tailieunhanh - Encyclopedia of World Cultures Volume 2 - Oceania - N

Bách khoa toàn thư nền nông nghiệp thế giới - Châu Úc - Vần N | 230 Mu u_ teachers are Muyu. Priests are either Dutch settlers or Indo nesians from other islands. Ceremonies. The Roman Catholic church follows the church calendar though in remote villages not all the ceremonies are always held as the priests can only visit the villages once every several months. Traditional ceremonies are still held such as those for the pig feasts the boys initiations and certain illnesses. Arts. The Muyu culture is not artistically rich. Material objects include the short hand drums with some decoration and the big shields from behind which the warriors could shoot their arrows. They also have songs and dances which are not yet described. Medicine. Several cures are based on the idea that the spirits of deceased ancestors tawat have caused the diseases. No cures are known for diseases inflicted by sorcery. These afflictions will cease only if the person who applied the means mitim retrieves it from the position in which he placed it to cause the disease. Through the missionaries and the government modem medicines were introduced especially in the modest hospital at Mindiptana. Death and Afterlife. As soon as someone dies his next of kin are informed even if they live in other settlements. If they don t live too far away they will come to view the deceased and the women will take part in the lamentations. To express sorrow one may try also to avoid being suspected of causing death. In former times the body could be buried dried over a fire or wrapped and left to dry by itself. In the latter case the body was usually laid on a rack near the dwelling. After some time when there was an occasion during a pig feast the bones were rubbed with pig s fat and buried. Today the bodies are only buried under pressure from the government The reason behind the more extensive treatment of the body was not just love for the deceased but also fear of his tawat. If the spirit is not satisfied there will be harmful