94 CUSTOMS OF THE FEEJEE GROUP. 
duly celebrated by her; for which purpose she requests the loan of a 
house from a friend, and takes possession of it, in company with a 
number of young girls. The townspeople supply them with provisions 
for ten days, during which they anoint themselves with turmeric and 
oil. At the expiration of this time, they all go out to fish, and are 
furnished by the men with provisions. 
The only general fact to be derived from the various opinions in 
relation to the spirits of the dead, which have been stated in the way 
we received them, is, that a belief in a future state is universally 
entertained by the Feejeeans. In some parts of the group, this has 
taken the following form, which, if not derived from intercourse with 
the whites, is at least more consistent with revealed truth than any of 
those previously recorded. ‘Those who hold this opinion, say that all 
the souls of the departed will remain in their appointed place, until the 
world is destroyed by fire and a new one created; that in the latter 
all things will be renovated, and to it they will again be sent to dwell 
thereon. 
This belief in a future state, guided by no just notions of religious 
or moral obligation, is the source of many abhorrent practices. 
Among these are the custom of putting their parents to death when 
they are advanced in years; suicide; the immolation of wives at the 
funeral of their husbands, 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 
results 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 fur- 
nish 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 
relatives and friends begin their lamentations, and proceed to weep 
and cut themselves as they do at other funerals. All then proceed to 
