94 



CUSTOMS OF THE FEEJEE GROUP. 



will of the god, which always tallies with the wishes of the chief. It 

 sometimes happens that the priest fails in exciting himself to convul- 

 sive action ; but this, among a people so wrapt in superstition, can 

 always be ingeniously accounted for : the most usual mode of excusing 

 the failure, is to say that the kalou is dissatisfied with the offering. 



The chiefs themselves admitted, and Whippy informed me, that 

 they have little respect for the power of the priests, and use them 

 merely to govern the people. The ambati are generally the most 

 shrewd and intelligent members of the community, and the reasons 

 for their intimate union with the chiefs are obvious : without the 

 influence of the superstition of which they are the agents, the chief 

 would be unable successfully to rule ; while without support from the 

 authority of the chief, the ambati could scarcely practise their mum- 

 meries without detection. 



The priests, when their services are not wanted by the chiefs, are 

 sometimes driven to straits for food. In such cases they have recourse 

 to the fears of the people, and among other modes of intimidation, 

 threaten to eat them if their demands are not complied with. To 

 give force to the menace, they pretend to have had communication 

 with the god in dreams, and assemble the people to hear the message 

 of the deity. This message is always portentous of evil ; the simple 

 natives are thus induced to make propitiatory offerings, which the 

 priest applies to his own use. 



The priest at Levuka pretends to receive oracles from a miniature 

 mbure, which he keeps behind a screen in the spirit-house. This 

 engine of superstition is of the form represented in the figure below. 

 It is about four feet high ; the base is about fifteen inches sqxiare ; it 

 is hollow within, has an ear on one side of it, and a mouth and nose 

 on the other. 



FEEJEE ORACLE. 



