Norwich bulletin., 1922-01-13
N TIE DAYS NEWS
aaaer cesturns ts New Hehrides Netives

fa&gr EestpHas of Ncr Hebridcs Natives. "A rrnousal of :he French society of the He{t HebGides to sell to Australia their concessions in the islands which form a large Y in the South Pacific north of New Zealand and vest of Fiji. recalls the strange rites over the shark. which Slie native men of Rauno Island bury aElyaiiy in their Sins-Sing' or ceremony grounds,r says a bulletin Of the National. Geographic society from its WaSflingt0a, D. C., headquarters. The iafR5itahtB of this interesting archipsla9o, composed of 12 large and l0e snnaiiaE islands, believe in witchcraft and ali sorts of sisas ard oneas. partieu- lariy h tae spirits Of thelY departed an ! esstprs esd in gods which are thought 1 to be Incorporated iH certain stones or 1 animals. Every village has it's dancing l srenad Here the natives meet on moon , lig;a. nights ana perform wild and fan | tastse antics to the booming of their deep l drums sosRe Of Wnicti, six feet er more ] in height ard carved from the trunks of 1 trses aRa capable Of making terrible ] ncfses.
 1 One faDtast!c rite among them is ths fnsnsfialszing Of their chiefs in effigy 4 l crude statue Of clay ard fibre represent l ing the sesh and fair Of the chief as he l looked in real life, IS made his actual Sgull being used for the framework of the head. and aropgd this the festivities l take plases.
 ] For years ths natives of the islands were the prey of the Blackbirders. or 1 ishor pirates because they are generally coEsl1eTed more industrious and Sturdie7 l Of build than the average Kanal1a. They 1 are reputed to have cGanibalist.c tenden- 1 ctes, to be ereachsroos and of uncertain l tstaffof, tA,ts probably due in come meas 1 urs 10 the treatment to which they were subjected by these traders. They are of Melanesisa stock, below the medium in ] statars. and aecentuate the ugliness in their broad, black faces and receding ] foreheads by sticking coeoaHut fiber in tneir hair aud sdorning the,- cars and fat noses wHa rings They pride them selves 1pon their yeapons-spears. clubs. bows. ana poisoned arraws-some of ! wf.icf are beautiful in design and elab-
 crats in pattern.
 ''fi,e wenreA hold a degraded position
 among them, the wives of the more i'm. portant members of tbe race increasing
 The number of the skirts which they wear
 at ona time as an indication Of theiI rank. teA 'peoh-baii's' wHe wearing a.
 many as 40 of them. The better half oi
 man Is sometimes buried alive with he,
 husSaaa upon his death
 1 nQS1rDB the Portuguese navigator, iH
 is69, Nss the first whits man to see tht
 YasseA 6ntiine q the coast of the islands
 whteh rsse abruptly ont of the deep set in the harTlcsRe zeHe of the tropics Be NeriHe he had discovered the great south | erp conttnent wllic. vas at that time tht dhsafh ef Asxisators, Quires may be com pa1ed to Columbus who thought he haC
 found 8 ro1fe to India when he sishtet
 the pa,rn- -fftrAsed shores Of ths West In t diss.
 'He called his discovery Australia ds
 Esp,situ saatc, vhicii has been shortened
 hy traAe1 ts szato and IS applied to tn,
 isrEesf island of the group. Some of tn, l otftss large mountainous and partly vol
 eaafc fsfanas are Ahhhrym, Annata,n
 AuseFs. .STi. Pentecost, Eronlanga. Nal licoIie Gnd Fanna, the home Of the 'grea iightaease 6t the Gguthern Is!es Tam;
 yoieaIse, which bursts forth brilliant,
 every three or fcIir minutes
 "EoaatJess streams cut Santo, whicl
 ia et Elitss !nns RRd ss miles wide, int,
 bread, fertile. vailsys From its shore! and thsse es ths ns.ghhosing isiards ton of dspsa ffe seat to Sydney, Austra
 fis and siitbsd trorl there to soan-nak
 era rte world over. Ceffse, cocoa snt vRRiiiA, -as well as tropical fruits, Rro7 In abundance Oranges are ssid to gro- } So large thet both mans hands OCT l scarcely Eisaa one of taeyn, and tho pine , app.ss of the islands sonlctIrnes woigl l Iso psun6s, So rte,i Is the sofl and lux ; uyisht the vegetation that 1T many piae