Three sacred forks (i saga) for eating human flesh, as used until mid-20th century

The Fijians traditionally offered the bodies and souls of enemies killed in battle to the war gods of their clans. Parts of the cooked human flesh were ceremonially fed to the chief and the priest. As it could not be handled, these sacred forks were used.

All of the forks are four-pronged. Two have bulbous handles, one elaborately decorated, and the third has a long thin handle and was probably made from the spear that killed the enemy.

Ritual cannibalism was common until Fiji was colonised in the late 1800s. The ceremony occurred in the spirit-house (temple), and the food was considered sacred and powerful. The chief and priest ate it as representatives of the war god.

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Online ID:	000-180-000-791-C
Image Rights Holder:	National Museums Scotland
Project:	0504: National Museums Scotland Part 2 Project description \| View all records in project
Ref:	National Museums Scotland
Date:	Late 19th and early to mid 20th century
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References:	University of California, Los Angeles Museum and Laboratories of Ethnic Arts and Technology . Art of New Guinea: Sepik, Maprik and Highlands. Los Angeles, UCLA, 1967.
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