Page:Folk-lore - A Quarterly Review. Volume 20, 1909.djvu/302

 262 The Religion of the Andmnan Islanders.

When he and the other ancestors were living at Wota Emi, Bilik was living at Tol-loko-tima across the strait. In those days the ancestors had no fire. Bilik took some wood of the tree called Pdrat, and broke it, and so made fire for himself. Luratuf^ came to Tol-loko-tima while Bilik was sleeping, and stole some fire. Bilik awoke. He saw Luratut. Bilik took up a lighted brand, and threw it at Luratut. It hit him in the back, and burnt him. Luratut gave the fire to the people at Wota Emi, Bilik was very angry about this, and went away to live in the sky."

There are several points in this tale to which I would draw your attention. Firstly, Bilik is definitely separated from the ancestors, and is not regarded as one of them. Thus, while all the ancestors live together at Wota Emi, Bilik lives on another island across a strait of about a mile wide, and, when he obtains fire, he does not give it to the ancestors, and is very angry when it is stolen. The next point is that Bilik does not seize his bow and arrows and shoot at the offending thief, as one would expect an Andamanese man to do, but hurls a firebrand. As regards the hero, the Prometheus of the tale, I may mention that nearly all the ancestors mentioned in the Andamanese legends have names of birds or beasts, and it is often difficult to know whether a native is speaking of the bird, or of a man with the bird's name. The kingfisher called in Puchikwar Luratut has a patch of bright red feathers at the back of his neck.

The next legend was given me by two Bale men.

" In the days of the ancestors Puluga lived at Jila, and the Andamanese lived at Puluga-l'od-baraij. Puluga was always getting angry with the ancestors. He used to destroy their huts and property. So the people sent him out of the world, saying, — " We don't want you here. You are always getting angry with us." Puluga went away to


 * Kingfisher.