638 Transactioiu. — Miscellaneom. 



India and its missions, " include the moon, the deity of war, and 

 the Hindu goddess Kali. The favourite divinity, however, is 

 the Earth, in the cultivation of which this branch of the Dravidian 

 family has attained to considerable proficiency. In order to 

 induce their god to yield them an abiuidant harvest, a rite called 

 Meriah is annually performed, which is no other than a human 

 sacrifice. For this purpose children of both sexes are purchased 

 or kidnapped fi'om neighbouring tribes, a foreigner being deemed 

 essential. The intended victims are carefully reared and 

 guarded in villages appointed to this use. At the appointed 

 season a feast is held, with drunken and licentious revellings, 

 for two days, during which the victim is indulged with every 

 sensual gratification. On the third he is brought out, and 

 bound to a stake or tree ; and at an appointed signal the savage 

 Khonds rush in with then- knives, pick away slices from the yet 

 living body, and hasten to bury them, warm and palpitating, in 

 their fields." 



Mr. Colenso designates the tradition of Tia " a portion of an 

 ancient relation he had from the Maoris of the ulterior." The 

 story runs significantly, somewhat : " Tia and his party did not 

 return from Taupo (inland), whither they had gone, to Maketu 

 (on the coast) ; they all died inland at Titiraupeuga, where their 

 bones," etc. 



Perhaps they (if historical) fell victims to a Maori form of 

 Meriah; or, maybe, Tia is only a form of Tiki, the husband 

 of Pani, the goddess of the Jaimara plantations (or, rather, the 

 personification of the plantations themselves) ; he would thus 

 represent the solar-god, or male principle, fructifying the female 

 principle : for it can be shown that Tiki is also Siva or Rudra, 

 and Pani is only another name for Uma or Kali, thus manifest- 

 ing a Phallic connection. 



But the most interesting fact mentioned by Mr. Colenso in 

 this connection, is the following : " In conclusion," adds Mr. 

 Colenso, " another curious superstition relating to Pani, some- 

 times observed on the harvesting of the crop of kiomims, may 

 also be mentioned. At such seasons, a peculiarly-shaped, abnor- 

 mal, and rather large hinnara root was met with, though by no 

 means frequently, (sometimes not one such in the whole cultiva- 

 tion,) this was called ' Pani's canoe' =Pani's medium, between 

 her and the priest. ... It became the peculiar property 

 of the priest, and was set aside to be cooked at a sacred 

 fire as a kuid of offering of first-fruits. . . , such a kumara 

 was chiefly, if not only, to be found when the crop was a very 

 prolific one ; this fertility was also taken as another proof of 

 Pani's gracious visit." 



Why, here we have nothing less than the ship of Isis, the 

 female symbol of phallism — the yoni, that is, or boat that 

 carried the first-fi'uits of the womb of Isis, or Nature, at the 



