Strangers who desire to consult a god begin by cutting a pile of firewood for the
table. Sometimes only a whale’s tooth and a dish of yams are presented. It is not
necessary that the offering should be made in the temple. Mr. Williams speaks of
priests to whom the inspiration came in a private house or in the open air.
He who designs to consult the oracle dresses and anoints himself, and, attended
by his friends, goes to the priest, who, we will suppose, has been previously
informed of the intended visit, and is lying near the sacred corner, preparing his
response. When the votary arrives, the priest rises and sits so that his back is
near the white cloth by which the god visits him, while the others occupy the
opposite side. The votary presents a whale’s tooth, states the object of his visit,
and expresses a hope that the god will regard him with favour. Sometimes in
front of the tooth is placed a dish of scented oil, with which the priest anoints
himself, and then receives the tooth, eyeing it with deep and serious attention.
Unbroken silence follows. The priest, says Mr. Williams, grows absorbed in
thought, and all gaze upon him with unwavering steadfastness. In a few minutes
he trembles; his face appears slightly distorted, and twitching movements are
seen in his limbs. These increase to a violent muscular action, which spreads
until the whole frame is strongly convulsed, and the man shivers as with an ague
fit. In some islands, adds Mr. Williams, this is accompanied with sobs and
murmurs, the veins expand, and the circulation of the blood is quickened.
The priest is now possessed by his god, and all his words and actions are
henceforth considered as the god’s and not his own. Shrill cries of “Koi au! Koi
au!” (It is I! It is I!) fill the air, and are supposed to indicate the deity’s approach.
While delivering the oracle, the priest’s eyes stand out and roll, as if a frenzy had
seized him; his voice is unnatural and his face pallid; his lips turn white; his
breathing is laboured; and his whole appearance resembles that of “a furious
madman.” The perspiration streams from every pore; the tears start from his
strained eyes. But by degrees the symptoms disappear, and the priest stares
around with purposeless gaze. Then as the god says “I depart,” he throws
himself down violently on the mat, or suddenly beats the ground with a club;
whereupon those at a distance are informed by blasts on the conch, or the
discharge of a musket, that the deity has returned into the world of spirits.
It would be a mistake to conclude that in these scenes the priest-actor is always a
conscious impostor; he is frequently the victim of his own imagination, which he
stimulates into an excess of frenzy.