Untitled - Stichting Papua Erfgoed

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clans, from outside the village as well by the chóra -partners. „Male" and
„female" stones lay near these sanctuaries. The temple was also dual in nature,
as is shown by its location in the center of the village — that is to say on the
dividing line between the land and sea clans, for example, Sibi and Jouwé,
Chamadi and Iréuw — its exterior decoration with images of water, land and
air animals and the objects contained in it. More precisely expressed: the
temple, just as the prahu, can be called a representation of the totality, the
cosmos, village, etc. As appears from various names, the temple was closely
connected with water (parts of it were compared with „shells", „squid",
„water") and actually stood in water. On the peak of the eightsided (formerly
four-sided?) roof was sometimes a small separate roof, called „paradise-bird
nest", on which was a small image, sometimes consisting of two people, or of
a human being and a lizard (Varanus s.) or of a human being with a bird.
In some cases the roof ended in a ridge-pole which ran north-south, just like
ethe partition-beam of Chamadi's temple platform (identical with the heavenly
snake Mechòbò?), and thus marked off a western and an eastern half.
The interior of the temple, with its dualistically ornamented and named
drums, flutes, dancing-staffs (mata), dancing-hats, hair-discs and log-drum,
has been described in detail in a previous chapter; likewise the ritual, and
sometimes actual, death of those to be initiated, their festive rebirth and retenrn
to the society as full members of the tribe and the possible function of the
„cassowary" in this temple underworld. Also discussed were the sacred character
of the temple and the things connected with it (deadly for the uninitiated),
the role of the ceremonial father (mother's brother), the painting of
face and body, etc. The ritual colors are black, red and white; many objects
are decorated with them. Black also plaed a part in burials, war and initiations.
Red was applied to the corpse of the chief, was the color of the women's
mourning skirt, etc. White is perhaps the color of heaven, just as black can be
that of the underworld. Compare the statement in Chapter VI, A, that in
Nachaiba a black stone was important for the hunting of pigs (underworld
animals) and a white stone for the hunting of cassowaries (upperworld animals).
Thus a combination of these colors can also be a symbol of the archaic universe.
As for the conceptions regarding the hereafter, it is possible that these represent
ideas originating in different historical periods or a single idea that
the souls of certain clans live together on mountain tops, others on a reef in
the sea and others again in an uderworld. The entrances to that underworld
coincide, understandably, with those to the earthly tribal territory, namely in
the east with the Loha or the Wár River and in the west with Lake Sentani
or the Fora brook near Dosojo. These borders agree with those of land and
fishing areas and with the boundary-lines mentioned in the myths. They agree
as well with the information, although with slight differences, that the Humboldt
Bay tribe lives between Cape Djuar in the east and Tarfia in the west
(the language is supposed to have changed there later). The soul-bird was
also apparently believed in: it was said of Makanowé or Mèra in so many
words that after his death his soul changed into the sea eagle, but I believe
that the Chaimani story and the Manchroi song also point in the same direction.
7. In spite of the occasional confusion in the data and the lack of more
material it can be said that the culture of the bay people, which is now rapidly
beconing obsolete, had, and still has to a certain degree, a strongly dualistic