Section 3. Sharp Weapons tabooed.
THERE is a priestly king to the north of Zengwih in Burma, revered
by the Sotih as the highest spiritual and temporal authority, into
whose house no weapon or cutting instrument may be brought. This
rule may perhaps be explained by a custom observed by various
peoples after a death; they refrain from the use of sharp instruments
so long as the ghost of the deceased is supposed to be near, lest
they should wound it. Thus among the Esquimaux of Bering Strait
"during the day on which a person dies in the village no one is
permitted to work, and the relatives must perform no labour during
the three following days. It is especially forbidden during this period
to cut with any edged instrument, such as a knife or an axe; and
the use of pointed instruments, like needles or bodkins, is also
forbidden. This is said to be done to avoid cutting or injuring the
shade, which may be present at any time during this period, and, if
accidentally injured by any of these things, it would become very
angry and bring sickness or death to the people. The relatives must
also be very careful at this time not to make any loud or harsh
noises that may startle or anger the shade." We have seen that in
like manner after killing a white whale these Esquimaux abstain from
the use of cutting or pointed instruments for four days, lest they
should unwittingly cut or stab the whale's ghost. The same taboo is
sometimes observed by them when there is a sick person in the
village, probably from a fear of injuring his shade which may be
hovering outside of his body. After a death the Roumanians of
Transylvania are careful not to leave a knife lying with the sharp
edge uppermost so long as the corpse remains in the house, "or
else the soul will be forced to ride on the blade." For seven days
after a death, the corpse being still in the house, the Chinese
abstain from the use of knives and needles, and even of
chopsticks, eating their food with their fingers. On the third, sixth,
ninth, and fortieth days after the funeral the old Prussians and
Lithuanians used to prepare a meal, to which, standing at the door,
they invited the soul of the deceased. At these meals they sat silent
round the table and used no knives and the women who served up
the food were also without knives. If any morsels fell from the table
they were left lying there for the lonely souls that had no living
relations or friends to feed them. When the meal was over the priest
took a broom and swept the souls out of the house, saying, "Dear
souls, ye have eaten and drunk. Go forth, go forth." We can now
understand why no cutting instrument may be taken into the house
of the Burmese pontiff. Like so many priestly kings, he is probably
regarded as divine, and it is therefore right that his sacred spirit
should not be exposed to the risk of being cut or wounded
whenever it quits his body to hover invisible in the air or to fly on
some distant mission. 1