ボマイ神話 : その構造と現代的意味

抄録

1. The myth of Bomai is concerned with the origin of the two gods, Bomai and Malo. who were worshiped in the traditional religion of the Murray Islands, Torres Strait. It has been published twice as the story of Malo, but it is Bomai in the Miriam language version I recently recorded, and on which the following structural analysis is made. 2. The first section is the story of Bomai's navigation. Bomai follows his four brothers, who left their native home in the south-central coast of New Guinea for Prince of Wales Island. During this solitary journey through the Western Islands, Bomai exhibits power to' transform himself into a whale, a turtle, a dugong and a dolphin. Then he travels with his brothers through the Central Islands, each in his own canoe. His brothers leave the group' one by one. Finally, after being left alone, Bomai sets off further east to the Murray Islands, the southern-most of the Eastern Islands. There he visits several villages in Mer, Dauar, and Waier. This part of the story ends when Bomai, in the form of an octopus, approaches a woman fishing on the beach. In the first section, Bomai is the only active character of the drama, and he is also the only one who exhibits the super-natural power of transformation. A structural opposition is drawn between large animals and small ones ; Bomai turns himself into the former type only when he is alone. When he is with somebody close to him, he turns himself into a smaller animal when the need arises. 3. The second section begins with Bomai's violation of Kabur, the woman on the beach. She realizes what has happened, so she kills the octopus (Bomai) , claims it as a posession, and brings it back to her home. As she watches that night with her husband, Dog, the ghost of a man jumps out of the basket, hangs from the ceiling, and performs the ritual of casting a curse. For the next two days, Dog is restless and walks up and down the beach carrying his weapons, excited by the treasure which Kabur has claimed. His curious behaviour, however, invites the villagers' suspicion. So the villagers of Las, from where Kabur originally came, send Kabur's brother and "cousin brother" to visit Kabur, and they come to Dog's home bringing a gift of sardines. Kabur and Dog welcome them and they stay at Dog's house that night. The visitors find out what is in the basket and steal it the next morning. Dog is out walking on the beach when the theft occurs. He feels uneasy, so he returns to his home, to find that the basket has been stolen. He then chases the two men, who are dancing with excitement, halfway back to the Las village. He shoots three arrows, but he misses the men because Bomai's power repulses the shafts. He follows the two to their village, where other villagers offer him a bamboo pipe to placate him. Dog accepts it, saying that the pipe is for peace, and allows them to keep Bomai in Las. The villagers create a ritual dance for Bomai, imitating the movements of blind sharks and tiger sharks. This second section of the myth is twice as long as either the first or the third. It is detailed and well explained, lacking the typical characteristics of a myth : miraculousness, abruptness, and extensiveness. It is a story of comedic interactions among villagers and it assigns a less conspicuous roles for Bomai, but it includes the climax of the three-part myth of Bomai : Bomai's ultimate transformation from an unusual man to a god.