Show I I r rk r N e t tI I et 1 t t 2 v 1 A South Sea Island Penthouse I Prepared ar b by National Nation 11 U. C. C W lU c. Service CUSTOMS IS have changed little CUSTOMS CUSTO In sonic some of ot the South Sea Sla Islands despite frequent vIsIts visIts vis vis- Its It of ot white men On the time Island of ot tong Java a natives native's power Is brawl based upon his wealth The wealthy native pays higher prices than his poor neighbors As a daughter becomes old enough I fo for tor r marriage time the parents bedeck her I with colored fryer dyes First they smear the time youthful body with coconut oil and then rub on the lime dyes forming gay gny patterns A string of ot sharks shark's teeth then them Is placed place on her head bend and a nd ornaments of ot turtle shell albeit suspended ails sus pend prorated cd from the time lobes ot of her ears Holes In the two nine the tho outer portions of ot the nostrils and the septum sep turn rum of or her nose are oro made during dur l ing og babyhood Small shell shelf orna ornaments meats ments hang from the septum and amI leathers feathers 11 plucked licked from birds adorn the tho nostrils and hair Around her nock neck Is la a necklace of ot human hair bolt and her belt and bracelet are of or white coconut leaves lell Thus adorned and with n a bright yellow skirt covering covering cov cov- ering the tile lower portion of ot her body she parades with her father and s senior enior relatives around the village At this time the prospective husband hus hula b band ond knows It U Is time for tor him elm to togo go 10 to his hili wife wire That evening he III vl visits her In her hou house e. e For or n a time the tho young wife wire stays with her parents The groom visits his wife a nt t her parents' parents house but he leaves es I his fishing paraphernalia nt at his ills fathers father's fa rn there ther's house houlle lie must mut provide pro her with a n certain amount of raw too food and she gives him cooked rOOt food and taro When priests were In power the mol mother her nt at the tho birth of or the firstborn first born horn child went to the house of ot otone one of ot them to preserve e both leer her self solf and nOlI the child from evil She was wa and still I Is ns- ns slated by her bier mother mothr mother in law In nod mid n a midwife The hushan 1 wn was present until the child wa was actually ac ne born but hilt then he had bind t to o leave the tho house hone and remain awn away oy y for about n a year This custom 1 Is I. s still followed Two Days Day of Noise Nolle Shortly after atter the birth the moth er law in In law strikes a wooden pillow This Is la the signal for tor everyone e 1 In Inthe Inthe n the house to make a n noise by beating beat beat- lug ing on anything available The din dinIs dinIs dl n Is kept up liP for 13 98 hours without t censing ceasing It Is the expression of ot jo joy y that lent a n new lira life has been added t to the community On Oa this and the subsequent eyeIng eve eye Ing the relatives of the young mother moth er and father tather asse assemble outside th the e house In festal dress that dress that 1 Is Isto Isto s to say any oiled ani and adorned with will o sweet smelling herbs and flowers flower They sing slog the birth song the then march around the streets singing g at every ery corner The first born Is la al alway nl- nl a way ny nye eat named for tor n lend dead priest hut but t subsequent children receive names of ot ancestors The young father while hlll he hl Is II ex et excluded v c. eluded cimiNI from tram his eta wife has hils two holes hale s cut In the nine of ot the nose each ii about halt half an tin Inch Inn tang Ions This I Ian Is 11 Isan v an extremely painful prO process M hilt but It most men n are wIlli willing II to tn submit t to tn It because It Is a n sign alga that t the they N Nare are now fathers and therefore me men 11 of ot so sonic some DIP standing Pieces of ot lOon coconut t shell are ct cut ut Into Iota rings about on one one- loch lack across acre sa and one fifth of ot an Inch wide whir A Acut rut cut Is made In the time ring anI and lb the e two neo ends are forced apart by b means mean ns of ot n a small stick placed diametrically y across Four of ot the rings are ore flit fitted ti cm on each side of ot the nose and tie tied Into place The pleas pieces of ot stick ax are then knocked out The i result Is 11 to that the two ends amts of ot the ring bit bite o Into the tho flesh of ot the nose and In n two tao or three days a hole has been cut through the time flesh The rings are arc left In for abo about ut ten t days They Ther are then remo l removed remove el and the holes bodes are stuffed d with folded told fold ed eft Coconut leaves il to prevent the them m from closing up On In special occa- occa a Mom alms ornaments of ot turtle shell are am e lain hung In im the time holm halos Funeral Rites After marriage and birth the ti le shoat most Important customs rei relate a te to lu death depth There are elaborate funeral t rites and ceremonies which nr are s p practically Identical for tor both bath men me n and women As All soon as the dying persons person's s heart rt censes ceases to beat bent the mother wife's daughters and other female r relatives give giro way to long drawn o out ut walls at the top of ot their voices voters The walls never cease except In pauses for tor breath until the corpse Is under ground The louder tho the walls the more the other relatives a are arc re pleased Indeed if It the time ulula flans are not loud enough neighbors neigh bors hors and villagers me are noisily critIcal critical crit crit- ical teal and foretell that the ghost atthe of ot the deed deal man will be annoyed and send sickness Natives of ot Java Jaa do not conceive of ot any causes of ot Illness except the time supernatural All diseases and death are caused by the evil Intervention of the spirits of- of those already dead The corpse Is taken Into the road i In n front of the house and wash washed Ill It Is then returned Inside the hair halt halts hairIs i Is s cut and the body Is rubbed thoroughly thoroughly thor thor- thoroughly with coconut oil Turtle Turtle- shell ornaments are put In the ears and If It the dead person Is a aman aman man larger specimens of ot these ornaments ornaments or or- ornaments are hung from the holts holes s sIn i In n the nine aloe of ot the nose In n the case of ot a woman n a small email ornament Is hung from the time hole In the septum Garlands are hung around the neck and bound on the brow As soon as a person Is seriously i ii all his relatives are summoned to be present f for r these dons Curious neighbors peep pp In to criticize arrangements that are not being carried out with due decorum 1 After such a visit the time neighbors are careful each to a mouthful mouth month tot ful of ot water from bottles bun buns for tor this purpose close to the door They spit the time water Into their hands and throw It over tr themselves to remove re reo move the contagion which contact I with the corpse has hns laid upon them I The Time sons and law In of the dead person b be It man or woman woman wom wom- an an collEct dry collect dry coconut leaves Ila and bind them into flares which ar nr are carried to the time house where the till body lies They then put on corn con festal arm array decorating themselves them them- selves with and amI It garlands garland of ot leaves es The women also ahlO wear went their circlets of ot sharks' sharks teeth Ceremony of Mourning After Atter the evening meal which Is taken at 7 I p. p m. m or slightly later inter the mourning ceremony begins The corpse is laid on a new nl mat In Inthe In Inthe the center of ot the flue house At Its feet teet with their backs to It and nn their faces to the fire sit the sons eons and ln law daughters It Is the tte duty of ot the eldest of ot these to see that flat a n naming laming fire Is kept burning all nil night so 80 that the whole plate place Is brilliantly Illuminated The others sit It motionless with their inns fans to ns be ht before fore their faces all nil through the III night ht a without speaking I The re rest t of t the hI house toile Is III filled with the other relatives of ot the rho dead person If tr 11 lie n was ns n a man of ot wP wealth Ith mud anil Importance ns ne many of the In us liS can ran possibly squeeze In will do tit so ea trod imd many others crowd crowd around the doors In a n 1 like that of ot which welch Is only rive live II degrees south of ot the Equator R n small email hou house braise 1 containing n a corpse anti and a n hupe huge tire fire and ani packed with people and with all 1111 the normal ventilation ven vea blocked blacked by others the the- atmosphere at nt soon apron becomes almost t In In- In tolerable I ITh Th The relatives and friends except friends except th the closer uti iri Te who continue cor weeping aloud frequently drowning the other Meer voices voices slag sing dirges ls l's all nil through the night The latter embrace the rite corpse and nt at Intervals Inter rub rob It ft with oil in the course of nt the wake the family of ot the dead lend man give glue tobacco to all and sundry Almost everyone In the village will romp conic t to tl the wake held for tor a wealthy wll non man sure of or getting a few free sticks of ot tl tobacco to to- bacco for fur a Urge With the dawn all nil save till the Ini tm mediate relatives Un IIO PS depart Preparations Mons are then Ihen made for ter tl r burial |