Author: VRIES, G.DE,
Title: Bij de Berg-Alfoeren op West Seran. Zeden, gewoonten en mythologie van een oervolk. Orig. edn.
Description: Zutphen, 1927. orig.pict.col. wraps. (xi), 306pp. frontisp., ills. on 28 plates, text-figs, music-scores in text, sketch-map. Popular ethnographical description by a military officer who commanded the station at Honitetu (Seran) during the years 1921-1923, of the 'Alfur' population in the inland of West Seran. Subjects described are the origin and distribution of the Alune and Wemale population, daily life and means of subsistence, ethnic religion (spirit belief, ancestor worship, taboos, prohibitory symbols, divination) and the Kakean Society, traditional healing, clothing and ornaments, music and dance, alcoholism, life-cycle and rites (birth, first menstruation, marriage, death), customary law, social organization and kinship, housing and indigenous terminology. PP. 149-280 contain 35 folk-tales and legends, mainly from Ahiolo (Wemale). In the appendix the differences between the Alune and the Wemale are summarized. (Polman, Centr. Moluccas, op.cit.). Fine copy. Scarce.

Keywords: folktales ethnology alfurese alfoeren ceram seran moluccas life cycle colonialism indonesia southeastasia