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MAY, 1025)
REMARKS ON THE ANDAMAN ISLANDERS AND THEIR COUNTRY
84
REMARKS ON THE ANDAMAN ISLANDERS AND THEIR COUNTRY.
BY SIR RICHARD C. TEMPLE, BT., O.B., C.I.E., F.S.A. Chief Commissioner, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, from A.D. 1894 to 1903.
(Continued from page 55.)
IV.
(6) Myths and Legends.
Mr, Brown's Philosophy of Social Value Developed. I now come to the last part of the argument in Mr. Brown's book : his interpretation of the Andamanese Myths and Legends. It becomes closer and more complicated than previously and frankly philosophical. He tells us that he is dealing with the Myths and Legends" in a similar manner" with the more important parts of the ritual and ceremonial, and he commences by laying down his procedure (p. 330):
"I propose to explain, not how the legends arose, but what they mean ; what part they play at the present time in the mental life of the Andaman Islander. Customs that seem at first sight meaningless and ridiculous have been shown to fulfil most important functions in the social economy, and similarly I hope to prove that the tales. .. are the means by which the Andamanese express and systematise their fundamental notions of life and nature and the sentiments attaching to those notions." Mr. Brown then starts straight off (pp. 330 ff.) on an Akar-Bale (Balawa) story.
The Night, the Day and the Cloada. In this story the origin of the Night and the Day depends on their connection with the Cicada or cricket (p. 330): "this species of Cicada, of which I do not know the scientific name, always makes a noise (songs' as the natives say) during the short interval of twilight between gunset and darkness and between dawn and sunrise." Upon this Mr. Brown remarks (p. 331) :
"The song of the Cicada, as the day gives place to night and as night changes to day is one of the most familiar of all natural phenomena of the Andamanege. Another fact that is made use of in the Legend is that if one of these insects be crushed 48 was the Cioada of the story, or even if it be taken up in the hand, it will utter its shrill and plaintive note, not unlike the cry of a human being in pain. Finally, to understand the tale, it is necessary to remember that in all the tribes of the Great Andaman divißion there is a prohibition against killing the Cicada."
To let the reader follow the explanation of the story and Mr. Brown's comments thereon I repeat it here as told to Mr. Brown: (p. 214)
“Da Tengat Sir (?) Spider) lived at Golugma Bud. He went fishing one day and got only one small fish of the kind called chelau (? Glyphidodon Sordidus). He turned to go home, and as he went he shot his arrows before him into the jungle (a very unusual act.] Then he went after thom to find them again. As he went he spoke to the fruits of the jungle, asking them their names. In those days the ancestors did not know the names of the fruits and the trees. First he asked the puiam, and then the gutuba, and then the chakli, but none of them replied. Then he found his first arrow. It was stuck fast in a big yam (gono). He took the arrow and said to the yam: 'what is your name?' At first the yam did not answer. Tengat turned to go away. He had gone & few steps, when the yam called him back, saying 'my name is Gono.' Tengat replied: 'Oh! I didn't know. Why didn't you say so before?' He dug up the yam, which was a very hig one. He went off to look for his second arrow. As he went he spoke to the stones in the jungle, asking their names, but none of them replied. Then he found his second arrow fixed in a large lump of resin (tug). He took the arrow, and as he was going away the resin (which the Andamanese regard as a 'stone ') called him baok, saying 'Here, my name is Tug: you can take me along with you.' So Tengat took the resin. Then Tengat forward a cicada (rita) and he took that also. When Tengat got to the hut (bud), every one came to look at the things he had brought. He showed them the yam. He told them its name and showed them how to cook it. This was the first time that the ancestors ate gono. Then Tengat took in his hand tho Cicada and squashed it between his palms. As he killed
