The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1901-10-04
Marriage Made by Ants.

w, L. Baiz, a merchant Of Manila, is
at the Brown Palace hotel. He has
recently been travelling in the Island
of Sulu for a month, and tells of some
curious customs there. Said he last
night:
"A most curious custom is to be found
in that island. 1t obtains only among
some of the more savage tribes of the
far interior, called the Kakkohattcho-
chka q wont swear to the spelling)
tribe. These saVages are very primI-
tive people indeed and very savage in
their manner of life. There are not
above 10, 0G0 of this tribe and they live
in the mountains Of the interior. The
way their young women are given in
marriage is worth going miles to see.
1 saw the ceremony last month, and 1
shall not soon forget it.
when a young woman comes to the
age of IA she is deemed manageable.
A notice is given out by the town crier
that on a certain day the young wo-
man will be given in marriage. This
day is within a month of the 18th birth
day of the lady concerned, and is chosen
by her, according to ancient custom.
And the choosing of the day, by the
way, is all that the bride has to say
about the marriage. The crier also a
few days later, calls out the dowry of
the bride, and proclaims her charms
aloud in the market place. So all the
population is notified, and a goodly
crowd Of admirers gather to take their
chance for the fair lady. The near
relatives Of the bride and the contest
ants-who have previously given their
names in to the father of the girl-and
a crowd of perhaps 100 person, if the
youn woman is the daughter of a man
of Importance, gather to see the show.
son the morning of the marriage the
hri1 0o &c L -o,4 ~ l4n ~SI o,S
crowned with lilies, and clad in white.
Then. with much drum beating she is
led forth and passes among the suitors
and kisses each in turn. Then is
wreathed with more flowers and is seat
ed to watch the fun.
Nov, on that island of Sulu they
have a kind of ant that puzzles the
scientists for it has a double set OF
mandibles, n above and one below the
head, and both entirely Independent in
action. These ants play a leading part
in the marriage ceremony. The night
before the ceremony the village priest
goes out by the light of the moon and
opens an ant hill with secret rites and
carefully selects some ants, equal in
number to the number of suitors. These
are kept with care.
after the bride has kissed all the
Suitors in turn they go out to the hut
where the ants are kept. The priest IS
there, and he an ant by the body
and allows it to fasten the lower man.
dible to the forefinger of the right hand
of a young Ia These ants are about
an inch and a half long and have the
most ferocious bite you can imagine.
Then, each sutton with an ant hanging
to his f~orefinger, the young men go
back to the presence of the bride. Then
there are long and elaborate rites,
while the young men go around and
dance before the bride, each with a
monstrous ant hanging to his finger.
Then she is blindfolded, and the young
men are lined up for the selection.
1.-The drums are beaten with renewed
vigor and the bride goes along the line
of the suitors n inserts her forefin-
ger in the upper mandible Of the ants
that hang to the fingers of the suitors,
each in turn. The first ant that closes
his pincer on the diget Of the fair lady
wins her for the man to whose finger
it is hanging. Then the chosen bride
groom strikes the ant to the ground and
brushes it with his heel, and in comes
the priest and marries the couple. At
terward the ants that have been used
in the ceremony are aiken out and
cooked and a portion is given to each
guest to be eaten like the wedding
cake in the civilized lands."-DenveI
Republican.