Animism is characteristic of primitive social structures in tribal, often nomadic communities. It is typically linked with the early bronze age cultures of the pre-Christian era which lacked a writing system or written history. Without such written records, archaeologists piece together suggestions of what the societies practicing animistic beliefs must have been like based on the artefacts found in burial mounds or excavations and the rituals and folk beliefs which have survived to the present time religion in modern day SE Asia.
Myths are stories that have been passed down through time and often have lessons about life hidden in them and mostly told verbally by an elder or an officially selected person. (The stories below are in their original form, they have not been altered.) Ojibway Story - Native American Indian
There is a story attributed to the Ojibway Indians of the Great Lakes region. A young son of the tribe has the responsibility of hunting for game to keep his aged and weak parents alive. One particularly severe winter, he has trouble finding sufficient game and becomes quite desperate. One snowy morning, a handsome young chief walks into the young brave’s hunting camp, and challenges him to a wrestling match, promising a special reward if the boy wins. The boy does win, and the chief instructs him to cut off his head, bury it, and periodically water it. The boy does so reluctantly, and the next spring, a corn plant grows from that very spot. The boy is overjoyed. From now on, he will plant corn and will be able to feed his parents. This story illustrates how that Indian tribe dealt mythically with their transition from a Hunter Gatherer society to an agricultural one. Legends – crocodile story - Timor
Legends surrounded many natural features in Timor. The island of Timor itself originated from a crocodile, it is said, and versions of the Crocodile Legend abound. Crocodile story Early one morning a baby crocodile went out from its nest to look about. It was during summer and the land was dry. There was a group of houses not far from the swamp which was the crocodile’s home. He followed the road going in the direction of the shade of a big old tree, to spy on any of the people’s dogs, pigs or kid goats. But after he arrived at the outskirts of the houses, he found nothing, so he turned back. It was midday and the hot weather was bad. To arrive at the water’s edge he still had a long way to go, and there was only sand. He went with determination, but with the hot sand like fire, the suffering was terrible. He walked badly, he was hungry and he was sweaty with not one scrap of cloud to shade him. The baby crocodile roared as he writhed back and forth, thinking that he would surely die. But a child on his way to play and bathe heard the little crocodile roar. The child stepped forward quickly to look at what was making all the noise. “This baby crocodile will soon be dead!” he thought to himself. He approached quietly, and bent down. As the animal was not heavy he carried it to the water. When the crocodile was in the water his strength returned and he was very happy. But he did not know how to repay his splendid friend. After some time he said, “Now, we are both good friends. Anyone with the name of ‘crocodile’ cannot touch you! When you want to play in the sea or any other place, you need only call out: ‘Little crocodile friend, repay your debt’, then I will come at once to carry you wherever you desire. If you feel inclined, we could go now!” The child was not afraid to sit on the crocodile’s back, so he rode merrily until sundown before going home. Whenever the child wanted to play in the sea, he merely called his friend. In this way, time passed. But one day the crocodile was carrying the boy towards the middle of the sea when an evil thought came into his mind. He wanted to eat his friend. He decided to ask advice from all the fish in the sea. He even asked the whales, “When a person is kind to you, must the repayment be good or bad?” They all replied that the only repayment must be kindness. The crocodile’s mouth still watered, so he thought he would ask further. This time he asked all the creatures of the dry land, but they too replied exactly in the same way as the fishes. The last one he asked was a monkey, who jumped about and narrowed his eyes as he said, “What did you say?” The crocodile repeated the words which he had spoken to the other animals. The money say on a branch near the crocodile and rebuked him: “Have you no shame? One day, the sun had mortally dehydrated you, but this human placed you in the water. And now you want to eat him!” The monkey berated him more for his evil thoughts and continued the insults as he jumped into the treetops. The crocodile became ashamed, so he stopped thinking about eating the boy. He carried his friend towards the sea. When they reached the Timor Sea, the crocodile said, “Ah friend, the good deed you did for me cannot be repaid. So I am obliged to die, and I will change into a land where you and your children will live off my fat, as payment for your kindness to me!” Because of this, the wise old men tell us that Timor is a slender crocodile, with the head in Lautem and the tail in Kupang. Timor is that place of the rising sun, which some Timorese call the Crocodile Ancestor. If a crocodile bites anyone, then they say that that person must have said or done something against that crocodile. Should a crocodile bite, they call out; “Ancestor! Wicked! Wicked!” Whenever they are about to enter or pass over any water in which crocodiles live, they tie new rope around their heads, legs and arms, then call the dogs. The crocodile understand these things, and will not bite them. Morris, Cliff, (translator). (1984). Legends and Poems from the Land of the Sleeping Crocodile, Morris, Frankston Vic. |