Buitani
In the mythological notions of the Pacific island of Nauru, Buitani is the land of the dead, where the spirits of the deceased live. They are worshiped by the followers of the native Nauruan faith. The underworld is like an island of Nauru, only bigger, and life there is taking place as well as in the local world.
If the spirits are not on Buitani, on Nauru they live in stones , in the ocean or in bushes. They were once offered food offerings; every house had its guardian spirit, to whom food was served daily. The frigate bird also plays an important role ; formerly it was considered to be the physical vessel of the ancestral spirits. He was the soul bird that mediated the connection with the realm of the dead, to which the entrance in Anibare led. A huge banana tree still marks this entrance today. The frigate bird was captured for special ceremonies in July and enjoyed the best treatment in captivity.
Before 1900, belief in Buitani and the spirits was still widespread. This belief has increasingly disappeared since Christianization . Most of the Nauru people today are predominantly Protestant Christians . However, in recent years there have been an increasing number of believers who subscribe to the local religion and the worship of the spirits of Buitani in order to counteract the many western influences. The frigate bird worship ceremony is celebrated every year in July.
See also: Figures of Nauruan mythology , Areop-Enap , Eigigu
Individual evidence
- ^ Camilla H. Wedgwood: Report on Research Work in Nauru Island, Central Pacific (Continued). In: Oceania, Vol. 7, No. 1, September 1936, pp. 1-33, here p. 32