The Voyage of Francois Pyrard of Laval to the East Indies, the Maldives,
the Moluccas and Brazil
Francois Pyrard de Laval
1611
translated into English in 1887 from the third French edition of 1619 by Albert Gray assisted by H.C.P. Bell
Vol. 1 Chapter
22
Various judgments passed for adultery, lewdness, and other crimes.
- Amorous humour of the Indian women. - Of the Grand Fandiyaru; and the strange
resolution of a Mulatto.
The
Hindu Canarin from Cochin
I shall now relate various occurrences
that happened during my time to particular inhabitants of the island; among others,
to a Hindu Canarin of Cochin, a man of great means and position. For eight whole
years he had come and gone about the islands, having everywhere houses, factors,
and domestics, speaking the language quite well, and being, in fact, naturalised.
One day this man was surprised lying with a woman of the islands. He had kept
her for six months, and she was but a poor servant girl. He was presently hauled
with her before the Grand Fandiyaru, to whom he protested that he had done her
no manner of harm; that he desired to become of their faith, and would marry the
woman. This was done, and he became a moslem; and it appeared that he had for
a long time desired this end, for that he owed much money at Cochin, as to which
he became bankrupt. He espoused this woman and made a great lady of her: for there,
strangers, both men and women, can wear whatever they please.
When
he made the promise he was set free, but upon her judgment was passed according
to the law: all her hair was shaved, then she was bathed in old and stinking oil,
her head put in an old sack of sail-cloth, and then she was beaten at all the
cross-roads and round the island. This is their manner of punishing all men and
women taken in adultery or fornication. But there, as here in France, money does
everything and saves from everything.
As for the conversion of the
man, he was borne in triumph through the streets and round the island, accompanied
by the greatest lords, and by the people of all sorts and conditions; he was presented
with much money and raiment and a new name: for there, names are given at pleasure
and by whomsoever, be it father, mother, kindred, or even the first comer; and
also at any time, and not only at birth or circumcision, insomuch that it seemed
to me they give names as we do here to dogs and horses: for the name first given
by whomsoever is the one that sticks to a man. The king likewise granted dignities
to the new convert, making him purveyor and distributor of all the rice and other
provisions and merchandise wherein the king trafficked. It is a highly honourable
office, and he had other men under him.
The
Arabian Fandiyaru, Chief Judge
The Fandiyaru that passed
the said judgment was a Sherif of Arabia, that is, one of a family the most respected
and noble among these people, as being of the race of Muhammad. He was a very
good man, and was greatly beloved of the king. He had great goodwill toward strangers,
and blamed the king for, among other things, his evil treatment of us, seeing
that we were their friends, and enemies of the Portuguese, and that the kings
of Acheh, Java, and other countries gave a cordial reception to all Europeans,
such as the French, English, and Dutch, as he had observed in those countries
which he had visited.
To which the king replied that he was much displeased
with him; that such counsel came not well from him, but from the lords and elders
of the island. This Fandiyaru was returning to Arabia from Acheh, where he had
been well received, and, loaded with much wealth, was returning with it; but on
passing through the islands the king heard of it, and so besought him to remain,
that he at length consented, and became so familiar with the king as to be permitted
to eat with him, an honour never done to any other person.
Prosecution
of women for sexual behaviour
While this Fandiyaru was in
office I saw him one day do examplary justice on a large number of women. They
were about twenty-five or thirty in number, some of the greatest ladies in the
land, who were accused of a crime whereof I never heard tell before; it is practised
only at the Maldives, and is called 'fui tallan'. Evidently they use a certain
fruit, which grows there, called a 'kela' by them, 'banana' by us, which is roughly
as long as the palm of a hand and as thick as the forearm of a ten year old boy,
which they use in so repulsive, shameful and monstrous way that I am ashamed to
say any more about it.
In truth, the women of all India are naturally
much addicted to every kind of ordinary lewdness; but those of the Maldives in
particular are so tainted with this vice that they have no other talk or occupation,
and hold it a boast and a virtue one with another to have some bravo or gallant,
upon whom they lavish all such favours and tokens of love as a man could wish
of a woman.
Among other things, they never let them want for betel,
prepared and served in some elaborate and extraordinary style, with some cloves
put inside, or else a little black seed, the most tasty, odoriferous, and pleasant
to the mouth that can be conceived. As for the men, they cull flowers and arrange
them neatly in the manner of bouquets, and send them to the ladies out of gallantry.
There are certain white flowers (probably 'temple flowers', michelia champaka)
of a full scent on which they can write and grave what they will with the point
of a knife, and thereon they write three or four verses on the subject of their
passions.
Money and other valuable things they give not much to one
another; and when these are given, it is more on the part of the women than of
the men. To the women the men are exceedingly courteous and obliging. Many reasons
may be assigned for the fact that the women are of a disposition so hot and amorous;
but the principal seem to me to be that they are exceedingly lazy, and do nothing
but ever lie rocked in daintiness.
Next, that they are continually
eating betel, a very heating herb; and in their ordinary fare use so many spices
that sometimes I could hardly put the food to my mouth; also garlic, onions, and
other such heating things. Add to this, that the climate is directly under the
line, a condition which renders the men more sluggish and less capable; yet for
all that, most have two or three wives apiece - I mean such as can afford to keep
them. They are also lazy, idle fellows, more like women, their chiefest exercise
being to lie abed with them, and then more often with desire than effect.
But to return to the justice done upon those women: two at first were taken in
the act, one of whom was married to one of the king's chief officers, and he loved
her dearly. Now, their law and custom obtains that when a king's officer or any
of his family is a delinquent, before proceeding to justice the Grand Fandiyaru
sends word to the king, asking if it be his pleasure that the process be according
to the ordinary forms. This the king never refuses. So the Grand Fandiyaru, having
informed the king of the conduct of the two women, the king replied that he willed
justice to be done, not only upon these two, but upon many others, who, as he
had heard, had for a long while been engaged in this business, and that a strict
inquisition should be made.
Forthwith, too, he sent the husband of
one of the women, with two of his most intimate advisers, to assist at the inquiry
and trial, and bade them expressly tell the Fandiyaru to omit no part of his orders,
for that if any remained unpunished, he would take the law into his own hands;
insomuch that all the people incontinently assembled from all parts of the island,
and even the highest grandees came, many of whom to prosecute their own wives.
During this procedure the king had all the doors of his palace closed, so that
none should enter to beg the royal favour towards his wife: thus was equal justice
done. The poor wretches all accused one another, and even the men who had personal
or hearsay knowledge of it, brought them forward, and named aloud whose wives
they were. About thirty of these women were publicly punished; first they had
their hair cut - a mark of great infamy with them; then they were beaten with
thick thonged whips of leather, in such wise that two or three died. Thereafter
all were absolved, with a warning that if they returned to these practices they
should be drowned. Subsequently, however, I saw certain of the same party who
were again arrested, and were not drowned, but only beaten with those whips which
are called 'gleau' (possibly 'chabooku', now known as 'dhurraa').
Homosexual behaviour among men
The
sin of man and man is very common, and though the book of their law prescribes
the penalty of death, yet they heed not that; and nowhere in the world are these
enormities more common and less punished; wherein may be seen the curse and wrath
of God upon these wretches, who are led by the falsity and unrighteousness of
their law to fall into the abyss of these horrible vices.
Ethiopian/Maldivian
criminal helps with his own amputations
About the same time,
I saw justice done upon a youth of seventeen years of age. He was the son of an
Ethiopian kafir and of a woman of the islands, such a one being called mulatto.
He had the greatest resolution and courage that I was ever witness of, for alone
he had the assurance to attack six or seven other men. He became so mischievous,
that with a single companion he went about the islands in a boat, thieving and
harrying whatever he could, and assaulting the poor folk in cruel fashion. But
at length he was caught, and had his right-hand cut off.
While he
was being punished, I saw no change upon his countenance, nor did he utter the
slightest cry, no more than if he was feeling nothing. This punishment in no way
changed his humour, for he was no sooner healed than he returned to his former
courses, insomuch than when he was caught again they were constrained to cut off
his left foot, whereof he made no more account than of his first: for his resolution
was such that he himself taught the man that was cutting him how he ought to do
it, without ever showing any trace of pain. He had by him a vessel full of boiling
coconut oil, into which he himself thrust his leg, all as though it had been cold
water. I think that such determined courage has never been seen in a boy.
Withal, his evil nature so led him to larceny that no sooner was his leg healed
than he took to crawling out at night to commit robberies. He was also horribly
addicted to sodomy; so at length the king was forced to send him into exile, and
to put him to death.
Grand Fandiyaru
leaves for Arabia
But to return to the Grand Fandiyaru who
carried out so many executions. After remaining a short time longer at the island,
he got leave to go to Arabia, with a ship laden with great riches; but his departure
was not without much sorrow on the part of the king and all the people, who regretted
him extremely, for he was there regarded as a saint. He made fair promises of
returning, but for all that had no mind to. His successor in the office was one
who had espoused the sister of the chief queen, and was a great noble and of good
family: he died in Arabia, as I have said.
Such is what I have been
able to note and remember of the most memorable events which took place at the
Maldive islands during the time I was there; and before finishing this chapter
I shall further say that during the five or six years I was at that king's court
I saw nearly his whole government changed, and the greater part of the officers
of his household and court come by their deaths in various ways. This often gave
me a foreboding that the end and period of his government was drawing nigh.
Eclipse of the sun at Male', 1605
Also I must
not forget to mention that I saw happen there a great eclipse of the sun at high
noon (this was in the year 1605, on 12th October), which lasted three hours. All
the people were greatly astonished, and cried and howled in strange fashion, saying
that it was an evil omen, and signified that they should lose the greatest of
them. And, indeed, in the same year, one of the king's wives died in childbed,
and soon after the king himself was vanquished and slain, and all his estate was
overthrown, as I shall relate in the chapter following. They all carefully observed
the day, hour, and minute of the eclipse, and it was recorded in the public archives.
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Presidency of Mohamed Nasheed 
