The Point of View of the Aborigines regarding Sex—Courtship preceding Marriage—Consultation of the Bird Omen¹ and of Bamboo Strips as to the Auspicious² Day for the Wedding—The Wedding Ceremony—Mingling by the Priestess of Drops of Blood taken from the Legs of Bride and Groom³; Ritual Drinking from a Skull⁴—Honeymoon⁵ Trips and the setting-up of House-keeping—Length of Marriage unions.

Turning from the subject of religious observances to that of marriage customs, one finds the same close association between the two in Formosa as in other lands. Indeed, the association is more close than in countries like England and America, or present-day Russia; since among the aborigines of Formosa there exists no registry office or other place where a civil marriage can be performed. In Formosa marriage means always a religious ceremony, one demanding the presence of the most powerful priestess of the local group. In some cases, several priestesses take part in the ceremony. This is especially true of certain of the groups among the Taiyal tribe, or nation.

Among those tribes, including the Taiyal, that have come least into touch with alien culture—Chinese, Japanese, or European—the religious side of the marriage ceremony seems to consist largely in purificatory rites—rites which tend to[153] neutralize⁶, as it were, the difference between the sexes. Sex is, to the aborigines of Formosa—as to many primitive⁷ peoples,—a thing of mystery, and one fraught⁸ with danger—danger not only to the man and woman chiefly concerned, but also to the tribal⁹ group, or whole tribe. The welfare or “ill-fare” of the tribal unit is a consideration which seems always taken into account, even in connection with matters which people at a different stage of evolution would regard as being

分享到：