292 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. 52 



the tribes of the Atayal and Paiwan groups a superstition obtains to 

 the effect that if a sick person can balance a round particle on the 

 end of a pipe then recovery is certain ; on the other hand, should the 

 particle fall to the ground it is a sign that spirits are opposed to 

 recovery. Among the Vonuum, Tsou, Paiwan, and Amis groups, 

 in advanced stages of disease the body of the patient is cleaned with 

 leaves. The tribes of the Tsarisen group shampoo their sick mem- 

 bers in advanced stages of disease, while in the early stages of suf- 

 fering from snake bites, sucking the wound is resorted to. 



Religion 



The ideas concerning after-death which commonly obtain through- 

 out the various tribes are as follows : 



1. After death the spirit continues to live. 



2. Dream is a medium through which the spirits of the dead may 

 communicate with the living. 



3. The spirits of the dead are sometimes given to the acts of the 

 devil. 



4. The spirits of one's ancestors are able .to counteract the evil 

 done by other spirits. 



5. The spirits of one's ancestors have also the power to cause 

 disaster. 



As a natural outgrowth of these superstitions ancestor worship 

 became a recognized institution. The Atayal and Paiwan groups 

 believe the virgin forests to be the abode of the spirits of their an- 

 cestors. The tribes of the Tsou and Tsarisen groups consider cer- 

 tain old trees to be the abode of the spirits of their ancestors, while 

 the Vonuum, Puyuma, and Amis tribes believe they live in the azure 

 skies. The idea is so far advanced with the tribes of the Paiwan 

 group that they never destroy the trees within a certain designated 

 sacred precinct, which precincts are in reality their places of wor- 

 ship. All of the savage tribes worship with much reverence the sup- 

 posed dwelling places of the spirits of their ancestors. In fact, this 

 worship seems to constitute the greater part of their religion. 



It is generally recognized by all tribes that good or bad crops de- 

 pend upon the extent of the protection which they afford to the 

 spirits of their ancestors. Accordingly before the sowing of the 

 seed or after the harvesting of a crop, certain ceremonies are in- 

 dulged in, these ceremonies partaking of the nature of ancestral 

 worship. 



. In case of sickness it is supposed that all suffering is due to a 

 visitation of evil spirits, and ancestral worship is indulged in for the 

 sake of combatting the work of such spirits. 



