Woman of Caroline Islands.SOUTH SEA ISLANDS.
Woman of Caroline Islands.
Woman of Caroline Islands.
Woman of Caroline Islands.
Among these numerous islands there is a general resemblance of habits and manners. Their dwellings are small huts covered with matting, and their furniture consists of a few gourds, cocoa-nut shells, lances, slings, fishing-nets, and low wooden stools, of black or brown wood, neatly inlaid with ivory obtained from whale’s teeth; these latter articles serve both for seats and pillows. The floor is strewed with soft grass, covered with mats, on which all the inmates of the house sleep without distinction.
The clothing of both sexes is a species of cloth made from the bark of the paper-mulberry tree, calledtapaorgnatoo. The common class wear a strip of this cloth fastened about the hips and falling below the knees. The wealthy sometimes have their garments trailing on the ground, because an ample drapery, particularly if it be very fine and delicate, is considered an indication of high rank. The upper part of the person is usually entirely exposed; but on some occasions a mantle oftapais thrown over the shoulders. In some places mats are worn, one before and the other behind, fastened about the hips with a cord of curious straw work. These mats are made of native flax, very fine and silky, and woven with great neatness and ingenuity. Sometimes the edges are ornamented with stripes of various colors, or with black diamonds, colored with the husk of cocoa-nuts. In several of the islands, one small square apron of this description constitutes all the clothing; and a broad leaf, or a wreath of leaves, often supplies the place even of this slight garment. The women of New Caledonia and New Hebrides wear a short, clumsy-looking petticoat made of the filaments of the plantain tree, about eight inches long, fastened to a very long cord which is passed several times around the waist, until the filaments lie one above another, several inches in thickness. The queens in the Sandwich islands sometimes wear cloaks, or mantles, made of feathers of various colors, and arranged in all manner of beautiful patterns; but this magnificent dress is worn only by people of the highest rank.
In some of the islands, the women, when they go abroad, hold a green bough, or a banana leaf, over their heads, by way of parasol; or sit down and weave little bonnets of matting or cocoa-leaves, whenever they have need of them. The belles occasionally decorate themselves with fanciful turbans of fine whitegnatoo, among which their shining black ringlets are very tastefully arranged. Sometimes they wear a curious kind of head-dress made of human hair, in braids nearly as fine as sewing silk; these braids have been seen more than a mile long, without a knot. Superb coronets of plumes are worn on state occasions by people of distinction.
European fashions were adopted with great eagerness; and their ignorance of the appropriate use of imported articles often led them into the most grotesque blunders. Mr. Stewart says he has seen a native woman of high rank, and monstrous size, going to church in a fine white muslin dress, with a heavy silver-headed cane, an immense French chapeau, thick woodman’s shoes, and no stockings. But they soon learned better. In those islands that carry on a traffic with Europe and America, the royal family now have their walking dresses, dinner dresses, and evening dresses, of velvet, satin, or crape, in the most approved style; and their wooden stools are changed for sofas and pillows covered with morocco or damask.
In nearly all the South Sea islands, it is the custom to make an incision in the lobe of each ear, into which they introduce large rolls of leaves, sometimes coveredwith a very thin plate of tortoise shell, cylindrical pieces of ivory three inches long, or bits of wood, from which they suspend shells, or the teeth of fishes. Sometimes these heavy ornaments distend the ears so much, that the lobes nearly touch the shoulders; and sometimes they are torn asunder, and hang in two slips. These people are exceedingly fond of flowers, which they wear sometimes inserted in the upper edge of the ear, sometimes thrust through the cartilage of the nose, and sometimes woven in beautiful garlands, around the head or the neck. They place peculiar value on necklaces of whale’s teeth, strung in such a manner that the largest come in front, while the others gradually decrease in size toward the back of the neck. When the string is drawn, the pointed extremities diverge, and form a handsome contrast with their dark brown skins. Both sexes are about equally fond of finery. The men of the South Sea islands consider profuse tattooing an indication of rank; and some of them appear to be covered with a permanent suit of embroidery from the crown of the head to the sole of the foot. The women are much less addicted to this practice. Some have their hands tattooed, like embroidered gloves; the feet and ankles of others are stained to resemble ornamented half-boots; while others have merely a few dots on the tip of the tongue, or the palm of the hand. In the Feejee islands only the women are tattooed, while the men are not.
The hair of the South Sea islanders is remarkablyblack, glossy, and beautiful. Some have attributed this to the circumstance of their being so much in the salt water; and others have supposed it might be owing to the constant use of cocoa-nut oil. In some islands they rub the hair frequently with lemon-juice, which is said to give it a peculiar lustre. In many places the natural beauty of their tresses is concealed by an artificial color, generally brown or purple, but in a few instances of a deep orange hue. In the Sandwich islands several women have been seen, with hair stained rose-color; these women cut their hair short, comb it back in front, and plaster it with a kind of lime made of burnt shells, so that there is always a white circle round the forehead, contrasting strongly with their dark skins. In the Feejee islands they likewise powder the hair with ashes of the bread-fruit leaf, or stiffen it with pulverized lime. But generally, throughout these islands, they wear the hair long and smooth, tied up behind in a neat and tasteful manner, or suffered to float gracefully over the shoulders. No small degree of coquetry is shown in playing with it, and throwing it out upon the wind.
Complexion varies in the different islands from deep copper-color to light olive. The natives of the Marquesas have light brown complexions, so clear that the mantling blush may be distinctly seen. They generally have fine teeth, expressive features, remarkably delicate hands and arms, and large sparkling eyes, with long glossy eyelashes. These women are considered pre-eminent among the SouthSea islanders for beauty of face and figure. When they become tanned, they have a method of bleaching the skin with the juices of certain plants. The first effect of this cosmetic is a very dark appearance; but they remain in the house, covered up with mats, until it can be washed off, and then the skin becomes very fair. This is considered a necessary preparation for great festivals, though it often costs the ladies several days of seclusion.
In Otaheite they have graceful forms, teeth white and regular, bright black eyes, pale brown complexions, and a skin remarkable for its softness; but the custom of widening the face by continual pressure during infancy gives it a broad and masculine look.
Notwithstanding the practice of frequent bathing, the inhabitants of nearly all the Polynesian islands are much afflicted with cutaneous disorders.
These islanders are, in general, very particular about cleaning their mouths, and frequently rub their teeth with charcoal, or the husk of cocoa-nut. They bathe at sunrise and sunset; and if removed from the vicinity of the sea, they have water poured over them plentifully from cocoa-nut shells. After this, they generally anoint themselves with cocoa-nut oil, perfumed with the aroma of flowers; some color it with the juice of the tumeric, which makes it a pale yellow, or with the burnt root, which produces a deep orange. Wealthy people anoint themselves with oil of sandal-wood. White men, who salute the ladies of the South sea, are sometimes betrayed by a transfer of yellow and orange tints to their own faces.
Throughout these islands, they salute each other by rubbing noses, or touching the nose to the forehead, as if smelling. Our mode of expressing affection seems to them very ridiculous, and they call it, in derision, “the white man’s kiss.” At Radack it is considered indecorous for any but husband and wife to salute each other after the fashion of their country, and even they never do it before strangers.
Sensuality is the prevailing characteristic of the South Sea islanders. The licentiousness of their habits and manners, unchecked by nearness of relationship, and unrestrained by any sense of decency, is too gross to be described. A child not unfrequently finds its mother and aunt, or mother and grandmother, in the same individual. The Sandwich islands and the Society islands have maintained a shameful pre-eminence in this respect; and the evil has been much increased by the frequent visits of European and American vessels. Some of the islands furnish an agreeable exception to these remarks. The women of the Tonga islands are said to be very modest and reserved. They take great care of their children; and their girls are early taught many little ornamental accomplishments, such as plaiting flowers in various fanciful devices, as presents for their fathers, brothers, and superior chiefs. Voyagers have likewise described the women of Radack and New Caledonia as decent in their deportment and bashful about mixing with strangers. The natives of the Pelew islands are characterized by an uncommon degree of virtue and decorum, and their manners,though simple and untutored, are remarkably delicate and obliging.
Gluttony is a prevailing fault in most of the islands of the Pacific. The wealthy class, who can freely indulge their appetites, attain to a size quite as unwieldy as the Moorish women. It is mentioned of one of the queens of the Sandwich islands, that she was in the habit of eating so inordinately, that she remained sluggish for the remainder of the day, and it became necessary for attendants to rub her continually. Mr. Stewart speaks of seeing one of the king’s wives greedily devouring a large living fish, while the blood spirted over her face, and the poor animal wreathed its fins about her head in expiring agony.
Cannibalism prevails in nearly all the islands. The flesh of women and children is preferred to that of men; and captives taken in war are often devoted to this dreadful purpose. In some of the islands this practice is abolished.
Infanticide is of common occurrence in many of the South Sea islands. In Radack, on account of scarcity of provisions, no woman is allowed to bring up more than three children; if she has more than this number, she is herself obliged to bury them alive; the families of chiefs only are exempted from this horrible necessity. Among the warlike inhabitants of New Zealand, boys are of course prized more highly than girls; and when mothers have several daughters in succession, they do not hesitate to destroy them as soon as they are born. When achief is very ill, it is customary to strangle the infant child of some female slave, or inferior person, from the idea that it will propitiate the gods. Mr. Mariner relates an instance of this kind that occurred while he was in the Tonga islands. The mother, having some forebodings of what was to be done, hid her babe. But it was discovered, and carried off by some men, who ordered the poor woman to be held back by force, to prevent her from following them. When the child heard her voice, he began to cry; but when arrived at the place of execution, he was so much pleased with the bright band ofgnatooabout to be tied round his neck, that he looked up and laughed with delight. This excited so much pity, that even the executioner could not help saying, “Poor little innocent!” Two men pulled the cords, and the smiling little victim was soon deprived of life. In some instances, mothers whose children have been thus destroyed have become crazy, and never recovered their senses.
In the Marquesas and Caroline islands, infanticide is a thing unknown. Even in New Zealand, and in other places where this shocking custom prevails and is justified, the children they do rear are cherished with the most indulgent tenderness, and no difference of treatment is observable toward sons or daughters.
Mr. Ellis thus describes the conduct of a chief named Tetoro, whom he saw at the Bay of Islands in 1816: “Before we set out on our short excursion, an incident occurred, which greatly raised my estimation of Tetoro’s character. In the front of the hutsat his wife, with two or three children playing around her. In passing from the hut to the boat, he struck one of the little ones with his foot; the child cried, and though the chief had his mat on, and his gun in his hand, and was in the act of stepping into the boat, where we were waiting for him, he no sooner heard its cries, than he turned back, took the child up in his arms, stroked its little head, dried its tears, and giving it to the mother, hastened to join us.”
The unbounded and almost incredible licentiousness that has prevailed in the Sandwich islands and at Otaheite, has produced the natural effect of diminishing parental and maternal love. When it is inconvenient to take care of children, there is no hesitation about killing them; if strangers wish to buy, they are willing to sell them for a string of beads; they generally pay little attention to their cries or sufferings; and if the poor little creatures are very ill, they lay them down upon the sands to die. The introduction of Christianity into these islands is, however, gradually producing a better state of things.
The birth of a son is hailed with the utmost delight. He generally receives the name of some animal, river, or island; but sometimes slight incidents give rise to a name; thus a little girl of the Sandwich islands was called Lealea-hoku, orThe Star Necklace, because she had a necklace made of small steel stars, such as European ladies formerly wore on their shoes.
In New Zealand, fathers take the entire care of boys from the moment they are weaned. The childclasps his little arms about the neck of his parent, and remains suspended on his shoulders, covered with his mat, during the longest journeys and most toilsome occupations. The children are so much accustomed to this position, that they sleep with perfect security.
Infants in this part of the world are nursed a long time. They are often able to run about and talk, before they are weaned. When mothers are busy at their work, they lay them down on a clean mat, and when necessary to carry them about, they fasten them in a sort of satchel at their backs. Little children seldom wear clothing of any kind. In the Marquesas, every child inherits at least one bread-fruit tree from its parents; for if they have no trees in their possession, one is planted as soon as an infant is born, that it may have something for future maintenance. The tree is immediatelytabooed, or forbidden, to every one except the individual for whom it is set apart. Even the parents of the child are not allowed to eat of the fruit, or to dispose of it. Both girls and boys, men and women, hold this species of property with perfect security.
The connections formed in the South Sea islands hardly deserve the name of marriage. They take place with very little ceremony, and are dissolved whenever the husband wishes for a change. A woman often has five or six husbands in succession, without the slightest disparagement to her character; but whether she continues to like her companion or not, she is bound to remain with him till heconsents to a separation. The first time a daughter is married, her parents present a hog, a fowl, or a plantain tree, to their son-in-law, before it is allowable for them to eat of his provisions; but this is not customary when the woman has previously had a husband. In some places the lover offers the bride’s father a present of fruit, fish, or other articles, the value of which depends upon his rank. Chieftains of the higher classes generally give a feast on the occasion of a daughter’s marriage. The bride is loaded with mats of the finest workmanship, anointed with fragrant oil, and veiled in delicate white gnatoo. The guests wear wreaths of flowers, and floating red ribands, resembling silk, made of the fine membrane of a tree. When the father gives his daughter to the bridegroom, he reminds her that she is nowtabooed, or belongs solely and sacredly to her husband. The entertainment concludes with singing, dancing, and wrestling.
If a powerful chief takes a fancy to a girl, he often carries her off by force, and in spite of her resistance; ambitious parents not unfrequently betroth their daughters in infancy to some man of rank, and the contract must afterward be fulfilled; female captives taken in war are always at the disposal of their conquerors; but, generally speaking, mutual inclination constitutes the sole bond of union in all the islands of the Pacific.
At Nukuhiva it is the custom for every woman to have two husbands. Some favorite of a girl’s father becomes her husband, while she is yet very young,and remains under the paternal roof, until she is contracted in marriage to another individual. On this occasion, the wife and her first companion remove to their new residence, and are both supported by the second husband.
In the other islands, polygamy prevails under the more usual form of a plurality of wives. The number varies according to circumstances; the poor seldom have more than one or two; the chiefs sometimes have twelve or fifteen. She who is of the best family is the principal wife; the others are subordinate to her, and her children take precedence of theirs. If the mothers are not noble, the children are never so, whatever may be the rank of their father.
When Mr. Marsden, the missionary, talked with some of the New Zealand chiefs concerning the disadvantages of polygamy, they frankly admitted that they should have a more quiet life with one wife, for their women always quarrelled. The younger wives, particularly if they are handsome, often suffer a great deal from the tyranny of the older ones; and if their rank be inferior, their situation is sometimes most lamentable. All the women, who heard the subject discussed, agreed that it would be far better for each man to have but one wife.
Finow, one of the most powerful of the Tonga chiefs, had a sister, who was a very beautiful and lively girl. She talked much about England, and had a desire to go there to amass a great quantity of beads; but she said she supposed thepapalangimen would not marry a girl with such a brown skin, andit would be a sad pity to leave so many handsome young chiefs in the Tonga islands, for the sake of living unmarried in England. She added, laughing, “I think the white men must be uncommonly kind, good-natured husbands, or else white women must have very little spirit; for if it were not so, they could not live so long together without parting. It is a very good custom to have but one wife, provided the husband loves her; but if he does not, he will only tyrannize over her the more; and then she has not so good a chance to deceive him, as where his attention is divided between five or six.”
Notwithstanding the universal practice of polygamy, there are instances of very strong domestic attachment in the South Sea islands. It is said that the infidelity of a husband or wife has often driven the other party to suicide.
Throughout the South Sea islands a woman may carry on as many amours as she chooses, without incurring any blame, until she is married, and thus becomes an article of property; yet notwithstanding this unpropitious course of education, instances of misconduct after marriage are said to be by no means frequent.
The king’s wives are always guarded by attendants, who keep a strict watch upon their proceedings, and whose lives are responsible for a breach of trust.
Where the parties are of high rank, an unfaithful wife and her paramour are sometimes both strangled and thrown into the sea; but usually the womanreceives a sound beating, and no farther notice is taken of the offence. In the Marquesas, if a husband have just cause of complaint, he can transfer his wife, even against her will, to any man who will take her.
In some of the islands, men form what is called “the bond of friendship” with each other. By this bond, individuals are bound to protect and assist each other under all circumstances; and one friend is expected to resign his wife to the other, whenever he visits his house.
It is a common practice for women of rank to be the adopted mother of some individual for whom their husbands entertain great regard. One of the wives of Finow performed this office for Mr. Mariner during his residence in the Tonga islands, and he owed much of his convenience and comfort to her motherly care.
The women of the Ladrone or Marian islands are of a dark yellow complexion. Their teeth are spoiled by the constant use of betel. They dress modestly, and wear the hair tied very low, almost in the neck. If a man marries a woman whose fortune is superior to his, he performs the menial offices of household labor; he cannot dispose of the smallest article without her permission; and should his temper or habits prove disagreeable, she can leave him, carrying with her all the children and property. If he detects her in misconduct, he may kill the gallant, but has no right to use her ill. Should he, on the contrary, be found guilty of the same fault, his wife collects all the women of the neighborhood, who destroy his garden, his grain, and his dwelling, and beat him like so many furies, if they can find him.
Where the husband and wife possess an equal degree of property, labor and authority is more equally divided. It is not probable that these things are regulated by laws; but where women are upheld by powerful connections, their husbands are compelled to yield to the right of the strongest. According to an ancient law, if the father or brother of a young woman saved a superior from any imminent danger, the latter was required to prove his gratitude by marrying the girl without any dowry. This law was repealed, but by the force of custom it is still generally observed. Disputes between the men are decided by the women; but female disputes are settled by themselves. When champions try their skill in single combat, women adjudge the victory, and present the reward, which usually consists of fruit or linen. Mourning is worn in the Ladrone islands two months for a man, and six months for a woman.
In the South Sea islands men and women never eat together. Women take their food in the same huts in which they sleep; and if any one should presume to enter the eating-houses of the men, she would be immediately strangled and thrown into the sea. Articles of luxury, such as pork, turtle, shark, cocoa-nuts, bananas, or plantains, are forbidden to women. These rigorous prohibitions are disobeyed whenever it can be done secretly. When ships are near the shore, the women often swim off to them in the night, and indulge their appetites by feasting on various forbidden delicacies. Mr. Campbell says that he once saw the queen of the Sandwich islandsherself guilty of this transgression; but she told him her life would be forfeited, should the circumstance be discovered.
On sacred days women are not allowed to enter the morai, or temple; and at such seasons they must not go out in a canoe. At the Caroline islands, where they have no idols, but offer the first-fruits of the earth to invisible gods, men and women present their offerings in different temples, and at different times, and no man is allowed to be present while the women perform their religious ceremonies.
Riho-Riho, king of the Sandwich islands, at the same time that he caused all the idols to be destroyed, abolished the custom which made it impossible for women to eat with their own husbands and fathers. He invited all the principal chiefs, foreign traders, and mercantile agents to a dinner party. Two long tables, covered with dainties, were spread in an open bower, around which a great multitude had assembled. When the company had all taken their seats, the king, with considerable agitation, seated himself between two of his queens, offered them some of the food forbidden to women, and himself ate from the same dish with them. Some fears were entertained lest this bold innovation of ancient usages should occasion a revolt; but the temporary excitement among the people soon yielded to their habitual obedience to the chief.
In New Hebrides and New Caledonia, the women are scarcely treated better than they are in New Guinea and New Holland; but, with these exceptions,the condition of Polynesian women is generally preferable to that of most savage tribes. The men universally take a share, though not always an equal one, in laborious occupations. In the Tonga isles a considerable degree of respect and delicacy is manifested toward women of all classes. It is considered rude to take any freedoms without their full consent, and they are not required to perform any hard labor, or very menial tasks. Traits of gallantry and romantic tenderness may be discovered in some of their love stories.
The sovereign power is often inherited by a woman; and not unfrequently many powerful chiefs acknowledge the supremacy of a queen, pay her tribute, and approach her with all the ceremonials due to superior rank. The most distinguished warrior, if he have a wife descended from a family more noble than his own, cannot dispense with certain respectful forms prescribed by etiquette. The female chiefs have as numerous attendants as the men. It is the business of these attendants to shade them with umbrellas, to carry their fans, pipes, spitting-boxes, andkahiles, or feathered staffs with richly ornamented handles, borne as an insignia of their rank. Within doors they are stationed near them to drive away the flies, while they are eating, smoking, or sleeping. Mr. Stewart describes Tamehamaru, queen of the Sandwich islands, as “a dignified and graceful woman, with an unaffected expression of conscious and acknowledged rank.” When he first saw her, she was seated at a long table, with an open writingdesk before her, receiving tribute from her subjects, as they passed along in single file. It is now no uncommon thing, in the vicinity of missionary stations, for chiefs, both male and female, to know how to read and write; and it has even been said that one of the princesses has her autobiography in preparation for the press.
A remarkable degree of energy and moral courage was evinced by one of the native women, who had been a convert to Christianity. There was a large burning lake in the island, that frequently sent forth volcanic flames. From time immemorial there had been a tradition that this place was the residence of Pelé, the mighty goddess of fire. Priestesses were appointed to attend upon this invisible deity, and to place food within the crater for her use; but all except these sacred women were afraid to approach, lest they should be instantly devoured. Notwithstanding the strength of this popular delusion, a female chief descended into the crater, and stirred the fiery ashes with a stick, to convince her ignorant countrymen that Pelé the fire goddess was merely an imaginary being, and nothing was to be dreaded from her vengeance.
Besides the acknowledged priestesses, there are people of both sexes, who when afflicted with extreme depression of spirits, without any apparent cause, are supposed to be inspired by the gods.
Women of the South Sea islands are generally permitted to speak in their councils, and their advice is listened to with respect. Finow murdered hisbrother, and conferred his authority upon his aunt. She assembled all the principal people, acknowledged her great obligations to her deceased nephew, and proposed a rebellion against the government of Finow. The matter was discussed for a long time, when the sister of the female chief who had first spoken, rushed into the assembly, armed with a club and spear, and exclaimed in a loud voice: “Why do ye hesitate so long, when honor so clearly points out the proper path to pursue? If the men have become women, the women will be men, and revenge the death of their murdered chief! Then stand and look idly on, while women are sacrificed in the glorious cause! Perhaps their example may at last excite you to die in defence of their rights.” This thrilling exhortation had the desired effect upon the chieftains.
In one respect, there is a decided contrast between the savages of the South sea and those of North America. The North American Indians consider voluptuousness a despicable vice; and in cases of seduction, far more blame is attached to the man than the woman. The latter is forgiven; and, unless her conduct is very gross, finds no difficulty in subsequently forming a matrimonial connection; but her betrayer is treated with the utmost neglect and contempt. It may be questioned, whether Christian nations are in this respect so just as the Indians. While such severe blame and eternal infamy rests on women who have been deceived, it is obviously unjust that civilized society should so readily forgive the deceiver.
The most common employment of the South sea women is the manufacture oftapa, for garments and bed clothes. It is made from the bark of the paper mulberry tree, beaten out with a piece of wood grooved like a crimping machine. It can be bleached perfectly white, and much of it is worn in that state. But in general it is stained with a variety of colors extracted from vegetable productions. The stamps used for this purpose are made by the women; sometimes by embroidering leaves with fibres, so as to produce a raised surface, but more frequently by cutting the pattern in a piece of bamboo. Whentapais printed in this way, it is calledgnatoo. In point of beauty it compares very well with calico; but as it cannot be washed, a new suit is frequently required.
Women likewise braid very beautiful mats. Those used for sleeping are coarse and strong; but some of them are exceedingly white and delicate, or fancifully ornamented with stained grass woven in various patterns. Mr. Nicholas saw a remarkably elegant and highly finished mat, made of flax, by the wife of a New Zealand chief, and he was assured that it could not be manufactured in less time than two or three years. Even queens pride themselves on their skill in weaving mats and baskets. The eating-houses, being sacred to the use of men, are built entirely by men; but in many of the islands women assist in the construction of the dwellings appropriated to common use. Sometimes a woman of distinction may be seen carrying a heavy stone for the foundation of a building, while a stout attendant carries the lightfeathered staff to denote her rank. In some places people of noble birth pride themselves on very long nails, to show that they perform no labor; but, generally speaking, women of all classes assist in the labors of agriculture, and the management of canoes; and when a journey is performed, they often carry the baggage. Mr. Marsden, speaking of an expedition of about fifty of the natives of New Zealand, says: “We were to travel more than a hundred miles, in some of the worst paths that can be conceived, and to carry provisions for the journey. A chief’s wife came with us all the way, and I believe her load could not be less than one hundred pounds; many carried much more.”
Females, particularly of the higher class, spend a great deal of their time in making ornaments for their persons, such as necklaces, finger rings, coronets and mantles of feathers. In those islands where there are missionaries and other European residents, they are learning to make neat hats and bonnets, and garments of cotton and silk. These native mantua-makers are said to evince great dexterity and skill in their new occupation. But with all these various employments, the Polynesians, either men or women, seldom work more than five hours out of the twenty-four. They sleep and lounge half their time, and frolic away a good portion of the remainder. They are attracted by every new object, and run after it with the eagerness of children. Mrs. Williams, wife of one of the missionaries, says: “The best of native girls will, on a hot day, take themselves off and swim, just whenyou may be wishing for some one to relieve you; and after this, they will go to sleep for two or three hours. The moment a boat arrives, away run men, boys, and girls, to the beach. If the mistress censures them, they will laugh at her, and tell her she has ‘too much of the mouth.’”
Dancing is one of the most common amusements in the islands of the South sea. The dances in which the women join are generally slow and graceful, accompanied by a variety of motions with the head, body, and limbs. In most of these dances, little attention is paid to decorum. Sometimes forty or fifty women dance together in a solid square, changing their attitudes every moment; sometimes all squatting down, and then all springing up at the same moment. A musician accompanies the dancers, who beats a small drum, made of a cocoa-nut shell covered with shark’s skin. The women likewise strike pieces of wood or notched reeds together in cadence, like the castanets of more civilized nations. In addition to this they often wear around their ankles a network of shells, or dog’s teeth, which rattle as they dance.
They have songs descriptive of war, or love, or beautiful scenery. These are generally sung alternately by both sexes, in a sort of recitative. The following are extracts from a favorite song among the Tonga people: “The women said to us, let us repair to the back of the island to contemplate the setting sun; there let us listen to the warbling of birds and the cooing of the wood-pigeon. We willgather flowers from the burial place at Matawto, and then bathe in the sea, and anoint ourselves in the sun with sweet-scented oil, and will weave in garlands the flowers gathered at Matawto. Oh, how much happier shall we be than when engaged in the wearisome and insipid affairs of life! How troublesome are the young men begging for wreaths of flowers, while they say in their flattery, ‘See how charming these young girls look coming from Licoo! How beautiful is their skin, diffusing around a fragrance like the flowery precipice of Mataloco!’”
It is a common amusement with the women of Polynesia to throw up five balls in such a manner as to keep four perpetually in the air. They are thrown with the left hand, and caught with the right. The players at the same time chant verses, with the cadence of which their motions keep perfect time. Sometimes seven or eight join together in this recreation.
Swimming is their favorite diversion, and they show an astonishing degree of courage and expertness in the practice of it. Women will often, for mere sport, frolic in places where such a tremendous surf breaks on the shore, that the boldest European swimmer would not dare to venture within its power. If beads, or nails, be thrown into the sea, they will dive after them with incredible velocity, and seldom fail to bring them up.
If a shark makes his appearance when women are swimming, it is said the playful water nymphs surround him, and, if they can once get him into thesurf, fairly drive him on shore; and even if the monster escapes from them, they continue their sport, without any apparent fear of danger.
At great festivals it is not uncommon for the women to wrestle together in pairs. Finow, king of Tonga, ordered a mock fight, in which fifteen hundred women were ranged on each side. They gave fair hits, without pulling each other’s hair, and kept up the contest about an hour, without an inch of ground being lost by either side.
In the Radack islands women fight not merely for pastime, but in good earnest. They station themselves behind the men, beating drums, and throwing stones gathered in baskets for the purpose. When the combat is ended, they throw themselves in as mediators between the conquerors and the vanquished.
When a person of superior rank is ill, it is customary for his relations to cut off a joint of the little finger, as a sacrifice to the gods for his recovery. Even little children will quarrel for the honor of laying their finger upon a block of wood, and having a joint cut off with an axe, or sharp stone. As soon as a person dies, the air is rent with the shrieks and lamentations of friends and dependents. The house is hung with coarse browngnatoostriped with black, and the mourners, as an indication of wretchedness and gloom, wear the most ragged and dirty mats they can find. They pluck out the hair, beat their faces till they become black and swollen, and disfigure themselves in a frightful manner with gashes made by sharp shells. Very handsome women sometimes,in the excess of their grief, destroy every vestige of their beauty. In the Feejee islands, when a chief dies, custom requires that his principal wife should be strangled and buried with him. Powerful friends, by the offer of very valuable gifts, may save the widow from this fate; but in many cases they are unable to do it, and in others the victim makes it a point of honor to be sacrificed. In the Sandwich islands, it was formerly the practice to immolate a number of slaves on the grave of the king and queen; but this custom has been abolished by the influence of the missionaries. The graves are decorated with flowers, and carefully kept in order with smooth layers of black and white pebbles gathered from the beach.
Pitcairn’s island was peopled by English seamen, who having mutinied on board the ship Bounty, sought concealment on its distant and rock-bound shores. They went to Otaheite to obtain wives, returned in safety, and for more than twenty years remained in complete seclusion from the civilized world. It would be difficult for the imagination to form a more charming picture, than the description of these primitive people given by the first navigators who visited them in their peaceful retreat. The young people were tall, vigorous, and most beautifully formed, with countenances expressive of the utmost innocence, frankness, kindness, and good humor. The women were exceedingly lovely, and modest even to bashfulness. Marriages were performed with the utmost solemnity, by John Adams, the old patriarchof the colony. When young people formed an attachment for each other, it was simply necessary to inform this old man that the lover had cleared a piece of land, and raised sufficient stock to support a family; under such circumstances, his approbation was easily obtained, and the marriage ceremony immediately solemnized. Their habits were extremely neat and orderly, and their manners characterized by the utmost purity and decorum.
The young women assisted their fathers and brothers in the cultivation of the ground, which produced bread-fruit, yams, sweet potatoes, cocoa-nuts and bananas. They likewise manufacturedtapafor garments, after the manner of their Otaheitan mothers; and had caps and bonnets of their own weaving, in which they displayed a great deal of taste and ingenuity.
The Sabbath was kept as a day of rest and devotion, and they never ate a meal without kneeling and returning thanks, in the most simple and unaffected manner, to the great Giver of all mercies.