Evening star., 1901-01-14

who have Witnessed the ceremony have
been unable, even by the keenest obserVa-
ton and closest study, to discover what.
On the Island of Mauritius the fre-walk-
ing ceremony is a part of the annual fes-
tival and is performed every year. Fire
walking has been referred to by writers on
the subject as THE Mauritius Miracle,
and it is a matter of record that at one
time the governor Of the Fiji Islands. hear
ing that some Of his guests were incredu-
lous caused the ceremony to be performed
for the vice-regal party before about ooo
native SPECTATORS.
The Polynesian Society have given much
attention to the question recently in its
quarterly journals. and a late number con-
tains an Interesting article on the subject
written by Miss Teuira Henry of kukui
street. this city. Miss Henry was herself
born in Tahiti and lived there a number of
years, and aer article aroused much COM
ment from able writer's and people who
had been eye-witnesses OF the ceremony.
Miss Henry gives a full account Of the per-
formance, with a translation Of the incan-
tations accompanying the feat. According
to her account the fire walking Is a cere-
mony that goes with the feast of ti-root,
performed when the huge oven Is made
ready for the baking Of the feast.
In an excavation some thirty feet across.
both ways, logs and sticks are piled, and
the stones are placed on top. The logs are
then set fire underneath. and within a
period Of twenty-four hours have burned
low. leaving the stones at white heat,
ready for the baking OF the ti-root feast.
1t is then that the sorcerer calls upon his
spirits summoning them with his ti-leaf
wand, and calling upon them in the chant
of Incarnation.
'Oh. spirits who heated the oven! Let 1t
die out! Oh, dark earthworms; oh, light
earthworms! Fresh water and salt water,
heat of the oven. and redness of the oven,
hold up the footsteps Of the walkers, and
fan the heat Of the bed: oh. cold beings!
Let us lie in the midst of the oven! Oh.
Great Woman who sets -fre-to-the-skies!
Hold the fan, and let US go into the oven
for little while!'
Still chanting, the leader steps into the
oven and walks over the stones. followed
by the people who are to partake of the
feast, waving the wand and circling about
over the stones without burn or pain.
The Great -setS-fre-to-the-
skies" Is the leading spirit Of the fire walk
ers, and to her ls attributed the possession
of the dread lightning and thunderbolt.
Miss Henry does not attempt to explain
the solution Of the surprising feat to scien-
tists Her statement is merely the state
ment Of an eyewitness.
A Mr. Hastwell, in San Francisco pam
phlet gives TIE following account:
1.-The natives Of Raiatea have some per-
| formances so entirely out of the ordinary
course Of events to institute inquiry as
to proper solution. On September 20, 1885,
explicable performance Of passing through
the fiery furnace The furnace that I saw
was an exca walton Of three or four feet In
the ground, Of circular form, sloping up
| ward, and about thirty feet across. The ex-
cavation was filled with logs and wood, and
then covered with large stones. fire was
built underneath and kept burning for
about q day. When 1 witnessed it, on the
second day, the flames were pouring up
| through interstices Of the rocks. which
were heated to red and white heat
IT am entirely satisfied that this fire
| walking is no fraud perpetrated by profess
sional people. In the first place, there can
| be absolutely no unworthy motive for so
many people of different castles and fam
| lilies combining together for such danger
Gus performance as this. Besides, people of
| all ages from eight to seventy and more,
| take part in it, a circumstance which
makes combination OF the KIND at all
events Improbable. II not impossible"
| Another writer refers to fire walking as
| the ''Raiatean Ceremony" having closely
| studied the performances Of Rata. This
strange ceremony connected with the IT,
/ oven !" he Wrttea H,s..d tn he nracficed hv