Volume Xv Part 50 (1/2)
The only probable reason I can a.s.sign for their neglect of ornamental architecture in the construction of their houses, is their being fond of living much in the open air. Indeed, they seem to consider their houses, within which they seldom eat, as of little use but to sleep in, and to retire to in bad weather. And the lower sort of people, who spend a great part of their time in close attendance upon the chiefs, can have little use for their own houses, but in the last case.
They make amends for the defects of their houses by their great attention to, and dexterity, in, naval architecture, if I may be allowed to give it that name. But I refer to the narrative of my last voyage, for an account of their canoes, and their manner of building and navigating them.[180]
[Footnote 180: The reader, by comparing that account with what Cantova says of the sea-boats of the Caroline Islands, will find, in this instance, also, the greatest similarity. See _Lettres Edifiantes et Curieuses_, p. 286.--D.]
The only tools which they use to construct these boats, are hatchets, or rather thick adzes, of a smooth black stone that abounds at Toofooa; augres, made of sharks' teeth, fixed on small handles; and rasps of a rough skin of a fish, fastened on flat pieces of wood, thinner on one side, which also have handles. The labour and time employed in finis.h.i.+ng their canoes, which are the most perfect of their mechanical productions, will account for their being very careful of them. For they are built and preserved under sheds, or they cover the decked part of them with cocoa leaves, when they are hauled on sh.o.r.e, to prevent their being hurt by the sun.
The same tools are all they have for other works, if we except different sh.e.l.ls, which they use as knives. But there are few of their productions that require these, unless it be some of their weapons; the other articles being chiefly their fis.h.i.+ng materials and cordage.
The cordage is made from the fibres of the cocoa-nut husk, which, though not more than nine or ten inches long, they plait, about the size of a quill or less, to any length that they please, and roll it up in b.a.l.l.s, from which the larger ropes are made, by twisting several of these together. The lines that they fish with, are as strong and even as the best cord we make, resembling it almost in every respect. Their other fis.h.i.+ng implements are large and small hooks. The last are composed entirely of pearl-sh.e.l.l, but the first are only covered with it on the back, and the points of both commonly of tortoise-sh.e.l.l; those of the small being plain, and the others barbed. With the large ones they catch bonnetos and albicores, by putting them to a bamboo rod, twelve or fourteen feet long, with a line of the same length, which rests in a notch of a piece of wood, fixed in the stern of the canoe for that purpose, and is dragged on the surface of the sea, as she rows along, without any other bait than a tuft of flaxy stuff near the point. They have also great numbers of pretty small seines, some of which are of a very delicate texture. These they use to catch fish with, in the holes on the reefs, when the tide ebbs.
The other manual employments consist chiefly in making musical reeds, flutes, warlike weapons, and stools, or rather pillows, to sleep on. The reed have eight, nine, or ten pieces, placed parallel to each other, but not in any regular progression, having the longest sometimes in the middle, and several of the same length; so that I have seen none with more than six notes, and they seem incapable of playing any music on them, that is, distinguishable by our ears. The flutes are a joint of bamboo, close at both ends, with a hole near each, and four others; two of which, and one of the first only, are used in playing. They apply the thumb of the left hand to close the left nostril, and blow into the hole at one end with the other. The middle finger of the left hand is applied to the first hole on the left, and the fore-finger of the right to the lowest hole on that side. In this manner, though the notes are only three, they produce a pleasing, yet simple music, which they vary much more than one would think possible, with so imperfect an instrument.
Their being accustomed to a music which consists of so few notes, is, perhaps, the reason why they do not seem to relish any of ours, which is so complex. But they can taste what is more deficient than their own; for, we observed, that they used to be well pleased with hearing the chant of our two young New Zealanders, which consisted rather in mere strength, than in melody of expression.
The weapons which they make, are clubs of different sorts (in the ornamenting of which they spend much time), spears, and darts. They have also bows and arrows; but these seemed to be designed only for amus.e.m.e.nt, such as shooting at birds, and not for military purposes. The stools are about two feet long, but only four or five inches high, and near four broad, bending downward in the middle, with four strong legs, and circular feet; the whole made of one piece of black or brown wood, neatly polished, and sometimes inlaid with bits of ivory. They also inlay the handles of fly-flaps with ivory, after being neatly carved; and they shape bones into small figures of men, birds, and other things, which must be very difficult, as their carving instrument is only a shark's tooth.
Yams, plantains, and cocoa-nuts, compose the greatest part of their vegetable diet. Of their animal food, the chief articles are hogs, fowls, fish, and all sorts of sh.e.l.lfish; but the lower people eat rats.
The two first vegetable articles, with bread-fruit, are what may be called the basis of their food at different times of the year, with fish and sh.e.l.l-fish; for hogs, fowls, and turtle, seem only to be occasional dainties reserved for their chiefs. The intervals between the seasons of these vegetable productions, must be sometimes considerable, as they prepare a sort of artificial bread from plantains, which they put under ground before ripe, and suffer them to remain till they ferment, when they are taken out, and made up into small b.a.l.l.s; but so sour and indifferent, that they often said our bread was preferable, though somewhat musty.
Their food is generally dressed by baking, in the same manner as at Otaheite; and they have the art of making, from different kinds of fruit, several dishes, which most of us esteemed very good. I never saw them make use of any kind of sauce, nor drink any thing at their meals but water, or the juice of the cocoa-nut; for the _kava_ is only their morning draught. I cannot say that they are cleanly, either in their cookery, or manner of eating. The generality of them will lay their victuals upon the first leaf they meet with, however dirty it may be; but when food is served up to the chiefs, it is commonly laid upon green plantain leaves. When the king made a meal, he was, for the most part, attended upon by three or four persons. One cut large pieces of the joint, or of the fish; another divided it into mouthfuls; and others stood by with cocoa-nuts, and whatever else he might want. I never saw a large company sit down to what we should call a sociable meal, by eating from the same dish. The food, be what it will, is always divided into portions, each to serve a certain number; these portions are again subdivided; so that one seldom sees above two or three persons eating together. The women are not excluded from eating with the men; but there are certain ranks or orders amongst them, that can neither eat nor drink together. This distinction begins with the king; but where it ends, I cannot say.
They seem to have no set time for meals; though it should be observed, that, during our stay amongst them, their domestic economy was much disturbed by their constant attention to us. As far as we could remark, those of the superior rank only drink _kava_ in the forenoon, and the others eat, perhaps, a bit of yam; but we commonly saw all of them eat something in the afternoon. It is probable that the practice of making a meal in the night is pretty common, and their rest being thus interrupted, they frequently sleep in the day. They go to bed as soon as it is dark, and rise with the dawn in the morning.[181]
[Footnote 181: Cantova says of his islanders, ”Ils prennent leur repos des que le soleil est couche, et ils se levent avec l'aurore.”--_Lettres Edifiantes et Curieuses_, tom. xv. p. 314.--D.]
They are very fond of a.s.sociating together; so that it is common to find several houses empty and the owners of them convened in some other one, or, rather, upon a convenient spot in the neighbourhood, where they recreate themselves by conversing and other amus.e.m.e.nts. Their private diversions are chiefly singing, dancing, and music performed by the women. When two or three women sing in concert, and snap their fingers, it is called _hoobai_; but when there is a greater number, they divide into several parties, each of which sings on a different key, which makes a very agreeable music, and is called _heeva_ or _haiva_. In the same manner, they vary the music of their flutes by playing on those of a different size; but their dancing is much the same as when they perform publicly. The dancing of the men (if it is to be called dancing), although it does not consist much in moving the feet, as we do, has a thousand different motions with the hands, to which we are entire strangers; and they are performed with an ease and grace which are not to be described, nor even conceived, but by those who have seen them. But I need add nothing to what has been already said on this subject, in the account of the incidents that happened during our stay at the islands.[182]
[Footnote 182: If, to the copious descriptions that occur in the preceding pages, of the particular entertainments exhibited in Hepaee and Tongataboo, we add the general view of the usual amus.e.m.e.nts of the inhabitants of these islands, contained in this paragraph, and compare it with the quotation from the Jesuit's Letters, in a former note, we shall be still more forcibly struck with the reasonableness of tracing such singularly resembling customs to one common source. The argument, in confirmation of this, drawn from ident.i.ty of language, has been already ill.u.s.trated, by observing the remarkable coincidence of the name by which the chiefs of the Caroline Islands, and those at Hamao, one of the friendly ones, are distinguished. But the argument does not rest on a single instance, though that happens to be a very striking one.
Another of the very few specimens of the dialect of the North Pacific islanders, preserved by Father Cantova, furnishes an additional proof.
Immediately after the pa.s.sage above referred to, he proceeds thus: ”Ce divertiss.e.m.e.nt s'appelle, en leur langue, _tanger ifaifil_; qui veut dire, la plainte des femmes.”--_Lettres tres Edifiantes et Curieuses_, tom. xv. p. 315. Now it is very remarkable, that we learn from Mr Anderson's collection of words, which will appear in this chapter, that _la plainte des femmes_, or, in English, _the mournful song of the women_, which the inhabitants of the Caroline Islands express in their language _tanger ifaifil_, would, by those of Tongataboo, be expressed _tangee vefaine_.
If any one should still doubt, in spite of this evidence, it may be recommended to his consideration, that long separation and other causes, have introduced greater variations in the mode of p.r.o.nouncing these two words, at places confessedly inhabited by the same race, than subsist in the specimen just given. It appears, from Mr Anderson's vocabulary, printed in Captain Cook's second voyage, that what is p.r.o.nounced _tangee_ at the Friendly Islands, is _taee_ at Otaheite; and the _vefaine_ of the former, is the _waheine_ of the latter.--D.]
Whether their marriages be made lasting by any kind of solemn contract, we could not determine with precision; but it is certain, that the bulk of the people satisfied themselves with one wife. The chiefs, however, have commonly several women;[183] though some of us were of opinion, that there was only one that was looked upon as the mistress of the family.
[Footnote 183: Cantova says of his Caroline islanders, ”La pluralite des femmes est non seulement permise a tous ces insulaires, elle est encore une marque d'honneur et de distinction. Le _Tamole_ de l'isle d'Huogoleu en a neuf.”--_Lettres Edifiantes et Curieuses_, tom. xv. p. 310.--D.]
As female chast.i.ty, at first sight, seemed to be held in no great estimation, we expected to have found frequent breaches of their conjugal fidelity; but we did them great injustice. I do not know that a single instance happened daring our whole stay.[184] Neither are those of the better sort, that are unmarried, more free of their favours. It is true, there was no want of those of a different character; and, perhaps, such are more frequently met with here, in proportion to the number of people, than in many other countries. But it appeared to me, that the most, if not all of them, were of the lowest cla.s.s; and such of them as permitted familiarities to our people, were prost.i.tutes by profession.
[Footnote 184: At the Caroline Islands, ”Ils ont horreur de l'adultere, comme d'une grand peche.”--_Ibid_. tom. xv. p. 310.--D.]
Nothing can be a greater proof of the humanity of these people, than the concern they shew for the dead.[185] To use a common expression, their mourning is not in words, but deeds. For, besides the _tooge_ mentioned before, and burnt circles and scars, they beat the teeth with stones, strike a shark's tooth into the head, until the blood flows in streams, and thrust spears into the inner part of the thigh, into their sides below the arms-pits, and through the cheeks into the mouth. All these operations convey an idea of such rigorous discipline, as must require either an uncommon degree of affection, or the grossest superst.i.tion, to exact. I will not say, that the last has no share in it; for sometimes it is so universal, that many could not have any knowledge of the person for whom the concern is expressed. Thus we saw the people of Tongataboo mourning the death of a chief at Vavaoo; and other similar instances occurred during our stay. It should be observed, however, that the more painful operations are only practised on account of the death of those most nearly connected with the mourners.[186] When a person dies, he is buried, after being wrapped up in mats and cloth, much after our manner.
The chiefs seem to have the _fiatookas_ appropriated to them as their burial-places; but the common people are interred in no particular spot.
What part of the mourning ceremony follows immediately after, is uncertain; but that there is something besides the general one, which is continued for a considerable length of time, we could infer, from being informed, that the funeral of Mareewagee's wife, as mentioned before, was to be attended with ceremonies that were to last five days, and in which all the princ.i.p.al people were to commemorate her.
[Footnote 185: How the inhabitants of the Caroline Islands express their grief on such occasions, may be seen, _ibid_. tom. xv. p. 308.--D.]
[Footnote 186: The practice of wounding the body on the death of friends, appears to have existed in ancient times, and among different people. Moses forbids it to the Israelites, in Levit. xix. 28. ”Ye shall not make _any cutting in your flesh_ for the dead, nor print any mark upon you.” So in Deut. xiv. 1.; and Parkhurst, in his Heb. Lexicon, commenting on the pa.s.sage in Deuteronomy, says, the word rendered _to cut_, is of more general signification, including ”all a.s.saults on their own persons from immoderate grief, such as beating the b.r.e.a.s.t.s, tearing the hair, &c. which were commonly practised by the heathen, who have no hope of a resurrection.” He instances in the Iliad xix, line 284, in the Eneid iv, line 673, the case of the Egyptians mentioned by Herodotus, Q.
85, and several other pa.s.sages in different writers. It would be easy to find out similar examples in the accounts of more modern nations. But the subject is not very inviting to extensive research.--E.]