Page:Folk-lore - A Quarterly Review. Volume 20, 1909.djvu/298

 258 The Religion of the Andaman Islanders.

The Andamanese believe in a being named Puluga, who at a first glance might seem to resemble the God of more civilised peoples. Such resemblances as there were Mr. Man unfortunately emphasised. The result was that, on the one hand, it was said that the Andamanese beliefs must be the result of missionary influence, while, on the other, Mr. Man's observations were claimed as supporting a theory of a primitive All-Father. Let me say at once that it is quite certain that the beliefs of the Andamanese have not been influenced in the very least by contact with any other people, civilised or uncivilised. The bearing of the Andamanese beliefs on the theory of a primitive All- Father I do not care to discuss, as the whole theory seems to me nothing but a system of elaborate misinterpretation.

The interpretation of the beliefs of savages is always a matter of enormous difficulty. Such interpretations are therefore valueless unless a very strict method is followed. They are indeed worse than valueless, since they falsify observation. I have therefore endeavoured to follow as strict a method as possible both in observing and in inter- preting the beliefs and customs of the Andamanese. I cannot here enter into the question of these methods. In interpretation I have relied mainly on the fact that the beliefs vary from one group to another. By comparing the beliefs of different groups we are able to discover what beliefs are essential and what are secondary.

The Andamanese are divided into two main groups differing considerably in language a ' technical culture, which I shall call the Great Andaman group and the Little Andaman group. I shall deal almost solely with the former. It, that is the Great Andaman group, is further divided into ten linguistic groups, named, from north to south, — Chari, Kora, Bo, Jeru, Kede, Juwoi, Kol, Puchikwar, Bale, and Bea.

Let us begin with the name and sex of this mythical being with whom we are to deal.