The daily silver state. [volume] (Winnemucca, Nev.) 1903-1907, 1903-09-05
THE SOUL CATCHERS.
A SINGULAR CUSTOM OF THE SOUTH
SEA ISLANDERS.

The way rhc Natives In the Day. BE-
fore civilization Had Fully Marked
racm For ITS own Used 90 Get Even
with Their Enemies.
a little while ago while turning over
some mementos of many years spent
In the Pacific islands l came across 3
small circle OF fine cane about two
inches in diameter. From the side to-
ward the center q delicate network of
the fbers OF some plant was construct
cd. leaving IA small hole in the center
large enough for, say. a bee to crawl
through. The article weighed less
than Il quarter of an ounce; yet, small
and harmless as it appeared. ii is not
50 very many years ago that ii AID
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 a soul catch
er'-that is, a destroyer Of human life.
Nanahiki is enc Of Il group of low
lying aIOll islands TO the nOrth-north-
west of Samoa, and it, 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
can now not only speak but read and
write English. The island is-for an
atoll-unusually fertile and the people
Il fine, stalwart. handsome copper col
ored race. The main industries are the
making Of "eopIa'' dried %cocoanutl and
diving for pearl shell.
Soul catching in the heather days,
prior to 1868, could be and was prac-
ticed by any Il who desired revenge
or the life of an enemy. Indeed, al
though the people were nominahy
Christians in 1873, it was still il
vogue. The modus operandi is yer
simple. Say that Two men. Rika an
Tetoro. quarrel. Rika accuses Tetore
of going on, into the lagoon at night
time, lifting his (Rika's) fish traps and
abstracting he contents. He therefore
demands compensation. Tetoro denies
the theft. Ehe relatives of both men
take sides, and the quarrel assumes all
the elements of Il feud with bloodshed.
1t may be HAT Tctoro is a man OF
means or chiefly rank and influence
and treats his accuser will scorn.
VERY we'll" the injured Rika cries.
eff l cannot get justice from you [
shall snare o u soul. and you will die
of a wastins sickness
rs,+,,., ,,v-, 80 Ia, 80 s,vo~toRf hanfn-
to feel uneasy at this threat and, while
vigorously denying the theft. offers
Rika a present OF Il pig to end the mat
ter. Rika's relatives at once clamor
not only for their original demands,
but for the zig as well. Possibly a free
fight ensue'. and Rika's people get
badly used. and threats of soul snar-
ing" are 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 a well fire.
quented read or path, she suspends the
snare from the branches of trees or
stick3 placed in the ground in such n
position that she can closely watch the
oriiee in the center of the square.
Rika's friends. male and female, come
with her. They bring food and eat it
and throw fragments under the snare
to attract the flies. with which the is
land is infested. If but n fly crawls
through the hole Tetoro is a dead man.
unless he suddenly gives in and allows
himself to be bled. for not only do
Rilla's people watch the snare, but his
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
yield. but feel that still more eXtor-
tionate demands may be made. Then
at last a fly is seen to crawl through,
and a shout goes through the village.
ia hopo te lago! Ia hopo te lago!"
CA fly has passed Trough Vctoro
hears the cries and Immediately mag
ines he feels i'll. His wife and relatives
crowd about him and try to cheer him
up, but his face assumes a melancholy
look, and as the time passes on he re-
fuses his food. Perhaps he may con-
TESS that he did steal Rika's fish and
tremblingly offer to make full restitu-
ton if Rika will catch a fly and make
it go through the circle from the re-
verse side through which the first n
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 so much property
to Rika. and a feast for which both
parties provide the viands.-Pnll Mall
Gazette.