福建系台湾人の妊娠祈願及び妊娠察知に関する習俗(<特集>台湾研究)

抄録

In 1946, the present author made a research work on the Formosan Chinese, living in the ward Bangkah of Tai-peh city, whose ancestors had come from Fu-chien province, southern China. His manuscript, being an outcome of this research work, contains : Chapter I Pregnancy ; Chapter II Childbirth ; and Chapter III Post-Natal Care, and this article is composed of several passages drawn from the Chapter I. Various magical performances are observed even just after the girl's betrothal in view of securing or invigorating her fecundity. The ideal of the patriarchal family, after which the male infant is appreciated far more highly than the female one, reflects itself in such performances. For instance, if a woman passes through under lantern on the 15th of January of the lunar calendar, she will become pregnant with male child, because both 'lantern' and 'male person' are teng here in the Fu-chien dialect of Bang-kah. It is customary that, three days after her delivery, the woman concerned eats chicken. When the baby was male, other women want to have a share of giblets of the chicken, in view of becoming homoeopathically pregnant with male child by eating that share. The belief that the adoption of child leads to pregnancy is found widespread in Japan's mainland, Ryukyu islands, and Ponape. In Bang-kah, however, it is believed that the adopted child, irrespective of its sex, shall bring its younger brother for the foster-mother. Sterile women call in a female shaman (ang-i) or pray directly to gods for pregnancy. With this regard, Tsu sin-niu-niu (a goddess presiding pregnancy) is important. According to the folk-belief in Bang-kah, it may happen that a woman becomes pregnant by coming into contact with the south wind. Such a belief is found widely in Ryukyus, aboriginal Formosa, and East Indies. It deserves to notice that both 'south' and 'man' are equally lam in the Fu-chien dialect of Bang-kah. Whereas the custom of pregnant woman to have a belly-belt bound in the later period during pregnancy is widespread in East Indies, aboriginal Formosa, Japan, etc., this is not found in Bang-kah, except that the woman has white cloth as a bellybelt bound after her delivery, lest her belly, it is said, become big and ill-shaped.