BUROTU.

Auckland Star, Volume LIII, Issue 300, 19 December 1922, Page 8

BUROTU.

THE INVISIBLE ISLE.

THE FIJI AX'S PARADISE. (From Our Own correspondent.) SUVA, November 15. There are .many stories of Paradise. Each nation 'has its own tradition or belief. The islanders of the Western Pacific have a belief of their own. which is not generally known, and which is interesting, because it is a story which differs considerably from the conceived ideas of Paradise of other peoples. The elder Fijian*; tell of a wonderful floating Island called Burotu. It ibelieved to be the most beautiful ami fertile island dn the Pacific, and it is inhabited only by beautiful women, not a man is to be seen or ever was heard of there. It is a veritable paradise, where fair ma.idcns sleep, bathe, sing, eat and live for ever. ! The story is told of how one nun visited thi 3 Eden and returned to tell the itale. Once a fisherman was blown out of his course in a hurricane, and after drifting about for days, was stranded on what appeared to be an uninhabited island. When the exhausted fisherman came to his senses, he was thrilled by tho tempting smell of ripe fruit, so groping in trie dark he discovered 'he was under a "kavita" tree, ladf n with sweet and juicv fruits. After •eating his fill he lay down and fell asleep. He was awakened by the sound of maidens singing, while having their morning bath. So he got up and called to the nearest maid, who was ■ very frightened, and ran and reported to jthe Queen, who at once sent many [maids to bring the stranger to her j presence, when the Queen asked him who and wihat he was. "I am a living man" said the fisherman, and then told | his story, which greatly interested the queen and her maids. -So they took him to the town and treated him as a guest of Honour. After a year the man became home sick, and asked leave to return to his native land. At last the Queen agreed to this provided he promised to return within sixty days. "But," said the man. "'it will take rac more than sixty days to reach my country." "Fear not." said her Mejcsty, "for I have a bird strong enough to carry three persons, and it will be easy for him to carry yon, and drop you in a day or two in your very town." The next day the great farewell moke, (daivce) and feast took pla.ee, and the Queen presented the fisherman with a "kitu" (a coconut shell) filled with beautifully scented oil. and pledged iltim to annoint himself daily with it. But ■ho must not at any cost tell anyone of hi s visit to Burotii. as if lie told anyone ihe would siirely die. This lie faithfully promised, and also promised to return in sixty days. He was then well fastened on to the 'back of a huge bird, mutual good-byes were exchanged, and a.way flew the bird. Next morning the fisherman found to his great joy that lie was over his home village, and he was dropped a little distance away from the town at a quiet spot. When he reached home he was besieged with

[questions, but after resisting their curilusity for a wihile, he finally told all of I the Queen and the sacred isle, and he ■.died shortly after. Such is the islanders' Paradise. The jTongans have a similar belief, but they '.all the island Bulotu, and it U supi posed to be an island lying to the north of Tonga. The souls of their i deceased nobles Income gods of the isacred rank in Bulotu.