the golden bough-第265章

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isted　upon　as　essential。　The　savage；　unshackled　by　dogma；　is　free　to　explain　the　facts　of　life　by　the　assumption　of　as　many　souls　as　he　thinks　necessary。　Hence；　for　example；　the　Caribs　supposed　that　there　was　one　soul　in　the　head；　another　in　the　heart；　and　other　souls　at　all　the　places　where　an　artery　is　felt　pulsating。　Some　of　the　Hidatsa　Indians　explain　the　phenomena　of　gradual　death；　when　the　extremities　appear　dead　first；　by　supposing　that　man　has　four　souls；　and　that　they　quit　the　body；　not　simultaneously；　but　one　after　the　other；　dissolution　being　only　complete　when　all　four　have　departed。　Some　of　the　Dyaks　of　Borneo　and　the　Malays　of　the　Peninsula　believe　that　every　man　has　seven　souls。　The　Alfoors　of　Poso　in　Celebes　are　of　opinion　that　he　has　three。　The　natives　of　Laos　suppose　that　the　body　is　the　seat　of　thirty　spirits；　which　reside　in　the　hands；　the　feet；　the　mouth；　the　eyes；　and　so　on。　Hence；　from　the　primitive　point　of　view；　it　is　perfectly　possible　that　a　savage　should　have　one　soul　in　his　sex　totem　and　another　in　his　clan　totem。　However；　as　I　have　observed；　sex　totems　have　been　found　nowhere　but　in　Australia；　so　that　as　a　rule　the　savage　who　practises　totemism　need　not　have　more　than　one　soul　out　of　his　body　at　a　time。

If　this　explanation　of　the　totem　as　a　receptacle　in　which　a　man　keeps　his　soul　or　one　of　his　souls　is　correct；　we　should　expect　to　find　some　totemic　people　of　whom　it　is　expressly　said　that　every　man　amongst　them　is　believed　to　keep　at　least　one　soul　permanently　out　of　his　body；　and　that　the　destruction　of　this　external　soul　is　supposed　to　entail　the　death　of　its　owner。　Such　a　people　are　the　Bataks　of　Sumatra。　The　Bataks　are　divided　into　exogamous　clans　（margas）　with　descent　in　the　male　line；　and　each　clan　is　forbidden　to　eat　the　flesh　of　a　particular　animal。　One　clan　may　not　eat　the　tiger；　another　the　ape；　another　the　crocodile；　another　the　dog；　another　the　cat；　another　the　dove；　another　the　white　buffalo；　and　another　the　locust。　The　reason　given　by　members　of　a　clan　for　abstaining　from　the　flesh　of　the　particular　animal　is　either　that　they　are　descended　from　animals　of　that　species；　and　that　their　souls　after　death　may　transmigrate　into　the　animals；　or　that　they　or　their　forefathers　have　been　under　certain　obligations　to　the　creatures。　Sometimes；　but　not　always；　the　clan　bears　the　name　of　the　animal。　Thus　the　Bataks　have　totemism　in　full。　But；　further；　each　Batak　believes　that　he　has　seven　or；　on　a　more　moderate　computation；　three　souls。　One　of　these　souls　is　always　outside　the　body；　but　nevertheless　whenever　it　dies；　however　far　away　it　may　be　at　the　time；　that　same　moment　the　man　dies　also。　The　writer　who　mentions　this　belief　says　nothing　about　the　Batak　totems；　but　on　the　analogy　of　the　Australian；　Central　American；　and　African　evidence　we　may　conjecture　that　the　external　soul；　whose　death　entails　the　death　of　the　man；　is　housed　in　the　totemic　animal　or　plant。

Against　this　view　it　can　hardly　be　thought　to　militate　that　the　Batak　does　not　in　set　terms　affirm　his　external　soul　to　be　in　his　totem；　but　alleges　other　grounds　for　respecting　the　sacred　animal　or　plant　of　his　clan。　For　if　a　savage　seriously　believes　that　his　life　is　bound　up　with　an　external　object；　it　is　in　the　last　degree　unlikely　that　he　will　let　any　stranger　into　the　secret。　In　all　that　touches　his　inmost　life　and　beliefs　the　savage　is　exceedingly　suspicious　and　reserved；　Europeans　have　resided　among　savages　for　years　without　discovering　some　of　their　capital　articles　of　faith；　and　in　the　end　the　discovery　has　often　been　the　result　of　accident。　Above　all；　the　savage　lives　in　an　intense　and　perpetual　dread　of　assassination　by　sorcery；　the　most　trifling　relics　of　his　personthe　clippings　of　his　hair　and　nails；　his　spittle；　the　remnants　of　his　food；　his　very　nameall　these　may；　he　fancies；　be　turned　by　the　sorcerer　to　his　destruction；　and　he　is　therefore　anxiously　careful　to　conceal　or　destroy　them。　But　if　in　matters　such　as　these；　which　are　but　the　outposts　and　outworks　of　his　life；　he　is　so　shy　and　secretive；　how　close　must　be　the　concealment；　how　impenetrable　the　reserve　in　which　he　enshrouds　the　inner　keep　and　citadel　of　his　being！　When　the　princess　in　the　fairy　tale　asks　the　giant　where　he　keeps　his　soul；　he　often　gives　false　or　evasive　answers；　and　it　is　only　after　much　coaxing　and　wheedling　that　the　secret　is　at　last　wrung　from　him。　In　his　jealous　reticence　the　giant　resembles　the　timid　and　furtive　savage；　but　whereas　the　exigencies　of　the　story　demand　that　the　giant　should　at　last　reveal　his　secret；　no　such　obligation　is　laid　on　the　savage；　and　no　inducement　that　can　be　offered　is　likely　to　tempt　him　to　imperil　his　soul　by　revealing　its　hiding…place　to　a　stranger。　It　is　therefore　no　matter　for　surprise　that　the　central　mystery　of　the　savage's　life　should　so　long　have　remained　a　secret；　and　that　we　should　be　left　to　piece　it　together　from　scattered　hints　and　fragments　and　from　the　recollections　of　it　which　linger　in　fairy　tales。

4。　The　Ritual　of　Death　and　Resurrection

THIS　view　of　totemism　throws　light　on　a　class　of　religious　rites　of　which　no　adequate　explanation；　so　far　as　I　am　aware；　has　yet　been　offered。　Amongst　many　savage　tribes；　especially　such　as　are　known　to　practice　totemism；　it　is　customary　for　lads　at　puberty　to　undergo　certain　initiatory　rites；　of　which　one　of　the　commonest　is　a　pretence　of　killing　the　lad　and　bringing　him　to　life　again。　Such　rites　become　intelligible　if　we　suppose　that　their　substance　consists　in　extracting　the　youth's　soul　in　order　to　transfer　it　to　his　totem。　For　the　extraction　of　his　soul　would　naturally　be　supposed　to　kill　the　youth　or　at　least　to　throw　him　into　a　death…like　trance；　which　the　savage　hardly　distinguishes　from　death。　His　recovery　would　then　be　attributed　either　to　the　gradual　recovery　of　his　system　from　the　violent　shock　which　it　had　received；　or；　more　probably；　to　the　infusion　into　him　of　fresh　life　drawn　from　the　totem。　Thus　the　essence　of　these　initiatory　rites；　so　far　as　they　consist　in　a　simulation　of　death　and　resurrection；　would　be　an　exchange　of　life　or　souls　between　the　man　and　his　totem。　The　primitive　belief　in　the　possibility　of　such　an　exchange　of　souls　comes　clearly　out　in　a　story　of　a　Basque　hunter　who　affirmed　that　he　had　been　killed　by　a　bear；　but　that　the　bear　had；　after　killing　him；　breathed　its　own　soul　into　him；　so　that　the　bear's　body　was　now　dead；　but　he　himself　was　a　bear；　being　animated　by　the　bear's　soul。　This　revival　of　the　dead　hunter　as　a　bear　is　exactly　analogous　to　what；　on　the　theory　here　suggested；　is　supposed　to　take　place　in　the　ceremony　of　killing　a　lad　at　puberty　and　bringing　him　to　life　again。　The　lad　dies　as　a　man　and　comes　to　life　again　as　an　animal；　the　animal's　soul　is　now　in　him；　and　his　human　soul　is　in　the　animal。　With　good　right；　therefore；　does　he　call　himself　a　Bear　or　a　Wolf；　etc。；　according　to　his　totem；　and　with　good　right　does　he　treat　the　bears　or　the　wolves；　etc。；　as　his　brethren；　since　in　these　animals　are　lodged　the　souls　of　himself　and　his　kindred。

Examples　of　this　supposed　death　and　resurrection　at　initiation　are　as　follows。　In　the　Wonghi　or　Wonghibon　tribe　of　New　South　Wales　the　youths　on　approaching　manhood　are　initiated　at　a　secret　ceremony；　which　none　but　initiated　men　may　witness。　Part　of　the　proceedings　consists　in　knocking　out　a　tooth　and　giving　a　new　name　to　the　novice；　indicative　of　the　change　from　youth　to　manhood。　While　the　teeth　are　being　knocked　out　an　instrument　known　as　a　bull…roarer；　which　consists　of　a　flat　piece　of　wood　with　serrated　edges　tied　to　the　end　of　a　string；　is　swung　round　so　as　to　produce　a　loud　humming　noise。　The　uninitiated　are　not　allowed　to　see　this　instrument。　Women　are　forbidden　to　witness　the　ceremonies　under　pain　of　death。　It　is　given　out　that　the　youths　are　each　met　in　turn　by　a　mythical　being；　called　Thuremlin　（more　commonly　known　as　Daramulun）　who　takes　the　youth　to　a　distance；　kills　him；　and　in　some　instances　cuts　him　up；　after　which　he　restores　him　to　life　and　knocks　out　a　tooth。　Their　belief　in　the　power　of　Thuremlin　is　said　to　be　undoubted。

The　Ualaroi　of　the　Upper　Darling　River　said　that　at　initiation　the　boy　met　a　ghost；　who　killed　him　and　brought　him　to　life　again　as