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 PROBLEM 8.1

Two solid cylindrical rods AB and BC are welded together at B and loaded
as shown. Knowing that d1 = 50 mm and d 2 = 30 mm, find the average
normal stress at the midsection of (a) rod AB, (b) rod BC.

SOLUTION
(a) Rod AB

P = 40 + 30 = 70 kN = 70 × 103 N
π π
A = d12 = (50) 2 =1.9635 × 103 mm 2 =1.9635 × 10−3 m 2
4 4
P 70 × 103
σ AB
= = = 35.7 × 106 Pa σ AB = 35.7 MPa 
A 1.9635 × 10−3

(b) Rod BC

= = 30 × 103 N
P 30 kN
π π
=A = d 22 =
(30) 2
=
706.86 mm 2
706.86 × 10−6 m 2
4 4
P 30 × 103
σ BC
= = = 42.4 × 106 Pa σ BC = 42.4 MPa 
A 706.86 × 10−6

Copyright © McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written
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 PROBLEM 8.2

Two solid cylindrical rods AB and BC are welded together at B and

loaded as shown. Knowing that the average normal stress must not
exceed 175 MPa in rod AB and 150 MPa in rod BC, determine the
smallest allowable values of d 1 and d 2 .

SOLUTION
(a) Rod AB

P = 40 + 30 = 70 kN = 70 × 103 N
P P 4P
σ= = =
π π d12
AB 2
AAB d
4 1

4P (4)(70 × 103 )
=
d1 = = 22.6 × 10−3 m d1 = 22.6 mm 
πσ AB π (175 × 10 )
6

(b) Rod BC

= = 30 × 103 N
P 30 kN
P P 4P
σ= = =
π π d 22
BC 2
ABC d
4 2

4P (4)(30 × 103 )
=
d2 = = 15.96 × 10−3 m d 2 = 15.96 mm 
πσ BC π (150 × 106 )

Copyright © McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written
consent of McGraw-Hill Education.
 PROBLEM 8.3

Two solid cylindrical rods AB and BC are welded together at

B and loaded as shown. Knowing that P = 40 kips, determine
the average normal stress at the midsection of (a) rod AB, (b)
rod BC.

SOLUTION
(a) Rod AB

P = 40 kips (tension)

π d AB
2
π (2)2
=
AAB = = 3.1416 in 2
4 4
P 40
σ=
AB = s AB = 12.73 ksi 
AAB 3.1416
(b) Rod BC

F =
40 − (2)(30) =
−20 kips, i.e., 20 kips compression.

π d BC
2
π (3)2
=
ABC = = 7.0686 in 2
4 4
F −20
σ=
BC = s BC = −2.83 ksi 
ABC 7.0686

Copyright © McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written
consent of McGraw-Hill Education.
 PROBLEM 8.4

Two solid cylindrical rods AB and BC are welded together

at B and loaded as shown. Determine the magnitude of the
force P for which the tensile stress in rod AB is twice the
magnitude of the compressive stress in rod BC.

SOLUTION

π
=
AAB = (2) 2 3.1416 in 2
4
P P
σ=
AB =
AAB 3.1416
= 0.31831 P
π
=
ABC = (3) 2 7.0686 in 2
4
(2)(30) − P
σ BC =
AAB
60 − P
= = 8.4883 − 0.14147 P
7.0686
Equating σ AB to 2σ BC
=
0.31831 P 2(8.4883 − 0.14147 P) P = 28.2 kips 

Copyright © McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written
consent of McGraw-Hill Education.
 PROBLEM 8.5
Link BD consists of a single wooden member 36
mm wide and 18 mm thick. Knowing that each pin
has a 12-mm diameter, determine the maximum
value of the average normal stress in link BD if (a)
ϴ = 0, (b) ϴ = 90°.

SOLUTION
Use bar ABC as a free body.

(a) θ = 0.
=
ΣM A 0: (450 sin 30°)(24) − (300 cos=
30°) FBD 0
FBD = 20.7846 kN (tension)
Area for tension loading: A =(b − d )t =( 36 − 12 )(18 ) =432 mm 2
FBD 20.7846 kN
Stress: σ
= = σ = 48.1 MPa 
A 432 × 10−6 m 2

(b) θ= 90°.
ΣM A = 0: − (450 cos 30°)(24) − (300 cos 30°) FBD = 0
FBD = −36 kN i.e. compression.
Area for compression loading: = = (36) (18=
A bt ) 648 mm 2
FBD −36 kN
Stress: σ
= = σ = 55.6 MPa 
A 648 × 10−6 m 2

Copyright © McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written
consent of McGraw-Hill Education.
 PROBLEM 8.6

Each of the four vertical links has an 8 × 36-mm uniform rectangular

cross section and each of the four pins has a 16-mm diameter. Determine
the maximum value of the average normal stress in the links connecting
(a) points B and D, (b) points C and E.

SOLUTION
Use bar ABC as a free body.

=ΣM C 0 : (0.040) FBD − (0.025 + 0.040)(20

= × 103 ) 0
F=
BD 32.5 × 103 N Link BD is in tension.
ΣM B = 0 : − (0.040) FCE − (0.025)(20 × 10 ) = 0
3

FCE =
−12.5 × 103 N Link CE is in compression.
=
Net area of one link = 160 × 10−6 m 2
for tension (0.008)(0.036 − 0.016)

For two parallel links, A=

net 320 × 10−6 m 2

FBD 32.5 × 103

(a) σ=
BD = = −6
101.563 × 106 σ BD = 101.6 MPa 
Anet 320 × 10
= 288 × 10−6 m 2
Area for one link in compression = (0.008)(0.036)

For two parallel links, A 576 × 10−6 m 2

=

F −12.5 × 103
(b) σ CE ==
CE
−21.701 × 10−6
= σ CE = −21.7 MPa 
A 576 × 10−6

Copyright © McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written
consent of McGraw-Hill Education.
 PROBLEM 8.7

Link AC has a uniform rectangular cross section 1 in. thick and 1 in. wide.
8
Determine the normal stress in the central portion of the link.

SOLUTION

Use the plate together with two pulleys as a free body. Note that the cable tension causes at 1200 lb-in.
clockwise couple to act on the body.

ΣM B= 0: − (12 + 4)( FAC cos 30°) + (10)( FAC sin 30°) − 1200 lb
= 0
1200 lb
FAC =
− =
−135.500 lb
16 cos 30° − 10 sin 30°

1
Area of link AC: A =1 in. ×in. = 0.125 in 2
8
FAC 135.50
Stress in link AC: s AC == − = 1084 psi =
1.084 ksi 
A 0.125

Copyright © McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written
consent of McGraw-Hill Education.
 PROBLEM 8.8

Two horizontal 5-kip forces are applied to pin B of the assembly shown.
Knowing that a pin of 0.8-in. diameter is used at each connection,
determine the maximum value of the average normal stress (a) in link
AB, (b) in link BC.

SOLUTION

Use joint B as free body.

Law of Sines:
FAB FBC 10
= =
sin 45° sin 60° sin 95°
FAB = 7.3205 kips

FBC = 8.9658 kips

Link AB is a tension member.

Minimum section at pin: Anet =

(1.8 − 0.8)(0.5) =
0.5 in 2

FAB 7.3205
(a) Stress in AB : σ
= AB = s AB = 14.64 ksi 
Anet 0.5

Link BC is a compression member.

=
Cross sectional area = 0.9 in 2
is A (1.8)(0.5)

− FBC −8.9658
(b) Stress in BC: σ BC
= = s BC = −9.96 ksi 
A 0.9

Copyright © McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written
consent of McGraw-Hill Education.
 PROBLEM 8.9

For the Pratt bridge truss and loading shown, determine the
average normal stress in member BE, knowing that the cross-
sectional area of that member is 5.87 in2.

SOLUTION

Use entire truss as free body.

Σ
= M H 0: (9)(80) + (18)(80) + (27)(80) − =
36 Ay 0
Ay = 120 kips

Use portion of truss to the left of a section cutting members

BD, BE, and CE.
12
+ ↑ Σ Fy= 0: 120 − 80 − FBE= 0 ∴ FBE= 50 kips
15
FBE 50 kips
s=
BE =
A 5.87 in 2

s BE = 8.52 ksi 

Copyright © McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written
consent of McGraw-Hill Education.
 PROBLEM 8.10

Knowing that the average normal stress in member CE of the

Pratt bridge truss shown must not exceed 21 ksi for the given
loading, determine the cross-sectional area of that member that
will yield the most economical and safe design. Assume that both
ends of the member will be adequately reinforced.

SOLUTION

Use entire truss as free body.

Σ
= M H 0: (9)(80) + (18)(80) + (27)(80) − =
36 Ay 0
Ay = 120 kips

Use portion of truss to the left of a section cutting members

BD, BE, and CE.

Σ M B = 0: 12 FCE − (9)(120) = 0 ∴ FCE = 90 kips

FCE
GCE =
ACE

FCE 90
=
ACE = = 4.29 in 2 
GCE 21

Copyright © McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written
consent of McGraw-Hill Education.
 PROBLEM 8.11

A couple M of magnitude 1500 N ⋅ m is applied to the crank of an engine. For the

position shown, determine (a) the force P required to hold the engine system in
equilibrium, (b) the average normal stress in the connecting rod BC, which has a
450-mm2 uniform cross section.

SOLUTION

Use piston, rod, and crank together as free body. Add wall reaction H
and bearing reactions A x and A y .

=Σ M A 0 : (0.280 m) H −=
1500 N ⋅ m 0
=H 5.3571 × 103 N
Use piston alone as free body. Note that rod is a two-force member;
hence the direction of force F BC is known. Draw the force triangle
and solve for P and F BE by proportions.

l= 2002 + 602= 208.81 mm

P 200
= ∴ P = 17.86 × 103 N
H 60
(a) P = 17.86 kN 
FBC 208.81
= ∴ FBC = 18.6436 × 103 N
H 60
Rod BC is a compression member. Its area is

=
450 mm 2
450 × 10−6 m 2
Stress:
−F −18.6436 × 103
σ BC =BC
= =
−41.430 × 106 Pa
A 450 × 10−6
(b) σ BC = −41.4 MPa 

Copyright © McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written
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 PROBLEM 8.12

Two hydraulic cylinders are used to control the position

of the robotic arm ABC. Knowing that the control rods
attached at A and D each have a 20-mm diameter and
happen to be parallel in the position shown, determine the
average normal stress in (a) member AE, (b) member DG.

SOLUTION
Use member ABC as free body.

4
=ΣM B 0: (0.150) FAE − =
(0.600)(800) 0
5
FAE= 4 × 103 N
π π
Area of rod in member AE is A = d 2 = (20 × 10−3 )2 =314.16 × 10−6 m 2
4 4
FAE 4 × 103
Stress in rod AE: σ=
AE = = −6
12.7324 × 106 Pa
A 314.16 × 10
(a) σ AE = 12.73 MPa 
Use combined members ABC and BFD as free body.

4  4 
=ΣM F 0: (0.150)  FAE  − (0.200)  FDG  − (1.050=
− 0.350)(800) 0
5  5 
FDG = −1500 N

π π
Area of rod DG: A = d 2 = (20 × 10−3 )2 =314.16 × 10−6 m 2
4 4
FDG −1500
Stress in rod DG: σ DG == =−4.7746 × 106 Pa
A 3.1416 × 10−6
(b) σ DG = −4.77 MPa 

Copyright © McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written
consent of McGraw-Hill Education.
 PROBLEM 8.13
The wooden members A and B are to be joined by plywood splice
plates which will be fully glued on the surfaces in contact. As part of
the design of the joint, and knowing that the clearance between the
ends of the members is to be 8 mm, determine the smallest allowable
length L if the average shearing stress in the glue is not to exceed 800
kPa.

SOLUTION
There are four separate areas that are glued. Each of these areas transmits one half the 24 kN force. Thus
1 1
=
F = P = 12 kN
(24)
2 2

Let l = length of one glued area and w = 100 mm be its width.

For each glued area, A = lw
F F
Average shearing stress: τ
= =
A lw
The allowable shearing stress is τ = 800 kPa

F 12
Solving for l, =l = = 0.1500=
m 150.0 mm
τw (800)(0.100)
Total length L: L = l + (gap) + l = 150.0 + 8 + 150.0 L = 308 mm 

Copyright © McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written
consent of McGraw-Hill Education.
 PROBLEM 8.14

Determine the diameter of the largest circular hole that can be punched into a sheet of polystyrene 6 mm
thick, knowing that the force exerted by the punch is 45 kN and that a 55-MPa average shearing stress is
required to cause the material to fail.

SOLUTION

For cylindrical failure surface: A = π dt

P P
Shearing stress: =τ = or A
A τ
P
Therefore, = π dt
t
P
Finally, d =
π tt
45 × 103 N
=
π (0.006 m)(55 × 106 Pa)
= 43.406 × 10−3 m
d = 43.4 mm 

Copyright © McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written
consent of McGraw-Hill Education.
 PROBLEM 1.15

Two wooden planks, each 1

2
in. thick and 9 in.
wide, are joined by the dry mortise joint shown.
Knowing that the wood used shears off along its
grain when the average shearing stress reaches
1.20 ksi, determine the magnitude P of the axial
load that will cause the joint to fail.

SOLUTION

Six areas must be sheared off when the joint fails. Each of these areas has dimensions 5
8
in. × 1
2
in., its area
being
5 1 5 2
A= × = in = 0.3125 in 2
8 2 16
At failure, the force carried by each area is

F τ=
= A (1.20 ksi)(0.3125 in=
2
) 0.375 kips
Since there are six failure areas,
=
P 6=
F (6)(0.375) P = 2.25 kips 

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consent of McGraw-Hill Education.
 PROBLEM 8.16

A load P is applied to a steel rod supported as shown by an

aluminum plate into which a 0.6-in.-diameter hole has been
drilled. Knowing that the shearing stress must not exceed
18 ksi in the steel rod and 10 ksi in the aluminum plate,
determine the largest load P that can be applied to the rod.

SOLUTION

For steel: A1 π=
= dt π (0.6)(0.4)
= 0.7540 in 2

P
τ1 = ∴ P = A1τ1 = (0.7540)(18)
A
= 13.57 kips
For aluminum: A2 π=
= dt π (1.6)(0.25)
= 1.2566 in 2
P
τ2 = ∴P = A2τ 2 = (1.2566)(10) = 12.57 kips
A2
Limiting value of P is the smaller value, so P = 12.57 kips 

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consent of McGraw-Hill Education.
 PROBLEM 8.17

An axial load P is supported by a short W8 × 40 column of cross-

sectional area A = 11.7 in 2 and is distributed to a concrete foundation
by a square plate as shown. Knowing that the average normal stress in
the column must not exceed 30 ksi and that the bearing stress on the
concrete foundation must not exceed 3.0 ksi, determine the side a of
the plate that will provide the most economical and safe design.

SOLUTION

P
For the column, σ = or
A
P s=
= = 351 kips
A (30)(11.7)

For the a × a plate, s = 3.0 ksi

P 351
=
A = = 117 in 2
σ 3.0

Since the plate is square, A = a 2

=
a =
A 117 a = 10.82 in. 

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consent of McGraw-Hill Education.
 PROBLEM 8.18

The axial force in the column supporting the timber beam shown is
P = 20 kips. Determine the smallest allowable length L of the bearing
plate if the bearing stress in the timber is not to exceed 400 psi.

SOLUTION

Bearing area: Ab = Lw
P P
s=
b =
Ab Lw
P 20 × 103 lb
=L = = 8.33 in. L = 8.33 in. 
s bw (400 psi)(6 in.)

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consent of McGraw-Hill Education.
 PROBLEM 8.19

Three wooden planks are fastened together by a series of bolts to form

a column. The diameter of each bolt is 12 mm and the inner diameter
of each washer is 16 mm, which is slightly larger than the diameter of
the holes in the planks. Determine the smallest allowable outer
diameter d of the washers, knowing that the average normal stress in
the bolts is 36 MPa and that the bearing stress between the washers
and the planks must not exceed 8.5 MPa.

SOLUTION

πd2 π (0.012 m)2

Bolt: A=
Bolt = = 1.13097 × 10−4 m 2
4 4
P
Tensile force in bolt: σ = ⇒ P = σA
A
(36 × 106 Pa)(1.13097 × 10−4 m 2 )
=
= 4.0715 × 103 N
π
Bearing area for washer: =
Aw
4
(d 2
o − di2 )
P
and Aw =
σ BRG
Therefore, equating the two expressions for A w gives
π
4
(d 2
o )
− di2 =
P
σ BRG
4P
=d o2 + di2
πσ BRG
4 (4.0715 × 103 N)
=d o2 + (0.016 m) 2
π (8.5 × 106 Pa)
d o2 8.6588 × 10−4 m 2
=
=d o 29.426 × 10−3 m
d o = 29.4 mm 

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consent of McGraw-Hill Education.
 PROBLEM 8.20

Link AB, of width b = 50 mm and thickness t = 6 mm, is used to support

the end of a horizontal beam. Knowing that the average normal stress in
the link is − 140 MPa, and that the average shearing stress in each of the
two pins is 80 MPa, determine (a) the diameter d of the pins, (b) the
average bearing stress in the link.

SOLUTION
Rod AB is in compression.
A = bt where b = 50 mm and t = 6 mm

= = 300 × 10−6 m 2
A (0.050)(0.006)
−(−140 × 106 )(300 × 10−6 )
−σ A =
P=
= 42 × 103 N

For the pin,

p P
Ap = d2 and τ =
4 Ap

P 42 × 103
A= = = 525 × 10−6 m 2
p
τ 80 × 106
(a) Diameter d

4 Ap (4)(525 × 10−6 )
=d = = 2.585 × 10−3 m d = 25.9 mm 
p p

P 42 × 103
(b) Bearing stress σ= = = 271 × 106 Pa σ b = 271 MPa 
(25.85 × 10−3 )(0.006)
b
dt

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consent of McGraw-Hill Education.
Another random document with
no related content on Scribd:
accustomed or not to such a scene; their eyes were swollen with the
last night’s frequent flood of grief, and still weeping genuine tears of
regret; the upper part of their cheeks perfectly black, and swollen so
that they could hardly see, with the constant blows they had inflicted
on themselves with their fists.
Among the chiefs and matabooles who were seated on the marly,
all those who were particularly attached to the late king or to his
cause evinced their sorrow by a conduct usual indeed among these
people at the death of a relation, or of a great chief (unless it be that
of Tooitonga, or any of his family), but which to us may well appear
barbarous in the extreme; that is to say, the custom of cutting and
wounding themselves with clubs, stones, knives, or sharp shells; one
at a time, or two or three together, running into the middle of the
circle formed by the spectators to give these proofs of their extreme
sorrow for the death, and great respect for the memory of their
departed friend.
The sentiments expressed by these victims of popular superstition
were to the following purpose. “Finow, I know well your mind; you
have departed to Bolotoo, and left your people under suspicion that I
or some of those about you are unfaithful; but where is the proof of
infidelity? where is a single instance of disrespect?” Then inflicting
violent blows and deep cuts in the head with a club, stone, or knife,
would again exclaim at intervals, “Is this not a proof of my fidelity?
does this not evince loyalty and attachment to the memory of the
departed warrior?” Then perhaps two or three would run on and
endeavour to seize the same club, saying with a furious tone of
voice, “Behold the land is torn with strife, it is smitten to pieces, it is
split by revolts; how my blood boils; let us haste and die! I no longer
wish to live: your death, Finow, shall be mine. But why did I wish
hitherto to live? it was for you alone; it was in your service and
defence only that I wished to breathe; but now, alas! the country is
ruined. Peace and happiness are at an end; your death has insured
ours: henceforth war and destruction alone can prosper.” These
speeches were accompanied with a wild and frantic agitation of the
body, whilst the parties cut and bruised their heads every two or
three words with the knife or club they held in their hands. Others,
somewhat more calm and moderate in their grief, would parade up
and down with rather a wild and agitated step, spinning and whirling
the club about, striking themselves with the edge of it two or three
times violently upon the top or back of the head, and then suddenly
stopping and looking stedfastly at the instrument spattered with
blood, exclaim, “Alas! my club, who could have said that you would
have done this kind office for me, and have enabled me thus to
evince a testimony of my respect for Finow? Never, no never, can
you again tear open the brains of his enemies. Alas! what a great
and mighty warrior has fallen! Oh, Finow, cease to suspect my
loyalty; be convinced of my fidelity! But what absurdity am I talking! if
I had appeared treacherous in your sight, I should have met the fate
of those numerous warriors who have fallen victims to your just
revenge. But do not think, Finow, that I reproach you; no, I wish only
to convince you of my innocence, for who that has thoughts of
harming his chiefs shall grow white headed like me (an expression
used by some of the old men). O cruel gods to deprive us of our
father, of our only hope, for whom alone we wished to live. We have
indeed other chiefs, but they are only chiefs in rank, and not like you,
alas! great and mighty in war.”
Such were their sentiments and conduct on this mournful
occasion. Some, more violent than others, cut their heads to the
skull with such strong and frequent blows, that they caused
themselves to reel, producing afterwards a temporary loss of reason.
It is difficult to say to what length this extravagance would have been
carried, particularly by one old man, if the prince had not ordered Mr.
Mariner to go up and take away the club from him, as well as two
others that were engaged at the same time. It is customary on such
occasions, when a man takes a club from another, to use it himself in
the same way about his own head; but Mr. Mariner, being a
foreigner, was not expected to do this; he therefore went up and,
after some hesitation and struggle, secured the clubs one after
another, and returned with them to his seat, when, after a while, they
were taken by others, who used them in like manner.
After these savage expressions of sorrow had been continued for
nearly three hours, the prince gave orders that the body of his father
should be taken to Felletoa to be buried. In the first place, a bale of
gnatoo was put on a kind of hurdle, and the body laid on the bale;
the prince then ordered that, as his father was the first who
introduced guns in the wars of Tonga, the two carronades should be
loaded and fired twice before the procession set out, and twice after
it had passed out of the marly; he gave directions also that the body
of Finow’s daughter, lately deceased, should be taken out in the
model of a canoe, and carried after the body of her father; that
during his life, as he wished always to have her body in his
neighbourhood, she might now at length be buried with him.
Matters being thus arranged, Mr. Mariner loaded the guns and
fired four times with blank cartridge. The procession then went
forward, and in the course of two hours arrived at Felletoa, where the
body was laid in a house on the marly at some distance from the
grave, till another and smaller house could be brought close to it;
and this was done in course of an hour. The post being taken up, the
four pieces which compose the building (a kind of shed in a
pyramidal form, the eaves reaching within four feet of the ground)
were brought by a sufficient number of men, and put together at the
place where it was wanted. This being done, the body was brought
on the same hurdle or hand-barrow to the newly-erected building (if it
may be so termed); and then being taken off the hurdle, it was laid
within, on the bale of gnatoo, and the house was hung round with
black gnatoo, reaching from the eaves to the ground.
The women, who were all assembled and seated round the body,
began a most dismal lamentation. In the mean time a number of
people, whose business it is to prepare graves, were digging the
place of interment under the direction of a mataboole, whose office is
to superintend such affairs. Having dug about ten feet, they came to
the large stone covering a vault; a rope was fastened double round
one end of the stone, which always remains a little raised for the
purpose, and was raised by the main strength of 150 or 200 men,
pulling at the two ends of the rope towards the opposite edge of the
grave till it was brought up on end. The body being oiled with sandal-
wood oil, and then wrapped in mats, was handed down on a large
bale of gnatoo into the grave; the bale of gnatoo was then, as is
customary, taken by the before-mentioned mataboole as his
perquisite. Next, the body of his daughter, in the model of a canoe,
was let down in like manner, and placed by his side. The great stone
was then lowered down with a loud shout. Immediately certain
matabooles and warriors ran like men frantic round about the place
of sepulture, exclaiming, “Alas! how great is our loss! Finow, you are
departed: witness this proof of our love and loyalty!” At the same
time they cut and bruised their own heads with clubs, knives, axes,
etc.
The whole company now formed themselves into a single line, the
women first, and afterwards the men, but without any particular order
as to rank, and proceeded towards the back of the island for the
purpose of getting a quantity of sand in small baskets.
They sang loudly the whole way, as a signal to all who might be in
the road or adjacent fields to hide themselves as quickly as possible,
for it is sacrilegious for any body to be seen abroad by the
procession during this part of the ceremony; and if any man had
unfortunately made his appearance, he would undoubtedly have
been pursued by one of the party, and soon dispatched with the club.
So strictly is this attended to, that nobody in Mr. Mariner’s time
recollected a breach of a law so well known. Even if a common man
was to be buried, and Finow himself was to be upon the road, or in
the neighbourhood of the procession whilst going to get sand at the
back of the island, he would immediately hide himself; not that they
would knock out the king’s brains on such an occasion, but it would
be thought sacrilegious and unlucky, the gods of Bolotoo being
supposed to be present at the time. The chiefs are particularly
careful not to infringe upon sacred laws, lest they should set an
example of disobedience to the people. The song on this occasion,
which is very short, is sung first by the men and then by the women,
and so on alternately; and intimates (though Mr. Mariner has
forgotten the exact words) that the fala (which is the name of this
part of the ceremony) is coming, and that every body must get out of
the way.
When they arrived at the back of the island, where anybody may
be present, they proceeded to make a small basket of the leaves of
the cocoa-nut tree, holding about two quarts, and to fill it with sand;
this being done, each of the men carried two upon a stick across the
shoulder, one at each end: while the women only carried one,
pressed in general against the left hip, or rather upon it, by the hand
of the same side, and supported by the hand of the opposite side,
brought backwards across the loins, which they consider the easiest
mode for women to carry small burdens; they then proceeded back
the same way, and with ceremony, to the grave. By this time the
grave above the vault was nearly filled with the earth lately dug out,
the remaining small space being left to be filled by the sand, which is
always more than enough for the purpose. It is considered a great
embellishment to a grave to have it thus covered, and is thought to
appear very well from a distance, where the mound of clean sand
may be seen; besides which it is the custom, and nobody can
explain the reason why—which is the case with several of their
customs. This being done, all the baskets in which the sand was
brought, as well as the remaining quantity of earth not used in filling
up the grave, are thrown into the hole out of which the earth was
originally dug. During the whole of this time the company was
seated, still clothed in mats, and their necks strung with the leaves of
the ifi tree; after this they arose and went to their respective
habitations, where they shaved their heads, and burnt their cheeks
with a small lighted roll of tápa, by applying it once upon each cheek
bone; after which, the place was rubbed with the astringent berry of
the matchi, which occasioned it to bleed, and with the blood they
smeared about the wound in a circular form, to about two inches in
diameter, giving themselves a very unseemly appearance.
They repeat this friction with the berry every day, making the
wound bleed afresh; and the men in the meantime neglect to shave
and to oil themselves during the day: they do it, however, at night, for
the comfort which this operation affords. After having, in the first
place, burnt their cheeks and shaved their heads, they built for
themselves small temporary huts for their own accommodation
during the time of mourning, which lasts twenty days. Early in the
morning of the twentieth day, all the relations of the deceased chief,
together with those who formed his household, and also the women
who were tabooed by having touched his dead body whilst oiling and
preparing it, went to the back of the island (without any particular
order or ceremony) to procure a number of flat pebbles, principally
white, but a few black, for which they made baskets on the spot to
carry them in, as before mentioned, when they went to procure sand.
With these they returned to the grave, strewed inside of the house
with the white ones, as also the outside, as a decoration to it; the
black pebbles they strewed only upon the white ones which covered
the ground directly over the body. After this the house over the tomb
was closed up at both ends with a reed fencing, reaching from the
eaves to the ground; and at the front and back with a sort of basket-
work made of the young branches of the cocoa-nut tree, split and
interwoven in a very curious and ornamental way, which remains till
the next burial, when they are taken down, and after the conclusion
of the ceremony new ones are put up in like manner. A large quantity
of provisions was now sent to the marly by the chiefs of the different
districts of the island, ready prepared and cooked, as also a
considerable quantity prepared by Finow’s own household: among
these provisions was a good supply of cava root. After the chiefs,
matabooles, and others were assembled, the provisions and cava
were served out in the usual way. During this time no speech was
made, nor did any particular occurrence take place. The company
afterwards repaired each to his respective house, and got ready for a
grand wrestling-match and entertainment of dancing the Mée too
Buggi (literally, “the dance, standing up with paddles”).
 Funeral Obsequies of King Finow.
During the intervals of the dances, several matabooles, warriors,
and others, indulged in bruising and cutting their heads with clubs,
axes, etc., as proofs of their fidelity to the late chief; among them two
boys, one about twelve, the other about fourteen years of age (sons
of matabooles), made themselves very conspicuous in this kind of
self-infliction; the youngest in particular, whose father was killed in
the service of the late chief, dining the great revolution at Tonga,
after having given his head two or three hard knocks, ran up to the
grave in a fit of enthusiasm, and dashing his club with all his force to
the ground, exclaimed, “Finow! why should I attempt thus to express
my love and fidelity towards you? My wish is that the gods of Bolotoo
permit me to live long enough to prove my fidelity to your son.” He
then again raised his club, and running about bruised and cut his
little head in so many places, that he was covered with streams of
blood. This demonstration on the part of the young hero was thought
very highly of by every one present, though, according to custom,
nothing at that time was said in his praise; agreeable to their maxim,
that praise raises a man’s opinions of his own merit too high, and fills
him with self-conceit. The late Finow’s fishermen now advanced
forward to show their love for their deceased master in the usual
way, though instead of a club or axe, each bore the paddle of a
canoe, with which they beat and bruised their heads at intervals,
making similar exclamations to those so often related. In one
respect, however, they were somewhat singular, that is, in having
three arrows stuck through each cheek in a slanting direction, so that
while their points came quite through the cheek into the mouth, the
other ends went over their shoulders, and were kept in that situation
by another arrow, the point of which was tied to the ends of the
arrows passing over one shoulder, and the other end to those of the
arrows passing over the other shoulder, so as to form a triangle; and
with this horrible equipment they walked round the grave, beating
their heads and faces as before stated with the paddles, or pinching
up the skin of the breast and sticking a spear quite through: all this to
show their love and affection for the deceased chief.
After these exhibitions of cruelty were over, this day’s ceremony
(which altogether lasted about six hours) was finished by a grand
wrestling match, which being ended, every one retired to his
respective house or occupation; and thus terminated the ceremony
of burying the King of the Tonga Islands.
The Sandwich Islanders observe a number of singular
ceremonies on the death of their kings and chiefs, and have been till
very recently accustomed to make these events occasions for the
practice of almost every enormity and vice.
 “The people here,” writes Mr. Mariner, “had followed only one
fashion in cutting their hair, but we have seen it polled in every
imaginable form; sometimes a small round place only is made bald
just on the crown, which causes them to look like Romish priests; at
other times the whole head is shaved or cropped close, except round
the edge, where, for about half an inch in breadth, the hair hangs
down its usual length. Some make their heads bald on one side, and
leave the hair twelve or eighteen inches long on the other.
Occasionally they cut out a patch in the shape of a horse*-shoe,
either behind or above the forehead; and sometimes we have seen a
number of curved furrows cut from ear to ear, or from the forehead to
the neck. When a chief who had lost a relative or friend had his own
hair cut after any particular pattern, his followers and dependants
usually imitated it in cutting theirs. Not to cut or shave off the hair
indicates want of respect towards the deceased and the surviving
friends; but to have it cut close in any form is enough. Each one
usually follows his own taste, which produces the endless variety in
which this ornamental appendage of the head is worn by the natives
during a season of mourning.
“Another custom, almost as universal on these occasions, was
that of knocking out some of the front teeth, practised by both sexes,
though perhaps most extensively by the men. When a chief died,
those most anxious to show their respect for him or his family, would
be the first to knock out with a stone one of their front teeth. The
chiefs related to the deceased, or on terms of friendship with him,
were expected thus to exhibit their attachment; and when they had
done so, their attendants and tenants felt themselves, by the
influence of custom, obliged to follow their example. Sometimes a
man broke out his own tooth with a stone; more frequently, however,
it was done by another, who fixed one end of a piece of stick or hard
wood against the tooth, and struck the other end with a stone till it
was broken off. When any of the men deferred this operation, the
women often performed it for them while they were asleep. More
than one tooth was seldom destroyed at one time; but the mutilation
being repeated on the decease of every chief of rank or authority,
there are few men to be seen who had arrived at maturity before the
introduction of Christianity to the islands with an entire set of teeth;
and many by this custom have lost the front teeth on both the upper
and lower jaw, which, aside from other inconveniences, causes a
great defect in their speech. Some, however, have dared to be
singular, and though they must have seen many deaths, have parted
with but few of their teeth.
“Cutting one or both ears was formerly practised on these
occasions, but as we never saw more than one or two old men thus
disfigured, the custom appears to have been discontinued.
“Another badge of mourning, assumed principally by the chiefs, is
that of tatooing a black spot or line on the tongue, in the same
manner as other parts of their bodies are tatooed.
“The Sandwich islanders have also another custom almost
peculiar to themselves, viz., singing at the death of their chiefs,
something in the manner of the ancient Peruvians. I have been
peculiarly affected more than once on witnessing this ceremony.
“A day or two after the decease of Keeaumoku, governor of Maui,
and the elder brother of Kuakina, governor of Hawaii, I was sitting
with the surviving relatives, who were weeping around the couch on
which the corpse was lying, when a middle-aged woman came in at
the other end of the large house, and, having proceeded about half
way towards the spot where the body lay, began to sing in a plaintive
tone, accompanying her song with affecting gesticulations, such as
wringing her hands, grasping her hair, and beating her breasts. I
wrote down her monody as she repeated it. She described in a
feeling manner the benevolence of the deceased, and her own
consequent loss. One passage was as follows:—
 “‘Alas! alas! dead is my chief!
Dead is my lord and my friend!
My friend in the season of famine,
My friend in the time of drought,
My friend in my poverty,
My friend in the rain and the wind,
My friend in the heat and the sun,
My friend in the cold from the mountain,
My friend in the storm,
My friend in the calm,
My friend in the eight seas.
Alas! alas! gone is my friend,
And no more will return!’

“Other exhibitions of a similar kind I witnessed at Mani. After the

death of Keopuolani we frequently saw the inhabitants of a whole
district that had belonged to her coming to weep on account of her
death. They walked in profound silence, either in single file or two or
three abreast, the old people leading the van and the children
bringing up the rear. They were not covered with ashes, but almost
literally clothed in sackcloth. No ornament, or even decent piece of
cloth, was seen on any one. Dressed only in old fishing nets, dirty
and torn pieces of matting, or tattered garments, and these
sometimes tied on their bodies with pieces of old canoe ropes, they
appeared the most abject and wretched of human beings I ever saw.
When they were within a few hundred yards of the house where the
corpse was lying they began to lament and wail. The crowds of
mourners around the house opened a passage for them to approach
it, and then one or two of their number came forward and, standing a
little before the rest, began a song or recitation, showing her birth,
rank, honours, and virtues, brandishing a staff or piece of sugar-
cane, and accompanying their recitation with attitudes and gestures,
expressive of the most frantic grief. When they had finished they sat
down and mingled with the thronging multitudes in their loud and
ceaseless wailing.”
Though these ceremonies were so popular, and almost universal,
on the decease of their chiefs, they do not appear to have been
practised by the common people among themselves. The wife did
not knock out her teeth on the death of her husband, nor the son his
when he lost his father or mother, neither did parents thus express
their grief when bereaved of an only child. Sometimes they cut their
hair, but in general only indulged in lamentations and weeping for
several days.
Ellis, the Polynesian traveller, makes mention of a singular
building seen by him in Hawaii, called the Hare o Keave (the House
of Keave), a sacred depository of the bones of departed kings and
princes, probably erected for the reception of the bones of the king
whose name it bears, and who reigned in Hawaii about eight
generations back. It is, or was when Mr. Ellis saw it, a compact
building, twenty-four feet by sixteen, constructed with the most
durable timber, and thatched with ti leaves, standing on a bed of lava
that runs out a considerable distance into the sea. It is surrounded
by a strong fence or paling, leaving an area in the front and at each
end about twenty-four feet wide. The pavement is of smooth
fragments of lava, laid down with considerable skill. Several rudely-
carved male and female images of wood were placed on the outside
of the enclosure, some on low pedestals under the shade of an
adjacent tree, others on high posts on the jutting rocks that hung
over the edge of the water. “A number stood on the fence at unequal
distances all round; but the principal assemblage of these frightful
representatives of their former deities was at the south-east end of
the enclosed space, where, forming a semi-circle, twelve of them
stood in grim array, as if perpetual guardians of the mighty dead
reposing in his house adjoining. A pile of stones was neatly laid up in
the form of a crescent, about three feet wide and two feet higher
than the pavement, and in this pile the images were fixed. They
stood on small pedestals three or four feet high, though some were
placed on pillars eight or ten feet in height, and curiously carved. The
principal idol stood in the centre, the others on either hand, the most
powerful being placed nearest to him; he was not so large as some
of the others, but distinguished by the variety and superior carvings
of his body, and especially of his head. Once they had evidently
been clothed, but now they appeared in the most indigent
nakedness. A few tattered shreds round the neck of one that stood
on the left hand side of the door, rotted by the rain and bleached by
the sun, were all that remained of numerous and gaudy garments
with which their votaries had formerly arrayed them. A large pile of
broken calabashes and cocoa-nut shells lay in the centre, and a
considerable heap of dried and partly rotten wreaths of flowers,
branches and shrubs, and bushes and fragments of tapa (the
accumulated offerings of former days), formed an unsightly mound
immediately before each of the images. The horrid stare of these
idols, the tattered garments upon some of them, and the heaps of
rotting offerings before them, seemed to us no improper emblems of
the system they were designed to support, distinguished alike by its
cruelty, folly, and wretchedness.”
Mr. Ellis endeavoured to gain admission to the inside of the
house, but was told it was tabu roa (strictly prohibited), and that
nothing but a direct order from the king or high priest could open the
door. However, by pushing one of the boards across the doorway a
little on one side, he looked in, and saw many large images, some of
wood very much carved, and others of red feathers, with distended
mouths, large rows of sharks’ teeth, and pearl-shell eyes. He also
saw several bundles, apparently of human bones, cleaned carefully,
tied up with cinet made of cocoa-nut fibres, and placed in different
parts of the house, together with some rich shawls and other
valuable articles, probably worn by those to whom the bones
belonged, as the wearing apparel and other personal property of the
chiefs is generally buried with them. When he had gratified his
curiosity, and had taken a drawing of the building and some of its
appendages, he proceeded to examine other remarkable objects of
the place.
Adjoining the Hare o Keave to the southward, he found a Pahio
tabu (sacred enclosure) of considerable extent, and was informed by
his guide that it was one of the Pohonuas of Hawaii, of which he had
often heard the chiefs and others speak. There are only two on the
island—the one which he was then examining, and another at
Waipio on the north-east part of the island, in the district of Kohala.
These Pohonuas were the Hawaiian cities of refuge, and afforded
an inviolable sanctuary to the guilty fugitive, who, when flying from
the avenging spear, was so favoured as to enter their precincts.
They had several wide entrances, some on the side next the sea, the
others facing the mountains. Hither the manslayer, the man who had
broken a tabu, or failed in the observance of its rigid requirements,
the thief, and even the murderer, fled from his incensed pursuers,
and was secure. To whomsoever he belonged, and from whatever
part he came, he was equally certain of admittance, though liable to
be pursued even to the gates of the enclosure. Happily for him,
those gates were perpetually open; and, as soon as the fugitive had
entered, he repaired to the presence of the idol, and made a short
ejaculatory address, expressive of his obligations to him in reaching
the place with security. Whenever war was proclaimed, and during
the period of actual hostilities, a white flag was unfurled on the top of
a tall spear at each end of the enclosure; and until the conclusion of
peace waved the symbol of hope to those who, vanquished in fight,
might flee thither for protection. It was fixed a short distance from the
walls on the outside, and to the spot on which this banner was
unfurled the victorious warrior might chase his routed foes, but here
he must himself fall back; beyond it he must not advance one step,
on pain of forfeiting his life; the priests and their adherents would
immediately put to death any one who should have the temerity to
follow or molest those who were once within the pale of the pahio
tabu, and, as they expressed it, under the shade or protection of the
spirit of Keave, the tutelar deity of the place.
In one part of the enclosure, houses were formerly erected for the
priests, and others for the refugees, who, after a certain period, or at
the cessation of war, were dismissed by the priests, and returned
unmolested to their dwellings and families, no one venturing to injure
those who, when they fled to the gods, had been by them protected.
Mr. Ellis could not learn the length of time it was necessary for them
to remain in the Pohonuas, but it did not appear to be more than two
or three days. After that they either attached themselves to the
service of the priests, or returned to their homes.
 CHAPTER XXVIII.

A Samoan inquest—Carrying a body about—Embalming in Samoa—

Samoan grave fires—Catching a spirit—New Zealand burial
customs—The Sexton in Borneo—Dayak funerals—Funeral
customs of the Sea Dayaks—Tombs in the air—Exorcising the
evil spirit—Cruel treatment of widows—The “village of the
dead”—The place of skulls—Praying to the dead—Ojibbeway
mourners—Disposing of the property of the dead—A Chippewa
ghost story—An invisible presence—A spirited ghost—Veneration
for the dead—A royal funeral—The death dance—The last of the
“Stung Serpent.”
n Samoa, another of the Polynesian islands, it is considered a
disgrace to the family of an aged chief if he is not buried
alive· “When an old man feels sick and infirm,” says the
missionary Turner, “and thinks he is dying, he deliberately
tells his children and friends to get all ready and bury him.
They yield to his wishes, dig a round deep pit, wind a number of fine
mats round his body, and lower down the poor old heathen into his
grave in a sitting posture. Live pigs are then brought and tied, each
with a separate cord, the one end of the cord to the pig and the other
to the arm of the old man. The cords are then cut in the middle,
leaving the one half hanging at the arm of the old man, and off the
pigs are taken to be killed and baked for the burial feast. The old
man, however, is still supposed to take the pigs with him to the world
of spirits. The greater the chief the more numerous the pigs, and the
more numerous the pigs the better the reception in their Hades of
heathenism. The poor old man thus wound up, furnished with his pig
strings, and covered over with some more mats, is all ready. His
grave is then filled up, and his dying groans are drowned amid the
weeping and the wailing of the living.
“This revolting custom of burying alive is, as I have noted, not
confined to infants and the aged. If a person in sickness shows signs
of delirium, his grave is dug, and he is buried forthwith, to prevent
the disease spreading to other members of the family. A young man
in the prime of life was thus buried lately. He burst up the grave and
escaped. He was caught and forced into the grave again. A second
time he struggled to the surface, and they led him to the bush,
lashed him fast to a tree, and left him there to die.
“Whenever the eye is fixed in death the house becomes a scene
of indescribable lamentation and wailing. ‘Oh! my father, why did you
not let me die, and you live here still?’ ‘Oh! my brother, why have you
run away and left your only brother to be trampled upon?’ ‘Oh! my
child, had I known you were going to die! Of what use is it for me to
survive you?’ These and other doleful cries may be heard two
hundred yards from the house; and as you go near you find that they
are accompanied by the most frantic expressions of grief, such as
rending garments, tearing the hair, thumping the face and eyes,
burning the body with small piercing firebrands, beating the head
with stones till the blood runs; and this they called an ”offering of
blood for the dead.” Every one acquainted with the historical parts of
the Bible will here observe remarkable coincidences. After an hour or
so, the more boisterous wailing subsides, and, as in that climate the
corpse must be buried in a few hours, preparations are made without
delay. The body is laid out on a mat oiled with scented oil, and, to
modify the cadaverous look, they tinge the oil for the face with a little
turmeric. The body is then wound up with several folds of native
cloth, the chin propped up with a little bundle of the same material,
and the face and head left uncovered, while for some hours longer
the body is surrounded by weeping relatives. If the person has died
of a complaint which has carried off some other members of the
family, they will probably open the body to search for the disease.
Any inflamed substance they happen to find they take away and
burn, thinking that this will prevent any other members of the family
being affected with the same disease. This is done when the body is
laid in the grave.
“While a dead body is in the house no food is taken under the
same roof. The family have their meals outside, or in another house.
Those who attended the deceased were formerly most careful not to
handle food, and for days were fed by others as if they were helpless
infants. Baldness and the loss of teeth were supposed to be the
punishment inflicted by the household, if they violated the rule.
Fasting was common at such times, and they who did so, ate
nothing during the day, but had a meal at night, reminding us of what
David said when mourning the death of Abner: ‘So do God to me
and more also, if I taste bread or aught else till the sun be down.’
The fifth day was a day of purification. They bathed the face and
hands with hot water, and then they were clean, and resumed the
usual time and mode of eating.
“The death of a chief of high rank was attended with great
excitement and display: all work was suspended in the settlement;
no stranger dared to pass through the place. For days they kept the
body unburied, until all the different parties connected with that
particular clan assembled from various parts of the island, and until
each party had in turn paraded the body, shoulder high, through the
village, singing at the same time some mournful dirge. The body, too,
was wrapped up in the best robe, viz., the most valuable fine mat
clothing which the deceased possessed. Great respect is still shown
to chiefs on these occasions, and there was a recent instance of
something like a thirty days’ mourning; but the body is seldom
paraded about the settlements now-a-days.
“The burial generally takes place the day after death. As many
friends as can be present in time attend. Every one brings a present;
and the day after the funeral, these presents are all so distributed
again as that every one goes away with something in return for what
he brought. Formerly, the body was buried without a coffin, except in
the cases of chiefs; but now it is quite common to cut off the ends of
some canoe belonging to the family, and make a coffin of it. The
body being put into this rude encasement, all is done up again in
some other folds of native cloth, and carried on the shoulders of four
or five men to the grave. The friends follow, but in no particular order;
and at the grave again there was often further wailing, and
exclamations such as, “Alas! I looked to you for protection, but you
have gone away! why did you die! would that I had died for you!”
Since the introduction of Christianity, all is generally quiet at the
grave. The missionary, or some native teacher appointed by him,
attends, reads a portion of Scripture, delivers an address, and
engages in prayer, that the living may consider and prepare for the
time to die. The grave is called the last resting place; and in the case
of chiefs the house is thatched with the leaves of sandal wood,
alluding to the custom of planting some tree with pretty foliage near
the grave. Attempts have been made to get a place set apart as the
village burying-ground, but it is difficult to carry it out. All prefer laying
their dead among the ashes of their ancestors, on their own
particular ground. As the bones of Joseph were carried from Egypt to
Canaan, so did the Samoans carry the skulls of their dead from a
land where they had been residing during war, back to the graves of
their fathers as soon as possible after peace was proclaimed. The
grave is often dug close by the house. They make it about four feet
deep; and, after spreading it with mats like a comfortable bed, there
they place the body, with the head to the rising of the sun and the
feet to the west. With the body they deposit several things which
may have been used to answer the purpose of a pickaxe in digging
the grave; not that they think these things of any use to the dead, but
it is supposed that if they are left and handled by others, further
disease and death will be the consequence. Other mats are spread
over the body, on these a layer of white sand from the beach, and
then they fill up the grave.
 A Samoan Sepulchre.
“The spot is marked by a little heap of stones a foot or two high.
The grave of a chief is nearly built up in an oblong slanting form,
about three feet high at the foot and four at the head. White stones
or shells are intermixed with the top layer; and if he has been a
noted warrior, his grave may be surrounded with spears, or his gun
laid loosely on the top.”
Embalming, the same authority informs us, is known and
practised with surprising skill in one particular family of Samoan
chiefs. Unlike the Egyptian method, as described by Herodotus, it is
performed in Samoa exclusively by women. The viscera being
removed and buried, they day after day anoint the body with a
mixture of oil and aromatic juices, and they continue to puncture the
body all over with fine needles. In about two months the process of
desiccation is completed. The hair, which had been cut off and laid
aside at the commencement of the operation, is now glued carefully
on to the scalp by a resin from the bush. The abdomen is filled up
with folds of native cloth, the body is wrapped up with the same
material, and laid out on a mat, leaving the hands, face, and head
exposed.
A house is built for the purpose, and there the body is placed with
a sheet of native cloth loosely thrown over it. Now and then the face
is oiled with a mixture of scented oil and turmeric, and passing
strangers are freely admitted to see the remains of the departed. At
present there are four bodies laid out in this way in a house
belonging to the family to which we refer—viz., a chief, his wife, and
two sons. They are laid on a platform, raised on a double canoe. It
must be upwards of thirty years since some of them were embalmed,
and although thus exposed they are in a remarkable state of
preservation. They assign no particular reason for this embalming,
further than that it is the expression of their affection to keep the
bodies of the departed still with them as if they were alive.
On the evening of the burial of any important chief, his friends
kindled a number of fires at a distance of some twenty feet from
each other, near the grave, and there they sat and kept them burning
till morning light. This was continued sometimes for ten days after
the funeral; it was also done before the burial. In the house where
the body lay, or out in front of it, fires were kept burning all night by
the immediate relatives of the departed. The common people had a
similar custom. After burial they kept a fire blazing in the house all
night, and had the space between the house and the grave so
cleared as that a stream of light went forth all night from the fire to
the grave. Whether this had its origin in any custom of burning the
dead body, like the ancient Greeks, it is impossible now to ascertain.
The probability, however, is that it had not. The account the
Samoans give of it, is, that it was merely a light-burning in honour of
the departed, and a mark of tender regard: just as we may suppose
the Jews did after the death of Asa, when it is said they made a very
great burning for him. Those commentators who hold that this and
one or two other passages refer to a Jewish mark of respect, and not