New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-06-05
THE FIERY ORDEAL OF FIJI.
INEXPLICABLE PERFORMANCES OF MA
TIVES IN A RED-HOT OVEN.

Maurice Delcasse In The World Wide Magazine.
The Island Of Benga, where the fiery ordeal
takes place. was the supposed residence or some
OF the old gods Of FILL and was therefore CON
sidered sacred land. Naturally. also, its chiefs
took high rank First Of all. 1t Is necessary TO
explain the native lOvo. or oven, in which the
masawe root Is baked This oven Is merely
more or less circular hole or hollow dug and
prepared In the ground with a diameter or from
eighteen feet to twenty-fo feet The oven is
next filed with rough logs OF tirewood. plled UP
nine or ten feet on the logs are placed a
great number Of water worn stones. varying IN
weight from eight pounds or ten POUNDS TO
one hundredweight II may here be explained
that the masawe is a Drac4na, with Nitrous
roots as large as yam. and fuii OF SUGAR
These roots baked in the lOvo Tor TOUR days.
The fire for the ordeal is lighted in the masawe
oven before daybreak. and burns for several
hOurs-that Is t. say. until all the stones on the
top big and little have fallen through into the
hole and become almost white with heat Then,
Of course. nothing remains but quantity ol
charred cmbcrs and few half burned logs.
In due time the embers are dragged OF iiSneu
out by means OF vines attached u long STICKS
the end Of the vine having running loop
which is placed over the log. The partially
burned logs and embcrs having been removed
green sticks, eighteen or twenty Feet long,
are then inserted into the oven among the heaps
OF hot stones. and using these as levers the
stones are distributed evenly over the surface
OF the whole floor OF the earth-oven- Some
times the heat is so terrific that the operators
are unable directly to manipulate the levers
themselves. so they are compelled 10 rest the
poles on the sides Of the oven. and then pull
them by means OF vine ropes the Fll'ahs
who take part in this ceremony make for them,
selves out OF the broad banana leaf speciai
kind OF garment to shelter their bodies from the
heat given OF bv the white-hot stones. Nhen
the big embers have been removed. the WOOD
ashes are swept away by means OF "hsks las
tened 10 the ends Of long sticks, and then noth-
ing remains in the oven save the clean layer or
glowing stones. These prellinlnareS. after the
fire has burned itself out. occupy about halt an
hour and then all il ready for the ceremony
itself At a given signal the performers bare
legged and bare-foOted. excepting for the ank-
let's Of dried fern leaves. crowd into the PIT
and begin walking lcisurely about as II on u
fashionable promenade
Here ~ the narrative OF person VINO VIII
messed the ceremony: jonathan. native mag
istrate led the way into the pit. closely FOL.
lowed by fourteen others. They marched round
about the oven. moving slowly ana l'isurcs'
and ,reading firmly on the red hot stones. Inc
spectaci. held me speilbound. Every moment
expected my uostrls TO b" assailed with the
smell ~ burning human flesh but IT was not so;
and as ! locked Ia the faces Cd! the men stfohhS
about In the lovO | could see no emotion
whatever depicted bu. merely the lnscrutaole
iruuassiyity OF feature common to many saw
Ak. races Som" II the bystandcrs threw
bundles OF green leaves and branches INTO the
oven. and then Immediately the men inside were
half hidden IN the clouds Of steam That arose
fr,fn tho hIssn. boiling sap Iiandkerchiefs
wore. also thrown in and afforded an uuinis-
'akahl. proof that there was no deception.
Before these lace tribes reached the floor OF
the oven they were ali,;ht and almost consumed
hv the great heat Presently Jonathan and his
,.lloWers marched out OF the inferno. and were
promptly examined by the Governors comnls-
siOncr. Not only was there not the icast trace
81 burning but even their anklets which were
%, dried fern leaves. and therefore extremely
innarmable. were not 30 much as slngcd