The Golden Bough: A Study in Magic and Religion (Third Edition, Vol. 01 of 12)Frazer, James George
Religion
The Golden Bough: A Study in Magic and Religion (Third Edition, Vol. 01 of 12)
Frazer, James George
Magic; Mythology; Religion; Superstition
In Parigi, a kingdom on the coast of Central Celebes, the placenta
is laid in a cooking-pot, and one of the mother’s female relations
carries the pot wrapt in white cotton and hidden under a petticoat
(_sarong_) to a spot beneath the house or elsewhere, and there she
buries it. A coco-nut is planted near the place. Going and coming the
woman is led by another, and must keep her eyes fast shut, for if
she looked right or left the child would squint, “because she is at
this time closely united with a part of the child, to wit its older
brother, in other words the placenta.” On her return to the house she
lies down on her sleeping-mat, still with closed eyes, and draws a
petticoat over her head, and another woman sprinkles her with water.
After that she may get up and open her eyes. The sprinkling with
water is intended to sever her sympathetic connexion with the child
and so prevent her from exercising any influence on it.[687] Among
the Tolalaki of Central Celebes turmeric and other spices are put on
the placenta, {p189} which is then enclosed in two coco-nut shells
that fit one on the other. These are wrapt in bark-cloth and kept in
the house. If the child falls ill, the coco-nut shells are opened and
the placenta examined. Should there be worms in it, they are removed
and fresh spices added. When the child has grown big and strong, the
placenta is thrown away.[688] Among the Toboongkoo of Central Celebes
the afterbirth is placed in a rice-pot with various plants, which are
intended to preserve it from decay as long as possible; it is then
carefully tied up in bark-cloth. A man and a woman of the family carry
the placenta away; in doing so they go out and in the house four times,
and each time they enter they kiss the child, but they take care not to
look to the right or the left, for otherwise the child would squint.
Some bury the placenta, others hang it on a tree. If the child is
unwell, they dig up the placenta or take it down from the tree, and
lay bananas, rice of four sorts, and a lighted taper beside it. Having
done so, they hang it up on a tree if it was previously buried; but
they bury it if it was formerly hung up.[689] The Tomori of Central
Celebes wash the afterbirth, put it in a rice-pot, and bury it under
the house. Great care is taken that no water or spittle falls on the
place. For a few days the afterbirth is sometimes fed with rice and
eggs, which are laid on the spot where it is buried. Afterwards the
people cease to trouble themselves about it.[690] In southern Celebes
they call the navel-string and afterbirth the two brothers or sisters
of the child. When the infant happens to be a prince or princess, the
navel-string and afterbirth are placed with salt and tamarind in a new
rice-pot, which is then enveloped in a fine robe and tightly corded up
to prevent the evil spirits from making off with the pair of brothers
or sisters. For the same reason a light is kept burning all night, and
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account