Volume 1 — CHAPTER II
Reading edition
THE SECLUSION OF GIRLS AT PUBERTY
§ 1. Seclusion of Girls at Puberty in Africa
[Girls at puberty forbidden to touch the ground and to see the sun; seclusion of girls at puberty among the A-Kamba; seclusion of girls at puberty among the Baganda.]
[Seclusion of girls at puberty among the tribes of the Tanganyika plateau.]
[Seclusion of girls at puberty among the tribes of British Central Africa.]
[Abstinence from salt associated with a rule of chastity in many tribes.]
[Seclusion of girls at puberty among the tribes about Lake Nyassa and on the Zambesi.]
[Seclusion of girls at puberty among the Thonga on Delagoa Bay.]
[Seclusion of girls at puberty among the Caffre tribes of South Africa.]
[Seclusion of girls at puberty in the Lower Congo.]
§ 2. Seclusion of Girls at Puberty in New Ireland, New Guinea, and Indonesia
[Seclusion of girls at puberty in New Ireland.]
[Seclusion of girls at puberty in New Guinea, Borneo, Ceram and Yap.]
§ 3. Seclusion of Girls at Puberty in the Torres Straits Islands and Northern Australia
[Seclusion of girls at puberty in Mabuiag, Torres Straits.]
[Seclusion of girls at puberty in Northern Australia.]
[Seclusion of girls at puberty in the islands of Torres Straits.]
§ 4. Seclusion of Girls at Puberty among the Indians of North America
[Seclusion of girls at puberty among the Indians of California]
[Seclusion of girls at puberty among the Indians of Washington State.]
[Seclusion of girls at puberty among the Nootka Indians of Vancouver Island.]
[Seclusion of girls at puberty among the Haida Indians of the Queen Charlotte Islands.]
[Seclusion of girls at puberty among the Tlingit Indians of Alaska.]
[Seclusion of girls at puberty among the Tsetsaut and Bella Coola Indians of British Columbia.]
[Seclusion of girls at puberty among the Tinneh Indians of British Columbia.]
[Seclusion of girls at puberty among the Tinneh Indians of Alaska.]
[Seclusion of girls at puberty among the Thompson Indians of British Columbia.]
[Seclusion of girls at puberty among the Lillooet Indians of British Columbia.]
[Seclusion of girls at puberty among the Shuswap Indians of British Columbia.]
[Seclusion of girls at puberty among the Delaware and Cheyenne Indians.]
[Seclusion of girls at puberty among the Esquimaux.]
§ 5. Seclusion of Girls at Puberty among the Indians of South America
[Seclusion of girls at puberty among the Guaranis, Chiriguanos, and Lengua Indians of South America.]
[Seclusion of girls at puberty among the Yuracares of Bolivia.]
[Seclusion of girls at puberty among the Indians of the Gran Chaco.]
[Seclusion of girls at puberty among the Indians of Guiana; custom of beating the girls and of causing them to be stung by ants.]
[Custom in South America of causing young men to be stung with ants as an initiatory rite.]
[Custom of causing men and women to be stung with ants to improve their character and health or to render them invulnerable.]
[In such cases the beating or stinging was originally a purification; at a later time it is interpreted as a test of courage and endurance.]
[This explanation confirmed with reference to the beating of girls at puberty among the South American Indians; treatment of a girl at puberty among the Banivas of the Orinoco; symptoms of puberty in a girl regarded as wounds inflicted by a demon.]
§ 6. Seclusion of Girls at Puberty in India and Cambodia
[Seclusion of girls at puberty among the Hindoos; seclusion of girls at puberty in Southern India.]
[Seclusion of girls at puberty in Cambodia.]
§ 7. Seclusion of Girls at Puberty in Folk-tales
[Traces of the seclusion of girls at puberty in folk-tales. Danish story of the girl who might not see the sun.]
[Tyrolese story of the girl who might not see the sun.]
[Modern Greek stories of the maid who might not see the sun.]
[The story of Danae and its parallel in a Kirghiz legend.]
[Impregnation of women by the sun in legends.]
[Traces in marriage customs of the belief that women can be impregnated by the sun.]
[Belief in the impregnation of women by the moon.]
§ 8. Reasons for the Seclusion of Girls at Puberty
[The reason for the seclusion of women at puberty is the dread of menstruous blood.]
[Dread and seclusion of menstruous women among the aborigines of Australia.]
[Severe penalties inflicted for breaches of the custom of seclusion.]
[Dread and seclusion of menstruous women in the Torres Straits Islands, New Guinea, Galela, and Sumatra.]
[Dread and seclusion of menstruous women among the tribes of South Africa.]
[Dread and seclusion of menstruous women among the tribes of Central and East Africa.]
[Dread and seclusion of menstruous women among the tribes of West Africa.]
[Powerful influence ascribed to menstruous blood in Arab legend.]
[Dread and seclusion of menstruous women among the Jews and in Syria.]
[Dread and seclusion of menstruous women in India.]
[Dread and seclusion of menstruous women among the Indians of South and Central America.]
[Dread and seclusion of menstruous women among the Indians of North America.]
[Dread and seclusion of menstruous women among the Creek, Choctaw, Omaha, and Cheyenne Indians.]
[Dread and seclusion of menstruous women among the Indians of British Columbia.]
[Dread and seclusion of menstruous women among the Chippeway Indians.]
[Dread and seclusion of menstruous women among the Tinneh or Déné Indians; customs and beliefs of the Carrier Indians in regard to menstruous women.]
[Seclusion of Carrier girls at puberty.]
"It was also a prescription of the ancient ritual code for females during this primary condition to eat as little as possible, and to remain lying down, especially in course of each monthly flow, not only as a natural consequence of the prolonged fast and resulting weakness; but chiefly as an exhibition of a becoming penitential spirit which was believed to be rewarded by long life and continual good health in after years.
[Seclusion of Carrier women at their monthly periods; reasons for the seclusion of menstruous women among the Indians.]
[Similar rules of seclusion enjoined on menstruous women in ancient Hindoo, Persian, and Hebrew codes.]
[Superstitions as to menstruous women in ancient and modern Europe.]
[The intention of secluding menstruous women is to neutralize the dangerous influences which are thought to emanate from them in that condition; suspension between heaven and earth.]
Thus the object of secluding women at menstruation is to neutralize the dangerous influences which are supposed to emanate from them at such times. That the danger is believed to be especially great at the first menstruation appears from the unusual precautions taken to isolate girls at this crisis. Two of these precautions have been illustrated above, namely, the rules that the girl may not touch the ground nor see the sun. The general effect of these rules is to keep her suspended, so to say, between heaven and earth. Whether enveloped in her hammock and slung up to the roof, as in South America, or raised above the ground in a dark and narrow cage, as in New Ireland, she may be considered to be out of the way of doing mischief, since, being shut off both from the earth and from the sun, she can poison neither of these great sources of life by her deadly contagion. In short, she is rendered harmless by being, in electrical language, insulated. But the precautions thus taken to isolate or insulate the girl are dictated by a regard for her own safety as well as for the safety of others. For it is thought that she herself would suffer if she were to neglect the prescribed regimen. Thus Zulu girls, as we have seen, believe that they would shrivel to skeletons if the sun were to shine on them at puberty, and in some Brazilian tribes the young women think that a transgression of the rules would entail sores on the neck and throat. In short, the girl is viewed as charged with a powerful force which, if not kept within bounds, may prove destructive both to herself and to all with whom she comes in contact. To repress this force within the limits necessary for the safety of all concerned is the object of the taboos in question.
[The same explanation applies to the similar rules of seclusion observed by divine kings and priests; suspension between heaven and earth.]
[Stories of immortality attained by suspension between heaven and earth.]
"London, London is a fine town. A maiden prayed to live for ever."
Notes:
Notes in this chapter
Note 1 · Footnote 64 : (return) Pechuel-Loesche, "Indiscretes aus Loango," Zeitschrift für Ethnologie, x. (1878) p. 23.Note 2 · Footnote 65 : (return) Rev. J. Macdonald, "Manners, Customs, Superstitions, and Religions of South African Tribes," Journal of the AnthropolNote 3 · Footnote 66 : (return) Dudley Kidd, The Essential Kafir (London, 1904), p. 209. The prohibition to drink milk under such circumstances is alNote 4 · Footnote 67 : (return) C.W. Hobley, Ethnology of A-Kamba and other East African Tribes (Cambridge, 1910), p. 65.Note 5 · Footnote 68 : (return) Rev. J. Roscoe, The Baganda (London, 1911), p. 80. As to the interpretation which the Baganda put on the act of jumpiNote 6 · Footnote 69 : (return) Rev. J. Roscoe, The Baganda, p. 80.Note 7 · Footnote 70 : (return) De la Loubere, Du royaume de Siam (Amsterdam, 1691), i. 203. In Travancore it is believed that women at puberty and aNote 8 · Footnote 71 : (return) Rev. J. Roscoe, The Baganda, p. 80.Note 9 · Footnote 72 : (return) C. Gouldsbury and H. Sheane, The Great Plateau of Northern Nigeria (London, 1911), pp. 158-160.Note 10 · Footnote 73 : (return) R. Sutherland Rattray, Some Folk-lore, Stories and Songs in Chinyanja (London, 1907), pp. 102-105.Note 11 · Footnote 74 : (return) Rev. H. Cole, "Notes on the Wagogo of German East Africa," Journal of the Anthropological Institute, xxxii. (1902) ppNote 12 · Footnote 75 : (return) R. Sutherland Rattray, op. cit. pp. 191 sq.Note 13 · Footnote 76 : (return) The Grihya Sutras, translated by H. Oldenberg, Part i. p. 357, Part ii. p. 267 (Sacred Books of the East, vols. xxix.Note 14 · Footnote 77 : (return) Rev. J. Roscoe, The Baganda (London, 1911), pp. 393 sq., compare pp. 396, 398.Note 15 · Footnote 78 : (return) See Totemism and Exogamy, iv. 224 sqq.Note 16 · Footnote 79 : (return) Sir Harry H. Johnston, British Central Africa (London, 1897), p. 411.Note 17 · Footnote 80 : (return) Oscar Baumann, Durch Massailand zur Nilquelle (Berlin, 1894), p. 178.Note 18 · Footnote 81 : (return) Lionel Decle, Three Years in Savage Africa (London, 1898), p. 78. Compare E. Jacottet, Études sur les Langues du HautNote 19 · Footnote 82 : (return) E. Béguin, Les Ma-rotsé (Lausanne and Fontaines, 1903), p. 113.Note 20 · Footnote 83 : (return) Henri A. Junod, The Life of a South African Tribe (Neuchatel, 1912-1913), i. 178 sq.Note 21 · Footnote 84 : (return) G. McCall Theal, Kaffir Folk-lore (London, 1886), p. 218.Note 22 · Footnote 85 : (return) L. Alberti, De Kaffers aan de Zuidkust van Afrika (Amsterdam, 1810), pp. 79 sq.; H. Lichtenstein, Reisen im südlichenNote 23 · Footnote 86 : (return) Gustav Fritsch, Die Eingeborenen Süd-Afrika's (Breslau, 1872), p. 112. This statement applies especially to the Ama-XNote 24 · Footnote 87 : (return) G. McCall Theal, Kaffir Folk-lore, p. 218.Note 25 · Footnote 88 : (return) Rev. Canon Henry Callaway, Nursery Tales, Traditions, and Histories of the Zulus (Natal and London, 1868), p. 182, noNote 26 · Footnote 89 : (return) E. Casalis, The Basutos (London, 1861), p. 268.Note 27 · Footnote 90 : (return) J. Merolla, "Voyage to Congo," in J. Pinkerton's Voyages and Travels (London, 1808-1814), xvi. 238; Father Campana, "Note 28 · Footnote 91 : (return) The Rev. G. Brown, quoted by the Rev. B. Danks, "Marriage Customs of the New Britain Group," Journal of the AnthropolNote 29 · Footnote 92 : (return) Rev. R.H. Rickard, quoted by Dr. George Brown, Melanesians and Polynesians, pp. 107 sq.. His observations were made iNote 30 · Footnote 93 : (return) R. Parkinson, Dreissig Jahre in der Südsee (Stuttgart, 1907), p. 272. The natives told Mr. Parkinson that the confineNote 31 · Footnote 94 : (return) J. Chalmers and W. Wyatt Gill, Work and Adventure in New Guinea (London, 1885), p. 159.Note 32 · Footnote 95 : (return) H. Zahn and S. Lehner, in R. Neuhauss's Deutsch New-Guinea (Berlin, 1911), iii. 298, 418-420. The customs of the two Note 33 · Footnote 96 : (return) C.A.L.M. Schwaner, Borneo, Beschrijving van het stroomgebied van den Barito (Amsterdam, 1853-1854), ii. 77 sq.; W.F.ANote 34 · Footnote 97 : (return) J.G.F. Riedel, De sluik—en kroesharige rassen tusschen Selebes en Papua (The Hague, 1886), p. 138.Note 35 · Footnote 98 : (return) A. Senfft, "Ethnographische Beiträge über die Karolineninsel Yap," Petermanns Mitteilungen, xlix. (1903) p. 53; id., Note 36 · Footnote 99 : (return) Dr. C.G. Seligmann, in Journal of the Anthropological Institute, xxix. (1899) pp. 212 sq.; id., in Reports of the CamNote 37 · Footnote 100 : (return) Dr. C.G. Seligmann, in Reports of the Cambridge Expedition to Torres Straits, v. (Cambridge, 1904) p. 205.Note 38 · Footnote 101 : (return) L. Crauford, in Journal of the Anthropological Institute, xxiv. (1895) p. 181.Note 39 · Footnote 102 : (return) Dr. C.G. Seligmann, op. cit. v. 206.Note 40 · Footnote 103 : (return) Walter E. Roth, North Queensland Ethnography, Bulletin No. 5, Superstition, Magic, and Medicine (Brisbane, 1903), ppNote 41 · Footnote 104 : (return) Walter E. Roth, op. cit. p. 25.Note 42 · Footnote 105 : (return) Dr. C.G. Seligmann, in Reports of the Cambridge Anthropological Expedition to Torres Straits, v. (Cambridge, 1904), Note 43 · Footnote 106 : (return) From notes kindly sent me by Dr. C.G. Seligmann. The practice of burying a girl at puberty was observed also by someNote 44 · Footnote 107 : (return) Dr. C.G. Seligmann, in Reports of the Cambridge Anthropological Expedition to Torres Straits, v. 201 sq.Note 45 · Footnote 108 : (return) A.L. Kroeber, "The Religion of the Indians of California," University of California Publications in American ArchaeoNote 46 · Footnote 109 : (return) Roland B. Dixon, "The Northern Maidu," Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History, vol. xvii. Part iii. (MayNote 47 · Footnote 110 : (return) Stephen Powers, Tribes of California (Washington, 1877), p. 85 (Contributions to North American Ethnology, vol. iii.Note 48 · Footnote 111 : (return) Stephen Powers, op. cit. p. 235.Note 49 · Footnote 112 : (return) Charles Wilkes, Narrative of the United States Exploring Expedition, New Edition (New York, 1851), iv. 456.Note 50 · Footnote 113 : (return) Franz Boas, Chinook Texts (Washington, 1894), pp. 246 sq. The account, taken down from the lips of a Chinook Indian,Note 51 · Footnote 114 : (return) G.M. Sproat, Scenes and Studies of Savage Life (London, 1868), pp. 93 sq.Note 52 · Footnote 115 : (return) Franz Boas, in Sixth Report on the North-Western Tribes of Canada, pp. 40-42 (separate reprint from the Report of thNote 53 · Footnote 116 : (return) George M. Dawson, Report on the Queen Charlotte Islands, 1878 (Montreal, 1880), p. 130 B; J.R. Swanton, ContributionNote 54 · Footnote 117 : (return) G.H. von Langsdorff, Reise um die Welt (Frankfort, 1812), ii. 114 sq.; H.J. Holmberg, "Ethnographische Skizzen über Note 55 · Footnote 118 : (return) Franz Boas, in Tenth Report of the Committee on the North-Western Tribes of Canada, p. 45 (separate reprint from theNote 56 · Footnote 119 : (return) Franz Boas, in Fifth Report of the Committee on the North-Western Tribes of Canada, p. 42 (separate reprint from theNote 57 · Footnote 120 : (return) "Customs of the New Caledonian women belonging to the Nancaushy Tine, or Stuart's Lake Indians, Natotin Tine, or BabNote 58 · Footnote 121 : (return) Émile Petitot, Traditions Indiennes du Canada Nord-ouest (Paris, 1886), pp. 257 sq.Note 59 · Footnote 122 : (return) Fr. Julius Jetté, S.J., "On the Superstitions of the Ten'a Indians," Anthropos, vi. (1911) pp. 700-702.Note 60 · Footnote 123 : (return) Compare The Magic Art and the Evolution of Kings, i. 70 sqq.Note 61 · Footnote 124 : (return) James Teit, The Thompson Indians of British Columbia, pp. 311-317 (The Jesup North Pacific Expedition, Memoir of theNote 62 · Footnote 125 : (return) James Teit, The Lillooet Indians (Leyden and New York, 1906), pp. 263-265 (The Jesup North Pacific Expedition, MemoiNote 63 · Footnote 126 : (return) Franz Boas, in Sixth Report of the Committee on the North-Western Tribes of Canada, pp. 89 sq. (separate reprint froNote 64 · Footnote 127 : (return) James Teit, The Shuswap (Leyden and New York, 1909), pp. 587 sq. (The Jesup North Pacific Expedition, Memoir of the Note 65 · Footnote 128 : (return) G.H. Loskiel, History of the Mission of the United Brethren among the Indians of North America (London, 1794), Part Note 66 · Footnote 129 : (return) G.B. Grinnell, "Cheyenne Woman Customs," American Anthropologist, New Series, iv. (New York, 1902) pp. 13 sq. The ChNote 67 · Footnote 130 : (return) H.J. Holmberg, "Ueber die Völker des Russischen Amerika," Acta Societatis Scientiarum Fennicae, iv. (Helsingfors, 18Note 68 · Footnote 131 : (return) E.W. Nelson, "The Eskimo about Bering Strait," Eighteenth Annual Report of the Bureau of American Ethnology, Part i.Note 69 · Footnote 132 : (return) Jose Guevara, "Historia del Paraguay, Rio de la Plata, y Tucuman," pp. 16 sq., in Pedro de Angelis, Coleccion de ObrNote 70 · Footnote 133 : (return) Father Ignace Chomé, in Lettres Édifiantes et Curieuses, Nouvelle Edition (Paris, 1780-1783), viii. 333. As to the CNote 71 · Footnote 134 : (return) A. Thouar, Explorations dans l'Amérique du Sud (Paris, 1891), pp. 48 sq.; G. Kurze, "Sitten und Gebräuche der LenguaNote 72 · Footnote 135 : (return) Alcide d'Orbigny, Voyage dans l'Amérique Méridionale vol. iii. 1to Partie (Paris and Strasburg, 1844), pp. 205 sq.Note 73 · Footnote 136 : (return) A. Thouar, Explorations dans l'Amérique du Sud (Paris, 1891) pp. 56 sq.; Father Cardus, quoted in J. Pelleschi's LosNote 74 · Footnote 137 : (return) A. Thouar, op. cit. p. 63.Note 75 · Footnote 138 : (return) Francis de Castelnau, Expédition dans les parties centrales de l'Amérique du Sud (Paris, 1850-1851), v. 25.Note 76 · Footnote 139 : (return) D. Luis de la Cruz, "Descripcion de la Naturaleza de los Terrenos que se comprenden en los Andes, poseidos por los PNote 77 · Footnote 140 : (return) J.B. von Spix und C.F. Ph. von Martius, Reise in Brasilien (Munich, 1823-1831), iii. 1186, 1187, 1318.Note 78 · Footnote 141 : (return) André Thevet, Cosmographie Universelle (Paris, 1575), ii. 946 B [980] sq.; id., Les Singularites de la France AntarcNote 79 · Footnote 142 : (return) R. Schomburgk, Reisen in Britisch Guiana (Leipsic, 1847-1848), ii. 315 sq.; C.F.Ph. von Martius, Zur Ethnographie AmNote 80 · Footnote 143 : (return) Labat, Voyage du Chevalier des Marchais en Guinée, Isles voisines, et à Cayenne, iv. 365 sq. (Paris, 1730), pp. 17 sNote 81 · Footnote 144 : (return) A. Caulin, Historia Coro-graphica natural y evangelica dela Nueva Andalucia (1779), p. 93. A similar custom, with thNote 82 · Footnote 145 : (return) A.R. Wallace, Narrative of Travels on the Amazon and Rio Negro, p. 496 (p. 345 of the Minerva Library edition, LondoNote 83 · Footnote 146 : (return) Taboo and the Perils of the Soul, pp. 105 sqq.; The Scapegoat> pp. 259 sqq.Note 84 · Footnote 147 : (return) J.B. von Spix and C.F.Ph. von Martius, Reise in Brasilien (Munich, 1823-1831), iii. 1320.Note 85 · Footnote 148 : (return) W. Lewis Herndon, Exploration of the Valley of the Amazon (Washington, 1854), pp. 319 sq. The scene was described toNote 86 · Footnote 149 : (return) Francis de Castelnau, Expédition dans les parties centrals de l'Amérique du Sud (Paris, 1850-1851), v. 46.Note 87 · Footnote 150 : (return) L'Abbé Durand, "Le Rio Negro du Nord et son bassin," Bulletin de la Société de Géographie (Paris), vi. Série, iii. (Note 88 · Footnote 151 : (return) J. Crevaux, Voyages dans l'Amérique du Sud (Paris, 1883), pp. 245-250.Note 89 · Footnote 152 : (return) H. Coudreau, Chez nos Indiens: quatre années dans la Guyane Française (Paris, 1895), p. 228. For details as to the dNote 90 · Footnote 153 : (return) Father Geronimo Boscana, "Chinigchinich," in Life in California by an American [A. Robinson] (New York, 1846), pp. 2Note 91 · Footnote 154 : (return) F. Stuhlmann, Mit Emin Pascha ins Herz von Afrika (Berlin, 1894), p. 506.Note 92 · Footnote 155 : (return) As a confirmation of this view it may be pointed out that beating or scourging is inflicted on inanimate objects expNote 93 · Footnote 156 : (return) J. Chaffanjon, L'Orénoque et le Caura (Paris, 1889), pp. 213-215.Note 94 · Footnote 157 : (return) Shib Chunder Bose, The Hindoos as they are (London and Calcutta, 1881), p. 86. Similarly, after a Brahman boy has beNote 95 · Footnote 158 : (return) (Sir) H.H. Risley, Tribes and Castes of Bengal, Ethnographic Glossary (Calcutta, 1891-1892), i. 152.Note 96 · Footnote 159 : (return) Edgar Thurston, Castes and Tribes of Southern India (Madras, 1909), vii. 63 sq.Note 97 · Footnote 160 : (return) Edgar Thurston, op. cit. iii. 218.Note 98 · Footnote 161 : (return) Edgar Thurston, op. cit. vi. 157.Note 99 · Footnote 162 : (return) S. Mateer, Native Life in Travancore (London, 1883), p. 45.Note 100 · Footnote 163 : (return) Arthur A. Perera, "Glimpses of Singhalese Social Life," Indian Antiquary xxxi, (1902) p. 380.Note 101 · Footnote 164 : (return) J. Moura, Le Royaume du Cambodge (Paris, 1883), i. 377.Note 102 · Footnote 165 : (return) Étienne Aymonier, "Notes sur les coutumes et croyances superstitieuses des Cambodgiens," Cochinchine Française: ExcuNote 103 · Footnote 166 : (return) Svend Grundtvig, Dänische Volks-märchen, übersetzt von A. Strodtmann, Zweite Sammlung (Leipsic, 1879), pp. 199 sqq.Note 104 · Footnote 167 : (return) Christian Schneller, Märchen und Sagen aus Wälschtirol (Innsbruck, 1867), No. 22, pp. 51 sqq.Note 105 · Footnote 168 : (return) Bernbard Schmidt, Griechische Märchen, Sagen und Volkslieder (Leipsic, 1877), p. 98.Note 106 · Footnote 169 : (return) J.G. von Hahn, Griechische und albanesische Märchen (Leipsic, 1864), No. 41, vol. i. pp. 245 sqq.Note 107 · Footnote 170 : (return) Laura Gonzenbach, Sicilianische Märchen (Leipsic, 1870), No. 28, vol. i. pp. 177 sqq. The incident of the bone occurNote 108 · Footnote 171 : (return) Sophocles, Antigone, 944 sqq.; Apollodorus, Bibliotheca, ii. 4. I; Horace, Odes, iii. 16. I sqq.; Pausanias, ii. 23.Note 109 · Footnote 172 : (return) W. Radloff, Proben der Volks-litteratur der türkischen Stämme Süd-Siberiens, iii. (St. Petersburg, 1870) pp. 82 sq.Note 110 · Footnote 173 : (return) H. Ternaux-Compans, Essai sur l'ancien Cundinamarca (Paris, N.D.), p. 18.Note 111 · Footnote 174 : (return) George Turner, LL.D., Samoa, a Hundred Years ago and long before (London, 1884), p. 200. For other examples of such Note 112 · Footnote 175 : (return) Thomas J. Hutchinson, "On the Chaco and other Indians of South America," Transactions of the Ethnological Society ofNote 113 · Footnote 176 : (return) Monier Williams, Religious Thought and Life in India (London, 1883), p. 354.Note 114 · Footnote 177 : (return) H. Vambery, Das Türkenvolk (Leipsic, 1885), p. 112.Note 115 · Footnote 178 : (return) Hans Egede, A Description of Greenland (London, 1818), p. 209.Note 116 · Footnote 179 : (return) Revue des Traditions Populaires, xv. (1900) p. 471.Note 117 · Footnote 180 : (return) Taboo and the Perils of the Soul, pp. 145 sqq.Note 118 · Footnote 181 : (return) H.E.A. Meyer, "Manners and Customs of the Aborigines of the Encounter Bay Tribe, South Australia," The Native TribesNote 119 · Footnote 182 : (return) E.J. Eyre, Journals of Expeditions of Discovery into Central Australia (London, 1845), ii. 304.Note 120 · Footnote 183 : (return) E.J. Eyre, op. cit. ii. 295.Note 121 · Footnote 184 : (return) R. Brough Smyth, The Aborigines of Victoria (Melbourne and London, 1878), i. 236.Note 122 · Footnote 185 : (return) Samuel Gason, in Journal of the Anthropological Institute, xxiv. (1895) p. 171.Note 123 · Footnote 186 : (return) Baldwin Spencer and F.J. Gillen, Native Tribes of Central Australia (London, 1899), p. 473; idem, Northern Tribes ofNote 124 · Footnote 187 : (return) James Dawson, Australian Aborigines (Melbourne, Sydney, and Adelaide, 1881), pp. ci. sq.Note 125 · Footnote 188 : (return) Rev. William Ridley, "Report on Australian Languages and Traditions," Journal of the Anthropological Institute, ii. Note 126 · Footnote 189 : (return) A.W. Howitt, The Native Tribes of South-East Australia (London, 1904.), pp. 776 sq., on the authority of Mr. J.C. MuNote 127 · Footnote 190 : (return) Reports of the Cambridge Anthropological Expedition to Torres Straits, v. (Cambridge, 1904) pp. 196, 207.Note 128 · Footnote 191 : (return) Ch. Keysser, "Aus dem Leben der Kaileute," in R. Neuhauss's Deutsch Neu-Guinea (Berlin, 1911), iii. 91.Note 129 · Footnote 192 : (return) M.J. van Baarda, "Fabelen, Verhalen en Overleveringen der Galelareezen," Bijdragen tot de Taal-Landen Volkenkinde vaNote 130 · Footnote 193 : (return) J.L. van der Toorn, "Het animisme bij den Minangkabauer der Padangsche Bovenlanden," Bijdragen tot de Taal-Land- en Note 131 · Footnote 194 : (return) W.H.I. Bleek, A Brief Account of Bushman Folk-lore (London, 1875), p. 14; compare ibid., p. 10.Note 132 · Footnote 195 : (return) Rev. James Macdonald, "Manners, Customs, Superstitions and Religions of South African Tribes," Journal of the AnthroNote 133 · Footnote 196 : (return) Dudley Kidd, The Essential Kafir (London, 1904), p. 238; Mr. Warren's Notes, in Col. Maclean's Compendium of Kafir LNote 134 · Footnote 197 : (return) Rev. J. Roscoe, "The Bahima, a Cow Tribe of Enkole," Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute, xxxvii. (1907) Note 135 · Footnote 198 : (return) Rev. J. Roscoe, The Baganda (London, 1911), p. 419.Note 136 · Footnote 199 : (return) Rev. J. Roscoe, The Baganda, p. 96.Note 137 · Footnote 200 : (return) Rev. J. Roscoe, "Notes on the Manners and Customs of the Baganda," Journal of the Anthropological Institute, xxxi. (Note 138 · Footnote 201 : (return) Rev. J. Roscoe, The Baganda, p. 459.Note 139 · Footnote 202 : (return) C.W. Hobley, "Further Researches into Kikuyu and Kamba Religious Beliefs and Customs," Journal of the Royal AnthropoNote 140 · Footnote 203 : (return) Mervyn W.H. Beech, The Suk, their Language and Folklore (Oxford, 1911), p. 11.Note 141 · Footnote 204 : (return) H.S. Stannus, "Notes on some Tribes of British Central Africa," Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute, xl. Note 142 · Footnote 205 : (return) Jakob Spieth, Die Ewe-Stämme (Berlin, 1906), p. 192.Note 143 · Footnote 206 : (return) Anton Witte, "Menstruation und Pubertätsfeier der Mädchen in Kpandugebiet Togo," Baessler-Archiv, i. (1911) p. 279.Note 144 · Footnote 207 : (return) Th. Nöldeke, Geschichte der Perser und Araber zur Zeit der Sassaniden, aus der arabischen Chronik des Tabari übersetNote 145 · Footnote 208 : (return) J. Mergel, Die Medezin der Talmudisten (Leipsic and Berlin, 1885), pp. 15 sq.Note 146 · Footnote 209 : (return) Maimonides, quoted by D. Chwolsohn, Die Ssabier und der Ssabismus (St. Petersburg, 1856), ii. 483. According to the Note 147 · Footnote 210 : (return) L'abbé Béchara Chémali, "Naissance et premier âge au Liban," Anthropos, v. (1910) p. 735.Note 148 · Footnote 211 : (return) Eijub Abela, "Beiträge zur Kenntniss abergläubischer Gebräuche in Syrien," Zeitschrift des deutschen Palaestina-VereNote 149 · Footnote 212 : (return) J. Chalmers, "Toaripi," Journal of the Anthropological Institute, xxvii. (1898) p. 328.Note 150 · Footnote 213 : (return) W. Crooke, Tribes and Castes of the North-Western Provinces and Qudh (Calcutta, 1896), ii. 87.Note 151 · Footnote 214 : (return) W. Crooke, in North Indian Notes and Queries, i. p. 67, § 467 (July, 1891).Note 152 · Footnote 215 : (return) L.K. Anantha Krishna Iyer, The Cochin Tribes and Castes, i. (Madras, 1909) pp. 201-203. As to the seclusion of menstNote 153 · Footnote 216 : (return) G. Hoffman, Auszüge aus Syrischen Akten persisischer Martyrer übersetzt (Leipsic, 1880), p. 99. This passage was poiNote 154 · Footnote 217 : (return) J.B. Tavernier, Voyages en Turquie, en Perse, et aux Indes (The Hague, 1718), i. 488.Note 155 · Footnote 218 : (return) Paul Giran, Magie et Religion Annamites (Paris, 1912), pp. 107 sq., 112.Note 156 · Footnote 219 : (return) Joseph Gumilla, Histoire Naturelle, Civile, et Géographique de l'Orenoque (Avignon, 1758), i. 249.Note 157 · Footnote 220 : (return) Dr. Louis Plassard, "Les Guaraunos et le delta de l'Orénoque," Bulletin de la Société de Géographie (Paris), v. SériNote 158 · Footnote 221 : (return) J. Crevaux, Voyages dans l'Amérique du Sud (Paris, 1883), p. 526. As to the customs observed at menstruation by IndiNote 159 · Footnote 222 : (return) Chas. N. Bell, "The Mosquito Territory," Journal of the Royal Geographical Society, xxxii. (1862) p. 254.Note 160 · Footnote 223 : (return) H. Pittier de Fabrega, "Die Sprache der Bribri-Indianer in Costa Rica," Sitztungsberichte der philosophischen-historNote 161 · Footnote 224 : (return) Gabriel Sagard, Le Grand Voyage du Pays des Hurons, Nouvelle Édition (Paris, 1865), p. 54 (original edition, Paris, Note 162 · Footnote 225 : (return) James Adair, History of the American Indians (London, 1775), pp. 123 sq.Note 163 · Footnote 226 : (return) Bossu, Nouveaux Voyages aux Indes occidentales (Paris, 1768), ii. 105.Note 164 · Footnote 227 : (return) Edwin James, Account of an Expedition from Pittsburgh to the Rocky Mountains (London, 1823), i. 214.Note 165 · Footnote 228 : (return) William H. Keating, Narrative of an Expedition to the Source of St. Peter's River (London, 1825), i. 132.Note 166 · Footnote 229 : (return) G.B. Grinnell, "Cheyenne Woman Customs," American Anthropologist, New Series, iv. (New York, 1902) p. 14.Note 167 · Footnote 230 : (return) C. Hill Tout, "Ethnological Report on the Stseelis and Skaulits Tribes of the Halokmelem Division of the Salish of BNote 168 · Footnote 231 : (return) James Teit, The Thompson Indians of British Columbia, pp. 326 sq. (The Jesup North Pacific Expedition, Memoir of theNote 169 · Footnote 232 : (return) Samuel Hearne, Journey from Prince of Wales's Fort in Hudson's Bay to the Northern Ocean (London, 1795), pp. 314 sq.Note 170 · Footnote 233 : (return) C. Leemius, De Lapponibus Finmarchiae eorumque lingua vita et religione pristina (Copenhagen, 1767), p. 494.Note 171 · Footnote 234 : (return) E.W. Nelson, "The Eskimo about Bering Strait," Eighteenth Annual Report of the Bureau of American Ethnology, Part i.Note 172 · Footnote 235 : (return) The Carriers are a tribe of Déné or Tinneh Indians who get their name from a custom observed among them by widows, wNote 173 · Footnote 236 : (return) Hence we may conjecture that the similar ornaments worn by Mabuiag girls in similar circumstances are also amulets. Note 174 · Footnote 237 : (return) Rev. Father A.G. Morice, "The Western Dénés, their Manners and Customs," Proceedings of the Canadian Institute, ToroNote 175 · Footnote 238 : (return) A.G. Morice, "Notes, Archaeological, Industrial, and Sociological, on the Western Dénés," Transactions of the CanadiNote 176 · Footnote 239 : (return) A.G. Morice, in Transactions of the Canadian Institute, iv. (1892-93) pp. 107, 110.Note 177 · Footnote 240 : (return) James Teit, The Thompson Indians of British Columbia, p. 327 (The Jesup North Pacific Expedition, Memoir of the AmerNote 178 · Footnote 241 : (return) See above, p. 53.Note 179 · Footnote 242 : (return) Laws of Manu, translated by G. Buhler (Oxford, 1886), ch. iv. 41 sq., p. 135 (Sacred Books of the East, vol. xxv.).Note 180 · Footnote 243 : (return) The Zend-Avesta, translated by J. Darmesteter, i. (Oxford, 1880) p. xcii. (Sacred Books of the East, vol. iv.). See Note 181 · Footnote 244 : (return) Pliny, Nat. Hist. vii. 64 sq., xxviii. 77 sqq. Compare Geoponica, xii. 20. 5 and 25. 2; Columella, De re rustica, xiNote 182 · Footnote 245 : (return) August Schleicher, Volkstümliches aus Sonnenberg (Weimar, 1858), p. 134; B. Souché, Croyances, Présages et TraditionNote 183 · Footnote 246 : (return) R. Andree, Braunschweiger Volkskunde (Brunswick, 1896), p. 291.Note 184 · Footnote 247 : (return) W.R. Paton, in Folk-lore, i. (1890) p. 524.Note 185 · Footnote 248 : (return) The Greeks and Romans thought that a field was completely protected against insects if a menstruous woman walked rouNote 186 · Footnote 249 : (return) Taboo and the Perils of the Soul, pp. 1 sqq.Note 187 · Footnote 250 : (return) For a similar reason, perhaps, ancient Hindoo ritual prescribed that when the hair of a child's head was shorn in thNote 188 · Footnote 251 : (return) Petronius, Sat. 48; Pausanias, x. 12: 8; Justin Martyr, Cohort ad Graecos, 37, p. 34 c (ed. 1742). According to anotNote 189 · Footnote 252 : (return) A. Kuhn und W. Schwartz, Nord-deutsche Sagen, Märchen und Gebräuche (Leipsic, 1848), p. 70, No. 72. i. This and the Note 190 · Footnote 253 : (return) A. Kuhn und W. Schwartz, op. cit. pp. 70 sq., No. 72. 2.Note 191 · Footnote 254 : (return) A. Kuhn und W. Schwartz, op. cit. p. 71, No. 72. 3.Note 192 · Footnote 255 : (return) Karl Müllenhoff, Sagen, Märchen und Lieder der Herzogthümer Holstein und Lauenburg (Kiel, 1845), pp. 158 sg., No. 21Note 193 · Now it is remarkable that the foregoing two rules—not to touch the ground and not to see the sun—are observed either separately or conjointlNote 194 · Among the Amambwe, Winamwanga, Alungu, and other tribes of the great plateau to the west of Lake Tanganyika, "when a young girl knows that sNote 195 · Among the Nyanja-speaking tribes of Central Angoniland, in British Central Africa, when a young girl finds that she has become a woman, she Note 196 · From the foregoing account it appears that among these tribes no sooner has a girl attained to womanhood than she is expected and indeed reqNote 197 · With the Awa-nkonde, a tribe at the northern end of Lake Nyassa, it is a rule that after her first menstruation a girl must be kept apart, wNote 198 · Among the northern clans of the Thonga tribe, in South-Eastern Africa, about Delagoa Bay, when a girl thinks that the time of her nubility iNote 199 · Among the Caffre tribes of South Africa the period of a girl's seclusion at puberty varies with the rank of her father. If he is a rich man,Note 200 · Among the tribes in the lower valley of the Congo, such as the Bavili, when a girl arrives at puberty, she has to pass two or three months iNote 201 · In New Ireland girls are confined for four or five years in small cages, being kept in the dark and not allowed to set foot on the ground. TNote 202 · In Kabadi, a district of British New Guinea, "daughters of chiefs, when they are about twelve or thirteen years of age, are kept indoors forNote 203 · In the island of Mabuiag, Torres Straits, when the signs of puberty appear on a girl, a circle of bushes is made in a dark corner of the houNote 204 · Among the Yaraikanna tribe of Cape York Peninsula, in Northern Queensland, a girl at puberty is said to live by herself for a month or six wNote 205 · Among the Uiyumkwi tribe in Red Island the girl lies at full length in a shallow trench dug in the foreshore, and sand is lightly thrown oveNote 206 · Among the Indians of California a girl at her first menstruation "was thought to be possessed of a particular degree of supernatural power, Note 207 · In the interior of Washington State, about Colville, "the customs of the Indians, in relation to the treatment of females, are singular. On Note 208 · Amongst the Aht or Nootka Indians of Vancouver Island, when girls reach puberty they are placed in a sort of gallery in the house "and are tNote 209 · Among the Haida Indians of the Queen Charlotte Islands girls at puberty were secluded behind screens in the house for about twenty days. In Note 210 · Amongst the Tlingit (Thlinkeet) or Kolosh Indians of Alaska, when a girl shewed signs of womanhood she used to be confined to a little hut oNote 211 · In the Tsetsaut tribe of British Columbia a girl at puberty wears a large hat of skin which comes down over her face and screens it from theNote 212 · Among the Tinneh Indians about Stuart Lake, Babine Lake, and Fraser Lake in British Columbia "girls verging on maturity, that is when their Note 213 · Among the Hareskin Tinneh a girl at puberty was secluded for five days in a hut made specially for the purpose; she might only drink out of Note 214 · Among the Thompson Indians of British Columbia, when a girl attained puberty, she was at once separated from all the people. A conical hut oNote 215 · Among the Lillooet Indians of British Columbia, neighbours of the Thompsons, the customs observed by girls at puberty were similar. The damsNote 216 · Among the Shuswap Indians of British Columbia, who are neighbours of the Thompsons and Lillooets, "a girl on reaching maturity has to go thrNote 217 · Ceremonies of the same general type were probably observed by girls at puberty among all the Indian tribes of North America. But the record Note 218 · Among the Esquimaux also, in the extreme north of the continent, who belong to an entirely different race from the Indians, the attainment oNote 219 · When symptoms of puberty appeared on a girl for the first time, the Guaranis of Southern Brazil, on the borders of Paraguay, used to sew herNote 220 · Among the Yuracares, an Indian tribe of Bolivia, at the eastern foot of the Andes, when a girl perceives the signs of puberty, she informs hNote 221 · Among the Matacos or Mataguayos, an Indian tribe of the Gran Chaco, a girl at puberty has to remain in seclusion for some time. She lies covNote 222 · Amongst the Macusis of British Guiana, when a girl shews the first signs of puberty, she is hung in a hammock at the highest point of the huNote 223 · The custom of stinging the girl at such times with ants or beating her with rods is intended, we may be sure, not as a punishment or a test Note 224 · The same ordeal, under the same name, is also practised by the Wayanas, an Indian tribe of French Guiana, but with them, we are told, it is Note 225 · In like manner it is probable that beating or scourging as a religious or ceremonial rite was originally a mode of purification. It was meanNote 226 · If this view is correct, we can understand why so many Indian tribes of South America compel the youth of both sexes to submit to these painNote 227 · When a Hindoo maiden reaches maturity she is kept in a dark room for four days, and is forbidden to see the sun. She is regarded as unclean;Note 228 · In Cambodia a girl at puberty is put to bed under a mosquito curtain, where she should stay a hundred days. Usually, however, four, five, teNote 229 · A superstition so widely diffused as this might be expected to leave traces in legends and folk-tales. And it has done so. In a Danish storyNote 230 · A Tyrolese story tells how it was the doom of a lovely maiden with golden hair to be transported into the belly of a whale if ever a sunbeamNote 231 · In a modern Greek folk-tale the Fates predict that in her fifteenth year a princess must be careful not to let the sun shine on her, for if Note 232 · The old Greek story of Danae, who was confined by her father in a subterranean chamber or a brazen tower, but impregnated by Zeus, who reachNote 233 · The idea that women may be impregnated by the sun is not uncommon in legends. Thus, for example, among the Indians of Guacheta in Colombia, Note 234 · Even in the marriage customs of various races we may perhaps detect traces of this belief that women can be impregnated by the sun. Thus amoNote 235 · And as some people think that women may be gotten with child by the sun, so others imagine that they can conceive by the moon. According to Note 236 · The motive for the restraints so commonly imposed on girls at puberty is the deeply engrained dread which primitive man universally entertaiNote 237 · Thus in the Encounter Bay tribe of South Australia there is, or used to be, a "superstition which obliges a woman to separate herself from tNote 238 · In some Australian tribes the seclusion of menstruous women was even more rigid, and was enforced by severer penalties than a scolding or a Note 239 · In Muralug, one of the Torres Straits Islands, a menstruous woman may not eat anything that lives in the sea, else the natives believe that Note 240 · The Bushmen of South Africa think that, by a glance of a girl's eye at the time when she ought to be kept in strict retirement, men become fNote 241 · Similarly among the Bahima, a cattle-breeding tribe of Ankole, in Central Africa, no menstruous woman may drink milk, lest by so doing she sNote 242 · Among the Hos, a tribe of Ewe negroes of Togoland in West Africa, so long as a wife has her monthly sickness she may not cook for her husbanNote 243 · The miraculous virtue ascribed to menstruous blood is well illustrated in a story told by the Arab chronicler Tabari. He relates how Sapor, Note 244 · According to the Talmud, if a woman at the beginning of her period passes between two men, she thereby kills one of them; if she passes betwNote 245 · The Bhuiyars, a Dravidian tribe of South Mirzapur, are said to feel an intense dread of menstrual pollution. Every house has two doors, one Note 246 · The Guayquiries of the Orinoco think that when a woman has her courses, everything upon which she steps will die, and that if a man treads oNote 247 · Among most tribes of North American Indians the custom was that women in their courses retired from the camp or the village and lived duringNote 248 · Thus, to take examples, the Creek and kindred Indians of the United States compelled women at menstruation to live in separate huts at some Note 249 · The Stseelis Indians of British Columbia imagined that if a menstruous woman were to step over a bundle of arrows, the arrows would thereby Note 250 · Among the Chippeways and other Indians of the Hudson Bay Territory, menstruous women are excluded from the camp, and take up their abode in Note 251 · But the beliefs and superstitions of this sort that prevail among the western tribes of the great Déné or Tinneh stock, to which the ChippewNote 252 · "Upon entering into that stage of her life, the maiden was immediately sequestered from company, even that of her parents, and compelled to Note 253 · "These mortifications or seclusion did not last less than three or four years. Useless to say that during all that time marriage could not bNote 254 · The philosophic student of human nature will observe, or learn, without surprise that ideas thus deeply ingrained in the savage mind reappeaNote 255 · Amongst the civilized nations of Europe the superstitions which cluster round this mysterious aspect of woman's nature are not less extravagNote 256 · The same explanation applies to the observance of the same rules by divine kings and priests. The uncleanness, as it is called, of girls at Note 257 · In legends and folk-tales, which reflect the ideas of earlier ages, we find this suspension between heaven and earth attributed to beings whNote 258 · And still she lives and hangs in a basket in a church, and every St. John's Day, about the hour of noon, she eats a roll of bread.252 Anothe