girls there have grown superior, and the exhibition and distribution of
them created quite a furore. One would never suppose in these days of
superior enlightenment that any people could be found simple enough to
go into ecstacies over a halfpenny toy, but these women and children
have gone off perfectly enraptured with their new possessions, and I
dare say they will treasure them up for many a day and find pleasure in
the contemplation and exhibition of them. One poor young mother has just
brought in great distress her infant child which she says is suffering
from a pain in its side, and the only remedy I can conceive of is a dose
of castor oil. The father comes around to my side of the table, and
whispers that it has not been ‘washed’ yet, meaning that it has not been
Baptized, and that it has no name. While writing this Samuel appeared
with another friend from Tasmouri, and I went with them to the beach
where all the population had previously gone. Our path lay through the
carefully and skilfully irrigated taro fields, and of course it was very
bad in some places. Crossing one place I made a false step and went up
to my knees, it was a fitting judgment on my pride for I refused the
assistance of a stalwart follower’s back, which had borne me dry and
safely over two such places before. I presented a strangely harlequin
appearance with white flannel trowsers above the knee, and black mud
gaiters below. However appearances are easily pardoned here, and the
only grief was at my own discomfort. The people of course all said it
was because the roads were so bad, but that was too palpable a truism,
and was no relief to my feelings. Bootless and trowserless, these paddy
paths make no difference to them, and mud has not the same appearance on
a black skin. However we went to the sea-shore and saw the sport which
was not much. One very large fish was caught with a hook and line, and
the women had great horse-loads of shell fish, but generally the bowmen
came off badly. The tide was out to the utmost limit of the reef, and
quite half-a-mile from the shore the rocks were entirely exposed. Of
course there was some very good reason for the failure and ill luck, and
I was somewhat surprised to hear the wind blamed. It so happened that
what of that element there was, was off shore, but if it had been only
blowing in shore it would have driven in the fish. However there was
disappointment depicted on every countenance, and there was some
trifling relief to the feelings in putting the blame on the wind.
Probably if the wind is all right to-morrow something else will be
wrong, and so on. What a wonderful place in the English language those
two little words ‘if’ and ‘but’ have, and how they qualify almost every
action of mankind, and how usually are they made use of in
self-extenuation. How scarcely possible is it to describe a single
character without the use of one or other of them! He would be a very
nice fellow ‘if.’ She would be an estimable woman ‘but.’ On our homeward
road I marched boldly through mud and water taking pride I suppose in
revenging myself, and showing my unmentionables that now the pink of
their whiteness was off, they might just as well be a little more dirty.
However, a refreshing bath was some return for my chagrin and
discomfort, and I hastened home for a clean change. The cooks brought me
two deliciously cooked fish for dinner, and were very disappointed when
I sent them back untasted. I am never very partial to fish, and in these
latitudes my digestive organs rebel even against the smell of them.
However, the boys very soon picked the bones, and perhaps were not sorry
that I had not partaken. There is great feasting going on to-night with
both sexes, the men with their fish supper and the women with
shell-fish.
Everywhere to-day we saw the bush lit up with the bright red “Rarava,” a
gorgeous tree, which flowers at this time of the year, and gives its
name to the winter season. The other season is called “Magoto” from a
reed of that name which shoots in spring, and these are the only native
seasons of the year. There does not seem to be however any very marked
distinction or peculiar line of demarcation between summer and winter as
regards the heat and cold, but in fact it does seem to be warmer in the
“Magoto” and cooler in the “Rarava.” To an Englishman however it is
always hot, and he does not detect any material difference. One shivers
now to think of ice and snow and of such concomitants of the winter
season, for here of course they are absolutely unknown.
_Tuesday, August 3rd._--It gets somewhat monotonous to write every day
of cold nights, but this last one has been no exception. The cold is so
peculiar and penetrating that clad in flannel from head to foot, and
covered with a blanket and rug, I failed to keep it out, and slept very
badly in consequence. When I did sleep, too, I was troubled with dreams
and fancied myself in Ireland hunted by ‘Moonlighters.’ I had proposed
to go to a very distant district called “Golvanua” to-day, but at the
eleventh hour my escort cried off and I could not go alone. I cannot
quite say why it is, but natives when they are about to make an
excursion almost invariably start on the spur of the moment without
making any previous appointment, or specifying any distinct time.
Whether they wish to elude ‘Fate’ and deprive it of the chance of being
unpropitious by stealing a march, or whether the fear of material foes
induces them to do these things secretly so that they may not be
cognizant of their movements, or what it is I do not know, but fact it
is that if you want to make a journey, you must abide the native’s time
and conveniences for they will seldom assent to yours if premeditated or
prearranged.
I quite expect that some fine morning, before I am out of bed perhaps,
my escort will be awaiting me outside my door, and anxiously and
impatiently desiring to start at once. Natives make no preparation for a
journey, they have no impedimenta of travel, and lightly clad, and
lightly weighted, they are ready at any moment to start, and a long or
short stay is all the same to them. They want no canteens or bedding or
change of clothing, and they can lay their heads down in any spot, and
rest and refresh themselves, and be ready for any emergency. They do not
even need as much as a tooth brush and pair of slippers for their
excursions, and marvel at our wanting so much to them unnecessary
luggage. I believe I should make many more journeys, if I could
accomplish them with so little inconvenience and discomfort.
Samuel went back this morning, and I am to go to Tasmouri on Friday for
a week. He gives a very good account of his work there and I am anxious
to see and judge for myself. The whole Community there are Baptized, and
most exemplary Christians they are. They are very nice lively
good-natured people too, but are not very numerous. Indeed these Maewo
villages have dwindled down to very few inhabitants, from one cause and
another, and a large measure of the decrease is owing to the wide spread
practice of infanticide. Now in this district that practice, thank God,
is checked and the population is again on the increase. Moses who was
here with Samuel to-day asked me to Baptize while at Tasmouri his fourth
child, three boys of his are already Baptized, and such mothers as his
wife are a blessing to the race. Here two mothers have three children
apiece, and several have two. I wish however the mothers would bring up
their children a little better, they are the perfect slaves of their
offspring, and give into them in everything. Talk about spoilt children,
I have to roar every day of my life to some little urchin, screaming his
lungs out because his mother does not do at once what he wants. The
mother beats at one moment and coaxes at another, and the child grows up
anyhow, a burden to himself and a nuisance to his neighbours. I want a
good superior minded and well educated mother here to give some
practical advice. Arthur’s wife is but a child herself, and as devoid of
gumption as the rest of them. Poor people, they do not know what trouble
and misery they entail upon themselves and their children from a want of
a little firmness, and well timed correction.
It has been a most glorious day, and this morning I accepted an
invitation from the boys to go to ‘Kerepei.’ The tide was very low and
many of the people had preceded us, and were busy searching the reef and
rocks for the much prized products of the sea shore. The little fellows
got me most deliciously sweet green cocoanuts, and while I was bathing
caught me a nice lot of prawns for my tea. Days spent in this way are
very pleasant, for we get to know each other all the better, and I can
exercise a continual supervision over their actions. I generally carry a
paper or portable volume with me, and to-day the Church Times was my
companion. The evening was most glorious and peaceful, but when the sun
went down peculiarly cold. Now as I write I have a blazing fire in my
house, and I feel the comfort of it. The poor ill clad people are
shivering all around, and are off to their several domiciles to try and
get some heat. The attendance at school to-night was worse than I have
known it yet, and the cold was said to be the reason of it.
_Wednesday, August 4th._--There seems a perfect rage for fishing just
now, when the exceptionally low tides afford such advantages for the
pursuit. School was no sooner over to-day, than there was a general
exodus seaward of all the able bodied inhabitants of the place. They
talk to-day of trying the “Tasigoro” to see what it yields. This
Tasigoro is a tabu’d enclosure of so much of the reef as those who make
it choose, and it is made in this way--one, two, three or indeed any
number of people who have reached the rank of “welu” kill a certain kind
of pig, and for ten days the killer or killers are supposed to subsist
on pig’s flesh, at the end of ten days they go to the beach, and mark
off the chosen portion of the beach with a long bamboo at either end,
like a base for football, but on a somewhat larger scale, and tie on to
the bamboo the leaf of a certain palm tree; the person or persons then
bathe in that part of the sea, and the juice of the pig’s flesh which
they have eaten, is supposed to have the effect of sanctifying in some
way the place, and no one fishes within the enclosure until the “welus”
choose to take the “tabu” off. There is a talk of doing this to-day, and
the whole population turns out to it. Of course the whole length and
breadth of the reef during these low tides is left high and dry, and the
fish have wisdom enough to retire as the tide goes out, but some are
dilatory like Lot in his flight from Sodom, and some stop to have a look
back like his wife, these are therefore left behind in the several pools
that are everywhere dotted about of more or less depth. Some fish again
which feed upon the reef have natural channels of escape into deep
water, but these are very skilfully guarded by the natives with large
nets, and the fish are captured while making a rush to get out into the
open sea. All these channels are carefully guarded, and a very large
number of fish shut in from escape on the more or less exposed reef. The
leaves of a certain shrub are used for the purpose of stupifying the
fish in the deeper pools, and they are easily caught when under the
influence of the stupification. Others again are shot with bows and
arrows, others speared, others caught by hand until at times the haul
numbers several thousands, of all sorts, sizes and descriptions. After
this great catch of course there is much feasting and rejoicing, and
according to their own old heathen superstitious ideas there is
something sacred in the fish so caught. ‘Kava’ is largely drunk on these
occasions and the festivities are prolonged for many days. After my
experience the other day I did not care to go again, and followed Arthur
and some others to ‘Rarava,’ whither I took my photographic camera, and
shot off a most beautiful picture in nature. I hope it may prove so in
development.
William, one of the men, lit a fire and soon produced some fine large
bread-fruit which were placed on the embers, and deftly turned over and
over so as to be properly cooked all round. The result was that in about
a quarter of an hour I was engaged upon a smoking hot loaf of bread,
which eaten with scraped cocoa-nut is very nice indeed. Breadfruit is
too much like boiled dough to be really very nice, but to me it is very
palatable food. The black outside coating peels off very readily when
well cooked, and leaves a round puddingy sort of compound to be eaten.
Inside are seeds somewhat bigger than a marble, not unlike filberts,
and these are generally eaten with the breadfruit, the hard outside husk
easily peeling off, and leaving a large bean like kernel. “Duwu”
prepared his in quite a new way to me. Having pealed off the outside
crust caused by the cooking, he wrapped the whole fruit up in the long
dracæna leaves, and tied up the neck very carefully. He then took a
small bamboo, and beat the breadfruit into a soft pulp, giving it a few
final bangs on the ground, the leaves were opened, and the pudding
turned out on leaves resembling very much a squash, and then cut up like
a vegetable marrow into slices and eaten with scraped cocoanut. This I
think was nicer than the bare breadfruit. We were a little party of
twelve of both sexes, and all shared alike, men and women eating
together in the most friendly manner, and not only so but the men did
the cooking and helped the women in the nicest way. I could not help
thinking what a contrast it was to years gone by. There we were sitting
every man under his own vine and under his own fig, with no apparent
fear or apprehension of evil, and the most perfect harmony of the two
sexes existing among us. Here you scarcely ever now see the husband
without the wife, and where you see the wife you may know the husband is
not far off. Amina and Eliza kindly got me some land crabs which I
enjoyed for tea. These and prawns are readily obtainable, and make a
nice occasional change.
_Thursday, August 5th._--A strong Trade wind blowing fresh all night,
and this morning it is still very gusty and disagreeable.
To-morrow there is another house to be thatched, and those who are not
crazed about fishing are off getting food. From the commencement to the
finish, house building here is a matter of great importance. There are
four kinds of houses, of which the ‘gamal’ is the chief. This is the
men’s club, and the young men’s sleeping quarters. Within its walls the
women may not enter, and there is a certain circumscribed boundary into
which they may not trespass. All food cooked in the ‘gamal’ is partaken
of by the men only, and a woman may not eat of it under any
consideration. ‘Kava’ is prepared and drunk there also, and of this a
woman may not drink. Within the gamal are various ovens according to the
several degrees of rank, and those of the same grade eat out of one
oven, and the rules of precedence are strictly adhered to. Fire used
within the gamal may not be used in a private house. After a certain age
all boys are supposed to live in the gamal, and that becomes their
proper quarters until they marry and build houses of their own. Any man
may sleep in the gamal and eat food there.
The next house in importance is the “ima” or married man’s residence.
Within this house the cooking of the food for the family is done, and
the married couples live. This house is known from the rest, by having
the front and back end worked with cane, and more pains are expended on
the building of it. The third kind of house is the “vale,” within which
there is no fire place for cooking, and this is used mostly as the
apartments of the young females before marriage, and for stowing any
treasures which may be inconvenient in the “ima.” The front and end of
the ‘vale’ are made only of bamboos. A fourth kind of house is the “ima
somu” (the Bank). In this house is kept the treasures of the village,
and it is always known by a peculiarly neat front of reeds, and by a
very curious sort of pallisade of reeds placed in a sort of semicircle
around the front door. Within this house a fire is kept continually
burning night and day, and the reason for this is that the most prized
and valuable article of barter here is the smoked mat, and the blacker
it can be smoked the more does it increase in value. As may be supposed,
within these houses a most weird and odd sight presents itself. The
gross darkness being only relieved by the glowing embers of the undying
fire, the fresh black mats look like so many great flying foxes
suspended over it.
The importance of the several houses is therefore in this order, the
“gamal,” “ima,” “vale,” and “ima somu.” When a building is finished
there is always a great ceremony ranging in importance according to the
description of the house. For the gamal the ‘house warming’ is a matter
of much ceremonial called “nasu,” and a man is supposed to “nasu gamal”
with a pig at least. Any live stock may be slaughtered in “nasu ima,”
and fowls, or if possible fish, are mostly in requisition. Plain food
only is required for the two latter, but all the same there must be some
house warming, or the building would not be properly finished. The house
I occupy is an “ima,” and being a proprietor of many pigs, I am going to
add to the dignity and full completion of my residence, by slaughtering
two innocent animals next Thursday (D.V.) and the school will get a
general holiday and a pleasant evening. I do this partly because I want
to give the boys some slight return for the pains they have been at in
building the house, to get a piece of pork myself, and to give a holiday
in honour of my return among them. They say they must dig an oven
within the ‘ima’ to make the thing complete, but to this I object.
To-morrow, all being well, I go to Tasmouri.
_Friday, August 6th._--Morning Prayer, school and breakfast at Tanoriki,
and then started with three others for Tasmouri. It was a most lovely
day, and a fresh Trade wind fanned the air and kept the paths pleasantly
cool. Beneath the deep, dark shade of the native forest, the strong
burning heat of the morning sun was not oppressive, and the roads and
bush were fortunately very dry. However, any exertion in this climate
induces perspiration, and that one expects.
The native guide swung along at a rapid pace, and we were not long in
reaching “Uta,” where we rested for some time in the neat little school,
and Takele regaled us with green cocoanuts, which were very acceptable.
Poor Takele, who has only one enlightened friend to help him, finds a
difficulty in getting his scholars together on a week day, and no
wonder, as I suppose he knows very little more than they do themselves,
and it is irksome to old people to spell over their A.B.C. day after
day, and get no oral instruction. It is far more in consonance with
their feelings and habits to go out for the day, either to the seashore
or to their gardens, than to be trammelled with the cares and labour of
school. On Sundays he says they turn up in large numbers, and generally
some one goes to them from Tanoriki. I promised him a visit for Sunday
week, all being well, and I shall try to keep my promise, for he
deserves all the help we can extend to him. He has never been away, is a
man now of middle age, and entirely self-taught. He is a most excellent,
conscientious man, and tries to do all he can for his people, according
to his limited amount of knowledge.
He built the school himself and keeps it in most extraordinary order. In
many cases he has acted as a deterrent on his countrymen, when they have
proposed some heathen act which he has not thought to be within the
bounds of strict rectitude, and I believe he tries to lead a good life
as far as he knows. As far as morality goes, I do not think anyone would
venture to bring an accusation against him. I have always intended to
Baptize him, and perhaps this year I may put my intentions into effect.
Leaving “Uta” we still marched on in single file, till we reached the
brow of the cliff down which, of necessity, we had to descend, Tasmouri
being on the other side of the island to windward. A striking and broad
prospect greeted us from the hill top, and we saw besides Meralava and
the wide expanse of ocean before us, the grand fertile plain belonging
to the Tasmouri district, and the church and school visible in the far
distance. At the foot of the steep cliff our way lay through the
beautifully irrigated taro beds, and of course I had to pick my way to
prevent being buried in mud. Leaving the gardens, we had a grand stretch
of level country before us, and before long we came upon a merry party
of Tasmouri people awaiting our arrival, some distance from their
village. Being tired and hungry I pushed on ahead with some of the boys,
and enjoyed a refreshing bathe and change of garments. Then came what I
suppose I must dignify by the name of dinner, mostly native food, but
eaten with the best sauce was as good as the best Lord Mayor’s feast,
and I dare say as digestible. The Bishop’s kind present was most useful,
and the canteen contained every article requisite for out of the way
travellers. After the meal the people came home, and before long we had
Evensong. I was quite surprised at the heartiness of the responses, the
fluency of the reading, and the general brightness of the singing and
service.
The women sang out lustily with a good courage, and although a trifle
slow the result was pleasing on the whole. With a little teaching the
singing and service will be very nice. I find I have Baptized forty-six
people here, two of whom have died, two have gone away in a labour
vessel, and forty-two still remain. They are a very nice, genuine,
exemplary community, and Samuel has kept them well together. They seem
to me beyond the Tanrigese in point of mental ability, and readily take
in fresh ideas. One or two of the young men are very superior fellows.
This evening I felt the warmth of this place, by comparison with Tanrig,
and for the first time for the year I have slept without any kind of
covering. The reed bed I found somewhat hard, but one cannot expect
everything, and is content with such things as one has. The condition of
the people morally, socially and spiritually, simply reconcile one to
any amount of bodily inconvenience. I can thank God and take courage.
_Saturday, August 7th._--Most beautiful morning at Tasmouri. After
Prayers and breakfast we all went for a picnic to a pretty place called
“Ro[¨n]o nawo” meaning the sound of the surf, but why I don’t know. It is
curious how the Mota word has got in here “nawo.” The word here for surf
is “togovi” but nawo comes probably from Meralava. We all turned out for
the holiday, men, women and children. The women did the cooking while
the men and boys amused themselves in various ways, fishing, shooting,
bathing or playing an animated game called “buka,” something between
“prisoner’s base” and the old game of “tig.” Some of the young men
amused themselves by shooting at a mark about thirty or forty yards
distant. They made such good shooting at that distance, that I should be
very sorry to give them a shot at me with a good well balanced poisoned
arrow. At short distances of course they make very good work, and in
their own skirmishes they don’t want to make long shots. I dare say by
the side of a good English archer they would cut a sorry figure at a
long shot, but for their own purposes they are excellent shots, and
custom of course engenders skill. Their arrows are unfeathered, and I
don’t expect will carry as true as the better made English arrow. Their
bows are very strong and durable, being made curiously enough from a
tree called the “Aru” (she oak). I spent my day pleasantly enough in
reading and making pencil notes. Crabs and breadfruit was my luncheon,
and a green cocoanut. The whole party assembled in the course of the
afternoon, and the ovens were opened and their plentiful supply of food
disgorged. I said grace and then there was a general fall to. The meal
over we made preparation for a start homewards which we reached some
time before sunset. On the way home the boys showed me in the water
course a cocoanut tree which time had failed to rot or destroy, and the
story according to native ideas was that this same tree was coexistant
with the upheaval of the island, and had never changed, generation after
generation handing on the fact of its existence and whereabouts.
In the evening we had Prayers in the church and a nice hearty Service.
Poor “Samuel” the head teacher is sick and has not been able to be with
us to-day. I gave a short address at Evensong explanatory mostly of
to-morrow’s programme. It is very warm here and one’s thoughts either
cease to flow or one’s hand to write, anyhow I find a difficulty in
inducing energy to write or my brain to cogitate.
Except for the perpetual boom and surge of the restless ocean all is
still and peaceful here at present.
On Saturdays following the general and long prevailing custom of the
Mission we have a whole holiday, and consequently this morning we had
only the shortened form of Mattins such as we use here. Breakfast
followed consisting of yam scraped and cooked in leaves, and the
particular kind presented for my discussion this morning is called
“laqa[¨n]a.” The natives are great cooks and have a very long list of
various dishes on their menu.
There are three principal modes of cooking food, however, such as yams
and taro, (1) Roasted on the embers and the outside skin carefully
scraped off as it gets hardened, this is called “tutunu,” (2) scraped on
the rough edge of the tree fern, then wrapped in leaves like a large
pudding and cooked in the hot stones, this is termed “loko,” (3) roasted
on the fire until cooked, then beaten on a large wooden dish until as
thin about as biscuit pastry, and cocoanut cream poured over, this is
named “lutu.” The first two are the most common preparations, and the
first perhaps most generally in use.
The different kinds of “loko and lutu” are wonderful, and it would
puzzle any one but a skilled native cook, to make any distinct varieties
of dishes out of such unpromising materials.
Both sexes are good cooks, and no wonder, as from the time they are able
properly to run about, until the infirmities of old age creep on they
are accustomed to shift for themselves. An English boy would fare very
badly if he had to cook his own dinner, and provide for his own wants as
early as some of these native children. But education and habit are
everything, the latter of course is second nature.