Life and Adventure in the South Pacific

by John D. Jones

They have six children; the eldest son, Canker, as we have already remarked, is next in rank to the king. He is about twenty-six years of age, and is reported to be a perfect villain, yet is very kind to the natives under him. He is a shrewd fellow to trade, and is always begging from the sailors. The second son, Aleck, is a young man about nineteen, and is a remarkably intelligent native. He is universally beloved by all, both chiefs and natives. He speaks better English than any native on the island, and appears to have a strong desire to know “all ’bout ’Merick.” Although so young, he is the father of three fine children, two noble boys and a girl; and his wife is a very kind, good-natured creature. He resides on the north side of the island, and has a beautiful place. The other children of the king are young, two daughters and two sons. Even these children command the same respect from the common natives as the chiefs, yet they play with them in common.

The first, or war-chief; is Sekane, who is the king’s half-brother. He also is a very intelligent native, very active, and is considered the king’s prime minister and counselor. Next comes Cæsar, who is also half-brother to the king—a large, noble-looking native. He is the grand executioner, and when any poor native has violated a law, the punishment of which is death, he officiates. There are two or three other high chiefs, possessed of no remarkable traits.

The natives are rather diminutive in stature, but active when occasion requires. They live in great simplicity. The females are remarkably good-looking; but, owing to their practice of squatting to their work, and remaining in that posture most of the time, are very awkward in walking. Their ears are bored when quite young, and the hole is made larger by inserting in it a roll of leaves, which causes it to enlarge as they advance in years. They generally have them fitted with a bunch of flowers, of which they are passionately fond. Many of them have their noses pierced, and flowers inserted therein. They are generally employed making tappas, or, as they call them in English, “Strong’s Island trowsers,” for the chiefs to whom they belong. Tappa is manufactured from the fibres of the banana-tree, colored with different barks to suit their taste, and woven, by means of a small but ingenious loom, into bands of four or five feet in length, and eight or ten inches in width, with the different colors very ingeniously and beautifully intermixed. The body and principal part of the tappa is black, and comprises all the dress worn by the men or women, from the king down. Sometimes, however, the king and chiefs indulge in the luxury of a calico shirt; but the “court dress,” the red woolen shirt, is only worn on great occasions. The females, also, will sometimes sport a gingham shirt, if they are lucky enough to be presented with one by the chief to whom they belong. Their crinoline, however, is not very extensive.

The men are employed cutting wood for their respective chiefs, building houses, making canoes, gathering fruit, etc. Their food consists principally of fish, bread-fruit, fayees, cocoanuts, and other fruit. The fish are generally eaten raw, and smell rather high before they use them.

STRONG’S ISLAND HOUSES.

Their houses are built of bamboo, thatched with cocoanut leaves. The king’s house is very large, being fifty or sixty feet high, and about forty feet square. Some of the chiefs have also very large, roomy houses. The common ones for the natives are from thirty to forty feet high, and about twenty feet square. They are kept very neat. In the centre of the house is a square stone fireplace. The king and chiefs have large cook-houses, where all the cooking of the different tribes is done, and each family is served once a day. Each chief has from fifty to two hundred natives under him, including men, women, and children.

No one of the natives is allowed more than one wife, and when the marriage ceremony is performed (which is done by the king for the chiefs, and by the chiefs for the common natives), the girl is “given away” by the one who officiates, and is then tabooed. The penalty of breaking this taboo is death; therefore there is not much fear but that she will remain faithful to her husband.

Each chief is allowed a certain portion of land, which is cultivated by the natives under him. The produce is taken to the king, who retains a portion for himself and ships, if any are in the harbor, and the remaining portion is distributed to the chiefs for their tribes. Their sports consist of songs, dances, and feasts. They do not appear to be a very warlike people, as they have no weapons of any account, and but four or five war-canoes. These are about sixty feet long and three wide. They are supplied with large outriggers to prevent their capsizing, and will carry from sixty to seventy natives. They are built very true and sharp, the bow and stern considerably elevated, and are fancifully decorated with shells and other ornaments. The smaller canoes are generally bread-fruit-tree logs shaped properly, and burned and dug out. They build them of all sizes, from those that will carry but a single person to larger ones that will carry twenty. It is indeed surprising to see with what dexterity they manage them.