70 GEORGE D-S-DUNBAR ON 



gathered that the arches are generally held to be an effective bar to the invasion of 

 the evil spirits, for they are ordinarily erected and the plantain- thro wing custom is 

 only occasionally experienced. These customs are not unlike the taboos on inter- 

 course with strangers given by Frazer in The Golden Bough. 1 



Although it does not come under the head of taboo on intercourse, one rather in- 

 teresting custom may be noted here A party, when setting out on a raid (or even, 

 possibly, a hunting expedition) discharge arrows at a special tree near the village. 

 This custom is not unlike a practice noticed by Frazer. 2 



Sickness is attributed to the demons of disease, who are exorcised in mild cases 

 (T1 , . ... by the waving of boughs or are, in serious cases, offered 



Causes of 111 health. J ° ° ' ' 



sacrifices. For the illness and death of human beings and 

 animals is directly attributed to the action of a spirit. The gods, demons, or spirits, 

 call them what you will, live everywhere, in the forest, in certain trees, holok, rubber 

 and plantain, and in earth, sky and water. If, when the jungle is being cleared for 

 cultivation , any one falls sick , it is attributed to the anger of the spirit at the destruction 

 of his home and propitiation is necessary. The rooted belief met with in Caithness 

 that the cattle in the district would die if the mound covering a Pictish house were 

 opened is an example of an almost similar western superstition. Tylor 3 gives a 

 most interesting parallel in Cato's instructions to the woodmen for thinning a holy 

 grove. The woodman must offer a hog in sacrifice with this prayer — ' ' Be thou god or 

 goddess to whom this grove is sacred, permit me by the expiation of this pig. . . " 

 The pig also happens to be the animal specially dedicated by the Abors to Nipong 

 the spirit of the forest. Women will not take plantains from deserted fields nor 

 gather the nettles that grow there for food because Nipong (who is associated with 

 women and with hunters, as well as with the forest) lives in the plantain trees and 

 feeds on the big stinging nettles + that grow up in old c 'jhums." Bowel and stomach 

 troubles and all diseases of women are attributed by the Abors to Nipong, whilst the 

 illness and death of men are due to the malevolence of Epom. When people are ill 

 they are said to be caught by a spirit. The crab spirit is placated to avoid bowel 

 troubles. The frog spirit is worshipped to keep off madness. The arrows of Debo 

 Kombu are supposed to cause dropsy. 



The Galongs believe that the powerful spirit Yule generally causes death. When 

 attacked by him the body becomes very warm, so Yule may be taken to be the god 

 of fever. I was told that Taki Tali is the spirit of small-pox. The Galongs also 

 believe that Pira, Yoga, Yechu and others, spirits of the homestead, get angry if 

 fowls, pig or mithan to whom they were attached are killed by human beings and that 

 they manifest their displeasure by laying the ill-starred owner low with sickness. 

 Another spirit whose malign influence brings sickness is the Galong equivalent to 

 Epong. This is Bute the spirit of the forest. If when the jungle is being cleared 

 for cultivation any one falls sick, his illness is held to be a manifestation of Bute's 



1 Vol. II, pp. 108 et seq. 



2 Golden Bough, Magic Art, Vol. II, p. u. S Primitive Culture, 1903 Edition, Vol. II, p. 227. 

 * Lorraine gives pe-ji fbr stinging nettles ; the Minyong Abors whom I have asked called them mar-tch. 



