The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1919-09-20
Where Returning Soldiers
Are Receiving the Strangest
Welco m g in the World

fire walking ceremony. were revived
TO welcome them.
These customs, all but suppressed
by civilizing French influences. We're
among the most interesting praclces
OF Polynesian peoples. according to n
bulletin from the National GeoGra-
pfic society.
Tahiti women were extolled by
early travellers as bein the most beat
tiful in the Pacific islands: their men
still are fine physical specimens; and
the early civilization of this isolated
people has been one OF the wonders
of science" says the bulletin.
The Tahitians knew some OF the
consultations, navigated by the posi-
tions Of the stars, made progress IN
music which is startling. yet preserved
many savage customs, such as pluck
inE~an eye from a human being TO
be placed in the mouth Of priest as
an acceptable Offering to their gods.
and encouraging their women 10
suckle dogs pigs and other animals
held in high yeneraiion.
The bulletin then quotes from
diary presented TO the society by the
late S p Langley who visited the
island neary twenty years ago ana
heard old time songs and saw ma
been revived to honor the men who
fought under allied eolors in France;
The native women sing 'niminies
with some very striking effects" he
wrote The voices have something
planrent and metallic in them yet are
melodious and in harmony In the
first song. AT the end OF oaoh verse,
all stopped suddenly, giving the effect
OF the 'couac OF the opera singer.
Il
dcrtone beneath the song. This un-
dertone continued alone for a few
seconds at The end Of each verse, after
the superposed song was finished, and
died out separately and slowly, like
the drone of some great hagpipe, The
natives gave names to each or US,
mine being 'A-to-hi, which means
'qui a les lauriers
Il went out to the public dancing
and singing. in competition for prizes
offered by the government. 1t takes
place in the square before the govern
ment house. and everybody is there.
either performing or looking on. Al
most the whole population OF the
island has come.
THE chief intehst among the
islanders seems 10 lie in the competi-
ton of singing 'himinies and next 10
that, I'm the dancing. which Is pam
ton1imie az mach as regular. As a
public show, most Of the native dances
are unpresentable, SO that, ] have
understood the authorities have had
some difficulty in finding dance
which will ITO for such an occasion.
Savages are here from the neighhor-
ing islands, a fine-looking chief from
Cook island taking part, and u WON
an from the same island gave little
Of the presentabl part OF the 'ioald
IIoola' Her body would be quivering
like jelly. and suddenly grow rigid
as a sta'ue--a notobaly odd effect
In one very good dance by the
Cook islanders over thirty persons
take part They sit down In three
rows, representing rowers in a canoe.
while two seuii and steer. They have
naddles, and paddle to the sound of
drums, 4 look out man sweeps the
horizon I'LL he sees "A hiR Gsh. and
the canoe rows for him One Of the
sterers shnrpens sharpoon and
passes il forward. and the Hsh ga man
dressed In red} is harpooned There
Is tremendous time in pulling him
in; he runs around and entaneles the
linc among tho bystanders, and finally
he gets second harpoon II. him. liz
hauled on boa1d and Gin pansomimel
scttt~ VIZ wSs, ar nv. = disyss rss hsred, ARD
eaten by the crew Everybody Is In
motion. but IL is rather a pantoniime
| than dance
I'm the afternoon | went over to
see preparations for the nre walking.
! Within a hundred yards Of the ship
shallow pit Is dug about feet
/ by 20 feet by is inches deep. This
| Is To be filled with firewood, and the
! stones heaped on the wood. These
! are smooth. water-worn. volcanic
stones OF varying size, but all rather
/ large and weighing, at guess, from
| rs TO 80 pounds The number of
stones was about 200. and their aver
age length about IL inches.
Tn preparation for the fre cere-
mony. took n tin ships measure full
! OF fresh water. This Is tn he used
! in half-fllinG with three or four
] tub with fresh alto which one
OF the smaller ho, stones from the
center of the fire is To he put after
| the ceremony.
/ The wooden bucket was provided,
together with iron rakes from the
engineers room. The firewood was
scarcely sufficient for good heating
| the stones in the center and beneath
were, however. undoubtedly red hot.
The outer enclosure, surrounded by
canvas walls, was about iae feet by
| so feet.
| The fire there, I am told, invariably
| burned for four or Ave days before.
and the stones became coated with
| lime. ! learn that on one occasion.
the French authorities having for
hidden tho priest to perform In his
usual place, he made the oven of
other stones, heating them for thirty
six hours, On attempting to cross,
I he walked only part OF the way and
ran the rest His two disciples and
| n woman also ran across, and tho
woman's feet were so badly burned
that she was laid UP for a week, The
| prophet and his disciples declined TO
have their feet examined. and cleared
| out of sight.
AT 4:4o, when the priest came In.
the stones ON the side OF the pills
would bear TO he touched by the hand.
Tho aids began to turn the ston "a
over with long green poisx which
burned at the ends. The upper stones
were none Of them red-hot on top;
tho lower ones, two layers deep. how
ever, could he seen TO glow between
| the others, but they were only near
rod-hot In the oAnter,
Tho aid priest, Papa-rta. beat tho
! near stones with large bunch OF
! r. lenves three times. and then began
g n
iii ~ w