Page:Folk-lore - A Quarterly Review. Volume 28, 1917.djvu/154

122 arrives at a distance of about a hundred yards from the house, the chief digs the ground for a space of about a foot square, and on this patch he plants the seed and covers it with earth; close by he digs another plot, where a portion of the pastes and meat are buried, and upon them he pours the liquor, while the spirits of ancestors are worshipped with the following prayer: "We now bury seed and meat; kindly give us good crops and plenty of game." Then the party returns to the chief's house with the remainder of the liquor and pastes. When the party reaches the house the people who remain behind come out and receive them at the door, while the chief recites the following words: "A good crop and plenty game!" Then he gives to each of those who stayed behind the remainder of the pastes and liquor which he carried. During this time the party outside and those within should not cross the threshold. When the feast is over the chief enters the house and all the men go back to their homes.

On the second day every family gets up early in the morning and prepares the pastes. Then the man and woman attired in their best clothes spend the time in feasting. On the third day the chief and a number of men go out hunting. If no game is killed, the hunt must be repeated next day; the final day of the feast is called Suramow ("to see blood"); and unless game is killed it is considered that the tabu is still in force. Soon after Suramow the sprouts of the seeds are extracted, and by this act the ritual is completed. I was told that it was once the rule among the people of the Nanwo district that the heads of enemies are required on the first day.

Taaren kimiroff (harvest ritual). As stated above, this ritual is held in common by members of the group, but in recent years there is a tendency to perform it separately by each family. On the first day of this festival every family makes new fire, as in the case of the sowing ritual, and for about three succeeding days the Pijiri or tabu is observed.