696 



\ept in the houses, on shelves under the thatch, (lo^) Such a 

 basket, covered with a piece of matting, was sometimes taken 

 out of the house and placed near the relatives. A mother 

 would do so with her child's skull, or a wife would keep that 

 of her husband in front of her whilst making pottery or plait- 

 ing mats. Or, again, a brother's skull might thus keep 

 ■company with a man at work or at rest. Mr. Greenaway tells 

 me that in olden days, before the natives were scared by 

 Government rules and Christian preachings, people might be 

 often seen sitting and looking at these relics with evident 

 affection, and that they might even talk to them. This was 

 primarily only the expression of love for the deceased relative, 

 but sometimes the advice of the deceased in matters of import- 

 ance might be sought from his skull, though in what way the 

 natives believed the answer could be conveyed Mr.. Greenaway 

 could not tell me, nor could I ascertain from the natives. 



As previously mentioned (sec. 1 of this chapter), the spirit 

 which went to the BiuJa is called Bau'e(;ene ; the spirit which 

 remained in the head is called Bo'i. That would explain the 

 dedouhlement of the man after his death. It is evident from 

 the facts given in the first two paragraphs of this chapter that 

 the prayers (U'ura) were addressed to the Bo'i exclusively, and 

 the Bo'i also watched over the Nehurii and Gora (comp. sec. 5, 

 chap. iii.). 



To return from this digression concerning the spirit and 

 after-life to the series of funeral feasts and practices. There 

 remains one more stage to be described — the big mortuary 

 feast Oi'o, which concludes the lesser mourning of the clans- 

 men, etc. fMdgu rayud'i), the Nehurii state of coconuts, and 

 the deep mourning of the Nayidma and Dod'e. These latter 

 however, continue the blackening of their bodies and the 

 shaving of their hair for a considerable time longer. The 

 Oi'o, or main mortuary feast, may take place some six months 

 or a year after the death, whereas the blackening and hair- 

 cutting is maintained, by the deep mourners, for two or three 

 years. The date on which the Oto is held depends very largely 

 upon the season in which the death has ta,ken place, upon the 

 importance of the individual, and upon other feasts. I have 

 unfortunately failed to obtain quite conclusive information on 

 the point, but I think that an Oi'o, as a rule, coincides, or, 

 rather, is identical with either the big feast (Maduna) or with 

 the first preparatory feast (Maiiru amdfo). However this 

 may be, it seems that if a man died in the wet season his Oi'o 

 would be performed in the next Aurdri — i.e., about six months 



(103) Comp. chap, iii., sec. 6, in reference to the preparation 

 and preservation of the skulls of enemies. These were placed in 

 the JDuhv, whereas those of relative.s were kept in the houfie. 



