22 CEREMONIAL INSTITUTIONS. 



terpretation, be taken for an observance arbitrarily fixed 

 upon. 



The facts that peace is signified among the Dacotahs 

 by burying the tomahawk and among the Brazilians by a 

 present of bows and arrows, may be cited as illustrating 

 what is in a sense symbolization, but what is in origin a modi 

 fication of the proceeding symbolized; for cessation of fight 

 ing is necessitated by putting away weapons, or by giving 

 weapons to an antagonist. If, as among the civilized, a 

 conquered enemy delivers up his sword, the act of so mak 

 ing himself defenceless is an act of personal submission; 

 but eventually it conies to be, on the part of a general, a 

 sign that his army surrenders. Similarly, when, as in parts 

 of Africa, &quot; some of the free blacks become slaves volunta 

 rily by going through the simple but significant ceremony 

 of breaking a spear in the presence of their future master,&quot; 

 we may properly say that the relation thus artificially estab 

 lished, is as near an approach as may be to the relation es 

 tablished when a foe whose weapon is broken is made a slave 

 by his captor: the symbolic transaction simulates the actual 

 transaction. 



An instructive example comes next. I refer to the 

 bearing of green boughs as a sign of peace, as an act of pro 

 pitiation, and as a religious ceremony. As indicating peace 

 the custom occurs among the 1 Araucanians, Australians, 

 Tasmauians, 7s&quot;cw Guinea People, Xew Caledonians, Sand 

 wich Islanders, Tahitians, Samoans, Xew Zealanders; and 

 brandies were used by the Hebrews also for propitiatory 

 approach (II. Mace. xiv. 4). In some cases we find them 

 employed to signify not peace only but submission. Speak 

 ing of the Peruvians, Cieza says &quot; The men and boys came 

 out with green boughs and palm-leaves to seek for mercy; &quot; 

 and among the Greeks, too, a suppliant carried an olive 

 branch. Wall-paintings left by the ancient Egyptians 

 show us palm-branches carried in funeral processions to pro 

 pitiate the dead; and at the present time &quot; a wreath of palm- 



