[?]Egarded Seriously

[?]Lana And Aida

[?]RE

[7E were astonished, recently, by y the character of a brochure re ceived from an English pub her (The Omega Press), entitled lesearch in Fiji, Tonga and imoa,” by George and Helen indwith.

It would appear that these writers who spent some time in the South icific Islands in 1951-52—believe miracles and accept as scientific cts “the controlled use of Mana,”

Jian fire-walking, the power of le Atua, the authenticity of the atib of the Fiji-Indians, and other tings customarily regarded as part the mysticism of uneducated jople.

There is a very amusing section, herein Mr. Sandwith describes at ngth a bitter and merciless ruggle in 1951 between a Fijian izard, working through an old ijian chief, and a Tongan Atua itone idol), which Mr. Sandwith imself “activated.” But Mr. Sand ith does not think it amusing— is seriously presented as a contri ition to scientific knowledge.

Mr. and Mrs. Sandwith claim to ave had a great deal of trouble ith Mana —it seemed to attach it ilf to various things and houses, id at times the unfortunate Sand iths found themselves completely [hausted —their vitality could not and up to the persistent attacks : the malevolent spirits. (This riter, at certain times in Fiji and amoa, has suffered similar exhaus on, but always attributed it to the imate, combined maybe with a ttle unwise mixture of chilled averages).

It is a pity that the investigators id not visit New Guinea in the onsoonal season. It probably would ave convinced them of the terrify ig potency of Papuan witchcraft.

Anyone who wants to read a irrago of nonsense, seriously pre :nted in excellent English as a ;ientific treatise, should send 4/6 > the Omega Press, in Reigate, urrey.

NB; This is written on February Auckland’s birthday. To-day, as irt of Auckland’s festival, 20 Fijian rewalkers from Beqa are putting a one of their performances—they roll, unharmed, across a pit of hite-hot stones. The method of reparing their feet to resist intense eat for a short time is a tribal ;cret —something to do with herbal •eatment. But the Sandwiths say lat it is pure Mana.

Important decisions on Public /orks Priorities and work to be ndertaken in the Cook Islands are spected to be made at Wellington uring February. Mr. Ryan, of the üblic Works Department, travelled mth per January Maui Pomare to ttend the conference.