BOOKS.

ET5LL-ROARERS AND BORI.*

THE long and fruitful partnership of the almost twin names Spencer and Gillen is ended at last, and this, the final volume on the native tribes of Australia, is issued by Professor Baldwin Spencer alone. His name, always in high honour among anthropologists, became known to a much wider public when last February he visited London, Oxford, and Cam- bridge, and with the help of cinematograph and phonograph his natives lived and moved before us. We saw them cook and eat their flying-fish, and dance their corroborees and Intichiuma dances. The present volume gives the results of three tours taken with the assistance of Drs. Gilruth, Breuil, Woolnough, and Mr. Cahill. It includes not only the examination of the most northerly of the Australian main- land tribes, but a visit in March, 1912, to Melville and Bathurst Islands, when Professor Spencer was fortunate enough to see an important local ceremony connected with the initiation of the young men. Now that Professor Spencer is known as himself a full initiate of the Arunta tribe secrets are freely told and shown to him which would be inviolate to the uninitiate.

It is interesting to learn that in ceremonies of initiation to manhood the natives of Melville and Bathurst Islands pre- sent certain marked contrasts to the inhabitants of the mainland. In the island ceremonies neither circumcision nor subincision was practised, nor indeed was there any case observed of mutilation of the body. Another striking difference was that, contrary to mainland custom, all the members of the tribe—men, women, and children—take part in the ceremonies. To certain young girls a definite part in the performance is assigned. One of them was painted yellow all over, another girl was painted half white and half yellow, and the ceremonial act was loudly and triumphantly proclaimed to the women by an old man who shouted: "I have painted one side of my daughter white and the other side yellow." The yellow girl was called Mikinyertinga, a name implying that she had taken part in an initiation ceremony for the second time. It is probable that we have yet much to learn concerning female initiation ceremonies, and it is certain that we shall not learn their secrets until properly qualified women investigators are sent out. On the need of such investigators Professor Spencer laid stress while in England. It may be noted that the Arunta, who exclude women, have a tradition that in olden times women were allowed to see and hear much that is forbidden now.

A third notable difference between islands and mainland is that among the islanders, so far as the explorers could dis- cover, no such thing as a churinga or bull-roarer is used. The natives assured Professor Spencer that they bad no such thing, and when the old men were shown a specimen they professed complete ignorance of it and were keenly interested to know its use. In all three cases of difference—i.e., absence of mutilation, no use of bull-roarers, presence of women and children—it is, of course, impossible to be sure whether the islanders present an earlier or later stage of development than the mainlanders. A further interesting point about the initiation ceremonies of Melville Island is that they are intimately associated with what is known as a Yam ceremony. The special sort of yam in question is covered with little roots that look like strong hairs. These roots are called dunimma, " whiskers," and are supposed to have magical effect on the growth of a boy's hair at puberty.

It was in Melville and Bathurst Islands also that Professor Spencer saw funeral and mourning ceremonies of a more elaborate character than elsewhere. Thanks to Mr. Cooper, " who has done much to make the islands accessible for investi- gation, be was able to see the actual erection of the curious

• (1) Native Tribes of the Northern Territory of Australia. By Baldwin Spencer, C.M.G. London: Macmillan and Co. [21e. net.)—(2) The Ban of the Bari. By Major A. J. N. Trensearne. London: Heath, Cranton, and 0:matey. [21e. net.]

grave-posts characteristic of the islands and found nowhere else. Of these he gives an excellent photograph, and also

coloured reproductions of the elaborate armlets worn by women during mourning ceremonies on the islands. Through- out the book the illustrations are singularly abundant and

valuable, and Professor Spencer in his preface returns special thanks to his publishers for the generous way they have acceded to his "rather extravagant desires" in the matter of illustrations. We may note specially the really delightful bark drawings of fish among the Kakada tribe (Figs. 88, 89) and (Fig. 80) the drawings of two Mormo or " Debil-Debile."

The book ends with a most interesting appendix on the languages of the tribes examined. Nothing, the writer says, is more difficult than the learning to speak and the writing- down of the different dialects, since different natives pro- nounce the same word differently, and even the same native varies the same word on different occasions. The word " Arunta," for example, can with equal correctness be spelt " Arunda," " Amnia," or "Aranda."

Major Tremearne's volume is a sequel to his Hausa Super- stitions and Customs, and contains the substance of four months' work in North Africa subsidized by a grant from the

Worts Fund at Cambridge. Major Tremearne notes that so brief a sojourn must have been inadequate but that he went

out knowing the language and obtained much expert help on

the spot. He promises us in the near future another book which shall deal with the question, "Is there anything in common between the Hausa Mai-Bori and the English witch ? "

The title The Ban of the Bori is not merely a happy allitera- tion, it is chosen advisedly. The bori are spirits, ghosts, bogies

of various kinds and functions, to the more precise definition of which the major part of the book is devoted. The word "ban," according to Professor Robertson Smith, means "a form of devotion to the deity," and is in a sense to consecrate,. to devote. In the oldest Hebrew days this involved utter destruction of the persons concerned and of their property. It was one of the roots out of which sprang sacrifice. But before the notion of personal deity was evolved ban was simply taboo with the cognate notion of an evil contagion.

" A ban bath settled on his body

And evil disease on his body have they cast,"

says an ancient Assyrian incantation.

The Hausa belief in spirits, bori, is now a blend, and a. very intricate blend, of three different elements : (1) their- own indigenous beliefs ; (2) superstitions picked up from travellers and adjacent tribes; (3) beliefs learned from their

conquerors the Arab Mohammedans. Thus any individual Hausa is not one but really four, or sometimes, if married,. five, different entities. There is first the visible man contain-

ing the soul and life, the soul being situated in the heart, the life wandering over the whole body. Second, there is a bori. or second soul of the same sex, but in a sense separable and acting as intermediary between the man and the surrounding• spirits or jinns. From puberty to marriage most Hausas have another bori of the opposite sex, and when marriage is proposed the intending bride or bridegroom must consult this bori of the opposite sex or he will be jealous. Lastly, there are two angel boris, one good who Lovers over the right shoulder, one

bad hovering over the left. These two angels are undoubtedly borrowed from Mohammedan demonology. Allah among most of the Hausas is believed in and revered, but the practical

direction of affairs is beneath his notice and left to the care of the bori.

Two interesting chapters deal with " Totemism and King- Killing." Here, as elsewhere, Major Tremearne adopts the plan of leaving his material to a great extent in the form in which it was received from the native authorities :—

" In the portions dealing with the belief in spirits [bori] I have- tried to enter into the llamas' own thoughts and 'to think black,' and although some strange and apparently contradictory state- ments are made, I have striven not to analyse them too severely since my return there to England, but to preserve the African atmosphere and attitude of mind in which they were given me.... For that reason the exact words of the narrator have been given in many places."

This method is undoubtedly sound, but a little trying at first to the European mind, avid of sharp distinctions an& logical analysis.

Haj Ali, a Hausa of Gobir, one of the heads of the. initiated Maan-Bori, is a principal authority, and from him

Major Tremearne obtained very interesting particulars as to the practices of king-killing and totem sacrifice. The informa- tion was so strange as to seem at first sight incredible, and Major Tremearne dropped the subject for a time and sent his notes to Dr. J. G. Frazer. Remarks from him encouraged further investigation, and meantime it bad been found by experience that Haj Ali's information on other matters was trustworthy. The account of the ceremonies must be read in full ; it is far too long and detailed to be resumed ; but the net result as to theory is this—the practices of king-killing and the sacrifice of the totem are in Nigeria closely connected, and, further, the introduction of the totem is, according to Salah, another native authority, due to the belief in bori. To invoke or appease these, magic rites were performed, and gradually particular bori were thought to take a particular interest in a certain individual or family or community. Many of the bon'. had power to assume animal forms, hence the totem animals.

The book is fully illustrated. Special interest attaches to the plates, reproducing actual bori ceremonies described in detail. The words of the actual songs and incantations chanted are also given in full. They show a strange blend of Arab monotheism and primitive animal worship—e.g., to Zaki the Lion fowls coloured like a partridge are sacrificed. At his dance be moves on bands and knees, clawing the ground and looking for something to eat. His kirari (invoca- tion) is:—

"Allah is feared, the Lion is to be feared."

Giwa the elephant at her dance goes about heavily on her hands and knees. Her song is:—

" 0 Mountain of Flesh of the River, 0 Strong One,

0 Elephant Owner of the Forest, Allah gave it you, not men."

The book is a monument of the excellent work promoted by the Worts Travelling Studentships.