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OCTOBER, 1899.]
NOTES ON THE NICOBARESE..
NOTES ON THE NICOBARESE. BY E. H. MAN, C.I.E.
(Continued from Vol. XXVI. p. 277.) No. 6.
Death and Burial
(including Funeral Rites and subsequent observances).
INERT and phlegmatic as are the Nicobarese in most circumstances of life, yet some of their demonstrations of grief at the death of a relative or friend amount to what might be described as frenzied extravagance.42 This, although attributable in part to real sorrow, especially on occasions of family bereavements, is no doubt, as regards many of the quasi mourners, mainly induced by their superstitious fears and the dire necessity for such do they regard it of conciliating and propitiating the disembodied spirit, which, for the first few days after its release when it is called hōiha-twt or hōiha-kamapah, is believed to be peculiarly active and malevolent.
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The funeral customs in the Central and Southern islands of the Archipelago differ in so many points from those observed by the communities inhabiting the Northern islands that it will be necessary to treat of each separately. I will, therefore, endeavour to describe first the practices which prevail throughout the Central group and also, for the most part, among the Southern islanders, and then sketch briefly the chief peculiarities of those adopted by the inhabitants of Car Nicobar, Teressa, Bompoka, and Chowra.
In every case of illness or serious accident the menluana (t. e., the "medicine-man," exorcist or shaman) is at once summoned, and by his arts and incantations and the erection of fetich-charms (hentä-kōi and henta, ante, Vol. XXIV. pp. 170-1) seeks to deliver his patient from the power of the Evil Spirits, to whose agency" the disease, suffering or injury is attributed. Wher, notwithstanding all his efforts, death supervenes it is not considered necessary to remove the body from the hut until the preparations for the interment are complete, but notice of the melancholy event is at once sent to all neighbours and friends in adjacent villages,46 for no one is supposed to willingly or wittingly fail to bid farewell to the remains of the departed or to make the customary offerings, consisting of a few or many fathoms - according to the wealth or spirit of generosity of the donor of white or coloured calico or other cloths, or silver bangles, necklets, spoons, forks or other valuables. Any friend who is unable from some valid cause such as absence from home, sickness or other trouble to pay this mark of respect is expected to make his excuses and explain his conduct at the earliest opportunity to the chief-mourner who, if satisfied, condones the other's absence; otherwise, it would be regarded as a slight to be remembered and rendered in kind as soon as an occasion offered for the purpose.
1
Should a relative from any unavoidable cause be absent when the obsequies are performed he is restricted from visiting the village where the deceased died and was buried until the
42 Even over an unpopular person or notorious evil-liver the same lamentations are made. In the rare event of a person dying insane the only difference observed is that the exhumation ceremonies yet to be described - are omitted; while, in the equally uncommon case of a murder, the corpse is either taken out to sea and sunk or buried in some out-of-the-way spot, after which no further notice is taken of the remains.
43 Subsequent to this brief period it is called simply iwi till after the temporary disinterment of the skull and jaw-bone a year or two later, when less fear is entertained of the spirit, which is then described as mekūyakamapah.
44 As will be shewn in a subsequent paper dealing with Religious Beliefs and Demonology, this belief does not extend to those in precarious health through old age or general debility.
45 With the last breath (eyam) of a dying person the soul (hoin) departs to the being whom the more intelligent of the present and of a few preceding generations have been taught by missionaries and others to speak of as " Deuse." As the name of a deceased person is tabued, the messenger has to convey the intelligence by saying, "So and So's father (or brother, sister, ete.) has just died." It is more particularly by, or in the presence of, relatives that this reticence is observed. How wide-spread is this objection to utter the name of a deceased person may be seen by referring o the Journ. Anthrop. Inst, Vol. XV. p. 73.
