BARBARIC WEDDING.

Oamaru Mail, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 10596, 27 October 1910, Page 1

BARBARIC WEDDING.

PRETTY k FORMOSAN BRIDE With all the ancient barbaric ntes of Formosa, including the ceiemonial pigspearing, the feast and savage dance, _ pietty Miss " Rangavo Rugigasola Wedded the young wamor Sarengan Busabiree m the Foimosan village of the Anglo-Japanese Exhibition at the White City, London. , [Long yeais ago, when both weie babes who nevei dieamt of seeing London, Saiengan's father selected the uf Ant Rangaj o as the future bride for his son by piling human heads at the door ot hei parents' hut m lier native land. Now the girl 'is twenty-one and the ybung man tw entv-f our, and it so fell opt that the time foi fulfilling the promise of the betrothal came when both w'eie at the White City In anticipation of the ceremony the posts and lintels of the Formosan village huts were deeoiated overnight with clusters of corn and bunches of leaves. The wish cjr the bride and groom was to be mai- [ rfed and to "sacrifice the ceremonial pig i tinder the auspices of the Mikado and , '[The Great White King."- ! But m the Great Whije King's domi--5 nions one little alteration of the cers--3 monial was necessary', because a bod\ existed known as the 'R.S.P CA. To '. effect this Inspectors Lovejoj, Houston, and Hawkins, and Mi A. Fmson-Case, t all of the societv, attended at the Fors mosan village and explained that the s Jig must be killed humanely by stabbing jii the heart, not as Formosan use would have it, in-the-abdomen. ' Prettj 'Raniavo understood and was fluite at one with the society, so JEhat mattet was

Easily decfded. j A preliminary phase; of the grand fSeremoniaT- was the segregat-i&n of the ljrMe, arid' bridegroom: from-the rest of Ilie natives; but m due time the*bride appeared, carried -on the. back of the bridegroom,- weeping, sas she was expected' to/and:Surroun<led : . by a-score of.screaming -.warriors*., attiredi.m all native, grail deux; of . beaded small-clothes, Uslls;. -tfncU • bangles,,,,vpearL - ipedals, mirrors, and- ..penny" postage; stamps. > ' ! Rangayon was -hurried:-:to- ,the -open Hut -where the marriage . was to place.- Here-the native men and ,woihen performed, a. war. dance.round.the Bride and ..groom,^who;vwere: out shout-, mg-, and-, sjnging',. to ;a..honeymoon .huti preparefL for. them. ~ », .<■ .* *» j AtAthis juncture a..white.press :photo->, i grapher-was, detected,;in: the acfc.ofi takmg a snap si qt of „the* wedding. Violent resentment-..rose-, immediately,'rand lioiliuig snprt.of.tlie,.'confiscation «f "the Etyil - r Jlye-,"r M the .rcameKijiv.would, .mollify the bridal party.-. ,•. ' f ITha '.'-JSvd -Eye'being impounded-and put away.,- tw-o sturdy,..natives: rushed fortlt and. ing it by the ears and the. .other-by- the tail, deaf to -its .earnest,.-. protests.. dofseifc s>vaHpy Formosan- iv.arriors fcuirpuiide(Ljt>he .pip, apd -one ..of- them.: delivered the death a spear.... 1 Tlifi,"natives .tied'.:the carcase to.a.pole ajid, 7 having singed. it .over some burning straw, skinned-it. and cut it into..small pSeces. r , were .-.boiled over Qharcbal!firesi; Three planks were elevated •-a} few infches- above. the. iloor .to form.,a tkble,* aijd in a. few minutes the bridal ptotv came along with the boiled-pork • : aba* a'; pileiof' maccaron*... ■ • •• : - jOne of'the bridesmaids next took.up a] portion- of the . meat, and, uttering weird-sounding incantations, ..- walked rpund the other guests, scattering smjill pieces of meat right and left upon the flbor.. .Then. the. .entire p.arty, seated ■with the viands in large bowls in. froftt of each of them, began to sing a ,deep ; voiced chant, .in : which lines snngysplc were taken .up in chorus- '. .. . , ' 'This continued far about- twentj minutes, and then each .of .the-guests, led' bv.the,'bride and bridegroom, -partook of a native distillation of rice. _ ,11 wfis the .preliminary to the marriage feast, which began immediately; afterwards, the food disappearing in a- few minutes with marvellous-rapidity. • .Feasting thus quickly over, the bridi and. bridegroom took posjtions oppositf each'other'and sang a quaint Formostei chant. Thg guests joined in the chorus witl ■ great gusto and then followed a serie: of: sacred .war. dances and. chants, ill voking.tlie return, of the spirit of a de . parted Formosan hero, whose .. totem pqle was present as, symbolic >of M ' head. ._. ... .. - . : r<-