I never saw any form of marriage among them, but when a couple are desirous of being united, their parents have a talk together on the subject, and if the parties all agree to the union, the couple commence living together as man and wife; and I never knew of an instance of separation between them after they had any family. In a few instances polygamy prevailed.
The following will give a pretty correct idea of their funeral rites and solemnities:
When a person dies, the inhabitants of the village assemble together, and commence drumming and singing, halloing and yelling; and continue their boisterous lamentations for about 48 hours, day and night, relieving each other as they require. This they do, because they imagine it is diverting to the person deceased. They bury the body at a particular place back of their houses, and use mats for a coffin. After the ceremony of interment is performed, they plant two cocoanut trees, one at the head and the other at the feet of the buried person. But if the trees ever bear fruit, the women are prohibited from eating thereof, for fear of displeasing the bad spirit, Anit. And here it may not be inappropriate to remind the reader that Eve ate of the forbidden fruit, notwithstanding she knew it would displease the Good Spirit.
In their personal appearance, the natives are about the middle size, with broad faces, flat noses, black hair and eyes, and large mouths.
In relation to literature, they are as ignorant as it is possible for people to be, having not the most distant idea of letters.
Concerning the religion of the untaught natives of the Mulgraves, the following remarks will give all the knowledge I am in possession of:
They believe there is an invisible spirit that rules and governs all events, and that he is the cause of all their sickness and distress;—consequently they consider him to be a very bad being.—But they have no belief in a good spirit, nor have they any modes of worship.—It is a prevalent opinion among them, when any are sick, that the bad spirit rests upon them; and they believe that particular manoeuvres and a form of words, performed round and said over the sick, will induce Anit, the bad spirit, to cease from afflicting, and leave the unfortunate sufferers. With regard to a future state of existence, they believe that the shadow, or what survives the body, is, after death, entirely happy; that it roves about at pleasure, and takes much delight in beholding everything that is transacted in this world;—and as they consider the world as an extensive plain, they suppose the disembodied spirits travel quite to the edge of the skies, where they think white people live, and then back again to their native Isles; and at times they fancy they can hear the spirits of departed friends whistling round their houses, and noticing all the transactions of the living. Singular as some of these notions and opinions may appear, there is much to be met with in Christendom equally at variance with reason; and I have heard from the pulpit, in New-England, the following language: “I have no doubt in my own mind that the blessed in Heaven look down on all the friends and scenes they left behind, and are fully sensible of all things that take place on earth!”
CHAPTER VIII.
This chapter, and the concluding remarks of the narrative, will be collated from a Journal kept by Cyrus M. Hussey; and if there appear occasionally some incidents similar to those recorded in the preceding account, it is believed the value and interest of this history will not be diminished by them.—Hussey commences thus: