The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1900-12-15

leat Wnen everything was In readl- |
ness, and the furnace still pouring out
It's intense heat, the natives marched
Up, with bare feet, to the edge of the
furnace, where they halted for a mo-
ment, and after few passes of the
wand, made of the branches of the |
Il plant by the leader, who repeated IL |
few words in the native language, they |
stepped down on the rocks. and walked |
Ieisurely across to the other side, step |
ping from stone to stone. This was
five times, without any prep
aration whatever on their feet, and
injury or discomfort from the
heated stones. There was not even
the smell of fire on their garments.
Another account is given by men,
ber of a party who witnessed a fire.
walking ceremony in South India. One
of the ladies put her handkerchief on
the shoulder of one of the performers
as he was entering the oven. The
handkerchief turned brown, and
would have burned up, being of deli
cate lace, had it not been snatched
by another member of the party. This
was given as an example OF the in
tensity of the heat arising from the
stones, and which appeared not to af-
feet the performers in the least.
Another eyewitness in an article in
the Journal says: Il interviewed a
few of those who took part in the
ceremony as to whether they felt any
pain in walking over the fire, Or
whether they protected their feet by
rubbing them with any juice of plants,
as asserted by people who find it diff
cult to believe the possibility of walk
ing over fire without being burnt. My
suggestion was received with resent
ment and was considered profane. One
young man questioned me in aston
ishment as to what greater protection
could be needed than the protection
of the goddess, in whose saving power
he had the highest faith. He explain
ed, however, that the time of actual
walking the majority of the performs
ers are beside themselves with relig-
ious fervor, and feel absolutely no
burning sensation while crossing the
fire, and all the after effects amount
but to a feeling similar to that caused
by being pricked with a pin.
/ am entirely satisfied that this fire.
walking is no fraud perpetrated by
! professional people. In the first place
/ there can be absolutely no unworthy
motive for so many people of different
castles and families combining together
for such dangerous performance as
this. Besides, people of all ages from
eight to seventy and more. take par
4 in it. a circumstance which makes Z
| combination of the kind at all events
! improbable, if not impossible.
Another writer refers to fire-wa1kin,
| the the "Raiatean Ceremony having
! closely studied the performances a
Rata This strange ceremony con
nected with the ti-oven,' he writes
FUSED to be practiced by the heather
! priests 1t consists in causing peopl
to walk barefooted and unprotecte
over the heated stones unharmed, no
even the skin being blistered. 1t i
rarely performed nowadays, but wa
recently witnessed by all the whit
residents of the place, as well as th
!, French officers who were present t
see the ceremony. Fire-w walking at tn
, feasts, alleged to be by the power {
) protecting spirits, is still frequentl
/ practiced in New Zealand
II Much has been said and written {
! fire. walking. and many theories ha1
e been advanced as to how it is don
g but so far there has been no satisfa
/ tory explanation offered. There is I
a doubt but that the feat has been don
: and is still being done among the NJ
r tives of the Tahitian Islands, in Sou
y India and other places, and it offe
: an entertaining task to materials
e and scientists, in the unravelng OF q
mystery The weirdness of the inca
It tations, the ignorance and superstiti'
'el of the performers. and the miraculo
D. wonder of the feat surrounds tie pc
n, formance with a strangeness and my
If terry that stands out in the lucid {
lie mosphere of the nineteenth centu
lie battling and inexplicable.
n Papa tia is now preparing for I
5, ordeal. The coming event has arous
af the people of Hawaii to an inter
he pitch of interest. In many years MOI
ing like it has been performed ht
ct approaching the wonder of the prop
h, ed exhibition, and Papa tia proml
nj to out-kahuna the kahunas Papa
D. claims that his preparations are W
ps simple, so far as physical training
he concerned. His troubles are as to
he rangements for his oven and acco
n modations for his audience.
he The widespread excitement eau
d by the promised exhibition has mi
Papa TIA and his sorcery a CONN
ITO topic of conversation, and the occas
es. of the exhibition will probably br
lr- together a concourse greater in mum
I'D, than any event for number of ye;
es, --->>e-
CHINESE REGISTRATION.
to- =.
H.al