Amazing Religious Disturbance

In Southern Gilberts.

Resident Commissioner for the Gilbert and Ellice Islands Colony, in his report for 1929-’30, describes an amazing outburst of religious hysteria which occurred among the natives on Onotoa Island, in the Southern Gilberts.

THE trouble began in April, 1930, with a dispute about some copra, which the natives of two villages desired to give to the London Missionary Society.

The Native Magistrate warned these people that their Government copra tax fell due in June, and advised them, consequently, not to exhaust their whole crop, during May, in the pro posed gift to the Mission.

The Native Magistrate was a mem ber of the Roman Catholic persuasion, against which, on Onotoa, the sec tarian feeling of an overwhelming Protestant majority has always run bitterly high. The magistrate’s warning was construed by the Protestants as a deliberate attack upon their religion; the villagers were incited by their native pastors to persist in their gift, and to welcome, “for the glory of God," any form of “martyrdom” which might be visited upon them in consequence.

The gift was handed over to the pastors in May. The villagers were called to the Native Court and warned again that their failure to pay the copra tax in June would not be con doned; they were then dismissed.

This dismissal seems to have been a heavy disappointment to the natives, who had been led by their pastors to hope for immediate martyrdom. Some thing in the nature of an indignation meeting was held, at the instigation of a senior pastor named Barane. Wild threats and accusations were made against the Magistrate, the Catholic Church and the Government. An extra ordinary series of spiritualistic seances, for the interpretation of dreams and visions was instituted. Barane was the interpreter. In the course of the next few weeks a huge encampment grew up around the chapel, in which the seances were held. The villages were left empty, save for the few Catholics, who refused to attend the meetings; over 1,200 people were gathered together day and night to hear Barane expound their dreams.

Gradually, the interpretation of the visions assumed an apocalyptic char acter. It was prophesied that the end of the world was coming; that the Government and the Catholic Church would be utterly destroyed; that God would visit Onotoa in person. Barane was proclaimed to be the Prophet of God. Later, his title was changed to “Father of God," and his son (a worth less character) assumed the appellation of “God Almighty." Two loose women came forward with the claim that they were “Christ the Sufferer” and “Christ the Forgiver”: they were accepted as such.

A body of women, called the “Sheep” or “Shakers”, was organised, whose

function it was to attend the Prophet and shudder strongly whenever he spoke. The alleged vision of a flaming sword on the wall of the Prophet’s chapel brought into being a band of youths who called themselves the Soldiers and Swords of Gabriel, and marched about in scarlet loincloths in timidating all those who were un willing to join the movement.

Native Magistrate’S Courage.

The Native Magistrate, a man of great moderation and courage, tried in vain to prevent these disorders. He was deserted by all but two or three of his official colleagues; but in spite of continual threats from the mad en campment, he continued to set his face against the movement.

The climax of emotion was reached when God did not visit Onotoa on the day predicted. The woman who called herself “Christ the Forgiver” an nounced that the fault lay at the door of the Catholics, whose continued presence on the island was an offence to the Almighty. It was then deter mined that a force of about 80 “Swords" and “Sheep,” led by Barane, should pro ceed to the Government Station, with the object of “bringing down God’s wrath upon the Magistrate.” The force went unarmed, but yelling threats and contorting their bodies in an insane kind of dance. The Magistrate had 14 men and women with him on the Station; these he ordered to conceal themselves in a house, while he went to face the fanatics. Having prepared a sleeping mat, in native fashion, to receive his dead body, he stood near the confines of the station, alone awaiting the mob.

He was almost immediately struck down by one of the “Swords of Gabriel”. His fall started a riot, in which every member of the Govern ment party was more or less seriously wounded. A hunt for Catholics suc ceeded. Two unfortunates were caught and murdered with crowbars and glass bottles. That night, forty Catholics took to their canoes and fled overseas, 40 miles, to the island of Tabiteuea.

An edict went out the same evening that if, by noon of the next day but cne, the remaining Catholics did not present themselves for conversion to creed of Barane, they would be slaughtered.

Providentially, the District Officer with a European missionary arrived at the island on the intervening day of grace, and further bloodshed was avoided. The Native Magistrate, though grievously wounded about the head, recovered. Peace has now been restored to the island, and all guilty persons have been duly punished.