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Spirit possession is an unusual or an altered state of consciousness and associated behaviors which are purportedly caused by the control of a human body and its functions by spirits, ghosts, demons, angels, or gods. The concept of spirit possession exists in many cultures and religions, including Buddhism, Christianity, Haitian Vodou, Dominican 21 Divisions, Hinduism, Islam, Wicca, and Southeast Asian, African, and Native American traditions. Depending on the cultural context in which it is found, possession may be considered voluntary or involuntary and may be considered to have beneficial or detrimental effects on the host. Spirit possession is often regarded as a reason in support of spirits, deities or demons. In a 1969 study funded by the National Institute of Mental Health, spirit possession beliefs were found to exist in 74% of a sample of 488 societies in all parts of the world, with the highest numbers of believing societies in Pacific cultures and the lowest incidence among Native Americans of both North and South America. As Pentecostal and Charismatic Christian churches move into both African and Oceanic areas, a merger of belief can take place, with demons becoming representative of the "old" indigenous religions, which the Christian ministers attempt to exorcise.
In Melanesian and Polynesian cultures, mana is a supernatural force that permeates the universe. Anyone or anything can have mana. They believed it to be a cultivation or possession of energy and power, rather than being a source of power. It is an intentional force.
Leo Viktor Frobenius was a German self-taught ethnologist and archaeologist and a major figure in German ethnography.
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Duppy is a word of African origin commonly used in various Caribbean Islands, including The Bahamas, Barbados and Jamaica, meaning ghost or spirit. The word is sometimes spelled duffy.
Therianthropy is the mythological ability or affliction of individuals to metamorphose into animals or hybrids by means of shapeshifting. It is possible that cave drawings found at Cave of the Trois-Frères, in France, depict ancient beliefs in the concept.
Melanesian mythology refers to the folklore, myths, and religions of Melanesia, a region in Southwest Oceania that encompasses the archipelagos of New Guinea, the Torres Strait Islands, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, New Caledonia and Fiji. The various mythologies consist primarily of the traditions of oral literature in the different populations of Melanesia. More recent aspects include the cargo cults born in the 20th century during the Pacific War.
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Charles Elliot Fox was an Anglican missionary and teacher in Melanesia.
The Temotu flying fox is a species of flying fox in the family Pteropodidae. It is endemic to the Solomon Islands. It is threatened by habitat destruction due to subsistence agricultural practices, as well as natural disasters such as tropical cyclones. Due to its imperiled status, it is identified by the Alliance for Zero Extinction as a species in danger of imminent extinction. In 2013, Bat Conservation International listed this species as one of the 35 species of its worldwide priority list of conservation.
A water spirit is a kind of supernatural being found in the folklore of many cultures:
There was widespread belief in ghosts in Polynesian culture, some of which persists today. After death, a person's ghost would normally travel to the sky world or the underworld, but some could stay on earth. In many Polynesian legends, ghosts were often involved in the affairs of the living. Ghosts might also cause sickness or even invade the body of ordinary people, to be driven out through strong medicines.
This is a list of books in the English language which deal with Jersey and its geography, history, inhabitants, culture, biota, etc.
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Tomako or tomoko is a large war canoe from the Solomon Islands. The name "tomako" is used in New Georgia in the Roviana language. It is also known as magoru in Marovo, niabara in Vella Lavella, mon in Bougainville, ora in Makira, and iola or ola in Malaita and Ulawa. Tomako were narrow and usually between 12 and 18 m in length. They did not possess outriggers or sails and were propelled solely by paddling. They were built by fitting planks edge-to-edge which are then "sewn" together and caulked with a paste made from the nut of the tree Parinarium laurinum. They could carry 30 to 50 warriors, and were used in raiding expeditions for slaves or for headhunting. They were characteristically crescent-shaped, with sharply upturned prows and sterns that were decorated with fringes of cowrie shells, nautilus shells, and mother-of-pearl, as well as intricate carvings. These carvings are usually of spirit animals or warriors like the kesoko and Tiolo. The body is commonly blackened to contrast with the decorations.
Lisi is a type of plank boat from the Solomon Islands. It is crescent-shaped and is similar in appearance to the tomako war canoes, but differs in that the topmost strakes of the lisi have a gap in the middle. Lisi are also usually proportionally broader and less ornamented than the tomako. They are used for fishing and transport rather than for raiding. Lisi can vary in size from small canoes to large ships used for trade. The largest types of lisi are known as solima, which can carry 50 people and is used for long sea voyages. There are two general types of lisi, the ordinary trading lisi is known as the "lisi nume." An ornate lisi with inlaid shell decorations used for transporting village chiefs in diplomatic missions is known as the "la'o." Voyages of lisi to other islands usually required a ritual human sacrifice on the return trip known as siki po'upo'u.
Binabina or biabina is a type of plank boat from the Solomon Islands. It differs from the similar tomako and lisi in that only the stern is upturned, while the bow is horizontal.
Kahausibware is a serpentine female spirit and primeval creator goddess revered in the Solomon Islands. She was a Hi'ona—a powerful supernatural being who created the world.
The Huxley Memorial Medal and Lecture is a lecture and associated medal that was created in 1900 by the Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland to honour the anthropologist Thomas Henry Huxley. The lecture and medal are awarded annually to any scientist who distinguishes themselves in any field of anthropological research. Thomas Huxley was fortunate to have another memorial lecture named his honour, The Huxley Lecture that was instituted by the members of Charing Cross Hospital Medical School in 1896.
References
- Fox, Charles E. (1978). Arosi Dictionary (PDF). Canberra: Pacific Linguistics. ISBN 978-0-85883-170-4 . Retrieved 2022-08-01.
- Fox, Charles E.; Drew, F. H. (1915). "Beliefs and Tales of San Cristoval". The Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland. 45: 131–185. doi:10.2307/2843476. JSTOR 2843476.
- Scott, Michael (September 2016). "To be Makiran is to see like Mr Parrot: the anthropology of wonder in Solomon Islands". The Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute. 22 (3): 474–495. doi:10.1111/1467-9655.12442. JSTOR 45182832 . Retrieved 3 March 2024.
- Ivens, Walter (1934). "The Diversity of Culture in Melanesia". The Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland. 64: 45–56. doi:10.2307/2843946. ISSN 0307-3114. JSTOR 2843946 . Retrieved 3 March 2024.
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