238 A NATUEALIST IN CELEBES oh. x 



CHAPTEE X 



MYTHOLOGY OF THE MINAHASSEE9 



Stone implements— Cosmologies— Legend of the origin of sun, moon, and 

 stars — Story of Wailan wangko — Religion — Story of Warereh — List of 

 the principal gods — Spirits — Native prayers — Demons — Priests — Holy 

 birds— Fossos — Shamans — Giants— Story Parepej — Story of Utahagi. 



In the previous chapter I have referred to the marvellous 

 changes which have taken place in Minahassa since the 

 arrival of the Dutch colonists. Wars, assassinations, and 

 revolting savage customs have disappeared, and the people 

 have now become peaceful, industrious, and law-abiding. 



Much of this improvement must be attributed to the 

 wise administration of the Dutch officials, but the burden 

 of the task has fallen on the shoulders of the missionaries, 

 whose heroic and self-sacrificing efforts to civilise and 

 educate the native population have produced results un- 

 equalled in the history of Christian missions. It is not the 

 native only, however, who owes a debt of gratitude to these 

 noble men, for our scholars are indebted to them for the 

 painstaking way in which they have collected and recorded 

 the myths, legends, anecdotes, and fables of the heathen 

 period, and thus saved from inevitable destruction a mass 

 of facts of ever-increasing interest and importance. I am 

 not exaggerating when I speak of the ' inevitable destruction ' 

 of these things, for the rapidity with which savage man 

 forgets not only the myths and religions of his forefathers, 

 but even their customs and appliances, is really surprising. 

 The Indians of Guiana, for example, are ignorant of the 



