User:JuliaGrace13/Ghosts in Polynesian culture

Ghosts in Polynesian culture DRAFT
In Polynesian culture, it is believed that humans can not see the souls that have already crossed over into the other world, though it was believed that some extraordinary individuals with certain abilities could see them. However, the souls that do not cross over are left in the real world with their original appearance. Humans are able to see these roaming spirits mostly at night and sometimes during the day. Ghosts of the dead usually will wonder along the beach usually between sunset and sunrise. These spirits would wonder because they did not have proper ceremonies or that demons had harmed them and thrown them off their path in order to cross over to the other world. Over time, these wandering spirits would eventually become evil demons and would usually wander around significant locations such as a birth place or where they had died and wait for their chance to harm an innocent living soul. These certain spirits can also be/ are exercised by name. The underworld was considered to be the place where the souls of common people went. Polynesians viewed the underworld as a realm of dusk, shadows and a barren wasteland without water, grass, flowers or trees. Spirits who had entered the underworld were invisible but those who remained on earth for one reason or another could appear to visible mortals.

Humans can get sick from spirits. This illness can be caused by sorcery and cured by mystical means seems to have been a common Polynesian belief. The Samoans thought that the souls of the dead could return to the land of the living by night and cause disease and death by entering the bodies of either their friends or their enemies. To cure illness, the Samoan relied not on medicine but exorcism. The Polynesian people usually did not fear these spirits, unless they were deceased enemies of the individual or members of a tribe that had done them harm.

Challenges
Some challenges I have faced while doing this project is grasping a full understanding of the Polynesian culture/religion because of the language. There is a lot of Gods and Myths that have many names which I find hard to keep up with. I fear that this may make my draft somewhat confusing to read to the general population. I also find sifting through information is maybe not 'challenging' but time-consuming, but I know is worth it in the end.