Curiosities of Savage Life (Paperback)

Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: 26 SNEEZING ASSENT TO A NAME. that the mana or virtue of the wooden god may enter into the little creature, proceeds to chaunt a form of which the following ia a translation: Wait till I pr, in.iMni-i your name? What is your name ? Listen to your name, This is your name? Wai Kui Maneane. This last is the name of one of the child's ancestors, and the priest continues to enumerate a long list till?as says the Eev. E. Taylor, who describes the ceremony?tli child sneezes, when the priest stops, and the last name uttered by him is that to which the child is entitled. Although Mr. Taylor makes no mention of snuff as entering into the ceremony, there is a suspicion that it must be introduced, otherwise it would be a speculation whether the priest would not arrive sheer at the end of the ancestral tether before a naturally acquired cold in baby's head settled the important business. After the child has sneezed his assent to a name, the priest proceeds to deliver a very sensible exhortation, and which, be it observed, includes a recommendation of the virtue of early rising. " Clear the land for food, Be strong to work; You be angry and industrious; You be courageous; You must work; You must work before the dew Is off the ground." If the child be a female the ceremony is different. It is not stated whether the little lady is privileged to sneeze her approbation of a name, ?probably not, judging from the harsh and impolite exhortation that follows the christening: ? " Seek food for thyself with panting for breath, Seek food for thyself with panting for breath; Weave garments for thyself with panting for breath." In the case of the male he retains his second name until?if he be the eldest son?his father dies, when he forsakes the name conferred on him by the pries...