The Kalispell bee. [volume] (Kalispell, Mont.) 1900-192?, 1903-11-13
THE SOUL CATCHERS.
|AeiNGULAR CUSTOM OF THE SOUTH
SEA ISLANDERS.
he Way the Natives In the Days be-
fore Civilization Had Fully Marked
sTh en- For Its Own Used to Get Even
With Their Enemies.


Efore Civilization Had Fully Marked
Erhem For Its Own Used to Get Even
with Their Enemies.
"A little while ago while turning over
come memtntos of many years spent
In the Pacific islands | came across a
Small circle of fine cane about two
inches In diameter From the side 10
ward the center delicate network of
the fibers of some plant was construct
ed, leaving a small hole in the center
large enough for, say. bee to crawl
through. The article weighed less
than quarter of an ounce; yet. small
and harmless as it appeared. it is not
20 very many years ago that it and
others like it were objects of deadly
terror to the natives of many of the
Pacific islands, particularly those of
Manahiki Humphrey island). for the
simple looking thing was Il soul catch
er'-that is, a destroyer of human life.
Manahiki is one of q group of low
lying atoll islands to the north-north
west of Samoa, and its people today
are about the best educated of all the
Malayo-Polynesian people. They elect a
king and parliament, have one Of the
most beautifully adorned churches in
the Pacific islands, and nearly all the
younger members of the community
gan now not only speak but read and
write English. The island is-fOr an
atoll- unusually fertile and the people
fine. stalwart, handsome copper col
pred race. The main industries are the
making of "copra" dried cocoanuU and
diving for pearl shell.
"Soul catching' in the heather days,
prior to 1868, could be and was prac-
ticed by any one who desired revenge
Or the life of an enemy. Indeed al
christians In 1873. it was still in
vogue The modus operandi is very
simple. Say that two men, Rika and
retoro, quarrel. Riku accuses Tetoro
pf going out into the lagoon at night
lime, lifting his (Rika's) fish traps and
Rbstracting the contents. He therefore
demands compensation. Tetoro denies
The theft. The relatives of both men
Rake sides, and the quarrel assumes all
The elements Of feud with bloodshed.
It may be that Tetoro is man Of
means or chiefly rank and influence
and treats his accuser with scorn.
every WE'LL" the injured Rika cries
IF l cannot get justice from you l
ehall snare your soul, and you will die
Of wasting sickness"
Tetoro, even if he is innocent, begins
70 81, Il ,I,;l
vigorously denying the theft, offers
Rika Il present of Il pig to end the mat
ter. Rika's relatives at once clamor
not only for their original demands,
but for the pig us well. Possibly Il free
light ensucs, and Rika's people get
badly used, and threats of ''soul snar
Ing" are heard on al sides.
Then Rika's wife makes the snare for
Tetoros soul. Taking her mat out into
the village square or upon we'll fire.
auentcd road or path, she SuspcndS the
snare from the branches of trees or
sticks placed in the ground in such 4
position that she can closely watch the
oritice in the center of the square.
RilIa'S friends, male and female. come
with her. They bring food and eat II
and throw fragments under the snare
to attract the flies, with which the is
land is infested. If but one fly crawla
through the hole Trtoro is Il dead man,
unless he suddenly gives in and allows
himself to be blcd, for not only do
Rika's people watch the snare, but his
own rs we'll No one of them would
dare to attempt to destroy the snare.
The death of the iutcrtercr hy occult
power would certainly follow.
And 80 for hours ana hours some
times for days-many pairs of eyes
watch the little circle of cane. and Tc-
tOro and his friends are now ready to
yield, but feel that stll more rNtor-
Tomato demands may he made. Then
Mt last Il fly is seen To crawl through,
and Il shout goes through the village.
"Ua hopo te lago. Ia hopo tr laGo"
ga fly has passed through. y Trtoro
hears the cries and Immediately imag-
Ines he feels ill., His wife and relatives
crowd about him and try to cheer him
up, but his face assumes Il melancholy
look. and rs the time passes on he re-
fuses his food. Perhaps he may con
fess that he did steal Ril,a'> fish and
tremblingly offer to make full restitu-
ton if Rika will catch Il fly and make
1t go through the circle from the re-
verse side through which the first one
entered voluntarily. Usually this is
done, and what might have become
lasting family feud had Tetoro died of
funk through being bewitched. ends
up by the payment of so much property
to Rika, and Il feast for which both
parties provide the viands.-Pall Mall
Gazette.