84 EEV. M. EELLS^ ON THE WORSHir AND TRADITFONS OF 



Savages (so-called) have many very excellent qualities, and 

 fewer vices than the (so-called) civilized races ; and personally, 

 here in the Andamans, I prefer the society of my Andamanese to 

 that of most of my European colleagues. (But then I may be 

 eccentric.) 



The Dyaks, by the way, like other kindred peoples in their 

 neighbourhood, are descended from the Nagas nnd similar tribes 

 of the Worth-Eastern frontier of India, and originally came from 

 that direction. 



The races mentioned in this paper differ much, and such 

 general comparisons are too vague, at least for myself, who 

 believe in specialists, and the stndy by one person of one people 

 only. 



As regards the religious beliefs, I must refer you to Mr. Man's 

 papers before the Anthropological Institute, the facts in which ai'e 

 fairly correct as applying to one group of tribes in the Andamans, 

 though I do not agree with many of his conclusions. He wrote 

 many years ago Avhen our knowledge of the Andamanese was less 

 than it is now. 



Though I am preparing a work on the Andamanese I am not 

 ready to publish yet. 



2. " True Sir John Lubbock has held that the Australians do 

 not believe in a Supreme Deity, or in the immortality of the soul, 

 that they have no idea of creation, nor use prayers, or religious 

 forms, ceremonies or worship, but this cannot now be accepted, 

 for later discoveries by those who have lived long among them 

 state the opposite." 



I have also lately had occasion in the Academy to call attention 

 to Sir J. Lubbock's incorrect and out-of-date " science." 



The Andamanese, briefly, believe in a god called Puluga, Bilaku, 

 Uluge, etc., according to the dialect, but have no worship, temples, 

 pi-ayers, sacrifice, etc. They propitiate both God, and the evil 

 spirits in Avhom they believe, by refraining from certain actions 

 which they think are forbidden, or displeasing. The spirits of 

 the deceased are feared, also the evil spirits of the forest and the 

 sea, who cause diseases. They resemble in this the New Holland 

 people, and the Northern Australians (W. B. Wildy), as quoted. 



As t-egards " Man as a Spiritual Being," "Immortality," they 

 believe much as is quoted regarding the Maoris. 



The Delnije. — They all have peculiar traditions regarding this,' 



