702 VISIT TO THE ISLAND OF ERROMANGA, 



of being the only people in the New Hebrides who actually killed 

 their missionaries. Although the missionary is at present the 

 principal personage on the island, and could if he chose control 

 the government, he has wisely i-efrained from doing so. The 

 government is, therefore, still in the hands of the chiefs. The 

 island is unlike some others in the New Hebrides in that it is 

 occupied by one race who speak one language, although there are 

 local dialects. The people are divided into tribes, who formerly 

 were hostile to one another, and frequently engaged in war. The 

 land was divided into shires, somewhat like our counties. That 

 in which Dillon's Bay is located is called Lo-itnatman, meaning 

 " The Kingdom of Men." It extends for about 8 miles north and 

 12 miles south of Umbongkora, or Dillon's Bay, and contained 

 the dominant tribes. The tribes on the south were generally 

 more manl}^ and warlike than the Northerners. The head chiefs 

 were supreme over each trilje, and there were under chiefs, but 

 there was no one man over all the island. The chieftainship in 

 each case is hereditaxy from father to son, although sometimes 

 some stronger man might usurp and hold the power. 



This form of government still remains in its main outlines, but 

 is now much modified in practice by the influence of the teachers, 

 who are usuall}^ the best men on the island, often, though not 

 always, chiefs themselves. A habit is growing up of consulting- 

 one another and of asking the missionary for advice. 



Paganism, in the sense of worshipping a multitude of idols, did not 

 exist in Erromanga; in fact they had no idols, but they worshipped 

 their dead ancestors, whom they called " Natemas," and to whom 

 they offered food, — which the rats ate. They had a place of the 

 dead, but no Heaven. Ko one was believed to die a natural 

 death ; if he did not die in battle he was bewitched by some 

 sacred man either at his own instance or on behalf of some one 

 else. If the sacred man obtained possession of any article belong- 

 ing to a person whom he wished to injure, he could perform certain 

 ceremonies over it which were supposed to involve the death of 

 the owner, and the strange part was that the doomed person 

 hearing of this would in many cases actually die, unless the 



