Page:Folk-lore - A Quarterly Review. Volume 3, 1892.djvu/222

214 operations denoted in the names of these two species of divination. In the second of them not only were beans composing various sikìdy used, but also a number of other objects were with them pounded in a mortar by the afflicted person, while an invocation was addressed to God.

I.—Andron-tàny (lit. "days of the land", but in the sense of the different quarters or directions of the compass, as expressed by the place in the house assigned to each day).—What is really meant by this somewhat indefinite heading is, the art of finding out in what direction you are to seek for a thing that is lost, stolen, or strayed, etc. And this is denoted by the sikìdy bringing out a certain figure in a certain column, showing that the thing wanted was to be looked for in a certain direction. For in the old native houses, which are always built with the length running north and south, and the single door and window on the west side, the names of the twelve months are given to twelve points of the compass, four at the corners and two on each side. (See diagram given later on, under San-àndro, p. 222.) For instance, if the sikìdy brought out a figure which pointed to the south-east, the diviner did not call it so, but said it pointed to Asòrotàny, i.e., the constellation Cancer and also the name of a Malagasy month, which, in the arrangement just mentioned, has its place assigned to it at the south-eastern corner of the house.

J.—Andro fòtsy (lit. "white days", i.e., the days on which something expected or sought for was to happen).—Suppose, says Mr. Dahle, I have lost a slave. It is of the utmost importance to me to know on what day I shall find him; for then I do not trouble myself about searching for him before the day is come. Consequently I go to the diviner. He knows that certain combinations in certain columns denote the different days of the week; and if, for instance, these columns prove to be Harèna and Fàhasìvy, then he knows that what he asks about will occur on Wednesday (Alarobìa). And so with the other days of the week. [sic]