IDNO

P.87281.VH

Description

Raphael Tuck & Sons postcard (1924) of Beqa island firewalkers, dressed for the occasion.
Fiji government public relations photograph. [Fergus Clunie, 26/7/2003]

Place

Oceania Polynesia; Fiji; Beqa Island

Cultural Affliation

Named Person

Photographer

Raphael Tuck & Sons Ltd [Publishers]

Collector / Expedition

von Hügel, Anatole (Baron)

Date

circa 1920 - 1924

Collection Name

Von Hugel Collection

Source

Format

Postcard Black & White

Primary Documentation

Other Information

P.87278.VH to P.87283.VH were in the print envelope now numbered C512/1/. This envelope came from the Museum’s paper archive envelope VH1/4/7, which has now been re-numbered C512/.

Publication: On Rod Ewins’ internet site ‘www.justpacific.com’:
““A Group of Firewalkers”.
Tuck’s Post Card. Publisher Raphael Tuck & Sons Ltd., Art Publishers to Their Majesties the King and Queen”. No date, but probably around 1920. Very possibly photographed at the same time and place as the previous one [P.87282.VH] On the reverse has the caption: “The family of firewalkers prepared for the ceremony - only one family on one island possesses the mysterious secret of walking bare-footed on red hot stones.”
In fact several villages on the island practice it, not one family.*
* [See Rajotte & Bigay (eds) 1981, “Beqa: Island of Firewalkers” Suva: IPS, University of the South Pacific]” [Alex Nadin, 30/9/2003]

Publication: A duplicate of this postcard is on the website ‘www.justpacific.com’ in the section concerning the photographs used on Fijian postcards. [Alex Nadin, 30/9/2003]

Publication: Plate from a 1920s -1930s edition of the official colonial Handbook of Fiji. [Fergus Clunie, 26/7/2003]

This print has been catalogued with the support of the Getty Grant Program One. [Alex Nadin, 30/9/2003]