300 A NATUBALIST IN CELEBES ch. xi 



even to the present day in Europe in a formal washing of 

 the hands on such occasions (19). Among the OloNgadjus 

 of south-east Borneo the priestess takes the whole funeral 

 party in a boat into the middle of the river and upsets 

 them into the water thre& times in succession (101). 



Care must be taken, too, that, if the spirit should return 

 to the house, it may not recognise the inmates. The friends 

 and relatives, therefore, disguise themselves by painting 

 their faces black, by wearing, black hats, leaving their hair 

 loose and unkempt, and in other ways. 



It must not be supposed that black is the universal 

 mourning colour. Among white and fair-skinned peoples 

 it naturally is, because it affocds them the most effectual 

 disguise. Among the black-skinned Andamanese white is 

 the mourning colour. They paint themselves with stripes 

 of white paint. 



The Spaniards at the time of the conquest of the 

 Philippines found that many of the inhabitants used white 

 as a mourning colour. Many of the races of Luzon and 

 the Sulu Islands use white to the present day for this 

 purpose (101). 



From all these considerations, then, we clearly see that, 

 whatever may be the grief felt and expressed by the natives 

 of Minahassa at the loss of a friend or relative, the feeling 

 predominating over all others on such occasions is the fear 

 of the spirit or ghost of the deceased, and every care is 

 taken to hinder and. prevent it returning. 



