The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1903-09-16
THE SOUL CATCHERS.
A SINGULAR CUSTOM OF THE SOUTH
SEA ISLANDERS.

The Way the Natives In the Days Be-
fore Civilization Had Fully Marked
Them For Its Own Used to Get Even
With Their Enemies.
some memcntos of many years spent
In the Pacific islands l came across q
small circle of fine cane about two
inches in diameter. From the side to
ward the center a delicate network OF
the fibers of some plant was construct
ed, leaving n 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 1t appeared, 1t is not
so very many years ago that 1t and
others like II were objects of deadly
terror to the natives of many Of the
Pacific islands, particularly those of
Manahlki Humphrey island, for the
simple looking thing was n soul catch
er''-that Is, Il destroyer of human life
Manahki is one of group of low
lying atoll islands to the north-north-
are about the best educated of all the
Malayo Polynesian people. They elect Il
king and parliament, have one of the
most beautifully adorned churches In
the Pacific islands. and nearly all the
younger members Of the community
can now not only speak but read and
write English. The Island Is for an
atolI unusually fertile and the people
fine, stalwart, handsome copper col
ored race. The main industries are the
making of "copra" dried cocoanu0 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
though the people were nominally
Christians In 1873. 1t was still In
vogue. The modus operandi is very
simple Say that two men, Rika and
Tetoro quarrel. Rika accuses TetOro
of going out into the lagoon at night
time, lifting his Rlka's) fish traps and
abstracting the contents. He therefore
demands compensation. Tetoro denies
the theft The relatives of both men
take sides, and the quarrel assumes all
the clements of feud with bloodshed.
1t may be that Tetoro Is man of
means or chiefly rank and influence
and treats his accuscr with scorn.
"Yery WELL" the injured Rlka cries.
eff | cannot get Justice from you
shall snare your soul, and you Will die
of II wasting sickness"
Tctoro, even If he Is innocent, begins
to feel uneasy Mt this threat and, while
vigorously denying the theft, offers
Rika present of pig to end the mat
ter Rikas relatives at once clamor
not only for their original demands,
but for the pig as well. Possibly free
fight ensues. and Rilla's people get
badly used and threats of soul snar-
ing" nre heard on all sides.
Then Rika's wife makes the snare for
Tetoro's soul. Taking her mat out Into
the village square or upon we'll fire.
quented road or path. she suspcnds the
snare from the branches of trees or
sticks placed In the ground In such n
position that she can closely watch the
Rika's friends, male and female, come
with her. They bring food and eat 1t
and throw fragments under the snare
to attract the flies, with which the Is
land is infested. If but one fly crawls
through the hole Tetoro Is dead man,
unless he suddenly gives in and allows
himself to be bled, for not only do
| In afah ha Int
own as well. No one of them would
dare to attempt to destroy the snare.
The death of the interferer by occult
power would certainly follow.
And so for hours and hours some
times for days-many pairs of eyes
watch the little circle of cane, and Te-
toro and his friends are now ready to
tomato demands may be made Then
Mt last fly is seen to crawl through,
and n shout goes through the village.
ia hopo te lago! Ia hopo te lago,"
CA fly has passed through Tetoro
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 n melancholy
look, and ms the time passes on he re
fuses his food. Perhaps he may con-
fess that he did steal Rilka's fish and
tremhlingly offer to make full restitu
tlon II Rika will catch a fly and make
1t 20 through the circle from the re-
verse side through which the first one
entered voluntarily. Usually this IS
done, and what might have become a
lasting family feud had Tetoro died of
funk" through being bewitched, ends
up by the payment of 10 much property
10 Rika, and n feast for which both
parties provide the vinnds Pail Mall
Gazette