94 Transactions. — Miscellaneous . 



birth of the various forest-trees preceded that of the first human 

 being ; but trees did not give birth to men, as in the myths 

 of the Ilereros, Kaffirs, West Africans, &c. The Ovahereo or 

 Damaras trace their origin to a sacred tree from which were also 

 begotten the Bushmen, oxen, zebras, and all other living things. 

 The Maori recognised, as did the Buddhists, Karens, Ojibways. 

 and other primitive peoples, that trees had what may be called 

 souls, and also that ancestral ghosts, and the souls of gods and 

 demons, might be confined in or take up their abode in trees. 

 In India the doctrine of transmigration i;£ widely and clearly 

 recognises the idea of trees and smaller plants being animated 

 by human souls." " All over the world, from ancient Egypt to 

 the wigwams of the Algonkins," says Andrew Lang, " plants are 

 said to have sprung from a dismembered god or hero, while men 

 are said to have sprung from plants." In Bengal we find the 

 curious custom in certain totem clans of marrying the bride and 

 bridegroom to trees before they are married to each other. The 

 bride touches with red lead a mahwa-tree, clasps it in her arms, 

 and is tied to it. The bridegroom goes through a like ceremony 

 with the mango-tree. This is done possibly with the idea of 

 rendering the union of the couple fruitful, but we have no definite 

 information supporting this theory. The Yarucaris of Bolivia 

 say that a girl once bewailed her loverless estate. She happened 

 to notice a beautiful tree, which she adorned with ornaments as 

 well as she might. The tree assumed the shape of a handsome 

 voting man — 



She did not find him so remiss. 

 But, lightly issuing through, 



lie diil repay her kiss for kiss. 

 With usury thereto.* 



The special virtues of the Maori conception trees did not de- 

 pend on any peculiarity of their growth or species ; nor was it 

 attributed to the presence of any god, demon, or ancestral ghos! 

 who may have taken up his abode in the tree : nor was the tree 

 regarded as a man or god who had assumed the outward form of 

 a denizen of the forest. Mr. Best regards these trees as phallic 

 symbols, and "evidences that the ancestors of the Maori prac- 

 tised the phallic cult." That the .Maoris in olden times did 

 practise phallic worship cannoi be disputed, but there is but 

 little to support the theory that their conception trees were 

 phallic Bymbols. 



The conception trees are tims described by Mr. Besl : "The 



Lho-O-kataka is the name id' a famous hinau-tiee which stands 

 111 the Upper Whakatane Valley, in the land of the Urewera 



* J. »;. Muller: quoted by A. Lang, -.Myth, Ritual, and Religion,' 

 vol. i., p. 155 



