THE MARQUESAS ISLANDS.
DRESS--AMUSEMENTS--WAR--BURIAL.
ORIGIN OF THE NAME -- APPEARANCE OF THE NATIVES -- THEIR DRESS --
THE ELABORATE TATTOO OF THE MEN -- DIFFERENCE IN STATURE BETWEEN
THE SEXES -- CARE OF COMPLEXION -- A BLEACHING PROCESS -- A MAN IN
FULL DRESS -- MODES OF WEARING THE HAIR -- THE CHIEF’S NECKLACE --
CLOSE SHAVING -- PECULIAR HEADDRESS -- METHOD OF OBTAINING FEATHERS
-- ARCHITECTURE IN THE MARQUESAS -- AMUSEMENTS -- DANCING AND
STILT-WALKING -- THE AMPHITHEATRE OR PAHOOA -- WAR -- TROPHIES OF
VICTORY -- MODE OF WARFARE -- DESTRUCTION OF PROPERTY -- ETIQUETTE OF
WAR -- REPLACING A PRISONER -- CANOES AND FISHING -- FLY-FISHING IN
THE MARQUESAS -- BURIAL CUSTOMS.
We now come to that very interesting group of islands called the
MARQUESAS, or MENDANA ISLANDS. Both these names derive their origin
from the Spanish navigator Mendâna, who discovered them nearly two
hundred years ago. The discoverer named them Los Marquesas de Mendoça,
in compliment to the then Viceroy of Peru, and by many succeeding
voyagers the islands have been called by the name of their discoverer.
The character of the islands is rather peculiar, and very picturesque.
They are craggy, mountainous, and volcanic, having exceedingly lofty
peaks in the centre, which look at a distance as if they were the ruins
of vast buildings. Being situated near the equator, their temperature
is warm, and, as at the same time they are well watered, the vegetation
is peculiarly luxuriant. Like most of the Polynesian Islands, the
Marquesas are surrounded with coral reefs; but these are not so large
as is generally the case, so that, although the navigation among them
is not so difficult as in many islands, the ships do not find that
protection from storms which is afforded by the great coral reefs of
other islands.
The inhabitants are splendid specimens of humanity, the men being
remarkable for their gigantic size, great strength, and fine shape,
which emulates those of the ancient Greek statues. One of the chiefs
was measured carefully, and was found to be six feet eight inches in
height, and said that he knew another chief who was at least a foot
taller than himself.
In general they wear but little raiment, a slight piece of bark cloth
round the waist being the only garment which they think needful, the
place of clothing being supplied by the tattoo. There are many nations
where this decoration is worn; but there are no people on the face of
the earth who carry it out so fully as do the Marquesans, every part
of their bodies, even to the crown of the head and the fingers and
toes, being covered with the pattern. The “Tattooed chiefs” on the
opposite page illustrate the extent to which the Marquesans carry this
custom. This extreme elaboration is only to be found in the men, the
women contenting themselves with a bracelet or two tattooed on their
arms, and a few similar ornaments here and there. A very interesting
description of the tattooing of the Marquesans is given in Langsdorff’s
“Travels.”--
“Sometimes a rich islander will, either from generosity, ostentation,
or love to his wife, make a feast in honor of her when she has a
bracelet tattooed round her arm, or perhaps her ear ornamented. A hog
is then killed, and the friends of both sexes are invited to partake of
it, the occasion of the feast being made known to them. It is expected
that the same courtesy should be returned in case of the wife of any of
the guests being punctured. This is one of the few occasions on which
women are allowed to eat hog’s flesh.
[Illustration: (1.) TATTOOED MARQUESAN CHIEFS. (See page 1048.)]
[Illustration: (2.) CHIEF’S HAND. (See page 1047.)]
[Illustration: (3.) NECK ORNAMENT. (See page 1048.)]
[Illustration: (4.) MARQUESAN CHIEF. (See page 1049.)]
“If, in a very dry year, bread-fruit, hogs, roots, and other
provisions, become scarce, any one who has a good stock of them (which
commonly happens to the chief), in order to distribute the stores,
keeps open table for a certain time to an appointed number of poor
artists, who are bound to give in return some strokes of the tattoo to
all who choose to come for it. By virtue of a tapu, all these brethren
are engaged to support each other, if in future some happen to be in
need while the others are in affluence.
“The same person may be a member of several of these societies; but,
according to what we could learn, a portion must always be given to
the priest, or magician, as he is called, even if he be not a member.
In a time of scarcity, also, many of the people who have been tattooed
in this way unite as an absolute troop of banditti, and share equally
among each other all that they can plunder or kill.
“The figures with which the body is tattooed are chosen with great
care, and appropriate ornaments are selected for the different parts.
They consist partly of animals, partly of other objects which have
some reference to the manners and customs of the islands; and every
figure has here, as in the Friendly Islands, its particular name. Upon
an accurate examination, curved lines, diamonds, and other designs are
often distinguishable between rows of punctures, which resemble very
much the ornaments called _à la Grecque_.
“The most perfect symmetry is observed over the whole body. The head
of a man is tattooed in every part; the breast is commonly ornamented
with a figure resembling a shield; on the arms and thighs are strips
sometimes broader, sometimes narrower, in such directions that these
people might be very well presumed to have studied anatomy, and to be
acquainted with the course and dimensions of the muscles.
“Upon the back is a large cross, which begins at the neck and ends with
the last vertebra. In the front of the thigh are often figures which
seem intended to represent the human face. On each side of the calf
of the leg is an oval figure, which produces a very good effect. The
whole, in fact, displays much taste and discrimination. Some of the
tenderest parts of the body--the eyelids, for example--are the only
parts not tattooed.”
As may be seen by the illustration No. 2 on the 1046th page, even the
hands are tattooed with the same minute care that is bestowed on the
body. Each finger has its own pattern, so that the hand looks as if
enclosed in a very tight-fitting glove. The reader will notice the
great length of the nails. Among the Marquesans, as among the Chinese,
very long nails are esteemed as a mark of rank, being a proof that the
wearer is not obliged to do any hard work.
This elaborate ornamentation answers the purpose of dress, and is
considered as such. Indeed, it would be useless to undergo so much
pain, and to pay the operator such costly fees, if the tattooing were
to be hidden by clothing. The men, therefore, wear nothing but a slight
cloth round their waists, and the women of rank a similar garment, with
the addition of a larger piece which they throw over their bodies to
keep off the darkening rays of the sun.
Few phenomena struck the earlier travellers more than the difference
in appearance and stature between the men and the women; and the same
writer who has just been quoted remarks more than once that it was
difficult to believe that the undersized, stumpy, awkward women could
have been the parents of the magnificent, gigantic, and graceful men.
There is, however, a great distinction between the women of rank and
those of the lower orders. As was afterward discovered, the better
class of women, who for some time kept themselves aloof from the
strangers, being well developed, and of a fair complexion, about which
they were very careful, enveloped themselves in their bark cloths, and
never ventured into the sunshine without holding over their heads a
bunch of leaves by way of parasol.
So careful are they of their complexions, that if they find themselves
getting sunburnt they have a mode of bleaching themselves again, which
they adopt before all great ceremonies, though at the cost of much time
and trouble. They take the sap of three trees, with which they anoint
the whole body. The immediate effect of the mixture is to dye the skin
of a deep black. The pigment is allowed to remain on the skin for six
days, during which time the woman remains within the house. At the
expiration of that time she bathes, when all the black dye comes off,
and the skin is left beautifully fair.
A woman who has just undergone this process, and who has dressed
herself in all her native finery, is a very striking object, her
body being gracefully enveloped in bark cloth, her hair adorned with
flowers, and her fair skin almost without ornament except upon the
feet, hands, and arms, which appear as if she were wearing boots,
gloves, and bracelets.
The mode of tattooing is almost exactly like that of the Samoan
islanders, except that the “comb” is made of the wing-bone of the
tropic bird. The operation is always conducted in certain houses
belonging to the professional tattooers, who lay on these buildings a
tapu, which renders them unapproachable by women. As is the case in
Samoa, the best tattooers are men of great importance, and are paid
highly for their services, a Marquesan thinking that he is bound to
be liberal toward a man to whom he is indebted for the charms which
he values so highly. These men gain their skill by practising on the
lower orders, who are too poor to pay for being tattooed, and who would
rather wear a bad tattoo than none at all. A considerable amount is
generally exacted at each operation, which lasts from three to six
months; and so elaborate is the process, that a really complete tattoo
can hardly be finished until the man is thirty years old.
By the time that the last piece of tattoo is executed, the first
generally begins to fade, and if the man is rich enough he has the
pattern renewed. Some men have been tattooed three times, and, as the
patterns cannot be made to coincide precisely with each other, the
result is that the whole skin becomes nearly as dark as that of a
negro. In this state it is greatly admired, not because the effect is
agreeable to the eye, but because it is an indubitable mark of wealth.
The pigment used in the tattooing is the well-known aleurita, or candle
nut, burned to a fine charcoal and mixed with water.
The ornaments worn by the men are more imposing than those of
the women. In the first place, they allow the hair to grow to a
considerable length, and dispose of it in various ways. For a number of
years it is tied in a bunch on the top of the head; but when the man is
rich enough to be entirely tattooed, he shaves all the head with the
exception of a patch at each side, in order to allow the pattern of
the tattoo to be extended over his head. In such a case, the tuft of
hair at each side is still suffered to grow long, but is twisted into a
conical form, so as to make a sort of horn projecting outward over each
temple. Examples of this curious mode of wearing the hair may be seen
in the illustration No. 1, on page 1046.
Sometimes a man may be seen wearing the whole of his hair in curled
ringlets. Such men are cultivating a crop for sale, as the Marquesans
are very fond of decorating with these ringlets the handles of their
spears and clubs, and of making them into ornamental figures which are
worn on the ankles. The most valued of these decorations are long white
human beards, which are grown for the express purpose, and sold at a
very high price. The purchaser uses them either as plumes for his head
or as ornamental appendages to his conch-shell trumpet. One of these
beards is now always reckoned as equivalent in value to a musket, and
before fire-arms were introduced was estimated at an equally high rate.
The ear ornaments of the Marquesan men are very curious. An univalve
shell, of a dead-white color, is cut into a circular shape, and filled
with a sort of cement made of the resin and wood of the bread-fruit
tree. Into this cement is pressed an ivory stem, carved with figures
in relief, so that the whole ornament looks like a very large white
headed nail. The stem is pushed through a hole in the lobe of the
ear, so that the head of the nail projects forward, as seen in the
right-hand figure of “tattooed chiefs” on page 1046. The name of the
ornament is “taiana.”
Ornaments made of whales’ teeth are as fashionable among the Marquesans
as among the Polynesians, and are worn by the chiefs suspended round
their necks. Wooden ornaments bleached white are also used, and
others are cut from shells. One ornament of which they are very fond
is made from wood, wax, and seeds. It is in the form of a horseshoe,
the framework being made of wood, which is thickly covered with wax.
Into this are pressed the pretty black and scarlet seeds of the _Abrus
precatorius_, arranged in rows radiating to the circumference. One of
these ornaments is shown in the illustration No. 3, on the same page
and is drawn from a specimen in my collection. It measures eight inches
in diameter, and is slightly concave on the outside, and convex on
the inside. Very great pains have been taken in arranging the seeds;
they are placed in a regular series of double rows, the black portion
of each seed being pressed into the wax, so that only the brilliant
scarlet portion is visible. Upward of eight hundred beads have been
used in making this ornament, so that the trouble which is taken by the
natives is very great.
Some of the chiefs wear a very curious ornament, which seems to take
the place of the hair which they shave from their own heads, and is
nothing more than a large bunch of hair cut from the head of a wife.
As a rule, the Marquesan removes all hair from the body, except from
the head, only one or two of the very old men allowing a few straggling
hairs on the chin.
In Langsdorff’s travels an amusing incident occurred, illustrative of
that feeling. In those days close shaving was the custom in Europe, so
that when the officers went on shore they were found to have conformed
to the fashion of the islands. They were talking very amicably
together, when suddenly a chief stared intently into the face of one
of the officers, and, with horror depicted in his features, rushed
forward, and grasped him tightly. The officer naturally thought that
he was going to be murdered; but the fact was, that the Marquesan had
actually discovered a hair on his face, and was going to pull it out
with his shell tweezers.
When they wish to be considered as wearing full dress, the better class
of men wear a most elaborate cap, made of fibre, feathers, and shells.
First, a broad fillet is plaited from cocoa-nut fibre, so as to pass
round the forehead, after the manner of a cap without a crown. On
the centre of this fillet is fixed a large plate of mother-o’-pearl,
decorated with carving. In the middle of this plate is fixed a smaller
but similarly shaded plate of tortoise-shell, and in the middle of
that a still smaller disc of pearl shell. Some headdresses have three
of these ornaments, as is the case with that which is figured in the
Marquesan chief on the 1046th page.
In the fillet are also fastened a number of feathers, either from the
tail of the cock or from that of the tropic bird, so that when the
fillet is bound on the forehead the feathers will stand upright. The
feathers of the tropic bird are greatly prized by the natives, who use
them for various ornaments, and display great ingenuity in procuring
them. Instead of killing the birds, and so stopping the supply of
feathers, they steal upon them when they are asleep, and dexterously
twitch out the two long tail-feathers. In process of time the feathers
grow again, and so the supply is kept up. I mention the custom because
it is contrary to the recklessness respecting the future which is
usually found among savages.
The houses of the Marquesans are rather peculiar, especially those of
the better kind. The native builder begins with making a platform of
large stones, many of them being so enormous that ten or twelve men are
required to move them. This platform is from ten to eleven feet high,
and about thirty feet long by twelve wide. Upon this is erected the
house, which is built with the back very much higher than the front,
so that the roof slopes considerably, the back being perhaps twelve
or more feet in height, and the front only five feet. The door is
naturally small, and no one can enter without stooping. The walls at
the end are no higher than that of the front, so that a considerable
portion of each end is left open. As, however, the climate of the
Marquesas is so equable, this is rather an advantage than otherwise.
The interior of the house is divided into two portions, one of which is
left bare, with no covering to the stony floor, while the other part
is considered as the dwelling-place, and the floor is covered with
mats. The walls are also covered with matting. Near the back wall is
the strangely made family bed. Two horizontal poles are placed about
six feet apart, and a foot or so from the ground, and the space between
them is filled with dry grass covered with mats. The sleepers lie on
the mats, resting the back of their heads on one pole, and their feet
on the other, and pass the night in this position, which seems to have
been invented for the purpose of making the sleepers as uncomfortable
as possible. Round the walls are hung the weapons and implements of the
owner, such as spears, clubs, stilts, drums, slings, axes, and similar
articles. The houses are always placed near trees, so that they may
have the advantage of shade.
The Marquesans have a curious custom of erecting small and highly
decorated buildings in honor of the children of great chiefs. These
buildings are considered as acknowledgments of the legitimacy of
the children; and if they were omitted, the parents would consider
themselves insulted. They are protected by tapu, and after they are
made are not repaired, but allowed to decay. Dr. Bennett, in his
“Whaling Voyage round the Globe,” thus describes those edifices:--
“This compliment had been paid to Eutiti’s daughter at Vaitahú a few
weeks before our arrival. It consisted of two small huts, neatly built
with peeled hibiscus rods, which were covered with white tappa (bark
cloth) and stained cocoa-nut sinnet. The interior was occupied by many
of the same rods ranged vertically, graduated in height, and entwined
with bunches of herbs. The face of the building was ornamented by a few
boards, painted with mystic figures in black and red.
“The white and delicate appearance of the hibiscus rods, the fluttering
pennants of fine tappa, and the various gaudy hues employed, gave the
entire edifice a fantastic and imposing appearance. A low stone wall
enclosed the two huts, and within its precincts were several bundles of
cocoa-nut leaves placed upright, and intended to represent the tutelary
deities of the spot. A striking edifice of the same description had
been erected in honor of Eutiti’s son at Anamaihai, the territory of
his guardian. It differed from that dedicated to his sister in being
placed on an elevated stone platform, as well as in having a long
wicker basket placed at the entrance.”
In every village there is a sort of amphitheatre, in which the dancing
and similar amusements are conducted. For this purpose the natives
choose a sheltered and level spot, surrounded on all sides with rising
banks. The middle of the amphitheatre is carefully smoothed and covered
with mats, and the rising banks serve as seats for the spectators.
When a dance is to be performed, the mats are laid afresh, and a large
amount of food is prepared. The spectators take the food with them,
and, seated on the banks, remain there throughout the greater part of
the day. The dances are not very graceful, consisting principally of
jumping, without moving from the same spot. Various ornaments are used
by the dancers, the most curious of which are the finger-rings, which
are made of plaited fibre, adorned with the long tail-feathers of the
tropic bird. When women dance they are not allowed to wear clothing of
any description, and this for a curious reason. None dance except those
whose husbands or brothers have been killed in war or taken prisoners,
and the absence of clothing is accepted as an expression of sorrow on
their part, and of vengeance on the part of the spectators.
They have several other amusements, which are conducted in this
theatre, or _pahooa_, as it is called. The Marquesans are most
accomplished stilt-walkers, and go through performances which would
excite the envy of any professional acrobat. One of the games in which
they most delight is a race on stilts, in which each performer tries,
not only to distance his opponents, but to cross their course and upset
them. They are such adepts at this pastime that they walk over the
rough stones of the house platform with ease and security.
* * * * *
If the reader will refer to the portrait of the Marquesan chief, he
will see that the head is not only decorated with the feather fillet,
but is also covered with a veil that falls on either side of the face.
This is a mark of war, and is worn when chiefs go into battle. The
Marquesans do not use the bow and arrow, but they throw spears, sling
stones, and use clubs. The slings are made of plaited grass, and are
very powerful, often exceeding five feet in length, and carrying stones
of a considerable size. The spears are generally about ten feet long,
and the clubs are carved out of hard wood, which is made harder by
burying the weapons for a considerable time in the mud.
They are fierce in war, and are never satisfied until they have gained
a trophy of victory. When a Marquesan kills an enemy, he cuts off the
head of his fallen antagonist, tears open the skull, and eats the
brain. He then cleans the skull very carefully, adorns it with tufts of
bristles, and slings it by a cord to his girdle. When he goes to battle
again he always carries this trophy with him, partly on account of the
respect in which it is held by his comrades, and partly in order to
strike awe into the enemy by the sight of so redoubtable a warrior.
According to most travellers, the Marquesans are a quarrelsome people
among themselves, and much addicted to making raids in each other’s
districts. These districts are generally divided from each other by
natural boundaries, such as mountain-spurs and ridges, many of which
are of enormous height, and so steep and precipitous as to be almost
inaccessible. The worst part of their mode of warfare is not the
cruelty exercised on the vanquished warriors, but on the destruction to
property, and the distress indicted on non-combatants.
When one chief intends to make war upon another, he tries to steal by
night into the district of his enemy, and silently damages all the
bread-fruit and cocoa-nut trees he can find. The former are stripped
of their bark, and, though their vitality is so great that they are
not absolutely killed by the injury, they bear no more fruit for five
years, and thus the whole population are deprived of an essential
article of diet, and for a long time are reduced to great straits for
want of food.
The cocoa-nut trees are killed after a different manner. The destroyer
walks up the tree after the mode employed by these islanders; namely,
by applying the palms of his hands to either side of the trunk, and
so ascending the tree in monkey fashion. He then bruises with a stone
the central shoot, or “cabbage” of the palm, and descends the tree,
knowing that it must soon die. The reason for the fatal nature of
the injury is, that the tree is an endogenous one, and consequently
the destruction of the central bud involves the death of the tree.
Sometimes the tree is killed in another way, a sea-slug (_bèche-demer_)
being laid at the root of the “cabbage,” killing the tree as it decays.
Quarrelsome as they are and cruel to the persons and property of the
vanquished, they have yet some slight etiquette in war, one rule of
which is so curious that it must be given in the relator’s own words:--
“_June 18._--Captain Riggs of the _General Gates_, just arrived from
the Marquesas, informs us that he has had a narrow escape of his life
there. At the island of Nukahiva, as he was attempting to go on shore,
a native chief, assisted by a posse of dependants, seized and carried
him off, stripped him of his clothing, and then presented him to the
king, an infirm old man, who took him under his protection. That
protection, however, could have little availed him, for the sovereign
had not power to set the prisoner at liberty unless a suitable ransom
were paid for him.
“The captors first demanded five muskets and five barrels of gunpowder,
which being agreed to, they rose in their violent extortion, and
required more; and this also being conceded, they still refused to
liberate him unless their rapacity was still further gratified. The
captain then resolutely stood out, and insisted on being set at
liberty, at the same time having but small hopes of obtaining it, or
any other issue of his captivity except to be killed and eaten by these
cannibals, some of whom had conspired to spear him, but the king’s
authority restrained their violence.
“At length, however, the terms of ransom being settled, he was ordered
to be released; but here an unexpected difficulty arose. The law of the
land requires that whoever captures another on board of a boat must,
when the prisoner is at liberty, carry him down to the water again, and
reinstate him in the same situation as he was found. This the cowardly
and treacherous chief, who had readily acted the part of kidnapper, was
unwilling to do, lest he should be shot from the ship. The obligation,
however, being indispensable, he obtained the captain’s assurance
that no harm should be attempted against him, and then performed the
ungracious office. When Captain Riggs had reached his vessel, the
natives on the shore gave three hideous howls, which were returned by
three hearty cheers of the crew.”
Finding that their captive had been so profitable to them, the natives
tried boldly to take the ship, and displayed equal ingenuity and daring
in their attempt. On the same evening a native was detected in trying
to cut the cable, and was shot for his temerity. Finding that an open
assault of this kind was useless, the natives, who are wonderful
divers, swam off to the ship, carrying with them a rope, one end of
which they fastened to the rudder, well under the water, the other end
being carried ashore. Fortunately this trick was discovered in time
to save the ship, and, had not the rope been seen, the natives would
have waited until the vessel weighed anchor, and then have dragged her
ashore.
In the above narrative the Marquesans are described as cannibals. It
is, however, very doubtful whether they can be justly charged with this
revolting custom.
* * * * *
The canoes of the Marquesans are furnished with outriggers, after the
custom of all Polynesia, and are well-built and swift vessels. They
have, besides the outrigger, a small stage projecting over the stem,
on which the steersman stands when the vessel is under sail. The bow
of the canoe is much turned up in front, probably for the purpose of
acting as a defence to the rowers, when advancing against an enemy.
They are very skilful in the fishing art, both with line and net. They
have different modes of using both these implements. When they fish
with the line, they sometimes bait the hook, pass the line over the
side, and angle in the mode adopted in this country. But when they fish
for the albacore, they employ a totally different method, which bears
some resemblance to fly fishing, except that the bait is not made to
represent an insect, but a fish.
A very ingenious imitation of a flying fish is made by cutting the
shape of the fish out of a mother-of-pearl shell, and inserting a long
tuft of hog’s bristles at either side to represent the wing fins, and
another at the extremity to do duty for the tail. This is armed with
a hook, and fastened to one end of a line, the other end of which is
attached to the top of a long bamboo rod planted in the stern of the
canoe. Sail is hoisted, and the vessel is driven over the waves at full
speed, the sham flying-fish leaping and bounding through the air in a
manner that wonderfully resembles the action of the living fish. The
albacore naturally takes the bait for a real fish, leaps at it, and is
caught before it has time to discover the imposition.
Net fishing is carried on in several modes, but the most curious and
perhaps the most sportsmanlike plan is that which compels the fisherman
to pursue his occupation under water. He takes with him a hand-net and
a stick about two feet in length, jumps into the water, and dives among
the coral, holding his net over the nooks and crevices with one hand,
while with the stick he drives the fish out of their hiding places into
the net.
By this mode of fishing great numbers are captured, but the fisherman
is always exposed to two dangers. In the first place, there is a chance
that a shark may come up unobserved, and carry off a limb, even if it
does not kill the man. The Marquesans are such excellent swimmers that
they care little for a shark as long as they can see him, and it is
only when the terrible fish darts unexpectedly out of a hiding place
that they know any real fear.
Sometimes a rather strange circumstance occasions the death of the
diver. It has already been mentioned that up to the time when a man can
afford to have his head tattooed he wears his hair very long, and tied
up in a knot on the crown of his head. Before going into the water,
the natives untie the fillet, and allow the hair to float down their
backs. It has occasionally happened that a diver, who has thus prepared
himself, finds, when he tries to rise to the surface of the water,
that his long floating hair has become entangled in the branching
coral; and, as he has already remained under water nearly as long as
his breath will last, he is sometimes drowned before he has time to
extricate himself.
When a Marquesan dies a natural death, his relatives make great
preparation for his funeral, including the usual accompaniment of
feasting. They send for a “tana,” or priest, who makes a long oration
over the corpse, which is then delivered to the relatives, who have
a long and disagreeable task before them. They first wash the body
thoroughly, and then rub it with cocoa-nut oil, laying it in the sun,
and turning it continually. Several times daily the corpse is newly
anointed, until at last the combined effects of the sun and oil reduce
it to a mummy. Wrapped in cloth, it is laid on a bier, and deposited in
the cemetery.
Each district has its cemetery or “morai,” which is adorned with
gigantic human figures carved in wood, and similar decorations. It is
surrounded by a wall, and held in great respect by the inhabitants of
its district. Unfortunately, the inhabitants of other districts hold it
in no respect at all, and, when war is declared, try to steal out of
the morai the body of any man of rank. When, therefore, war seems to be
imminent, the bodies are carried away and hidden, or sometimes buried.
A similar custom prevails in many parts of Polynesia, and Mr. Williams
mentions an instance where a man climbed an apparently inaccessible
precipice with a corpse lashed to his back, placed the body on a lofty
shelf, and descended in safety.