Abstract
The purpose of this study is to analyse and interpret the view of the world held by Micronesians. The author has analysed the meaning and the basic idea of the afterworld view, the concept of the soul, cosmology, the concept of deities and other cultural phenomena among the Micronesians. As a result of the analysis we can summarize following principles : 1. The use of a canoe at the funeral ritual represents directly the idea that the soul of the dead goes to the other world by canoe. Since this custom is spread over almost all the islands of Micronesia, we can assume that this belief is a basic idea among the Micronesians. This idea of a "ship of soul" is connected with burial in the sea floating the corpse out to sea in a canoe. 2. This idea also shows itself in the following manifestations : The land of the dead is beyond the sea (generally in the west), which was the original home of their ancestors, and the soul of the dead makes its journey to the next world along the route their ancestors taken from their original home. Such beliefs are especially strong in the Gilbert and Marshall islands in the east of Micronesia. The basic idea is that the soul of the dead returns to the original home of its ancestors (Urheimate). According to VROKLAGE, this idea is related to the latter megalithculture in Southeast Asia and Oceania which runs parallel to Donson culture. The idea of "the island of the dead" is also held on Palau and Yap in west Micronesia. In their myth, the island is place where human beings originated in the ancient past. 3. Along with those ideas there is a kind of eschatological world view which is manifested in the following expressions : The bridge between this world and other world, the dreadful watchman (woman) of the other world, the two great stones which crush souls, the second or the third death in the other world. According to HEINE-GELDERN, this eschatological world view is often connected with Megalithentum's world view. The above mentioned three principles are integrated in a complex concept which, we can guess, is generally connected with the ideology of Megalithentum. 4. Apart from this above-mentioned type, there is another idea of an afterworld in heaven, which is also the abode of the gods. This idea is held all over the Caroline Islands in the middle of Micronesia. There, sky-gods play prominent roles in a mythological world. Along with this idea, there are the following ideas: A stratified heaven, a contrapositioning of heaven and the underworld, and a world-tree which extends from the underworld to the earth and on to heaven. This integrated complex concept is related to the cosmology of Shamanism and higher cultures. As mentioned above, we can reach the following hypothesis : The primary idea that the dead go to the land of souls in a small boat is spread over almost all Micronesia. Especially in eastern Micronesia the idea of an afterworld over the sea or of a paradise under the sea is expressed in elaborate form. This idea is connected with the current of the latter Megalith culture. A little later, the new idea of an afterworld in heaven with high gods penetrated into the middle of Micronesia. Then the idea of the soul's ascendance to heaven in a canoe was developed. Thus there is enough evidence to suppose a relationship to similar manifestations in Shamanism.
