Strange Behaviours (A Short Story written with Brad Mengel)
Thursday, 9. August 2007, 07:38:03
THE ANTHROPOLOGY PROFESSOR rubbed his eyes. He had been working for some time and needed a break. Stretching, he stood up.
“Ahh”, he sighed, as life surged back into his restive muscles.
“Ah, well”, he thought with a twinge of resignation. “Back to it”.
A sudden chime from the door broke him out of his reflective mood.
“Come in”, he called, pleased at the timely interruption.
The door slid open to admit the post-graduate student who's doctoral thesis the professor had been facilitating.
Smiling at both the pleasure of the interruption as well as at seeing a favoured student back from a potentially dangerous field study, the professor greeted her.
“Ahh … how did your expedition go?”
“Very well, thank you, professor”.
Never one for prevarication, the student continued.
“There may be some small doubts as to the validity of my research due to my presence possibly affecting the behaviours of the people I've been studying. But I've managed to gather some fascinating notes”.
“I collated them on the trip home, sir, and I'd appreciate it if you'd read them and make any suggestions … to help with my thesis”.
Receiving the notes, the professor motioned the student to sit. He returned to his work area and began to read over them.
What appears to be a common religion amongst the subjects is – naturally enough for many primitive cultures – sun worship. Participants travel to their open-air temples during varying rest periods and religious festivals. These worshippers wear special clothing of shifting design, the males usually opting for groin-hugging briefs and the females mostly choosing either one or two-piece fabrics of similar multiple designs, colours and closeness. With very few exceptions, and regardless of the tone of the epidermis of these people, the subjects smear themselves with an unknown grease-based substance for reasons I have yet to completely discern.
Insofar as this application of the undetermined grease-based substance, my theory is that it is these people's belief that the sun god apparently shows its pleasure and displeasure by turning the skin of faithful a darker colour and leaving the unfaithful undarkened, or reddened (sometimes painfully so). Presumably this is some sort of psychosomatic reaction occurring due to their belief-level (or lack thereof).
Worshippers apparently exercise their faith by throwing themselves onto specially-prepared and decorated prayer rugs. Some read what appear to be religious texts, although the contents of these texts seem to vary from individual to individual. Others indulge in what appears to be a form of icon worship. Sometimes by twos, other times as part of a larger group, these individuals take a flat disk and hurl it between them. Seemingly less strict than other facets of sun-worship, catching the disk is greeted by sounds of approval and failing to catch the disk appears to be greeted by hoots of derision.
Another test of faith for the worshippers seems to be pitting the sun god against the water god (perhaps this is some sort of cleansing ritual). En masse, worshippers hurl themselves into the nearby water, sometimes clutching large boards, other times clutching boards half the size of the larger ones. Still, other times they enter the water bereft of board support. Ultimately, they return to the land, seeming proof that the sun god has protected them. In most cases, this appears to produce joy amongst the worshippers.
There appears to be another facet to the above-mentioned sun god/water god test insofar as priests of the sun-god religion, who wear unusual form-fitting types of head dress, define where the worshippers should enter the water:
There are – on occasion – instances wherein some subtle aspect of the ritual appears not to have been applied by those in the water. On such occasions, the priests dive into the water, make their way over to the obviously-distressed worshipper and forcibly remove them from the water. Perhaps religious fervour has overcome them, for some among the priests bend and kiss the prone worshippers repeatedly, until the worshipper returns to normal, sitting up with a bewildered look crossing their face, or being taken away in a conveyance that ultimately arrives, perhaps to sequester them for monastic contemplation of their texts (undetermined as yet). Large crowds gather and appear solemn at such a prospect.
The above-mentioned culture is unusual in that – unlike many primitive cultures – it appears as though they have more than one organized religion. This, however, is by no means certain.
The reason for this uncertainty is exacerbated by the possibility that the other two religions may, in fact, be sub-sects of the above-mentioned sun-worshippers. I will give descriptions of these and you may decide for yourself.
Both of these other two religions (or, perhaps, sub-sects of the one religion) appear to revolve around an organized combat ritual (perhaps a past battle recreation). Both involve a rounded ceremonial object (though both are different sizes and shapes), possibly an icon of some description ( – related to the above-mentioned disk? – ) and many stick-like objects seemingly used as the focus of these religions (altars?)
The first of these two rituals involves two selected tribes of males who stage battles with one another over the possession of an oval-shaped icon. The tribes then attempt to place said icon between two large poles set vertically into the ground at either end of the arena (the altar). During this time, the opposing tribe attempts to stop them, frequently tackling and bringing to ground the worshipper holding the icon. Throughout the ceremony, members of the tribes appear to take turns placing the icon between the posts of their opposing altars.
Unlike the sun worshippers, there are thousands upon thousands of non-combatants who cheer on the members of each tribe as their battle recreation is played out upon the holy ground the festival is celebrated upon.
After a certain period of time, the festival ends, only to begin again after approximately seven days. This cyclical pattern suggests the possibility that this festival may, in fact, represent some sort of fertility rite. This theory is supported by the fact that the festivals are held during the local winter, suggesting that those involved are preparing for the traditionally-fertile time of spring/summer.
It is during the local summer that the ritual displays/festivals change dramatically. Non-combatant attendance varies dramatically. While the majority of rituals in the above-mentioned examples are enacted at night under the glow of ceremonial lighting, the below-mentioned rituals/festivals are enacted during either the day or the night.
Perhaps this ritual/festival is a combination of the sun-worshipping religion first mentioned, due to the fact that the vast majority of observance of this ritual takes place during local day.
Seemingly less battle-oriented than the winter-based festivals, this rite nevertheless involves ceremonially-garbed tribes in apparent opposition to one another. A rectangular path appears to be the focus of the ritual, and this is edged by three vertical sticks embedded into the ground on either side of the rectangle. Said sticks have two smaller sticks balanced horizontally across them.
An icon is again used, though this is a small hand-held sphere. In recreating this battle (or performing this worship), the sphere is aimed at the vertical and horizontal sticks in an attempt to dislodge the horizontal sticks.
Said sticks on either end of the rectangular altar are 'protected' by members of the tribes carrying large, flattened sticks, with which they deflect the sphere as it is hurled towards the vertical and horizontal sticks. These 'protectors' are garbed in padded uniforms that vary markedly.
During the local day festivals, the protectors often dress solely in white – as do all members on the holy ground the festival is celebrated upon, and such occasions can last nearly a local week. However, on occasion, observances which begin during the day continue into the local night, and on these occasions the participants are garbed in colours representing each tribe. Again, at night, the same glow of ceremonial lighting is utilized, indicating a link with the first-mentioned sun worship religion. Perhaps the alterations of colouring indicate a more intense form of worship/belief.
In either variety of the ceremony – day or night – other members of the tribes attempt to catch the sphere that is deflected by the stick of the protectors. If said sphere is caught, the protector leaves – perhaps judged unworthy to protect the altar – and is replaced by another of their tribe. When this has occurred many times, the tribes appear to change roles.
However, the vast majority of occasions that the protector deflects the sphere from the vertical and horizontal sticks evinces members chasing the sphere as it rolls along the ceremonial grounds, whereupon they stop its forward-momentum and attempt to hurl it back in the direction of the rectangular altar.
Standing behind the sticks, another member of the opposing tribe catches the sphere and attempts to strike the vertical and horizontal sticks with it. During this, the protector mystifyingly runs from one set of vertical and horizontal sticks – along the rectangular altar – to the vertical and horizontal sticks on the other side of the rectangular altar. Perhaps this is a test of faith, as – on most occasions – the protector arrives close enough to the vertical and horizontal sticks that the member of the opposing tribe whom catches the sphere stops themselves from striking the vertical and horizontal sticks.
On occasion, the sphere is struck by the protector hard enough that it sails into the hands of one of the many thousands of non-combatants, an occurrence that is greeted with much approval.
The professor looked up when he had finished reading the notes. The look upon his student's face prompted discussion.
“I have more information, but that's what I've collated so far … ”
“Naturally”, the professor said.
“You will”, he continued, "have to be cautious about your interpretations of these observations. The academic board has lately been clamping down on papers that have an obvious cultural bias to them”.
“Well, you taught us that it was impossible to give a completely objective view of any culture”, the student replied.
“True”, countered the professor. “But I also taught that it s possible to minimize your subjectivity”.
“I've already lost this debate in your tutorials, so I hope we can change the topic”, the student said good-naturedly.
“Okay”, the professor smiled, and sat back in his chair.
“What do you intend to call your thesis?”
“I've been considering something like, 'Religious Practices of Humanoid Tribespeople of the Australian Continent – A Study in The Beach, Rugby League and Cricket'”.
“A trifle derivative”, the professor judged, “but serviceable, Q'rly”.
“By the way”, he added …
" … I trust the trip back from Earth wasn't too tiring?"
Copyright © 2007 by Brad Mengel and David Scott Aubrey
All Rights Reserved
1,772 Words
This short story is a work of fiction. Any and all names, characters and/or incidents are either products of our imaginations or are used fictitiously. Where any such resemblance may exist to actual persons (living or dead), actual events or locales, it is purely coincidental.
Please don't assume that our characters speak for us or carry our own opinions on various matters in any way, shape or form (though some might … you never can tell).
(47%)
WIDGETIZE
Furie # 28. December 2008, 00:28
clean # 28. December 2008, 01:26