The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-12-07
:, p. Langley, Scientist, Tells What
He saw During Visit to n Pa
ci1c Island.
pAPU.ITAs FEAT OF MAGIC
HOW THE PRIEST OF THE sAVAGEs
WALKED OVER HOT STONES.
Latter Were OF BasaItic Formation
No Miracle, and Not Wholly a
Fake Performance.


clss In the annual report of the Smithsonian
Institution is 1.-The Fire Walk Ceremony in
Tahiti" described by Samuel p. Langley,
secretary of the institution and a we'll
known scientists. THE very remarkable
description of the fire walk collected by
M Andrew Lang and others had aroused
q curiosity in me TO witness the original
ceremony, which have lately been able to
crafty in visit to Tahiti" says Mr..
langley. Among these notable accounts Is
one by Colonel Gudgeon, British resident at
Raratonga, describing the experiments of
man from Raiatea and also a like account
Of the Fiji fire ceremony from DIR. T. NJ.
Hocken. whose article is also quoted in Mr..
Iaag's paper OF the fire walk in the pro-
ceedings of the Society for Psychical Re-
search. February, 1900. This extraordinary
rite is also described by Mr.. Fraser in the
Golden Bough and by others.
Il had heard that it was performed in
Tahiti in 1897, and several persons there
assured me of their having seen it, and
one OF them of his having walked through
the fire himself under the guidance of the
priest Papa-Ita, who is said TO be one of
the last remnants of a certain order of
the priesthood of Raiatea, and who had
also performed the rite at the Island of
Hawaii some time in the present year, of
which circumstantial newspaper accounts
were given, agreeing in all essential par
ticuars with those in the accounts already
cited. According TO these pit was dug
in which large stones were heated red hot
by a fire which had been burning many
hours. The upper stones were pushed away
Just before the ceremony, so as to leave
the lower stones to tread upon, and over
these glowing red hot according to the
newspaper accounts). Papa-Ita had walked
with naked feet, exciting such enthusiasm
that he was treated with great considera-
ton by the whites and by the natives as a
god. 1 found it commonly believed in
Tahiti that anyone who chose could walk
after him, European or native, could do 1t
in safety, secure in the magic which he
exercises, IL his instructions were exactly
followed. Here In Tahiti, where he had
walked four years before, it was generally
believed among the natives. and even
among the Europeans present who had
seen the ceremony, that If anyone turned
around to look back he Immediately was
burned, and / was told that all those who
followed him through the fire were expect
ed not TO turn until they reached the other
side In safety, when he again entered the
fire and led them back by the path by
which he had come. 1 was further told
by several VINO had tried 1t that the heat
was not felt upon the feet, and that when
shoes were worn the soles were not burned
(for those who followed the priests direc-
tOns), but it was added by all that much
heat was felt about the head.
PAPA-ITA'S APPEARANCE.
"Such absolutely extraordinary accounts
Of the performance had beer given to me
by respectable eyewitnesses and sharers in
the trial. confirming those given in Hawaii,
and. in the main, the cases cited by Mr..
Lang. that 1 could not doubt that IL all
these were verified by my own observa-
ton IL would mean nothing less to me than
departure from the customary order OF
nature and something very well worth see
Ing. indeed. / was glad therefore, to meet
personally the priest, Papa-Ita. He is the
fnest-looking native have seen; TALL dig
nifed in bearing, with unusually intelli-
gent features. 1 learned from him that he
would perform the ceremony on Wednes-
day. July II. the day before the sailing of
our ship. L was ready TO provide the cost
OF the fire if he could not obtain it other
wise, but this was found TO be unneces-
sary
"Papa-Ita himself spoke no English, and
] cOnversed with him briefly through an
interpreter. He said that he walked over
The hot stones without danger by virtue
or spells which he was able to utter and
by aid OF goddess Tor devil, as my inter-
prefer had it,. who was formerly a native
or the islands. The spells, he said, were
something which he could teach another.
was told by others that there was still
Older priest in the Island of Raiatea, whose
disciple he was, although he had pupils OF
his own, and that he could send his spirit
To Raiatea to secure the permission of his
Senior priest if necessary. In answer TO
my inquiry as to what preparations he was
going 10 make for the rite in the two or
three days before it. he said he was going
to pass them in prayer.
The place selected fer the ceremony was
fortunately not far from the ship. 1 went
there at noon and found that large shall
low pit or trench had been dug about by
2 feet and about feet deep. Lying near
by was a pile containing some cords OF
rough wood and a pile of rounded. water
Worn stones weighing. should think from
forty TO eighty pounds apiece. They were,
perhaps, 20 in number, and all of porous
basalt, a feature the Importance of which
VIII be seen later. The wood was placed
In the trench, the fire was lighted and the
stones heaped on it, as 1 was told. directly
after | left, or about II o'clock.
AT p. m. 1 went over again and found
the preparations very nearly complete. The
IRE had been burning for nearly four hours
The outer stones touched the ground only
Ell the edges Of the pile. where they did not
burn my hand; but they approached
The center the stones were heaped up into
a mound three or four layers deep. al
which point, the lowest layers seen be-
tween the upper ones were visibly red hot
That these latter were nevertheless send.
ing out considerable heat there could be nc
question, though the topmost stones were
Certainly not red hot. while those at the
bottom were visibly so and were occasion
ally splitting with loud reports, while tho
names from the b1rned wood near the cen
ter OF the pile passed up In visible lamoen'