The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1891-06-08
FIJI WIDOWS.
4 Horrible Rite That Was Carried
Out with Much Ceremony.

Woman in Fiji theoretically occu-
pied a high position. being regarded
as an essential and integral part of
her husband. A man was not con-
sidered complete in this world with
out his wife, nor could lie pass into
the next unless she accompanied hin.
Therefore, the death of a man was
always closely followed by that of his
wife, and in the ease of q chief by that
| of all his harem. IL a married woma
| died, a passport to the shades was
furnished her in the shape of her
husbands beard, which was cut of
and placed under her left armlet.
In case OF the death OF an unmar-
ried youth of either sex the person
was doomed to wander about in an
intermediate region between heaven
and earth until n 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
as q guide post on the road to the
| other world. IL the ghost of the de-
ceased hit this tree with his or her
missile, acceptance with the deities Of
the unseen was indicated. Beyond
this tree sat "Nangga-Nangga, guard
ian of the path, who permitted no
man to pass unless he had his wife
with him. This spirit was, however,
credulous and easily deceived, and
| often had grandmothers and maiden
| aunts palmed off ON him as the wives
Of chiefs who essayed to pass him.
The Fijians were always a practical
and far-seeing people, and where a man
left behind him a stout and buxom
widow his kinsfoik often voted it fool
ishness to fool her away on a ghost.
Accordingly, she was appropriated by
some man who was strong enough to
drag her away and maintain his claim
to her with the club, and some tough
and ancient female relative suffered
the cord in her place. This was not
accomplished without a terrible row;
the widow, as we'll as all her connec
tions, resisting him tooth and nail,
for it was considered etiquette for the
relatives of the deceased to resent as
an insult a proposal to marry the
widow. Obstruction was not, how
ever, 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 strangling was carried out
with imposing ceremonies. All the
relatives of the deceased assembled in
the hut which he had occupied in life,
and to them the widow vas brought
in. Her brother, if she had one, was
the exeeutioner, and the instrument
was his waist cloth, which he I'M
wound at her entrance. The victim
was made to assume q position on
l4A1- A~I 1900 o,I Tho lon,p 10th
was given a urn about her neck and
held on either side by her brother and
another man. She was then in
structed TO expel all the air from her
lungs and hold up her hand as a sig
nal that all was ready, which, being
done, the cloth was drawn tight and
a swift and nearly painless death en-
sued.
Where a 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 strangled and placed in the
grave for him to lie upon. This. in
the direct and expressive speech of
FIJI, was called "carpeting the
grave. boston Journal.
She swore and rhen Cried.
"You just ought to have heard herI'
he exclaimed.
WHO'S that?" asked the other man.
Il don't know her name, but she is
one of those amateur actresses
well, what did she dor"
1--WE were having a rehearsal of
Broken Bones up at the club. She
came from some dramatic institution
or other to help the boys out and did
not know that-well, l won't tell you
his me way-up actor was going
to be present to coach Us. OF course,
he was introduced to her, and then she
began to ask him questions. | believe
it must have been the first time she
had ever talked to a live actor. She
asked him all about everything until
he was clean worn out, and when she
capped the climax by asking him to
tell her how to become a great actress
like Mrs. Carter and Sarah Bernhardt
we all saw he had blood in his eyes"
What did he tell her?"
"He looked at her benignly, put
his hand ON her shoulder in q fatherly
sort Of way-he's not a young man
and said: My dear, it's just as easy as
anything, if you only have the secret.
Mrs. James Brown Potter once offered
me her Cleopatra jewels if I'd tell her,
but | wouldn't. Now you are a very
nice little girl, l like your style, and if
you'll promise to let me be your
manager when you get there, I'll tell
you the secret"
"Well?'
'.She promised quicker than light
ming. Then he put both hands on
her shoulders, looked into her young
blue eyes and said: Swear, swear like
a trooper. swear till you're black in
DA~u.E.ma "a