_A Description of the Country and its Inhabitants; their Manners,
Customs, and Arts._
1774 September
I shall conclude our transactions at this place with some account of the
country and its inhabitants. They are a strong, robust, active, well-made
people, courteous and friendly, and not in the least addicted to pilfering,
which is more than can be said of any other nation in this sea. They are
nearly of the same colour as the natives of Tanna, but have better
features, more agreeable countenances, and are a much stouter race; a few
being seen who measured six feet four inches. I observed some who had thick
lips, flat noses, and full cheeks, and, in some degree, the features and
look of a negro. Two things contributed to the forming of such an idea;
first, their rough mop heads, and, secondly, their besmearing their faces
with black pigment. Their hair and beards are, in general, black. The
former is very much frizzled, so that, at first sight, it appears like that
of a negro. It is, nevertheless, very different, though both coarser and
stronger than ours. Some, who wear it long, tie it up on the crown of the
head; others suffer only a large lock to grow on each side, which they tie
up in clubs; many others, as well as all the women, wear it cropped short.
These rough heads, most probably, want frequent scratching; for which
purpose they have a most excellent instrument. This is a kind of comb made
of sticks of hard wood, from seven to nine or ten inches long, and about
the thickness of knitting-needles. A number of these, seldom exceeding
twenty, but generally fewer, is fastened together at one end, parallel to,
and near one-tenth of an inch from each other. The other ends, which are a
little pointed, will spread out or open like the sticks of a fan, by which
means they can beat up the quarters of an hundred lice at a time. These
combs or scratchers, for I believe they serve both purposes, they always
wear in their hair, on one side their head. The people of Tanna have an
instrument of this kind for the same use; but theirs is forked, I think,
never exceeding three or four prongs; and sometimes only a small pointed
stick. Their beards, which are of the same crisp nature as their hair, are,
for the most part, worn short. Swelled and ulcerated legs and feet are
common among the men; as also a swelling of the scrotum. I know not whether
this is occasioned by disease, or by the mode of applying the wrapper
before-mentioned, and which they use as at Tanna and Mallicollo. This is
their only covering, and is made generally of the bark of a tree, but
sometimes of leaves. The small pieces of cloth, paper, etc. which they got
from us, were commonly applied to this use. We saw coarse garments amongst
them, made of a sort of matting, but they seemed never to wear them, except
when out in their canoes and unemployed. Some had a kind of concave,
cylindrical, stiff black cap, which appeared to be a great ornament among
them, and, we thought, was only worn by men of note or warriors. A large
sheet of strong paper, when they got one from us, was generally applied to
this use.
The women's dress is a short petticoat, made of the filaments of the
plantain-tree, laid over a cord, to which they are fastened, and tied round
the waist. The petticoat is made at least six or eight inches thick, but
not one inch longer than necessary for the use designed. The outer
filaments are dyed black; and, as an additional ornament, the most of them
have a few pearl oyster-shells fixed on the right side. The general
ornaments of both sexes are ear-rings of tortoise-shell, necklaces or
amulets, made both of shells and stones, and bracelets, made of large
shells, which they wear above the elbow. They have punctures, or marks on
the skin, on several parts of the body; but none, I think, are black, as at
the Eastern Islands. I know not if they have any other design than
ornament; and the people of Tanna are marked much in the same manner.
Were I to judge of the origin of this nation, I should take them to be a
race between the people of Tanna and of the Friendly Isles, or between
those of Tanna and the New Zealanders, or all three; their language, in
some respects, being a mixture of them all. In their disposition they are
like the natives of the Friendly Isles; but in affability and honesty they
excel them.
Notwithstanding their pacific inclination they must sometimes have wars, as
they are well provided with offensive weapons, such as clubs, spears,
darts, and slings for throwing stones. The clubs are about two feet and a
half long, and variously formed; some like a scythe, others like a pick-axe;
some have a head like an hawk, and others have round heads, but all
are neatly made. Many of their darts and spears are no less neat, and
ornamented with carvings. The slings are as simple as possible; but they
take some pains to form the stones that they use into a proper shape, which
is something like an egg, supposing both ends to be like the small one.
They use a becket, in the same manner as at Tanna, in throwing the dart,
which, I believe, is much used in striking fish, etc. In this they seem very
dexterous; nor, indeed, do I know that they have any other method of
catching large fish, for I neither saw hooks nor lines among them.
It is needless to mention their working-tools, as they are made of the same
materials, and nearly in the same manner, as at the other islands. Their
axes, indeed, are a little different; some, at least, which may be owing to
fancy as much as custom.
Their houses, or at least most of them, are circular, something like a
bee-hive, and full as close and warm. The entrance is by a small door, or long
square hole, just big enough to admit a man bent double. The side-walls are
about four feet and a half high, but the roof is lofty, and peaked to a
point at the top; above which is a post, or stick of wood, which is
generally ornamented either with carving or shells, or both. The framing is
of small spars, reeds, etc. and both sides and roof are thick and close
covered with thatch, made of coarse long grass. In the inside of the house
are set up posts, to which cross spars are fastened, and platforms made,
for the conveniency of laying any thing on. Some houses have two floors,
one above the other. The floor is laid with dry grass, and here and there
mats are spread, for the principal people to sleep or sit on. In most of
them we found two fire-places, and commonly a fire burning; and, as there
was no vent for the smoke but by the door, the whole house was both smoky
and hot, insomuch that we, who were not used to such an atmosphere, could
hardly endure it a moment. This may be the reason why we found these people
so chilly when in the open air, and without exercise. We frequently saw
them make little fires any where, and hustle round them, with no other view
than to warm themselves. Smoke within doors may be a necessary evil, as it
prevents the musquitoes from coming in, which are pretty numerous here. In
some respects their habitations are neat; for, besides the ornaments at
top, I saw some with carved door-posts. Upon the whole, their houses are
better calculated for a cold than a hot climate; and as there are no
partitions in them, they can have little privacy.
They have no great variety of household utensils; the earthen jars before
mentioned being the only article worth notice. Each family has at least one
of them, in which they bake their roots, and perhaps their fish, etc. The
fire, by which they cook their victuals, is on the outside of each house,
in the open air. There are three or five pointed stones fixed in the
ground, their pointed ends being about six inches above the surface. Those
of three stones are only for one jar, those of five stones for two. The
jars do not stand on their bottoms, but lie inclined on their sides. The
use of these stones is obviously to keep the jars from resting on the fire,
in order that it may burn the better.
They subsist chiefly on roots and fish, and the bark of a tree, which I am
told grows also in the West Indies. This they roast, and are almost
continually chewing. It has a sweetish, insipid taste, and was liked by
some of our people. Water is their only liquor, at least I never saw any
other made use of.
Plantains and sugar-canes are by no means in plenty. Bread-fruit is very
scarce, and the cocoa-nut trees are small and but thinly planted; and
neither one nor the other seems to yield much fruit.
To judge merely by the numbers of the natives we saw every day, one might
think the island very populous; but I believe that, at this time, the
inhabitants were collected from all parts on our account. Mr Pickersgill
observed, that down the coast, to the west, there were but few people; and
we knew they came daily from the other side of the land, over the
mountains, to visit us. But although the inhabitants, upon the whole, may
not be numerous, the island is not thinly peopled on the sea-coast, and in
the plains and valleys that are capable of cultivation. It seems to be a
country unable to support many inhabitants. Nature has been less bountiful
to it than to any other tropical island we know in this sea. The greatest
part of its surface, or at least what we saw of it, consists of barren
rocky mountains; and the grass, etc. growing on them, is useless to people
who have no cattle.
The sterility of the country will apologise for the natives not
contributing to the wants of the navigator. The sea may, perhaps, in some
measure, compensate for the deficiency of the land; for a coast surrounded
by reefs and shoals, as this is, cannot fail of being stored with fish.
I have before observed, that the country bears great resemblance to New
South Wales, or New Holland, and that some of its natural productions are
the same. In particular, we found here, the tree which is covered with a
soft white ragged bark, easily peeled off, and is, as I have been told, the
same that, in the East Indies, is used for caulking of ships. The wood is
very hard, the leaves are long and narrow, of a pale dead green, and a fine
aromatic; so that it may properly be said to belong to that continent.
Nevertheless, here are several plants, etc. common to the eastern and
northern islands, and even a species of the passionflower, which, I am
told, has never before been known to grow wild any where but in America.
Our botanists did not complain for want of employment at this place; every
day bringing something new in botany or other branches of natural history.
Land-birds, indeed, are not numerous, but several are new. One of these is
a kind of crow, at least so we called it, though it is not half so big, and
its feathers are tinged with blue. They also have some very beautiful
turtle-doves, and other small birds, such as I never saw before.
All our endeavours to get the name of the whole island proved ineffectual.
Probably it is too large for them to know by one name. Whenever we made
this enquiry, they always gave us the name of some district or place, which
we pointed to; and, as before observed, I got the names of several, with
the name of the king or chief of each. Hence I conclude, that the country
is divided into several districts, each governed by a chief; but we know
nothing of the extent of his power. Balade was the name of the district we
were at, and Tea Booma the chief. He lived on the other side of the ridge
of hills, so that we had but little of his company, and therefore could not
see much of his power. _Tea_ seems a title prefixed to the names of
all, or most, of their chiefs or great men. My friend honoured me by
calling me _Tea_ Cook.
They deposit their dead in the ground. I saw none of their burying-places,
but several of the gentlemen did. In one, they were informed, lay the
remains of a chief who was slain in battle; and his grave, which bore some
resemblance to a large mole-hill, was decorated with spears, darts,
paddles, etc. all stuck upright in the ground round about it. The canoes,
which these people use, are somewhat like those of the Friendly Isles; but
the most heavy clumsy vessels I ever saw. They are what I call double
canoes, made out of two large trees, hollowed out, having a raised gunnel,
about two inches high, and closed at each end with a kind of bulk-head of
the same height; so that the whole is like a long square trough, about
three feet shorter than the body of the canoe; that is, a foot and a half
at each end. Two canoes, thus fitted, are secured to each other, about
three feet asunder, by means of cross spars, which project about a foot
over each side. Over these spars is laid a deck, or very heavy platform,
made of plank, and small round spars, on which they have a fire-hearth, and
generally a fire burning; and they carry a pot or jar to dress their
victuals in. The space between the two canoes is laid with plank, and the
rest with spars. On one side of the deck, and close to the edge, is fixed a
row of knees, pretty near to each other, the use of which is to keep the
masts, yards, etc. from, rolling over-board. They are navigated by one or
two lateen-sails, extended to a small lateen-yard, the end of which fixes
in a notch or hole in the deck. The foot of the sail is extended to a small
boom. The sail is composed of pieces of matting, the ropes are made of the
coarse filaments of the plantain-tree, twisted into cords of the thickness
of a finger; and three or four more such cords, marled together, serve them
for shrouds, etc. I thought they sailed very well; but they are not at all
calculated for rowing or paddling. Their method of proceeding, when they
cannot sail, is by sculling, and for this purpose there are holes in the
boarded deck or platform. Through these they put the sculls, which are of
such a length, that, when the blade is in the water, the loom or handle is
four or five feet above the deck. The man who works it stands behind, and
with both his hands sculls the vessel forward. This method of proceeding is
very slow; and for this reason, the canoes are but ill calculated for
fishing, especially for striking of turtle, which, I think, can hardly ever
be done in them. Their fishing implements, such as I have seen, are
turtle-nets, made, I believe, of the filaments of the plantain-tree twisted;
and small hand-nets, with very minute meshes made of fine twine and fish-gigs.
Their general method of fishing, I guess, is to lie on the reefs in shoal
water, and to strike the fish that may come in their way. They may,
however, have other methods, which we had no opportunity to see, as no boat
went out while we were here; all their time and attention being taken up
with us. Their canoes are about thirty feet long, and the deck or platform
about twenty-four in length, and ten in breadth. We had not, at this time,
seen any timber in the country so large as that of which their canoes were
made. It was observed that the holes, made in the several parts, in order
to sew them together, were burnt through, but with what instrument we never
learnt. Most probably it was of stone, which may be the reason why they
were so fond of large spikes, seeing at once they would answer this
purpose. I was convinced they were not wholly designed for edge-tools,
because every one shewed a desire for the iron belaying-pins which were
fixed in the quarter-deck rail, and seemed to value them far more than a
spike-nail, although it might be twice as big. These pins, which are round,
perhaps have the very shape of the tool they wanted to make of the nails. I
did not find that a hatchet was quite so valuable as a large spike. Small
nails were of little or no value; and beads, looking-glasses, etc. they did
not admire.
The women of this country, and likewise those of Tanna, are, so far as I
could judge, far more chaste than those of the more eastern islands. I
never heard that one of our people obtained the least favour from any one
of them. I have been told that the ladies here would frequently divert
themselves by going a little aside with our gentlemen, as if they meant to
be kind to them, and then would run away laughing at them. Whether this was
chastity or coquetry, I shall not pretend to determine; nor is it material,
since the consequences were the same.