The Golden Bough (Third Edition, Vol. 7 of 12) - Mirrors

228 The Golden Bough (Third Edition, Vol. 7 of 12)[193]The Rice-motheramong the Tomoriof Celebes. Specialwords used atreaping among theTomori. Riddlesand stories inconnexion with therice.middle or in a corner of the field, and a prayer or charm is utteredas follows: “Saning Sari, may a measure of rice come from astalk of rice and a basketful from a root; may you be frightenedneither by lightning nor by passers-by! Sunshine make you glad;with the storm may you be at peace; and may rain serve to washyour face!” While the rice is growing, the particular plant whichwas thus treated as the Rice-mother is lost sight of; but beforeharvest another Rice-mother is found. When the crop is ripe forcutting, the oldest woman of the family or a sorcerer goes outto look for her. The first stalks seen to bend under a passingbreeze are the Rice-mother, and they are tied together but not cutuntil the first-fruits of the field have been carried home to serveas a festal meal for the family and their friends, nay even forthe domestic animals; since it is Saning Sari's pleasure that thebeasts also should partake of her good gifts. After the meal hasbeen eaten, the Rice-mother is fetched home by persons in gayattire, who carry her very carefully under an umbrella in a neatlyworked bag to the barn, where a place in the middle is assignedto her. Every one believes that she takes care of the rice in thebarn and even multiplies it not uncommonly. 595When the Tomori of Central Celebes are about to plant therice, they bury in the field some betel as an offering to the spiritswho cause the rice to grow. Over the spot where the offering isburied a small floor of wood is laid, and the family sits on it andconsumes betel together as a sort of silent prayer or charm toensure the growth of the crop. The rice that is planted round thisspot is the last to be reaped at harvest. At the commencementof the reaping the stalks of this patch of rice are tied together595 J. L. van der Toorn, “Het animisme bij den Minangkabauer der PadangscheBovenlanden,” Bijdragen tot de Taal- Land- en Volkenkunde van NederlandschIndië, xxxix. (1890) pp. 63-65. In the charm recited at sowing the Rice-motherin the bed, I have translated the Dutch word stoel as “root,” but I am not sure ofits precise meaning in this connexion. It is doubtless identical with the Englishagricultural term “to stool,” which is said of a number of stalks sprouting froma single seed, as I learn from my friend Professor W. Somerville of Oxford.