Namatiti's child

[Endymion]

Our first member of the site, Carissa, came up with a great theory and, well, I thought we could discuss it here.

The mummified child that Namatiti has on the shrine in his cave is an unusual thing to have featured. Could it be the same baby boy that Molly lost while adrift in the Endymion's launch and who was set into the ocean with a prayer by Jacob.

Any thoughts or theories of your own about this?
Endymion.

[moviefanatic]

You know what? I watched it again yesterday, and I realized that when Fritz goes to Namatiti's cave when they first get to the island, he sees Namatiti praying and touch a mumified baby. So unless Namatiti collects mummified children, the one that the pirates find 7 years later is probably the same one as the one that Fritz saw.

But again, is the question, why does Namatiti have a mummified child in his cave? Why did Hallmmark put that in the movie? Maybe Jacob was right in guessing that it was his child and he wanted to keep the memory alive?

[Endymion]

Its entirely possible - in fact its probable that it might be the writer's subtle way of telling us just that.

Or could Jacob's explanation be a subtle way of him expressing his still-raw loss to Blunt - especially considering that we know Jacob has a "relic" of his own to remember his long dead family. (Okay, we know they're not dead, but Jacob is convinced that they are and uses Sarah's doll, Isabelle, to "keep the memory alive".)

But, there does seem to be a certain significance to the way we are shown Jacob sliding Molly's bundled up child into the water while they were adrift on the open ocean. especially the focus on the look which passes between Blunt and Jacob - thats almost the point where Thomas Blunt becomes father and protector to the orphaned boy.

Just a theory, and jumping off from Carissa's earlier suggestion, could the baby's body have washed up somewhere near Namatiti's cave and he attributed some spiritual significance to it - taken it as a sign?

*sighs* We get to know so little about Namatiti - is the woman in the village his wife, or sister, or just a fellow villager? Does he have kids? Has tragedy befallen a child of his? So many things we could do with knowing.

Or...does anyone have any other possible explanations for having such an unusual set piece as a mummified infant?
Endymion.