Page:Folk-lore - A Quarterly Review. Volume 20, 1909.djvu/558

 494 Correspondence.

Australia, and are minutely discussed by Pere Schmidt, in his Origine de V Idee de Dieu} The chief being, whether male or female, is in the Andamans (as almost everywhere) closely associ- ated with thunder, lightning, storm, and wind. Bad weather is caused by the anger of the being, whether male or female. Only three " causes of wrath " are mentioned by Mr. Brown ; no moral cause of wrath is dreamed of. Mr. Man gave quite an opposite version ; Puluga is angered by certain moral offences, as well as by actions which seem to us indifferent. Mr. Brown supposes that " a native " invented Puluga's ethical aspect, in answer to a leading question by Mr. Man. If Mr, Man had only one informant on this point, to whom he put a leading question, he is much to be blamed. But is this likely? Mr. Man writes, — " I have taken special care not only to obtain information on each point from those who are considered by their fellow-tribesmen as authorities, but who . . . were in entire ignorance regarding any save their own legends," and he took pains to test all statements.- He got information as to Puluga being judge of the dead, giving rewards and punishments. This is a fairly common attribute among All-Fathers, and, as we have, in Central Australia, several non-moral All-Fathers, (among the Loritja, Kaitish, and Arunta), while for ethical All-Fathers in the south-east Mr. Howitt, Mrs. Langloh Parker, and Mr. Cameron may be consulted (leaving missionary evidence aside), I suggest that a belief which Mr. Man found has not been found by Mr. Brown ; or it may have died out. In Revue des Etudes Etkno- graphiques for April, 1909, I examine the question, is the moral or the non-moral view of the All-Father the earlier? The student may be referred to this essay.

I need not dwell on Mr. Brown's hypotheses as to the reason why the beings are credited with knowing only three causes of wrath, and these non-moral. No doubt the Andamanese have practical reasons for their faith. The odd thing is that the causes of wrath are so very few, for the tribes must object to a great many practices.

The beings, in all cases, are quite distinct from the mythical

"^ Anthropos, 1909.

"^Journal of the Anthropological Institute, etc., vol. xii., p. 157.