CH. X MYTEOLOaY OF THE MINAHASSEE8 241 



god who made the world and his parents. It is so in this 

 cosmogony. It is so ia many others. 



The story of Lumimuiit, then, is as foUows : 

 When Lumimuiit could walk she left her parents and 

 birthplace in a canoe, taking with her a handful of earth, 

 which she threw on the sea to the great god, saying, ' If I 

 am iadeed your offspring let a great land arise where I can 

 live.' And immediately there sprang up out of the sea a 

 great land. The ground, however, was soft and slippery. 

 Thereupon she struck a great rock, which split in two, 

 and out of the split came forth Kareima. ' "Who are you ? ' 

 said Lumimuiit. ' I am the priestess Kareima,' said 

 she. 'But who are you?' asked Kareima. 'I am called 

 Lumimuiit.' ' How many people are with you ? ' asked the 

 priestess. ' I am alone,' was the answer of Lumimuiit. 



After some days Kareima said to Lumimuiit, ' Turn 

 your face to the south ! ' While she did this the priestess 

 prayed, ' Cause of the east wind, fertUise this woman.' 

 Lumimuiit, however, perceived nothing. Then, on the 

 command of the priestess, she turned to the east, to the 

 north, and finally to the west, and each time the priestess 

 prayed that the deity of the wind would fertilise her. 



Her prayer was answered, and Lumimuiit by the god of 

 the west wind begat a son named Toar. When Toar grew 

 up Kareima took two sticks, one of the plant called tuis and 

 one of the plant called assa, and cutting them of the same 

 length gave one (tuis) to Lumimuiit and one to Toar (assa) 

 saying, ' See here are two sticks of the same length. Go 

 you, Lumimuiit, to the right and you, Toar, to the left, and 

 whenever you meet anyone measure sticks. Then if they 

 are of the same length you are mother and son, but if one 

 is longer than the other come to me immediately at the 

 centre of the earth. ' 



Both went on their way, but after a time Lumimuiit 



K 



