The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1900-12-13
A QUEER ISLAND PEOPLE.
THE OUAINT COSTUMES OF 81
KILDA.
A Forgotten Locality and How Its In
habitants Live.

lmost of them but by steering
west by nor'west" from the uppermos
region of the Hebrides, off the north
west coast of Scotland you will run
afoul a big bundle of rocks which thu
gods dropped into the sea in the max
ing of the world-so the local soothsay
ers say. That is St. Kilda.
Morse pirates used to visit st. Kilds
and put the queer people under tribute
The natives hid in caves made for the
occasion, but the pirates had long eyes
and found them out Pretty soon the
McLeods took the place of the pirates
and called the tribute rent. For more
than 200 years emissaries of the house
of Macleod paid annual visits to the
island and held a three days wrangle
about rent. The amount of tribute or
rent collected depended upon the bully
ing accomplishments Of the factor Qent
collector). There was no money in the
island, and rent took the form of cows,
cabbages, feathers and eggs. Twenty
years ago the MacLeods, sore pressed
by poverty, disposed Of the privilege of
collecting tribute from the islanders
for $4,000. Now rental matters are on
a modern basis. The sixteen crofters
| farmers) pay $40 each for their crofts
and a bit extra for the common pastur-
age on the mountain top. The rent, of
course, takes the form of provender,
and is collected once or twice year
The only inhabited island, and the
} largest, is but three miles long and two
miles wide. The entire population con-
eists of about seVenty-five people, and
not more than one or two of them all
have ever been more than three miles
from home. Ten years ago one reckless
native got aboard a ship bound for
| Australia and has not yet returned to
the great grief of the whole people.
They expected that he would return
from the trip in two days. BY legal
fiction, st. Kilda CIirta, the natives
call i) is a part of County Inverness,
but utterly ignored by the queen. They
do not know what court or Jail looks
like.
Just how long these people have lived
there no one knows. History traces
them back 200 years and legend has no
limit. Wise men who have peeped into
the ancient caves put the figure at a
thousand years. The simple folk speak
Gaelic, with a slight flavor of the Scan
dinavian tongue. None speak English,
save the preacher, who also serves as
schoolmaster. The Gaelic Testament is
the entire literature Of the island.
The mouse is the only wild beast
which prowls about the country. His
honor, the rat, has not yet affected a
landing. No cat has yet disturbed the
supremacy of the mouse as king of the
forest.
For a hundred years the sole family
names in st. Kilda nave been limited
to the Fergussons, the Gilles, the Nc
Donalds, the McQueens the McKin-
mons, the McCrimmens. In spite of the
long centuries in which these families
have married and internarried, they
are stalwart, healthy appearing peo-
pie, and have wonderful enduring pow
ers. The only apparent evil result of
the intermarriages Is the remarkable
death rate of the infants. Only one in
ten or dozen live beyond a few days.
The medicine men say the malady is
tetanus infantum, but the common herd
call in the "nine-day fits" When a
baby dies, the father packs the body
in little box, and the entire popula-
ton falls in line while the parent bur-
les it in the Cemetery" digging the
grave himself The cemetery is a bit
of vailed Enclosure which has served
the purpose of a burying ground for
centuries, and was long since filled. The
ing the grounds so that the neighbors
I 1,n, I,1 Ja1
corners displace the old tenants.
All the temporal, spiritual social and
affairs of the pigmy common
wealth are vested in the Mode" the
local Parliament, which holds session |
every morning after prayers. All adult
males are members of the Mode"
Members of Parliament have the dis |
tinction of wearing shoes-that is, most
Of them. Shoes are a badge of dignity. |
AT the daily sessions of the Mode the !
first question which is generally con- |
sidered is what shall we do to-day.
fish, hunt geese eggs or SOW oats?"
After this problem is settled, such |
questions as the behavior Of the women.
funerals or infractions of &C.
cleeiastical procedure are taken up and |
discussed. SESSIONS OF the st. k1Ida /
resemble the sessions Of the
House of Representatives
n some respects. Frequently all desire
to talk at once and act upon the i'm
pulse. At such times the debate wakes
violent and can be heard for half a mile
lway. The DEGREES of the Mode" are
inal. The parliamentary proceedings
ire usually held in the open air in front
If some of the residences of the city.
which consists of fifteen houses. There
ire no suburban residences whatever.
The municipality is supreme.
Enthusiastically, the people have had
variegated career Diapidated affairs
IN the hilltop bear testimony that the
formerly did homage TO the
lragon and the sea serpent Early in
he century. a wandering Jesuit hove
nto port and converted the entire popu-
alton to the Catholic faith The godlv
nan, thinking that his work was done,
eft supply of crucifxes images, etc,
nd left in search of more islands to
onvert.
Then arose native, Ruari Nor bv
anne, who told the people that he had i.
ust had revelation from John the D.,
BAPTIST, commanding him to take
barge of affairs The people believed !,
i'm. For time Nor tyrannized over