Evening star., 1903-07-29
MANAHIKI soUL-sNARERS.
How the South Pacific Islanders Get
Even With Their Enemies.

From the Pal Mall Gazette.
A little while ago. while turning over
some mementos Of many years spent in the
Pacific Islands. I came across small
circle Of fine cane about two inches In diam
eter; from the side toward the center
delicate network of the flbers Of some plant
was constructed leaving a small hole in
the center large enough for. say, a bee to
crawl through. The article weighed less
than quarter of an ounce. yet, small and
harmless it appeared. 1t is not so very
many years ago that 1t and others like it
were objects of deadly terror to the ma
tives Of many Of the Pacific islands, partic-
ularly those Of Manahih Humphrey
Island). for the simple-looking thing was a
soul catcher"-that is. a destroyer of hu-
man life.
Manahik is of a group of low-lying
atoll islands to the north northwest OF Sa-
moa. and its people today are about the
best educated of all the Malayo-Polyne-
sian people. They elect a king and parlia-
ment. 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
fine. stalwart. handsome copper-colored
race The main industries are the making
of "copra" dried cocoanut) and diving for
pearl shell.
Soul catching In the heather days.
prior to 1863, could be and was practiced
by any one who desired revenge or the life
of an enemy. Indeed, although the people
were nominally Christians in 1873. it was
still In vogue. The modus operandi Is very
simple: Say that two men, Rika and Te-
toro. quarrel. Rika accuses Tetoro of going
out Into the lagoon at night time, lifting
his tRika's) fish traps and abstracting the
contents. He therefore demands compen-
sation. Tetoro denies the theft. The rela
tives of both men take sides, and the quar-
n O of
with bloodshed. 1t may be that Tetoro Is Il
man Of means or chiefly rank and in
huence. and treats his accuser with scorn.
Very well.' the injured Rika cries. IF
cannot get justice from you l shall snare
your soul. and you will die of a wasting
sickness"
Tetoro. even If he Is innocent, begins to
feel uneasy at this threat, and. while Wig
orousy denying the theft. offers Rika a
present Of a pig to end the matter. Rikas
relatives at once clamor, not only for their
original demands, but for the pig well.
Possibly free fight ensues, and Rika 8
people get badly used. and threats of
soul snaring" are heard on all sides.
Then Rka'S wife makes the snare for
Tetoros soul. Taking her mat out into the
village square, or upon well-frequented
road or path, she suspends the snare from
the branches OF trees, or sticks placed In
the ground in such a position that she can
closely watch the orifice in the center of
the square. Rika's friends-male and fe-
male-come with her. They bring food and
eat 1t and throw fragments under the
snare to attract the flies, with which the
island Is infested If but one fly crawls
through the hole Tetoro is a dead man,
unless he suddenly gives in and allows
himself to be bed For not only do Rika' s
people watch the snare. but his own as
well. No one of them would dare to at
tempt to destroy the snare-the death of
the interferer by occult power would GER
tatnly follow.
And for hours and hours-sometimes
for days-many pairs of eyes watch the lit
tie circle of cane and Tetoro and his
friends are now ready to yield, but feel
that still more extortionate demands may
be made. Then at last Il fly is seen to
| crawl through, and a shout goes through
the village.
"Ua hopo te lago! Ia hopo te lagor" "a
fly has passed through.) Tetoro hears the
cries, and Immediately imagnes he feels i'll.
His wife and relatives crowd about him
and try to cheer him up but his face as
sumes a melancholy look, and as the time
passes on he ref uses his food Perhaps he
may confess that ;ie did steal Rikas fish,
and trembingly offer to make full restitu-
tion If Rika will catch fly and make it
go through the circle from the reverse
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 so
much property to Rika, and a feast for
which both parties provide the yiands