Belief in a future state. 

 Funerals. 



CUSTOMS OF THE FEEJEE GROUP. Wives strangled at funerals. 211 



immolation of wives at the funeral of their hus- 

 bands, and human sacrifices. 



It is among the most usual occurrences, that a 

 father or a mother will notify their children that 

 it is time for them to die, or that a son shall give 

 notice to his parents that they are becoming a 

 burden to him. In either case, the relatives and 

 friends are collected, and informed of the fact. 

 A consultation is then held, which generally re- 

 sults in the conclusion, that the request is to be 

 complied with, in which case they fix upon a day 

 for the purpose, unless it should be done by the 

 party whose fate is under deliberation. The day 

 is usually chosen at a time when yams or taro are 

 ripe, in order to furnish materials for a great feast, 

 called mburua. The aged person is then asked, 

 whether he will prefer to be strangled before his 

 burial, or buried alive. When the appointed day 

 arrives, the relatives and friends bring tapas, 

 mats, and oil, as presents. They are received as 

 at other funeral feasts, and all mourn together 

 until the time for the ceremony arrives. The aged 

 person then proceeds to point out the place where 

 the grave is to be dug; and while some are digging 

 it, the others put on a new maro and turbans. 

 When the grave is dug, which is about four feet 

 deep, the person is assisted into it, while the rela- 

 tives and friends begin their lamentations, and 

 proceed to weep and cut themselves as they do at 

 other funerals. All then proceed to take a parting 

 kiss, after which the living body is covered up, 

 first with mats and tapa wrapped around the head, 

 and then with sticks and earth, which are trodden 

 down. When this has been done, all retire, and 

 are tabooed, as will be stated in describing their 

 ordinary funerals. The succeeding night the son 

 goes privately to the grave, and lays upon it a piece 

 of ava-root, which is called the vei-tala or farewell. 



Mr. Hunt, one of the missionaries, had been a 

 witness of several of these acts. Oil one occasion, 

 he was called upon by a young man, who desired 

 that he would pray to his spirit for his mother, 

 who was dead. Mr. Hunt was at first in hopes that 

 this would afford him an opportunity of forwarding 

 their great cause. On inquiry, the young man told 

 him that his brothers and himself were just going 

 to bury her. Mr. Hunt accompanied the young 

 man, telling him he would follow in the procession, 

 and do as he desired him, supposing, of course, 

 the corpse would be brought along; but he now 

 met the procession, when the young man said that 

 this was the funeral, and pointed out his mother, 

 who was walking along with them, as gay and 

 lively as any of those present, and apparently as 

 much pleased. Mr. Hunt expressed his surprise 

 to the young man, and asked how he could deceive 

 him so much by saying his mother was dead, when 

 she was alive and well. He said, in reply, that 

 they had made her death-feast, and were now 

 going to bury her; that she was old; that his bro- 

 ther and himself had thought she had lived long 

 enough, and it was time to bury her, to which she 

 had willingly assented, and they were about it now. 

 He had come to Mr. Hunt to ask his prayers, as 

 they did those of the priest. He added, that it was 

 i'rom love for his mother that he had done so; 

 that, in consequence of the same love, they were 

 now going to bury her, and that none but them- 

 selves could or ought to do so sacred an office ! 

 Mr. Hunt did all in his power to prevent so dia- 



bolical an act; but the only reply he received was 

 that she was their mother, and they were her 

 children, and they ought to put her to death. On 

 reaching the grave, the mother sat down, when 

 they all, including children, grandchildren, rela- 

 tions, and friends, took an affectionate leave of her; 

 a rope, made of twisted tapa, was then passed 

 twice around her neck by her sons, who took hold 

 of it, and strangled her; after which she was put 

 into her grave, with the usual ceremonies. They 

 returned to feast and mourn, after which she was 

 entirely forgotten as though she had not existed. 



Mr. Hunt, after giving me this anecdote, sur- 

 prised me by expressing his opinion that the Fee- 

 jeeans were a kind and affectionate people to their 

 parents, adding, that he was assured by many of 

 them that they considered this custom as so great 

 a proof of affection that none but children could be 

 found to perform it. The same opinion was ex- 

 pressed by all the other white residents. 



A short time before our arrival, an old man at 

 Levuka did something to vex one of his grand- 

 children, who in consequence threw stones at him. 

 The only action the old man took in the case was 

 to walk away, saying that he had now lived long 

 enough, when his grandchildren could stone him 

 with impunity. He then requested his children 

 and friends to bury him, to which they consented. 

 A feast was made, he was dressed in his best tapa, 

 and his face blackened. He was then placed sit- 

 ting in his grave, with his head about two feet 

 below the surface. Tapa and mats were thrown 

 upon him, and the earth pressed down; during 

 which he was heard to complain that they hurt 

 him, and to beg that they would not press so 

 hard. 



Self-immolation is by no means rare, and they 

 believe that as they leave this life, so will they 

 remain ever after. This forms a powerful motive 

 to escape from decrepitude, or from a crippled 

 condition, by a voluntary death. 



Wives are often strangled, or buried alive, at 

 the funeral of their husbands, and generally at 

 their own instance. Cases of this sort have fre- 

 quently been witnessed by the white residents. 

 On one occasion Whippy drove away the mur- 

 derers, rescued the woman, and carried her to his 

 own house, where she was resuscitated. So far, 

 however, from feeling grateful for her preservation, 

 she loaded him with abuse, and ever afterwards 

 manifested the most deadly hatred towards him. 

 That women should desire to accompany their 

 husbands in death is by no means sti'ange, when it 

 is considered that it is one of the articles of their 

 belief, that in this way alone can they reach the 

 realms of bliss, and she who meets her death with 

 the greatest devotedness, will become the favourite 

 wife in the abode of spirits. 



The sacrifice is not, however, always voluntary; 

 but when a woman refuses to be strangled, her 

 relations often compel her to submit. This they 

 do from interested motives; for, by her death, her 

 connexions become entitled to the property of her 

 husband. Even a delay is made a matter of re- 

 proach. Thus, at the funeral of the late king, 

 Ulivou, which was witnessed by Mr. Cargill, his 

 five wives and a daughter were strangled. The 

 principal wife delayed the ceremony, by taking 

 leave of those around her; whereupon Tanoa, the 

 present king, chid her. The victim was his own 

 P2 



