TAHITIAN HOSPITALITY—A SOUTH SEA STORE—A BATHING PICNIC—THE
MARQUESANS—TATTOOING—ANCIENT GAMES OF TAHITI—MALAY DESCENT—THEORY OF A
NORTHERLY MIGRATION.
LA MAISON BRANDÈRE, PAPEETE,
_Wednesday, 21st_.
Already ten days have slipped away since we watched the Maramma sail for
Honolulu, and each morning I awake with a feeling of pleasure that I am
still in this delightful isle. Would that you could look on the lovely
scene on which my eyes rest with the first glimmer of dawn, and which
now lies outspread before me, as I sit in this cool verandah opening off
my large bedroom on the upper storey! It is a verandah all closed in
with _jalousies_, screening its occupants from the outside world; while
they, themselves unseen, look down on the brightest, most animated scene
you can imagine.
Long before sunrise the pretty native boats, with double sails, arrive
from all parts of the isle, bringing their cargo of fish and fruit for
the market, which is held in a large building in the town. But as the
boats are unloaded, their wares are outspread on the grass just below
these windows, and the most active housewives and purveyors for the
ships come here to secure the first choice of luscious fruits and of
fishes, as beautiful to the eye as they are tempting to the palate.
These are of every shade of blue and green, scarlet and crimson, and
pale yellow with lilac stripes. The large bright-green fish are
generally eaten raw; and occasionally the purchasers, whose appetites
are sharpened by the fresh morning air, cannot resist an early breakfast
_al fresco_. The air is balmy and delicious, like a heavenly midsummer
morning in Europe; and all the girls have light woollen shawls. (Real
Scotch tartans are in high favour, and are worn in true Highland
fashion, over one shoulder and round the body.)
The fruit-supply is brought in large baskets. Just now there are
quantities of mangoes, oranges, and Abercarder pears (_des avocats_ they
are called here, where French permeates all things, as it did in England
when the Norman conquerors changed Saxon oxen, sheep, and hens, to beef,
mutton, and fowls). But these minor fruits are trifling luxuries. The
mainstay of life is the _faees_ or wild banana, which here takes the
place of the yams and _taro_ of the groups further west.
I think I have already described this peculiar plant, which bears its
enormous bunch of fruit growing upright from the centre of its crown of
large leaves, instead of drooping below them, as is the manner of all
other bananas and plantains. These clusters vary from two to four feet
in length; and I constantly see a bunch so long and so heavy, that it is
carried to market slung from a pole, resting on the shoulders of two
men, just as in the old pictures of the Israelitish spies bearing the
grapes of Eshcol, which were the delight of our childhood. It must be
toilsome work to carry these weighty spoils of the mountains from the
remote ravines where they chiefly flourish.
All these heaps of golden fruit form a brilliant foreground to the
beautiful harbour beyond, which at this early hour reflects only the
pale, glowing daffodil hues of a cloudless sky, against which the
exquisite outline of Moorea stands out in clear relief. Suddenly its
delicate pearly grey is flushed with rose colour, as the first ray of
the rising sun touches those lofty summits, and veinings of tender blue
mark the course of deep glens and corries, or the shadows cast by
prominent crags and pinnacles.
Nearer—so near, indeed, that we can distinguish friendly faces on the
decks—lie the French men-of-war; and as the light touches them, their
dead white changes to cream colour, and they and their unfurled sails,
and the clothes hung out to dry, are all reflected in the calm water.
So, too, are the various trading ships, and the great hulk of a large
iron vessel, which caught fire fifteen months ago when she was near the
Marquesas. Her crew took to their boats, and two of these arrived here
safely. A good while after, the deserted ship, still burning, drifted
down towards here. The Seignelay went out and towed in the wreck. She
had been laden with coal, and this had run into a sort of semi-fluid,
tarry condition, and to this hour it is still smouldering; and after a
shower of rain, steam and smoke still rise from the poor old hulk, which
is so red from rust that you would think she had been painted vermilion.
It is a vexed question whether she can ever be turned to account, or
whether she should not be towed outside the reef, and there sunk.[58]
Just beyond the shipping, inside the harbour, is a small island
fortified by the French. The incongruity of ramparts and guns is hidden
by foliage of hybiscus and palms; and it forms one item in the beauty of
the scene.
This is the view from the front of the Red House. The back windows look
over green mango-trees, and past the spire of the Roman Catholic church,
to the great purply mountains of the interior. So you see that, although
this big square three-storeyed house of very red brick, encased in
closed verandahs, is not in itself an ornamental building, its
surroundings are very lovely. And of the kindliness that reigns within
it, words fail me to tell. It is an atmosphere of genial cordiality, in
which each guest is at once made to feel as welcome, and as thoroughly
at home, as any member of the large family. It is a kindness as
unconscious, but as real and as delightful, as the balmy air we breathe,
and is as purely Tahitian. What would these warm-hearted open-handed
people think of the measured cold reception of strangers in our grey
British isles?
To begin with, I discovered, on arriving here, that Mrs Brander had
actually given me her own charming suite of rooms, to secure my having
the fullest enjoyment of the lovely view and of the cool verandahs; so
that I virtually am in solitary possession of this whole flat, with its
large handsome drawing-room and cosy boudoir. I compare myself to one of
the hermit-crabs which curl themselves into desirable shells, to the
exclusion of the rightful owners! But my most hospitable hostess will
not allow that she suffers any inconvenience; though she and her
children have moved downstairs to share one huge room with any number of
friends and relations, who spread their soft mattresses and pillows, and
very gay quilts, and make themselves cosy for the night, just as the
fancy takes them. The fine old mother has a house near, but very often
she and the pretty sisters prefer to sleep here: so do sundry cousins
and friends. There are also a number of Tahitian women of good birth who
find a home, almost by right, in the house of every high chief, and who
in return do him, or her, such light service as may be required. But of
actual servants, as we understand the word, there are none.
I find an element of great comfort in the presence of an English woman
who acts as housekeeper—a most unexpected discovery in Tahiti! She
brings my early breakfast of tea and fruit, and otherwise takes great
care of me.
We have a regular European breakfast and dinner, at which, however, only
my hostess and her big brothers, with the Belgian manager and a few
French officers, generally appear. The others prefer eating _à
l’indigène_, sitting on their mats in another room, or beneath the shady
trees; in fact, the native element is pretty strong, which gives this
house half its interest. All the connections of the royal family, and a
number of pretty _demi-blanche_ girls, dressed in flowing sacques, are
continually coming and going; and once a week Mrs Brander has a
reception for all the young folk, and for as many French officers as
like to come; and they all dance and make merry,—rather more so, I
think, than at the admiral’s Wednesday receptions at Government House,
which are, nevertheless, very enjoyable.
I had heard the praises of my hostess sung in no measured terms by all
the members of the mission, both French and English, as well as by our
consul and his family; but only since I have lived under her roof have I
realised what a very exceptional woman she is. To the affectionate
kindliness of a genuine Tahitian, she adds the Anglo-Jewish strength of
character and business capacity inherited from her father; and the
combination is one which would be truly remarkable in any woman, but is
doubly so in one of the gentle daughters of the South Seas. The born
chiefess is revealed in her large-hearted generosity to every creature
that comes within her reach; though her extreme unselfishness makes her
shrink from any expenditure that seems to tend only to her own comfort.
She appears to be always thinking what she can do for other people—rich
or poor, in all parts of the group. She has estates scattered all over
these isles, and conducts all their business herself, as well as
attending to everything connected with the great mercantile house
created by her late husband. Though she has many assistants, she is
emphatically its head, and not the smallest detail can be carried out
without her sanction. Every business transaction, whether with the
French Government, or foreign vessels requiring supplies, or her own
trading ships, passes through her hands. Everything is done by her
special order, and every business paper has to receive her signature.
But she never seems to forget anything or any one; and, moreover, has
time to prove herself a most devoted mother to her nine children—of whom
one is married in Valparaiso, another here, some of the sons are at
school in Scotland, and the baby daughters are the pets and darlings of
this house.
Mrs Brander owns a fleet of about twenty smart trading schooners, which
run backwards and forwards between Tahiti and such points as San
Francisco, Valparaiso, and New Zealand, carrying the cargoes of all
sorts collected by other vessels (of the same fleet) in the surrounding
isles and the neighbouring groups.
These cargoes consist chiefly of _coppra_—that is, dried cocoa-nut
kernel, broken into little bits for convenience of stowage on the far
journey to England or other lands, where it is subjected to such heavy
pressure as extracts the oil, leaving a residue of oil-cake for the
fattening of British beeves. For the _gourmet_ of China, quantities of
edible fungus and dried _bêche-de-mer_ are sent to San Francisco, whence
they are passed on to Hong-Kong. Tons of large pearl-shells, measuring
about eight inches across, with beautifully iridescent lining, go to
make buttons and such articles, in all parts of the world; true pearls
of considerable value are occasionally found in these, and a large
number of average size. Of the fruits of the isles, oranges form the
largest export, but vanilla, coffee, and various other products swell
the list. At one time cotton was a good article of export, but it
appears to have fallen into disfavour.
The vessels return from their several destinations laden with every
conceivable variety of goods. There is nothing that luxury can desire
which does not find its way to these remote isles, from the newest scent
to the finest dress materials—not even excepting silks and velvets,
though for whose benefit these are imported, passes my comprehension.
Truly wonderful is that compendium of all things needful, known as “a
store,” and that of _La Maison Brandère_ is the largest in Papeete. Like
“the merchant” of a Scotch village, magnified a thousandfold, the owner
of a South Sea store must be ready to supply all the most incongruous
demands which his customers can possibly invent, from white satin shoes
to ship anchors. For he has not only to provide for the island
population, but must be ready to supply any ships that happen to come
into harbour with whatever they require. Fresh meats and preserved
meats, New Zealand beef, Australian mutton, condensed milk and tinned
butter, Californian “canned” vegetables and fruits, candles and lamps,
oils of various kinds, firearms and gunpowder, hair-oil and brushes,
wines and spirits, letter-paper and ledgers, books and framed pictures,
cutlery of all sorts—from a penknife to a cutlass, or from a hair-pin to
a harpoon—wine-glasses and tumblers, necklaces and brooches, crockery
and physic: these, and a thousand other items, are all on hand, and
appear at a moment’s notice.
And as the store is the centre of all business, it is a general
rendezvous; in fact, a sort of club, where pleasant cooling drinks are
not unknown, and where much amusing gossip may be heard, for _that_ is
an article not unknown even in Tahiti!
Provisioning large vessels for long voyages is no easy matter here,
where all animals have to be imported, as these beautiful hills and
valleys afford very poor pasture-land, being all overrun with guava
scrub. So shiploads of cattle are despatched from the Sandwich Isles, at
very irregular intervals, by sailing ships, which sometimes are detained
so long by contrary winds and calms, that the poor beasts are almost
starved. The sheep are equally lean; and in fact, pork and fowls are
about the only satisfactory meat-supply.
_Thursday, 22d Nov._
It is hard to think of you all, enduring the miseries of chill November,
while we are revelling day after day, and night after night, in an
atmosphere of balmy delight and clear blue heavens. Last night we all
went to the admiral’s big reception, _au Gouvernement_, and a very gay
scene it was, so many pretty women in very fresh, simple muslin
sacques—only a few French ladies adhering to Parisian fashions. The
ball-room has an excellent inlaid floor; and as the music is most
enlivening, and the French naval officers enjoy dancing quite as much as
any of the girls, they kept it up with great spirit. Of course the
gardens are a very great attraction, and to the non-dancers are the
favourite lounge. Good music, pleasant company, warm delicious nights,
redolent of fragrant flowers—what more could you desire? Sometimes, when
the band stops playing, we go for a moonlight row in the harbour, as far
as the entrance through the barrier-reef, just for the pleasure of
watching the breakers, and hearing their deafening roar.
This morning, soon after sunrise, M. Viennot called for me in his
carriage, and drove me to Papawa, where he has built himself a tiny
house, near a lovely bathing-place. We found all the mission families
already assembled, with a few other friends, including M. Puèch,
commanding Le Limier, a French man-of-war. He at once set his sailors to
catch fish for our picnic; and after a preliminary luncheon, we all
scattered, to bathe, or stroll, as the case might be.
I went off with a party of half-a-dozen handsome girls, of English and
Tahitian birth, descendants of the early missionaries, whose children
settled in the group, and married half-whites. They led the way to a
delicious stream, narrow, and deep, and clear, and very still, edged
with tall bulrushes. They supplied me with a bathing-dress like their
own—namely, a _pareo_ of crimson, or scarlet and white calico, which
they wore very gracefully draped from the neck. They wove great wreaths
of green fern to protect their heads from the sun, and, of course, did
not neglect me in the distribution. I thought they formed a most
picturesque group.
The stream was so inviting that we determined to follow it up for some
distance. But the water, which at first only came to my shoulders, grew
deeper and deeper, till I could not feel the ground, and I had to
confess my inability to swim. So then these charming naiads clustered
round me, and floated me smoothly along, as they swam a good half-mile
to the upper stream. It was quite charming. Then they floated me back
again, and by the time we rejoined the rest of the party, the sailors
had caught a great supply of excellent little fish of many sorts, and we
had a most merry feast, after which Commandant Puèch brought me home in
his boat; and now I confess to being so tired, that I am going to bed,
notwithstanding the attraction of a pleasant moonlight expedition in the
admiral’s big barge.
_Friday, 23d._
The Seignelay returned to-day from the Marquesas and the Paumotu group.
She has had a most delightful fortnight’s cruise, and my kind friends on
board add to my poignant repentance for having refused to accompany
them, by their regrets that I should have missed so excellent an
opportunity. They had perfect weather. The voyage going and coming
occupied just a week, during which they passed through the Paumotus. The
other week was spent at different islands in the Marquesas, and they say
that much of the scenery is like the island of Moorea, but greatly
glorified. Now, as Moorea is the most unique and beautiful isle I have
ever seen, you can imagine how grievous it is to think I should so
stupidly have missed seeing one still more strange and lovely.
They also declare that the people are by far the finest race, and the
most uncivilised savages, they have ever seen anywhere. They declare
that many are still cannibal, and that all are tattooed all over the
face and body, while many of the men are clothed only in a kilt of human
hair. I think it possible that had they inspected this garment more
closely, they might have discovered it to be made of the Rhizomorpha
fibre—a glossy black parasitic weed, which is found in the forests,
clinging to old trees by means of tiny suckers. It resembles coarse
horse-hair, and in Fiji it is greatly valued as a kilt by warriors and
dancers. So perhaps in this respect the Marquesans may not differ from
our familiar Fijians. But there is no doubt that they are still in that
very early stage of civilisation, which is most interesting to the
traveller, before all distinctive angles have been rounded off—a process
which, when once commenced, progresses with startling rapidity, to the
total extinction of all individuality.
Here in Tahiti, for instance, scarcely a trace remains of the aboriginal
manners and customs, and it is impossible for the most vivid imagination
to conjure up any sort of suggestion of Captain Cook’s Otaheiti. Not a
trace of tattooing is now to be seen, though in olden days it was
practised by almost all Tahitians, both men and women, simply as a
personal adornment. Happily they seldom disfigured their faces, but the
women tattooed their feet, up to the ankles, and marked bracelets on
their arms and wrists. The men sometimes covered the whole body with
intricate patterns, often gracefully drawn, as when a cocoa-nut palm was
designed on the leg, or a bread-fruit tree, with twining vines, on the
chest. Fishes and birds, flowers and fruits, spears and clubs, were
favourite subjects; and sometimes a battle-piece, or the offering of
sacrifice at the _marae_, were thus indelibly marked. In the character
of subjects selected, the tattooing of Tahiti seems to have been nearer
akin to that of Japan than of any other nation, though in this respect,
as in all others, the Japanese lend to their work an artistic beauty of
their own.
In all other groups, the patterns selected were generally stars or
lines. By far the most elaborate designs are those of New Zealand and
the Marquesas; but the former invariably adhere to curved lines or
concentric circles, covering the whole face, while the latter make broad
straight lines all over the body, with occasional designs of animals.
The only Marquesan whom I have seen here is most elaborately tattooed
from head to foot, and I am told he is a fair type of his countrymen.
All the Maoris whom we saw in New Zealand were so fully clothed, that I
can only testify to the very finely marked intricate circles on the
faces of the men, and the hideous blue lips of the women. In Samoa the
men are so marked as apparently to be clothed in dark-blue-silk
knee-breeches. In Tonga only the men were tattooed, the women never
were. In Fiji, on the other hand, men were never tattooed; but, for
women, a certain small amount was a compulsory religious act.
In all these countries so many idolatrous ceremonies were connected with
the process, that it was invariably prohibited so soon as the people
professed Christianity. In Japan, where it has hitherto been so
practised as to be a really beautiful art, it has been declared illegal
by the same police regulations which, greatly to the discomfort of the
people, insist on every man being dressed from head to foot. But
throughout the Christianised isles, including Tahiti, the prohibition
was on the score of idolatry, and a law was passed, affixing a graduated
scale of penalty for repeated offences; a man was condemned to make so
many fathoms of road or of stone-work, and a woman to make so many mats,
or so many fathoms of native cloth, for the use of the king and of the
governor. Nevertheless, the desire to embellish nature was so great,
that many were content to work out the penalty rather than forego the
adornment.
There never was a better illustration of the old proverb, “Il faut
souffrir pour être belle;” for it was necessarily a painful process,
followed by swelling and inflammation, which often lasted for a
considerable time, and sometimes even proved fatal. The process was
simple: the victim of vanity was made to lie flat on the ground, while
the artist sketched his design with charcoal on the skin, which was then
punctured by little bundles of needles, made of the bones of birds or
fishes, though human bones were preferred. Some were so arranged as to
resemble the teeth of a saw, and were used in producing straight lines.
Others had but one fine point for giving delicate finishing touches, and
for working on such sensitive spots as could not endure the sharper
pain. The needles having previously been dipped in a black dye, made
from the kernel of the candle-nut, reduced to charcoal and mixed with
oil, were struck sharply with a small hammer, thus puncturing the skin,
carrying with them the dye, which, seen through the transparent and very
silky skin, had the effect of being blue.
The custom of tattooing was certainly widespread. Herodotus has recorded
its existence even among the Thracians, of whom he remarked that the
“barbarians could be exceedingly foppish after their fashion. The man
who was not tattooed amongst them was not respected.” If tattooing was
in fashion so near Phœnicia, who knows but that those roving traders may
have been the first to suggest to our fair-skinned forefathers the
attractions of blue woad as high art decoration?
Not only have such practices as tattooing died out in Tahiti, but even
the distinctive games of the people have apparently been forgotten,—at
least I have seen none played. Yet in olden times there were many
national sports; as, for instance, one which exactly answered to golf,
and was played with sticks, slightly curved at one end, and a hard ball
made of strips of native cloth. Football was formerly as popular in
Tahiti as in Britain or Japan, the ball used being a large roll of the
stalks of banana-leaves, firmly twisted together. The players were often
women, twenty or thirty on each side; and in the scramble to seize the
ball, there was as much rough sport as in any English public school. As
the games were generally played on the beach, the ball was often thrown
into the sea, and followed by the merry crowd with shouts and ringing
laughter.
Boxing also found favour with the lower orders; and wrestling and
archery were as highly esteemed in Tahiti as in Japan, and, moreover,
were equally associated with religious festivals, which probably is the
reason of their having fallen into disuse. The dresses worn by the
archers, with their bows and arrows, were all considered sacred, and
certain persons were appointed to keep them. Before the contest began,
the archers went to the _marae_ to perform certain religious ceremonies;
and at the end of the game, they returned thither to change their dress,
bathe, and restore their bow and arrows to their appointed keeper,
before they could venture to eat, or to enter their own homes. The bows
in use were about five feet in length; the arrows about three feet, and
the distance to which they would fly was often about 300 yards. They
were never used in war, nor for shooting at a mark, as in Fiji.
Spear-throwing and slinging stones were games in which a target was
always set up, and generally hit with precision; but these were
exercises of war, in which the players had abundant practice. The
slingers generally formed the advance-guard in battle, and often did
much execution. The stones selected were about the size of a hen’s egg.
The slings were made of finely braided cocoa-nut husk, or filaments of
native flax, with a loop at one end for the hand, and at the other a
place for the stone. In throwing, the sling was stretched across the
back, whirled round the head, and thus the missile was discharged with
great force.
But the game which always excited the keenest interest was wrestling.
Here, as in Japan, the announcement of a wrestling-match brought
together thousands both of men and women, all in their holiday garbs.
The wrestlers, like the archers, first repaired to the _marae_ to do
homage to the gods; then entering the ring, which was generally on some
grassy spot near the sea-shore, they fell to work in good earnest.
Sometimes the wrestlers of one island challenged those of another; or
else the challenge was from men of different districts. Their dress
consisted only of a waist-cloth, and a coating of fresh oil. The moment
a man was thrown, the friends of the conqueror commenced to dance and
sing triumphantly with an accompaniment of drums; and as the vanquished
party raised songs of defiance, the din must have been pretty
considerable. However, it subsided the moment fresh wrestlers entered
the ring, and the spectators watched the progress of the struggle in
dead silence and with intense interest. When the contest was over, the
wrestlers returned to the _marae_ to present their offerings to the
protecting gods.
Without looking back to classical times and Greek games, it seems
strange, does it not, that these very uncivilised savages of the South
Seas should have assigned to wrestling precisely the same religious
importance as is bestowed on it by the Shintoists of Japan. Possibly
both nations retained this sacred game as practised by their common
Malay ancestors,[59] from whom, probably, both derived their custom[60]
of offering savoury meats, and making acts of homage to their deceased
relations; though the Japanese, either from inborn refinement or Chinese
influence, place on their domestic shrine only the tablets of the dead;
whereas the Tahitian preserved the ancestral skulls hidden in the roof
of his house.
The perch for fowls,[61] so familiar in the neighbourhood of all Shinto
temples in Japan, had its counterpart in the homes of the Tahitian
chiefs; though the fowls here do not appear to have been consecrated to
the gods, but trained for fighting. The native legends assert that
cock-fighting was the most ancient native game, and the birds were
reared and tended with the utmost care. No artificial spurs were used,
and the belligerents were separated before either was injured. The
fights came off at break of day, that the birds might be perfectly cool;
and large crowds assembled to witness the contests, which sometimes were
carried on for several mornings consecutively.
In tracing all manner of kindred customs in the isles of the North and
South Pacific, I observe, amongst minor points, how very widespread is
the passion for shampooing,—a friendly office which every old woman in
the South Seas seems as ready to perform for the wearied wayfarer as is
the professional blind man of Japan; involving an amount of manipulation
which I should suppose to be truly odious, but to which many foreigners
take kindly, and which seems to find favour in all Asiatic countries.
I take an especial interest in all such links as seem to connect these
isles with Japan, because I have a pet theory of my own, that all these
fair Polynesian islanders have drifted here by a circuitous route _viâ_
the North Pacific. The commonly accepted notion is, that all the groups
in the East Pacific have been peopled by Malays, who found their way
here by a directly eastward migration. It is difficult, however, to
imagine why they should have come so far, when, in coming from that
direction, Australia and New Guinea lay so much nearer to them.
If you open the map of the world and rule a transverse line, passing
through the Sandwich Islands in the North Pacific and the Friendly Isles
in the South, you will perceive that the groups lying to the east are
the Navigators, Fiji, the Hervey Isles, Tahiti, the Paumotu, the
Marquesan, the Austral Isles, and New Zealand, every one of which is
peopled by comparatively fair-skinned races, with hair which by nature
is straight and black, although in many of the isles, as in Samoa,
custom requires that it should be dyed or bleached, cut short and
stiffened, so as to produce the effect of a wig. I am not sure if the
spiral curls of the yellow-haired Tongans and Fijians are artificially
produced, because I have never seen one individual of either race whose
hair had not been dyed with coral-lime; but I know that a Samoan girl
who refrains from “improving” nature, finds herself possessed of fine
black tresses, as silky and as beautiful as those of any Italian maiden.
To the west of our line lies Melanesia, comprising the Marshall Isles,
the Carolines, Solomon Isles, New Guinea, New Britain, New Hebrides, New
Caledonia, and Australia. These, almost without exception, are peopled
by dark-skinned races, repulsive in their ugliness, and with hair more
or less woolly.
All these lie between Eastern Polynesia and the Malay country, and there
seems no reason whatever to account for those hardy little warriors
passing by so many fertile isles, in search of the unknown region to the
east. Surely it is more probable that, having first overrun Formosa, and
then peopled Japan, they thence sailed to the Sandwich Isles, and so
gradually made their way to the south. We know that in old days their
vessels were very much better than those now commonly used by them; and
the voyage from Japan to Hawaii, and thence to Tahiti, would have been
by no means impossible, especially as the existing strong ocean-currents
would naturally tend to draw any ship by this course.
It is said that even a log of wood fairly launched on the Malay coast,
would naturally drift by this circuitous water-way till it returned
westward to the shores of New Guinea. A glance at a map of
ocean-currents will, I think, make this plain to you.
I know that this theory is contrary to that generally entertained; but
as the natives of Tahiti have always maintained that their ancestors
came from Hawaii (to which they retain the strongest links of family
affection, the principal families of the two groups being united to one
another by ties of blood), I cannot understand why learned men should
maintain that Hawaii must really mean Savaii in the Samoan group,
concerning which the Tahitians know little or nothing, except what they
have learned, by their visits to that group, in the character of native
missionaries.
There are many points which seem to me in favour of the circuitous route
_viâ_ Japan; such, for instance, as the gradual deterioration in the art
of tattooing, in which, beyond all question, Japan excels all other
nations, and which in the Marquesas, Tahiti, New Zealand, and, I think,
also in Hawaii, retained its graceful character, gradually falling off
as it travelled westward to Fiji and Tonga. Many other points of
similarity exist, such as the use of the honorific prefix O before
proper names, as in Japan, O-yama (Respected mountain), or in addressing
any person politely. Throughout Polynesia the same custom exists. Hence
early travellers wrote of Hawaii, Tahiti, Samoa, as O-whyhee, O-taheiti,
O-samoa; and the same with reference to names of persons.
Another point which to me appears to support the theory of the
circuitous movement is, that those best acquainted with Samoan matters
assert that, beyond any doubt, the Ellice group, lying far to the _west_
of Samoa, was peopled from thence. It is therefore only natural to infer
that the tall, comely race of light copper-coloured people who inhabit
the south-east coast of New Guinea (that is to say, due west from the
Ellice Isles), probably reached those shores about the same period, and
from the same direction. Their women are beautifully tattooed, and their
language wonderfully resembles that of the Rarotongan teachers, who have
come from the distant Hervey Isles to settle among them as pioneers,
sent by the native mission in that far easterly group; in fact, many of
their words are identical.
Again, it is a well-established fact that Fotuna and Aniwa, two of the
southern New Hebrides, which lie due west of the Friendly Isles, were
peopled by the descendants of a party of Tongans, who drifted thither in
a large canoe and settled on these uninhabited isles. These islanders
have retained their own language, and their children when born are very
fair, but as they grow up they become almost as dark in colour as their
Papuan neighbours. Their hair is of the Polynesian type, and some allow
it to grow long and smooth by not dyeing it with lime.
Yet another argument in favour of the migration having originally taken
a northward course, lies in the physical development of the race. Surely
it is easier to recognise a direct Malay ancestry for the warlike little
Japanese, with their reverence for the sacred swords of their demigods,
than for these stalwart Polynesians, with their firmly knit, muscular
limbs, and stately yet graceful bearing. The race increased in stature,
improved in feature, and enriched in colour on their southward
way—circumstances doubtless due to more easy and luxurious lives, with
better and more abundant food.
Beautiful as is the rich copper colour of these islanders, their own
ideal of beauty, as showing pure blood, consists in possessing a very
fair skin; and I have often been amused, when sketching, by their
anxiety to be represented several shades lighter than nature, not from
any wish to resemble foreigners, but evidently as embodying their
tradition of good ancestry. They by no means despise the use of
cosmetics to bring about so desirable a result: the Marquesan women, for
instance, though naturally of a light copper colour, contrive to make
their skin almost white by an application of the root of the papawa
tree.
That modifying circumstances may produce such changes, both in stature
and complexion, is now, I suppose, generally admitted; in fact it is
almost certain that in some cases where barren atolls (such as the
Kingsmill or Gilbert group, on the equator) have from accidental
circumstances been peopled by descendants of these splendid men they
have degenerated beyond recognition, and are now a short, spare, and
generally ugly race. Naturally, the change from unbounded supplies of
nutritious vegetable diet—bread-fruit, bananas, cocoa-nut, yams, sugar,
and all the luxuries of the tropics—to isles where a coarse meal,
prepared from the woody fruit of the pandanus, is the only edible form
of vegetable, has in due time produced this result. Therefore it seems
perfectly reasonable to infer that the converse occurred when an
under-fed aggressive race, engaged from their cradles in piracy and
strife, found themselves at rest in these Capuan isles, and there
yielded to the habits of indolent ease, which they so naturally
engender.
Yet to this day the chief characteristics of the Malays are common
throughout Polynesia. In each of these groups a truly Asiatic code of
wearisome, elaborate ceremonial is observed on every possible occasion;
the smallest breach of etiquette is considered a crime; a joke of any
sort, especially of the nature of “chaff,” is an unpardonable offence;
in speech, flowery compliments which mean nothing and veil thought are
the rule—slow, deliberate oratory, in which the best speaker is he who
can talk for hours without touching his point, and then condense all he
wishes to say, in a few pithy words.
All these islanders are distinguished by a natural grace and courtesy of
manner—sometimes dignified, at others most winning; yet under extreme
external politeness they have often nursed schemes of cold treachery and
cruelty, which they have carried out unscrupulously to the bitter end.
(I speak, of course, of the islanders as they were by nature, ere the
mellowing, transforming influence of Christianity had dawned on the
South Seas.) But to this hour the Polynesians, like the Malays, are, as
a rule, careless, easy-going, impassive beings, generally light-hearted;
all fatalists, as a matter of course; strangely indifferent to physical
pain, whether endured by themselves or inflicted on others; but when
once roused to fighting-pitch, wholly uncontrollable in their blind mad
fury.
But the strongest proof of their Malay descent lies in the similarity of
their various languages, both to one another and to the mother tongue.
It is not merely a likeness in general construction, but many words are
almost identical, as you may gather at a glance from the following
vocabulary. In short, the whole subject is extremely interesting, but is
one which I must leave to the discussion of learned folk, whose wise
disquisitions you can study at your leisure.
┌──────────┬─────────┬──────────┬─────────┬──────────┬──────────┐
│_English._│_Malay._ │_Niua and │ _New │_Rotumah._│ _Fiji._ │
│ │ │Vaté, New │Zealand._│ │ │
│ │ │Hebrides._│ │ │ │
├──────────┼─────────┼──────────┼─────────┼──────────┼──────────┤
│Heavens │Langit │Rang │Rangi │Lang │Langi │
│Rain │Ujan │Ua │Ua │Uas │Utha │
│Fire │Api │Afi │Kapura │Reh │Bukawanga │
│Head │Ulu │Uru │Matenga │Filou │Ndluna │
│Eye │Mata │Mata │Kanohi │Math │Mata │
│Ear │Telinga │Teringa │Taringa │Falinga │Ndalingana│
│Teeth │Nihi │Nifo │Niho │Al │Batina │
│Arm │Lima │Lima │Ringa │Siu │Lingana │
│Die │Mati │Mate │Mate │Akia │Mate │
│Come │Omai │Fano mai │Haere mai│Leum │Lako mai │
│Stone │Batu │Fatu │Maka │Hoth │Vatu │
│Water │Vai │Vai │Wai │Voi │Wai │
│ │ │ │ │ │ │
│Cocoa-nut │Nyu │Ono │... │Niu │Niu │
│Fish │Ikan │Ika │Ika │I’e │Ika │
│House │Bali │Fare │Whare │Ri │Vale │
│Woman │Perampuan│Fafine │Whahine │Hoien │Alewa │
│Man │Orang │Tangata │Tangata │Tha │Tamata │
│Drink │Minum │Inumia │Inu │Iom │Ngunu │
│Canoe │Sampan │Vaka │Waka │Tafang │Wanka │
└──────────┴─────────┴──────────┴─────────┴──────────┴──────────┘
┌──────────┬────────┬────────┬────────────┬────────────┬─────────┬─────────┐
│_English._│_Tonga._│_Samoa._│_Raratonga._│_Marquesas._│_Tahiti._│_Hawaii._│
│ │ │ │ │ │ │ │
│ │ │ │ │ │ │ │
├──────────┼────────┼────────┼────────────┼────────────┼─────────┼─────────┤
│Heavens │Langi │Langi │Langi │Ani │Ra’i │Lani │
│Rain │Uha │Ua │Ua │Ua │Ua │Ua │
│Fire │Afi │Afi │A’i │Ahi │Auahi │Ahi │
│Head │Ulu │Ulu │Mimiti │Upoko │Upoo │Po’o │
│Eye │Mata │Mata │Mata │Mata │Mata │Maka │
│Ear │Telinga │Taringa │Taringa │Buaina │Tari’a │Pepei ao │
│Teeth │Nifo │Nifo │Ni’o │Niho │Niho │Niho │
│Arm │Nima │Lima │Lima │Iima │Rima │Lima │
│Die │Mate │Oti │Mate │Mate │Pohe │Make │
│Come │Hau │Omai │Tae │Amai │Haere mai│Hele mai │
│Stone │Maka │Ma’a │Toka │Kea │O fa’i │Pohaku │
│Water │Vai │Vai │Vai │Vai │Vai or │Uai │
│ │ │ │ │ │ Pape │ │
│Cocoa-nut │Niu │Niu │Niu │Eehi │Haari │Niu │
│Fish │Ika │I’a │Ika │Ika │I’a │Lawaia │
│House │Fale │Fale │Are │Fae │Fare │Hale │
│Woman │Fefine │Fafine │Vaine │Vahine │Vahine │Wahine │
│Man │Tangata │Tangata │Tangata │Euata │Tane │Kanaka │
│Drink │Inu │Inu │Inu │Inu │Inu │Inu │
│Canoe │Vaka │Va’a │Vaka │Vaka │Va’a │Kau │
└──────────┴────────┴────────┴────────────┴────────────┴─────────┴─────────┘
HERE ARE THE NUMERALS.
┌──────────┬────────┬────────┬───────┬────────────┬────────────┬─────────┬─────────┐
│_English._│_Malay._│_Samoa._│_Fiji._│_Rarotonga._│_Marquesas._│_Tahiti._│_Hawaii._│
├──────────┼────────┼────────┼───────┼────────────┼────────────┼─────────┼─────────┤
│One │Satu │Tasi │Dua │Ta’i │Tahi │Tahi │Kahi │
│Two │Dua or │Lua │Rua │Rua │Ua │Rua │Alua │
│ │ Lua │ │ │ │ │ │ │
│Three │Talu │Tolu │Tola │Toru │Tou │Toru │Akolo │
│Four │Ha │Fa │Va │A │Fa │Ha │Aha │
│Five │Lima │Lima │Lima │Rima │Ima │Rima │Alima │
│Six │Onoma │Ono │Ono │Ono │Ono │Ono │Eono │
│Seven │Pitu │Fitu │Vita │Itu │Fitu │Hitu │Ahiku │
│Eight │Walu │Valu │Ualo │Valu │Vau │Varu │Auala │
│Nine │Siwa │Iva │Thewa │Iua │Iva │Iva │Aiwa │
│Ten │Sapuloh │Sefulu │Tine │Ngaulu │Onohn’u │Ahuru │Umi │
│Eleven │Sepuloh │Sefulu │Tine ka│ │ │Ta’au │ │
│ │ dua │ Lua │ kua │ │ │ │ │
│Twenty │Ruapuloh│Lua Fulu│Rua │Elua ngaulu │Eua onohu’u │ │Iwakalua │
│ │ │ │ sang │ │ │ │ │
│ │ │ │ a │ │ │ │ │
│ │ │ │ vula │ │ │ │ │
└──────────┴────────┴────────┴───────┴────────────┴────────────┴─────────┴─────────┘