Page:American Journal of Sociology Volume 15.djvu/277

 REVIEWS 263

actual contact with the patient who is laid upon the beach or sand at some distance from the operator; chewing the roots and stems that serve as remedies, the practitioner spits upon his hands and makes movements as if annointing the body of the sick man; he makes passes from his own body as if wafting influences to the patient; he sprays the remedies chewed up with cocoanut water in the direction of the subject; all this is done to the accompaniment of rhythmic dancing and stepping movements, which are continuous, graceful, active, and even frenzied; throughout the performance, which continues for a half -hour or more, the performer must keep his eyes constantly fixed upon the space between the great and sec- ond toes of his patient, and the efficacy of the treatment depends upon strict observance of this rule; when the treatment ends the practitioner withdraws to concealment with his gaze still fixed upon the spot mentioned; once concealed he gives a cry and people come to take the patient away. The strain upon both is so great that the medicine man is exhausted and the patient not infrequently faints at the conclusion of the treatment.

Much of the magic of these islanders is for the securing of good crops or for success in fishing. That associated with turtle-fishing is typical. The turtle shrine is in a house in the bush between Babud and Mek; the sacred objects consist of turtle-shell and are male and female ; three men guard them. At the beginning of the season the keepers receive presents of food, that they may assure abundance of turtle. Ceremonials full of sympathetic magic are performed at the shrine. When a turtle was caught by Dauer men, it was placed upon its back on the beach ; carved and decorated boards were set upright on each side of its neck; a ceremonial cir- cumambulation of the turtle took place, in a sort of dance step, with hauling movements upon ropes, with drumming and singing. The whole performance was symbolical of the desire and act of securing many more turtles. Though comparatively few notes were made upon the subject, divination is no doubt common among these island- ers. Three methods are mentioned : (a) the tomog 20 go; (b) divin- ing by skulls ; (c) divining by lice. The tomog zogo was the famous and important old divinitory shrine of Mer. It was in a cleared space in a bambu thicket midway between Komet and Er. It con- sisted of an arrangement of laid-out stones, upon each of which was a cassi's shell ; each stone with its shell representing a district, village, or dwelling place in Mer. By the northwest comer a heap of