The herald., 1897-12-12
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
: LIFE AMONG THE CANN|BALS

s Lkt AMONG IHt CANh|BRlS :
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An old soldier. now a member Of the
Soldiers home. who has been a sea cap
tain and lived among the Fiji islands
about a quarter Of a century gives some
interesting "reminiscences of the days when
cannibalism was still practced by the na-
tives. The English government took charge
of this group of islands abou. the year 1915,
and among the frat efforts made by Its
officers was the suppression of cannibalism.
went to Lavuka, the principal port of
entry to the Fiji group, on the last day
OF December, 1862 I went there on the
brigantine Halle jackson, Of which my
brother was captain and owner. My
brother had been living there for many
years on one Of the islands Of the Fiji
group called VIII Levu. near the town of
Ma Vani Dogalon. The term "Viti Levu''
means in English big Fill" The ma
tives call their country Viii. the word
Fiji being an Anglicism. They call a
white person "a man who has walked
from heaven"
1 took charge of my brothers planta-
tion about January IL, 1870. 1t was
named the Uncle Sam plantation. We
were cultivating cotton, of the long sta
pie kind known as sea island cotton"
| This brought me in close contact with
the natives, as we were to a great extent
dependent on them for labor in the cot
ton fields. At that time cannibalism
was still being practiced.
A CHIEFS DEATH
Il,
practices was the occasion OF the death
of chief. 1t was their custom when
chief died TO kill enough Of his wives
to pave the bottom of his grave. The
grave woud be dug about six feet wids
and about three feet deep. The dead
wives would be laid on the bottom and
the dead chief on top and across their
bodies at right angles. His favorte wife.
whose name was Silina, was mother OF
several children, seven in number. When
her people called on her to be killed for
the purpose of paving her husbands
grave, she declined the pleasant. invita-
ton. alleging as excuse that her pres
ence was still necessary in this world to
take care Of her young children. She
appealed to me for protection. l told her
to go into my house and remain there
until the burial was over which she did.
The rule was that IL she escaped until
after the burial she could then live un-
molested. So Silina escaped. but his
other wives had to accompany him to
Lomi Lagi meaning happy place" the
Fiji heaven. The natives idea of heaven
Is that it is a better place than this.
which caused them to have no fear of
death, until the missionaries came
among them and taught the doctrine of
place Of eternal punishment. Before
the missionaries came among them they
We're much more virtuous, truthful and
honorable than Of late years.
A GRUEsOME FEAST
The nrst saw Of their feasts was a
few months after l arrived there. I
went by invitation OF their big chief.
named Raba Nell. The place was about
one mile from my house, near a creek.
l saw sitting there a girl Of about Is
years OF age. She was mountain girl
and had been captured by the coast
people. The interior Of these islands is
mountainous, and the mountain people
and coast people were at war with
each other.
The girl saw all the preparations for
death and yet manifested no fear nor
concern. A place was scooped out of
the ground about six feet across and
about the shape of saucer. This was
paved with cobblestones and fire built
on them. When the stones became hot
the embers and ashes were brushed to
one side. So soon as the stones were hot
the captive girl was told to come on.
She rose very unconcernedly and came
near to the fire. Two men then took q
piece of native cloth called "tapa" and
twisted 1t into rope, with which they
took two bitches around her neck ard
each man commenced to pull on his end
OF the rope to choke her. A third one
then stepped in front Of her and struck
her on the head with club, crushing
the skull, and she sank to the ground
There was piece of cloth hung ovee
her eyes to blindfold her. Just as the
choking commenced she raised her
hands, which We're not bound toward
her neck, and just then the club struck
her. After she was killed she was taken
charge Of by the old women, who first
burned all the hair off her and scraped
the body we'll.
She was then disemboweled and her
entrails, heart, liver, ETC., laid to one
side. These formed the perquisites OF
the old women. She was then cut up into
pieces of about five pounds apiece; this
was done with knives and hatchets. The
pieces of flesh We're then tied I'D in
banana leaves. Then a tier of banana
stalks was laid on the hot rocks. then
on top OF the stalks quantity of grass,
then tier Of banana leaves. then the
meat Tied in Iar