History of Oceania, South-East Asia and Pacific: Pre-Colonial Pacific religions

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Pre-Colonial Pacific religions

Printed From: History Community ~ All Empires
Category: Regional History or Period History
Forum Name: History of Oceania, South-East Asia and Pacific
Forum Discription: Discuss the history of SE Asia: Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore etc.
URL: http://www.allempires.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=15691
Printed Date: 24-Apr-2024 at 18:15
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Topic: Pre-Colonial Pacific religions

Posted By: Omar al Hashim
Subject: Pre-Colonial Pacific religions
Date Posted: 21-Oct-2006 at 20:24

Does anyone know anything about the religions of the south pacific before colonialism? The sterotype is often seen on movies and television programs, but I usually don't believe in sterotypes.

Replies:

Posted By: jayeshks
Date Posted: 28-Oct-2006 at 22:23

I don't have anything to contribute myself but I did find this site which covers a few studies of pre-colonial mythologies of Pacific islanders:
http://www.sacred-texts.com/pac/index.htm

Like their languages and culture, Polynesians seemed to have retained much of their shared mythology as they spread across the Pacific.

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Once you relinquish your freedom for the sake of "understood necessity,"...you cede your claim to the truth. - Heda Margolius Kovaly

Posted By: Guests
Date Posted: 29-Oct-2006 at 00:07

Which culture of the Pacific? Do you mean Polynesians? If so, which Polynesians? Hawaians? Maories? Marquesians? Easter Islanders? Although they shared language and a single root, each of theirs culture was slightly different from the rest.

I know a bit about Easter Islanders, but I got the idea the Polynesians didn't have a single religion but many that have a common origin.

In Easter Island, for instance, there was a religion in the times of building of the Moais, and after a civil war and the destruction of Moais and the elite, that religion change to the believes of the "bird man".

People of the Pacific have a set of believes that are similar to the aboriginal peoples throughout the world in close contact with nature.

Pinguin

Posted By: chimera
Date Posted: 25-Jan-2007 at 22:26

For 2000 years Brahmins have controlled Champa, Cambodia,Indonesia and Thailand in sequence, and still exist in Bali. Sanskrit "nagara" meaning "men of the sacred city" became /ngkor/ "Angkor" in Cambodia, and means "national" in Malaysia, and was the state ceremonial-system in Bali. Three men from Ngareenebeil (nagara Bali?) sailed to east Australia according to Bundjalung legend, and their names were Mamoon, Ya Birrein and Birrung. "Mamoon" is a Skt./Hindi name :"maternal uncle". The local strong god is Mahhji, and "Mahaji" is a title of Shiva in Thailand. Baiame is the father-god, possibly a form of "bahman" ("pure mind") meaning "Brahman". As Skt. jadiman=Java jatim= Bundjalung jadami, then "bahman"=*bahami (Baiame). Shiva's wife is Durga , in Bali, and Kali-Durga is the evil spirit, as "durga" in Bundjalung. Nagalinga is Shiva's snake-stone, and Bundj. ngalinga is a sacred word, where "nga-" is "snake".

Coombadjha (Gambadjha) is a sacred site where 3 Aboriginal countries meet, upriver from Angourie "to wait",where the mother waited for the 3 men. Champa "ang" means "numerals.respect", and Java "ang-" is "time.system". Possibly Gambadjha is "Cambodia" ,as Indian people comment on the Indic nature of Bundjalung place-names on roadsigns.

This suggests deep and wide links with India.

chimera