St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1891-10-17
WIDOW STRANGLING IN FIJI,
A Horrible Kite That Was Carried Out
With Grcat CeremnnY.

A Horrible Kite That Wa| Carried Out
With Great Ceremony.
Women in Fiji theoretically occupied
high position, being regarded as an es-
seutiaI and integral part of her husband.
A man was not considered complete in
! this. world without his wife, nor could
he pass into the next unless she accom-
panied him. Therefore, the death Of a
man was always closely followed by
that of his wife, and in tho
case Of chief by that of all
his harem. If married woman
died, a passport to the shades wa fur
niShed her in the shape Of her hus-
bands beard, which was cut Off and
placed under her left arnpit
in case Of the death Of an unmarried
youth of either sex tho person was
doomed to wander about in an inter
mediate region between heaven and
earth until one Of the opposite gender
came along to complete the couple
When any one died a whales tooth was
placed in his or her hand, to be thrown
at the tree which stands Us guide post
on the road to the other world. If the
ghost Of the deceased hit this tree with
his or her missile acceptance of the
deltleS of the unseen was indicated.
Beyond this tree sat "Nangga
guardian of the path, who permitted no
man to pass unless he had his wife with
him. This spirit was. however, creiu
lous and easily deceived, and often had
grandmothers and maiden aunts palmed
off on him as the wives of chiefs who es-
sayed to pass him.
The Fijians were always q practical
and far-seoing people, and where a man
left behind him stout and brXOm widow
his kinsfolk often voted it foo.isllness to
fool her away on aghost. Accordingly,
she was q piopriated by some man who
was strong enough to drag her away
aud maintain his claim to her with the
cub, and some tough and ancient fe-
male relative suffered tie cord in her
place. This was not accomplished
without terrible row; the widow, as
we'll as all her connections, resisting
him tooth and nail, for it was consid-
cred etiquette for the relatives Of tho
deceased to resent as an insult pro-
posal to marry the widow. Obstruc-
ton was not, however, carried too far,
and although the wOoer might take the
marks of his courtship to the grave,
the opposition always drew off before he
was quite OverpOwered.
Widow strangliug was carried out
with imposing ceremonies. All the rel /
atlVos of the deceased assembled in the
hut which he had occupied in life. and |
to them the widow was brought in.
Her brother, if she had one, was the
executioner, and the instrument was his
waist cloth, which lie unwound ct her
entrance. The victim was made to as
sumo a position on hands and knees,
the long cloth was given a turn about
her neck and held on either side by her
brother and another man. She was
then instructed to exrcl all the air from
her lungs and hold up her hand as a
signal that all was ready, which, being
done, the cloth was drawn tight and a
swift and nearly painless death ensued.
Where man had but one wife she
was laid side by side with him in the
grave. in the case of chiefs, possessed
OF several consorts, all their wives
were stranglcd and placed in the
grave for him to lie upon. This, ia
the direct expressive speech of Fiji,
was called "carpetinr the grave"