Читать книгу Harlan's Crops and Man - H. Thomas Stalker - Страница 24

Some California tribes, heavily dependent on acorns for food, conducted an annual spring ceremony, usually in April, for the purpose of increasing the crop. The participants went out at night, visited specified trees, and implored them to yield abundantly. The trees were supposed to respond (Loeb, 1934).

First‐fruit ceremonies are practiced by the African Bushmen. When the fruit of a certain species begins to ripen at the onset of the big rainy season (usually February), a day is appointed and the women go out and ceremonially gather fruit from previously designated trees. The men stay in camp and all the camp fires are extinguished. When the fruits are brought to camp, a composite sample is carefully selected and presented to a head man, who kindles a special fire and ceremonially appeals to the fire for a plentiful harvest. He then eats the fruit. After the ceremony both men and women can partake of the fruits, but it is offense to eat them before the ceremony (Marshall, 1960).

Among various Bushmen tribes at least simple first‐fruit ceremonies are performed for a dozen or more different plants. Each of the major veld foods (plants in open grasslands of South Africa) has its own choa ceremony (Thomas, 1959). The !Kung observe a first‐fruit ceremony dealing with tubers. The rite is performed by the head man on a selected day. One of the prayers translates: “Father, I come to you, I pray to you, please give me food and all things that I may live” (Schapera, 1951). The tubers must not be touched until the ceremony is performed.

Spencer (1928, 1967) describes, in some detail, yam ceremonies on Melville Island, Australia. These are celebrated as rainy season initiation rites. One particular yam, called Kolamma or Kulemma, has small rootlets (like whiskers) all over it. It is supposed to make whiskers grow on boys and so is involved in growing‐up rites. Girls may be initiated at the same time, but no female can touch the yam or the ceremonial fire until the rites are completed. One of the lines chanted is: “Yams, you are our fathers!” The natives assert that after the ceremony all kinds of yams will grow plentifully.

It might be mentioned here that the New Yam ceremonies are the most important in the ceremonial calendar of yam‐eating tribes of West Africa. It is important not to dig some species of Dioscorea too early in the season and this sound agricultural practice is reinforced by religious ritual. A similar protective ritual is observed by the nonagricultural Andamanese (Coursey, 1972).

The Warramunga tribe of Australia has a yam totem; the Kaitisha tribe has a grass seed totem and celebrates a grass seed dance and ceremony. Rain dances are performed by both Bushmen and Australian natives to increase food resources. These are but a few of the many examples that could be given to show how plants that are important sources of food or well‐being are venerated and intimately woven into the religious and ritual life of gathering peoples.