300 G. A. J. VAN DER SANDE. 



Tobâdi men had to listen to many hard words, and when taken to task as to the fright 

 which they caused to the women and children on the I5 th of June (see p. 298), the men 

 laughed heartily. Thus the impression was obtained that everything is really déception 

 from beginning to end. ERDWEG [1902, 297] even obtained from the people of Tumleo the 

 confession, that this is really the case, but still I cannot repress the conviction that the men 

 are in dead earnest. For thèse Papuans can very well stand their religion being laughed 

 or scofted at ; they join in the laughing, nodding "Yes" to ail reproaches, but one does not 

 get to know anything about their real thoughts, and to-morrow they behave the same as before. 

 Very often when I happened to be awakened in the night by the barking of the watchdogs or 

 something else, I heard the double tones of the flûtes, and, knowing how much exertion 

 was required for this, I could not believe in the long run that this is exclusively done 

 for the amusement of the participators. It is the spirits who demand this heavy service of the 

 men. Moreover, with some cérémonies (see p. 299) the men are obliged to fast for some 

 time. I emphasize this, in order to make it crédible that also the eating of sago, yams, pork, 

 etc. in the temple by the men forms part of their cuit. 



I obtained in H. B. a similar impression as Van Hasselt [1889, 264] did of the Numfôr, 

 viz. that the people suppose the universe to be ruled by supernatural powers, which are feared, 

 and that ail feasts hâve a religious character (Van HASSELT [1S86, 586]), so far as they take 

 the place of prayers to turn off evil. ERDWEG [1. c. 397] calls the tapum good-natured, as 

 long as she is well served, but leading everybody to perdition, who puts lier out of temper. 



Van DlSSEL [1904a, 941] writes of the west coast, that ail acts of the Papuan hâve 

 the view to prevent the evil influence of the spirits and to obtain their favours. When, on 

 the i8 th of February 1903, the carriers of the expédition, under loud manifestations of 

 pleasure, went to bathe in the Maturi River, near Mapâr, the Papuans earnestly requested them to 

 be silent, as otherwise the spirit of that river would raise the water and cause great danger. 

 Such spirits may arise out of, or be identical with, the spirits of the dead, who, according 

 to JENS [1904, 57] never hâve a bénéficient influence on the living, and cause the Papuan 

 of Geelvink Bay to live in constant fear and trembling. 



This possibly explains why feasts in commémoration of the dead in H. B. 

 take place in the temple. Such a feast occurred on the 30'^ of May, beginning with a 

 remarkable amount of playing on the flûtes. U'arâ, a relative of the defunct, now had to 

 ofter a pig, some twenty baskets of sago were provided by his fellow villagers (though 

 not by the women). Again, as reported of the 2ist of March, there was a great deal of playing 

 on the flûtes and dancing before the sago was taken inside, followed by singing and accom- 

 paniment on the drums, which continued till late in the night. The food was distributed, 

 partly amongst the interested visitors. The expédition received one basket of sago, a fish and 

 a pièce of pork, the latter two articles being handed to us by Hâmadi, not by Warâ. 



In none of the other temples visited, did I witness a service; everywhere I saw 

 fire places, head supports, and, between the vegetable fibres of the centre pôle, the flûtes, 

 which were always handled in a mysterious manner. The head ornaments N os . 262 — 263 hung 

 on the centre pôle of the temple of Oinake, and had also to be removed covered; 

 this was not the case with the smoking apparatus N°. 62 of the temple of Nâcheibe. 

 This building, situated immediately on the sea under the trees, has a horizontal ridge pôle, 



