352 



Gunnar Landtman. 



burning torches the people must first touch the stone with theni for a moment. The people went to 

 fetch the stone, and in the nieantime it had grown very large. The ceremony was held according to 

 the instructions Boromohùro had received. (Amiira, Mawata). 



TEE INAUGURATION OF THE HORIOMU, OR TAERA, CEREMONY. 



The lioriihni/, or Ideia, ceremony, known by 

 olher names also, comprehends a series of pantomim- 

 ic dances and rites in which the men, masked and 

 dressed up to represent the spirits of the dead. per- 

 form before the women. A whole galaxy of" différent 

 personages appear in the ceremony. There is even 

 a kind of a stage arrangement consisting of two 

 screens with an opening in the centre through which 

 the performers come out to dance, and the ends 

 of the screens overlap so as lo prevent the specta- 

 tors from lookrng into the shrine. After each dance 

 tiie spirits retire behind the screens. The women, 

 thinking that they really see the spirits of their 

 departed friends, wail and bring them food. The 

 ceromony is particularly connected with the spearing 

 of dugong. 



287. Once vvhen the Däru people were 

 catching cfabs, a woman found one which was 

 at the same time a mythical being. The crab 

 withdrew into a hole in the ground which was 

 full of watef, and tiy as she might to bail out 

 the water the woman could not get at the crab. 

 So she had to return home with an empty basket, whilc the other women brought in plenty 

 of crabs. 



The mythical being which had hoaxed the woman was Wai'mee, the local spirit of Däru 

 — „every place got one devil (spirit)." When night came, Waimee sent his iirio (spirit) to the 

 woman, and it passed into her, causing her to become drowsy. She thought herself ill and said 

 to her mother-in law, „Oh, abcrebûro (old woman), I got sick, I go sleep close to fire." „AU 

 right, you go sleep," said the old woman, and she was displeased vvith her daughter-ln-law, 

 thinking to herself, „Plenty woman bring crab, what for you no bring nothing? Pickaninny cry 

 ail time, no got no fish." The younger woman lay down close to the fire while the old woman 

 slept close to the central gangway of the house. 



In the night Waimee came into the house, scenting his way to the woman. He was no 

 longer a crab but appeared in his right shape, that of a man. Everybody was asleep. Waimee 

 found the old woman and taking her to be the one he was looking for he passed into her. She 

 at once became „cranky" and began to jump and dance. The j'ounger woman guessed how tho 

 transformation had come about and felt rather displeased. „Oh, that my thing he been come now," 



Tom. XLVII. 



„Spirit" appeaiiii;.; m the tdtra i. rrc-inmiy. 



