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.18Are we to think, then, of the early grain-growing, stock-breedingvillages of the Near East as adaptations to a temperate climate ofa plant and animal economy derived, in principle, from the tropics?Or shall we say that the influence ran the other way: that themyths and rites of Indonesia represent transformations and regres-sions from a higher, less brutal system of thought originating inthe proto- or basal neolithic villages of the Near East?The argument is not yet closed; nor is all the evidence in.Forthe present, we can note simply that a continuum has been estab-lished, with its earliest firmly dated marker in the basal-neolithicstratum (c.5500-4500 B.C.) in the Near East; a second field inthe myths and rituals of the planting tribes of South and EastAfrica and the Sudan; a third (possibly) in Hadramaut; a fourth(certainly) in Malabar; and still another in Indonesia and, as wehave seen, Melanesia and Australia.We must now range evenfarther and measure the reach of this mythological zone into thePacific and even, perhaps, the New World beyond.IV.The Monster EelEast of Indonesia, Melanesia, and Australia, throughout theisland-studded triangle of Polynesia which has Hawaii at itsapex, New Zealand at one angle, and Easter Island at the otherthe mythological image of the murdered divine being whose bodybecame a food plant has been adjusted to the natural elements ofan oceanic environment.Snakes, for example, are unknown in theislands.The role of the serpent has to be played, therefore, by theclosest possible counterpart of the serpent, a monster eel.And theforce of the role has been greatly increased or rather, there isfurther evidence that in the myths of Hainuwele and Persephonethe force of the role must have been greatly reduced.Paradoxically,then, it would appear that although we are moving eastward intothe Pacific we are also coming closer to the biblical version ofthe mythological event through which death came into the world; THE RITUAL LOVE- DEATH 191and something rather startling is beginning to appear, furthermore,concerning the relationship of Mother Eve to the serpent, and ofthe serpent to the food tree in the Garden.The voluptuousatmosphere of the lush Polynesian adventure will be different, in-deed, from the grim holiness of the rabbinical Torah; nevertheless,we are certainly in the same old book of which, so to say, all theearliest editions have been lost.The hero of the following version of the origin of the coconut isnot the first parent of mankind but the favorite trickster hero ofPolynesia, Maui, who is roughly a counterpart of Hercules.He isgenerally known as the youngest of a company of brothers, whomay vary in number from three (in Rarotonga) to six (in someof the versions from New Zealand); and among the best known ofhis many magical exploits were the fishing up of the islands from thebottom of the sea, snaring of the sun to slow it down in its passage,lifting of the sky to give his friends more room on earth, andtheft of fire for his mother's kitchen.Maui's wife, the heroine ofour story, is the passionate, completely unashamed beauty Hina(for, indeed, of what should she be ashamed?), who can be seento this day in the markings of the moon, where she is sitting be-neath a big ovava tree, beating out tapa cloth from its bark.19Here is the Tuamotuan version of Hina's adventure: 20Hina was originally the wife of the Monster Eel, Te Tuna[whose name means frankly, the Phallus], and the two livedtogether in their land beneath the sea until a day when Hinathought she had been there long enough.The place was in-tensely cold; and besides, she wanted now to be rid of TeTuna.So she said to him: "You just stay here at home! I amgoing off to forage for us both.""And when shall you return?" he asked.She answered: "I shall be gone for quite a while; becausetoday and tonight will be spent traveling, tomorrow lookingfor food, and the next day and night cooking the food; butthe following day and night will see me on the way home.""Then go," he told her, "and stay away as long as neces-sary."So she set out on her journey.And she never paused to lookfor food, but went on to forage for a new lover.She went asfar as to the land of the Male-principle (Tane) Clan, and 192 PRI MI TI VE MYTHOLOGYwhen she had reached their place called out: "The eel-shapedcreature dwelling in this inland region rides manfully to pas-sion's consummation: Te Tuna dwelling in the sea out thereis but insipid food.I am a woman to be possessed by an eel-shaped lover; a woman come all the long way hither to unitein the struggle of passion upon the shores of Raro-nuku(the Land-below) and of Raro-vai-i-o (the Land-of-penetrat-ing waters); the first woman thus to come utterly withoutshame seeking the eel-shaped rod of love.I am the darkpubic patch pursuing the assuagement of desire.For thefame of your manly prowess, O men of the Clan of the MalePrinciple, reached me even in the world below.I have cometo you by way of unnumbered shores along sandy beaches.Arise, O Detumescent Staff! Be plunged in the consumma-tion of love.I am this woman from afar, desiring you ar-dently, O men of the Male-principle Clan!"But the men of the clan only shouted at her in answer:"There is the road: follow it, and keep going! We shall nevertake the woman of the Monster Eel, Te Tuna, lest we beslain.He would be here in less than a day."She continued on her way, and when she arrived at theland of the Penetrating-embrace (Peka) Clan, called outagain, using the same words; but the men replied as had theothers.She went on to the land of the Erect (Tu) Clan, andonce again all happened as before.She came to the land ofthe Wonder-worker (Maui) Clan, where the call and responsewere again repeated.And then she approached the home ofMaui's mother, Hua-hega [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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