CH. XI CUSTOMS OF THE MINAHASSERS 299 



during the period of general tabu or Hi, as it is called in the 

 native dialect, for a princely personage, red, yellow, and 

 other bright colours might not be worn. In Minahassa 

 both men and wom-en wore a large black hat called 

 ' tindong " at the funeral, or in place of it black head 

 cloths. There is a saying in Minahassa, ' Si loloheeu 

 tinindongan ' (the moon is covered with a tindong) . If 

 there is a halo, i.e. a tindong, round the moon, then the 

 woman who sees it takes it as a sign that she will lose 

 her husband (101) . Nowadays the Christian natives wear 

 complete suits of black as in Europe. 



Whatever they may be intended to express in civilised 

 communities, there can be httle doubt that the customary 

 suits of solemn black originated not in grief or respect for 

 the departed friend, but in the fear of his returning spkit. 



In what has gone before we see clearly expressed the 

 fear of the natives of Minahassa of the ghost of their de- 

 ceased friend. At the funeral the priest drives it away with 

 a sword, and the maiden who sits upon the bier frightens it 

 Ijy the sound of bells. Then everything is -done to confuse 

 the spirit if it attempts to return to its accustomed haunts. 

 The ghost is always supposed to come back to the house by 

 the same route that the corpse was taken away. We can 

 see the reason then why the corpse is let down through a 

 hole in the floor and carried three times round the house 

 before proceeding to the grave. The spu'it is so much 

 more perplexed in finding its way back home by this 

 circuitous route. Then, again, the nearest relatives do not 

 attend the funeral in order that the ghost, if it is hovering 

 around, may not suspect that it is its own funeral that is 

 taking place. 



Flowing water is supposed to take a ghost ' off the 

 scent,' just as it does a foxhouad. Hence originated the 

 custom of bathing after a funeral, a custom which remains 



