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OCTOBER, 1899.]
While these preparations are in progress the funeral-guests continue to assemble, each bearing offerings, termed olyála, consisting of silver personal ornaments or of calico, the latter of which vary in extent, according to the circumstances or liberality of the donor, from a few fathom sto one or more entire pieces of 24-40 yards. These gifts of cloth must be of material that has never been used, and may be of red, blue, white, spotted or checked, but never of black, calico. Immediately on their presentation they are torn by the family into lengths of about four yards, and laid ready for use on the floor.
NOTES ON THE NICOBARESE.
257
First, 3, 5, 7 or more uneven number of two-fathom pieces of red or white calico belonging to the family of the deceased are produced, and, after a slit of about one foot lengthwise is made in a certain part of each, the corpse is laid thereupon and enveloped with these shrouds in such a manner as to leave exposed through these slits only a narrow portion of the face from the forehead to the chin. Neatly trimmed Orania spathes, called dandp-oal-hilia - 3, 5, or 7 in number are then wrapped round all but the head, and are tied tightly with split cane. The corpse is next placed on the da-yung (i. e., the stretcher), and lashed to it with more split cane, thereby ensuring perfect rigidity and facilitating the process of removing the body to the grave. One or three gaudy patchwork skirts, such as are worn by women at memorial-feasts, called loe-ta-wia (ante, Vol. XXIV. p. 170) are then wrapped round the waist of the corpse, whether it be that of a man or woman. When so worn it is termed kentul. Next, the calico offerings of friends, already referred to as having been brought and torn into lengths of about 4 yards each, are taken in hand. An uneven number of these from 3 to 29 in the case of an ordinary individual, and a larger uneven number in the case of a headman or menluana are selected, and, after a slit has been made in each in the same manner as in the first shrouds, they are wound round the corpses so as to leave only a narrow space down the centre of the face exposed. Last of all, 7, 9 or 11 neng-ta-chiha are tied round the whole. In the case of one who had occupied a leading position in their midst, the enshrouded corpse, when thus ready for burial, presents, as may be imagined, a considerable bulk,65
Save in cases where, for sanitary reasons, it is important to expedite the burial, the hour usually fixed for the funeral is either sun-down, before midnight, or at early dawn. Under no circumstances can an interment take place bewteen the hours of 11 a. m. and 1 p. m., as the shadows of those lowering the body into the grave, as well as those of the mourners taking their last look at the shrouded figure before the earth is made to conceal it from sight, would then fall into the grave and not safely outside or across it, and the consequences of this mischance are too serious to be rashly encountered; the belief being that sickness, if not certain death, would speedily overtake any who are guilty of such indiscretion. The danger does not extend to the act of digging the grave, though precautions against the possibility of harm arising to those who have been so engaged is averted before the arrival of the corpse by the menluana in attendance, who carefully sweeps the grave in order to expel any intruder lurking therein. This is done with a leafy bough plucked from a small jungle tree, called köang. This act is termed kokó-hala, which denotes "brandishing."
On the completion of the elaborate process of preparing the corpse for burial the enshrouded figure is gently moved to a position at right-angles to that which it had up
61 Many bundles of this material are annually purchased from ship-traders, and reserved for this purpose. 62 It will have been observed that in almost all their funeral appointments the Nicobarese avoid the use of even numbers, though their reasons for so doing rest merely now-a-days upon the authority of tradition.
63 These, as well as the first set of shrouds, are termed lania-kamapah (lit., "wrapper of corpse").
This practice is said to have originated in the belief that the defunct is thereby enabled in some mysterious manner to hold communication with the Supreme Being after being laid in the grave. They fail, however, to explain the nature or mode of such communications, for the soul (hoin) is held to have taken its flight, while the spirit (hoiha) is for the next few months fully engaged in endeavouring to enter the body of some surviving friend.
All the calico offerings which are in excess of the mourners' requirements for the shroud are torn into lengths about six inches wide and distributed to each of the male friends attending the funeral for use as a neng, or loincloth, on their return home.
