Magic and Witchcraft on the Chota-Nagpur Plateau- a Study in the Philosophy of Primitive Life
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Magic and Witchcraft on the Chota-Nagpur Plateau- A Study in the Philosophy of Primitive Life. Author(s): Sarat Chandra Roy Source: The Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland, Vol. 44 (Jul. - Dec., 1914), pp. 324-350 Published by: Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/2843358 . Accessed: 28/06/2014 12:53 Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at . http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp . JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact [email protected]. Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to The Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland. http://www.jstor.org This content downloaded from 92.63.101.107 on Sat, 28 Jun 2014 12:53:50 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions 324 MAGIC AND WITCHCRAFT ON THE CHOTA-NAGPUR PLATEAU- A STUDY IN THE PHILOSOPHY OF PRIMITIVE LIFE. BY SARAT CHANDRAROY, M.A., B.L., RANCHI. A.-INTRODUCTION. THE man of the lower culture is, in a sense,more spiritually-mindedthan his fellow-manof a higher civilization. To him things are not what they seem; everything,animnate or inanimate,in this visible universe is to him merelythe receptacle-the "-pind " or seat as the Oraon of Chota-Nagpiircalls it-of a spiritual energy; and man's main concernis with this world of spiritual energiesor powers. As for the invisible world, it is, to the Ch6td-Nagp-araboriginal, as full of disembodiedspirits " as a tree is full of leaves." It is not onlyevery human being nor merelyall that we call living beings,but, in fact,all things either created by God or made by the hand of man, and even such immaterialthings as the spoken word,an expressedwish, a passino thought or emotion,a magic formula,certain propernames and class-names,and an odd numberor an even number,that possess each its individualsoul or its special spiritualenergy. Indeed, soul, spirit,energy, and power are generallyconvertible terms in the primitivevocabulary. To the Chotd-Ndgp-araboriginal the soul is not a purely) spiritualintelligence, absolutely formless and unsubstantial,but it is ratherwhat. may be called a spirit-substance. This spirit-substanceor soul-stuff,whether residingiii aerial or in human bodies,is believed to resemble the human shadow in its form,and to influencemen or cattle forgood or forevil by " overshadowing'" them. The soul-stuffresiding in otherbeincgs or natural objects resemblesanimal-, veoetable-,or mineral-poisonin its mode of action. It distilsparticles of its virtue which flow on into another person, animal, or object, either by contact or by sympatheticattraction. And the absorbingcare of the aboriginalof Ch6td-NdgptYr,. as of othercountries, is how best to defend himselfand his family,his cattle and his crops,his house and his other belongings,against the subtle influenceof such baneful.energies and the poisonousmalice inheringin most human and non-human souls and spirits. Althougheverything animate or inanimateis, for the primitiveman, instinct with spiritor spiritualeniergy, it is not everyenergy that is equally active. Some are intenselyactive, others less so, and yet othersare almost dormantbut liable to be aroused into helpful,or what is morecommon, harmful activity at any moment. It is only the more active energiesfor the time being that count. This content downloaded from 92.63.101.107 on Sat, 28 Jun 2014 12:53:50 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions Magic and Witchcqrafton the C7ht&-NdypvirPlateau. 325 In the human world,it is the differenthuman groups or village-communities and Pdrhi-federationsaround him, as also certainpersons with particularlystrong individualityor soul-power,or, in the wordsof the Oraon,men of " heavyshadow " (Jabar Chhdain),and personspossessing occutlt powers, as well as strangersin general, that the Oraon or Mulnda of Ch5ta-Ndgp-drtakes account of,and either avoids, defies,or formsceremonial alliances with. In the animal,vegetable, mineral, and planetaryworlds, and even with respect to the elementsand to certain artificialobjects such as weapons and implements, and intangiblethings such as name and number,such alliance with good powers and avoidance and control of evil powerstake the formof Totemism,cattle- and tree-worship,charms and amulets,and chh?2tor touch-tabus,food-tabus, and other tabus. In the super-physicalworld, it is the disembodiedspirits of the departed and the unembodiedspirits of various ordersof supernaturalbeings, which either hover about in the air or take their seats temporarilyor permanentlyin some natural objects,that have to be reckonedwith. Alliance with these is formedby sacrificesand ceremonialeating and drinkingwith them. A studyof the two principalaboriginal tribes of Ch6ta-Ndgpdr-the Mfindas and the Oraons-inclines one to thinkthat the same principles that underlietheir social and religioussystems, underlie, to some extent,their ideas as to magic and witchcraftas well. As the idea behind their social and tribal organizationis alliance with the helpfulvillage-communities around themfor protectionagainst hostile'communities, and the idea behind theirreligious system is allianicewith the highestand mosthelpful spiritual entities they know of, and, throughthem, control of the harmfulones, so the idea behindtheir magico-religious system appears to be the need of an alliance with the helpfulforces and powers,and avoidance and controlof the harmfulinfluences and energies,of theirphysical and super-physical environment. In thispaper I shall firstbriefly refer to a few points in the social and religioussystems of the Oraons to illustratethis proposition,and then proceed to noticesome of theirpractices regarding magic and witchcraft,and the principles that appear to underliethem. B.-THE PRINCIPLE OF ALLIANCE. (I.) Direct Alliance. Of good powers, those of the invisibleworld-the world of spirits-are necessarilythe mostpowerful. The Oraons and the Muindasof Ch6td-Ndgp-drseek alliance with the good spirits or deities by periodical ceremonies,of which the most salient featureis the worshipperseating togetherthe liver of the animal or fowl sacrificedto the deity,and drinkingtogether rice-beer, after a portionof both the liver and the rice-beerhas been offeredto the deity. The liver is considered by the Chota-Nargpfraboriginal to be the seat of the vital principle,as is indicatedby the beliefthat the witches sornetimesmysteriously extract the liver of a person,and as soon as his liver is eaten tip the persondies. The blood,for This content downloaded from 92.63.101.107 on Sat, 28 Jun 2014 12:53:50 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions 326 SARAT CHANDRAROY.-Magic and Witchcraft on which the rice-beeris apparentlya substitute-for on certainimportant occasions such as a purificatoryceremony sacrificial blood is actuallydrunk-is identified by the Qraon and the Mulnda with the soul or spirit, as is indicated by their beliefthat an evil spiritsometimes attacks a person by appearingas a blood-spot on his clothes. And this sacramenitaleating and drinkingwith theirdeities may not improbablybe a modificationof an older practiceof offeringup a memberof the tribe,and ceremoniallyeating with the gods the human meat and drinkingthe human blood by way of sealing a compact of alliance and friendship.' Toternistic ideas may have helped in identifyingthe man with the animal or the fowl sacrificed. The practiceof Ondkdtor human sacrifice,it may be noted,is said to linger to this date in out-of-the-wayplaces in Chota-NagpuYr. Whether this ceremonialeating of the sacrificialmeat be a case of eating with the god, or, as is not unlikely,of "eating the god,"the sacrificebeing considered as 'partakingof somethingof the natureof the deity,and the consumptionof the meat calculated to impartto the eaters somethingof the strengthand othervirtues of the god, such ceremonialcompact or alliance with the deities through a sacramientalmeal is renewedat stated intervalsby similarsacrifices and sacrificialmeals. Delay in renewinothe alliance may turn these supernaturalallies into temporaryenemies, and, in such a case, morethan the ordinarysacrifices is required to convincethem of your sincerity,and therebyplacate theirwrath and restore the old terms of friendshipand alliance. The principle of alliance with helpful powers may be furthertraced in the Orion's social system. Ceremonial alliances of one individualwith another,and one village-communitywith another village-communityor groups of village- communities,still forma characteristicfeature of the Oraon social system. The Oraon Parha system of federatedvillage-communities appears to have originated in a ceremonial alliance between differ.entlocal groups-originally,it seems, huntinggroups, and now agriculturalvillages-with the object of mutualhelp and protection. Although nowadays the men of differentvillage-communities of an Oraon Parha union do not join in commonsacrifices and ceremonialfeasts except on rare occasions,yet even to this day when sacrificesare offeredin any village of the Parha to the village-deityor Gaon-de6ti,portions of the sacrificialmeat are distributedto