Australia; we shall end it with a visit to some of the many
hundred scattered islands of the Pacific which are under British 1
control and protection. North-east from Auckland, for a thousand
miles, we steam through the open ocean, sighting no land except
perhaps the lonely Kermadec Islands, which are, as we have seen,
attached to the Government of New Zealand, until we reach the
fringe of the many groups of coral islands and reefs which fill
so much of the Western Pacific. We shall touch first at Tonga
Tabu, the southernmost and largest of the Friendly Islands, as
Captain Cook called them, which lie just north of the Tropic of
Capricorn and rather more than halfway round the globe eastward
from London.
At Auckland we left behind us hills and fiords; on our right as
we enter this group is the small but high volcanic island of Eua,
the only one in the whole group which contains a river; the main
island, Tonga Tabu, or Holy Tonga, lies on our left, and has a
very different aspect. A low mass, green with what prove to be
coconut palms, rises out of white surf and spray breaking over
reefs of coral rock. We round a low headland and thread our way
through winding channels among the reefs; on one side is the
low mainland, on the other a string of green islets capping the
reefs. After anchoring in the roadstead for a visit from the 2
doctor we are hauled alongside the little ferro-concrete wharf.
Beyond is a picturesque white town, Nukualofa, the capital of the 3
island.
At the wharf half the population seems to be gathered to meet us.
Some are clothed, native fashion, in the famous Polynesian mats
or in the bark-cloth called _tapa_, or even in cotton; others are
in European dress. The town with its white houses and verandas
looks quite civilised. The inhabitants remind us of the New
Zealand Maoris, though their colour is somewhat lighter; in fact,
both peoples belong to the same great family, the Polynesians, or
light-brown people of the Pacific, which is spread over many of
the island groups which lie to the north-east and east of Tonga.
It is this race which roused the admiration of early voyagers in
these regions, both for its physical appearance and its character.
The Friendly Islands, though a British Protectorate, and, as
regards all matters in which European interests are involved,
under the jurisdiction of the High Commissioner of the Pacific,
still have a native king and Parliament. The inhabitants are
Christians, and are in a sense the most school-taught people in
the Pacific. They seem to delight especially in mathematics and
music, while shorthand is their usual method of writing. Tonga
was the last of the independent kingdoms to come under European
control. It was left to us as the result of our negotiations
with Germany, at the end of the nineteenth century, and is now
practically an integral part of our Empire in the Pacific. During
the fifty years before we assumed control, it had made rather
remarkable progress, under its native ruler, King George Tubou
I., in the adoption, or perhaps the imitation, of Western ideas.
This was largely due to the Wesleyan missionaries, and especially
to the work of one missionary who occupied the post of Prime
Minister.
We will now land and pay a call on the father of the present 4
king. He receives us in civilised fashion on the veranda of
his house, but we notice that chairs are provided only for the
guests; the rest sit on the ground in native fashion. A bowl of
_kava_ is brewed for us by pounding, squeezing and straining
out the juice of a root of a plant belonging to the family of
the pepper-worts. It is the native substitute for alcohol, the
use of which by any but white people is strictly forbidden in
Tonga. Without _kava_ drinking, no social ceremony is considered
complete, even to-day; and it has played an important part in the
political and religious gatherings of the past.
Let us now look round the island. It is only about thirty miles (2)
long and ten wide, shaped rather like the human foot, with two
bays running far inland in the broadest part. The streets and
the sea front of Nukualofa are mostly covered with short grass,
and the town is partly hidden in the groves of coconut palms.
It is the same all over the island. In the drier season we can
follow broad grass tracks, for the most part running round the
island; on both sides of us is a dense growth of palms, bananas,
and tropical trees, such as we see in the picture before us. 5
Everything is moist and green and flat; yet, in Tonga Tabu, as in
all the islands of this particular group, except Eua, we find no
rivers, since the island is merely a block of coral rock, with a
thin covering of rich soil, raised a few feet above the level of
the sea. It is a form of coral island very common in this part of
the Pacific.
We now leave Tonga Tabu for the northern islands of the group.
Our decks are crowded with passengers. The natives are fond of
travelling, and camp out on our vessel with a miscellaneous
collection of luggage and food, including a number of pigs. We
are bound for the Haapai Group, through a mass of small islets
and foaming reefs; but away to the west rise several lofty
volcanoes, some of which are still active. We are touching here
one of the great volcanic lines of the world, a line which we
have already seen continued in New Zealand. Off one of these
islands, Tofua, was the scene of the famous mutiny of the
_Bounty_.
We come to anchor on the leeward side of Haapai, at the one town,
called Lifuka. There is no wharf here, and we lie a long way from
the shore, as we see in this picture. We may land in the launch 6
or in one of the native boats which come out to meet us; and we 7
can survey the whole island in a short walk, as although it is
five miles long it is less than two miles wide at the point where
Lifuka stands. There is the same rich foliage and tropical fruit
as in Tonga Tabu, but if we cross the island to the windward
side we shall see a difference from our calm anchorage on the
west. Here the south-east Trade Wind is blowing on-shore and the
rollers are pounding incessantly and breaking into surf against 8
the coral rocks. It is a contrast which we find in most of the
islands in this region.
We must hurry on to Vavau, the most northerly of the three
main groups of the Friendly Islands. Here the main island is
hilly, with high limestone cliffs and ridges. It is the top
of a vast mass, heaved up by volcanic agency from the depths
of the Pacific. So we have Vavau Sound, studded with islands
and protected from the sea by cliffs and headlands running out
on either hand. Here is a view of the Sound; it may remind us 9
perhaps of a Scottish loch, until we notice the coconut trees
covering the hills and coming right down to the water’s edge.
Gradually the Sound narrows, and after a rather abrupt turn we
enter the landlocked harbour of Niafu, with its little wharf and 10
its group of houses buried in the trees. There are palms and
bananas here as in the other islands, but Vavau is especially the
home of the orange. The whole country round is a mass of orange
trees, and the ripe fruit strews the grassy roads on which we
walk. The picture is spoilt somewhat, especially near the town,
by the style of the buildings. There is timber from New Zealand
on the jetty, and the native grass and reed hut is giving place
to the wooden house with galvanised iron roof, which is ugly and
not well suited to the climate. The importance of Vavau lies in
its deep and safe harbour, in a part of the world where such are
somewhat rare.
Many of the islands of this part of the Pacific are often
inaccessible, even for small vessels. Here we have an interesting
method of landing on them; the figure in the water is a native 11
postman, who is swimming from our steamer to the island and
carrying the mails sealed up in a water-tight can. The natives
are fine swimmers and as much at home in the water as on the land.
From Vavau, we turn north-west, and after crossing about two
hundred miles of open ocean reach the Lau Islands. These are the
easternmost of the Fiji Islands and are, in Fiji, often spoken
of as the Windward Islands. Here is one of the islands of this
group: notice the white line of the fringing coral reef. 12
In this part of our voyage we follow the course of the Trade
Wind, as the Tongans have done for many generations, and the
missionaries after them. As a consequence of the easy voyage down
wind, the Tongans have had great influence on Fijian affairs in
the past; they even established for themselves a kingdom, in the
Lau Group, shortly before Fiji was taken over by Britain. Great
navigators though they were, they had less skill than the Fijians
in boat-building and carpentry; so they came to Fiji for their
canoes. In Fiji canoe-building is a hereditary occupation. In
former times they used great twin canoes, with a deck between;
but now the usual form is a single canoe with raised sides and a 13
solid outrigger, and carrying mat sails. This canoe is capable 14
of great speed, though it does not look very safe. It is giving
place now to boats of a European type.
The Fiji Islands, the most important group in this part of the 15
Pacific, are really the higher parts of a great bank in the
ocean; the bank is fringed by reefs and coral islands, and in the
middle is the Koro Sea, like a vast lagoon, with a wide opening
to the south. On the western side of the bank are the islands of
Viti Levu and Vanua Levu; these names, in the Fijian language,
mean respectively the “Great Viti” and the “Great Land.” These
two islands are by far the largest in the group. Both are
volcanic, with high mountains and long rivers, and are quite
different from the ordinary coral island.
We touch first at Ovalau, a small volcanic island eight miles
by six. It lies some fifteen miles off the nearest point of
Viti Levu, from which it is separated by shallow water much
interrupted by reefs. Here is a view from our steamer of one end 16
of Ovalau. We are approaching Levuka town, which stands on a
narrow strip of lowland hemmed in by a wall of mountains. Levuka 17
was one of the earliest settlements of the white traders, and
at a later period was the capital of the group; but we can see
that there is little room for expansion. So the capital has been
transferred to Suva, on the southern side of Viti Levu, where the
conditions are very different. Before leaving the island let us
have a glimpse of the western side. Here we see a typical coast 18
village; across the narrow strait is another island, and beyond
it in the distance rise the heights of the mainland.
On our way from Ovalau to Suva we pass near the tiny islet of
Bau, which is so near the mainland of Viti Levu that we can walk
almost dry-shod from one to the other at low tide. Bau, small as
it is, was once the stronghold of the most powerful of the Fijian
chiefs from which they long effectually resisted both Tongans
and Europeans. The importance of Bau has departed, but its chiefs
are still looked up to as the real aristocrats of the group, and
their way of talking is the standard for classical Fijian.
After passing Bau and the wide mouth of the Rewa River, we reach 19
Suva, which lies on the margin of a wide bay almost enclosed
by the protecting reef which we see in the foreground of the
picture. Inside the reef is a spacious and safe anchorage for
small or large vessels. Here is a panoramic view of the harbour; 20
and here are some native vessels; notice that their cargo 21
consists of bananas. The houses are partly hidden in the trees,
so that the streets are very different from our own. Here is a
street scene: notice that the women in the foreground are Hindus. 22
The Fijians are darker in colour than the Tongans, and many
still retain their strange national habit of wearing their hair
frizzed out in a huge mop. They differ from both of the two great
races of this part of the Pacific, from the Friendly Islanders
whom we saw to the east and from the Solomon Islanders whom we
shall presently see to the west. In fact, the Fijians are almost
certainly a mixture of these two races, with the addition of yet
other strains.
We should expect that the mode of life and the history of the
Fijians would differ from that of the inhabitants of the small
coral islands, since they have for their home a comparatively
large area of land with marked geographical peculiarities. Viti
Levu is over eighty miles from east to west and sixty from 23
north to south. It is a land of mountain and river; whereas the
ordinary coral island has no rivers worth the name. A range of
rugged mountains runs along the northern coast, at no great
distance from the sea, the highest point being Mount Victoria,
which rises to 4500 feet. It is from this part of the island that
the long rivers Rewa and Singatoka flow to the south-east, and
a smaller stream, the Ba, to the north-west. The third largest
river, the Navua, rises in other heights towards the south of the
island, which we shall visit later. Here is a scene on the Navua. 24
The Rewa is long and winding, but it is navigable for shallow
draught steamers for about forty miles from its mouth. The whole
of the south-eastern part of the island is wet and was originally
covered with forest; but the coast-lands to the north-west, under
the lee of the mountain ridges, are drier and more open, as we
may judge from this picture. We can look across the forest, with 25
its dense undergrowth of fern and creeper, and narrow trails
along which we walk, and see in the distance the outlines of 26
the jagged mountains of old volcanic rock. There are no active
volcanoes in the island, though hot springs in many parts show
that volcanic activity is not yet entirely exhausted. Here are 27
some of these springs.
[Illustration:
_Copyright._) (_See page 128._
BANANA BOATS: SUVA.]
[Illustration:
_Copyright._) (_See page 131._
COCONUT TREE.]
[Illustration:
_Copyright._) (_See page 133._
MAKING MATS: FIJI.]
Rivers have been an important element in the making of Fijian
history, since it is in the fertile soil of the river deltas that
the crops of the natives flourish best. Breadfruit and coconuts,
together with the roots of the taro and the spindle-shaped
yam form their principal food. The taro grows best in the wet
districts, or where there is running water; so that the natives
have long been familiar with simple methods of irrigation. These
staple foods are supplemented by many kinds of wild tropical
fruits and roots. The natives have pigs and fowls, but these are
kept for state occasions; fish is the only usual non-vegetable
food. The Fijians are clever fishermen, whether using the spear
or arrow or net, or the fish-fences which they build in the
estuaries of the rivers. In fact, the island provides them amply
with all the food which they need, though sometimes there is a
shortage as they lack means to preserve it. The taro and yams are
stored in earth-covered heaps, as we store potatoes; and some
of the vegetable food supply, especially breadfruit, is buried
in pits and used in a partially fermented state. Here we have a 28
formal presentation of food, yams and turtle and the _yangona_
root for making the native drink called here _yangona_ but
elsewhere _kava_. It is a typical Fijian scene.
The native is content to cultivate his patch of land with simple
implements, such as the digging stick, and is not anxious to work
harder than is necessary for his own needs. He is not very ready
to work for a European employer, while all his traditions, and
the communal system under which he lives, make it impossible for
the industrious individual to accumulate any private property.
The cultivation of produce for export is due to the initiative
of Europeans, and is largely carried on by the East Indian
immigrants who now form a very considerable element in the
population. We have already noticed the Hindu women in the
streets of Suva. For a few years, during the American Civil War,
Fiji exported excellent cotton, but at the present day its export
trade consists practically of sugar, copra or dried coconut,
and bananas. The sugar-cane is a native of the wet and fertile
lowlands of the deltas; but the cultivated kinds are mostly
introduced from elsewhere. We find the cane fields covering much
of the land along certain parts of the coast, and on the river
deltas of Viti Levu and Vanua Levu; and these are connected by
nearly two hundred miles of steam tramways, which carry the cane
to the centrally placed mills. Here is a view across the Rewa, 29
showing a sugar mill; inside the ugly buildings we find the
elaborate European machinery for extracting the juice from the 30
cane. Here again we are in the cane fields with Indian women at
work. It is all unlike the native agriculture, though it is very 31
profitable to Fiji, since sugar is the most valuable of all its
exports.
The coconut industry is far more picturesque; it is chiefly
confined to the south side of Vanua Levu and to Taveuni and the
other islands. The nut is grown for its kernel, which, when
dried, is called copra, and yields the coconut oil which we use
for various purposes. The tree grows everywhere in this region,
but does not flourish in Viti Levu owing to an insect pest which
seems peculiar to that island. The nut has always been much used
by the natives for food, but it is now carefully cultivated for
the production of copra. Here is a plantation with the bungalow 32
of the planter; notice the hills in the background; here again
is a tree carrying its fruit in curious clusters just below the 33
crown of leaves. The natives, who are excellent climbers, swarm
up the taller trees to gather any fruit which is wanted in a not 34
quite ripe state, as for eating or drinking; but the bulk of
the nuts, intended for copra, are allowed to ripen on the tree
until they drop off. The ripe nuts are then cut open, the kernels 35
extracted and dried in great trays and put into bags for shipment.
We will now leave the coast for a short trip inland, to see
something of the country and the people in their more primitive
condition and less mixed type. We travel up the Rewa river for
about twenty miles, and there turn westward across country.
We have left behind the steamer and the European trader and
planter and plunge suddenly into a strange and wild world. At
our first stopping place we are entertained with a display which
reminds us that a very short time ago the Fijians were fierce
fighters and cannibals. This is the _meke_ or native war-dance
and song, now only an interesting survival. First we see the
dancers in the distance, entering the village in two lines. Their 36
faces are hideous with lampblack and vermilion, and they wear
strange-looking dresses made of leaves. They go through many
complicated evolutions. They rush towards us, stabbing with
their long spears and swinging their formidable clubs, and as
suddenly rush away. They stamp and charge and shout and imitate
all the movements of a battle. Finally they subside quietly. 37
The women also have their special dance, of which we have here
a picture. The war-dance is now only a game, but it was far 38
different before our occupation of the islands. Though we still
utilise the old tribal organisation, and govern them through
their native chiefs and councils, we have forced the Fijians to
understand that fighting, raids and massacres are an amusement 39
no longer permitted. The constabulary, which we see here with
their rifles and maxim guns, serve generally only in the coast
regions, where they represent a form of law and order which the
Fijians readily understand; but even in the interior certain
Fijians, less formally organised into a sort of rural police,
keep effective order. Our little trip might not have been so safe
or pleasant forty years ago.
We now leave the Rewa and strike across country south-westward.
Our road is a mere track, and often we find streams to be crossed
but no bridges to help us. To our carriers this does not matter,
as they are not overburdened with clothes. They plunge in and 40
wade through the shallows, and they will carry us if necessary.
On the wider streams canoes must be used, or a bamboo raft lashed
roughly together. We may notice that our carriers have slung our
baggage on poles carried on the shoulders of one or two men;
this is the regular native means of transport, for carts are
only used near the plantations, and by Europeans, where roads
are available. In the old time the women would have carried the
burdens, as it was thought beneath the dignity of a man to carry
anything but his weapons.
Presently we reach a village where we discover an interesting
native industry, the making of mats from a kind of reed. Here 41
we see girls at work weaving the mats, and in one of the native
huts they are making baskets from the same material. The Fijians
are clever at this work, and both mats and baskets are important
articles in their daily life. They also used to make a peculiar
but very artistic pottery, such as we do not find in the islands
of Polynesia further east; but this art is no longer practised 42
except in a few places, and for the production of pots for
domestic use.
Perhaps the most noteworthy native manufacture is that of _tapa_
cloth for their dress. _Tapa_ is made by beating out the fibrous
bark of the paper mulberry, and sometimes of certain other trees.
The art is known in Polynesia generally, and the Fijians, like
many of the other islanders, also print the cloth in various
patterns and colours.
We continue our march, passing many villages. Here is a corner
in one of them; notice the native huts of grass and reeds, very 43
different from the wood and corrugated iron of Suva. Notice,
too, the coconut palms growing all around. Here again we have 44
a more elaborately finished house, in the old style; and here
is the interior of the home of a chief; it looks somewhat 45
unfurnished to our eyes, though it is cool and airy. At the next
village the natives receive us with a solemn presentation of
food and _yangona_ in a rather dark hut. Here they are making
the _yangona_. Finally we reach Namosi, a picturesque native 46
town perched up in the mountains. The town lies in a kind of
pass between steep rocks, the “Gate of Namosi,” as we see in the 47
picture. The inhabitants are summoned together by the beating of
the town drum, a hollow log of wood, and receive us sitting on
the ground beneath an ancient tree. We have reached the limit of 48
our journey; but short though it is, it has given us some idea
of the real Fijian as he is to-day, away from direct European
influence.
The conditions in the other large island, Vanua Levu, are much
the same as in Viti Levu. The island is long and narrow, but
with the same irregular mountain structure, the same vegetation
and the same contrast of wet and dry on the opposite coasts. We
may remember that Ovalau, off the coast of Viti Levu, was much
concerned in the past with the politics of the neighbouring
mainland; the same was true of Taveuni off Vanua Levu. The
dwellers on the rich coastlands of the larger islands led a very
uncertain life between the raiders from the sea and the wild
tribes of the interior. The sea was always the more important
factor in the life of the whole group of islands; it united,
while the land more often divided. We have already noted its
importance in the relations of Fiji and the Friendly Islands.
Before we leave Fiji it is interesting to note that the line
which divides East from West passes through this group, cutting
the island of Taveuni into two; so that in one part of Taveuni we
can stand with one foot in the East and the other in the West,
or in other words, one foot may be in a place nearly twenty-four
hours ahead of that occupied by the other according to Greenwich
Time.