For Tommo, the religion of the Typee is by turns silly and scary. There's that cannibalism business (reserved, by the way, for defeated enemies and not just because they're hungry). But then there's the fact that a "god" for the Typee is personified by a broken wooden club, wrapped in some European fabric at its end: "this funny little image was the 'crack' god of the island; lording it over all the wooden lubbers who looked so grim and dreadful; its name was Moa Artua" (24.21).
All the same, we imagine that the Typee would be confused and amused by Tommo's Christianity as well, and it's this reciprocal perspective on religion that really puts the idea of the Mission into context. By the nineteenth century, remember, there had been a few hundred years of religious missionary work, persecution, and splintering, all over the world.
That meant that different religious beliefs were coming into contact for the first time. It was a very sticky wicket, which Tommo makes sure to broach: do these natives need saving, in the way that we think they do?
Questions About Religion
- How is the practice of cannibalism connected to the Typee religion?
- The "taboo groves" and beyond are the center of the religious life in the valley, but where else are similar practices observed?
- What assumptions does Tommo make about the islanders' religion based on visual observation?
- Are there similarities you can see between the native religion and the Judeo-Christian tradition? If so, what are they?
Chew on This
The connection between battles and religious festivals shows that the Typee believe that violence appeases their gods.
Actually, the Typee don't have an established religion like some other peoples. They make it up as they go along.