatare-birA. Red feathers symbol-ised the fire which the Creator places inall living beings. One who knows Fiji,says: If you would sketch an appro-priate emblem of the old Fi

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