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Title: The uncivilized races of men in all countries of the world; vol. 2 of 2: Being a comprehensive account of their manners and customs, and of their physical, social, mental, moral and religious characteristics
Author: Wood, John G.
Language: English
As this book started as an ASCII text book there are no pictures available.
*** Start of this LibraryBlog Digital Book "The uncivilized races of men in all countries of the world; vol. 2 of 2: Being a comprehensive account of their manners and customs, and of their physical, social, mental, moral and religious characteristics" ***
IN ALL COUNTRIES OF THE WORLD; VOL. 2 OF 2 ***
Transcriber’s Notes
This is Volume II (of II) of this work, containing (after the front
matter) page numbers 769-1481, chapters LXXVI-CLXX, and illustration
numbers 212-443; Volume I contains (after the front matter) pages
11-768, chapters I-LXXV, and illustration numbers 1-211. For ease of
reference, the Table of Contents, List of Illustrations and Index
have been included in both volumes.
Text between _underscores_ represents text printed in italics in the
source document. Small capitals have been replaced with ALL CAPITALS.
More information on the transcription and the changes made may be
found in the Transcriber’s Notes at the end of this text.
[Illustration: A REPRESENTATION OF UNCIVILIZED ISLANDERS AND INDIANS.]
THE
UNCIVILIZED
RACES OF MEN
IN
ALL COUNTRIES OF THE WORLD;
BEING
_A COMPREHENSIVE ACCOUNT OF THEIR MANNERS AND CUSTOMS,
AND OF THEIR PHYSICAL, SOCIAL, MENTAL, MORAL AND
RELIGIOUS CHARACTERISTICS_.
BY
REV. J. G. WOOD, M.A., F.L.S.
AUTHOR OF “ILLUSTRATED NATURAL HISTORY OF ANIMALS,” “ANECDOTES OF
ANIMAL LIFE,” “HOMES WITHOUT HANDS,” “BIBLE ANIMALS,” “COMMON OBJECTS
OF THE COUNTRY AND SEASHORE,” ETC.
WITH NEW DESIGNS
BY ANGAS, DANBY, WOLF, ZWECKER, ETC., ETC.
IN TWO VOLUMES.
VOL. II.
HARTFORD:
THE J. B. BURR PUBLISHING CO.
1877.
PREFACE.
In this volume will be found a selection of the most interesting
uncivilized tribes that inhabit, or once inhabited, America and the
vast number of islands which lie between that country and the eastern
coast of Asia, including among them the great groups of Australia and
New Zealand. A short notice is given of the long-perished Lake-dwellers
of Switzerland, and the partial civilization of India, China, Japan and
Siam is also represented.
My best thanks are due to the Geographical and Anthropological
Societies, for the constant access permitted to their libraries, and to
the Curator of the “Christy Collection,” for the assistance which he
rendered in the illustration of the work.
ILLUSTRATIONS.
PAGE.
1. Pictorial representation of African races Frontispiece.
2. Kaffir from childhood to age 13
3. Old councillor and wives 13
4. Kaffir cradle 18
5. Young Kaffir armed 21
6. Kaffir postman 21
7. Unmarried Kaffir girls 25
8. Old Kaffir women 25
9. Kaffir ornaments--necklaces, belt, etc. 33
10. Kaffir needles and sheaths 33
11. Articles of costume 33
12. Dolls representing the Kaffir dress 33
13. Bracelets made of the hoof of the bluebok 39
14. Apron of chief’s wife 39
15. Ivory armlets 39
16. Necklaces--beads and teeth 39
17. Young Kaffir in full dress 43
18. Girl in dancing dress 43
19. Kaffir ornaments 49
20. Dress and ornaments 49
21. The Kaffirs at home 57
22. Interior of a Kaffir hut 63
23. A Kaffir kraal 63
24. A Kaffir milking bowl 67
25. A Kaffir beer bowl 67
26. A Kaffir beer strainer 67
27. A Kaffir water pipe 67
28. Woman’s basket 67
29. Kaffir cattle--training the horns 73
30. Return of a Kaffir war party 73
31. Procession of the bride 83
32. Kaffir passing his mother-in-law 88
33. Bridegroom on approval 97
34. Kaffir at his forge 97
35. Spoons for eating porridge 103
36. Group of assagais 103
37. Kaffir warriors skirmishing 111
38. Muscular advocacy 111
39. Goza, the Kaffir chief, in ordinary undress 117
40. Goza in full war dress, with his councillors 117
41. Panda’s review 121
42. Hunting scene in Kaffirland 121
43. Cooking elephant’s foot 133
44. A Kaffir dinner party 145
45. Soldiers lapping water 145
46. A Kaffir harp 155
47. Exterior of a Kaffir hut 155
48. Spoon, ladle, skimmers 155
49. A Kaffir water pipe 155
50. A Kaffir fowl house 155
51. Necklace made of human finger bones 167
52. A remarkable gourd snuff-box 167
53. Poor man’s pipe 167
54. Kaffir gentlemen smoking 167
55. The prophet’s school 174
56. The prophet’s return 174
57. Old Kaffir prophets 177
58. The Kaffir prophetess at work 188
59. Unfavorable prophecy 188
60. Preserved head 203
61. Head of Mundurucú chief 203
62. Burial of King Tchaka’s mother 203
63. Dingan, the Kaffir monarch, at home 209
64. Kaffir women quarrelling 209
65. Hottentot girl 219
66. Hottentot woman 219
67. Hottentot young man 223
68. Hottentot in full dress 223
69. Hottentot kraal 229
70. Card playing by Hottentots 237
71. Bosjesman shooting cattle 237
72. Grapple plant 247
73. Bosjesman woman and child 247
74. Hottentots asleep 247
75. Bosjesman quiver 247
76. Frontlet of Hottentot girl 247
77. Poison grub 259
78. Portrait of Koranna chief 271
79. Namaquas shooting at the storm 271
80. Knife and assagai heads 281
81. Bechuana knives 281
82. A Bechuana apron 281
83. Ornament made of monkeys’ teeth 281
84. Bechuana parliament 287
85. Female architects among the Bechuanas 287
86. Magic dice of the Bechuanas 292
87. Spartan practices among the Bechuanas 294
88. The girl’s ordeal among the Bechuanas 294
89. Plan of Bechuana house 299
90. Bechuana funeral 302
91. Grave and monument of Damara chief 302
92. Damara warrior and wife 308
93. Damara girl resting 308
94. Portrait of Ovambo girl 317
95. Ovambo women pounding corn 317
96. Ovambo houses 329
97. Makololo house building 329
98. Children’s games among the Makololo 333
99. M’Bopo, a Makololo chief, at home 333
100. Spearing the hippopotamus 343
101. The final attack 343
102. Boating scene on the Bo-tlet-le River 351
103. Batoka salutation 351
104. Batoka men 357
105. Pelele, or lip ring, of the Manganjas 357
106. Hippopotamus trap 363
107. Axes of the Banyai 363
108. The marimba, or African piano 371
109. Singular headdress of the Balonda women 371
110. Wagogo greediness 387
111. Architecture of the Weezee 387
112. A husband’s welcome among the Weezee 391
113. Sultan Ukulima drinking pombé 391
114. Harvest scene among the Wanyamuezi 397
115. Salutation by the Watusi 397
116. Rumanika’s private band 404
117. Arrest of the queen 412
118. Reception of a visitor by the Waganda 417
119. The magician of Unyoro at work 417
120. Wanyoro culprit in the shoe 423
121. Group of Gani and Madi 431
122. Removal of a village by Madi 431
123. Group of the Kytch tribe 437
124. Neam-Nam fighting 437
125. Wooden chiefs of the Dôr 449
126. Scalp-locks of the Djibbas 449
127. Bracelets of the Djibbas 449
128. Ornaments of the Djour 449
129. Women’s knives 449
130. A Nuehr helmet 449
131. The Latooka victory 457
132. Gorilla hunting by the Fans 457
133. A Bari homestead 465
134. Funeral dance of the Latookas 465
135. The ceremony of M’paza 478
136. Obongo market 478
137. The giant dance of the Aponos 486
138. Fishing scene among the Bakalai 486
139. Ashira farewell 499
140. Olenda’s salutation to an Ishogo chief 499
141. A Camma dance 508
142. Quengueza’s (chief of the Camma) walk 508
143. The Camma fetish man ejecting a demon 517
144. Olanga drinking mboundou 517
145. Fate of the Shekiani wizard 526
146. The Mpongwé coronation 526
147. Attack on a Mpongwé village 537
148. Bargaining for a wife by the Fanti 537
149. The primeval child in Dahome 552
150. Fetishes, male and female, of the Krumen 552
151. Dahoman ivory trumpets 558
152. Dahoman war drum 558
153. War knives of the Fanti 558
154. Fetish trumpet and drum 558
155. Ashanti caboceer and soldiers 564
156. Punishment of a snake killer 564
157. “The bell comes” 569
158. Dahoman amazons 569
159. Amazon review 576
160. The Dahoman king’s dance 576
161. The basket sacrifice in Dahome 583
162. Head worship in Dahome 595
163. The attack on Abeokuta 595
164. The Alaké’s (king of the Egbas) court 605
165. Mumbo Jumbo 605
166. A Bubé marriage 612
167. Kanemboo man and woman 612
168. Washing day in Abyssinia 617
169. A Congo coronation 617
170. Ju-ju execution 619
171. Shooa women 631
172. Tuaricks and Tibboos 631
173. Begharmi lancers 638
174. Musgu chief 638
175. Dinner party in Abyssinia 643
176. Abyssinian heads 643
177. King Theodore and the lions 652
178. Pleaders in the courts 652
179. A battle between Abyssinians and Gallas 662
180. Interior of an Abyssinian house 662
181. Buffalo dance in Abyssinia 670
182. Bedouin camp 670
183. Hunting the hippopotamus 679
184. Travellers and the mirage 679
185. Travelling in Madagascar 692
186. Australian man and woman 698
187. Women and old man of Lower Murray 698
188. Hunter and his day’s provision 707
189. The sea-grass cloak 707
190. Bee hunting 716
191. Australian cooking a snake 716
192. Australian tomahawks 722
193. Australian clubs 722
194. Australian saw 722
195. Tattooing chisels 722
196. Man of Torres Strait 722
197. Basket--South Australia 722
198. Heads of Australian spears 731
199. Throw-sticks of the Australians 731
200. Boomerangs of the Australians 731
201. Spearing the kangaroo 739
202. Catching the cormorant 739
203. Australian shields 742
204. The kuri dance 749
205. Palti dance, or corrobboree 749
206. An Australian feast 759
207. Australian mothers 759
208. Mintalta, a Nauo man 765
209. Young man and boy of South Australia 765
210. Hut for cure of disease 765
211. Tomb of skulls 765
212. Tree tomb of Australia 775
213. Smoking bodies of slain warriors 775
214. Carved feather box 775
215. Australian widows and their caps 781
216. Cave with native drawings 781
217. Winter huts in Australia 787
218. A summer encampment 787
219. New Zealander from childhood to age 794
220. Woman and boy of New Zealand 803
221. A tattooed chief and his wife 803
222. Maori women making mats 809
223. The Tangi 809
224. Parátene Maioha in his state war cloak 820
225. The chiefs daughter 820
226. Hongi-hongi, chief of Waipa 820
227. Maories preparing for a feast 831
228. Maori chiefs’ storehouses 831
229. Cannibal cookhouse 835
230. Maori pah 835
231. Green jade ornaments 841
232. Maori weapons 841
233. Wooden and bone merais 841
234. Maori war dance 847
235. Te Ohu, a native priest 860
236. A tiki at Raroera pah 860
237. Tiki from Whakapokoko 860
238. Mourning over a dead chief 872
239. Tomb of E’ Toki 872
240. Rangihaeta’s war house 877
241. Interior of a pah or village 877
242. Maori paddles 881
243. Green jade adze and chisel 881
244. Common stone adze 881
245. A Maori toko-toko 881
246. New Caledonians defending their coast 893
247. Andamaners cooking a pig 893
248. A scene in the Nicobar Islands 903
249. The Outanatas and their weapons 903
250. The monkey men of Dourga Strait 909
251. Canoes of New Guinea 909
252. Huts of New Guinea 916
253. Dance by torchlight in New Guinea 916
254. The ambassador’s message 924
255. The canoe in a breeze 924
256. Presentation of the canoe 937
257. A Fijian feast 943
258. The fate of the boaster 943
259. Fijian idol 949
260. The orator’s flapper 949
261. Fijian spear 949
262. Fijian clubs 949
263. A Fijian wedding 957
264. House thatching by Fijians 957
265. A Buré, or temple, in Fiji 963
266. View in Makira harbor 963
267. Man and woman of Vaté 973
268. Woman and child of Vanikoro 973
269. Daughter of Tongan chief 973
270. Burial of a living king 980
271. Interior of a Tongan house 980
272. The kava party in Tonga 988
273. Tongan plantation 991
274. Ceremony of inachi 991
275. The tow-tow 999
276. Consulting a priest 999
277. Tattooing day in Samoa 1012
278. Cloth making by Samoan women 1012
279. Samoan club 1018
280. Armor of Samoan warrior 1018
281. Beautiful paddle of Hervey Islanders 1018
282. Ornamented adze magnified 1018
283. Spear of Hervey Islanders 1018
284. Shark tooth gauntlets 1025
285. Samoan warriors exchanging defiance 1027
286. Pigeon catching by Samoans 1027
287. Battle scene in Hervey Islands 1035
288. Village in Kingsmill Islands 1035
289. Shark tooth spear 1041
290. Shark’s jaw 1041
291. Swords of Kingsmill Islanders 1041
292. Tattooed chiefs of Marquesas 1046
293. Marquesan chief’s hand 1046
294. Neck ornament 1046
295. Marquesan chief in war dress 1046
296. The war dance of the Niuans 1054
297. Tahitans presenting the cloth 1054
298. Dressing the idols by Society Islanders 1067
299. The human sacrifice by Tahitans 1077
300. Corpse and chief mourner 1077
301. Tane, the Tahitan god, returning home 1084
302. Women and pet pig of Sandwich Islands 1084
303. Kamehameha’s exploit with spears 1089
304. Masked rowers 1089
305. Surf swimming by Sandwich Islanders 1093
306. Helmet of Sandwich Islanders 1097
307. Feather idol of Sandwich Islanders 1097
308. Wooden idol of Sandwich Islanders 1097
309. Romanzoff Islanders, man and woman 1101
310. Dyak warrior and dusum 1101
311. Investiture of the rupack 1105
312. Warrior’s dance among Pelew Islanders 1105
313. Illinoan pirate and Saghai Dyak 1113
314. Dyak women 1113
315. Parang-latok of the Dyaks 1122
316. Sumpitans of the Dyaks 1122
317. Parang-ihlang of the Dyaks 1122
318. The kris, or dagger, of the Dyaks 1129
319. Shields of Dyak soldiers 1129
320. A parang with charms 1129
321. A Dyak spear 1129
322. Canoe fight of the Dyaks 1139
323. A Dyak wedding 1139
324. A Dyak feast 1147
325. A Bornean adze axe 1152
326. A Dyak village 1153
327. A Dyak house 1153
328. Fuegian man and woman 1163
329. Patagonian man and woman 1163
330. A Fuegian settlement 1169
331. Fuegians shifting quarters 1169
332. Araucanian stirrups and spur 1175
333. Araucanian lassos 1175
334. Patagonian bolas 1175
335. Spanish bit and Patagonian fittings 1175
336. Patagonians hunting game 1180
337. Patagonian village 1187
338. Patagonian burial ground 1187
339. A Mapuché family 1201
340. Araucanian marriage 1201
341. Mapuché medicine 1207
342. Mapuché funeral 1207
343. The macana club 1212
344. Guianan arrows and tube 1214
345. Gran Chaco Indians on the move 1218
346. The ordeal of the “gloves” 1218
347. Guianan blow guns 1225
348. Guianan blow-gun arrow 1225
349. Guianan winged arrows 1225
350. Guianan cotton basket 1225
351. Guianan quiver 1225
352. Guianan arrows rolled around stick 1225
353. Guianan arrows strung 1225
354. Feathered arrows of the Macoushies 1231
355. Cassava dish of the Macoushies 1231
356. Guianan quake 1231
357. Arrow heads of the Macoushies 1231
358. Guianan turtle arrow 1231
359. Guianan quiver for arrow heads 1231
360. Feather apron of the Mundurucús 1231
361. Head-dresses of the Macoushies 1238
362. Guianan clubs 1238
363. Guianan cradle 1238
364. A Warau house 1244
365. Lake dwellers of the Orinoco 1244
366. Guianan tipiti and bowl 1249
367. Guianan twin bottles 1249
368. Feather apron of the Caribs 1249
369. Bead apron of the Guianans 1249
370. The spathe of the Waraus 1249
371. The Maquarri dance 1260
372. Shield wrestling of the Waraus 1260
373. Jaguar bone flute of the Caribs 1265
374. Rattle of the Guianans 1265
375. Mexican stirrups 1265
376. Iron and stone tomahawks 1265
377. Indian shield and clubs 1265
378. Mandan chief Mah-to-toh-pa and wife 1277
379. A Crow chief 1284
380. American Indians scalping 1284
381. Flint-headed arrow 1290
382. Camanchees riding 1291
383. “Smoking” horses 1291
384. Snow shoe 1295
385. Bison hunting scene 1299
386. Buffalo dance 1299
387. The Mandan ordeal 1305
388. The last race 1305
389. The medicine man at work 1311
390. The ball play of the Choctaws 1311
391. Indian pipes 1315
392. Ee-e-chin-che-a in war costume 1318
393. Grandson of a Blackfoot chief 1318
394. Pshan-shaw, a girl of the Riccarees 1318
395. Flat-head woman and child 1319
396. Indian canoe 1322
397. Snow shoe dance 1322
398. Dance to the medicine of the brave 1322
399. The canoe race 1327
400. Esquimaux dwellings 1327
401. Esquimaux harpoon head 1337
402. Burial of Blackbird, an Omaha chief 1341
403. Esquimaux spearing the walrus 1341
404. The kajak and its management 1347
405. Esquimaux sledge driving 1347
406. Wrist-guard of the Esquimaux 1353
407. Esquimaux fish-hooks 1353
408. Feathered arrows of Aht tribe 1356
409. Ingenious fish-hook of the Ahts 1357
410. Remarkable carved pipes of the Ahts 1357
411. Bow of the Ahts of Vancouver’s Island 1357
412. Beaver mask of the Aht tribe 1357
413. Singular head-dress of the Aht chiefs 1357
414. Decorated paddles of the Ahts 1357
415. Canoe of the Ahts 1361
416. Aht dance 1367
417. Initiation of a dog eater 1367
418. A Sowrah marriage 1387
419. A Meriah sacrifice 1387
420. Bows and quiver of Hindoos 1394
421. Ingenious ruse of Bheel robbers 1397
422. A Ghoorka attacked by a tiger 1397
423. A Ghoorka necklace 1403
424. A kookery of the Ghoorka tribe 1403
425. The chakra or quoit weapon 1403
426. Indian arms and armor 1403
427. Suit of armor inlaid with gold 1406
428. Chinese repeating crossbow 1425
429. Mutual assistance 1427
430. Chinese woman’s foot and shoe 1428
431. Mandarin and wife 1437
432. Various modes of torture 1437
433. Mouth organ 1445
434. Specimens of Chinese art 1446
435. Decapitation of Chinese criminal 1451
436. The street ballad-singer 1451
437. Japanese lady in a storm 1454
438. Japanese lady on horseback 1455
439. Capture of the truant husbands 1464
440. Candlestick and censers 1465
441. Suit of Japanese armor 1469
442. King S. S. P. M. Mongkut of Siam 1469
443. Portrait of celebrated Siamese actress 1469
CONTENTS
OF
VOLUME I.
Chap. Page.
KAFFIRS OF SOUTH AFRICA.
I. INTELLECTUAL CHARACTER 11
II. COURSE OF LIFE 17
III. COURSE OF LIFE--_Concluded_ 20
IV. MASCULINE DRESS AND ORNAMENTS 28
V. MASCULINE DRESS AND ORNAMENTS--_Concluded_ 36
VI. FEMININE DRESS AND ORNAMENTS 48
VII. ARCHITECTURE 56
VIII. CATTLE KEEPING 66
IX. MARRIAGE 75
X. MARRIAGE--_Concluded_ 82
XI. WAR--OFFENSIVE WEAPONS 92
XII. WAR--DEFENSIVE WEAPONS 108
XIII. HUNTING 126
XIV. AGRICULTURE 138
XV. FOOD 143
XVI. SOCIAL CHARACTERISTICS 159
XVII. RELIGION AND SUPERSTITION 169
XVIII. RELIGION AND SUPERSTITION--_Continued_ 180
XIX. SUPERSTITION--_Concluded_ 192
XX. FUNERAL RITES 200
XXI. DOMESTIC LIFE 206
HOTTENTOTS.
XXII. THE HOTTENTOT RACES 217
XXIII. MARRIAGE, LANGUAGE, AMUSEMENTS 232
THE BOSJESMAN, OR BUSHMAN.
XXIV. APPEARANCE--SOCIAL LIFE 242
XXV. ARCHITECTURE--WEAPONS 251
XXVI. AMUSEMENTS 262
VARIOUS AFRICAN RACES.
XXVII. KORANNAS AND NAMAQUAS 269
XXVIII. THE BECHUANAS 280
XXIX. THE BECHUANAS--_Concluded_ 291
XXX. THE DAMARA TRIBE 304
XXXI. THE OVAMBO, OR OVAMPO 315
XXXII. THE MAKOLOLO TRIBE 324
XXXIII. THE BAYEYE AND MAKOBA 337
XXXIV. THE BATOKA AND MANGANJA 348
XXXV. THE BANYAI AND BADEMA 361
XXXVI. THE BALONDO, OR BALONDA, AND ANGOLESE 369
XXXVII. WAGOGO AND WANYAMUEZI 384
XXXVIII. KARAGUE 399
XXXIX. THE WATUSI AND WAGANDA 408
XL. THE WANYORO 422
XLI. GANI, MADI, OBBO, AND KYTCH 429
XLII. THE NEAM-NAM, DÔR, AND DJOUR TRIBES 440
XLIII. THE LATOOKA TRIBE 453
XLIV. THE SHIR, BARI, DJIBBA, NUEHR, DINKA, AND SHILLOOK
TRIBES 461
XLV. THE ISHOGO, ASHANGO, AND OBONGO TRIBES 475
XLVI. THE APONO AND APINGI 484
XLVII. THE BAKALAI 491
XLVIII. THE ASHIRA 496
XLIX. THE CAMMA OR COMMI 504
L. THE SHEKIANI AND MPONGWÉ 521
LI. THE FANS 529
LII. THE FANS--_Concluded_ 535
LIII. THE KRUMEN AND FANTI 544
LIV. THE ASHANTI 554
LV. DAHOME 561
LVI. DAHOME--_Continued_ 573
LVII. DAHOME--_Concluded_ 581
LVIII. THE EGBAS 590
LIX. BONNY 600
LX. THE MAN-DINGOES 607
LXI. THE BUBES AND CONGOESE 610
LXII. BORNU 620
LXIII. THE SHOOAS, TIBBOOS, TUARICKS, BEGHARMIS, AND MUSGUESE 628
LXIV. ABYSSINIANS 641
LXV. ABYSSINIANS--_Continued_ 649
LXVI. ABYSSINIANS--_Concluded_ 658
LXVII. NUBIANS AND HAMRAN ARABS 673
LXVIII. BEDOUINS, HASSANIYEHS, AND MALAGASY 681
AUSTRALIA.
LXIX. APPEARANCE AND CHARACTER OF NATIVES 694
LXX. DRESS--FOOD 703
LXXI. WEAPONS 719
LXXII. WEAPONS--_Concluded_ 727
LXXIII. WAR--AMUSEMENTS 744
LXXIV. DOMESTIC LIFE 755
LXXV. FROM CHILDHOOD TO MANHOOD 761
CONTENTS
OF
VOLUME II.
Chap. Page.
LXXVI. MEDICINE--SURGERY--DISPOSAL OF DEAD 769
LXXVII. DWELLINGS--CANOES 784
NEW ZEALAND.
LXXVIII. GENERAL REMARKS 792
LXXIX. DRESS 800
LXXX. DRESS--_Concluded_ 807
LXXXI. DOMESTIC LIFE 816
LXXXII. FOOD AND COOKERY 826
LXXXIII. WAR 838
LXXXIV. CANOES 852
LXXXV. RELIGION 856
LXXXVI. THE TAPU 863
LXXXVII. FUNERAL CEREMONIES--ARCHITECTURE 869
NEW CALEDONIA.
LXXXVIII. APPEARANCE--DRESS--WARFARE 883
ANDAMAN AND NICOBAR ISLANDS.
LXXXIX. ORIGIN OF NATIVES--APPEARANCE--CHARACTER--EDUCATION 888
NEW GUINEA.
XC. PAPUANS AND OUTANATAS 898
XCI. THE ALFOËRS OR HARAFORAS 905
PHILIPPINE ISLANDS.
XCII. THE AJITAS OR AHITAS 919
FIJI.
XCIII. APPEARANCE--DRESS 922
XCIV. MANUFACTURES 929
XCV. GOVERNMENT--SOCIAL LIFE 934
XCVI. WAR--AMUSEMENTS 948
XCVII. RELIGION--FUNERAL RITES 960
SOLOMON ISLANDS AND NEW HEBRIDES.
XCVIII. CHARACTER--DRESS--CUSTOMS 968
TONGA.
XCIX. GOVERNMENT--GRADATIONS OF RANK 976
C. WAR AND CEREMONIES 984
CI. SICKNESS--BURIAL--GAMES 997
SAMOA, OR NAVIGATOR’S ISLAND.
CII. APPEARANCE--CHARACTER--DRESS 1008
CIII. WAR 1016
CIV. AMUSEMENTS--MARRIAGE--ARCHITECTURE 1028
HERVEY AND KINGSMILL ISLANDS.
CV. APPEARANCE--WEAPONS--GOVERNMENT 1032
MARQUESAS ISLANDS.
CVI. DRESS--AMUSEMENTS--WAR--BURIAL 1044
NIUE, OR SAVAGE ISLANDS.
CVII. ORIGIN--COSTUME--LAWS--BURIAL 1052
SOCIETY ISLANDS.
CVIII. APPEARANCE--DRESS--SOCIAL CUSTOMS 1057
CIX. RELIGION 1064
CX. HISTORY--WAR--FUNERALS--LEGENDS 1072
SANDWICH ISLANDS.
CXI. CLIMATE--DRESS--ORNAMENTS--WOMEN 1081
CXII. WAR--SPORT--RELIGION 1088
CAROLINE ARCHIPELAGO.
CXIII. DRESS--ARCHITECTURE--AMUSEMENTS--WAR 1100
BORNEO.
CXIV. THE DYAKS, APPEARANCE AND DRESS 1110
CXV. WAR 1119
CXVI. WAR--_Concluded_ 1128
CXVII. SOCIAL LIFE 1137
CXVIII. ARCHITECTURE, MANUFACTURES 1149
CXIX. RELIGION--OMENS--FUNERALS 1157
TIERRA DEL FUEGO.
CXX. APPEARANCE--ARCHITECTURE--MANUFACTURES 1161
PATAGONIANS.
CXXI. APPEARANCE--WEAPONS--HORSEMANSHIP 1172
CXXII. DOMESTIC LIFE 1183
ARAUCANIANS.
CXXIII. DRESS--ETIQUETTE--GOVERNMENT 1190
CXXIV. DOMESTIC LIFE 1196
CXXV. GAMES--SOCIAL CUSTOMS 1204
THE GRAN CHACO.
CXXVI. APPEARANCE--WEAPONS--CHARACTER 1211
THE MUNDURUCÚS.
CXXVII. MANUFACTURES--SOCIAL CUSTOMS 1215
THE TRIBES OF GUIANA.
CXXVIII. WEAPONS 1221
CXXIX. WEAPONS--_Concluded_ 1228
CXXX. WAR--SUPERSTITION 1239
CXXXI. ARCHITECTURE--SOCIAL CUSTOMS 1245
CXXXII. DRESS--AMUSEMENTS 1255
CXXXIII. RELIGION--BURIAL 1263
MEXICO.
CXXXIV. HISTORY--RELIGION--ART 1271
NORTH AMERICAN INDIANS.
CXXXV. GOVERNMENT--CUSTOMS 1273
CXXXVI. WAR 1281
CXXXVII. HUNTING--AMUSEMENTS 1293
CXXXVIII. RELIGION--SUPERSTITION 1301
CXXXIX. SOCIAL LIFE 1316
ESQUIMAUX.
CXL. APPEARANCE--DRESS--MANNERS 1333
CXLI. HUNTING--RELIGION--BURIAL 1338
VANCOUVER’S ISLAND.
CXLII. THE AHTS, AND NEIGHBORING TRIBES 1354
CXLIII. CANOES--FEASTS--DANCES 1362
CXLIV. ARCHITECTURE--RELIGION--DISPOSAL OF DEAD 1369
ALASKA.
CXLV. MALEMUTES--INGELETES--CO-YUKONS 1374
SIBERIA.
CXLVI. THE TCHUKTCHI--JAKUTS--TUNGUSI 1377
CXLVII. THE SAMOÏEDES--OSTIAKS 1381
INDIA.
CXLVIII. THE SOWRAHS AND KHONDS 1385
CXLIX. WEAPONS 1395
CL. SACRIFICIAL RELIGION 1407
CLI. THE INDIANS, WITH RELATION TO ANIMALS 1416
TARTARY.
CLII. THE MANTCHU TARTARS 1422
CHINA.
CLIII. APPEARANCE--DRESS--FOOD 1426
CLIV. WARFARE 1433
CLV. SOCIAL CHARACTERISTICS 1441
JAPAN.
CLVI. DRESS--ART--AMUSEMENTS 1449
CLVII. MISCELLANEOUS CUSTOMS 1458
SIAM.
CLVIII. GOVERNMENT--DRESS--RELIGION 1467
ANCIENT EUROPE.
CLIX. THE SWISS LAKE-DWELLERS 1473
CENTRAL AFRICA.
CLX. THE MAKONDÉ 1475
CLXI. THE WAIYAU 1478
CLXII. THE BABISA AND BABEMBA 1482
CLXIII. THE MANYUEMA 1487
CLXIV. THE MANYUEMA--_Concluded_ 1492
CLXV. UNYAMWEZI 1496
CLXVI. UVINZA AND UHHA 1500
CLXVII. THE MONBUTTOO 1503
CLXVIII. THE PYGMIES 1508
CLXIX. GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS OF AFRICAN TRIBES 1511
CLXX. THE AFRICAN SLAVE TRADE 1515
CENTRAL ASIA.
CLXXI. THE KAKHYENS 1520
CHAPTER LXXVI.
AUSTRALIA--_Continued_.
MEDICINE, SURGERY, AND THE DISPOSAL OF THE DEAD.
BILBOS, OR NATIVE DOCTORS -- WOUNDS AND BRUISES -- A STRANGE CURE --
TREATMENT OF THE HEADACHE -- A DREAM AND ITS RESULTS -- THE MAGIC
CRYSTAL, OR DOCTOR-STONE -- ITS EFFECTS ON WOMEN AND CHILDREN -- THE
DOCTOR-HOUSE -- SUCTION AS A MEANS OF CURE -- BELIEF IN CHARMS --
THE PARENT’S SKULL -- CEREMONIES OF MOURNING -- CUTTING THE HEAD AND
BODY AS A SIGN OF WOE -- DRIVING AWAY THE EVIL SPIRITS -- FEAR OF
GHOSTS -- BURIAL AMONG THE PARNKALLAS AND NAUOS -- THE TOMB OF SKULLS
-- A SUMMARY MODE OF BURIAL -- FUNERAL OF BOYS -- THE TREE-TOMBS
-- SMOKING THE WARRIORS -- INCONSISTENT BEHAVIOR -- BURIAL OF OLD
WOMEN -- THE WIDOWS’ CAPS -- RELIGIOUS IDEAS OF THE ABORIGINES --
THE VARIOUS EVIL SPIRITS -- THE BUNYIP -- ROCK AND CAVE PAINTINGS --
THEORY OF TRANSMIGRATION.
We will now see how the Australian natives treat sickness of various
kinds. Among them are certain personages called bilbos, or doctors, to
whom the sick usually appeal in cases of illness or pain. It is not
known, however, whether the mere fact of age gives a man the rank of
bilbo, or whether it is attained by sundry ceremonials, as is the case
with the Africans and other savages.
The most usual mode of treating any local disease or pain is by
pressing the hands upon the affected part, and kneading it, a remedy
which is found in every part of the world, and which is really
efficacious in many complaints, especially in rheumatic affections, or
in sprained or over-exerted muscles. If a limb be wounded, bruised, or
sore, the native practitioners tie a fillet tightly above it, for the
purpose, as they say, of preventing the malady from reaching the body.
Headaches are treated by tying a bandage firmly round the temples, and,
if the pain be obstinate, the doctors bleed the patient under the arm,
using a sharp piece of quartz as a lancet. The flowing blood is never
allowed to be wasted, but is received on the body of the operator, and
diligently rubbed into the skin, under the notion that by this process
both parties are strengthened. This depends, however, on the sex of the
patient, women being never bled, nor allowed to have the blood of any
other person sprinkled upon them.
About 1832, a curious disease broke out among the natives of Wellington
Valley, resembling the small-pox in many things, and yet displaying
symptoms which scarcely belong to that dread disease, the one fatal
scourge of savage tribes. It was preceded by headache, fever,
sore-throat, &c., and accompanied by pustules very much resembling
those of the small-pox. It was, however, scarcely virulent enough for
the real disease, though it was probably a milder form of it, and was
subject to the power of vaccine matter. It was not limited to the
natives, but attacked many Europeans just like the genuine small-pox,
and in one case was fatal.
It is here mentioned on account of the mode of cure adopted by the
native doctors. They punctured the pustules with sharp fish-bones, and
squeezed them well with the blunt end of their rude lancets, and it is
a noteworthy fact that the rate of mortality was very much reduced. Of
course the doctors used other modes, whereby they gave their patients
confidence in their powers. The chief of these was performed by means
of a number of slender rods, six to nine feet in length, which were
stuck in the ground in the form of a crescent, and addressed with
long speeches and many mysterious gestures. Among the Australians,
this disease, whatever it may be, does not strike the abject terror
with which it is usually accompanied. Although they know that it is
infectious, they do not abandon the sick person, unless perhaps the
doctor pronounces the patient incurable; in which case they save him
prolonged pain, and themselves useless trouble, by burying him alive.
The native term for this disease is “thunna-thunna,” and it is known to
have existed when the country was first discovered, so that it is not
imported from civilized countries.
Another remarkable kind of cure for the headache is mentioned by Mr.
Angas. The patient being seated on the ground, a string is tied round
his head, the knot being carefully adjusted to the middle of the
forehead. The operator, who is always a woman, seats herself opposite
the patient, places the line between her lips, and frets them with it
until they bleed freely. The idea is that the disease, attracted by the
blood, passes along the line from the patient’s head, and is cast out
together with the blood.
A very remarkable instance of this mode of cure is related in Tyerman
and Bennett’s “Voyage round the World.” A man had dreamed that he
had been speared in the side, and had died in consequence of the
wound. Although, when he woke, he knew it was but a dream, he was so
frightened that he became very ill, retired to his hut, chose the place
of his burial, and lay down to die.
Nearly a week elapsed, during which he could take no food, grew worse
and worse, and it was plain that nature would not hold out much longer.
The priests--or rather sorcerers, for it cannot be ascertained that
the New Hollanders have any other kind of priests, having, in fact,
no religious worship--came to do what they could for him with their
enchantments. By their order he was carried down to the side of a
running water, and tumbled into the stream, where it was pretty deep,
head foremost. When taken out, he was rolled in the sand till his body
was quite encased with it. This again was washed off by pouring water
over him.
“Meanwhile a young woman of the company was perceived plaiting a cord
of kangaroo’s hair, which, when completed, was bound round his chest,
and a knot, very cunningly implicated by one of the operators, was
placed over that part of his side into which the spear of his dream
had entered. From this knot a line was passed to the young woman who
had prepared the bandage. This she drew through her mouth backward and
forward (as children sometimes do with a piece of packthread) until
she began to spit blood, which was said to be sucked by that process
from the wound in the sick man’s side. _There_ it was now perceptible
that, from whatever cause, a considerable swelling had arisen under the
knot. Toward this one of the sorcerers began to stroke the man’s flesh
from all the adjacent regions of the back, belly, and chest, as though
to force the blood thither. He then applied his mouth to the swelling,
and, with hideous noises, sometimes sucked it with his lips, sometimes
pressed it violently with his hands, till _forth came the point of a
spear_, four inches in length, which he presented to the astonished
spectators and the expecting sufferer, as verily extracted from the
man’s side.
“Then he applied his mouth again to the swollen part, from which,
although there was no visible wound, he appeared to draw blood and
corrupt matter, stains of both being soon seen on the swarthy skin.
At length, with distended cheeks, as though he had filled his mouth
with the abominable matter, he ran about, anxiously looking for a fit
place to discharge it upon; but, affecting to find none, he crossed
the water, and deposited the nauseous extract behind a bush. The poor
man’s hopes revived, and he now believed that he should get well again.
Mr. Dunlop thereupon sent him some tea, which, however, he would not
drink, but requested that it might be given to the sorcerer, and, if he
drank it, then it would do himself (the patient) good. He was deceived,
disappointed, and died.”
The Australians are tolerably good surgeons in a rough-and-ready sort
of way, and are clever at setting broken limbs. After bringing the
broken ends of the bone together, they support the limb by several
pieces of wood which act as splints, and then make the whole secure by
bandages, which they often strengthen with gum, exactly as is done in
modern surgery.
One of the most powerful remedies employed by the native practitioners
is the “doctor-stone.” This is nothing but a common quartz crystal;
but the doctors aver that they manufacture it themselves, and that
the ingredients are kept secret. Like the witarna, mentioned on page
747, women are never allowed even to look upon the doctor-stone, and
are impressed with the belief that, if they dared to set their eyes
upon the forbidden object, they would be immediately killed by its
radiant powers. The larger the crystal, the more valuable is it; and a
tolerably large one can scarcely be procured from the natives at any
price.
The doctors say that this stone is not only fatal to women, but also
destroys men if flung at them with certain incantations. An European
settler once challenged a native doctor to say as many charms as he
liked, and throw the magic stone as much as he pleased. This offer,
however, he declined, giving the usual excuse of savages, that the
white man belonged to a totally different order of beings, and,
although the poor black fellow would die from the effects of the
doctor-stone, the white man was much too powerful to be hurt by it.
The mode in which the crystal is used is very curious, and has been
described by an eye-witness.
A native of the Tumat country, named Golong, was suffering from a spear
wound received in a skirmish with a hostile tribe, and was brought to
a bilbo, named Baramumbup, to be healed. The patient being laid on the
ground outside the encampment so that women could not run the risk of
death through the accidental sight of the crystal, the doctor began a
close examination of the wound, and sucked it. He then retired to a
distance from the patient, muttered some magic words for a minute or
so, and placed the crystal in his mouth. Having retained it there for
a short time, he removed it, spat on the ground, and with his feet
trampled on the saliva, pressing it deeply into the ground. This was
repeated several times, and the doctor took his leave.
For several successive evenings the whole of the process was gone
through, and the recovery of the patient, which was really rapid,
was attributed by all parties to the wonderful efficacy of the
doctor-stone. “On making inquiry,” writes Dr. Bennett, “why the
physician is so careful in trampling the saliva discharged from his
mouth into the ground, no satisfactory reason could be obtained, a
vague answer only being returned to the query. But it is not improbable
that they consider, by this practice, that they finally destroy the
power of the evil spirit, extracted by the operation through the
virtues of the stone. Some such reason for this proceeding may be
inferred from an observation made to any European who may be present at
this part of the ceremony, ‘that he (_i. e._ the disease) may not come
up again.’”
It is remarkable that a ceremony almost exactly identical in principle
is employed by the Guaycura tribe of Brazil. Among them the doctors, or
payés, cure local ailments, whether wounds or otherwise, by sucking the
part affected, spitting into a hole dug in the ground, and then filling
in the earth, as if to bury the complaint.
The Australian doctors make great use of the principle of suction, and
employ it in all kinds of cases. If, for example, a patient has a bad
pain in his stomach from overeating, or suffers more than he thinks
right from the blow of a waddy, the doctor sucks at the afflicted part
vigorously, and at last produces from his mouth a piece of bone, or
some other hard substance, which he asserts to be the concentrated
essence of the pain, or other ailment. The reader may remark that the
bones with which the gums of youths are lanced in the ceremonies of
initiation are supposed to be produced from the bodies of the operators
by means of suction.
A very remarkable curative agent is shown in the illustration No. 3,
page 765, which is taken from a sketch by Mr. Baines. It consists
of a stone building, which at first sight looks so like an ordinary
Druidical remain that it might be taken for one, except for its
dimensions. Instead, however, of being composed of huge stones, each
weighing several tons, it is quite a tiny edifice, scarcely larger than
the grotto which children erect with oyster-shells. The patient lies
in, or rather under it, the aperture being just wide enough to admit
his body, and the small roof only covering a very small portion of
the inmate. Sundry superstitious rites are employed at the same time,
and the remedy is efficacious, like the crystal already mentioned, in
consequence of enlisting the imagination of the sufferer.
These little buildings are found along the Victoria River, and for a
considerable time the object for which they were built greatly puzzled
the discoverers.
A medicine scarcely less efficacious than the doctor’s stone is human
fat, which is carefully preserved, and administered by being rubbed in
and around the affected part. As, however, it is highly valued by the
warriors it is not easily procured, and, had it to be taken solely from
the bodies of slain enemies, would in all probability never be used
at all. The efficacy of this repulsive remedy does not depend on the
individual from whom it is taken, that of a child or woman being quite
as useful as that of a warrior.
According to Mr. G. T. Lloyd, the practice of deserting the helpless
is found in Australia as well as in other countries, and is practised
exactly as is the case in Africa. When a person is ill the relations,
as a rule, do not trouble themselves to visit the sick person, and,
when there is no apparent hope of recovery, a supply of food and firing
enough to last them for several days is left near them, and they are
then abandoned to their fate. Even in the case of poor old Tarmeenia,
mentioned on page 747, the son, although he carried his wounded father
more than four miles in order to place him in safety, never once came
to see him.
Seeing that the natives place such implicit faith in the healing power
of the doctor’s stone, it is natural that they should also believe in
sundry charms as preservatives against disease and misfortune. One of
these charms is a sort of girdle, several inches wide in the middle,
and tapering to a mere thong at each end. If it be made of string
prepared from the bulrush root, it is called Taara or Kuretti; and if
made of human hair, it goes by the name Godlotti. It is used more as a
curative than a preventive, and is mostly found among the tribes of the
lower Murray River. The hair, when twisted into thread, is wound upon a
curious spindle, consisting of two slender pieces of wood placed across
each other at right angles.
Another charm is shown in the illustration No. 2, on the 765th page,
slung round the neck of the boy. It is the beak of the black swan,
which, from its scarlet color, contrasts well with the black skin of
the wearer. The little boy’s name is Rimmilliperingery, and Mr. G.
F. Angas remarks that he was an engaging little fellow, and had the
largest and softest pair of dark eyes that could be imagined. The
elder figure is that of a young man named Tyilkilli, belonging to the
Parnkalla tribe of Port Lincoln. He has been selected as a favorable
example of the Australian young man in good circumstances, well-fed,
careless, and gay with the unthinking happiness of mere animal life,
which finds a joy in the very fact of existence.
Among many of the tribes may be seen a strange sort of ornament, or
rather utensil; namely, a drinking-cup made of a human skull. It is
slung on cords and carried by them, and the owner takes it wherever he
or she goes. These ghastly utensils are made from the skulls of the
nearest and dearest relatives; and when an Australian mother dies,
it is thought right that her daughter should form the skull of her
mother into a drinking-vessel. The preparation is simple enough. The
lower jaw is removed, the brains are extracted, and the whole of the
skull thoroughly cleaned. A rope handle made of bulrush fibre is then
attached to it, and it is considered fit for use. It is filled with
water through the vertebral aperture, into which a wisp of grass is
always stuffed, so as to prevent the water from being spilled.
Inconsistency is ever the attribute of savage minds. Although they
consider that to convert the skull of a parent into a drinking vessel,
and to carry it about with them, is an important branch of filial
duty, they seem to have no very deep feelings on the subject. In fact,
a native named Wooloo sold his mother’s skull for a small piece of
tobacco. His mind was evidently not comprehensive enough to admit two
ideas together, and the objective idea of present tobacco was evidently
more powerful than the comparative abstraction of filial reverence.
Mr. Angas saw one which was carried by a little girl ten years of
age. Like “Little Nell,” she was in attendance upon an old and infirm
grandfather, and devoted her little life to him. In nothing was the
difference of human customs shown more plainly than in the use of the
mother’s skull as a drinking vessel--an act which we should consider as
the acme of heathen brutality, but with these aborigines is held to be
a duty owed by the child to the parent.
Perhaps my classical readers will remember a chapter in Herodotus which
bears on this very subject. He finds fault with Cambyses for breaking
into the temples of the Cabeiri, burning their idols, and so hurting
the religious feelings of the people; and remarks that he was wary in
offending against any religious sentiment, however absurd it might
appear to himself. He then proceeds to tell an anecdote of Darius, who
had at his court some “Indians called Callatians,” and some Greeks. He
asked the Greeks (who always burned their dead, as the Hindoos do now),
what bribe would induce them to eat the bodies of their dead parents,
and they naturally replied that for no bribe could they perform so
horrible a deed. Then, in the presence of the Greeks, he asked the
Callatians, who ate their dead (as several savage nations do now), for
what sum they would consent to burn the bodies of their dead. They, as
it appears from the style of their answer, were even more shocked than
the Greeks at the idea of such horrible sacrilege, and would not deign
to give a direct answer, but begged Darius to “speak words of good
omen.” (See _Thalia_, xxxvii. 8.)
A somewhat similar proceeding is narrated in the life of
Nussir-er-deen, the late king of Oude. His native ministers, jealous
of the influence exercised over him by some of his European friends,
complained that the English guests treated the monarch with disrespect,
by retaining their shoes in his royal presence. The king, who,
enervated as he was by vanity, dissipation, self-indulgence, and
flattery, was no fool, immediately proposed a compromise. “Listen to
me, nawab; and you, general, listen to me. The King of England is my
master, and these gentlemen would go into his presence with their shoes
on. Shall they not come into mine, then? Do they come before me with
their hats on? Answer me, your excellency.”
“They do not, your majesty.”
“No, that is _their_ way of showing respect. _They_ take off their
hats, and _you_ take off your shoes. But come now, let us have a
bargain. Wallah! but I will get them to take off their shoes and leave
them without, as you do, if you will take off your turban and leave
it without, as they do.” (See Knighton’s “Private Life of an Eastern
King.”)
We now come naturally to the burial of the dead, and the various
ceremonies which accompany the time of mourning. Although the relatives
seem so careless about the sick person, they really keep a watch, and,
as soon as death actually takes place, they announce the fact by loud
cries. The women are the principal mourners, and they continue to
sob and shriek and moan until they are forced to cease from absolute
exhaustion. They cut their bodies until the blood streams freely
from their wounds, and some of them chop their own heads with their
tomahawks until their shoulders and bodies are covered with blood.
The reader will probably have noticed how widely spread is this custom
of wounding the body as a sign of mourning, and especially as a
lamentation for the dead. We have seen that it exists in Africa, and we
shall see that it is practised in many other countries. That it was
practised in ancient days by the people among whom the Jews lived, we
see from several passages of Scripture. See for example Deut. xiv. 1:
“Ye shall not cut yourselves, nor make any baldness between your eyes
for the dead.” Also Jer. xvi. 6: “They shall not be buried, neither
shall men lament for them, nor cut themselves, nor make themselves
bald for them.” There is also the well-known passage concerning the
sacrifice that the priests of Baal offered, in the course of which they
“cut themselves after their manner with knives and lancets, till the
blood gushed out upon them.”
The body is not disposed of at once, but is suffered to remain for
a considerable time, during which decomposition takes place, and is
allowed to work its course until the flesh is separated from the bones.
The body is watched carefully during the night; and if a passing meteor
should appear in the sky, the people shout and wave firebrands in order
to drive away a certain evil spirit named _Yúmburbar_, which is thought
to be the real though invisible cause of death and all calamities, and
to haunt the spot where a dead body lies for the purpose of feeding
upon it.
When decomposition has done its work, the bones are carefully
collected, cleaned, and painted red, after which they are wrapped up
in bark, and carried about with the tribe for a time. This term being
fulfilled, they are finally disposed of in various ways, according to
the customs of the tribe to which they belonged. Some tribes scoop
holes in soft rocks, and place the remains therein, while others prefer
hollow trees for that purpose. Sometimes the body is placed in the cave
without being reduced to a skeleton, and in some places the soil is
of such a nature that the body becomes dried before decomposition can
proceed very far. During the Exhibition of 1862 one of these desiccated
bodies was exhibited in England, and called the “petrified” man. It
was, however, nothing but a shrivelled and dried-up body, such as is
often found in very dry soils.
Near the Murrumbidgee River, in the Wellington Valley, there is a
remarkable stalactitic cavern, divided into several “halls.” This
cavern is, or has been, a favorite burying-place of the aborigines, who
seem to have employed it for the same purpose that Abraham purchased
the cave of Machpelah. In consequence of the use of the cavern as a
burial place, the natives are rather nervous about entering it, and
they flatly refuse to venture into the darker recesses, for fear of
the “dibbil-dibbil.” When Dr. Bennett visited it in 1832, he found in
a small side cave the skeleton of a woman. The bones had been placed
there nearly twenty years before.
The Parnkalla and Nauo tribes have another mode of burial, which
somewhat resembles that which is employed by the Bechuanas. The body
is placed in a crouching or squatting position, such as is employed
by the natives when sitting, the knees being drawn up to the chin, the
legs close to the body, and the hands clasped over the legs. Examples
of this attitude may be seen in many of the illustrations. A circular
pit or grave, about five feet in depth, is then dug, and after the body
is lowered into the pit a number of sticks are laid over the grave,
nearly touching one another. A thick layer of leaves and another of
grass are then placed on the sticks, and over all is heaped the earth
which has been dug out of the pit, so that the grave looks something
like a huge anthill.
In Northern Australia the natives have a curious method of disposing
of the dead. They gather the skulls together, and heap them into
a circular mound, placing stones round them to keep them in their
places. They do not cover the skulls, but make the tomb in an open and
conspicuous place. Such a tomb is illustrated on page 765.
The blacks of the Clarence River build monuments which are somewhat
similar in appearance, but are made of different materials. They place
a number of stones in a circle, and in the centre they erect an upright
slab of stone. They can give no reason for this custom, but only say
that “black-fella make it so,” or “it belong to black-fella.” The
former reply signifies that the custom has always prevailed among the
natives; and the second, that the tomb shows that a native lies buried
beneath the upright stone.
Some of the tribes along the Clarence River have a curious mode of
disposing of the dead--a mode which certainly has its advantages in its
great economy of trouble. When an old man feels that the hand of death
is on him, he looks out for a hollow tree, climbs it, lets himself down
to the bottom of the hollow, and so dies in his tomb.
In New South Wales the young people are buried beneath small tumuli,
but the adults are buried in a rather curious fashion. A pile of dry
wood, leaves, &c. is built, about three feet in height and six or seven
in length. On the pile the body is laid on its back, having the face
directed toward the rising sun. The fishing apparatus, spears, and
other weapons and implements of the dead man are next laid on the pile,
and the body is then covered over with large logs of wood. The pile is
fired by the nearest relative, and on the following day, when the place
is cool, the ashes of the dead are collected, and carefully buried.
Should a woman die, leaving an unweaned child, the poor little creature
is buried together with the ashes of its mother. The natives defend
this practice as a humane one, saying, with savage justice, that it is
better to kill the child speedily than to allow it to pine to death
from starvation.
As is the case with many tribes in different parts of the world,
as soon as any one dies the name borne by the deceased is no more
mentioned. So strictly is this rule observed, that if another member of
the tribe should happen to bear the same name, it must be abandoned,
and a new name taken, by which the bearer will ever afterward be known.
Mr. Angas, to whom we are indebted for so much of our knowledge of the
Australians, gives an interesting account of the burial of a boy, as
described to him by an eye-witness:
“Previously to burying the corpse of the boy, a contest with clubs and
spears took place, but no injury was done to the parties engaged. The
body was placed in a bark canoe, cut to the proper length, a spear,
a fishing-spear, and a throwing-stick, with several other articles,
being placed besides the corpse. The women and children made great
lamentations during the ceremony, and the father stood apart, a picture
of silent grief.
“The canoe was placed on the heads of two natives, who proceeded with
it slowly toward the grave; some of the attendants waving tufts of
dried grass backward and forward under the canoe and amongst the bushes
as they passed along. The grave being dug, a native strewed it with
grass, and stretched himself at full length in the grave, first on his
back and then on his side. As they were about to let down the child
into the grave, they first pointed to the deceased and then to the
skies, as though they had a vague idea that the spirit had ascended to
another world.
“The body was then laid in the grave, with the face looking toward
the rising sun, and, in order that the sunshine might fall upon the
spot, care was taken to cut down all shrubs around that could in any
way obstruct its beams. Branches were placed over the grave, grass and
boughs on them, and the whole was crowned with a log of wood, on which
a native extended himself for some minutes, with his face to the sky.”
At the beginning of this description is mentioned a sham fight. This is
held in consequence of a curious notion prevalent among the aborigines,
that death from natural causes must be ransomed with blood. It suffices
if blood be drawn even from a friend, and the mode by which they make
the required offering, and at the same time gratify their combative
nature, is by getting up a sham fight, in which some one is nearly sure
to be wounded more or less severely.
Sometimes the body of the dead man is disposed of rather oddly. In some
parts of Australia the natives, instead of consuming the body by fire,
or hiding it in caves or in graves, make it a peculiarly conspicuous
object. Should a tree grow favorably for their purpose, they will
employ it as the final resting-place of the dead body. Lying in its
canoe coffin, and so covered over with leaves and grass that its shape
is quite disguised, the body is lifted into a convenient fork of the
tree, and lashed to the boughs by native ropes. No further care is
taken of it, and if, in process of time, it should be blown out of the
tree, no one will take the trouble of replacing it.
Should no tree be growing in the selected spot, an artificial platform
is made for the body, by fixing the ends of stout branches in the
ground, and connecting them at their tops by smaller horizontal
branches. Such are the curious tombs which are represented in the
illustration No. 3, on page 775. These strange tombs are mostly placed
among the reeds, so that nothing can be more mournful than the sound of
the wind as it shakes the reeds below the branch in which the corpse
is lying. The object of this aerial tomb is evident enough, namely, to
protect the corpse from the dingo, or native dog. That the ravens and
other carrion-eating birds should make a banquet upon the body of the
dead man does not seem to trouble the survivors in the least, and it
often happens that the traveller is told by the croak of the disturbed
ravens that the body of a dead Australian is lying in the branches over
his head.
The aerial tombs are mostly erected for the bodies of old men who have
died a natural death; but when a young warrior has fallen in battle the
body is treated in a very different manner. A moderately high platform
is erected, and upon this is seated the body of the dead warrior,
with the face toward the rising sun. The legs are crossed, and the
arms kept extended by means of sticks. The fat is then removed, and,
after being mixed with red ochre, is rubbed over the body, which has
previously been carefully denuded of hair, as is done in the ceremony
of initiation. The legs and arms are covered with zebra-like stripes of
red, white, and yellow, and the weapons of the dead man are laid across
his lap.
The body being thus arranged, fires are lighted under the platform,
and kept up for ten days or more, during the whole of which time the
friends and mourners remain by the body, and are not permitted to
speak. Sentinels relieve each other at appointed intervals, their duty
being to see that the fires are not suffered to go out, and to keep the
flies away by waving leafy boughs or bunches of emu feathers. When a
body has been treated in this manner, it becomes hard and mummy-like,
and the strangest point is, that the wild dogs will not touch it after
it has been so long smoked. It remains sitting on the platform for two
months or so, and is then taken down and buried, with the exception of
the skull, which is made into a drinking-cup for the nearest relative,
as has already been mentioned.
[Illustration: (1.) CARVED FEATHER BOX, NEW ZEALAND. (See page 813.)]
[Illustration: (2.) SMOKING THE BODIES OF SLAIN WARRIORS. (See page
777.)]
[Illustration: (3.) TREE TOMBS OF AUSTRALIA. (See page 774.)]
Considering the trouble which is taken in the preparation of these
bodies, and the evident respect which is felt for a brave warrior
in death as well as in life, the after treatment of them is very
remarkable. When a friend, or even an individual of the same tribe,
sees one of these mummified bodies for the first time, he pays no honor
to it, but loads it with reproaches, abusing the dead man for dying
when the tribe stood in such need of brave and skilful men, and saying
that he ought to have known better than to die when there was plenty of
food in the country. Then, after contemplating the body for some time,
he hurls his spear and club at it, crying out at the same time, “Why
did you die? Take that for dying.”
In the illustration No. 2, on page 775, two of these bodies are seen
seated on the platform, supported by being tied to the uprights by
their hands and heads, and having their weapons in their laps. On one
side is one of the sentinels engaged in driving away the flies with his
flapper, and on the other is a second sentinel bringing fuel for the
fire. The seated figures belong to the same tribe.
Around Portland Bay, and toward the south-eastern parts of the
continent, the natives have a curious combination of entombment and
burning. They let the dead body down into one of the hollow trees,
where it is supported in an upright position. A quantity of dry leaves
and grass is then heaped upon the tree, and the whole consumed by fire,
amid the dismal screams and cries of the women.
It is rather curious that funeral ceremonies are only employed in the
case of those whose death is supposed to be a loss to the tribe. Men,
and even boys, are therefore honored with funeral rites, because the
younger men are warriors, the boys would have been warriors, and the
old men have done service by arms, and are still useful for their
wisdom. Even young women are buried with some amount of show, because
they produce children for the tribe.
But of all beings an old woman is most utterly despised. She can render
no service; she has never been considered as anything but a mere
domesticated animal, and even for domestic purposes she has ceased to
be useful. When she dies, therefore, no one regrets her. She is nothing
but a useless burden on her people, consuming food which she does not
earn, and sitting by the fire when the younger women are engaged in
work. It is nothing to them that she has worn herself out in the hard,
thankless, and never ceasing labor which constitutes the life of an
Australian woman, and so when she dies her body is drawn away out of
the camp by the heels, and stuffed away hastily in some hollow tree
or cave that may be most convenient. Sometimes the body is laid on a
bough, as has already been described; but even in such a case it is
merely laid on the branch, without being placed in a canoe, or covered
with matting, boughs, and leaves, as is the case with the bodies of
men. The corpse is allowed to remain on the branch until it falls to
pieces; and when any of her relatives choose to take the trouble, they
will scrape a hole in the sand and bury the scattered bones.
The shee-oak, or casuarina, is the tree which is generally selected
for this purpose, partly because it is one of the commonest trees of
Australia, and partly because the peculiar growth of its boughs affords
a firm platform for the corpse.
The time of mourning does not cease with the funeral, nor, in case of a
tree-tomb, with the subsequent interment of the bones. At stated times
the women, by whom the mourning is chiefly performed, visit the tomb,
and with their kattas, or digging-sticks, peck up the earth around
them, and make the place look neat. This done they sit down and utter
their most doleful cries and lamentations. In some places they content
themselves with vocal lamentations, but in others the women think it
necessary to show their grief by repeating the head chopping, limb
scarring, and other marks of blood-letting which accompany that portion
of the funeral ceremonies.
In one part of Australia, near the north-west bend of the Murray,
a most remarkable custom prevails. Widows attend upon the tombs of
their dead husbands, and, after shaving their heads, cover them with
pipe-clay kneaded into a paste. The head is first covered with a net,
to prevent the pipe-clay from sticking too tightly to the skin, a
misfortune which is partly averted by the amount of grease with which
every Australian is anointed.
A layer of this clay more than an inch in thickness is plastered
over the head, and when dry it forms a skull-cap exactly fitting the
head on which it was moulded, and on account of its weight, which is
several pounds, must be very uncomfortable to the wearer. These badges
of mourning may be found lying about near the tumuli, and, until
their real use was discovered, they were very mysterious objects to
travellers. In the illustration No. 1, on the 781st page, is seen a
burying place near the river. Several of the mound tombs of the natives
are shown, and in the foreground are two widows, seated in the peculiar
attitude of Australian women, and wearing the widow’s cap of pipe-clay.
Several other caps are lying near the tombs, having been already
employed in the ceremonies of mourning.
So careful are the natives of the marks of respect due from the
survivors to the dead, that a widow belonging to one of the tribes on
the Clarence River was put to death because she neglected to keep in
order the tomb of her late husband, and to dig up periodically the
earth around it.
* * * * *
From the disposal of the dead, we are naturally led to the religious
belief of the Australians. Like all savages, they are very reticent
about their religious feelings, concealing as far as possible their
outward observances from the white people, and avowing ignorance, if
questioned respecting the meaning of those which have become known
to the strangers. Some observances, however, have been explained by
Gi’ôm, the unfortunate Scotch woman who had to reside so long among the
Kowráregas, and others by native converts to Christianity. Even these
latter have not been able to shake off the superstitious ideas which
they had contracted through the whole of their previous lives, and
there is no doubt that they concealed much from their interrogators,
and, if pressed too closely, wilfully misled them.
The following short account will, however, give an idea of the state of
religious feeling among the aborigines, as far as can be ascertained.
And, in consequence of the rapid and steady decrease of the native
tribes, it is possible that our knowledge of this subject will never be
greater than it is at present.
In the first place, there are no grounds for thinking that the
aborigines believe in any one Supreme Deity, nor, in fact, in a deity
of any kind whatever. As is usual with most savage nations, their
belief in supernatural beings is limited to those who are capable of
doing mischief, and, although the conception of a beneficent spirit
which will do good never seems to enter an Australian’s mind, he
believes fully, in his misty fashion, in the existence of many evil
spirits which will do harm.
Of these there are many. One of them is the _Arlak_, a being which
takes the shape of a man. It is only seen at night, and is in the habit
of watching for stragglers in the dark, seizing them and carrying
them off. Several natives told Mr. M’Gillivray that they had seen the
arlak; and one man, who had summoned enough courage to fight it when
it attacked him, showed the marks of the demon’s teeth upon his body.
Fortunately, the arlak cannot endure light, and therefore the natives,
if they have to go the smallest distance in the dark, take a fire-stick
in one hand and a weapon of some sort in the other.
One kind of evil spirit, which is very much dreaded by the aborigines,
is the one in whom death is personified. He is short, thick, very ugly,
and has a disagreeable smell. The natives of the Moorundi district
believe in a native spirit, wonderfully similar in attributes to the
Necker of German mythology. Although, according to their accounts, it
is very common, they have great difficulty in describing it, and, as
far as can be ascertained from their statements, it is like a huge
star-fish. This demon inhabits the fresh water, or there might have
been grounds for believing it to be merely an exaggeration of the
cuttle-fish.
Throughout the greater part of Australia is found the belief in the
Bunyip, a demon which infests woods, and which has been seen, as is
said, not only by natives but by white men. The different accounts of
the animal vary extremely. Some who have seen it aver it to be as large
as a horse, to have a pair of eyes as big as saucers, and a pair of
enormous horns.
Others give a very different account of it, and one of the Barrabool
Hill natives gave a very animated description of the dreaded bunyip.
He illustrated his lecture by a spirited drawing, in which the bunyip
was represented as having a long neck and head, something like that of
the giraffe, a thick flowing mane, and two short and massive fore-legs,
each of which was armed with four powerful talons. The entire body was
covered with strong scales, overlapping each other like those of the
hawksbill turtle. This creature he represented as half beast, half
demon, and vaunted the superior courage of his ancestors, who ventured
to oppose this terrible creature as it lay in wait for their wives and
children, and drove it out of the reeds and bush into the water whence
it came.
Thinking that some large and now extinct beast might have lived in
Australia, which might have been traditionally known to the aborigines,
scientific men have taken particular pains to ransack those portions
of the country which they could reach, in hopes of finding remains
which might be to Australia what those of the megatherium and other
huge monsters are to the Old World. Nothing of the kind has, however,
been found. Some very large bones were once discovered on the banks of
a shallow salt lagoon (just the place for the bunyip), but when sent
to the British Museum they were at once found to be the remains of a
gigantic kangaroo. At present, the legend of the bunyip stands on a
level with that of the kraken--every native believes it, some aver that
they have seen it, but no one has ever discovered the least tangible
proof of its existence.
To these evil spirits the natives attribute every illness or
misfortune, and in consequence are anxious to avoid or drive them
away. All meteors are reckoned by them among the evil spirits, and are
fancifully thought to be ghosts which multiply by self-division. The
aborigines think, however, that by breathing as loudly as they can, and
repeating some cabalistic words, they disarm the demons of their power.
They have one very curious belief,--namely, that any one who ventured
to sleep on the grave of a deceased person, he would ever afterward
be freed from the power of evil spirits. The ordeal is, however, so
terrible that very few summon up sufficient courage to face it. “During
that awful sleep the spirit of the deceased would visit him, seize him
by the throat, and, opening him, take out his bowels, which it would
afterward replace, and close up the wound! Such as are hardy enough to
go through this terrible ordeal--encounter the darkness of the night
and the solemnity of the grave--are thenceforth ‘koradjee’ men, or
priests, and practise sorcery and incantations upon the others of their
tribe.”
In Southern Australia, the natives believe that the sun and moon
are human beings, who once inhabited the earth. The planets are
dogs belonging to the moon, who run about her; and the various
constellations are groups of children. An eclipse of either the sun
or moon is looked upon as a terrible calamity, being sure to be the
forerunner of disease and death.
All burial-places of the dead are held as liable to be haunted by evil
spirits, and are therefore avoided. Promontories, especially those
which have rocky headlands, are also considered as sacred; and it is
probably on account of that idea that the skull monuments, mentioned on
page 773, are raised.
Some of these places are rendered interesting by specimens of native
drawings, showing that the aborigines of Australia really possess the
undeveloped elements of artistic power. Owing to the superstition
which prevails, the natives can scarcely be induced to visit such
spots, giving as their reason for refusing that “too much dibbil-dibbil
walk there.” Mr. Angas was fortunate enough, however, to discover a
considerable number of these drawings and carvings, and succeeded in
impressing into his service an old native woman. His description is so
vivid, that it must be given in his own words:--
“The most important result of our rambles around the bays and rocky
promontories of Port Jackson was the discovery of a new and remarkable
feature connected with the history of the natives formerly inhabiting
this portion of New South Wales.
“I refer to their carvings in outline, cut into the surface of flat
rocks in the neighborhood, and especially on the summits of the various
promontories about the harbors of the coast. Although these carvings
exist in considerable numbers, covering all the flat rocks upon many
of the headlands overlooking the water, it is a singular fact that up
to the present time they appear to have remained unobserved; and it
was not until my friend Mr. Miles first noticed the rude figure of a
kangaroo cut upon the surface of a flat rock near Camp Cove, that we
were led to make a careful search for these singular and interesting
remains of a people who are now nearly extinct.
“About a dozen natives of the Sydney and Broken Bay tribes were
encamped amongst the bushes on the margin of a small fresh-water lake,
close to Camp Cove; and from amongst them we selected ‘Old Queen
Gooseberry’ (as she is generally styled by the colonists) to be our
guide, promising her a reward of flour and tobacco if she would tell us
what she knew about these carvings, and conduct us to all the rocks and
headlands in the neighborhood where like figures existed. At first the
old woman objected, saying that such places were all _koradjee_ ground,
or ‘priest’s ground,’ and that she must not visit them; but at length,
becoming more communicative, she told us all she knew, and all that she
had heard her father say, respecting them. She likewise consented at
last to guide us to several spots near the North Land, where she said
the carvings existed in greater numbers; as also the impressions of
hands upon the sides of high rocks.
“With some difficulty we prevailed upon the haggard old creature to
venture with us into a whale-boat; so, with Queen Gooseberry for our
guide, we crossed to the North Land. After examining the flat rocks
in every direction, we found sufficient examples of these singular
outlines to confirm at once the opinion that they were executed by the
aboriginal inhabitants; but at what period is quite uncertain. From
the half-obliterated state of many of them (although the lines are cut
nearly an inch deep into the hard rock), and from the fact that from
several of them we were compelled to clear away soil and shrubs of
long-continued growth, it is evident that they have been executed a
very long time.
“At first we could not bring ourselves to believe that these carvings
were the work of savages, and we conjectured that the figure of the
kangaroo might have been the work of some European; but when, pursuing
our researches further, we found all the most out-of-the-way and least
accessible headlands adorned with similar carvings, and also that
the whole of the subjects represented _indigenous_ objects--such as
kangaroos, opossums, sharks, the _heileman_ or shield, the boomerang,
and, above all, the human figure _in the attitudes of the corrobboree
dances_--we could come to no other conclusion than that they were of
native origin. Europeans would have drawn ships, and horses, and men
with hats upon their heads, had they attempted such a laborious and
tedious occupation.
“An old writer on New South Wales, about the year 1803, remarks,
when referring to the natives, ‘They have some taste for sculpture,
most of their instruments being carved with rude work, effected with
pieces of broken shell; and _on the rocks_ are frequently to be seen
various figures of _fish_, _clubs_, _swords_, _animals_, _&c._, not
contemptibly represented.’
“Some of the figures of fish measured twenty-five feet in length;
and it is curious that the representations of the shield exactly
corresponded with that used by the natives of Port Stephens at the
present day. These sculptured forms prove that the New Hollanders
exercised the art of design, which has been questioned, and they also
serve to corroborate Captain Grey’s discoveries of native delineations
in caves upon the north-west coast of Australia, during his expedition
of discovery. At Lane Cove, at Port Aiken, and at Point Piper, we also
met with similar carvings. Whilst on a visit at the latter place,
it occurred to me that on the flat rocks at the extremity of the
grounds belonging to the estate where I was staying, there might be
carvings similar to those at the Heads; and on searching carefully
I found considerable numbers of them in a tolerably perfect state
of preservation. Of all these I took measurements, and made careful
fac-simile drawings on the spot.”
In the appendix to his work, Mr. Angas gives reduced copies of
these figures, some of which are executed with wonderful spirit and
fidelity. Even the human figures, which are shown with extended arms
and spread legs, as in the dance, are far better than those usually
drawn by savages, infinitely superior to those produced by the
artists of Western Africa, while some of the animals are marvellously
accurate, reminding the observer of the outline drawings upon Egyptian
monuments. The best are, perhaps, a shark and a kangaroo. The latter is
represented in the attitude of feeding.
In some parts of Australia, the carvings and paintings are usually in
caves by the water’s edge, and of such a character is the cave which is
shown in the illustration No. 2, on the following page. These caves are
in sandstone rock, and the figures upon them are mostly those of men
and kangaroos, and it is a remarkable fact that in the human figures,
although their eyes, noses, and even the joints of the knees, are
boldly marked, the mouth is invariably absent.
Human hands and arms are often carved on rocks. One very remarkable
example was discovered by Captain Grey in North-West Australia. When
penetrating into a large cave, out of which ran a number of smaller
caves, the explorers were struck by a really astonishing trick of
native art. The sculptor had selected a rock at the side of the cavity,
and had drawn upon it the figure of a hand and arm. This had then been
painted black, and the rock around it colored white with pipe-clay, so
that on entering the cave it appeared exactly as if the hand and arm of
a black man were projecting through some crevice which admitted light.
Their belief in ghosts implies a knowledge that the spirit of man is
immortal. Yet their ideas on this subject are singularly misty, not to
say inconsistent, one part of their belief entirely contradicting the
other. They believe, for example, that when the spirit leaves the body,
it wanders about for some time in darkness, until at last it finds a
cord, by means of which a “big black-fella spirit” named Oomudoo pulls
it up from the earth. Yet they appropriate certain parts of the earth
as the future residence of the different tribes, the spirits of the
departed Nauos being thought to dwell in the islands of Spencer’s Gulf,
while those of the Parnkallas go to other islands toward the west. As
if to contradict both ideas, we have already seen that throughout the
whole of Australia the spirits of the dead are supposed to haunt the
spots where their bodies lie buried.
And, to make confusion worse confounded, the aborigines believe very
firmly in transmigration, some fancying that the spirits of the
departed take up their abode in animals, but by far the greater number
believing that they are transformed into white men. This latter belief
was put very succinctly by a native, who stated in the odd jargon
employed by them, that “when black-fella tumble down, he jump up all
same white-fella.”
This idea of transmigration into the forms of white men is very
remarkable, as it is shared by the negro of Africa, who could not have
had any communication with the black native of Australia. And, still
more strangely, like the Africans, they have the same word for a white
man and for a spirit. The reader may remember that when Mrs. Thompson
was captured by the natives, one of them declared that she was his
daughter Gi’ôm, who had become a white woman, and the rest of the tribe
coincided in the belief. Yet, though she became for the second time a
member of the tribe, they always seemed to feel a sort of mistrust, and
often, when the children were jeering at her on account of her light
complexion and ignorance of Australian accomplishments, some elderly
person would check them, and tell them to leave her in peace, as, poor
thing, she was nothing but a ghost.
It has been found, also, that numbers of white persons have been
recognized by the blacks as being the spirits of their lost relatives,
and have in consequence been dignified with the names of those whom
they represented. Mr. M’Gillivray mentions that the natives of Port
Essington have a slight modification of this theory, believing that
after death they become Malays.
Of their belief in the metempsychosis, or transmigration into animal
forms, there are but few examples. Dr. Bennett mentions that on one
occasion, at Bérana Plains, when an European was chasing one of the
native animals, a native who was with him begged him not to kill it,
but to take it alive, as it was “him brother.” When it was killed, he
was very angry, and, as a proof his sincerity, refused to eat any of
it, continually grumbling and complaining of the “tumbling down him
brother.”
[Illustration: (1.) AUSTRALIAN WIDOWS AND THEIR CAPS. (See page 777.)]
[Illustration: (2.) CAVE WITH NATIVE DRAWINGS. (See page 780.)]
The Nauo tribe preserve a tradition which involves this metempsychosis.
Once upon a time, a certain great warrior, named Willoo, fought their
tribe, and carried off all the women, and killed all the men except
two. The survivors climbed up a great tree, followed by Willoo. They,
however, broke off the branch on which he was climbing, so that he fell
to the ground, and was seized by a dingo below, when he immediately
died, and was changed into an eagle hawk, which has ever afterward been
called by the name of Willoo.
The same tribe think that a small lizard was the originator of the
sexes, and in consequence call it by different names; the men using the
term _ibirri_, and the women _waka_. Following up the idea, the men
kill every male lizard that they can find, while the women do the same
by the females.
Connected with this subject is their idea of creation. Of a single
Creator of all things they have not the least notion, but they possess
some traditions as to the origin of men or natural objects. The
Kowrárega tribe say that the first created man was a huge giant named
Adi. One day, while he was fishing off Hammond Island, he was caught by
the tide and drowned, a great rock starting up to mark the spot. This
is now called Hammond’s Rock. His wives saw his fate, committed suicide
by flinging themselves into the sea, and were immediately changed into
a series of dry rocks on a neighboring reef. These rocks are still
called by the natives _Ipīle_, _i. e._ the Wives.
The natives of the Lower Murray have a curious tradition respecting the
origin of the river, and the Alexandrina and Albert Lakes. The river
was made by Oomudoo, the “big black-fella spirit,” already mentioned.
He came down from the sky in his canoe, and ordered the water to rise
and form the river, which he then clothed with bulrushes and populated
with fish. He brought two wives with him, but they unfortunately proved
intractable, and ran away from him, whereupon Oomudoo made the two
lakes in question, one of which drowned each wife.
CHAPTER LXXVII.
AUSTRALIA--_Concluded_
ARCHITECTURE AND BOAT-BUILDING.
PARALLEL BETWEEN THE BOSJESMAN AND THE AUSTRALIAN -- MODES OF
BUILDING HUTS -- A SUMMER ENCAMPMENT -- RUDE NATURE OF THE HUTS
-- RETREATS OF THE WOMEN -- BONE HUTS OF ENCOUNTER BAY -- WINTER
HOUSES -- HUTS NEAR THE COORUNG -- FIRE-MAKING -- BIRD-SNARING -- A
SELF-ACTING SNARE -- BOAT-BUILDING -- USES OF THE STRINGY BARK -- A
FRAIL VESSEL -- CANOE FOR GENERAL USE -- THE REED CANOE -- GRADUAL
EXTINCTION OF NATIVE TRIBES.
In many points the Australian savage bears a curious resemblance to the
Bosjesman of Southern Africa, of whom a full account has already been
given at 242-268 page.
So similar, indeed, are they, that the colonists use the word Bushman
to designate the native savage, just as they call the spotted dasyure
by the name of cat, and the wombat by that of badger. Much confusion
has consequently arisen; and there is now before me a book descriptive
of savage life, in which the author has mixed up the Bosjesman of
Africa and the Bushman of Australia in the most amusing manner,
actually transplanting a quotation from a book of African travels into
the account of Australia.
Like the Bosjesman, the Australian depends upon his weapons for the
greater part of his food, living almost entirely upon the game which he
kills, and being skilled in the art of destroying the wariest and most
active of animals with the simplest of weapons. He lives in a state of
perpetual feud, his quarrels not being worthy of the name of warfare;
and his _beau idéal_ of a warrior is a man who steals upon his enemy by
craft, and kills his foe without danger to himself.
He cultivates no land, neither has he the least notion of improving his
social condition. He cares nothing for clothes, except, perhaps, as a
partial shelter from the elements, and utterly ridicules the notion
that there is any connexion between clothing and modesty.
Indeed, on one occasion, when a girl had been presented with a
petticoat by a white lady, and returned to her people, displaying with
pride her newly acquired property, her companions instead of displaying
envy at her finery, only jeered at her, inquiring whether she thought
herself so much better than her forefathers, that she should want to
wear clothes like the white strangers. The consequence was, that in a
day or two the solitary garment was thrown aside, and she walked about
as before, in the primitive accoutrements of her tribe.
Like the African Bosjesman, the Australian native has no settled home,
although he considers himself as having a right to the district in
which his tribe have taken up their abode. Contrary to the usage of
civilized life, he is sensitive on the general question, and careless
in detail. With civilized beings the hearth and home take the first
place in the affections, the love of country being merely an extension
of the love of home. With the Australian, however, as well as the
Bosjesman, the case is just reversed. He has no home, and cares not for
any one spot more than another, except that some spots are sheltered
and others exposed. He passes a semi-nomad existence, not unlike that
of the Arab, save that instead of pitching his tent on a convenient
spot, and taking it away when he leaves it, he does not trouble himself
even to carry the simple materials of a tent, but builds a rude hut in
any spot which he may happen to fancy, and leaves it to decay when he
forsakes the spot.
The chief object of the ordinary hut made by an Australian savage is
to defend the inmates from the cold south-west breezes. Consequently,
the entrances of the huts may be found, as a rule, turned toward the
north-east, whence come the warm winds that have passed over the
equator.
The summer encampment (see page 787) of an Australian family is
very simple. A number of leafy boughs are stuck in the ground in a
semicircular form, the size of the enclosed space varying with the
number of the family. These boughs are seldom more than four feet in
height, and often scarcely exceed a yard, their only object being to
keep off the wind from the fire, and from the bodies of the natives as
they squat round the flame or lie asleep. That any one should expect
a shelter while he is standing never seems to enter the imagination
of an Australian savage, who, like other savages, never dreams of
standing when he can sit, or, indeed, of taking any trouble that is not
absolutely necessary.
All the stories that are told of the industry of savage life are pure
inventions, and if labor be, as we are often told, the truest nobility,
we ought to hear no more of the “noble savage.” Consistently with this
idea, the native Australian’s only idea of the hut is a place where
he can sit and gorge himself with food, and lie down to sleep after
his enormous meal. A fence a yard in height is therefore quite good
enough for him, and, as long as no rain falls, he thinks a roof to be a
needless expenditure of labor.
In the illustration referred to we have an example of an encampment
on which the natives have bestowed rather more care than usual, and
have actually taken the pains to form the branches into rude huts. The
spears, shields, and other weapons of the natives are seen scattered
about, while round the fire sit or lie the men who have satisfied their
hunger. The reader will perceive that from a little distance such an
encampment would be almost invisible; and, indeed, except by the thin
smoke of the fire, the most practised eye can scarcely detect the spot
where natives are encamping. Even the spears which project above the
bush huts look at a little distance merely like dried sticks; and, if
the inhabitants be very anxious to escape observation, they establish
their encampment in a retired spot, where the surrounding objects
harmonize as closely as possible with the rude shelter which answers
all their needs.
In many places the natives construct a habitation similar in principle,
but differing in structure. Should the locality abound in the
eucalypytus, or stringy-bark tree, the natives make a hut altogether
different in appearance. With wonderful dexterity, they strip off the
bark of the tree in large flakes, six or seven feet in length. A few
large branches of trees are then laid on the ground, so that they form
a rough sort of framework, and upon these branches the flakes of bark
are laid. An hour’s labor will make one of these huts, so that the
natives have really no inducement to take any care of them. Even the
very best hut which a native Australian ever made would be inferior to
the handiwork of an English boy of ten years old. For my own part, I
remember building far better huts than those of the Australians, though
I was at the time much below ten years of age, and had gained all my
knowledge of practical architecture from “Sandford and Merton.”
There is, however, one great advantage in these bark huts--namely,
the rapidity with which they can be made, and the shelter which they
really do give from the traveller’s great enemy, the night wind. Even
European travellers have been glad to avail themselves of these simple
structures, and have appreciated the invaluable aid of a few sheets
of bark propped against a fallen branch. Those who have been forced
to travel without tents through a houseless country have learned by
experience that the very best shelter from the night winds is not
height, but width. A tree, for example, forms but a very poor shelter,
while a low wall barely eighteen inches high and six feet in length
keeps off the wind, and enables the wearied traveller to rest in
comparative comfort. Such a shelter is easily made from the sheets
of stringy bark, one or two of which will form a shelter for several
sleepers.
Perhaps the simplest huts that human beings ever dignified by the name
of habitation are those which are made by the women of a tribe when the
men are away. It sometimes happens that the whole of the adult males
go off on an expedition which will last for a considerable time--such,
for example, as a raid upon a neighboring tribe--leaving the women and
children to take care of themselves. These, knowing that they might
be pounced upon by enemies who would take advantage of the absence of
their defenders, retire into the recesses of the woods, where they
build the oddest houses imaginable, half burrows scraped among the
roots of trees, and half huts made of bark and decayed wood. These
habitations are so inconspicuous that even the practised eye of the
native can scarcely discover them.
On the shores of Encounter Bay may be seen some very curious
habitations. Every now and then a whale is thrown ashore by a tempest;
and in such a case the tribes of the neighborhood flock round it with
great rejoicings, seeing in it an unlimited supply of food. Huge as
the animal may be, it is ere long consumed, and nothing left but the
skeleton. Of the bones the natives make the framework of their huts,
the ends of the ribs being fixed in the ground, so that the bones form
the supports of the arched roof, which is nothing more than boughs,
grass, and matting thrown almost at random upon the bony framework.
During the winter time the native huts are of better construction,
although the best hut that an Australian ever made is but a very rude
and primitive specimen of architecture. These winter huts are made on
the same principle as those employed in summer, but the materials are
more closely put together. The framework of these huts is made by
sticking a number of saplings in the ground, and tying them together.
Smaller branches and twigs are then passed in and out of the uprights,
and pressed down to make a tolerably firm wall. Over the wall comes a
layer of large leaves, and an outer covering of tea-tree bark is placed
over the trees, and held in its place by a lashing of rattan. These
houses are about five feet in height, and have an arched opening just
large enough for a man to enter on his hands and knees.
Such huts as these, however, are but seldom seen, the ordinary winter
dwellings being made of bushes, as seen in an illustration on the next
page. Near the entrance, but not within it, the fire is kindled, and
at night the natives crowd into the hut, filling it so completely that
a view of the interior displays nothing but a confused mass of human
limbs. The reader will perceive that the luxury of a door has not been
contemplated by the native architects--an omission which is perhaps
rather fortunate, considering the crowded state of the interior.
Along the shores of the Coorung a rather peculiar kind of habitation is
used. It must first be mentioned that the Coorung is a back-water inlet
of the sea, running parallel to it for some ninety miles or so, never
more than a mile and a half from the sea, and divided from it only by
a range of enormous sandhills. It is a wild and desolate place, but is
inhabited by the Milmendura tribe, who made themselves so notorious for
the massacre of the passengers and men of the ship _Maria_. The natives
probably like the spot, because in the Coorung, which is protected from
the ocean waves by the sandhills, they can take fish without danger,
and because the sandhills furnish a fruit called the monterry, or
native apple, as, although a berry growing upon a creeping plant, it
looks and tastes like a miniature apple.
The situation is much exposed in the winter time to the cold south-west
blasts, and the natives accordingly make comparatively strong huts.
Their dwellings are formed of a framework of sticks, over which is
plastered a thick layer of turf and mud. In addition to this they heap
over the hut a great quantity of the sand and shells of which the
ground is chiefly composed, so that the houses of the Milmendura look
like mere mounds or hillocks rising from the sandy soil.
The fire which is found in every Australian encampment is generally
procured by friction from two pieces of wood, one being twirled rapidly
between the hands and the other held firmly by the feet. Indeed, the
Australian savage produces fire exactly as does the South African (see
page 100). This accomplishment, however, is not universal, some tribes
being unable to produce fire, and being dependent on the “fire-sticks”
which the women carry with them. It has occasionally happened that
the women have been careless enough to allow all their fire-sticks
to expire, and in such a case they are obliged to go to the nearest
friendly tribe, and beg a light from them, in order to procure fire
wherewith to cook the game that their husbands have brought home.
Before leaving this part of the subject, it will be as well to mention
briefly a few of the devices used by the Australian natives in taking
their game.
One of these devices is remarkably ingenious, and is principally
employed in duck catching. The natives find out a spot where the ducks
resort in order to feed, and arrange their nets so that they may
intercept birds that fly down upon them. When the ducks are all busy
feeding, the native hunter, who has concealed himself near the place,
alarms the birds by suddenly imitating the cry of the fish-hawk, one
of their deadliest foes. The terrified ducks rise in a body; but, just
as they ascend, the wily native flings into the air a triangular piece
of bark, imitating again the cry of the hawk. The birds, fancying that
the hawk is sweeping down upon them, try to escape by darting into the
reeds, and are caught in the nets.
Another ingenious plan is used for capturing birds singly. The native
makes a sort of screen of branches, and conceals himself within it. In
his hand he carries a long and slender rod, at the end of which there
is a noose, and within the noose a bait. Under cover of the screen
he comes close to the bird, and gently places the treacherous noose
near it. By degrees the bird comes closer and closer to the bait,
and, as soon as its head is fairly within the noose, it is secured by
a dexterous twist of the hand. Sometimes the native does not employ
a bait. He builds his simple shelter by some spot where birds are
accustomed to drink, and calls them by imitating their note. They come
to the spot, and, not seeing their companions, perch upon the sticks
under which the hunter is concealed, a large bunch of grass being
generally used to prevent the birds from seeing him. As soon as the
bird perches, he slips the noose over its head, draws it inside the
shelter, kills it, and waits for another.
In some parts of the country the natives make a self-acting snare, very
much on the principle of the nets used in snaring rabbits. It consists
of a sort of bag, and has its opening encircled by a running string,
the other end of which is fastened to some fixed object, such as a
tree-stump. The bag is made of split rattans, so that it remains open,
and, as the meshes are very wide, the bait which is placed within it
can easily be seen.
[Illustration: (1.) WINTER HUTS. (See page 786.)]
[Illustration: (2.) A SUMMER ENCAMPMENT. (See page 784.)]
If a bird or animal should come to the bait, which is fixed at the very
extremity of the bag, it naturally forces its way toward the tempting
object, and in so doing pulls upon the string and closes the mouth of
the bag behind it. The more it struggles, the firmer is it held; and
so it remains until it is taken out, and the trap set again. This very
ingenious snare is used mostly for bandicoots and similar animals,
though birds are sometimes caught in it.
The natives have another self-acting trap, which is identical in
principle with the eel baskets and lobster pots of our own country.
A number of these traps were found by Mr. Carron in some huts near
Princess Charlotte’s Bay. They were made of strips of cane, and were
about five feet in length by eight or nine inches in diameter at the
mouth. From the opening they gradually tapered for some four feet, and
then suddenly enlarged into a large round basket or pocket, the lower
ends of the neck projecting into the basket so as to hinder any animal
from returning through the passage by which it entered. This trap was
used indifferently for catching fish and small animals. For the latter
purpose it was laid in their track, and for the former it was placed in
a narrow channel, through which the fish were forced to pass by being
driven by a party of natives in the water.
The reader will remember that on page 785 there is a reference to the
“stringy-bark,” and its use in architecture. The same bark is used
for a great number of purposes, among which that of boat-building is
perhaps the most conspicuous. Should a native come to the side of a
river which he does not wish to swim, he supplies himself with a boat
in a very expeditious manner. Going to the nearest stringy-bark trees,
and choosing one which has the lines of the bark straight and not
gnarled, he chops a circle round the tree so as to sever the bark, and
about seven or eight feet higher he chops a second circle. His next
proceeding is to make a longitudinal cut down one side of the tree,
and a corresponding one on the other side. He then inserts the handle
of his tomahawk, his digging-stick, or any such implement, between the
bark and the wood, and, by judicious handling, strips off the bark in
two semi-cylindrical, trough-like pieces each of which is capable of
being made into a boat.
Should he be alone, he seldom troubles himself to do more than tie
the bark together at each end of the trough, and in this frail vessel
he will commit himself to the river. But if his wife, or any second
person, should be with him, he makes the simple boat more trustworthy
by digging a quantity of clay out of the river bank, kneading it into
each end of the trough, and tying the bark over the clay. As soon as he
reaches the opposite shore, he lands, pushes the canoe back into the
river and abandons it, knowing that to make a second canoe will not be
nearly so troublesome as to take care of the first.
If, however, he wants a canoe in which he goes fishing, and which,
in consequence, must be of a stronger make, he still adheres to
the stringy bark as his material, though he takes more care in the
manufacture. The bark is bent, like the birch bark of the North
American Indians, by moisture and heat; and even with this better kind
of boat clay is required at each end, and is also used for stopping up
any leakage.
He also exhibits a still better use of the stringy-bark. The bark is
not only formed into a boat-like shape, but it is kept in its form by
cross-pieces of wood. The edges are also strengthened: and altogether
this canoe shows a wonderful advance in boat-building. The vessel
is propelled with a regular paddle instead of the fish spear: and
altogether the boat and the accompanying implements remind the observer
of the birch-bark canoes and vessels of America.
Another simple form of boat is made on a totally different principle
from those which have already been described, and, instead of being
a hollow trough of bark, is a solid bundle of reeds and sticks tied
together in a very ingenious manner, and giving support to one or more
persons, according to its size.
* * * * *
Such is the history of the aboriginal tribes of Australia, whose
remarkable manners and customs are fast disappearing, together with
the natives themselves. The poor creatures are aware of the fact, and
seem to have lost all pleasure in the games and dances that formerly
enlivened their existence. Many of the tribes are altogether extinct,
and others are disappearing so fast that the people have lost all heart
and spirit, and succumb almost without complaint to the fate which
awaits them. In one tribe, for example, the Barrabool, which numbered
upward of three hundred, the births during seventeen years were only
twenty-four, being scarcely two births in three years; while the deaths
had been between eighteen and nineteen per annum.
Mr. Lloyd gives a touching account of the survivors of this once
flourishing tribe:--
“When I first landed in Geelong, in 1837, the Barrabool tribe numbered
upward of three hundred sleek and healthy-looking blacks. A few months
previous to my leaving that town, in May 1853, on casually strolling up
to a couple of miam-miams, or native huts, that were erected upon the
banks of the Burwan River, I observed seated there nine loobras (women)
and one sickly child.
“Seeing so few natives, I was induced to ask after numbers of my old
dark friends of early days--Ballyyang, the chief of the Barrabool
tribe, the great Jaga-jaga, Panigerong, and many others, when I
received the following pathetic reply: ‘Aha, Mitter Looyed, Ballyyang
dedac (dead), Jaga-jaga dedac; Panigerong dedac,’ &c., naming many
others; and, continuing their sorrowful tale, they chanted, in minor
and funereal tones, in their own soft language, to the following effect:
“‘The stranger white man came in his great swimming corong (vessel),
and landed at Corayio with his dedabul boulganas (large animals), and
his anaki boulganas (little animals). He came with his boom-booms
(double guns), his white miam-miams (tents), blankets, and tomahawks;
and the dedabul ummageet (great white stranger) took away the
long-inherited hunting-grounds of the poor Barrabool coolies and their
children,’ &c., &c.
“Having worked themselves into a fit of passionate and excited
grief, weeping, shaking their heads, and holding up their hands
in bitter sorrow, they exclaimed, in wild and frenzied tones:
‘Coolie! coolie! coolie! where are our coolies now! Where are our
fathers--mothers--brothers--sisters? Dead!--all gone! dead!’ Then, in
broken English, they said, ‘Nebber mind, Mitter Looyed, tir; by ’m by
all dem black fella come back white fella like it you.’ Such is the
belief of the poor aborigines of Victoria; hence we may firmly infer
that they possess a latent spark of hope in their minds as to another
and better world.
“Then, with outstretched finger, they showed me the unhappy state of
the aboriginal population. From their statement it appeared that there
existed of the tribe at that moment only nine women, seven men, and one
child. Their rapid diminution in numbers may be traced to a variety
of causes. First, the chances of obtaining their natural food were
considerably lessened by the entire occupation of the best grassed
parts of the country, which originally abounded in kangaroo and other
animals upon which they subsisted. The greater number of these valuable
creatures, as an irresistible consequence, retired into the wild
uninhabitable countries, far from the haunts of the white man and his
destructive dogs.
“Having refused the aid of the Government and the Missionary Societies’
establishments at the River Burwan and Mount Rouse, the natives were
to a serious extent deprived of animal food, so essential to a people
who were ever exposed to the inclemencies of winter and the exhausting
heats of summer. Influenza was one of the greatest scourges under which
they suffered. Then, among other evils attending their association with
the colonists, the brandy, rum, and tobacco told fearfully upon their
already weakened constitutions.”
This one tribe is but an example of the others, all of whom are surely,
and some not slowly, approaching the end of their existence. For many
reasons we cannot but regret that entire races of men, possessing many
fine qualities, should be thus passing away; but it is impossible not
to perceive that they are but following the order of the world, the
lower race preparing a home for the higher.
In the present instance, for example, the aborigines performed barely
half of their duties as men. They partially exercised their dominion
over the beasts and the birds--killing, but not otherwise utilizing
them. But, although they inherited the earth, they did not subdue
it, nor replenish it. They cleared away no useless bush or forest,
to replace them with fruits; and they tilled no land, leaving the
earth exactly in the same condition that they found it. Living almost
entirely by the chase, it required a very large hunting-ground to
support each man, and a single tribe gained a scanty and precarious
living on a tract of land sufficient, when cultivated, to feed a
thousand times their number. In fact, they occupied precisely the same
relative position toward the human race as do the lion, tiger, and
leopard toward the lower animals, and suffered in consequence from the
same law of extinction.
In process of time white men came to introduce new arts into their
country, clearing away useless forest, and covering the rescued earth
with luxuriant wheat crops, sufficient to feed the whole of the
aborigines of the country; bringing also with them herds of sheep and
horned cattle to feed upon the vast plains which formerly nourished
but a few kangaroo, and to multiply in such numbers that they not only
supplied the whole of their adopted land with food, but their flesh was
exported to the mother country.
The superior knowledge of the white man thus gave to the aborigines the
means of securing their supplies of food; and therefore his advent was
not a curse, but a benefit to them. But they could not take advantage
of the opportunities thus offered to them, and, instead of seizing upon
these new means of procuring the three great necessaries of human life,
food, clothing, and lodging, they not only refused to employ them,
but did their best to drive them out of the country, murdering the
colonists, killing their cattle, destroying their crops, and burning
their houses.
The means were offered to them of infinitely bettering their social
condition, and the opportunity given them, by substituting peaceful
labor for perpetual feuds, and of turning professional murderers into
food-producers, of replenishing the land which their everlasting
quarrels, irregular mode of existence, and carelessness of human life
had well-nigh depopulated. These means they could not appreciate,
and, as a natural consequence, had to make way for those who could.
The inferior must always make way for the superior, and such has ever
been the case with the savage. I am persuaded that the coming of the
white man is not the sole, nor even the chief, cause of the decadence
of savage tribes. I have already shown that we can introduce no vice
in which the savage is not profoundly versed, and feel sure that the
cause of extinction lies within the savage himself, and ought not to
be attributed to the white man, who comes to take the place which the
savage has practically vacated.
CHAPTER LXXVIII.
NEW ZEALAND.
GENERAL REMARKS.
LOCALITY OF NEW ZEALAND -- GENERAL APPEARANCE OF THE PEOPLE --
THE TWO CASTES, AND THEIR SUPPOSED ORIGIN -- CONTRAST BETWEEN THE
SEXES -- LAXNESS OF MORALS -- NUMBER OF THE POPULATION, AND THE
DIFFERENT TRIBES -- MODE OF GOVERNMENT -- DISTINCTION BETWEEN RANKS
-- FORMATION OF THE CLANS, OR SUB-TRIBES -- THE SLAVES, THEIR VALUE
AND TREATMENT -- THE TENURE OF LAND -- A COMPLEX ARRANGEMENT AND
CONSEQUENT DIFFICULTIES -- ESTABLISHING A CLAIM -- NATIVE LAW -- THE
“LEX TALIONIS” -- SENSITIVENESS TO DISGRACE -- THE PREVALENCE OF
SUICIDE -- STRANGE CONDUCT OF A MAORI CHIEF -- THE SISTER’S VENGEANCE.
Southward and eastward of Australia we come to the group of islands
known collectively as New Zealand. Like Australia, New Zealand
possesses many peculiarities of climate and natural production, and is
inhabited by a number of tribes which are generally hostile to each
other, but which are almost identical in appearance and habits. We
shall therefore be enabled to treat of this important portion of the
globe with much more brevity than could be the case if, as in Africa,
the tribes differed from each other in hue, dress, and customs.
* * * * *
Taken as a whole, the New Zealanders are a singularly fine race of
people--tall, powerful, and well made. Though varying somewhat in
shade, the color is always a brown of some kind, the complexion being
sometimes as light as that of a Spaniard, and sometimes of a dark
umber. It is, however, always of a clear tint and never approaches to
the deep black of the Australian. The nose is straight and well formed,
in many cases being boldly aquiline; and the mouth is rather large, and
the lips moderately full, though not resembling those of the negro. The
cheekbones are rather high, but not much more prominent than those of a
genuine Scotchman; and the eyes are large, dark, and vivacious.
The teeth are remarkably white and even, and the feet and hands small
and well proportioned. The foot is very well developed, the native
never having spoiled its beautiful mechanism with shoes or boots, and
being accustomed to use the toes in many tasks wherein a civilized
European requires his fingers. The toes are, for example, continually
employed in holding one end of a rope, while the fingers are engaged
in twisting or plaiting it; and the consequence is that the natives
are able to ridicule with justice the misshapen feet and toes of the
European.
The men have naturally a full beard; but they always remove every
vestige of hair on the face, in order to show the patterns which are
tattooed upon it. Now and then a very old and powerful chief will dare
to allow his beard to grow; but, as a rule, the face is divested of all
covering: so that the absence of the beard, together with the profuse
tattoo, destroys all evidences of age, and makes the countenance of a
young man of twenty look nearly as old as that of his grandfather aged
sixty.
The hair is plentiful, and mostly straight, being twisted and curled by
art into the various fashionable forms. In some cases it is light, or
even reddish, in color; and in such instances accompanies a complexion
of peculiar fairness. Albinism exists among the New Zealanders, but
is not agreeable in appearance, the eyes being always weak, and the
skin looking as if it had been artificially whitened. In fact, such an
albino looks among his dark fellows like a plant that has been bleached
by growing in the dark.
There seems to be two castes of men among the New Zealanders. The upper
caste is distinguished by the above characteristics; but the lower is
shorter in stature, and has coarse and curly, though not woolly hair,
more prominent cheekbones, and a much blacker skin. This second race,
according to Dr. Dieffenbach, “is mixed in insensible gradations with
the former, and is far less numerous; it does not predominate in any
one part of the island, nor does it occupy any particular station in
a tribe; and there is no difference made between the two races among
themselves.
[Illustration: NEW ZEALANDER FROM CHILDHOOD TO AGE. (See page 795.)]
“But I must observe that I never met any man of consequence belonging
to this tribe, and that, although freemen, they occupied the lower
grades: from this we may, perhaps, infer the relation in which they
stood to the earliest immigrants into the country, although their
traditions and legends are silent on the subject.
“From the existence of two races in New Zealand the conclusion might
be drawn that the darker were the original proprietors of the soil,
anterior to the arrival of a stock of true Polynesian origin; that they
were conquered by the latter, and nearly exterminated. This opinion has
been entertained regarding all Polynesian islands; but I must observe
that it is very doubtful whether those differences which we observe
among the natives of New Zealand are really due to such a source. We
find similar varieties in all Polynesian islands, and it is probable
that they are a consequence of the difference of castes so extensively
spread among the inhabitants of the tribes of the great ocean.
“If one part of the population of New Zealand are a distinct
race--a fact which cannot be denied as regards other islands--it is
very curious that there should be no traces of such a blending in
the language, where they would have been most durable, or in the
traditions, which certainly would have mentioned the conquest of one
race by the other, if it had happened. Captain Crozet, a Frenchman, who
early visited New Zealand, says that he found a tribe at the North Cape
darker than the rest. I could observe nothing of the kind there, though
I visited all the natives. Nor are those darker-colored individuals
more common in the interior; I should say, even less so.
“There is undoubtedly a greater variety of color and countenance among
the natives of New Zealand than one would expect--a circumstance
which might prove either an early blending of different races, or a
difference of social conditions, which latter supposition would go far
to explain the fact. All the New Zealanders speak of the Mango-Mango,
or Blacks of New South Wales, as unconnected with and inferior to
themselves; but they never make such a distinction regarding their own
tribes.”
As is often the case with uncivilized people, the women are decidedly
inferior to the men, being much shorter, and not nearly so well
made. They are not treated with the harshness which is the usual
characteristic of married life among savages, and are even taken
into their husbands’ counsels, and have great influence in political
affairs. Still, the heavy work of the household falls upon their
shoulders, and the lot of an ordinary New Zealand wife is rather a
severe one. She has to cultivate the ground, to carry the produce of
the distant fields to the house, and, when the family is travelling,
the women have to carry all the heavy loads. It is no wonder,
therefore, that a life of such drudgery should tell upon the women,
both in preventing the proper development of their frame and in causing
their beauty to decay. Those who preserve their beauty longest are the
daughters of wealthy chiefs, who can afford slaves by whom all the hard
work is done, and who therefore free their mistresses from one of the
causes of deterioration.
There is, however, another cause, which is perhaps equally effective,
but not so palpable. This is the very lax code of morality which
prevails among them, a young girl being permitted the utmost freedom
until she is married, although afterward she is a model of constancy.
This license is exercised at a very early age, and the natural
consequence is that the due development of the frame is checked. This
vicious system is so much a matter of course, that it carries no
reproach with it, and the young girls are remarkable for their modest
and childlike demeanor.
Of course they become aged much earlier than those whose development
takes place at a later period of life; but they compensate for their
deteriorated appearance by their peculiar kindliness of demeanor. The
engraving No. 1, illustrates the countenance and dress of a New Zealand
woman and her boy.
Unlike the men, the women do not disfigure their faces by the tattoo,
which gives to them the stern and fixed expression so characteristic
of a New Zealand warrior; and they thus allow the really flexible and
intelligent features to have full play. The only portions of the face
that are marked with the tattoo are the lips, which are rendered blue
by the process, as it is considered disgraceful for a woman to have red
lips. The tattooing is always performed when the child is allowed to
take her place among women; and, as may be imagined, it gives a livid
and altogether unpleasant appearance to the mouth.
The children are very pleasing and interesting little creatures. They
are full of intelligence, and unusually free and open in their manner.
Unlike the children of most savage nations, they live as much with
the men as with the women, and partake even in the councils of their
parents, thus having their faculties sharpened at a very early age.
The illustration opposite gives typical examples of the New Zealander
from childhood to age, and the reader will notice the contrast between
the soft and rounded outlines of the youth, and the harsh, rigid
countenances of the old man and his consort.
* * * * *
In proportion to the dimensions of New Zealand, the population is very
small; and, even in the earliest days of our acquaintance with it,
the land seems to have been but thinly inhabited. That such should be
the case is very remarkable, as a very thin population is generally
found in those countries where, as in Australia, the inhabitants live
principally by the chase, and therefore require a very large tract
of land to support them. The New Zealanders, however, do not live by
the chase, for the simple reason that there are no animals which are
worth the trouble of hunting; so that a family of twenty or so, even if
they had the entire country as a hunting-ground, would find themselves
in very great straits were they obliged to procure their food by the
chase. The reasons for this thin population will be presently seen.
According to Dieffenbach’s calculation, the native population of the
entire country may be reckoned rather below one hundred and fifteen
thousand. These are divided into twelve great tribes, which are again
subdivided into sub-tribes, or clans, each of which has its separate
name, and is supposed to belong to a certain district. The fighting
men, or warriors, form about one-fourth of the whole population; the
remaining three-fourths being made up of old men, women, and children.
Since this calculation the numbers of the aborigines have considerably
lessened. The most important of the tribes seems to be the Waikato,
which is divided into eighteen clans, and which occupies a very large
proportion of the country. This tribe alone can bring into the field
six thousand fighting men; so that the entire number of the tribe may
be calculated at twenty-four thousand or so.
The Waikato clans have managed to preserve their individuality better
than the others, and, though brought much in contact with civilization,
and having adopted some of the habits of their white visitors, they
have still retained many of their ancient customs, and, as Dieffenbach
remarks, have preserved much of their ancient vigor and original
virtues.
The tribe that is strongest in mere numbers is the Nga-te-kahuhuna,
which inhabits the east coast, and may be reckoned at thirty-six
thousand strong. In fact, these two tribes alone outnumber the whole of
the others taken collectively. One tribe, the Rangitani, is interesting
from the fact that it was described by Captain Cook. In his days it
was evidently a large and flourishing tribe, but some few years ago
it could scarcely muster three hundred warriors, representing a total
number of twelve hundred. The decadence of this tribe is probably owing
to the destructive wars in which the New Zealanders engage, and which
are often so fierce as to erase a tribe entirely.
The government of the New Zealanders is a curious mixture of
simplicity and complication. Monarchy is unknown, each tribe having
its own great chief, while an inferior chief presides over each clan,
or sub-tribe. The whole of the population may be roughly divided into
three ranks. First come the nobility, then the free men, and lastly the
slaves. The nobility go by the general name of Rangatira--a title which
is always given to officers, missionaries, and other white men who are
placed in command over others.
In each tribe one of the Rangatira is the Ariki, or principal chief;
but, as he is necessarily a Rangatira, he is always addressed by that
title, and, in consequence, a stranger finds some difficulty, even
after a prolonged visit, in ascertaining who is the Ariki. Among the
New Zealanders there is no Salic law, so that the Ariki need not be a
warrior, and may be a woman. The office is hereditary, and the existing
Ariki is always held in the highest veneration in virtue of his
descent. Even the hostile tribes respect an Ariki, and in most cases,
if he should be captured in battle, the victors will spare his life.
One or two of the most powerful chiefs living have been captured and
afterward released, whereas, had they been common men, or even ordinary
Rangatiras, they would have been killed, their bodies eaten, and their
heads dried and fixed as trophies on the houses of their conquerors.
A sort of tax, or tribute, is paid by the different families, though
the tax is entirely a voluntary one, and may be great or small,
or withheld altogether, at pleasure. Mostly the Ariki is a man of
considerable mental powers, and, in such a case, he exercises great
authority over the tribe, either as a priest or a warrior. There is
nothing to prevent the Ariki from assuming the office of priest, and in
many instances he has been able to exercise a far greater influence by
spiritual than by physical means.
The Rangatira are the great men, or nobles, of the land, and with them,
as with the Ariki, the rank is hereditary. The law of succession is
very remarkable, the eldest son being the heir to his father’s rank;
but if the child dies, the youngest, and not the next eldest, becomes
the lawful successor. These two heirs, the eldest and the youngest
sons, are called by a name which signifies the fat of the earth.
Each Rangatira is independent of his fellows, though they collectively
form a sort of body which we may compare with the House of Peers in
England. Any Rangatira who has sufficient influence may gather together
the members of his clan, build a fortified village, or pah, and become
a petty sovereign in his own dominions. It is in this way that the
various clans, or sub-tribes, are formed, each gathering round a noble
of more than usual ability, and adopting a name by which the members
will ever afterward be known.
The free men form the great body of the warriors; some of them being
the sons of Rangatira, and others merely having the privilege of free
birth; which carries with it the right of tattooing the face. Sometimes
a free man who is remarkable for his generalship and courage will take
the command of an expedition, even though men of higher rank than
himself should be engaged in it.
Last come the slaves. These are always procured from two sources:
they are either captives taken in battle, or are the children of such
captives. The value of such slaves is very great. All savages are
idle, but the New Zealander is one of the laziest of mortals in time
of peace. In war he is all fire and spirit; but in peace he lounges
listlessly about, and will not do a stroke of work that can possibly be
avoided.
He may, perhaps, condescend to carve the posts of his house into some
fantastical semblance of the human form, or he may, perchance, employ
himself in slowly rubbing a stone club into shape, or in polishing or
adorning his weapons. Whatever real work is to be done is left to the
women or the slaves, and a man who values his wife or daughter will
endeavor to procure slaves who will relieve her of the drudgery.
There are slaves of both sexes, to whom the appropriate work is
allotted. They are considered the absolute property of their owner,
who may treat them as he pleases, and, if he prefers to kill them, may
do so without attracting any attention. Of course he would not do so
except for very good reasons, as he would deprive himself of a valuable
article of property. There have been cases, as we shall presently see,
when the owner of slaves has deliberately murdered them for the sake of
selling their heads.
Once a slave, always a slave. Should one of these unfortunates manage
to escape and get back to his own tribe, his owner would apply for
him, and he would be given up, the right of the master to his slave
being universally recognized. Still, as a rule, the slaves are treated
well, and some of them, who have attained excellence in certain arts,
often become richer men than their owners. So great is the value of
slaves, that many a war has been undertaken for the mere purpose of
slave hunting, and some of the most disastrous and obstinate feuds have
originated in the slave hunt.
Connected with the government of the New Zealanders is the land
question. This is a strangely complicated business, as every inch of
ground has an actual owner, while there are usually several claimants
who allow their rights, real or imagined, to lie in abeyance as long
as the land is owned by one who can hold his own, while they will all
prefer their claims at his death, or even during a lengthened absence.
So it has often happened that the white men, while desiring to act
according to law and honor, have involved themselves in a very net of
difficulties. A chief, for example, may agree to sell a portion of
territory, will receive the price, and will sign a deed, which will be
witnessed by natives as well as by Europeans. No sooner has he done so,
than a claimant comes forward, declaring that the chief in question had
no real right to the land, and therefore had no right to sell it.
His claim will be inquired into, and, if it seems to be tolerably
consistent with likelihood, the man will be paid an additional sum for
his consent to the sale. The matter, however, is not at an end, for
such is the jealousy with which the natives regard land, that, as long
as a foreigner holds an inch of ground, so long will there be a native
who prefers a claim to it. Strange as it may seem, the white man would
incur less odium by taking the land by force, and seizing it by right
of conquest, than by trying to act according to justice and equity.
War is a fertile source of misunderstanding about land. A tribe may
be driven out of a district, and their land given to others, who hold
it as long as they can keep it, the original possessors being sure to
reconquer it if possible. It has sometimes happened that a chief to
whom such lands have been presented has transferred them to another
chief, and he, in his turn, has sold them to European settlers, the
bargain being ratified by his own followers, who are considered as
having a share in such property.
The colonists take the land, clear it, cultivate it, and when the crops
are fairly in the ground, the dispossessed tribe will come forward
and prefer their claim to it. Those to whom it was sold have already
received their price, and do not trouble themselves to oppose the
claim; and the consequence is, that the colonists are obliged either to
make a second payment or to run the risk of war.
As to the claims themselves, they are of the most curious and
unexpected character, such as no European would be likely to
anticipate. According to Dieffenbach, “There exists a very distinct
notion of the rights of landed property among the natives, and every
inch of land in New Zealand has its proprietor. Sometimes land is
given to a strange tribe, either as pay, or from other considerations,
but the proprietor reserves certain rights, some of which are what we
should term manorial.
“It was formerly very common that the fat of the native rats (Kiore)
killed on such lands should be given to the principal proprietor, and
in many cases a title to land seems to have been derived from the fact
of having killed rats on it. Thus a chief will say, ‘This or that piece
of land is mine; I have killed rats on it.’ Generally, however, land
descends, as with us, by inheritance.”
Such being the complicated tenure on which land is held--a tenure which
is often puzzling to the natives themselves--it is no matter of wonder
that English settlers should have found themselves in difficulties. It
is said that the colonists tried to make themselves masters of the land
by unfair means, _i. e._ either by forcibly taking possession of it, or
by inveigling the ignorant natives into signing documents which they
did not understand, and thus selling their paternal estates for rum,
tobacco, and a few blankets.
This may to some extent have been the case when the colonists first
came to settle in the country. But the natives are far too intelligent
to remain long ignorant of the power of pen, ink, and paper, and
there is no doubt that in many cases they intentionally outwitted the
purchaser, either by putting forward a sham owner of the ground, who
had no right to sell it, and who vanished with his share of the prize
as soon as the bargain was concluded, or by asserting ignorance of the
meaning of the document which had been signed, and refusing to carry
out its conditions. That the white men succeeded too often in cheating
the natives is unfortunately true, but it is no less true that the
natives as often cheated the colonists.
Law among the New Zealanders seems to be of the simplest kind, and, as
far as we know, is not so well developed as among some of the tribes of
Southern Africa. The three offences of which the law takes cognizance
are murder, theft, and adultery. For the first of these offences a sort
of _lex talionis_ holds good, the relatives of the slain man being
sure, sooner or later, to kill the murderer, unless he manages to
compromise with them. Even theft is punished in a similar fashion, the
thief being robbed in his turn.
As to the third offence, it is punishable in various ways; but both the
offending parties are supposed to have forfeited their lives to the
husband. If, therefore, the fact be discovered, and the culprit be a
person of low rank, he seeks safety in flight, while, if he be a man
of rank, he expects that the offended husband will make war upon him.
Sometimes, if a wife discovers that her husband has been unfaithful to
her, she will kill his paramour, or, at all events, disgrace her after
the native custom, by stripping off all her clothes, and exposing her
in public. Even the husband is sometimes subjected to this punishment
by the wife’s relations; and so much dreaded is this disgrace that
men have been known to commit suicide when their offence has been
discovered.
Suicide, by the way, is not at all uncommon among the New Zealanders,
who always think that death is better than disgrace, and sometimes
destroy themselves under the most trivial provocation. One such
case is mentioned by Mr. Angas. “On arriving at the village or
kainga of Ko Nghahokowitu, we found all the natives in a state of
extraordinary excitement. We had observed numbers of people running
in that direction, along the margin of the river, from the different
plantations, and, on inquiry, we learned that an hour previously to
our arrival the son of an influential chief had committed suicide by
shooting himself with a musket.
“Our fellow-travellers, with Wisihona their chief, were all assembled,
and we followed them to the shed where the act had been perpetrated,
and where the body still lay as it fell, but covered with a blanket.
The mourners were gathered round, and the women commenced crying most
dolefully, wringing their hands, and bending their bodies to the earth.
We approached the body, and were permitted to remove the blanket
from the face and breast. The countenance was perfectly placid, and
the yellow tint of the skin, combined with the tattooing, gave the
corpse almost the appearance of a wax model. The deceased was a fine
and well-made young man. He had placed the musket to his breast, and
deliberately pushed the trigger with his toes, the bullet passing right
through his lungs. Blood was still oozing from the orifice made by the
bullet, and also from the mouth, and the body was still warm.”
The cause of this suicide was that which has already been mentioned.
The young man had been detected in an illicit correspondence with the
wife of another man in the same village. The woman had been sent away
to a distant settlement, a proceeding which had already made her lover
sullen and gloomy; and, on the day when Mr. Angas visited the place,
he had become so angry at the reproaches which were levelled at him by
some of his relations, that he stepped aside and shot himself.
The determined manner in which the New Zealanders will sometimes commit
suicide was exemplified by the conduct of another man, who deliberately
wrapped himself up in his blanket, and strangled himself with his own
hands. The crime was perpetrated in the common sleeping-house, and was
achieved with so much boldness that it was not discovered until the man
had been dead for some time.
A remarkable instance of this phase of New Zealand law took place when
Mr. Dieffenbach visited the Waipa district. He was accompanied by a
chief, who called a girl to him, and handed her over to the police
magistrate as a murderess. The fact was, that her brother, a married
man, had formed an intimacy with a slave girl, and, fearing the
vengeance of his wife’s relatives, had killed himself. His sister, in
order to avenge the death of her brother, found out the slave girl in
the bush, and killed her. The strangest part of the business was, that
the accused girl was the daughter of the chief who denounced her.
The girl pleaded her own cause well, saying, what was perfectly true,
that she had acted according to the law of the land in avenging the
death of her brother, and was not amenable to the laws of the white
man, which had not yet been introduced into her country. As might be
imagined, her plea was received, and the girl was set at liberty;
but her father was so earnest in his wish to check the system of
retaliatory murder, that he actually offered himself in the place of
his daughter, as being her nearest relation.
CHAPTER LXXIX.
NEW ZEALAND--_Continued_.
DRESS.
DRESS AND ORNAMENTS OF THE NEW ZEALANDER -- THE TATTOO OR THE MOKO
-- ITS FORMIDABLE CHARACTER -- THE TATTOO A MARK OF FREEDOM --
THE TATTOO OF THE FACE, AND ITS DIFFERENT PORTIONS -- COST OF THE
OPERATION -- THE IMPLEMENTS, AND MODE OF USING THEM -- TIME OCCUPIED
IN COMPLETING IT -- PAYMENT OF THE OPERATOR, AND THE TATTOO SONG --
SOURCE WHENCE THE PIGMENT IS OBTAINED -- SCARLET PAINT, AND MODE
OF MAKING IT -- THE NEW ZEALAND BELT -- SYMBOLISM OF THE TATTOO --
PRESERVING THE HEADS OF WARRIORS -- THE TRAFFIC IN HEADS -- A COOL
BARGAINER.
We will now proceed to the appearance and dress of the natives of New
Zealand, or Maories, as they term themselves. As the most conspicuous
part of the New Zealander’s adornment is the tattooing with which the
face and some other portions of the body are decorated, we will begin
our account with a description of the moko, as it is called by the
natives.
There are many parts of the world where the tattoo is employed, but in
none is it of so formidable a description as among the New Zealanders.
As the reader is probably aware, the tattoo consists of patterns made
by introducing certain coloring matters under the skin; charcoal,
variously prepared, being the usual material for the purpose. We have
already seen among the Kaffirs examples of ornamenting the skin by
cutting it deeply so as to form scars, and in Australia a similar but
more cruel custom prevails. In neither of these countries, however, is
there any attempt at producing an artistic effect, while in New Zealand
beauty of design is the very object of the tattoo.
There is a distinction between the tattoo of the New Zealanders and the
Polynesians; that of the latter people being formed by rows of little
dots, and that of the former by lines cut completely through the skin.
On account of this distinction, though a New Zealander and a Polynesian
be covered from head to foot with tattoo marks, there is no possibility
of mistaking the one for the other.
The moko of the New Zealander is a mark of rank, none but slaves being
without a more or less complete tattooing of the face. In the present
day, even the chiefs have begun to discontinue the ancient custom,
chiefly owing to the exertions of the missionaries, who objected
to the practice as a mark of heathendom. Consequently, several of
the most powerful convert chiefs present a very curious, not to say
ludicrous, aspect, which can hardly have a good effect in recommending
Christianity to the people. Having been converted before the moko was
completed, and being unwilling to continue the process and unable to
obliterate those portions which were already drawn, they appear with
one half of their faces tattooed and the other half plain, or perhaps
with a solitary ring round one eye, and a couple of curves round one
side of the mouth.
As, however, the present work treats only of the native customs, and
not of modern civilization, the New Zealanders will be described as
they were before they had learned to abandon the once-prized tattoo, to
exchange the native mat for the English blanket, the picturesque war
canoe for the commonplace whaling boat, and the spear and club for the
rifle and bayonet.
The principal tattoo is that of the face and upper part of the head,
which, when completed, leaves scarcely an untouched spot on which
the finger can be placed. When finished, the whole face is covered
with spiral scrolls, circles, and curved lines; and it is remarkable,
that though a certain order is observed, and the position of the
principal marks is the same in every case, no two persons are tattooed
in precisely the same manner, the artists being able to produce an
infinite variety with the few materials at his command.
For example, the first portion of the tattoo is always a series of
curved lines, reaching from the corners of the nose to the chin, and
passing round the mouth. This portion of the tattoo goes by the name
of _rerepi_. Next comes a spiral scroll on the cheekbone; and below it
is another spiral, reaching as low as the jaw-bone. These are called
respectively _kakoti_ and _korohaha_. Next come four lines on the
middle of the forehead, called _titi_; and besides these there are
several lines which run up the centre of the nose and cover its sides,
some which spread over the forehead, others which occupy the chin;
and even the lips, eyelids, and ears are adorned with this singular
ornament.
Besides possessing these marks, a great chief is seldom content unless
he can cover his hips with similar lines, each of which has, like those
of the face, its proper name.
Although the moko was considered as a mark of rank, there were no
sumptuary laws which forbade its use. Any one, provided he were not a
slave, might be tattooed as much as he pleased; but the expense of the
operation was so great, that none but men of position could afford a
complete suit of moko. No man could tattoo himself, and the delicacy
of touch and certainty of line was so difficult of attainment, that
tattooing became an art or science, which was left in the hands of
a few practitioners, who derived a good income from their business.
Some of those who had attained much reputation for their skill used to
command very high fees when called in to decorate a client, and their
services could therefore only be secured by the men of high position.
It is rather remarkable that some of the most celebrated operators were
slaves, men who were forbidden to wear the tattoo on their own persons.
The mode of operation is as follows. The patient lies on his back, and
places his head between the knees of the operator, who squats on the
ground after the usual native fashion. The latter then takes a little
of the black pigment, and draws on the face the line of the pattern
which he intends to follow; and in some cases he slightly scratches
them with a sharp instrument, so as to make a sketch or outline
drawing. The object of this scratching is to prevent the pattern from
being obliterated by the flowing blood and the black pigment which is
rubbed into the wounds.
Next, he takes his instrument or chisel, which is usually made of
teeth, or the bone of a bird, and with it follows the pattern, cutting
completely through the skin. Sometimes, when engaged in tattooing the
face, a careless operator has been known to cut completely through
the cheek, so as to put a temporary check to smoking, the sufferer
experiencing some difficulty in getting the smoke into his mouth at
all, and then finding it escape through the holes in his cheek. On page
722 the reader may find an illustration which gives a good idea of the
different forms of the tattooing chisel. As the operator proceeds,
he continually dips the edge of his chisel in the black pigment, and,
when he has cut a line of a few inches in length, he rubs more of the
pigment into the wound, using a little bunch of fibre by way of a brush
or sponge.
The cutting is not done as with a knife, but by placing the edge of the
chisel on the skin, and driving it along the lines of the pattern by
repeated blows with a small mallet. As may be imagined, the pain caused
by this operation is excruciating. It is painful enough to have the
skin cut at all, even with the keenest blade, as any one can testify
who has been unfortunate enough to come under the surgeon’s knife. But
when the instrument employed is a shark’s tooth, or a piece of bone,
when it is driven slowly through the skin by repeated blows, and when
the wound is at once filled with an irritating pigment, it may be
imagined that the torture must be dreadful. It is, however, reckoned a
point of honor to endure it without giving any signs of suffering.
Owing to the character of the tattoo, the destruction of the skin, and
the consequent derangement of its functions, only a small portion can
be executed at a time, a complete moko taking from two to three years,
according to the constitution of the individual. Dreadful swellings are
always caused by it, especially of the glands in the neighborhood of
the wounds, and the effects are so severe that men have died when too
large a portion has been executed at one time.
Every stroke of the chisel or _uki_ leaving an indelible mark, it
is of the greatest consequence that the operator should be a man of
skill, and devote all his energies to tracing a clear, though elaborate
pattern, in which the lines are set closely together, sweep in regular
curves, and never interfere with each other.
While a man is being tattooed, his friends and those of the operator
sing songs to him, in which he is encouraged to endure the pain
bravely, and to bear in mind the lasting beauty which will be conferred
upon him when the pattern is completed. The songs of the operator’s
friends contain some very broad hints as to the scale of payment which
is expected. Although, as has been stated, the best of tattooers are
paid very highly, there is no definite fee, neither is any bargain
made, the operator trusting to the liberality of his client. But, as
a man would be contemned as a skulking fellow if he were to ask the
services of a good operator and then pay him badly, the practical
result is that a good tattooer always secures good pay.
Moreover, he has always the opportunity of avenging himself. As only a
small portion of the moko can be executed at a time--say, for example,
the spiral curve on one cheek--if the operator be badly paid for the
first portion of his work, he will take care to let the chisel slip
out of its course when he proceeds to the second part, or will cut his
lines coarsely and irregularly, thus disfiguring the stingy man for
life.
Mr. Taylor gives a translation of one of these tattooing songs:
“He who pays well, let him be beautifully ornamented;
But he who forgets the operator, let him be done carelessly.
Be the lines wide apart.
O hiki Tangaroa!
O hiki Tangaroa!
Strike that the chisel as it cuts along may sound.
O hiki Tangaroa!
Men do not know the skill of the operator in driving his sounding
chisel along.
O hiki Tangaroa!”
The reader will see that the song is a very ingenious one, magnifying
the skill of the operator, promising a handsome moko to the liberal
man, and threatening to disfigure him if he be niggardly in his
payments.
While the operation of tattooing is going on, all persons in the
pah, or enclosure, are under the tabu, or tapu, lest any harm should
happen to them; the work of tattooing being looked upon with a kind
of superstitious reverence. The meaning of the word ‘tapu’ will be
explained when we come to treat of the religious system of the New
Zealander.
The effect of the moko on the face is well shown in illustration
No. 2, on the next page, which represents a chief and his wife. The
reader will probably observe that on the face of the woman there are
marks which resemble the tattoo. They are, however, the scars left by
mourning over the body of some relative, a ceremony in which the women
cut themselves unmercifully. The dress worn by both persons will be
presently described.
The pigment used in tattooing is made from the resin of the kauri pine,
and the greater part of it is made at one spot, where the tree grows
plentifully. There is a rocky precipice, and a little distance from its
edge a deep and narrow pit is sunk. A channel is cut through the face
of the cliff into the pit, and the apparatus is complete. When a native
wishes to make a supply of tattooing pigment, he cuts a quantity of
kauri wood, places it in the pit, and sets fire to it, thus causing the
burnt resin to fall to the bottom of the pit, whence it is scraped out
through the channel.
Scarlet paint is much employed by the natives, especially when they
decorate themselves for battle. It is obtained from an ochreous
substance which is deposited in many places where water has been
allowed to become stagnant. Some spots are celebrated for the
excellence of the ochre, and the natives come from great distances to
procure it. When they wish to make their scarlet paint, they first
carefully dry and then burn the ochre; the result of which operation
is, that a really fine vermilion is obtained.
This paint is used for many purposes, and before being used it is mixed
with oil obtained from the shark. The natives are fond of decorating
their houses with it, and by means of the scarlet lines increase,
according to their own ideas, the beauty of the carved work with which
every available point is adorned. Even their household goods are
painted after a similar manner, the fashionable mode being to paint all
the hollows scarlet, and the projecting portions black. Their canoes
and wooden ornaments are profusely adorned with red paint. But the most
valued use of this pigment is the part which it plays in the decoration
of a warrior when he goes to battle.
In such cases paint constitutes the whole of his costume, the mats in
which he takes so great a pride in time of peace being laid aside, many
warriors being perfectly naked, and with the others the only covering
of any kind being a belt made of plaited leaves.
One of these belts in my collection is seven feet in length, and only
three and a half inches wide in the broadest part; while at either end
it diminishes to a mere plaited thong. It is folded fourfold, and on
opening it the mode of construction is plainly seen; all the loose ends
being tucked inside.
The material is phormium leaf cut into strips an inch in width, each
alternate strip being dyed black. Each strip is then divided into eight
little strips or thongs, and they are so plaited as to produce an
artistic checkered pattern of black and white. The ingenuity in forming
so elaborate a pattern with so simple a material is extreme; and, as
if to add to the difficulty of his task, the dusky artist has entirely
changed the pattern at either end of the belt, making it run at right
angles to the rest of the fabric. The belt is also used in lieu of
clothing when the men are engaged in paddling a canoe.
The paint, therefore, becomes the characteristic portion of the New
Zealander’s war dress, and is applied for the purpose of making himself
look as terrible as possible, and of striking terror into his enemies.
It is, however, used in peace as well as in war, being regarded as a
good preservative against the bites and stings of insects, especially
the sandflies and mosquitoes. It is also used in mourning, being rubbed
on the body as a sign of grief, precisely as ashes are used among
some of the Oriental nations. Some travellers have thought that the
continual use of this pigment gives to the New Zealanders the peculiar
softness and sleekness of skin for which they are remarkable, and which
distinguishes them from the Fijians, whose skin feels as if it had been
roughened with a file. This theory, however, is scarcely tenable, the
soft texture of the skin being evidently due to physical and not to
external causes.
[Illustration: (1.) NEW ZEALAND WOMAN AND HER BOY. (See page 795.)]
[Illustration: (2.) TATTOOED CHIEF AND HIS WIFE. (See page 802.)]
A warrior adorned in all the pride of the tattoo and scarlet paint is
certainly a terrific object, and is well calculated to strike terror
into those who have been accustomed to regard the Maori warriors with
awe. When, however, the natives found that all the painting in the
world had no effect upon the disciplined soldiers of the foreigner,
they abandoned it, and contented themselves with the weapons that none
are more able to wield than themselves.
Moreover, the paint and tattoo, however well it might look on a warrior
armed after the primitive fashion, has rather a ludicrous effect when
contrasted with the weapons of civilization. There is now before me
a portrait of a Maori chief in full battle array. Except a bunch of
feathers in his hair, and a checked handkerchief tied round his loins,
evidently at the request of the photographer, he has no dress whatever.
He is tall, splendidly made, stern, and soldierlike of aspect. But
instead of the club, his proper weapon, he bears in his hand a Belgian
rifle, with fixed bayonet, and has a cartouche-box fastened by a belt
round his naked body.
His face is tattooed, and so are his hips, which are covered with a
most elaborate pattern, that contrasts boldly with his really fair
skin. Had he his club and chief’s staff in his hands, he would look
magnificent; having a rifle and a cartouche-box, he looks absurd. Even
a sword would become him better than a rifle, for we are so accustomed
to associate a rifle with a private soldier, that it is difficult to
understand that a powerful chief would carry such a weapon.
The curious mixture of native and European dress which the Maories are
fond of wearing is well described by Mr. Angas. “Raupahara’s wife is
an exceedingly stout woman, and wears her hair, which is very stiff
and wiry, combed up into an erect mass upon her head about a foot in
height, somewhat after the fashion of the Tonga islanders, which, when
combined with her size, gives her a remarkable appearance.
“She was well dressed in a flax mat of native manufacture, thickly
ornamented with tufts of cotton wool; and one of her nieces wore
silk stockings and slippers of patent leather. This gay damsel was,
moreover, a very pretty girl, and knew how to set off her charms to
advantage; for over an European dress she had retained her native
ornaments, and had wrapped herself coquettishly in a beautiful,
‘kaitaka,’ displaying her large hazel eyes above its silky folds.”
It has often been thought that the warrior regarded his moko, or
tattoo, as his name, permanently inscribed on his face; and this notion
was strengthened by two facts: the one, that in the earlier times of
the colonists the natives signed documents by appending a copy of their
moko; and the other, that each man knows every line of his tattoo,
and sometimes carves a wooden bust on which he copies with admirable
fidelity every line which appears on his own head or face. Such a work
of art is greatly valued by the Maories, and a man who has carved one
of them can scarcely be induced by any bribe to part with it.
Moreover, the moko of a warrior is often accepted as the conventional
representation of himself. For example, on the pillars of a very
celebrated house, which we shall presently describe, are numerous human
figures which represent certain great chiefs, while men of lesser mark
are indicated by their moko carved on the posts. Thus it will be seen
that the moko of a chief is as well known to others as to himself, and
that the practised eye of the native discerns among the various curves
and spirals, which are common to all free men, the characteristic
lines which denote a man’s individuality, and in producing which the
tattooers’ skill is often sorely tried.
It has already been mentioned, that when a warrior falls in battle, and
his body can be carried off by the enemy, the head is preserved, and
fixed on the dwelling of the conqueror. No dishonor attaches itself to
such an end; and, indeed, a Maori warrior would feel himself direfully
insulted if he were told that in case of his death in the field his
body would be allowed to remain untouched.
In fact, he regards his moko precisely in the same light that an
American Indian looks upon his scalp-lock; and, indeed, there are many
traits in the character of the Maori warrior in which he strangely
resembles the best examples of North American savages.
In order to preserve the head of a slain warrior, some process of
embalming must evidently be pursued, and that which is commonly
followed is simple enough.
The head being cut off, the hair is removed, and so are the eyes; the
places of which are filled up with pledgets of tow, over which the
eyelids are sewed. Pieces of stick are then placed in the nostrils
in order to keep them properly distended, and the head is hung in
the smoke of the wood fire until it is thoroughly saturated with the
pyroligneous acid. The result of this mode of preparation is, that the
flesh shrinks up, and the features become much distorted; though, as
the Maori warrior always distorts his countenance as much as possible
before battle, this effect is rather realistic than otherwise.
It is often said that heads prepared in this fashion are proof
against the attacks of insects. This is certainly not the case, as
I have seen several specimens completely riddled by the ptilinus
and similar creatures, and have been obliged to destroy the little
pests by injecting a solution of corrosive sublimate. In spite of the
shrivelling to which the flesh and skin are subject, the tattooing
retains its form; and it is most curious to observe how the finest
lines completely retain their relative position to each other.
Not only are the heads of enemies treated in this fashion, but those
of friends are also preserved. The difference is easily perceptible
by looking at the mouth, which, if the head be that of a friend, is
closed, and if of an enemy, is widely opened.
Some years ago, a considerable number of these preserved heads were
brought into Europe, having been purchased from the natives. Of late
years, however, the trade in them has been strictly forbidden, and on
very good grounds. In the first place, no man who was well tattooed
was safe for an hour, unless he were a great chief, for he might at
any time be watched until he was off his guard, and then knocked down,
killed, and his head sold to the traders. Then, when the natives became
too cautious to render head hunting a profitable trade, a new expedient
was discovered.
It was found that a newly tattooed head looked as well when preserved
as one which had been tattooed for years. The chiefs were not slow in
taking advantage of this discovery, and immediately set to work at
killing the least valuable of their slaves, tattooing their heads as
though they had belonged to men of high rank, drying, and then selling
them.
One of my friends lately gave me a curious illustration of the trade
in heads. His father wanted to purchase one of the dried heads, but
did not approve of any that were brought for sale, on the ground that
the tattoo was poor, and was not a good example of the skill of the
native artists. The chief allowed the force of the argument, and,
pointing to a number of his people who had come on board, he turned
to the intending purchaser, saying, “Choose which of these heads you
like best, and when you come back I will take care to have it dried
and ready for your acceptance.” As may be imagined, this speech put an
abrupt end to all head purchasing, and gave an unexpected insight into
the mysteries of trading as conducted by savage nations.
CHAPTER LXXX.
NEW ZEALAND--_Continued_.
DRESS AND ORNAMENTS.
THE “MATS” OF THE NEW ZEALANDERS -- THE MATERIAL OF WHICH THEY ARE
MADE -- THE NEW ZEALAND FLAX, OR PHORMIUM -- MODE OF MAKING THE
MATS -- VARIOUS KINDS OF MATS -- THE RAIN MAT AND ITS USES -- THE
OPEN-WORKED MAT -- THE DIFFERENT ORNAMENTS OF THE MAT: STRINGS AND
TAGS, SCARLET TUFTS AND BORDERS -- WAR CLOAKS OF THE CHIEFS -- THE
DOGS’-HAIR MAT -- THE CHIEF PARÁTENE IN HIS CLOAK -- MODE OF MAKING
THE WAR CLOAKS -- BRIEF ACCOUNT OF THE CHIEF -- AMUSING INSTANCE OF
VANITY IN A CHIEF -- SUBSTITUTION OF THE BLANKET AND ITS ATTENDANT
EVILS -- ORNAMENTS OF THE NEW ZEALANDER’S HEAD -- FEATHERS, AND
FEATHER BOXES -- VARIOUS DECORATIONS OF GREEN JADE -- TIKIS AND
EAR-RINGS -- A REMARKABLE AMULET -- THE SHARK’S TOOTH -- MODES OF
DRESSING THE HAIR -- HAIR-CUTTING AND SHAVING -- A PRIMITIVE RAZOR.
We now come to the costume of the New Zealanders. This is of a rather
remarkable character, and may be characterized by the generic title
of mat, with the exception of the belt which has just been described.
The costume of the New Zealander consists of a square or oblong mat,
varying considerably in size, though always made on the same principle.
In this mat the natives envelop themselves after a very curious
fashion, generally muffling themselves up to the neck, and often
throwing the folds round them after the fashion of a conventional stage
villain.
These mats are of various textures, and differ as much in excellence
and value as do the fabrics of more civilized lands. The material
is, however, the same in all cases, and even the mode of wearing the
garment, the value being estimated by the fineness of the material, the
amount of labor bestowed upon it, and the ornaments introduced into it.
The material of which the mats are made is the so-called New Zealand
“flax,” scientifically known by the name of _Phormium tenax_.
It belongs to the natural family of the Liliaceæ and the tribe
Asparagaceæ. The plant has a number of showy yellow flowers arranged on
a tall branch-panicle, and a number of straightish leaves, all starting
from the root, and being five or six feet long, and not more than two
inches wide at the broadest part.
The fibres which run along these leaves are very strong and fine, and,
when properly dressed and combed, have a beautiful silky look about
them. At one time great quantities of New Zealand flax, as it was
called, were imported into Europe, and the plant was cultivated in some
of the southern parts of the Continent. Strong, however, as it may be,
it has the curious fault of snapping easily when tied in a knot, and
on this account is not valued so much in Europe as in its own country.
I have before me a large roll of string made by natives from the
phormium. It is very strong in proportion to its thickness, and much of
it has been used in suspending various curiosities in my collection;
but it cannot endure being made into a knot. It is useful enough in
hitches, especially the “clove-hitch;” but as soon as it is tied into a
knot, it will hardly bear the least strain.
The principle on which the mats are made is very simple. A weaving
frame is erected on sticks a foot or so from the ground, and upon it
is arranged the weft, made of strings or yarns, placed as closely
together as possible, and drawn quite tight. The weft is double, and
is passed under and over each yarn, and the upper one is always passed
between the ends of the under weft before it is drawn tight. The mat is
therefore nothing more than a number of parallel strings laid side by
side, and connected, at intervals of an inch or so, by others that pass
across them. More care is taken of the edges, which are turned over,
and the yarns are so interwoven as to make a thick and strong border.
When the wefts are hauled tight, they are beaten into their place by
means of a bone instrument, very much like a paper knife in shape;
and in every respect the weaving of a New Zealander most strongly
reminds the spectator of the process of making the Gobelin tapestries.
In both cases there is a fixed warp on which the weft is laboriously
woven by hand, and is kept straight and regular by being struck with
an instrument that passes between the threads of the warp. Although
at the present day the warp of the Gobelin tapestry is stretched
perpendicularly, in former times it was stretched longitudinally in a
low frame, exactly similar in principle to that which is employed by
the New Zealander.
The reader will perceive that the process of weaving one of these mats
must be a work of considerable time, and an industrious woman can
scarcely complete even a common mat under eighteen months, while one of
the more elaborate robes will occupy twice that time.
The illustration No. 1 on the next page, is drawn from a sketch of a
house belonging to one of the great chiefs, and in it are seen some
women busily employed in making mats. One of them is scraping the
leaves with a shell or stone, while another is engaged at the primitive
loom. The mat is represented as nearly completed, and the woman is seen
with the four ends of the double weft in her hand, passing them across
each other before she draws them tight. A heap of dressed leaves of the
phormium is seen in the background, and a bundle of the long swordlike
leaves is strewn on the floor. Various baskets and other implements,
made of the same material, are hung from the rafters; and in front is
one of the curiously carved poles which support the roof.
It has been mentioned that there is but one principle on which all the
mats are made, but that there is a very great variety in making them.
There is, for example, the rain mat, which is used in wet weather. As
the structure proceeds, the manufacturer inserts into each knot of the
weft an undressed blade of the phormium upon which the epidermis has
been allowed to remain. When wrapped round the body, the leaves all
fall over each other, so as to make a sort of penthouse, and to allow
the rain to run over their smooth and polished surfaces until it falls
to the ground.
When rain comes on, and a number of natives are seen squatting on the
ground, each wearing his rain mat, they have a most absurd appearance,
and look like a number of human beings who had hidden themselves in
haycocks. On page 803 may be seen the figure of a chief wearing one of
these dresses. The name of the mat is E mangaika.
I have seen another kind of mat, which is made in a kind of open-work
pattern, produced by crossing every fifth strand of the warp. This
mat is of the very best quality, and, considering the nature of the
material of which it is made, is wonderfully light, soft, and pliant.
Another kind is the woman’s mat, of which there are several varieties.
It is of larger size than that employed by the men, and is capable of
enveloping the entire figure from head to foot. It is of rather lighter
material than the rain mat, and is decorated on the exterior with a
number of strings, varying in length from a few inches to three feet or
so. A variety of this mat is distinguished by having the strings white
instead of black. Specimens of both these mats are in my collection,
and the general effect of them can be seen by reference to any of the
illustrations which represent the native women.
Strings or tags are undoubtedly the most characteristic portion of
the dress, and there is scarcely a mat of any description that is not
ornamented with them. One variety of mat, which is called E wakaiwa,
is covered with long cylindrical ornaments that look very much as if
they were made of porcupine quills, being hard, and colored alternately
black and yellow. The ornaments are, however, made of the phormium leaf
in a very ingenious manner. The epidermis is carefully scraped off the
under side of the leaf with a sharp-edged shell, and the leaf is then
turned over. On the upper side the epidermis is removed at regular
intervals, so as to expose the fibres.
The next process is to put the scraped leaf into a dye made of a
decoction of kinan bark, and to let it remain for a definite time.
When it is taken out, the dye has stained the exposed fibres a deep
glossy black, while it has not been able to touch the polished yellow
epidermis that is allowed to remain. The dyed leaves are next rolled
up until they form cylinders as large as goose quills, and are then
woven in regular rows into the material of a mat. As the wearer moves
about, the cylinders rustle and clatter against each other, producing a
sound which seems to be peculiarly grateful to the ears of the natives.
Such a mat or cloak is highly prized. Several of these mats are in my
collection, and very curious examples of native art they are.
One of these has cost the weaver an infinity of trouble. It is nearly
five feet wide and three in depth. The warp has been dyed black, while
the weft is white; and the effect of the weft passing in reverse lines
across the warp is very good. Every other line of weft is decorated
with the cylindrical tassels each of which is nine inches in length,
and is divided into four parts by the removal of the epidermis. These
tassels begin at the fourth line of warp, and are regularly continued
to the lower edge, whence they hang so as to form a fringe. On account
of their number, they would qualify the garment as a rain mat on an
emergency; and the rattling they make as the mat is moved is very much
like that which is produced by a peacock when it rustles its train.
[Illustration: (1.) WOMEN MAKING MATS. (See page 808.)]
[Illustration: (2.) THE TANGI. (See page 824.)]
Along the upper edge, which passes over the shoulders, the strings
have been rolled together into ropes as thick as the finger, and then
plaited so as to form a thick and soft border which will not hurt the
neck. The portion of the mat which comes between the edge and the
first row of tassels is ornamented with scraps of scarlet wool plaited
into the weft. This wool is a favorite though costly ornament to the
natives, being procured from seamen’s woollen caps, which they unpick,
and the yarns used to ornament the dress.
One of these mantles brought from New Zealand by Stiverd Vores, Esq.,
is adorned very largely with scarlet wool. It is completely bordered
with the precious material, a narrow line of scarlet running under
the upper edge, a broader under the lower, while the two sides are
decorated with a band nearly four inches in width. In this case the
wool has been arranged in a series of loops; but in another specimen
the loops are cut so as to form a fringe.
In this latter mantle the tags, instead of being cylindrical and
alternately black and yellow, are entirely black, each rolled leaf
being wholly divested of its epidermis, and the fibres radiating from
each other in tassel fashion. I rather think that the object of this
mode of treatment is to prevent the eye from being distracted by the
jangling yellow tags, and so to permit the scarlet border to exhibit
its beauties to the best advantage.
Scarlet worsted is, of course, a comparatively late invention, and has
only been introduced since the visits of Europeans. In former days
the natives were equally fond of ornamenting their cloaks, and were
obliged to use the plumage of birds for the purpose. The feathers taken
from the breast of the kaka (a species of nestor) were mostly used for
this purpose. Although the colored ornaments are generally disposed
in lines, they are sometimes arranged in tufts, which are disposed in
regular intervals over the whole of the dress. Examples of this kind of
decoration may be seen in several of the costumes which are drawn in
this work.
The yarns or strings of which the warp is made are not twisted or
plaited, but consist merely of the phormium fibres as they lie in the
leaf. The leaves are prepared for this purpose by scraping off the
epidermis on both sides, and then beating them on a flat stone with a
pestle made of the hard volcanic stone employed in the manufacture of
adzes and other tools.
The most valuable of all the dresses are the war cloaks of the great
chiefs. They are very large, being sometimes nearly six feet in depth,
and wide enough to be wrapped over the entire body and limbs. Their
native name is Parawai.
Before making one of these great war mats, the weaver collects a large
quantity of dog’s hair, which she assorts into parcels of different
colors. She then sets up her simple loom, and fixes the warp as
usual. But with every knot or mesh which she makes with the weft she
introduces a tuft of hair, taking care to make each tuft long enough to
overlap and conceal the insertion of the tufts in the next row. She is
also careful about the regular arrangement of the hues, so that when a
complete mat is made by a skilful weaver, it looks exactly as if it was
composed of the skin of some large animal, the vegetable fibres which
form the fabric itself being entirely concealed by the tufts of hair.
One of these mats is the result of some four years’ constant labor, and
causes some surprise that a people so naturally indolent as the Maories
should prove themselves capable of such long and steady industry. But
the fact is, the mat maker is a woman and not a man, and in consequence
is obliged to work, whether she likes it or not.
In the next place, mat weaving scarcely comes under the denomination
of labor. The woman is not tied to time, nor even bound to produce a
given number of mats within a given period. Her living, too, does not
depend upon the rate of her work, and whether she takes eighteen months
or two years to produce a garment is a matter of total indifference to
all parties. Besides, she never works alone, but is always accompanied
by friends, one of whom, perhaps, may be occupied in a similar manner,
another may be employed in scraping the phormium leaves, and another is
engaged in pounding and softening the fibres, or drying those that have
just been dyed black.
But, whatever their hands may be doing, the weavers’ tongues are never
still. A continual stream of talk flows round the looms, and the duty
of mat making is thus changed into an agreeable mode of enjoying the
pleasures of conversation while the hands are employed in a light and
easy labor.
Very great ingenuity is displayed by the woman to whom is entrusted
the onerous task of making a war mat. No two are alike, the weaver
exercising her discretion respecting the colors and their arrangement.
Some of them are made on the same principle as the Bechuana
kaross,--namely, darkest in the centre, and fading into the lightest
hues round the edges. Others are white or pale in the middle, and edged
with a broad band of black or dark brown hair. Sometimes the colors are
arranged in a zigzag pattern, and several mats are striped like tiger
skins. They always have a sort of collar, composed of strips of fur,
which hang about six inches over the shoulders.
In New Zealand there are one or two dresses which are made almost
entirely of fur, the skins being dressed with the hair adhering to
them, and then sewed together. A very remarkable mat is possessed by
a powerful chief named Parátene Maioha. It is made of strips of dogs’
fur sewed over a large flaxen mat. Of this garment he is very proud,
and reserves it to be worn on grand occasions. A portrait of this
celebrated chief is given in the illustration No. 1, on the 820th page,
partly to show the aspect of a Maori chief in time of peace, and partly
to give the reader an idea of the peculiar look of the war cloak.
There is also before me a photographic portrait of Parátene,
authenticated by his autograph, in which he is represented as clad in
a different manner. He wears two mats or cloaks, the lower being of
the finest flax, and called by the natives kaitaka. A description of
this kind of cloak will be presently given. Over the kaitaka he wears a
very remarkable war cloak, which is made of dogs’ fur sewed upon a flax
mat. It reaches a little below the knees, and is made in perpendicular
stripes alternately dark and pale, and is furnished with a thick collar
or cape of the same material. This cape, by the way, bears a curious
resemblance to the ornament which is worn by the Abyssinian chiefs.
Unfortunately for the general effect of the picture, Parátene has
combed, divided, and brushed his hair in European fashion; and muffled
up as he is to the chin, it is too evident that he is wearing a
complete European suit under his mats. The cape has fallen off a little
on the right side, and we have the absurd anomaly of a face profusely
tattooed surmounted with hair that has just been brushed and combed, a
dog-skin war mat, from which protrudes a bare right arm, a jade earring
six inches long, and a black cravat and turn-down collar. In his right
hand he grasps his cherished merai; his staff of office, or E’hani,
rests against his shoulder; and by his side is his long battle-axe,
adorned with a tuft of feathers and dog-skin. This same Parátene is a
man of great mark among the Maories.
As is the case with natives of rank who have associated with Europeans,
he is known by several names. The following account of him is given by
Mr. G. F. Angas:
“Parátene (Broughton), whose native name was Te Maihoa, is a cousin of
Te Whero-whero, and one of the leading men of the Ngatimahuta branch of
the Waikato tribes. He generally resides in a village (or kainga) on
the northern bank of the picturesque little harbor of Waingaroa, on the
west coast of the Northern Island; and the correctness of his general
conduct, and the gravity of his demeanor, have obtained for him a
marked ascendancy over many of his equals in rank.
“Eccentricity is the principal feature in the character of this chief;
and the scrupulous attention which he invariably pays to those trifling
circumstances which constitute his notions of etiquette often renders
his conduct highly curious. He has gained, by unwearied application,
a smattering of arithmetic, and one of his most self-satisfactory
exploits is the correct solution of some such important problem as
the value of a pig of a certain weight, at a given price per pound,
making the usual deduction for the offal. His erudite quality and
the dignified gravity of his carriage have commanded the deferential
respect of his people, and encouraged them to consider him quite an
oracle.
“One little incident will place the harmless foible of this chief’s
character in a striking light. When the author was about to employ his
pencil in the delineation of his figure, Parátene desired to be excused
for a few moments. Having gained his point, he sought an interview
with Mrs. Wells, the missionary’s wife (under whose hospitable roof
his portrait was taken), and, preferring his request with some solemn
intimations of its paramount importance, begged ‘Mother’ to lend him a
looking-glass, that he might compose his features in a manner suitable
to his own idea of propriety ere he took his stand before the easel of
the artist.”
It may be observed, by the way, that “Mother” is the term always
employed by the natives when addressing the wife of a missionary.
The autograph of Parátene, to which allusion has already been made,
is written with pencil, and is perfectly intelligible, though the
characters are shaky, large, and sprawling, and look as if they had
been made by fingers more accustomed to handle the club than the pencil.
The last kind of mat which will be mentioned is the kaitaka. This
garment is made of a peculiar kind of flax, cultivated for the express
purpose, and furnishing a fibre which is soft and fine as silk. The
whole of the mat is plain, except the border, which is in some cases
two feet in depth, and which is most elaborately woven into a vandyked
pattern of black, red, and white. At the present day a good kaitaka
is scarcely anywhere to be seen, the skill required in making them
being so great that only a few weavers can produce them, and European
blankets being so easily procured that the natives will not take the
trouble of weaving garments that take so much time and trouble.
Handsome as are these native garments, they are not very pleasant to
wear. As the threads are only laid parallel to each other, and are
not crossed, as in fabrics woven in the loom, they form scarcely any
protection against the wind, although they may serve to keep out the
rain. The mats are very heavy, my own small specimen of the waikawa
cloak weighing five pounds and a half, and so stiff that they cannot
be conveniently rolled up and packed away when out of use. An English
blanket, on the contrary, is close-textured, resists the wind, is very
light, and can be rolled up into a small compass; so that it is no
wonder that the natives prefer it.
Unfortunately for them, it is not nearly so healthy a garment as that
which is made by themselves, as it is worn for a long time without
being washed, and so becomes saturated with the grease and paint with
which the natives are fond of adorning their bodies. In consequence, it
fosters several diseases of the skin to which the Maories are subject,
and it has been found that those who wear blankets are much more
subject to such ailments than those who adhere to the native raiment.
In some parts of the country, where the ground is hard and stony, the
natives plait for themselves sandals or slippers, which very much
resemble those which are used by the Japanese. They consist of the
ever-useful phormium fibres, which are twisted into cords, and then
plaited firmly into the shape of a shoe sole.
* * * * *
We now proceed from the dress to the ornaments worn by the New
Zealanders.
In some respects they resemble those which are in use among other dark
tribes. Feathers are much valued by them, and among the commonest
of these adornments is a bunch of white feathers taken from the
pelican, and fastened to the ears so as to fall on the shoulder. An
example of this may be seen in the portrait of the old warrior on page
794. Sometimes the skin of a small bird is rudely stuffed, and then
suspended as an earring, and sometimes one wing will be placed at each
side of the head, the tips nearly meeting above.
The most prized of these adornments are the tail feathers of the bird
called by the natives E Elia, or E Huia (_Neomorpha Gouldii_). It is
allied to the hoopoos, and is remarkable for the fact that the beak
of the male is straight and stout, while that of the female is long,
slender, and sickle-shaped. The color of the bird is a dark glossy
green of so deep a hue that in some lights it seems to be black. The
tail feathers, however, are tipped with snowy white, so that when
the bird spreads its plumage for flight, the tail looks at a little
distance as if it were black, edged with white.
The bird is only found in the hills near Port Nicholson, and, as it is
very wary, can scarcely be obtained except by the help of a native, who
imitates its cry with wonderful perfection. The name E Elia is said
to be merely an imitation of the long shrill whistle of the bird. The
birds are so valued by the Maories that in all probability the species
would have been extinct by this time, but for the introduction of
European customs, which to a certain degree have driven out the ancient
customs.
The feathers of the tail are the parts of the bird that are most valued
by the chiefs, who place them in their hair on great occasions. So
much do they prize these feathers, that they take the trouble to make
boxes in which they are kept with the greatest care. These boxes are
made by the chiefs themselves, and are covered with the most elaborate
carvings, some of them being the finest specimens of art that can be
found in New Zealand. They are of various shapes, but a very good idea
of their usual form may be obtained from the illustration No. 3, on
page 775. The usual forms are similar to that of the illustration, but
in some cases the boxes are oblong. There is now before me a drawing of
one of these boxes, which is covered with an equally elaborate pattern,
in which the lines are mostly straight instead of curved, the pattern
being of a vandyked character, similar to that upon the kaitaka cloak.
There is a projecting handle upon the lid, and an almost similar handle
upon each end.
The natives do not, however, confine themselves to wearing the tail
feathers, but, when they can obtain so valuable a bird, are sure to use
every portion of it. The head seems to be thought of next importance to
the tail, and is suspended to the ear by a thong.
Perhaps the most characteristic ornaments that are worn by the New
Zealanders are those which are made of green jade. This mineral, called
by the natives Poonamu, is mostly found near the lakes in the Middle
Island, and is valued by them with almost a superstitious reverence.
If a very large piece be found, it is taken by some chief, who sets
to work to make a club from it. This club, called a merai, will be
described when we come to treat of war as conducted by the Maories.
In the illustration No. 1, on page 841, are represented some of the
most characteristic jade ornaments.
Fig. 1 is a flat image bearing the rude semblance of a human being, and
made of various sizes. That which is here given is rather smaller than
the usual dimensions. It is called by the natives Tiki, and is at the
same time one of the commonest and the highest prized articles among
the New Zealanders. A new one can be purchased for a sum which, though
it would be considered absurdly high in England for such an object, is
in New Zealand really a low price, and scarcely repays the trouble of
carving it.
Jade is an extremely hard mineral, ranking next to the ruby in that
respect, and, in consequence of its extreme hardness, taking a peculiar
glossy polish that is seen on no other substance. The time which is
occupied in carving one of these ornaments is necessarily very great,
as the native does not possess the mechanical means which render its
manipulation a comparatively easy task to the European engraver, and
can only shape his ornaments by laboriously rubbing one piece of stone
upon another.
That ornaments made of such a material should be highly prized is not
a matter of surprise, and it is found that a wealthy chief will give
an extraordinarily high price for a handsome jade ornament. There is
in my collection a very ancient Buddhist amulet, made of the purest
green jade, and beautifully carved, the remarkable portion of it being
a revolving wheel with spiral spokes, the wheel being cut out of
the solid jade. The amulet was found in the apartments of the Queen
of Oude, and had evidently been imported from China, where it was
engraved, the whole character of the work belonging to a very ancient
epoch of Chinese art. It was shown to a Maori chief, who was then
visiting England, and who was intensely pleased with it, saying that,
if it were sent to New Zealand and offered for sale to one of the great
chiefs, it would be purchased for £20 or £25 of English money.
It has been just mentioned that, in spite of the labor bestowed on
the ornament, a new tiki can be purchased for a moderate sum. Such,
however, would not be the case were the tiki an old one. These
ornaments are handed down from father to son, and in process of time
are looked upon with the greatest reverence, and treated as heirlooms
which no money can buy.
One of these tikis was seen by Mr. Angas lying on the tomb of a child,
where it had been placed as an offering by the parents. It had lain
there for a long time; but, in spite of the value of the ornament, no
one had ventured to touch it. It was a very small one, even less in
size than the drawing in the illustration, and had in all probability
been worn by the child on whose tomb it lay.
Most of these tikis are plain, but some of them have their beauty
increased by two patches of scarlet cement with which the sockets of
the eyes are filled.
The tikis are worn on the breast, suspended by a cord round the neck;
and almost every person of rank, whether man or woman, possesses one.
They are popularly supposed to be idols, and are labelled as such in
many museums; but there is not the least reason for believing them to
fulfil any office except that of personal decoration. The Maories are
fond of carving the human figure upon everything that can be carved.
Their houses are covered with human figures, their canoes are decorated
with grotesque human faces, and there is not an implement or utensil
which will not have upon it some conventional representation of the
human form. It is therefore not remarkable that when a New Zealander
finds a piece of jade which is too small to be converted into a
weapon, and too flat to be carved into one of the cylindrical earrings
which are so much valued, he should trace upon it the same figure as
that which surrounds him on every side.
The most common forms of earring are those which are shown at figs. 4
and 5, the latter being most usually seen. It is so strangely shaped
that no one who did not know its use would be likely to imagine that it
was ever intended to be worn in the ear. Two rather remarkable earrings
are worn in New Zealand as marks of rank; one being a natural object,
and the other an imitation of it. This earring is called mako tamina,
and is nothing but a tooth of the tiger shark. Simple though it be, it
is greatly prized, as being a mark of high rank, and is valued as much
as a plain red button by a Chinese mandarin, or, to come nearer home,
the privilege of wearing a piece of blue ribbon among ourselves.
Still more prized than the tooth itself is an imitation of it in
pellucid jade. The native carver contrives to imitate his model
wonderfully well, giving the peculiar curves of a shark’s tooth with
singular exactness. Such an ornament as this is exceedingly scarce, and
is only to be seen in the ears of the very greatest chiefs. Anything
seems to serve as an earring, and it is not uncommon to see natives of
either sex wearing in their ears a brass button, a key, a button-hook,
or even a pipe.
There is very little variety in the mode of dressing the hair,
especially among women. Men generally keep it rather short, having
it cut at regular intervals, while some of the elders adhere to the
ancient custom of wearing it long, turning it up in a bunch on the top
of the head, and fastening it with combs.
These are formed after a fashion common to all Polynesia, and extending
even to Western Africa. The teeth are not cut out of a single piece
of wood, but each is made separately, and fastened to its neighbor by
a strong cross-lashing. The teeth, although slight, are strong and
elastic, and are well capable of enduring the rather rough handling to
which they are subjected.
Children of both sexes always wear the hair short like the men; but as
the girls grow up, they allow the hair to grow, and permit it to flow
over their shoulders on either side of the face. They do not part it,
but bring it down over the forehead, and cut it in a straight line just
above the eyebrows. When they marry, they allow the whole of the hair
to grow, and part it in the middle. They do not plait or otherwise
dress it, but merely allow it to hang loosely in its natural curls.
Hair-cutting is with the New Zealanders a long and tedious operation,
and is conducted after the fashion which prevails in so many parts of
the world. Not knowing the use of scissors, and being incapable of
producing any cutting instrument with an edge keen enough to shave,
they use a couple of shells for the operation, placing the edge of one
under the hair that is to be cut, and scraping it with the edge of the
other.
Although this plan is necessarily a very slow one, it is much more
efficacious than might be imagined, and is able not only to cut
the hair of the head, but to shave the stiff beards of the men. In
performing the latter operation, the barber lays the edge of the lower
shell upon the skin, and presses it well downward, so as to enable the
upper shell to scrape off the hair close to the skin. Beard-shaving
is necessarily a longer process than hair-cutting, because it is not
possible to cut more than one or two hairs at a time, and each of them
takes some little time in being rubbed asunder between the edges of the
shells.
CHAPTER LXXXI.
NEW ZEALAND--_Continued_.
DOMESTIC LIFE.
CEREMONIES ATTENDANT ON BIRTH -- PREVALENCE AND CAUSES OF
INFANTICIDE -- A CURIOUS INSTANCE OF SUPERSTITION -- NAMES AND THEIR
SIGNIFICATION -- THE CEREMONY OF SPRINKLING -- THE RECITATIONS --
CHANGES OF NAME -- MARRIAGE -- COURTSHIP AND WIFE-SNATCHING --
AMUSEMENTS OF THE NEW ZEALANDERS -- THE SWING, OR GIANT STRIDE
-- DRAUGHTS AND OTHER SEDENTARY GAMES -- CHILDREN’S SPORTS --
TOP-SPINNING, KITE-FLYING -- AND CAT’S-CRADLE -- SWIMMING AND DIVING
-- CURIOUS PETS: DOGS, PIGS, AND PARROTS -- BALL-PLAYING -- MUSIC AND
SINGING -- CHARACTER OF THE SONGS -- MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS -- THE FIFE,
THE WAR TRUMPET, AND THE WAR BELL -- CURIOUS MODE OF SALUTATION --
THE “TANGI,” AND ITS LUDICROUS APPEARANCE -- ITS WEARISOME EFFECT ON
A FOREIGNER -- UNCERTAIN TEMPER OF THE MAORIES -- STRENGTH OF MEMORY,
AND CURIOSITY.
We will now examine the domestic life of the New Zealander, and begin
at the beginning, _i. e._ with his birth.
As is mostly the case in those nations which do not lead the artificial
life of civilization, there is very little trouble or ceremony about
the introduction of a new member of society. The mother does not
trouble herself about medical attendants or nurses, but simply goes off
into some retired place near a stream, and seldom takes with her even a
companion of her own sex. When the baby is born, the mother bathes her
child and then herself in the stream, ties the infant on her back, and
in a short time resumes the business in which she was engaged. Until
the child is named the mother is sacred, or “tapu,” and may not be
touched by any one.
The New Zealand women are too often guilty of the crime of infanticide,
as indeed might be imagined to be the case in a land where human life
is held at so cheap a rate. Various causes combine to produce this
result. If, for example, the child is deformed or seems sickly, it
is sacrificed as an act of mercy toward itself, the Maories thinking
that it is better for the scarcely conscious child to be destroyed at
once than to die slowly under disease, or to live a despised life as a
cripple.
Revenge, the leading characteristic of the Maori mind, has caused the
death of many an infant, the mother being jealous of her husband, or
being separated from him longer than she thinks to be necessary. Even
a sudden quarrel will sometimes cause the woman, maddened by anger,
to destroy her child in the hope of avenging herself upon her husband.
Slave women often systematically destroy their children, from a desire
to save them from the life of servitude to which they are born. In many
cases the life of the child is sacrificed through superstitious terror.
A very curious example of such a case is given by Dr. Dieffenbach.
A recently married wife of a young chief was sitting near a pah or
village, on the fence of which an old priestess had hung her blanket.
As is generally the case with New Zealand garments, the blanket was
infested with vermin. The young woman saw one of these loathsome
insects crawling on the blanket, caught it, and, according to the
custom of the country, ate it. The old woman to whom the garment
belonged flew into a violent passion, poured a volley of curses on the
girl for meddling with the sacred garment of a priestess, and finished
by prophesying that the delinquent would kill and eat the child which
she was expecting.
The spirit of revenge was strong in the old hag, who renewed her
imprecations whenever she met the young woman, and succeeded in
terrifying her to such a degree that she was almost driven mad.
Immediately after the child was born the old woman found out her
victim, and renewed her threats, until the young mother’s mind was so
completely unhinged, that she hastily dug a hole, threw her child into
it, and buried it alive. She was, however, filled with remorse for the
crime that she had committed; and before very long both she and her
husband had emancipated themselves from their superstitious thraldom,
and had become converts to Christianity.
It is seldom, however, that a mother kills her child after it has lived
a day; and, as a general rule, if an infant survives its birth but for
a few hours, its life may be considered as safe from violence. Both
parents seem equally fond of infants, the father nursing them quite
as tenderly as the mother, lulling it to sleep by simple songs, and
wrapping its little naked body in the folds of his mat.
Soon after its birth the child is named, either by its parents or
other relatives, the name always having some definite signification,
and mostly alluding to some supposed quality, or to some accidental
circumstance which may have happened at the time of birth. Much
ingenuity is shown in the invention of these names, and it is very
seldom found that the son is named after his father or other relative.
All the names are harmonious in sound, and end with a vowel; and even
in the European names that are given by the missionaries at baptism the
terminal syllable is always changed into a vowel, in order to suit the
native ideas of euphony.
When the child is about two or three months old, a ceremony is
performed which is remarkable for its resemblance to Christian baptism.
The origin of the ceremony is not known, and even the signification
of the words which are employed is very obscure. Very few persons are
present at the ceremony, which is carried on with much mystery, and is
performed by the priest.
The three principal parts of the rite are that the child should be
laid on a mat, that it should be sprinkled with water by the priest,
and that certain words should be used. As far as has been ascertained,
the mode of conducting the ceremony is as follows: The women and girls
bring the child and lay it on a mat, while the priest stands by with a
green branch dipped in a calabash of water. A sort of incantation is
then said, after which the priest sprinkles the child with water. The
incantation differs according to the sex of the child, but the sense of
it is very obscure. Indeed, even the natives cannot explain the meaning
of the greater part of the incantation: so that in all probability it
consists of obsolete words, the sounds of which have been retained,
while their sense has been lost.
As far as can be ascertained, the incantation consists of a sort of
dialogue between the priest and the women who lay the child on the mat.
The following lines are given by Dieffenbach, as the translation of the
beginning of the incantation said over female children. He does not,
however, guarantee its entire accuracy, and remarks that the true sense
of several of the words is very doubtful. The translation runs as
follows:
_Girls._ “We wish this child to be immersed.”--_Priest._ “Let it be
sprinkled.”
_Girls._ “We wish the child to live to womanhood.”--_Priest._ “Dance
for Atua.”
_Girls._ “Me ta nganahau.” (These words are unintelligible.)--_Priest._
“It is sprinkled in the waters of Atua.”
_Girls._ “The mat is spread.”--_Priest._ “Dance in a circle.”
“Thread the dance.”
The reader must here be told that the word “Atua” signifies a god,
and that the word which is translated as “womanhood” is a term that
signifies the tattooing of the lips, which is performed when girls
are admitted into the ranks of women. The above sentences form only
the commencement of the incantation, the remainder of which is wholly
unintelligible.
When the child is old enough to undertake a journey to the priest’s
house, another ceremony takes place, in which the baby name that the
parents have given to the infant is exchanged for another. According
to Mr. Taylor’s interesting account, when the child has arrived at the
house of the priest, the latter plants a sapling as a sign of vigorous
life, and holds a wooden idol to the ear of the child, while he
enumerates a long string of names which had belonged to its ancestors.
As soon as the child sneezes, the priest stops, the name which he
last uttered being that which is assumed by the child. We are left to
infer that some artificial means must be used to produce sneezing, as
otherwise the task of the priest would be rather a tedious one.
After the requisite sign has been given, and the child has signified
its assent to the name, the priest delivers a metrical address,
differing according to the sex. Boys are told to clear the land and
be strong to work; to be bold and courageous in battle, and comport
themselves like men. Girls are enjoined to “seek food for themselves
with panting of breath,” to weave garments, and to perform the other
duties which belong to their sex.
Even this second name is not retained through life, but may be changed
in after life in consequence of any feat in war, or of any important
circumstance. Such names, like the titles of the peerage among
ourselves, supersede the original name in such a manner that the same
person may be known by several totally distinct names at different
periods of his life.
There seems to be no definite ceremony by which the young New Zealand
lad is admitted into the ranks of men. The tattoo is certainly a sign
that his manhood is acknowledged; but this is a long process, extending
over several years, and cannot be considered as an initiatory rite like
those which are performed by the Australians.
When a young man finds himself able to maintain a wife, he thinks about
getting married, and sets about it very deliberately. Usually there
is a long courtship, and, as a general fact, when a young man fixes
his affections on a girl, he is sure to marry her in the end, however
much she or her friends may object to the match. He thinks his honor
involved in success, and it is but seldom that he fails.
Sometimes a girl is sought by two men of tolerably equal pretensions;
and when this is the case, they are told by the father to settle the
matter by a pulling match. This is a very simple process, each suitor
taking one of the girl’s arms, and trying to drag her away to his own
house. This is a very exciting business for the rivals as well as for
the friends and spectators, and indeed to every one except the girl
herself, who is always much injured by the contest, her arms being
sometimes dislocated, and always so much strained as to be useless for
some time.
In former times the struggle for a wife assumed a more formidable
aspect, and several modern travellers have related instances where the
result has been a tragic one. If a young man has asked for a girl and
been refused, his only plan is to take her by force. For this purpose
he assembles his male friends, and makes up his mind to carry the
lady off forcibly if he cannot obtain her peacefully. Her friends in
the meantime know well what to expect, and in their turn assemble to
protect her. A fierce fight then ensues, clubs, and even more dangerous
weapons being freely used; and in more than one case the intended bride
has been killed by one of the losing side. Sometimes, though not very
often, a girl is betrothed when she is quite a child. In that case she
is as strictly sacred as if she were actually a married woman, and the
extreme laxity of morals which has been mentioned cannot be imputed to
such betrothed maidens. Should one of them err, she is liable to the
same penalties as if she were actually married.
The New Zealanders seldom have more than one wife. Examples are known
where a chief has possessed two and even more wives; but, as a general
rule, a man has but one wife. Among the Maories the wife has very much
more acknowledged influence than is usually the case among uncivilized
people, and the wife always expects to be consulted by her husband in
every important undertaking. Marriage usually takes place about the age
of seventeen or eighteen, sometimes at an earlier age in the case of
the woman and a later in the case of the man.
As to the amusements of the New Zealanders, they are tolerably varied,
and are far superior to the mere succession of singing and dancing, in
which are summed up the amusements of many uncivilized races. Songs
and dances form part of the amusements of this people, but only a part,
and they are supplemented by many others.
One of the most curious was seen by Mr. Angas in the interior of the
country, but never on the coasts. A tall and stout pole, generally the
trunk of a pine, is firmly set in the ground on the top of a steep
bank, and from the upper part of the pole are suspended a number of
ropes made of phormium fibre. The game consists in seizing one of the
ropes, running down the bank, and swinging as far as possible into the
air. Sometimes they even run round and round the pole as if they were
exercising on the giant stride; but as they have not learned to make a
revolving top to the pole or swivels for the ropes, they cannot keep up
this amusement for any long time.
They have a game which is very similar to our draughts, and is played
on a checkered board with pebbles or similar objects as men. Indeed,
the game bears so close a resemblance to draughts, that it may probably
be a mere variation of that game, which some New Zealander has learned
from an European, and imported into his country.
There is also a game which much resembles the almost universal “morro,”
and which consists in opening and closing the hand and bending the
elbow, performing both actions very sharply, and accompanying them with
a sort of doggrel recitation, which has to be said in one breath.
The children have many games which are very similar to those in use
among ourselves. They spin tops, for example, and fly kites, the latter
toy being cleverly made of the flat leaves of a kind of sedge. It is
triangular in form, and the cord is made of the universal flax fibre.
Kite-flying is always accompanied by a song; and when the kites are
seen flying near a village, they are a sign that the village is at
peace, and may be approached with safety.
Perhaps the chief amusement of the children is the game called Maui,
which is in fact a sort of “cat’s-cradle.” The Maori children, however,
are wonderful proficients at the game, and would look with contempt on
the few and simple forms which English children produce. Instead of
limiting themselves to the “cradle,” the “pound of candles,” the “net,”
and the “purse,” the New Zealander produces figures of houses, canoes,
men and women, and various other patterns. They say that this game was
left to them as an inheritance by Maui, the Adam of New Zealand, and it
appears to be intimately connected with their early traditions.
The elder children amuse themselves with spear-throwing, making their
mimic weapons of fern-stems bound at the end. These they throw with
great dexterity, and emulate each other in aiming at a small target.
[Illustration: (1.) PARÁTENE MAIOHA IN HIS STATE WAR CLOAK. (See page
812.)]
[Illustration: (2.) THE CHIEF’S DAUGHTER. (See page 821.)]
[Illustration: (3.) HONGI-HONGI, CHIEF OF WAIPA. (See page 850.)]
Swimming is one of the favorite amusements of the New Zealanders, who
can swim almost as soon as they can walk, and never have an idea that
the water is an unfriendly element. Both sexes swim alike well, and in
the same manner, _i. e._ after the fashion which we call “swimming like
a dog,” paddling the water with each arm alternately. Being constantly
in the water, they can keep up the exertion for a long time, and in
their bathing parties sport about as if they were amphibious beings.
They dive as well as they swim, and the women spend much of their time
in diving for crayfish.
In those parts of the country where hot springs are found the natives
are fond of bathing in the heated water. Mr. Angas makes the following
observations on this custom:--“Upon the beach of the lake, near Te
Rapa, there is a charming natural hot bath, in which the natives,
especially the young folks, luxuriate daily. Sunset is the favorite
time for bathing, and I have frequently seen of an evening at least
twenty persons squatting together in the water, with only their heads
above the surface.
“Boiling springs burst out of the ground, close to a large circular
basin in the volcanic rock, which, by the assistance of a little art,
had been rendered a capacious bath. The boiling stream is conducted
into this reservoir gradually, and the temperature of the water is kept
up or decreased by stopping out the boiling stream with stones, through
which it trickles slowly, whilst the main body runs steaming into the
lake.
“The medicinal properties of these hot mineral springs preserve the
natives in a healthy state, and render their skins beautifully smooth
and clear. Indeed, some of the finest people in the island are to be
observed about Taupo, and the beauty and symmetry of the limbs of many
of the youth would render them admirable studies for the sculptor.”
Perhaps the oddest amusement with which the New Zealanders have ever
recreated themselves is one that only occurred some sixty years ago,
and is not likely to be reproduced. About that date Captain King took
away two New Zealanders to Norfolk Island for the purpose of teaching
the settlers the art of flax-dressing. When he came back to restore
them to their homes, he planted a quantity of maize, which was then
new in the country, and presented the natives with three pigs. Most
of them had never seen any animal larger than a cat, and the others,
who had a vague recollection of seeing horses on board Captain Cook’s
vessel, naturally mistook them for those animals. Thinking them to be
horses, they treated them as horses, and speedily rode two of them to
death. The third did not come to a better end, for it strayed into a
burial-ground, and was killed by the indignant natives.
Nowadays the Maories understand pigs far too well to ride them. Pigs
have become quite an institution in New Zealand. Every village
is plentifully populated with pigs, and, as may be seen in the
illustration of a village which will be given on a future page, one of
the commonest objects is a sow with a litter of pigs.
Little pigs may be seen tottering about the houses, and the natives,
especially the women, pet pigs exactly as European women pet dogs and
cats. They carry them in their arms, fondle and pet them; and nothing
is more common than to see a young girl unfold her mantle and discover
a pig nestling under its folds. Such a girl, for example, as the one
who is represented in the illustration No. 2, on the preceding page,
would be very likely indeed to have a pig in her arms under the shelter
of her mantle.
The figure in question is the portrait of the daughter of a chief.
Her name is Tienga, and she is the daughter of a very powerful and
celebrated chief. Her costume is, like her character, an odd mixture
of civilization and nature. Her mantle is the native flax mat, under
which she may probably wear a muslin, or even silken, garment, articles
of dress of which the young lady in question was, when her portrait
was taken, exceedingly proud. On her head she wears a common straw
hat, purchased from the trader at some five hundred per cent. or so
above its value, and round it she has twisted a bunch of a species of
clematis, which grows with great luxuriance in the forests.
It is a curious study to note the different characteristics of the
human mind. An Oriental would turn with unspeakable disgust from the
very touch of a pig, and is scarcely less fastidious concerning the
dog. Yet the inhabitants of that wonderful group of islands which
stretches from Asia to America have a wonderful affinity for both
these animals, and especially for pigs, displaying, as we shall find
on a future page, their affection in a manner that seems to our minds
extremely ludicrous.
Pigs are now fast becoming acclimatized to the country, just like the
mustang horses of America. When a tribe has suffered extinction, as too
often happens in the sanguinary and ferocious wars in which the people
engage, the pigs escape as well as they can; and those that evade the
enemy have to shift for themselves, and soon resume all the habits of
the wild swine from which they were originally descended. Those which
now inhabit the country are easily to be distinguished from their
immediate ancestors, having short heads and legs and round compact
bodies.
The native name for the pig is “poaka,” a word which some have thought
to be derived from the English word “pork.” Dr. Dieffenbach, however,
differs from this theory, and thinks that the native word, although of
European origin, is derived from a source common both to England and
New Zealand. He thinks that the New Zealanders had some knowledge of
the pig previous to its introduction by England, and that they derived
their knowledge from Spanish voyagers. He is strengthened in this
opinion by the fact that the name for dog, “perro,” is likewise Spanish.
Pigs and dogs are not the only pets, the natives being in the habit of
catching the kaka parrot, which has already been mentioned, and keeping
it tame about their houses. They make a very effective and picturesque
perch for the bird, covering it with a sloping roof as a protection
against the sun, and securing it to the perch by a string round its
leg. Mr. Angas mentions that he has brought these birds to England, but
that the climate did not agree with them, and they all died.
Many of the New Zealanders, especially the women, are dexterous
ball-players, throwing four balls in various ways so as always to keep
them in the air. Some few of them are so skilful that they surpass our
best jugglers, playing with five balls at a time, and throwing them
over the head, round the neck, and in various other ingenious modes of
increasing the difficulty of the performance.
Most of their sports are accompanied with songs, which, indeed, seem to
be suited to all phases of a New Zealander’s life. In paddling canoes,
for example, the best songster takes his stand in the head of a vessel
and begins a song, the chorus of which is taken up by the crew, who
paddle in exact time to the melody.
Respecting the general character of these songs Dieffenbach writes
as follows: “Some songs are lyric, and are sung to a low, plaintive,
uniform, but not at all disagreeable tune.... E’ Waiata is a song of
a joyful nature; E’ Haka one accompanied by gestures of mimicry; E’
Karakia is a prayer or an incantation used on certain occasions. In
saying this prayer there is generally no modulation of the voice,
but syllables are lengthened and shortened, and it produces the same
effect as reading the Talmud in synagogues. Most of these songs live in
the memory of all, but with numerous variations. Certain Karakia, or
invocations, however, are less generally known, and a stranger obtains
them with difficulty, as they are only handed down among the tohunga,
or priests, from father to son.
“To adapt words to a certain tune, and thus to commemorate a passing
event, is common in New Zealand, and has been the beginning of all
national poetry. Many of these children of the moment have a long
existence, and are transmitted through several generations; but their
allusions become unintelligible, and foreign names, having undergone a
thorough change, cannot be recognized.”
All these songs are accompanied by gesticulations more or less violent
and in that which is known as E’ Haka the bodily exertion is extreme.
The singers sit down in a circle, throw off their upper mats, and sing
in concert, accompanying the song with the wildest imaginable gestures,
squinting and turning up their eyes so as to show nothing but the
whites.
Of musical instruments they have but very vague and faint ideas. Even
the drum, which is perhaps the instrument that has the widest range
through the world, is unknown to the native New Zealander. Drums
resound in all the islands of the Pacific, but the New Zealander never
indulges himself in a drumming. The sole really musical instrument
which he possesses is a sort of fife made out of human bone. Generally,
the flute is formed from the thigh-bone of a slain enemy; and when this
is the case, the Maori warrior prizes the instrument inordinately, and
carries it suspended to the tiki which he wears slung on his breast.
There are certainly two noise-producing instruments, which have no
right to be honored with the title of musical instruments. These are
the war bell and the war trumpet.
The former is called the war bell in default of a better word. It
consists of a block of hard wood about six feet long and two thick,
with a deep groove in the centre. This “bell” is suspended horizontally
by cords, and struck by a man who squats on a scaffold under it. With
a stick made of heavy wood he delivers slow and regular strokes in the
groove, the effect being to produce a most melancholy sound, dully
booming in the stillness of the night. The war bell is never sounded by
day, the object being to tell the people inside the pah, or village,
that the sentinel is awake, and to tell any approaching enemy that it
would be useless for him to attempt an attack by surprise. Its native
name is Pahu.
The war trumpet is called Putara-putara. It is a most unwieldly
instrument, at least seven feet in length. It is hollowed out of a
suitably-shaped piece of hard wood, and an expanding mouth is given
to it by means of several pieces of wood lashed together with flaxen
fibre, and fitted to each other like the staves of a cask. Toward the
mouth-piece it is covered with the grotesque carvings of which the New
Zealanders are so fond. It is only used on occasions of alarm, when
it is laid over the fence of the pah, and sounded by a strong-lunged
native. The note which the trumpet produces is a loud roaring sound,
which, as the natives aver, can be heard, on a calm night, the distance
of several miles. In fact, the sound appears to be very much the same
as that which is produced by the celebrated Blowing Stone of Wiltshire.
In some places a smaller trumpet is used in time of war. The body of
this trumpet is always made of a large shell, generally that of a
triton, and the mode of blowing it differs according to the locality.
The simplest kind of shell-trumpet is that which is in use throughout
the whole of the Pacific Islands. It is made by taking a large empty
shell, and boring a round hole on one side near the point. The shell
is blown like a flute, being placed horizontally to the lips, and the
air directed across the aperture. In fact, it exactly resembles in
principle the horn and ivory trumpets of Africa, which are shown on a
preceding page.
There is, however, in the British Museum a much more elaborate form of
trumpet, which is blown with a mouth-piece. In this case the point of
the shell has been removed and a wooden mouth-piece substituted for it,
so that it is blown at the end, like trumpets in our own country.
The dances of the New Zealander are almost entirely connected with war
and will therefore be mentioned when we come to treat of that subject.
The mode of salutation at parting and meeting is very curious, and to
an European sufficiently ludicrous. When two persons meet who have
not seen each other for some time, it is considered a necessary point
of etiquette to go through the ceremony called _tangi_. The “g,” by
the way, is pronounced hard, as in the word “begin.” They envelope
themselves in their mats, covering even their faces, except one eye,
squat on the ground opposite each other, and begin to weep copiously.
They seem to have tears at command, and they never fail to go through
the whole of the ceremony as often as etiquette demands it. Having
finished their cry, they approach each other, press their noses
together for some time, uttering the while, a series of short grunts!
Etiquette is now satisfied and both parties become very cheerful and
lively, chatting and laughing as if there had never been such a thing
as a tear in existence.
Mr. Angas tells a ludicrous story of a tangi which he once witnessed. A
woman was paddling a very small canoe, and fell in with the exploring
party, who were in two large canoes. Seeing some friends on board of
the large canoes, she ran her little vessel between them, and began a
vigorous tangi.
Time being pressing, she could not stop to wrap herself up in the
orthodox style, but burst into a flood of tears in the most approved
fashion, and paddled and howled with equal vigor. Still crying, she put
on board a basket of potatoes as a present, and received in return a
fig of tobacco. The tangi being by this time complete, the old woman
burst into a loud laugh, had a lively talk with her friends, turned her
little canoe round, and paddled briskly out of sight.
In one instance this force of habit was rather ludicrously exemplified.
The writer shall tell his own story.
“At Hopeton we met with a sister of Karake, or Clark, the chief of
Waikato Heads, whose portrait I had painted when at Auckland. This
portrait I showed to the old woman, who had not seen her brother for
some time, when, to my surprise and amusement, she at once commenced
a most affectionate tangi before the sketch; waving her hands in the
usual manner, and uttering successively low whining sounds expressive
of her joy.
“After she had, as I imagined, satisfied herself with seeing the
representation of her brother, I was about to replace the sketch in
my portfolio, when she begged of Forsaith that she might be permitted
to tangi over it in good earnest, saying, ‘It was her brother--her
brother; and she must TANGI till the tears come.’ And sure enough,
presently the tears did come, and the old woman wept and moaned, and
waved her hands before the picture, with as much apparent feeling as
if her brother himself had thus suddenly appeared to her. I could not
prevail upon the old creature to desist, and was at length compelled
to leave the portrait in Forsaith’s care, whilst I was employed in
sketching elsewhere. In future I shall be more cautious how I show my
sketches to the old women, finding that they are liable to produce such
melancholy results.”
Mr. A. Christie, to whom I am indebted for much information about
the country, told me an anecdote of a tangi performed in England by
a party of Maories who had visited this country. They were about to
bid farewell to one of their friends, and visited his house for that
purpose, desiring to be allowed to perform the tangi.
Knowing their customs, their host took them into an empty room,
previously cautioning his family not to be surprised at the ceremony.
The whole party then sat down on the floor, and raised a most dismal
howl, wailing, waving their hands, shedding floods of tears, and, in
fact, enjoying themselves in their own queer way. The tangi being over,
they all became lively and chatty, and finally took leave after the
undemonstrative English fashion.
To a stranger the performance of the tangi is very amusing for the
first few times of witnessing it; but he soon becomes tired of it, and
at last looks upon it as an unmitigated nuisance, wasting time, and
subjecting him to a series of doleful howls from which he has no mode
of escape. Mr. Angas describes a tangi to which he was subjected.
“At sunset we reached a small fortified port, on the summit of a hill
overlooking the lake. There were but few natives residing in it, to
whom the sight of a pakeha (white man) was indeed astonishing; and,
after the salutation of welcome, they commenced a tangi at my guides
and myself.
“The man who introduced us uttered a faint sound in his throat, like
that of a person crying at a distance, and continued to look mournfully
on the ground. The welcome of the men was voluble and loud: they howled
dismally, and their tears fell fast for some time.
“Another female soon arrived, who, squatting on the ground, commenced
a tangi with her friends, so loud and doleful--now muttering and anon
howling like a hyena--that it made me feel quite dismal. There she sat,
yelling horribly, to my great annoyance, but Maori etiquette compelled
me to look grave and not to disturb her. There seemed to be no end to
this woman’s wailings of welcome. The night was cold, and she still
continued to sit by the fire prolonging her lugubrious and discordant
strains. Sometimes she would pitch a higher key, going upward with a
scream, shaking her voice, and muttering between every howl; then it
would be a squall with variations, like ‘housetop cats on moonlight
nights.’
“Then blowing her nose with her fingers, she made some remarks to the
woman next her, and recommenced howling in the most systematic way.
Once again she became furious; then, during an interval, she spoke
about the pakeha, joined in a hearty laugh with all the rest, and
at last, after one long continued howl, all was silent, to my great
relief.”
The manner in which the natives can produce such torrents of tears
is really marvellous; and they exhibit such apparent agony of grief,
acting the part to such perfection, that for some time a stranger can
hardly believe that the profusely weeping natives are simply acting a
conventional part.
In the illustration No. 2, on the 809th page, is shown the sort of
scene which takes place at a pah when some of the inhabitants return
after a long absence--a scene which would be very pathetic did it not
trench upon the ludicrous.
When a party of strangers arrive at a pah, the preliminary part of
the tangi, _i. e._ the sitting down and weeping, is omitted, another
ceremony being substituted for it. The visitors are introduced into
the interior of the pah, where a large space has been kept clear. The
principal chief of the village then advances, clad as if for war, _i.
e._ wearing nothing but his moko and plenty of scarlet paint, and
bearing a spear in his hand. He brandishes and aims the spear as if he
meant to pierce the chief of the opposite party, and then throws it
toward, but not at, the stranger. The visitors then squat silently on
the ground, according to Maori etiquette, and presently each stranger
is faced by one of the receiving tribe, who goes through the ceremony
of ongi, or pressing noses, which is the last part of the tangi. This
lasts for some time, and, when it is completed, the provisions are
brought out and a great feasting ensues.
As to the general character of the natives, it presents a curious
mixture of wildness and ferocity, affection and fickleness, benevolence
and vengefulness, hospitality and covetousness. The leading
characteristic of the Maori mind is self-esteem, which sometimes takes
the form of a lofty and even chivalrous pride, and at other times
degenerates into childish vanity. It is this feeling which leads a New
Zealander to kill himself rather than live to suffer disgrace, and
which causes him to behave with the politeness for which the well-bred
New Zealander is so conspicuous. Degenerating into vanity, it is easily
wounded; and hence the accidentally hurt feelings of a Maori, added to
the vengefulness which forms so large a portion of his nature, have
occasioned long and desolating wars, in which whole tribes have been
extinguished.
The temper of the Maories is, as is often the case with uncultivated
natures, quick, tetchy, and, though pleasing enough as a general rule,
is apt to change suddenly without the least provocation; a lively,
agreeable person becoming suddenly dull, sullen, and ill-tempered. This
fickleness of demeanor is very troublesome to Europeans, and, indeed,
is sometimes assumed by the natives, for the purpose of seeing how much
their white companion will endure. When they find that he meets them
with firmness, they lay aside their unpleasant manner, and become quite
gay and sociable.
Often, however, an European hurts their feelings quite unintentionally,
through sheer ignorance of the minute code of etiquette which they
observe. If, for example two Europeans meet and wish to discuss a
subject, they stand still and have their talk, or perhaps they walk
backward and forward. Two New Zealanders, on the contrary, would
always sit down, as it is thought a mark of inattention to stand while
addressed by another. Again, when a New Zealander enters a house, he
makes his salutation and then squats down in silence for some time,
the omission of this ceremony being looked upon as great a mark of
ill-breeding as to go into a drawing-room with the hat on is considered
among ourselves.
One curious trait of the Maori character is the inability to keep a
secret. This curious disposition sometimes subjects the natives to very
unpleasant consequences. Those, for example, who have adopted the laws
of the white man, have discovered that there are many delinquencies
which can be done with impunity, provided that they are committed in
secret. But according to Dieffenbach, “with the art of keeping a secret
the New Zealander is little acquainted. Although he possesses in many
other respects great self-control, the secret must come out, even if
his death should be the immediate consequence.”
They have a strong and tenacious memory, easily acquiring knowledge,
and retaining it with wonderful accuracy. The strength of their memory
is well exemplified by the native converts to Christianity, who
will repeat long passages of the Bible and many hymns with absolute
exactness.
One of the most remarkable examples of this characteristic is afforded
by an old chief named Horomana Marahau, who is popularly known as
Blind Solomon. He has led a most exciting and varied life, hawing
been engaged in war ever since he was a boy, and once actually taken
prisoner by the ferocious chief E’ Hongi, or Shongi, as he is generally
called. He has captured many a pah, and assisted in eating many a slain
enemy, and had he not escaped when he himself was made prisoner, he
would have shared the same fate.
His last exploit was an attack on Poverty Bay where he and his
followers took the pah, and killed and afterward ate six hundred of the
enemy. Shortly after this feat he became blind, at Otawaho, where he
first met with the missionary. In process of time he became a convert,
and afterward labored as a teacher, displaying the same earnest energy
which distinguished his military career, and, though an old man,
undertaking long and toilsome journeys for the purpose of instructing
his fellow-countrymen. Mr. Angas once heard him deliver a funeral
oration over the body of a child, which he describes as one of the
finest and most impassioned bursts of eloquence he ever heard.
Horomana was peculiarly suited for the office of instructor in
consequence of his exceptionally retentive memory. He knows the whole
of the Church Service by heart, together with many hymns and long
passages of the Bible, and when he was examined in the Catechism, it
was found that he knew every word correctly. This strength of memory,
by the way, useful as it is when rightly employed, is sometimes abused
by becoming an instrument of revenge, a Maori never forgetting an
insult, whether real or imaginary, nor the face of the person by whom
he was insulted.
The curiosity of the people is insatiable, and they always want to hear
all about everything they see. This spirit of curiosity has naturally
led them to take the greatest interest in the various arts and sciences
possessed by the white man, and in order to gratify it they will often
hire themselves as sailors in European ships. Accustomed to the water
all their lives, and being admirable canoe men, they make excellent
sailors, and soon learn to manage boats after the European fashion,
which differs essentially from their own. Some of them penetrate into
the higher mysteries of navigation, and in 1813 a New Zealander was
captain of a whaler.
They take quite as much interest in the familiar objects of their own
country as in those which are brought to them by foreigners. They have
names for all their animal, vegetable, and even mineral productions,
pointing out and remarking upon any peculiarities which may be found in
them.
CHAPTER LXXXII.
NEW ZEALAND--_Continued_.
FOOD AND COOKERY.
HOSPITALITY OF THE NEW ZEALANDERS -- EFFECTS OF CIVILIZATION -- THE
CHURLISH HOSTS AND THEIR REWARD -- A NEW ZEALAND FEAST -- THE WALL OF
PROVISIONS -- FOOD-BASKETS -- THE KUMARA OR SWEET POTATO -- WASHING
AND COOKING VEGETABLES -- THE CABBAGE PALM AND FERN ROOT -- A NATIVE
LEGEND -- THE PAWA SHELL -- THE MUSSEL AND OYSTER -- FISHING -- THE
NET, THE TRAP, THE HOOK, AND THE SPEAR -- BIRD-CATCHING -- CAPTURING
THE KIWI-KIWI AND PARROT -- PIG-CATCHING AND COOKING -- CANNIBALISM,
ITS SIGNIFICATION AND EXTENT -- EATING HUMAN FLESH A SUPERSTITIOUS
CUSTOM -- ANECDOTES OF CANNIBALISM.
The New Zealanders are the most hospitable and generous of people; a
stranger, whether native or European, is welcomed into the villages,
is furnished with shelter, and provided at once with food. Should
the visitor be a relative, or even an intimate friend, they hold all
their property in common, and will divide with him everything that
they possess. Even if a Maori has earned by long labor some article of
property which he was very anxious to possess, he will give it to a
relation or friend who meets him after a long separation.
This generosity of disposition has unfortunately been much checked by
contact with the white man, and those natives who have much to do with
the white settlers have lost much of their politeness as well as their
hospitality. Instead of welcoming the traveller, housing him in their
best hut, providing him with their choicest food, and tending him as
if he were a near relation, they have become covetous and suspicious,
and instead of offering aid gratuitously will sometimes refuse it
altogether, and at the best demand a high rate of payment for their
assistance.
The native converts to Christianity have deteriorated greatly in this
respect through the misjudged zeal of the missionaries, who have taught
their pupils to refuse food and shelter to, or to perform any kind
of work for, a traveller who happens to arrive at their houses on a
Sunday--a circumstance which must continually occur in a country where
the travellers are entirely dependent on the natives. Dr. Dieffenbach,
who always speaks in the highest terms of the zeal and self-denial
of the missionaries, writes as follows on this subject: “Highly as
I appreciate the merits of the missionaries, I must say that they
have omitted to teach their converts some most important social,
and therefore moral, duties, which they will only acquire by a more
intimate intercourse with civilized Europeans.
“In their native state they are as laborious as their wants require;
but, easily satisfying those, and incapable even by their utmost
exertions to compete with the lowest of Europeans, they get lazy and
indolent, prefer begging to working, and pass a great part of their
time in showing their acquired fineries and in contemplating the
restless doings of the colonist. As servants they are very independent,
and Europeans will do well, if they want any native _helpers_, to treat
them with attention, and rather as belonging to the family than as
servants. They have this feeling of independence very strongly, and it
is very creditable to them.
“There is every reason to believe that in a short time the character
of the New Zealanders will be entirely changed, and any one who wishes
to see what they were formerly must study them in the interior, where
they are still little influenced by intercourse with us, which I must
repeat, has been little advantageous to them.”
The same writer relates an amusing anecdote respecting the ancient
custom of hospitality. He had been travelling for some distance with
scarcely any provisions, and came upon a tribe which churlishly refused
hospitality to the party, and would not even furnish a guide to show
them their way. One of them condescended to sell a small basket of
potatoes in exchange for some needles, but nothing more could be
obtained, and, after spending a day in vain, the party had to pack up
and resume their march.
After they had left the pah, they came suddenly across a family of
pigs. One of the native attendants immediately killed a large sow, and
in a few minutes the animal was cut up and the pieces distributed.
Not liking to take food without paying for it, Dr. Dieffenbach hung
the offal of the pig on a bush, together with an old pair of trousers
and an iron kettle. His attendants, however, went back and took them
away, saying that it was the custom of the country that a stranger
should be supplied with food, and that, if it were not given to him,
he had a right to take it when, where, and how he could. They were
very much amused at the whole proceeding, and made many jokes on the
disappointment of the churlish people who refused to sell a pig at a
good price, and then found that it had been taken for nothing.
Hospitality being such a universal and imperative characteristic of the
aboriginal Maori, it may be imagined that when a chief gives a feast
he does so with a liberal hand. Indeed, some of these banquets are on
so enormous a scale, that a whole district is ransacked to furnish
sufficient provisions, and the inhabitants have in consequence to live
in a state of semi-starvation for many months. Mr. Angas mentions that,
when he visited the celebrated chief Te Whero-Whero, he saw more than a
thousand men planting sweet potatoes in order to furnish provisions for
a feast that the chief intended to give to all the Waikato tribes in
the following spring.
These feasts are continued as long as any food is left, and a very
liberal chief will sometimes get together so enormous a supply of
provisions that the banquet lasts for several weeks. Songs and dances,
especially the war dance, are performed at intervals throughout the
time of feasting.
The first illustration on the 831st page gives a good idea of the
preliminaries which are observed before the celebration of an ordinary
feast, such as would be given by a well-to-do Rangatira. A sort of
scaffold is erected, on the bars of which are hung large supplies of
fish, mostly dried shark, together with pieces of pork, and similar
luxuries. The upper part of the scaffold is formed into a flat stage,
on which are placed large baskets full of sweet potatoes and common
potatoes. The guests range themselves in a circle round the scaffold,
and the chief who gives the feast makes a speech to them, brandishing
his staff of office, running up and down the open space, leaping in the
air, and working himself up by gestures to an extraordinary pitch of
excitement.
One of my friends was distinguished by having a feast given in his
honor, and described the ceremony in a very amusing manner. The
generous founder of the feast had built a sort of wall, the contents
of which were potatoes, sweet potatoes, pigs, and fish. By way of
ornament, he had fixed a number of sticks into the wall, like so many
flagstaffs, and to the top of each he had fastened a living eel by way
of a flag or streamer, its contortions giving, according to his ideas,
a spirit to the whole proceedings.
He then marched quickly backward and forward between the wall of
provisions and his guests, who were all seated on the ground, and as
he marched uttered a few broken sentences. By degrees his walk became
quicker and quicker, and changed into a run, diversified with much
leaping into the air, brandishing of imaginary weapons, and utterance
of loud yells. At last he worked himself up into a pitch of almost
savage fury, and then suddenly squatted down silently, and made way for
another orator.
The waste which takes place at such a feast, which is called in the
native language _hui_, is necessarily very great. In one such party
mentioned by Mr. Angas, the donor arranged the provisions and presents
for his guests in the form of a wall, which was five feet high, as
many wide, _more than a mile in length_, and supplied for many days
thousands of natives who came to the feast from very great distances.
The great chiefs take great pleasure in rivalling each other in their
expenditure, and it was for the purpose of building a still larger
food wall that Te Whero-Whero was so busily setting his men to work in
planting the kumeras, or sweet potatoes.
Considerable variety is shown in the manner of presenting the food
to the guests. Generally it is intended to be eaten on the spot, but
sometimes it is meant to be given away to the people, to be consumed
when and where they like. In such a case either the scaffold or the
wall is used. The scaffold is sometimes fifty or sixty feet high, and
divided into a number of stories, each of which is loaded with food. If
the wall be employed, it is separated into a number of divisions. In
either case, when the guests are seated, a chief who acts as the master
of the ceremonies marches about and makes a speech, after the fashion
of his country; and, after having delivered his oration, he points out
to each tribe the portion which is intended for it. The chief man of
each tribe takes possession of the gift, and afterward subdivides it
among his followers.
It is rather remarkable that the baskets in which the provisions are
served are made for the express purpose, and, having fulfilled their
office, are thrown aside and never used again. Should a chief take one
of these baskets and begin to eat from it, not only the basket but any
food which he may leave in it is thrown away, no chief ever eating
after any one, or allowing any one to eat after him.
So when a chief takes his basket of food, he withdraws himself from
the rest of the company and consumes his food, so that no one shall
be incommoded by his rank. Ordinary people, even the Rangatiras,
are not nearly so fastidious, one basket of food sufficing several
of them, three or four being the usual number for a basket. Each of
these baskets contains a complete meal, and is usually supplied with
plenty of potatoes and kumeras, some fish, and a piece of pork. The
meat is passed from one to another, each taking a bite, or tearing
off a portion; and when they have finished, they wipe their hands on
the backs of the dogs which are sure to thrust themselves among the
revellers.
These feasts naturally lead us to the various kinds of food used by the
New Zealanders, and their modes of procuring and preparing them.
We will begin with the plant which is the very staff of life to the
New Zealander, namely, the kumera, or sweet potato, as it is popularly
though erroneously called. This plant is largely cultivated by the
Maories, who are very careful in selecting a proper soil for it. The
best ground for the kumera is that which has been thickly wooded, and
is cleared for the purpose. The natives take but little trouble about
preparing the land, merely cutting down the trees and burning the
brushwood, but never attempting to root up the stumps.
The ground is torn up rather than dug by a simple instrument, which is
nothing more than a sharpened pole with a cross-piece fastened to it,
on which the foot can rest. As the New Zealanders do not wear shoes,
they cannot use an iron spade as we do; and it may easily be imagined
that the unprotected foot of the Maori would suffer terribly in
performing a task which, even among our stoutly-shod laborers, forces
them to wear a plate of iron on the sole of the boot.
The _kaheru_, as this tool is called, is more effective than an iron
spade could be, in consequence of the peculiar character of the soil,
which is thickly interlaced with the roots of ferns, brushwood, and
shrubs. A few of these curious spades are tipped with a piece of green
jade, and are then highly valued by the natives. Such a tool is called
E Toki. The Maories have also a kind of hoe which is very useful in
some soils.
The kumeras are planted in regular rows, and the greatest care is taken
to keep the field clear of weeds. The dark agriculturists even remove
every caterpillar that is seen upon the plants; and altogether such
elaborate care is taken that the best managed field in Europe cannot
surpass, and very few even equal, a piece of land cultivated by the New
Zealander.
Each family has its own peculiar field, the produce of which is
presumed to belong to the family. But a great portion of the labor
performed in it may be done by poor men who have no land of their own.
In such a case, they acquire, in virtue of their labor, a legal right
over the fruits of the land which they have helped to till. Sometimes
the head or chief of a tribe, considering himself as the father of
the family, institutes a general sale, and distributes the proceeds
according to the amount of material or labor which each has contributed.
Before the potatoes are cooked, they are carefully washed in a simple
and very effective manner. A woman puts them into a basket with two
handles, popularly called a “kit,” wades into a running stream,
puts one foot into the basket, takes hold of the handles, and rocks
the basket violently backward and forward, while with her foot she
continually stirs up and rubs the potatoes. In this manner the earth
is washed away from the vegetables, and is carried off by the stream
through the interstices of the basket.
At the present day, the kumera, although very highly valued, and used
at every important feast, has been rivalled, if not superseded, by
the common potato which can be raised with less trouble and cooked
more easily. Both the kumera and potato are cooked in a sort of oven,
made by heating stones, and much resembling the cooking-place of the
Australians. No cooking is allowed to take place in the house, the act
of preparing food being looked upon as a desecration of any building.
Through ignorance of this curious superstition, Europeans have
frequently brought upon themselves the anger of the natives by eating,
and even cooking, food within a house which is looked upon as sacred.
In consequence of this notion, the oven is either constructed in the
open air, or at best in a special house called Te-kauta, which is made
of logs piled loosely upon each other, so as to permit the smoke to
escape.
The bud, or “cabbage,” of the nikau-palm, a species of Areca, is highly
prized by the Maories, who fell every tree which they think likely to
produce a young and tender bud. This vegetable is sometimes eaten raw,
and sometimes cooked in the same mode as the potato. Fortunately,
the tree is not wasted by being cut down, as its leaves are used for
many purposes, such as making temporary sheds when travellers are
benighted in the forest, thatching houses, and similar uses. Still, the
destruction of this useful and graceful palm is very great, and there
is reason to fear that the improvident natives will wholly extirpate
it, unless means be taken to preserve it by force of law.
The Maories have one curious plan of preparing food, which seems to
have been invented for the purpose of making it as disgusting as
possible. They take the kumera, the potato, or the maize, and steep
it in fresh water for several weeks, until it is quite putrid. It is
then made into cakes, and eaten with the greatest zest. To an European
nothing can be more offensive, and the very smell of it, not to
mention the flavor, is so utterly disgusting that even a starving man
can hardly manage to eat it. The odor is so powerful, so rancid, and
so penetrating, that when Europeans have been sitting inside a house
and a man has been sitting in the open air eating this putrid bread,
they have been forced to send him away from the vicinity of the door.
By degrees travellers become more accustomed to it, but at first the
effect is inexpressibly disgusting; and when it is cooked, the odor is
enough to drive every European out of the village.
In former days the fern-root (_Pteris esculenta_) was largely eaten by
the natives, but the potatoes and maize have so completely superseded
it that fern root is very seldom eaten, except on occasions when
nothing else can be obtained. When the fern root is cooked, it is
cut into pieces about a foot long, and then roasted. After it is
sufficiently cooked, it is scraped clean with a shell. The flavor of
this root is not prepossessing, having an unpleasant mixture of the
earthy and the medicinal about it.
About December another kind of food comes into season. This is the
pulpous stem of one of the tree-ferns which are so plentiful in New
Zealand (_Cyathea medullaris_). It requires long cooking, and is
generally placed in the oven in the evening, and eaten in the morning.
With regard to the vegetables used in New Zealand, Dr. Dieffenbach has
the following remarks. After mentioning the native idea that they were
conquerors of New Zealand, and brought with them the dog and the taro
plant (_Arum esculentum_), he proceeds as follows:--“A change took
place in their food by the introduction of the sweet potato or kumera
(_Convolvulus batata_)--an introduction which is gratefully remembered
and recorded in many of their songs, and has given rise to certain
religious observances.
“It may be asked, What was the period when the poor natives received
the gift of this wholesome food, and who was their benefactor? On the
first point they know nothing; their recollection attaches itself to
events, but not to time. The name, however, of the donor lives in their
memory. It is E’ Paui, or Ko Paui, the wife of E’ Tiki, who brought
the first seeds from the island of Tawai. E’ Tiki was a native of the
island of Tawai, which is not that whence, according to tradition, the
ancestors of the New Zealanders had come. He came to New Zealand with
his wife, whether in less frail vessels than they possess at present,
and whether purposely or driven there by accident, tradition is silent.
“He was well received, but soon perceived that food was more scanty
here than in the happy isle whence he came. He wished to confer a
benefit upon his hosts, but knew not how to do it, until his wife,
E’ Paui, offered to go back and fetch kumera, that the people who
had received them kindly might not suffer want any longer. This she
accomplished, and returned in safety to the shores of New Zealand.
“What a tale of heroism may lie hidden under this simple tradition!
Is it a tale connected with the Polynesian race itself? or does it
not rather refer to the arrival in New Zealand of the early Spanish
navigators, who may have brought this valuable product from the island
of Tawai, one of the Sandwich Islands, where the plant is still most
extensively cultivated? There can be scarcely any doubt but that New
Zealand was visited by some people antecedent to Tasman. Kaipuke is the
name of a ship in New Zealand--_buque_ is a Spanish word--Kai means to
eat, or live. No other Polynesian nation has this word to designate
a ship. Pero (dog) and poaca (pig) are also Spanish. Tawai, whence
E’ Paui brought the kumera, is situated to the east of New Zealand
according to tradition, and the first discoverers in the great ocean,
Alvaro Mendana (1595), Quiros (1608), Lemaire, and others, arrived from
the eastward, as they did at Tahiti, according to the tradition of the
inhabitants. Tasman did not come to New Zealand until 1642.”
However this may be, the fields of kumera are strictly “tapu,” and
any theft from them is severely punished. The women who are engaged
in their cultivation are also tapu. They must pray together with the
priests for the increase of the harvest. These women are never allowed
to join in the cannibal feasts, and it is only after the kumera is
dug up that they are released from the strict observance of the tapu.
They believe that kumera is the food consumed in the “reinga,” the
dwelling-place of the departed spirits; and it is certainly the food
most esteemed among the living.
They have several ways of preparing the sweet potato. It is either
simply boiled, or dried slowly in a “hangi,” when it has the taste of
dates, or ground into powder and baked into cakes. The kumera, like
most importations, is rather a delicate vegetable, and while it is
young it is sheltered by fences made of brushwood, which are set up on
the windward side of the plantation when bad weather is apprehended.
Great stacks of dried brushwood are seen in all well-managed kumera
gardens, ready to be used when wanted. So great is the veneration of
the natives for the kumera, that the storehouses wherein it is kept are
usually decorated in a superior style to the dwelling of the person who
owns them.
In illustration No. 2, on the next page, several of these elaborate
storehouses are shown. They are always supported on posts in such a
way that the rats cannot get among the contents, and in some instances
they are set at the top of poles fifteen or twenty feet high, which are
climbed by means of notches in them. These, however, are almost without
ornamentation, whereas those which belong specially to the chief are
comparatively low, and in some cases every inch of them is covered
with graceful or grotesque patterns, in which the human face always
predominates.
Some of these curious storehouses are not rectangular, but cylindrical,
the cylinder lying horizontally, with the door at the end, and
being covered with a pointed roof. Even the very posts on which the
storehouses stand are carved into the rude semblance of the human form.
The Maories also say that the calabash, or _hue_, is of comparatively
late introduction, the seeds having been obtained from a calabash which
was carried by a whale and thrown on their shores.
A very curious article of vegetable food is the cowdie gum, which
issues from a species of pine. This gum exudes in great quantities from
the trees, and is found in large masses adhering to the trunk, and also
in detached pieces on the ground. It is a clear, yellowish resin; and
it is imported into England, where it is converted into varnish. The
flavor of the cowdie gum is powerfully aromatic, and the natives of the
northern island chew it just as sailors chew tobacco. They think so
much of this gum, that when a stranger comes to visit them, the highest
compliment that can be paid to him is for the host to take a partially
chewed piece of gum from his mouth, and offer it to the visitor.
The New Zealanders eat great quantities of the pawa, a species of
Haliotis, from which they procure the pearly shell with which they are
so fond of inlaying their carvings, especially the eyes of the human
figures. Shells belonging to this group are well known in the Channel
Islands under the name of Ormer shells, and the molluscs are favorite
articles of diet. Those which are found in New Zealand are very much
larger than the species of the Channel Islands, and the inhabitants are
tough and, to European taste, very unpalatable. Great quantities are,
however, gathered for food. The putrid potato cakes are generally eaten
with the pawa; and the two together form a banquet which an Englishman
could hardly prevail on himself to taste, even though he were dying of
hunger.
Mussels, too, are largely used for food: and the natives have a way
of opening and taking out the inmate which I have often practised. If
the bases of two mussels be placed together so that the projections
interlock, and a sharp twist be given in opposite directions, the
weaker of the two gives way, and the shell is opened. Either shell
makes an admirable knife, and scrapes the mollusc out of its home even
better than a regular oyster-knife.
Oysters, especially the Cockscomb oyster (_Ostræa cristata_), are very
plentiful in many parts of the coast, and afford an unfailing supply of
food to the natives. They are mostly gathered by women, who are in some
places able to obtain them by waiting until low water, and at other
places are forced to dive at all states of the tide.
Fish form a large portion of New Zealand diet; and one of their
favorite dishes is shark’s flesh dried and nearly putrescent. In this
state it exhales an odor which is only less horrible than that of the
putrid cakes. Mr. Angas mentions one instance where he was greatly
inconvenienced by the fondness of the natives for these offensive
articles of diet. He was travelling through the country with some
native guides, and on arriving at a pah had procured for breakfast some
remarkably fine kumeras. The natives immediately set to work at cooking
the kumeras, among which they introduced a quantity of semi-putrid
shark’s flesh. This was not the worst of the business, for they next
wove some of the phormium baskets which have already been described,
filled them with the newly-cooked provisions, and carried them until
the evening repast, giving the traveller the benefit of the horrible
odor for the rest of the day.
Fish are either taken with the net, the weir, or the hook. The net
presents nothing remarkable, and is used as are nets all over the
world, the natives weighting them at the bottom, floating them at the
top, shooting them in moderately shallow water, and then beating the
water with poles in order to frighten the fish into the meshes.
Traps, called pukoro-tuna, are made of funnel-shaped baskets, just like
the eel-traps of our own country; but the most ingenious device is the
weir, which is built quite across the river, and supported by poles for
many yards along its side. Often, when the net or the weir is used, the
fish taken are considered as belonging to the community in general, and
are divided equally by the chief.
[Illustration: (1.) PREPARING FOR A FEAST. (See page 827.)]
[Illustration: (2.) CHIEFS’ STOREHOUSES. (See page 830.)]
Sometimes a singularly ingenious net is used, which has neither float
nor sinkers. This net is about four feet wide, thirty or forty feet in
length, and is tied at each end to a stout stick. Ropes are lashed to
the stick, and the net is then taken out to sea in a canoe. When they
have arrived at a convenient spot, the natives throw the net over the
side of the canoe, holding the ropes at either end of the boat, so that
the net forms a large semicircle in the water as the boat drifts along.
In fact it is managed much as an English fisherman manages his dredge.
In the middle of the canoe is posted a man, who bears in his hand a
very long and light pole, having a tuft of feathers tied to one end of
it. With the tufted end he beats and stirs the water, thus driving into
the meshes of the net all the small fishes within the curve of the net.
Those who hold the ropes can tell by the strain upon the cords whether
there are enough fish in the net to make a haul advisable, and when
that is the case, the net is brought to the side of the canoe, emptied,
and again shot.
Spearing fish is sometimes, but not very largely, employed. The hooks
employed by the New Zealanders present a curious mixture of simplicity
and ingenuity. It really seems strange that any fish should be stupid
enough to take such an object in its mouth. There is, however, one
which is a singularly admirable contrivance. The body of the hook is
made of wood, curved, and rather hollowed on the inside. The hook
itself is bone, and is always made from the bone of a slain enemy, so
that it is valued as a trophy, as well as a means of catching fish.
This bone is fastened to the rest of the hook by a very ingenious
lashing; and, in some instances, even the bone is in two pieces, which
are firmly lashed together. In consonance with the warlike character of
the natives, who seem to be as ready to offer an insult to other tribes
as to take offence themselves, the use of the enemy’s bone is intended
as an insult and a defiance to a hostile tribe.
The body of the hook is lined with the pawa shell, and to the bottom
of it is attached a tuft of fibres. This hook is remarkable for
requiring no bait. It is towed astern of the canoe, and when pulled
swiftly through the water it revolves rapidly, the pearly lining
flashing in the light like the white belly of fish, and the tuft of
fibres representing the tail. Consequently, the predatorial fish take
it for the creature which it represents, dash at it as it flashes
by them, and are hooked before they discover their mistake. If any
of my readers should happen to be anglers, they will see that this
hook of the New Zealander is exactly similar in principle with the
“spoon-bait” which is so efficacious in practised hands. One of these
hooks in my collection is quite a model of form, the curves being
peculiarly graceful, and the effect being as artistic as if the maker
had been a professor in the school of design. The length of my hook is
rather more than four inches: and this is about the average size of
these implements. The string by which it is held is fastened to the
hook in a very ingenious manner; and indeed it scarcely seems possible
that so apparently slight a lashing could hold firmly enough to baffle
the struggles of a fish large enough to swallow a hook more than four
inches in length, and three-quarters of an inch in width. Some of these
hooks are furnished with a feather of the apteryx, which serves the
purpose of an artificial fly.
Both salt and fresh water crayfish are taken in large quantities. The
latter, which are very large, are almost invariably captured by the
women, who have to dive for them, and the former are taken in traps
baited with flesh, much like our own lobster-pots. Birds are almost
always caught by calling them with the voice, or by using a decoy bird.
The apteryx, or kiwi-kiwi, is taken by the first of these methods. It
is of nocturnal habits, and is seldom seen, never venturing out of its
haunts by day. It is very thinly scattered, living in pairs, and each
pair inhabiting a tolerably large district. At night it creeps out of
its dark resting-place among the ferns, where it has been sleeping
throughout the day, and sets off in search of worms, grubs, and other
creatures, which it scratches out of the ground with its powerful feet.
During the night it occasionally utters its shrill cry; that of the
male being somewhat like the words “hoire, hoire, hoire,” and that of
the female like “ho, ho, ho.”
When the natives wish to catch the apteryx, they go to the district
where the bird lives, and imitate its cry. As soon as it shows itself,
it is seized by a dog which the hunter has with him, and which is
trained for the purpose. As the bird is a very strong one, there is
generally a fight between itself and the dog, in which the powerful
legs and sharp claws of the bird are used with great effect. Sometimes
the hunter has ready a torch made of the cowdie resin, and by lighting
it as soon as the kiwi-kiwi comes in sight he blinds the bird so
effectually by the unwonted light that it is quite bewildered, does not
know in what direction to run, and allows itself to be taken alive.
At some seasons of the year the bird is very fat, and its flesh is said
to be well flavored. In former days, when it was plentiful, it was
much used for food, but at the present time it is too scarce to hold
any real place among the food-producing animals of New Zealand, its
wingless state rendering it an easy prey to those who know its habits.
The skin is very tough, and, when dressed, was used in the manufacture
of mantles.
The parrots are caught by means of a decoy bird. The fowler takes with
him a parrot which he has taught to call its companions, and conceals
himself under a shelter made of branches. From the shelter a long rod
reaches to the branches of a neighboring tree, and when the bird calls,
its companions are attracted by its cries, fly to the tree, and then
walk down the rod in parrot fashion, and are captured by the man in the
cover.
Formerly the native dog used to be much eaten; but as the species has
almost entirely been transformed by admixture with the various breeds
of English dogs, its use, as an article of food, has been abandoned.
Pigs are almost the only mammalia that are now eaten; but they are not
considered as forming an article of ordinary diet, being reserved for
festive occasions. The pork of New Zealand pigs is said to surpass that
of their European congeners, and to bear some resemblance to veal. This
superiority of flavor is caused by their constantly feeding on the fern
roots. In color they are mostly black, and, although tame and quiet
enough with their owners, are terribly frightened when they see a white
man, erect their bristles and dash off into the bush.
We now come to the question of cannibalism, a custom which seems to
have resisted civilization longer in New Zealand than in any other
part of the world. In some places cannibalism is an exception; here,
as among the Neam-Nam of Africa, it is a rule. An illustration on
the next page represents a cannibal cooking-house, that was erected
by a celebrated Maori chief, in the Waitahanui Pah. This was once a
celebrated fort, and was originally erected in order to defend the
inhabitants of Te Rapa from the attacks of the Waikato tribes. Both
these and their enemies having, as a rule, embraced Christianity,
and laid aside their feuds, the pah has long been deserted, and will
probably fall into decay before many years have passed. Mr. Angas’
description of this pah is an exceedingly interesting one.
“Waitahanui Pah stands on a neck of low swampy land jutting into the
lake, and a broad, deep river, forming a delta called the Tongariro,
and by some the Waikato (as that river runs out again at the other end
of Tampo Lake), empties itself near the pah. The long façade of the pah
presents an imposing appearance when viewed from the lake; a line of
fortifications, composed of upright poles and stakes, extending for at
least half a mile in a direction parallel to the water. On the top of
many of the posts are carved figures, much larger than life, of men in
the act of defiance, and in the most savage posture, having enormous
protruding tongues; and, like all the Maori carvings, these images, or
waikapokos, are colored with kokowai, or red ochre.
“The entire pah is now in ruins, and has been made tapu by Te Heuheu
since its desertion. Here, then, all was forbidden ground; but I eluded
the suspicions of our natives, and rambled about all day amongst the
decaying memorials of the past, making drawings of the most striking
and peculiar objects within the pah. The cook houses, where the father
of Te Heuheu had his original establishment, remained in a perfect
state; the only entrance to these buildings was a series of circular
apertures, in and out of which the slaves engaged in preparing the food
were obliged to crawl.
“Near to the cook houses there stood a carved patuka, which was the
receptacle of the sacred food of the chief; and nothing could exceed
the richness of the elaborate carving that adorned this storehouse.
I made a careful drawing of it, as the frail material was falling to
decay. Ruined houses--many of them once beautifully ornamented and
richly carved--numerous _waki-tapu_, and other heathen remains with
images and carved posts, occur in various portions of this extensive
pah; but in other places the hand of Time has so effectually destroyed
the buildings as to leave them but an unintelligible mass of ruins.
The situation of this pah is admirably adapted for the security of its
inmates: it commands the lake on the one side, and the other fronts the
extensive marshes of Tukanu, where a strong palisade and a deep moat
afford protection against any sudden attack. Water is conveyed into the
pah through a sluice or canal for the supply of the besieged in times
of war.
“There was an air of solitude and gloomy desolation about the whole
pah, that was heightened by the screams of the plover and the tern, as
they uttered their mournful cry through the deserted courts. I rambled
over the scenes of many savage deeds. Ovens, where human flesh had been
cooked in heaps, still remained, with the stones used for heating them
lying scattered around, blackened by fire; and here and there a dry
skull lay bleaching in the sun and wind, a grim memorial of the past.”
The chief reason for the persistent survival of cannibalism is to be
found in the light in which the natives regard the act. As far as can
be ascertained, the Maories do not eat their fellow-men simply because
they have any especial liking for human flesh, although, as might be
expected, there are still to be found some men who have contracted
a strong taste for the flesh of man. The real reason for the custom
is based on the superstitious notion that any one who eats the flesh
of another becomes endowed with all the best qualities of the slain
person. For this reason, a chief will often content himself with the
left eye of an adversary, that portion of the body being considered as
the seat of the soul. A similar idea prevails regarding the blood.
[Illustration: (1.) CANNIBAL COOK HOUSE. (See page 834.)]
[Illustration: (2.) MAORI PAH. (See page 846.)]
When the dead bodies of enemies are brought into the villages, much
ceremony attends the cooking and eating of them. They are considered as
tapu, or prohibited, until the tohunga, or priest, has done his part.
This consists in cutting off part of the flesh, and hanging it up on a
tree or a tall stick, as an offering to the deities, accompanying his
proceedings with certain mystic prayers and invocations.
Most women are forbidden to eat human flesh, and so are some men and
all young children. When the latter reach a certain age, they are
permitted to become eaters of human flesh, and are inducted into their
new privileges by the singing of chants and songs, the meaning of
which none of the initiates understand, and which, it is probable, are
equally a mystery to the priest himself who chants them.
The palms of the hands and the breast are supposed to be the best
parts; and some of the elder warriors, when they have overcome their
reluctance to talk on a subject which they know will shock their
interlocutors, speak in quite enthusiastic terms of human flesh as an
article of food.
That cannibalism is a custom which depends on warfare is evident from
many sources. In war, as we shall presently see, the New Zealander can
hardly be recognized as the same being in a state of peace. His whole
soul is filled with but one idea--that of vengeance; and it is the
spirit of revenge, and not the mere vulgar instinct of gluttony, that
induces him to eat the bodies of his fellow-men. A New Zealander would
not dream of eating the body of a man who had died a natural death,
and nothing could be further from his thoughts than the deliberate and
systematic cannibalism which disgraces several of the African tribes.
How completely this spirit of vengeance enters into the very soul of
the Maories can be inferred from a short anecdote of a battle. There is
a small island in the Bay of Plenty called Tuhua, or Mayor’s Island,
the inhabitants of which, about two hundred in number, had erected a
strong pah, or fort, in order to defend themselves from the attacks
of tribes who lived on the mainland, and wanted to capture this very
convenient little island. The fort was built on a very steep part of
the island, craggy, precipitous, and chiefly made up of lava.
After making several unsuccessful attacks, the enemy at last made an
onslaught in the night, hoping to take the people off their guard. The
inmates were, however, awake and prepared for resistance; and as soon
as the enemy attacked the pah, the defenders retaliated on them by
allowing them to come partly up the hill on which the pah stands, and
then rolling great stones upon them. Very many of the assailants were
killed, and the rest retreated.
Next morning the successful defenders related this tale to a
missionary, and showed the spot where so sanguinary an encounter had
taken place. The missionary, finding that all the stones and rocks
were perfectly clean, and betrayed no traces of the bloody struggle
which had taken place only a few hours previously, asked to be shown
the marks of the blood. His guide at once answered that the women had
licked it off. It has sometimes been stated that the Maories will kill
their slaves in order to furnish a banquet for themselves; but such
statements are altogether false.
Cannibalism is at the present day nearly, though not quite, extinct.
Chiefly by the efforts of the missionaries, it has been greatly
reduced; and even in cases where it does take place the natives are
chary of speaking about it. In wars that took place some forty years
ago, we learn that several hundred warriors were slain, and their
bodies eaten by their victors. In comparatively recent times twenty
or thirty bodies have been brought into the pah and eaten, while at
the present day many a native has never seen an act of cannibalism.
This strange and ghastly custom is, however, so dear to the Maori mind
that one of the chief obstacles to the conversion of the natives to
Christianity is to be found in the fact that the Christian natives are
obliged to abjure the use of human flesh. Still, the national instinct
of vengeance is rather repressed than extirpated, and there are many
well-known occasions when it has burst through all its bonds, and the
savage nature of the Maori has for a time gained ascendency over him.
CHAPTER LXXXIII.
NEW ZEALAND--_Continued_.
WAR.
THE MODE OF WARFARE DEPENDENT ON WEAPONS -- THE SPEAR, NOW EXTINCT --
THE MERAI, AND THE MATERIALS OF WHICH IT IS MADE -- THE GREEN JADE
MERAI, AND ESTIMATION IN WHICH IT IS HELD BY THE CHIEFS -- THE STONE
MERAI -- THE BONE MERAI, AND ITS VARIED SHAPES -- MODE OF USING THE
WEAPON -- CAPTURE OF SHIPS -- AN EXCITING SCENE AND TIMELY RELIEF
-- THE BATTLE-AXE, OR PATU -- ITS FORM, AND MODE OF USING IT -- THE
CHIEF’S SPEAR, OR HANI -- ITS RESEMBLANCE TO THE ANCIENT SCEPTRE
-- THE TONGUE OF DEFIANCE -- THE WAR DANCE -- ITS EFFECT ON BOARD
SHIP -- THE FORT, OR PAH, AND ITS CONSTRUCTION -- NATIVE ENGINEERING
-- THE REPULSE AT THE GATE PAH -- CONCEALING AN AMBUSH -- FATE OF
CAPTIVES -- THE CHIEF E’HONGI AND HIS BATTLES -- SLAVE-DRIVING WITH A
MERAI -- ETIQUETTE OF WAR -- A TRUCE AND A BARTER -- RETALIATION FOR
BLOODSHED -- CEREMONIES BEFORE AND AFTER A BATTLE.
We now come to the one great object of a Maori’s life, namely, war.
Before we treat of actual warfare, it will be necessary to describe the
weapons which are used, as much of the character of warfare materially
depends on them.
In those parts of the world, for instance, where missiles, such as bows
and arrows or spears, are the principal weapons, war becomes a series
of skirmishes, each individual trying to conceal himself as much as
possible from the enemy, and to deal his own blows without exposing
himself to retaliation. But when the weapons are of a nature that
necessitates hand-to-hand combat, warfare naturally assumes a different
aspect, and, if the forces be at all disciplined, more resembles the
regulated war of civilized nations than the independent single combats
which represent war in most savage countries.
To this latter category belong the weapons of the New Zealander. In
former days the Maori warriors used to employ the spear, but that
weapon has long been laid aside. A few specimens are still retained,
but they are intended, not to be used against an enemy, but in
welcoming a friend, the chief who receives his guests pointing the
spear at them, and throwing it toward them, as has already been
described. When Mr. Angas visited the islands, he found only a very few
of these spears, and they were used entirely for peaceful purposes.
They were of the same character as those of the great Polynesian group,
_i. e._ made entirely of wood, long, sharply pointed, and armed with a
series of barbs.
One of these spears is shown at figure 1, of “Maori weapons,” on
page 841. The reader will understand that only the head of the spear
is shown, the entire length of the weapon being about twelve feet.
The barbs are seen to be arranged in double order, a number of them
pointing backward, and then, after a blank space, several rows pointing
forward. The object of this device was ingenious enough. The spear was
supposed to be pushed through the body of a man until it was stopped by
the second row of barbs. It will be seen that his body would then rest
in the blank space, and the barbs on either side of him would prevent
it from being drawn out or pushed through, so that a wound from the
weapon was necessarily mortal. A spear made on the same principle, and
employed by the Bechuanas, is shown on page 281.
The weapons used by the Maories are very few in number, and of the
simplest possible construction. It is extraordinary, by the way, what
misconceptions exist on this subject. With the generality of persons
almost every club, axe, or spear is set down as belonging to New
Zealand, especially if it has any carving about it. Even the best
public collections are not free from these errors, and in one of the
most celebrated collections of arms I discovered within five minutes
ten or twelve wrong labels.
There is now before me an illustrated work on savage manners and
customs, in which is a group of “New Zealand arms,” containing thirteen
objects. Of these only one is a genuine weapon of New Zealand, and
two others are doubtful. There are two Fiji clubs (one of them with a
hollow tubular handle!), one stone knife of New Caledonia, two clubs
of the Tonga Islands, one Maori chief’s staff of office, one New
Zealander’s carpenter’s adze, one “poi” mallet and one “gnatoo” mallet
from Tonga, and two articles which the draughtsman may have intended
for clubs, but which have been transformed by the engraver’s art into
bottle-gourds. Besides, there is one nondescript article which may be a
drum (and therefore cannot belong to New Zealand), or it may be a pail,
or it may be a jar, and another nondescript article.
We need not, however, wonder at these trifling errors when, in the
same work, a scene in a North American wigwam is described as a “New
Zealand christening,” and the “Interior of a Caffre hut” is fitted with
Abyssinian arms and implements: the men are represented as wearing long
two-forked beards like those of the Fans, headdresses like those of
Tonga, and capes like those of Abyssinia; while a smooth-haired woman,
instead of being dressed in Kaffir fashion, is naked with the exception
of a white cloth tied round her hips. The hut itself is a singularly
ingenious example of perversity on the part of the draughtsman, who has
selected precisely those very characteristics which do not belong to
the Kaffir hut. In the first place, the hut is three times too large,
and the walls are apparently of clay--certainly not of the basket-work
employed by Kaffirs in house-building. The floor, which in a Kaffir hut
is laid down with clay, as smooth as a table and hard as concrete, is
irregular and covered with grass; while, by way of climax, the door is
high enough to allow a man to pass without stooping, and is finished
with a beautiful arched porch covered with creepers.
With the exception of one man, who may, by some stretch of imagination,
be taken for a Hottentot, neither the hut, its furniture, its
inhabitants, nor their weapons, bear the slightest similitude to those
of any part of Southern Africa. Such being the case with museums and
books, we need not be surprised that the popular ideas respecting the
weapons and warfare of New Zealand are very indefinite.
Of course, at the present day, the Maories have practically discarded
their ancient weapons in favor of the rifle, which they know well how
to use, retaining the aboriginal weapons more as marks of rank than
for active service. We have, however, nothing to do with these modern
innovations, and will restrict ourselves to the weapons that belong to
the country.
The first and most important of these is the merai, or short club.
This weapon is exactly analogous to the short sword used by the
ancient Romans, and in some cases resembles it so closely that if the
cross-guard were removed from the sword and the blade rendered convex
instead of flat, the shapes of the two weapons would be almost exactly
identical.
The material of which these weapons are made is sometimes wood and
sometimes stone, but mostly bone, the latter material being furnished
by the spermaceti whale. The stone merai is the most valued, on account
of the difficulty of finding a suitable piece for the purpose, and of
the enormous time which is consumed in cutting it to the desired shape
with the very imperfect instrument which the Maori possesses. In fact,
a stone merai is lowly and laboriously ground into shape by rubbing it
with a piece of stone and a sort of emery powder.
Every merai has a hole drilled through the end of the handle. Through
this hole is passed a loop of plaited cord, by means of which the
weapon is slung to the wrist, to prevent the wearer from being disarmed
in battle. Drilling the hole is a very slow process, and is done by
means of a wetted stick dipped in emery powder.
The finest merai of this description that I have seen belongs to H.
Christie, Esq., and is remarkable not merely for its size, but for the
regularity and beauty of its curves. The material is the dark, dull
green volcanic stone of which the New Zealanders make so many of their
implements. It is nearly eighteen inches in length, and rather more
than four inches wide at the broadest part. There is a similar weapon,
nearly as large, in the collection of the United Service Institution;
but the curves are not so regular, nor is the article so handsome.
One of these weapons is in my collection. It is of equal beauty in
shape with that which has been described, but is not so long. It is
rather more than fourteen inches in length, and not quite four inches
wide. It weighs two pounds six ounces, and is a most formidable weapon,
a blow from its sharp edge being sufficient to crash through the skull
of an ox, not to mention that of a human being.
Every chief, however low in rank, is sure to have one of these merais,
of which he is very proud, and from which he can scarcely be induced
to part. The great chiefs have their merais made of green jade, such
as has already been described when treating of Maori ornaments. These
weapons are handed down from father to son, and are so highly valued
by the natives that it is hardly possible to procure one, unless it be
captured in battle. If a chief should die without a son to whom his
merai can descend, the weapon is generally buried with him.
At fig. 6, in the “weapons,” on page 841, is seen one of these green
jade merais. The shape is not nearly so elegant as that of my weapon
which has just been described. Indeed, with so valuable and rare a
mineral as this green jade, it is not easy to find a piece large enough
to be cut into an ordinarily shaped weapon and the manufacturer is
obliged to do his best with the material at his command.
At fig. 7 is an example of the commonest kind of merai, that which
is made of wood. As the material of such a weapon is comparatively
valueless, the Maories seem to indemnify themselves by adding ornament
to the weapon. For example, they very seldom make the merai of the same
simple shape as that at fig. 6, but give it a distinct edge and back as
at fig. 7. In some cases they make it into a most elaborate piece of
native art, the whole being so beautifully carved that it looks more
like a number of carved pieces of wood fitted together than a weapon
cut out of one solid block.
A singularly beautiful example of such a weapon is to be seen in fig.
1 of the illustration “Merais,” on page 841. As the reader may see it
is one mass of carving, the design being cut completely through the
wood, and therefore being alike on both sides. The back of the merai is
carved into a pattern of singular beauty and boldness, and the edge is
armed with a row of shark’s teeth, which make its blows very formidable
when directed against the naked bodies of the Maori warriors. The
specimen from which the drawing was taken may be seen in the collection
of the British Museum.
The second fig. of the illustrations shows a merai made of bone. The
material is mostly obtained from the blade bone of the spermaceti
whale, and in consequence the weapon is said in books of travel to be
made of whalebone, thus misleading the ordinary reader, who is sure to
understand “whalebone” to be the black elastic substance obtained from
the Greenland whale.
These merais are extremely variable in shape. Some of them are made
like the stone weapons, except that they are much flatter, and have in
consequence both edges alike. Sometimes they are studded with knobs and
cut into hollows; sometimes carved into patterns, much resembling that
of the wooden merai, but not so elaborate. The specimen which I have
selected for the illustration shows examples of the ornaments and studs.
I possess a very good merai which has been made from the lower jaw
of the spermaceti whale. This weapon is shown in fig. 4 of the same
illustration, opposite, and close by it is a section of the jaw of
the whale, in order to show the manner in which it is cut. This
weapon measures seventeen inches in length by three and a half inches
in width, and weighs one pound nine ounces. In consequence of this
comparative lightness, it is a much more efficient weapon than the
stone merai; for the latter is so heavy that, if a blow misses its aim,
the striker is unable to recover the weapon in time to guard himself,
or to repeat the blow, and so lays himself open to the enemy.
If the reader will look at the section of bone, he will see that it
is porous in the centre and hard and solid at the edges. It is from
the solid part that the merai has been cut, and in consequence the
weapon is very flat. The numerous channels through which pass the
blood vessels that nourish the bone are seen in the section, and in
the drawing of the merai one of them is shown traversing the weapon
longitudinally. The name of the merai is “patu-patu,” the _u_ having
the same sound as in flute.
Many of the natives have found out that the English bill-hook answers
admirably as a merai, and can be obtained with very little trouble.
Great quantities of them were at one time imported from Birmingham;
but the rifle and bayonet have in latter days so completely superseded
all other weapons that the Maories trouble themselves little about the
bill-hook.
When a Maori fights with the merai, he does not merely strike, his
usual movement being to thrust sharply at the chin of the enemy; and if
he succeeds in striking him with the point, he cuts him down with the
edge before he can recover himself.
At fig. 5 of the “Maori weapons,” on the next page, is seen an axe, or
tomahawk. This is a curious mixture of European and Maori work, the
blade being obtained from England, and the handle made and carved in
New Zealand with the usual grotesque patterns which a Maori likes to
introduce into all objects connected with warfare. The thigh bone of a
slain enemy is a favorite handle for such a tomahawk.
Before the fierce and warlike character of the New Zealanders was
known, they took several vessels by the use of the merai. It was easy
to suspend the short club over the shoulder, where it was hidden by
the mat, so that when a party of natives came on board, apparently
unarmed, having ostentatiously left their patus and other weapons in
their canoes, each man was in fact armed with the weapon that he most
trusted. The plan pursued was, that the Maories should mingle freely
with the crew, until each man was close to one of the sailors. At a
signal from the chief, the concealed merai was snatched from beneath
the mat, and in a moment it had crashed through the head of the
selected victim.
Even after this ruse was discovered, the ingenious Maories contrived
to get hold of more than one vessel under pretence of exhibiting their
war dance, which in a moment was changed from the mimicry of battle
into reality, the warriors leaping among the spectators and dealing
their blows right and left among them. Ship-taking seems, indeed, to
be a proceeding so dear to the New Zealander, that he can scarcely
resist the temptation when it is offered him. In Messrs. Tyerman and
Rennet’s “Missionary Voyage” there is an anecdote of an adventure that
befell them, which, but for the timely aid of a friendly chief, would
undoubtedly have had a tragic issue.
[Illustration: (1.) GREEN JADE ORNAMENTS. (See page 813.)]
[Illustration: (2.) WOODEN AND BONE MERAIS. (See page 840.)]
[Illustration: (3.) MAORI WEAPONS. (See pages 838, 840, 844.)]
The ship had arrived off New Zealand, and while at anchor the following
events occurred:--“This morning our little vessel was surrounded with
canoes, containing several hundreds of the natives, of both sexes, who
presently climbed up, and crowded it so much that we were obliged to
put a bar across the quarter-deck, and _tabu_ it from intrusion. The
commerce in various articles, on both sides, went on pretty well for
some time, till one provoking circumstance after another occurred,
which had nearly led to the seizure of the ship and the loss of our
lives.
“In the confusion occasioned by the great throng in so narrow a space,
the natives began to exercise their pilfering tricks, opportunities for
which are seldom permitted to slip away unimproved. Suddenly the cook
cried out, ‘They have stolen this thing;’ but scarcely had he named
the thing (some kitchen article), when he called out again, ‘They have
stolen the beef out of the pot!’ and then a third time, ‘They have
stolen my cooking pan!’ Presently another voice bawled out from the
forecastle, ‘Captain! they have broken open your trunk, and carried
away your clothes!’
“Up to this time we had been in friendly intercourse with the chiefs,
rubbing noses, and purchasing their personal ornaments and other
curiosities, suspecting no mischief. But now, in the course of a few
moments, without our perceiving the immediate reason, the whole scene
was changed. We found afterward that the captain (Dibbs), on hearing of
the audacious thefts above mentioned, had become angry, and while he
was endeavoring, rather boisterously, to clear the deck of some of the
intruders, one of them, a chief, on being jostled by him, fell over the
ship’s side into the sea, between his own canoe and the vessel. This
was seized instantaneously as the pretext for commencing hostilities.
The women and children in the course of a few minutes had all
disappeared, leaping overboard into their canoes, and taking with them
the kakaous, or mantles, of the warriors. The latter, thus stripped
for action, remained on deck; of which, before we were aware, they had
taken complete possession; and forthwith made us their prisoners.
“Tremendous were the bawlings and screechings of the barbarians, while
they stamped, and brandished their weapons, consisting principally
of clubs and spears. One chief with his cookies (his slaves) had
surrounded the captain, holding their spears at his breast and his
sides, on the larboard quarter of the vessel. Mr. Tyerman, under guard
of another band, stood on the starboard; and Mr. Bennet on the same
side, but aft, toward the stern. Mr. Threlkeld and his little boy, not
seven years old, were near Mr. Bennet not under direct manual grasp of
the savages. The chief who, with his gang, had been trafficking with
Mr. Bennet, now brought his huge tattooed visage near to Mr. B.’s,
screaming, in tones the most odious and horrifying: ‘Tongata, New
Zealandi, tongata kakino?--Tongata, New Zealandi, tongata kakino?’
“This he repeated as rapidly as lips, tongue, and throat could utter
the words, which mean, ‘Man of New Zealand, is he bad man?--Man of New
Zealand, a bad man?’ Happily Mr. Bennet understood the question (the
New Zealand dialect much resembling the Tahitian): whereupon, though
convinced that inevitable death was at hand, he answered, with as much
composure as could be assumed, ‘Kaore kakino tongata New Zealandi,
tongata kapai’ (‘Not bad; the New Zealander is a good man’); and so
often as the other, with indescribable ferocity of aspect and sharpness
of accent, asked the same question (which might be a hundred times),
the same answer was returned.
“‘But,’ inquired Mr. Bennet, ‘why is all this uproar? Why cannot we
still rub noses, and buy and sell, and barter, as before?’ At this
moment a stout slave, belonging to the chief, stepped behind Mr.
Bennet, and pinioned both his arms close to his sides. No effort was
made to resist or elude the gigantic grasp, Mr. B. knowing that such
would only accelerate the threatened destruction. Still, therefore,
he maintained his calmness, and asked the chief the price of a neck
ornament which the latter wore. Immediately another slave raised a
large tree-felling axe (which, with others, had been brought to be
sharpened by the ship’s company) over the head of the prisoner. This
ruffian looked with demon-like eagerness and impatience toward his
master for the signal to strike.
“And here it may be observed that our good countrymen can have no idea
of the almost preternatural fury which savages can throw into their
distorted countenances, and infuse into their deafening and appalling
voices, when they are possessed by the legion-fiend of rage, cupidity,
and revenge. Mr. Bennet persevered in keeping up conversation with the
chief, saying, ‘We want to buy bruaa, kumera, ika, &c. (hogs, potatoes,
fish), of you.’
“Just then he perceived a youth stepping on deck with a large fish
in his hand. ‘What shall I give you for that fish?’--‘Why, so many
fish-hooks.’--‘Well, then, put your hand into my pocket and take them.’
The fellow did so. ‘Now put the fish down there, on the binnacle, and
bring some more, if you have any,’ said Mr. Bennet. At once the fish
that he had just bought was brought round from behind and presented to
him again for sale. He took no notice of the knavery, but demanded,
‘What shall I give you for that fish?’--‘So many hooks.’--‘Take them.
Have you no other fish to sell?’ A third time the same fish was
offered, and the same price in hooks required and given, or rather
taken, by the vendor, out of his jacket pockets, which happened to be
well stored with this currency for traffic. A fourth time Mr. Bennet
asked, ‘Have you never another fish?’ At this the rogues could contain
their scorn no longer, but burst into laughter, and cried, ‘We are
cheating the foreigner!’ (‘Tangata ke!’) supposing that their customer
was not aware how often they had caught him with the same bait.”
By this ingenious plan of pretending to be the dupe of the Maories,
Mr. Bennet contrived to gain time, of which he knew that every minute
was of the greatest importance, and at last he was rewarded for his
courageous diplomacy by the arrival of a boat, in which was a friendly
chief, who at once cleared the ship.
The reader will observe that at this time the New Zealanders had not
abandoned the use of the spear as a weapon of war, though only twenty
years afterward scarcely a spear could be found that was not intended
as an emblem of hospitality instead of strife.
At fig. 3 of “Weapons” is shown a very curious club, called Patu by the
natives, and popularly, but wrongly, called by sailors a battle-axe.
It is about five feet in length, and has at one end a flat, axe-like
head, and at the other a sharp point. One of these weapons in my
possession, presented to me, together with many similar articles, by E.
Randell, Esq., is five feet one inch in length, and weighs two pounds
six ounces, being exactly the same weight as the stone merai already
described. The rounded edge of the axe-like head is very sharp, and
certainly looks as if it was intended for the purpose of inflicting
wounds. Such, however, is not the case, the Maori using the pointed
butt as a spear or pike, and striking with the back of the head and not
with the edge.
Through the lower portion of the head is bored a hole, to which is
suspended a bunch of feathers and streamers. Sometimes this tuft is
only a foot in length, but is often longer. In a specimen taken by Sir
J. E. Alexander it is half as long as the patu itself. At first sight
this appendage seems, like the multitudinous feathers which decorate a
North American spear or club, to be merely an ornament, and to detract
from, rather than add to, the efficiency of the weapon. But the Maori
warrior is far too keen a soldier to sacrifice use to ornament, and, if
he employs the latter, he is sure to take care that the former is not
endangered by it.
In the present case, this apparently useless appendage adds materially
to the effectiveness of the weapon. When the warrior, armed with the
patu, meets an adversary, he does not rush at him heedlessly, but
fences, as it were, with his weapon, holding it in both hands, twirling
it about, and flourishing the bunch of feathers in the face of his foe
so as to distract his attention. Neither does he stand in the same
spot, but leaps here and there, endeavoring to take the foe off his
guard, and making all kinds of feints in order to test the adversary’s
powers. Should he see the least opening, the sharp point of the butt is
driven into his adversary’s body, or a severe blow delivered with the
head, the stroke being generally made upward and not downward, as might
be imagined.
In fact, the whole management of the patu is almost identical with that
of the old quarterstaff of England, a weapon whose use is unfortunately
forgotten at the present day. The bunch of feathers is not an
invariable appendage. In my own specimen, for example, it has never
been used, and I have seen many others in which the hole has not been
bored for the insertion of the string that ties the feathers together.
The last weapon drawn in this illustration is hardly worthy of the
name. It is a dagger, and is shown at fig. 4. At fig. 2 of the same
illustration is seen an implement which is generally mistaken for a
spear, and is labelled as such in many a collection. It is, however, no
spear at all, but a sceptre, or staff of office belonging to a chief.
The Maori name is E’Hani. It is shaped at the butt like an exceedingly
elongated merai, and indeed the entire implement looks as if the hani
and the merai were but different modifications of the same weapon.
Be this as it may, the hani is no spear, but a staff of office, almost
identical in form with that which was borne by the ancient kings and
heralds in the times of Troy. At the upper end is seen the head, which
bears some resemblance to the point of a spear, and has given ground
to the notion that the implement in question is really a spear. This
portion, however, does not serve the purpose of offence, but is simply
a conventional representation of the human tongue, which, when thrust
forth to its utmost, conveys, according to Maori ideas, the most bitter
insult and defiance. When the chief wishes to make war against any
tribe, he calls his own people together, makes a fiery oration, and
repeatedly thrusts his hani in the direction of the enemy, each such
thrust being accepted as a putting forth of the tongue in defiance.
In order to show that the point of the hani is really intended to
represent the human tongue, the remainder of it is carved into a
grotesque and far-fetched resemblance of the human face, the chief
features of which are two enormous circular eyes made of haliotis shell.
Generally, the hani is ornamented with feathers like the patu; but
many of the staves are without this decoration, which is looked upon
as a mere non-essential. These staves vary greatly in length. My own
specimen is between five and six feet in length, and is without the
feather ornaments, whereas others are not more than a yard in length,
and are decorated with a bunch of feathers as long as themselves. The
chiefs are nearly as tenacious of the hard as the merai, and do not
seem to be easy if it be put out of their reach. Some years ago several
Maori chiefs came to visit England, and were taken to see the various
sights of London. But whether they went to the theatre, or to the
Zoological Gardens, or to make calls, they invariably took their hanis
with them, sometimes carrying a short one for convenience’ sake, but
appearing to attach the greatest value to its possession.
One of these curious implements in my collection is six feet in
length, and is made of the same wood as the patu. If held upright the
resemblance of the point to the outstretched tongue is not very plain;
but if it be held horizontally, the effect is quite altered, and the
whole of the tip is seen to represent a human head with the tongue
thrust out as far as possible between the lips. As the tongue is only
a conventional representation, it is covered with a pattern, a ridge
running along the centre, and each side being marked with precisely
similar curves and semi-spirals.
In spite of its length, it really makes a very convenient
walking-staff, and, on an emergency, might do duty as a weapon, the
tongue-like tip being sharp enough to act as a spear head, and the
flattened butt being heavy enough to stun a man with a well-directed
blow. My specimen does not possess the tuft of feathers and dog’s-hair
which decorates the hani shown in the “weapons” (fig. 2, p. 841); but
this adornment is not considered as forming a necessary part of the
implement.
Before a party engage in war, they think themselves bound to join in
the war dance. There are war dances in almost all savage tribes, but
that of the New Zealander surpasses them all. In other cases, each
warrior gives himself up to the excitement of the moment, and shouts,
yells, dances, and brandishes his weapons as he seems to think fit; but
the Maori warrior’s dance is of a far different character, being guided
by a discipline and precision of drill to which that of the Russians
themselves is loose and irregular.
They begin by smearing the whole of their clothing and by painting
their faces with scarlet ochre, so as to make themselves as hideous as
possible. When they assemble for the dance, they arrange themselves
in lines, mostly three deep, and excite their naturally passionate
disposition to the highest pitch by contorting their faces and
thrusting out their tongues as an act of defiance, interspersing these
gestures with shouts, yells, and challenges to the enemy. The dance
itself begins with stamping the feet in perfect time with each other,
the vigor of the stamp increasing continually, and the excitement
increasing in similar proportion.
Suddenly, with a yell, the whole body of men leap side-ways into the
air, as if actuated by one spirit, and, as they touch the ground,
come down on it with a mighty stamp that makes the earth tremble. The
war song is raised, and in accordance with its rhythm the men leap
from side to side, each time coming down with a thud as of some huge
engine. The effect of the dance upon the performers is extraordinary.
It seems to make them for the time absolute maniacs, their whole nature
being given up to the furious excitement of the moment. Their faces
are frightfully contorted, and thus assume an absolutely demoniacal
expression.
Even when war is not impending, the magic influence of the dance
affects the performers as strongly as if they were close to a pah or
fort of the enemy, ready for battle; and when, as is sometimes the
case, the Maories give a dance in honor of a visitor, they become so
furiously excited that they are quite dangerous until they have had
time to cool.
On one such occasion a party of Maories who had visited a ship were
requested to exhibit their war dance, and very good-naturedly did so.
But in a short time their measured leaps became so vehement, and their
stamps so powerful, as they shouted the martial rhymes of the war song,
that they shook the whole ship as if by blows of a battering-ram; and
the commanding officer, fearful that they would absolutely smash the
deck, begged them to desist. His entreaties were in vain, even if they
were heard, though it is very likely that, in their furious excitement,
the dancers were deaf to every sound except the war song which they
were yelling at the top of their voices; and the dance proceeded to its
end, and did not cease until the performers were quite exhausted by the
furious exertions they had made.
The most ludicrous part of the dance was the conduct of the chief. He
had been treated with much attention, and presented with a full suit of
naval uniform, of which he was mightily proud, and in which he stalked
about the deck to the great admiration of his subjects. When he was
asked whether the war dance could be given, he at once ordered his
followers to accede to the request, and at first stood quietly by while
they went through the performance.
The influence of the dance was, however, too contagious to be resisted,
and rapidly extended itself to him. First he merely swayed his body in
rhythm with the steps of the dancers, then he joined _sotto voce_ in
the song, then he began to stamp in time with them, and at last threw
off all restraint, sprang into line, and leaped, yelled, and stamped as
enthusiastically as any of them, splitting his new garments to pieces,
and presenting a very sorry sight when his excitement had died away.
The illustration opposite represents a portion of a party of warriors
as they appear when performing their war dance. Only the first three
ranks of them are seen; but the reader must picture for himself the
long lines of warriors stretching into the distance, numbering often
from one to two hundred. The leading chief is seen in front, with
his green jade merai in his hand; and another but inferior chief is
stationed behind him. In the background is shown a portion of the pah
in which the dance is taking place; a chief’s storehouse for food is
seen on the right, and under the shelter of the houses are seated the
women who are watching the dance.
I have already said that war is always in the thoughts of a genuine
Maori. Unlike the vaporing Fiji warrior, who is always ready to boast,
and seldom ready to fight, preferring to knock his enemy on the head
when asleep, the Maori is a brave soldier, accustomed from his earliest
childhood to deeds of war. A mimic war forms one of the favorite games
of the Maori children, though it is necessarily restricted to boys.
Just as boys of our country build snow castles, and attack and defend
them with snow-balls, so do the young New Zealanders build miniature
forts, and enact on a small scale the deeds of actual war, using light
sticks instead of the merai and patu. They make their forts by erecting
mounds of earth, and building the fortresses of stakes, in exact
imitation of the more substantial architecture of the veritable pah.
These ingenious pahs well exemplify the whole system of Maori warfare.
The two opposing parties seldom meet each other in the open ground, as
is the case with European warfare; neither do they employ an irregular
skirmishing fight among trees or under cover, as is the case with many
savage tribes. The attacking party is sure to be very superior in
numbers to their foes, and the latter, knowing that this will be the
case, resort to the system of fortification, and entrench themselves in
forts, or pahs.
These pahs are marvellous examples of uncivilized engineering, and are
admirably adapted to the purpose which they are intended to fulfil.
They are always placed in some strong situation, sometimes on the
seashore, sometimes on heights, and one or two of the strongest are
built on the very edge of a perpendicular precipice, so that they
cannot be attacked on three sides, while the fourth can only be
approached by a narrow and awkward path, along which only a few men can
pass, and which can be defended by a comparatively limited number of
the besieged. (See p. 830.)
Taking one of these pahs is really a great enterprise for the natives,
and before they knew the use of firearms it is wonderful that they ever
took a pah at all. Many of them are indeed impregnable, and, until
firearms were introduced into the colony, could bid defiance to all
enemies. They were so situated that by merely rolling stones down the
approach the path could be cleared of every foe. They are surrounded
with trenches, and have ingenious sally-ports so constructed that the
defenders can issue from unexpected parts of the fort, make a sudden
attack on the assailants, and retreat through the same aperture when
they have attained their purpose.
They are fenced round with very strong posts, lashed together so firmly
that they are able to resist any ordinary attack. Since firearms were
introduced, the Maories have modified the structure of the pahs to
suit their new weapons, throwing out angles to secure a flanking fire,
and filling the interior with trenches in which the defenders can lie
secure from the fire of the enemy. Since they learned the terrible
power of shells, the natives have learned to construct “traverses,” _i.
e._ cross-walls in the trenches, which not only guard the inmates from
the fragments of the shells, but prevent an enfilading fire from doing
much damage. Rifle-pits are also constructed with singular ingenuity.
One pah was remarkable for being built over a number of boiling
springs, which were used as traps for the enemy when the fort was
besieged.
The reader may remember the unfortunate business at the Gate Pah,
at Tauranga. When taken by storm, the pah appeared to be empty and
deserted, the natives having apparently escaped, according to their
custom, when they found the place no longer tenable. They had, however,
laid a trap, into which the assailants fell. When the latter had
scattered themselves over the interior, and were quite off their guard,
picking up arms, utensils, and other objects lying carelessly about,
a terrific musketry fire was opened from under their very feet, the
natives having constructed pits in which they hid themselves until the
enemy were attracted within their range by the weapons and implements
which they had laid on purpose to act as a bait. The men, who were
entirely off their guard, and many of whom besides were but raw
recruits, were struck with a sudden panic, and, with a few honorable
exceptions, rushed out of the pah, followed and cut up by the fire of
the wily foe.
[Illustration: THE MAORI WAR DANCE. (See page 846.)]
Of course the repulse was but temporary; but such a stratagem as this
is sufficient to show the military genius of the Maori, who, if he
becomes an enemy, is one that cannot be despised with impunity. This
system of taking the enemy by surprise is the usual mode of fighting
among the Maories, who display wonderful ingenuity in contriving
ambushes, and enticing the enemy into them. When we were first driven
into war with the natives of New Zealand, we were frequently entrapped
in an ambuscade; and in one case the hidden enemy were so close to our
men, their dusky forms being hidden in the shadows of the bush, that
many of the soldiers who escaped with life had their faces completely
tattooed with grains of unburnt powder from the muskets of the enemy.
If the assailants succeed in taking the pah, a terrible massacre always
ensues. Every man is killed who is capable of wielding a weapon,
while the women and children are carried off to become the slaves of
the conquerors--a doom from which, as I have already stated, there
is no escape; the unfortunate women, their children, and any future
offspring, being slaves without the possibility of release, not even
their own tribe being able, according to Maori law, to interfere with
the right of the captors.
The bodies of the warriors are of course reserved to be baked and
eaten. Sometimes even the prisoners fall victims to the thirst for
blood which characterizes these islanders; and in this respect the
women are as bad as the men, if not worse. For example, the principal
wife of a very great chief, named E’Hongi, was accustomed, even though
blind, to murder some of the captives, when they were brought home by
her formidable husband. Her own end was, however, more tragic than
that of any of her victims. E’Hongi was in the habit of making long
excursions to different parts of the country, in which he took his wife
with him. On one of these excursions she fell sick, and had to be left
behind. In consequence of her blindness, added to her debility, she was
unable to act in her own defence, and a number of dogs, discovering her
weakness, tore her to pieces and devoured her.
She seems, however, to have been a woman of unexceptionally strong
feelings of vengeance. “She had,” writes Mr. Angas, “a little
slave-girl to attend upon her, toward whom she evinced a strong
attachment. The little creature was interesting and good-tempered, and
her mistress was apparently so fond of her that she was spared the
experience of the misery of slavery; she was only a favorite.
“Hongi returned from one of his successful expeditions of war, but had
left a son upon the field of battle, and the lamentation was great.
The petted slave-child laid her head upon the lap of her mistress, and
poured out her share of the general sorrow. But the spirit of vengeance
or of insane retribution came over the heart of the bereaved mother;
and she carried the child to the water, and cruelly suffocated her in
satisfaction of her selfish sorrow.”
It was not long after this incident that she met with her death. When
she was left behind, a small shed was erected on poles, according to
native custom, and a supply of food was placed near her. When the party
returned the shed was lying prostrate, and among its ruins were the
whitened bones of the inmate. It is supposed that the wind blew down
the shed, and so enabled the dogs to reach her.
This same E’Hongi was a really remarkable man, and earned a great name
for wisdom and courage. Having made a voyage to England, he threw all
his energies into strengthening his military power, and took back with
him a quantity of muskets and ammunition.
He came back to his own country exactly at the proper time. A long
and somewhat desultory war had been going on between the Waikatos and
other tribes, in which the former had, after many vicissitudes, been
victorious, and, after finally conquering their enemies, had returned
to their country in triumph.
Just then E’Hongi came back to his own tribe, the Nga Puis, distributed
his firearms among the best warriors, and when he had instructed
them in the use of the new and terrible weapons, entered the Waikato
country, and attacked their great pah called Matuketuke. The Waikatos,
having only their clubs, and not having sunk the trenches which in
these days are dug in every pah that is intended to resist an assault,
could not contend against firearms, and in a few minutes the fort was
taken. It was in this engagement that Horomona and Te Whero-Whero were
captured.
The slaughter on this occasion was terrible, two thousand warriors
being killed, and their bodies eaten by the victorious tribe, who built
vast numbers of ovens for the special purpose of cooking the bodies of
the slain. For many years afterward the remains of the ovens, and the
whitened bones of the two thousand warriors, might be seen as tokens of
the terrible scene, where feasts were kept up until all the bodies had
been consumed, and every evil passion of unrestrained human nature was
allowed to have its full sway.
One of the very muskets which were used on this occasion, and which was
given by George IV. to E’Hongi when he visited England, is now in the
collection of Colonel Sir. J. E. Alexander. It is one of the regular
“Brown Bess” weapons, once so dear to soldiers, and now irreverently
termed a gaspipe.
Prisoners without number were captured on this occasion; and indeed the
supply of slaves thus obtained so far exceeded the demand for them,
that the Nga Puis killed many of them on their journey home, merely
to rid themselves of them. E’ Hongi, though known to be a man of the
most determined courage, not to say ferocity, when engaged in war, and
rather disposed to behave in an overbearing manner toward those whom
he considered as his inferiors, was at the same time peculiarly mild
and courteous in his demeanor to his equals, and toward strangers was
remarkable for his gentle courtesy.
There was another very celebrated chief of a somewhat similar name,
Hongi-Hongi, who has sometimes been confounded with his great
predecessor. One feat of this warrior is so characteristic that it
deserves mention. He was leading an attack on a pah near Mount Egmont,
captured it, and, according to custom, killed the warriors, and took
the rest of the inmates as his slaves. Sixty of these unfortunate
beings fell to the share of Hongi, who drove them like a flock of
sheep, with his green jade merai, all the way to his home, a distance
of one hundred and eighty miles.
This chief was proof against the missionaries of all kinds. Mr. Angas
once asked him whether he was a _mihanari_, _i. e._ a Protestant
convert, or a _pikopo_, _i. e._ a Roman Catholic. Hongi denied that
he was either one or the other, and confessed with glee that he was a
_revera_, or devil, _i. e._ that he still remained a heathen.
It is very unfortunate that intolerance in religious matters has been
fostered by those who ought to have made it their business to repress
any such feeling. The consequence is, that the Protestant converts
regard their Roman Catholic brethren as reveras, or devils, while
the latter have allied themselves with their acknowledged heathen
countrymen; and thus, under the pretence of religion, the customary
feuds are kept up with perhaps even additional bitterness.
I have the pleasure of presenting to the reader, on the 820th page,
a portrait of Hongi-Hongi, as he appeared in the year 1844, dressed
in his full panoply of war costume. This, of course, would be doffed
before he went into actual fight. In his ear is one of the green jade
ornaments which have already been described, and in his right hand he
bears his merai, the celebrated weapon with which he drove the slaves
before him. He is represented as standing just inside the wall of his
pah, a position which he insisted on taking up, and having his portrait
drawn to send to the Queen of England. In fact, he was so decided on
this point, that he refused to let Mr. Angas leave the pah until the
portrait was completed. The portion of the pah which is shown in the
illustration gives a good idea of this kind of fortification, the
enormous posts with their circular tops being sunk deeply into the
ground, and smaller posts placed between them; a horizontal pole is
laid across them; and the whole is firmly lashed together, either with
the ordinary phormium rope, or with the stem of the wild vine.
Warfare among the Maories, fierce and relentless as it may be in
some particulars, is not devoid of a sort of chivalry which somewhat
relieves it from its more ferocious aspect. There is, for example, a
well-known code of military etiquette which is sometimes exhibited in a
mode that to us seems rather ludicrous.
For example, the Waikatos and Taranaki tribes were at war as usual,
and the Waikato were besieging a pah belonging to their enemies. The
pah, however, was too strong for them; and moreover the defenders had
contrived to get hold of several guns belonging to a vessel that had
been wrecked on the shore, and had induced some Europeans to mount and
work them, which they did with such success that the Waikatos were
forced at last to abandon the siege.
But, in the very midst of the contest, a vessel appeared in the offing,
and a truce was immediately concluded in order to allow both parties to
trade. Accordingly, both the besiegers and besieged set off amicably to
the vessel, and, having completed their bargains, returned to resume
their hostilities. A very amusing scene then occurred. The Taranakis,
who were the besieged party, had much the best of the trading, as they
possessed a large quantity of dressed flax, or phormium, and exchanged
it for a quantity of tobacco.
Now tobacco is one of the greatest luxuries that a New Zealander
can possess; and unfortunately for the besieging Waikatos, they had
no tobacco. They had, however, a plentiful supply of muskets, which
they had taken in an attack upon another pah, while the besieged were
very short of arms. So they struck up a trade, the Waikatos being so
inordinately desirous of obtaining tobacco, that they gave in return
fire-arms which were to be turned against themselves.
“The scene,” writes Mr. Angas, “as described by an eye-witness, must
have been most ludicrous. The Waikato thrust his musket half-way
through the palisades of the pah, retaining, however, a firm hold of
his property until the intending purchaser from within thrust out in a
similar manner the quantity of tobacco he was willing to give; neither
party relinquishing his hold of the property about to change hands
until he had secured a firm grasp of that offered by his adversary.”
The chief who led the Waikatos on this occasion was the celebrated
Wiremu Nera, or William Taylor; the former name being the nearest
approach that the Maories can make to the proper pronunciation. His
Maori name was Te Awaitaia, and he was widely celebrated for his
dauntless courage and his generalship in conducting or resisting an
attack. Being closely allied with the famous chief Te Whero-Whero
(or Potatau), he was engaged in nearly all the combats between the
Waikatos and the Taranakis. On one of his warlike expeditions he took
a pah containing nearly eighteen hundred inhabitants, and, of course,
killed nearly all of them, and carried the survivors as slaves into the
Waikato district.
Latterly, he embraced Christianity, and became as zealous in the cause
of peace as he had been in that of war. When he became a Christian,
Te Whero-Whero was so well aware of his value as a warrior, that he
exclaimed to those who brought him the news, “I have lost my right arm!”
Although repulsed on this occasion by the three guns taken from the
wrecked ship, the Waikatos were not discouraged, and made a second
attack. The Taranakis, however, had seen too much of Waikato courage
to risk a second siege, and so quietly made off, some two thousand in
number, accompanied by the Europeans who had served the guns for them.
The latter very rightly spiked the guns when they left the pah, so that
when the Waikatos came again and took the pah, they found it deserted,
and the guns useless to the captors.
The Taranakis lived in deadly fear of the powerful and warlike
Waikatos, and, but for the love which they felt toward their native
country, would have fled, and left the conquerors to take quiet
possession. They were even obliged to have their plantations in the
bush, where none but the owner could find them; for they feared, and
with reason, that if their dreaded enemies could discover the sources
whence their provisions were obtained, they would destroy the whole
plantation, and leave their victims to starve. They were in such a
state of nervous alarm about a suspected invasion by their powerful
neighbors, that on one occasion, when a fire was seen in the distance,
every one took it for granted to be a fire lighted by the Waikatos, and
in consequence every one kept awake all night, ready to give the alarm
at the first unwonted sight or sound.
Among the New Zealanders is a custom of retaliation which is found
with but little variation in many parts of the world. If blood has
been shed, the friends of the dead man issue from the pah, with the
determination of killing the first person whom they may happen to meet.
Should he belong to an inimical tribe, so much the better; should he
belong to the same tribe, so much the worse; for in either case he is
killed. On such an occasion one of the avengers would be bound to kill
his own brother, should he happen to be the first man who came in the
way of the party.
Such an exercise of vengeance is rather an inconvenient one to those
who are engaged in it; for they are forbidden the use of their ordinary
comforts, they may not eat any food except that which is indigenous
to New Zealand, and, above all, they are not allowed to smoke. When,
therefore they have been unable to find any human being whom they can
sacrifice, the aid of the priest, or tohunga, is called in. He pulls
up a tuft of grass, and, after repeating one of the many incantations
which abound in New Zealand lore, and of which neither the hearers nor
the reciter understand one word in ten, he throws the grass into the
nearest stream, in token that the avengers are released from their vow.
Blood, however, must still be shed; but after this ceremony has been
performed, the blood of any living thing, even though it be a bird, is
held sufficient to satisfy the traditional custom of the Maori race.
Elaborate rites closely allied with this ceremony are employed both
before and after battle; but, as they belong rather to the subject of
religion than of war, we will postpone them for the present.
As the New Zealanders know that it is a point of military honor
combined with personal gratification to eat the bodies of slain
enemies, they are equally desirous of securing the bodies of their
foes and of carrying off those who have fallen on their own side; and
in many instances the anxiety to save those who have fallen has caused
others to share the same fate while attempting to carry off their dead
or wounded comrades.
CHAPTER LXXXIV.
NEW ZEALAND--_Continued_.
CANOES.
THE CANOE, AND ITS USES IN PEACE AND WAR -- THE COMMON TRADING CANOE
-- SKILL OF THE BOATMEN -- THE LARGE WAR CANOES, AND MODE OF BUILDING
THEM -- DECORATIONS OF THE CANOES -- SKILFUL CARVINGS -- THE THEORY
OF THE VARIOUS PATTERNS -- NAMES OF CANOES -- MANAGEMENT OF THE SAIL
-- CANOE SONGS -- A COMPLETE BOAT-LOAD -- MODE OF LANDING -- SHAPE
OF THE PADDLES, AND MODE OF USING THEM -- CARVING TOOLS -- SUPPOSED
COMPASSES.
War is carried on quite as much by water as by land, and a chief who
knows the principles of good generalship always uses the sea as well
as the land to serve as a basis for his attack. For this reason the
Maories take care to build their pahs in spots where they are well
defended from attack both on the seaward and the landward side. Some of
them are on the very verge of high-water mark, while others are perched
on the tops of cliffs, the base of which is washed by the waves.
One of the most picturesque of these is a pah situate near Mount
Egmont, and known by the name of the Waimate Pah. There is a cliff that
rises perpendicularly some four or five hundred feet above the level of
the water which laves its foot, and on the very summit of this cliff is
situated the pah in question. It is of considerable size, containing
many houses and is fortified with the usual wooden fence. In order to
render it as nearly as possible impregnable, the only approach is by
a very narrow and very steep path, that cannot be ascended except by
people who have strong heads, the path being so narrow, so steep, and
so dangerous that two men could defend it against fifty.
In his warlike expeditions E’Hongi made great use of his canoes, taking
them inland as far as they would go, and then having them dragged over
land to the next river.
These canoes play so important a part in the life of a New Zealander,
whether in war or peace, that they require a detailed description. The
canoes are of several kinds, according to the work which they have to
perform. The simplest form of the New Zealander’s canoe is little more
than a trunk of a tree hollowed into a sort of trough. Being incapable
of withstanding rough weather, this canoe is only used upon rivers.
Some of these canoes, which are called by the name of _kaupapas_,
are from forty to fifty feet in length, and in the widest part not
exceeding a yard in “beam.” A plentiful supply of fern leaves is laid
at the bottom of the canoe, and upon these the passengers recline.
Canoes of a similar character, called _tiwai_, are used in the inland
lakes, and sit so low in the water that they appear to have no gunwale.
Owing to their want of beam, these canoes are as easily upset as the
slight skiffs in which races are rowed on English rivers. The agile
Maori, accustomed from childhood to balance himself in these crank
vessels, traverses them with ease and security, but an European
generally upsets four or five canoes before he learns how to enter or
leave them properly. The natives manage these canoes with wonderful
skill, and, apparently regardless of the risk of capsizing the canoe,
dash their paddles into the water with furious energy, driving up spray
on all sides, and making the canoe and its rowers look at a distance
like some gigantic centipede dashing through the water.
The vessels, however, of which the Maories are most fond, and on which
they expend the most labor, are the large canoes in which the warriors
embark when on a campaign. Those canoes are made from the cowrie pine
(the same tree which furnishes the aromatic gum already mentioned); and
the tree being a very large one, the natives are able to make their
canoes of considerable size. Some of these canoes are upward of eighty
feet in length and in consequence are able to carry a great number of
warriors.
They are built in rather an elaborate manner. First the trough-like
vessel is formed from the tree trunk; and if it were left in that
state, it would be simply a very large kaupapa. As, however, it is
intended for sea voyages, and may have to endure rough weather; it is
much wider in proportion than the boat which is only used on rivers,
and is, moreover, rendered more seaworthy by gunwales. These are made
separately, and are lashed firmly to the sides of the boat by the
ordinary flax ropes.
Both the head and stern of the canoe are decorated with carving,
exactly similar in character to the specimens of native art which
have already been described. They are pierced with the most elaborate
patterns, which have as their basis the contour of the human
countenance and the semi-spiral curve. Perhaps a single canoe head will
have fifty or sixty human faces on it, each with the tongue protruded,
with the cheeks and forehead covered with tattooed lines, and with a
pair of goggle eyes made of the haliotis shell. The mode which a native
adopts when carving these elaborate patterns is as follows:
After shaping out the general form of the article to be carved, he
fixes on some part which he thinks will be suitable for the purpose,
and carves a human head upon it. When this is completed, he pitches
upon a second spot at some distance from the first, and carves another
head, proceeding in this way until he has carved as many heads as he
thinks the pattern will require.
He next furnishes the heads with bodies and limbs, which are always
represented in a very squat and ungainly manner, and fills in the
vacant spaces with the beautiful curved lines which he loves so well to
draw and carve. The minute elaboration of some of these war canoes is
so intricate that it baffles all power of description, and nothing but
a well executed photograph could give a correct idea of the beauty of
the workmanship. It is a marvellous example of the development of art
under difficulties. It is quite unique in its character, so that no one
who is acquainted with the subject can for a moment mistake a piece of
New Zealand carving for that of any other country.
Besides carving the canoes, the Maori paints them with vermilion in
token of their warlike object, and decorates them profusely with
bunches of feathers and dog’s hair, just like the tufts which are
attached to the patu. When the canoes are not wanted, they are drawn up
on shore, and are thatched in order to save them from the weather.
Like more civilized nations, the New Zealanders give names to their
canoes, and seem to delight in selecting the most sonorous titles that
they can invent. For example, one canoe is called Maratuhai, _i. e._
Devouring Fire; and others have names that coincide almost exactly with
our Invincibles, Terribles, Thunderers, and the like.
These boats are furnished with a very remarkable sail made of the
raupo rush. It is small in proportion to the size of the vessel, is
triangular in shape, and is so arranged that it can be raised or
lowered almost in a moment. They are better sailors than would be
imagined from their appearance, and run wonderfully close to the wind.
Sometimes from fifty to sixty men paddle in one of these war canoes,
singing songs in time to the stroke, and guided both in song and stroke
by a conductor who stands in the middle of the canoe, prompting the
words of the song, and beating time for the paddlers with a staff which
he holds in his hand. Owing to the power of the water in reflecting
sound, the measured chant of the paddle-song can be heard on a river
long before the canoe comes in sight.
Mr. Angas gives an interesting account of a journey in a Maori canoe.
After mentioning that the vessel was so deeply laden that its sides
were not more than two inches above the water, he proceeds as follows:
“The paddles were plied with great spirit; the exertions of the natives
being stimulated by the animated shouting song kept up incessantly
by the one or other of the party. At length the splashing was so
violent that we became nearly drenched, and on requesting the Maori
before us to throw less water in our faces, he replied with a proverb
common among them, that ‘No one is dry who travels with the Waikatos,’
meaning that the people of this tribe excel all others in the speed and
dexterity with which they manage their canoes.
“Our natives were in excellent spirits. They had been on a long journey
to Auckland, where they had seen the _pakeha_ (white man, or stranger)
in his settlement, and had witnessed many sights of civilization to
which they were previously strangers. They had also purchased articles
of European manufacture, and longing to return home to the peaceful
banks of the Waipa, to present them to their friends as tokens of their
regard. Their wild, deafening songs, with their heads all undulating
at every stroke, the contortions of their eyes, and their bare, tawny
shoulders, finely developing their muscles as they all dashed their
paddles simultaneously into the water, rendered the scene at once novel
and animating.
“The canoe songs are generally improvised, and frequently have
reference to passing objects. Such ejaculations as the following
were uttered by our companions at the highest pitch of their voices,
‘Pull away! Pull away! Pull away!’ ‘Dig into the water!’ ‘Break your
backs,’ &c. From the prow of one of the canoes a native flute sounded
plaintively. This is a very rude and imperfect instrument, and they
do not play it with any degree of skill, it having only two or three
notes.” The flute in question is that which is made of human bone, and
has been described on a previous page. It is played by placing the
orifice against one nostril, and stopping the other with the finger.
When the natives proceed on a journey in their canoes, they are so sure
of their own skill and management that they overload them to a degree
which would cause an immediate capsize in most countries. One chief,
named Wirihona, who was travelling with his family, afforded a curious
example of overloading a boat with impunity. The canoe was delicate and
frail, and in the bow sat a little boy with a small fire kept between
two pieces of bark. In the fore part of the canoe, where it was narrow,
sat the younger children, the adult members of the family being placed
in the middle, where the boat was widest. Toward the stern came another
batch of young children, and on the stern, which projects over the
water, sat Wirihona himself, steering the vessel with his paddle.
The canoe in which were Mr. Angas and his companions was, as the reader
may recollect, so laden that her gunwale barely rose two inches above
the surface. As long as they were paddling along the narrower and more
sheltered parts of the river, all went smoothly enough, though the
deeply-laden state of the crank boat gave cause for uneasiness. At
last, however, they came to some wide and open reaches exposed to the
wind, and had, moreover, to cross the current diagonally.
“The wind blew violently, and meeting the current, caused an unpleasant
sea in the middle channel of the river. Our heavily-laden canoe was not
fitted to encounter anything beyond still water; and, as our natives
related to each other where this and that canoe were upset, they dashed
their paddles into the water with all their energy, and our bark was
soon in the midst of the terrible current. We were every moment in
imminent danger of being swamped; the water rushed in on both sides;
and nothing but the extreme swiftness with which we glided through the
current prevented us from filling.
“As the canoe dashed against the opposite shore, our natives gave a
loud shout and commenced bailing out the water, which we had shipped
in great quantities, with a _tatau_ or scoop. We now looked anxiously
toward the second canoe, and watched them literally pulling for their
lives, splashing and dashing with the utmost vehemence. The frail
bark appeared almost swallowed up by the angry stream, but she glided
securely through it, and the drenched chief and his family repeated
the sound of welcome to the opposite shore, as their canoe also dashed
in safety against its banks.”
The paddles with which the Maories propel their canoes are
curious-looking implements, and are so formed that they will answer
almost equally well as paddles or weapons. Indeed, it is not unlikely
that their peculiar shape was given to them for this very reason. In
the illustration No. 1, on page 881, are seen two examples of the New
Zealand paddle, both being drawn from specimens in my collection, and
being useful as showing the typical form of the implement.
They are rather more than five feet in length, and have very long
blades which are leaf-shaped and sharply pointed at the tips, so that a
thrust from one of these paddles would be quite as dangerous as if it
were made with the butt of the patu. The blade, too, is sharp at the
edges, and, being made of rather heavy wood, is capable of splitting a
man’s skull as effectually as if it had been the short merai.
In one of these paddles the handle is curved in a peculiar manner,
while in the other it is straight, and forms a continuation of the
blade. The former of these implements is quite plain, and even at the
end of the handle there is no carving, while the latter is liberally
adorned with patterns both on the blade and handle, and at their
junction there is the inevitable human figure with the protruding
tongue, the goggle eyes, and the generally aggressive expression that
characterizes all such figures. None of the New Zealand paddles are
adorned with the minute and elaborate carving which is found upon
the paddles of several of the Polynesian islands. The carving of the
New Zealanders is of a far different and much bolder character; and,
instead of covering his paddle with small patterns repeated some
hundreds of times, the Maori carves nothing but bold, sweeping curves
and imitations of the human face.
As far as is known, the Maori carver makes no use of measuring tools,
doing all his work by the eye alone. He does not even use compasses in
describing his circles; and in consequence, whenever he carves, as is
often the case, a number of concentric circles on a rafter or beam, the
circles are quite undeserving of the name, and always tend rather to an
irregular oval form.
There is in my collection a remarkable instrument, presented to me
by C. Heaton, Esq. It bears a label with the following inscription,
“A New Zealand Compass, by which the natives turn the volute in
their carving.” In shape it resembles one half of a parenthesis
[Illustration], and is armed at each point with a shark’s tooth,
which is inserted into a groove, and then lashed firmly with a cord
passing through holes bored in the tooth and through the semicircular
handle. It is made of the same wood as the paddle. Having, as I have
already stated, abundant reason to distrust the accuracy of labels, and
thinking that the curves of New Zealand carving did not possess the
regularity which would accompany them had they been sketched out by
an instrument, I showed the tool to several observant travellers who
have spent much time in New Zealand, and asked them if they recognized
it. None of them had seen the implement. Mr. Christie, who gave much
attention to the manufactures of New Zealand, knew nothing about it,
and Mr. Angas, who visited the island for the express purpose of
collecting information respecting the Maories, and to whose pen I am
indebted for nearly all the illustrations of the life and manners of
the New Zealanders, had never seen or heard of such a tool. I possess
many specimens of New Zealand carving, and have seen many others,
together with a great number of photographs, and in no case have I
noticed a single circle or portion of a circle that was regular enough
to have been drawn by the aid of compasses.
I even doubt whether this article was made in New Zealand at all, and
am inclined to think that it belongs to the Tonga or the Kingsmill
Islands. As to its use, I have no opinion.
In propelling these canoes, the New Zealander holds his paddle in
both hands, and always keeps it on the same side of the vessel, being
balanced by a companion on the other side. He employs no rowlock, but
uses one hand as a fulcrum near the blade, while the other holds the
handle nearer the tip. The boat is steered by means of a large paddle
in the stern.
CHAPTER LXXXV.
NEW ZEALAND--_Continued_.
RELIGION.
THE GOOD AND EVIL INFLUENCES -- THE LIZARD ATUAS -- ALARM OF THE
CHIEF -- MAORI PRAYERS -- DIFFICULTY IN TRANSLATING THEM -- THE
SACRED LANGUAGE -- THE TOHUNGAS, OR PRIESTS -- BELIEF IN THE FUTURE
STATE -- THE SACRED BRANCH -- THE MALEVOLENT SPIRITS -- HAUNTED
MOUNTAINS -- THE TIKIS, OR SUPPOSED IDOLS OF THE MAORIES -- SOME
GIGANTIC WOODEN TIKIS -- BELIEF IN WITCHCRAFT -- FATE OF A WITCH
-- COUNTRY OF THE WIZARDS -- INCANTATION OVER THE SICK -- MAORI
ANATOMISTS.
We now come to the religion of the Maories. This is a curious mixture
of simplicity and elaboration, having the usual superstitions common to
all savage tribes, and being complicated with the remarkable system of
“tapu,” or “taboo,” as the word is sometimes spelt.
Of real religion they have no idea, and, so far as is known, even their
superstitions lack that infusion of sublimity which distinguishes the
religious system of many savage nations. They have a sort of indefinite
belief in a good and evil influence; the former going by the generic
name of Atua, and the latter of Wairua. Now, Atua is a word that has a
peculiar significance of its own. It may signify the Divine Essence,
or it may be applied to any object which is considered as a visible
representative of that essence.
Thus, if a Maori wishes to speak of God, he would use the word Atua.
But he would equally apply it to a lizard, a bird, a sun-ray, or a
cloud. There is one species of lizard, of a lovely green color, called
by the natives _kakariki_, which is held in the greatest veneration
as a living representative of divinity, and is in consequence always
dreaded as an atua. The belief which the natives hold on this subject
is well shown by an anecdote told by Mr. Angas.
“The following incident will show how deeply the belief in witchcraft
and the supposed influence of the atuas obtains among those who are
still heathens. The missionary was shown some small green lizards
preserved in a phial of spirits, Muriwenua and another man being in the
room. We forgot at the moment that the little creatures in the phial
were atuas, or gods, according to the superstitious belief of Maori
polytheism, and inadvertently showed them to the man at the table.
“No sooner did he perceive the atuas than his Herculean frame shrank
back as from a mortal wound, and his face displayed signs of extreme
horror. The old chief, on discovering the cause, cried out, ‘I shall
die! I shall die!’ and crawled away on his hands and knees; while the
other man stood as a defence between the chief and the atuas, changing
his position so as to form a kind of shield, till Muriwenua was out
of the influence of their supposed power. It was a dangerous mistake
to exhibit these atuas, for the chief is very old, and in the course
of nature cannot live long, and, if he dies shortly, his death will
certainly be ascribed to the baneful sight of the lizard gods, and I
shall be accused of _makutu_ or witchcraft.” In connection with this
superstition about the lizard, the same traveller mentions a curious
notion which prevails regarding a spider.
“On the beach of the west coast is found a small, black, and very
venomous spider, called _katipo_ by the natives. Its bite is
exceedingly painful, and even dangerous, and the natives think that
if the katipo bites a man and escapes, the man will die. But if he
contrives to catch the spider, and makes a circle of fire round it so
that it perishes in the flames, then the man recovers as the spider
dies.”
The extent to which the imagination of the natives is excited by their
fear of witchcraft is scarcely credible. There was one woman named
Eko, who was the most celebrated witch of the Waikato district. She
exercised extraordinary influence over the minds of the people, who
looked upon her as a superior being. On one occasion, when angry with
a man, she told him that she had taken out his heart. The man entirely
believed her, and died from sheer terror.
Objects which they cannot understand are often considered by the
Maories as atuas. Thus a compass is an atua, because it points in
one direction, and directs the traveller by its invisible power. A
barometer is an atua, because it foretells the weather. A watch is an
atua, on account of the perpetual ticking and moving of the hands.
Fire-arms used to be atuas until they came into common use, and lost
the mystery which was at first attached to them.
Yet the Maori never addresses his prayers to any of these visible
objects, but always to the invisible Atua of whom these are but the
representatives. The prayers are almost entirely made by the priests
or tohungas, and are a set form of words known only to the priests
and those whom they instruct. The meaning of the prayers is often
uncertain, owing to the obsolete words which are profusely employed
in them, and of which, indeed, the prayer almost entirely consists.
Prayers, or incantations, as they may perhaps be called with more
precision, are made on almost every occasion of life, however trivial,
and whether the Maori desires safety in a battle, a favorable wind
when on the water, success in a campaign, or good luck in fishing, the
tohunga is called upon to repeat the appropriate prayer. Many of these
prayers or incantations have been preserved by Dr. Dieffenbach and
others. One of these prayers, which can be more correctly translated
than many of them, is uttered at the offering of a pigeon. It is
designated as “A prayer that the pigeon may be pure, that it may be
very fat: when the fire burns, the prayer is said.”
“When it is lighted, when it is lighted, the sacred fire, O Tiki! When
it burns on the sacred morning, O give, O give, O Tiki, the fat. It
burns for thee the fat of the pigeon; for thee the fat of the owl; for
thee the fat of the parrot; for thee the fat of the flycatcher; for
thee the fat of the thrush. A water of eels; where is its spring? Its
spring is in heaven; sprinkle, give, be it poured out.”
Offerings of food are common rites of Maori native worship, and
offerings are made of both vegetable and animal food. It is much to
be regretted that very many of the ancient religious rites of the New
Zealanders have perished, and that they have been entirely forgotten
by the present generation. Such a loss as this can never be replaced,
and the fact that it has occurred ought to make us the more careful in
rescuing from speedy oblivion the expiring religious customs of other
uncivilized nations.
Prayers, such as have been mentioned, are handed down by the tohungas
or priests from father to son, and the youths undergo a long course
of instruction before they can take rank among the priests. Dr.
Dieffenbach was once fortunate enough to witness a portion of this
instruction. “I was present at one of the lessons. An old priest was
sitting under a tree, and at his feet was a boy, his relative, who
listened attentively to the repetition of certain words, which seemed
to have no meaning, but which it must have required a good memory to
retain in their due order. At the old tohunga’s side was part of a
man’s skull filled with water. Into this from time to time he dipped a
green branch, which he moved over the boy’s head. At my approach the
old man smiled, as if to say. ‘See how clever I am,’ and continued his
_abracadabra_.
“I have been assured by the missionaries that many of these prayers
have no meaning; but this I am greatly inclined to doubt. The words
of the prayers are perhaps the remains of a language now forgotten;
or, what is more probable, we find here what has existed among most
of the nations of antiquity, even the most civilized, viz: that
religious mysteries were confined to a certain class of men, who kept
them concealed from the _profanum vulgus_, or communicated only such
portions of them as they thought fit.
“They often had a sacred symbolic language, the knowledge of which
was confined to the priesthood, as, for instance, the Egyptian
hieroglyphics and the Sanscrit; or, if we look nearer home, we find the
religion of Thor, Odin, and Freya enveloped in a poetical mythos, which
has for its foundation deep and grand philosophical conceptions of
morals and ethics.”
It is a rather curious fact that, contrary to the usual custom
of heathen priests, the tohungas did not oppose the Christian
missionaries, but were among the first to receive the new religion.
Some of them seem to have received it too hastily and without
sufficient knowledge of its principles, as we see from the miserable
travesty of Christianity which has sprung up of late years among the
Maories, and which is in New Zealand what the system of Taeping is in
China.
The priests are, as a rule, the most expert artists and woodcarvers in
the country; so that the word “tohunga” is often applied by the natives
to a man who is skilful in any art, no matter whether he be a priest or
not.
The illustration No. 1, on the 860th page, is a portrait of a very
celebrated tohunga, taken by Mr. Angas in 1844. His name was Te Ohu.
The portrait was obtained during a great meeting of chiefs at Aluahu.
Te Ohu distinguished himself greatly on this occasion, running about
after the fashion of Maori orators, shaking his long and grizzled
locks from side to side, stamping furiously on the ground, and uttering
his speech in a singularly deep and sonorous voice.
In the background of the sketch may be seen two remarkable articles.
The one, which is the half of a canoe, stuck upright in the ground,
marks the grave of a deceased chief; and the other is a pole, on which
are hung a calabash of water and a basket of food, with which the
spirit of the dead can refresh himself when he returns to visit the
scene of his lifetime. Sometimes a dish of cooked pigeons is added;
and in one case a model of a canoe, with its sail and paddles, was
placed on the tomb, as a conveyance for the soul of the departed when
he wished to cross the waters which lead to the eternal abodes of the
spirit.
Concerning the state of the spirit after the death of the body the
Maories seem to have very vague ideas. The sum of their notions on
this subject is as follows:--They believe that the spirit of man is
immortal, and that when it leaves the body it goes to the Reinga, or
place of departed spirits. Shooting and falling stars are thought to
be the souls of men going to this place. The entrance to the Reinga
is down the face of a rocky cliff at Cape Maria Van Diemen. Lest the
spirit should hurt itself by falling down this precipice, there is a
very old tree which grows there, on which the spirits break their fall.
One particular branch was pointed out as being the portion of the tree
on which the spirits alighted.
One of the missionaries cut off this branch, and in consequence the
natives do not regard it with quite so much awe as they did in former
days. Still Dr. Dieffenbach remarks that, when he visited the islands,
they held the spot in great veneration, and not even the Christian
natives would go near it.
All spirits do not enter the Reinga in the same manner, those of chiefs
ascending first the upper heavens, where they leave the left eye, which
becomes a new star. For this reason, if a chief is killed in war, his
left eye is eaten by the chief of the victorious party, who thinks that
he has thus incorporated into his own being the courage, skill, and
wisdom of the dead man.
Spirits are not considered as imprisoned in the Reinga, but are able to
leave it when they please, and to return to the scene of their former
life. They can also hold converse with their friends and relatives,
but only through the tohungas. Sometimes, but very rarely, the tohunga
sees the spirit; and even then it is only visible as a sunbeam or a
shadow. The voice of the spirit is a sort of low whistling sound, like
a slight breeze, and is sometimes heard by others beside the tohunga.
He, however, is the only one who can understand the mysterious voice
and can interpret the wishes of the dead to the living.
As to the life led by departed spirits, the Maories seem to have no
idea; neither do they seem to care. They have a notion that in Reinga
the kumeras, or sweet potatoes, abound; but beyond that tradition they
appear to know nothing.
As to the malevolent spirits, or wairuas, the same cloudy
indefiniteness of ideas seems to prevail. The word wairua signifies
either the soul or a dream, and is mostly used to signify the spirit
of some deceased person who desires to act malevolently toward the
living. Such spirits are supposed to haunt certain spots, which are
in consequence avoided by the New Zealander. Mountains are especial
objects of his veneration, and those which are lofty enough to have
their tops covered with perpetual snow are specially feared. He fancies
that they are inhabited by strange and monstrous animals, that fierce
birds of huge size sit continually on their whitened tops, and that
every breeze which blows from them is the voice of the spirit which
haunts it.
In consequence of these superstitions, the natives can no more be
induced to ascend one of these mountains than to approach a burial
ground. They have a curious legend about the Tongariro and Mount
Egmont, saying that they were originally brother and sister, and lived
together, but that they afterward quarrelled and separated. There is
another strange legend of a spot near Mount Egmont. Owing to the nature
of the ground, a strong chemical action is constantly taking place,
which gives out great quantities of sulphuretted hydrogen gas. The
natives say that in former days an Atua was drowned near the spot, and
that ever since that time his body has been decomposing.
As to the idols of the New Zealanders, it is very doubtful whether
they ever existed. There are, it is true, many representations of the
human form, which are popularly supposed to be idols. It was formerly
supposed that the green jade ornaments, called “tikis,” which are worn
suspended from the neck, were idols; but it is now known that they are
merely ornaments, deriving their sole value from being handed down from
one generation to another.
Three examples of the so-called idols are here given. One of them
is remarkable for its gigantic proportions and curious shape. It is
about sixteen feet in height, and instead of consisting of a single
human figure, as is usually the case, the enormous block of wood is
carved into the semblance of two figures, one above the other. This
arrangement is not uncommon in New Zealand, and is found also in
Western Africa. I possess a walking staff of both countries, which are
composed of several human figures, each upon the other’s head. The New
Zealand staff will be presently described and figured.
[Illustration: (1.) TE OHU, A NATIVE PRIEST. (See page 857.)]
[Illustration: (2.) A TIKI AT RAOERA PAH. (See page 861.)]
[Illustration: (3.) TIKI FROM WHAKAPOKOKO. (See page 861.)]
This gigantic tiki stands, together with several others, near the
tomb of the daughter of Te Whero-Whero, and, like the monument which
it seems as it were to guard, is one of the finest examples of native
carving to be found in New Zealand. The precise object of the tiki is
uncertain; but the protruding tongue of the upper figure seems to show
that it is one of the numerous defiant statues which abound in the
islands. The natives say that the lower figure represents Maui, the
Atua who, according to Maori tradition, fished up the islands from the
bottom of the sea.
As may be seen in the illustration No. 2, on the preceding page,
nearly the whole of both figures is carved with most elaborate curved
patterns, which descend over the arms, and adorn those parts of the
statue which do duty for hips. A portion of the paling of Raroera Pah
is seen in the background, and around the tiki grow many plants of the
phormium, or New Zealand flax.
Near this wonderful and mysterious piece of carving stand several
others, all of the ordinary type. Two such tikis are shown in the
illustration No. 3, opposite, drawn from sketches taken at Whakapokoko.
Although not quite so large as the double tiki of Raroera, they are of
very great size, as may be seen by contrasting them with the figure of
the woman who is standing by one of them.
The firmest belief in witchcraft prevails in New Zealand, though not
to such an extent as in many parts of Africa. In cases of illness for
which no ordinary cause can be discovered, especially if the patient be
of high rank, “makuta,” or witchcraft, is always suspected. If a chief,
for example, fancies that he has been bewitched, he thinks over the
names of those who are likely to have a spite against him, and pitches
upon some unfortunate individual, who is thereby doomed to death. One
curious example of such a murder is related by Mr. Angas.
He met a party of natives, who told him that a woman, a relation of the
chief Ngawaka, had been shot by another chief, who suspected that she
had bewitched his son. The young man had been taken ill, and, though
the woman in question did her best to cure him, he died. His father
took it into his head that she had killed him by her incantations,
and, after loading his musket with a stick, shot her through the body.
As, however, she was the relation of Ngawaka, it was expected that the
chief would demand compensation for her death, and that the murderer
would have to pay a very heavy sum. This sort of compensation is called
“taua.”
There are several modes of witchcraft; but that which is most practised
is performed by digging a hole in the ground and invoking the spirit of
the person who is to be bewitched. After the incantations are said,
the invoked spirit appears above the hole like a flickering light, and
is then solemnly cursed by the witch. Sometimes, instead of digging a
hole, the witch goes by night to the river bank, and there invokes the
spirit, who appears as a flame of fire on the opposite bank.
Dr. Dieffenbach gives rather a curious account of a district named
Urewera, which is supposed to be the special abode of witches. It is
situated in the northern island, between Taupo and Hawkes’ Bay, and
consists of steep and barren hills. The inhabitants of this district
are few and scattered, and have the reputation of being the greatest
witches in the country.
“They are much feared, and have little connection with the neighboring
tribes, who avoid them, if possible. If they come to the coast, the
natives there scarcely venture to refuse them anything, for fear of
incurring their displeasure. They are said to use the saliva of the
people whom they intend to bewitch, and visitors carefully conceal it,
to give them no opportunity of working them evil. Like our witches and
sorcerers of old, they appear to be a very harmless people, and but
little mixed up with the quarrels of their neighbors.
“It is a curious fact that many of the old settlers in the country have
become complete converts to the belief in these supernatural powers.
Witchcraft has been the cause of many murders: a few days before I
arrived at Aotea, on the western coast, three had been committed, in
consequence of people declaring on their deathbeds that they had been
bewitched....
“It is another curious fact, which has been noticed in Tahiti, Hawaii,
and the islands inhabited by the great Polynesian race, that their
first intercourse with Europeans produces civil wars and social
degradation, but that a change of ideas is quickly introduced, and that
the most ancient and deeply-rooted prejudices soon become a subject of
ridicule to the natives, and are abolished at once. The grey priest, or
tohunga, deeply versed in all the mysteries of witchcraft and native
medical treatment, gives way in his attendance on the sick to every
European who pretends to a knowledge of the science of surgery or
medicine, and derides the former credulity of his patient.
“If a chief or his wife fall sick, the most influential tohunga, or
a woman who has the odor of sanctity, attends, and continues day and
night with the patient, sometimes repeating incantations over him,
and sometimes sitting before the house and praying. The following is
an incantation which is said by the priest as a cure for headache. He
pulls out two stalks of the _Pteris esculenta_, from which the fibres
of the root must be removed, and, beating them together over the
head of the patient, says this chant.”--The chant in question is as
unintelligible as those which have already been mentioned. Its title is
“A prayer for the dead (_i. e._ the sick man) when his head aches: to
Atua this prayer is prayed, that he, the sick man, may become well.”
When a chief is ill, his relations assemble near the house and all weep
bitterly, the patient taking his part in the general sorrowing; and
when all the weeping and mourning has been got out of one village, the
patient is often carried to another, where the whole business is gone
over again. Should the sick person be of an inferior class, he goes off
to the bush, and remains there until he is well again, choosing the
neighborhood of a hot spring if he can find one, or, if no such spring
is at hand, infusing certain herbs in boiling water and inhaling the
steam.
As may be imagined from the practice which they have in cutting up
the dead for their cannibal feasts, the Maories are good practical
anatomists, and know well the position of all the principal organs and
vessels of the body. Consequently, they can operate in cases of danger,
using sharp-edged shells if they have no knives. They can also set
broken limbs well, bringing the broken surfaces together, binding the
limb with splints, laying it on a soft pillow, and surrounding it with
a wickerwork contrivance in order to guard it against injury.
CHAPTER LXXXVI.
NEW ZEALAND--_Continued_.
THE TAPU.
THE TAPU, OR LAW OF PROHIBITION -- TAPU A SUBSTITUTE FOR GOVERNMENT
-- PROTECTION TO PROPERTY AND MORALS -- ABUSE OF THE TAPU -- THE
CHIEF AND THE SAILOR -- THE CHIEF AND HIS MAT -- A VALUABLE SPLINTER
-- THE HEAD OF THE CHIEF -- AN UNLUCKY MISTAKE -- HOW TAONUI GOT HIS
ARMOR -- HAIR CUTTING -- TROUBLES OF AN ARTIST -- THE CARVED HEAD
-- TE-WHERO-WHERO AND HIS PORTRAIT -- THE TAPU MOUNTAIN -- BANEFUL
EFFECTS OF THE TAPU ON NATIVE ART -- DESTRUCTION OF THE PAHS AND
HOUSES -- THE TERMINABLE TAPU -- THE BATTLE-TAPU -- TAKING OFF THE
TAPU -- DUTY OF THE TOHUNGA -- THE TAPU THE STRENGTH OF THE CHIEFS.
We now come naturally to the custom of Tapu or Taboo, that
extraordinary system which extends throughout the whole of Polynesia,
modified slightly according to the locality in which it exists.
The general bearings of the law of tapu may be inferred from the
sense of the word, which signifies prohibition. The system of tapu is
therefore a law of prohibition, and, when stripped of the extravagances
into which it often deteriorates, it is seen to be a very excellent
system, and one that answers the purpose of a more elaborate code of
laws. In countries where an organized government is employed the tapu
is needless, and we find that even in those parts of the earth where
it was once the only restrictive law it has fallen into disuse since
regular government has been introduced.
Were it not for the law of tapu, an absolute anarchy would prevail in
most parts of Polynesia, the tapu being the only guardian of property
and morality. In order that it may be enforced on the people, the
terrors of superstition are called into play, and, in the absence of
secular law, the spiritual powers are evoked.
Unprotected by the tapu, property could not exist: protected by it,
the most valued and coveted articles are safer than they would be in
England or America despite the elaborate legal system that secures
to every man that which is his own. In New Zealand, when a man has
cultivated a field of kumeras, or sweet potatoes, he needs no fence and
no watchman. He simply sends for the tohunga, who lays the tapu on the
field; and from that moment no one save the owner will venture within
its boundaries.
Sometimes a canoe is hauled up on the beach, and must be left there
for some time unwatched. The owner need not trouble himself about
securing his vessel. He has the tapu mark placed upon it, and the boat
is accordingly held sacred to all except its possessor. Similarly, if a
native boat-builder fixes on a tree which he thinks can be made into a
canoe, he places the tapu on it, and knows that no one but himself will
dare to cut it down. The mark of tapu in this case is almost invariably
the removal of a strip of bark round the trunk of the tree.
Then the system of tapu is the only guardian of morals. It has been
already mentioned that an extreme laxity in this respect prevails among
the unmarried girls. But as soon as a girl is married she becomes
tapu to all but her husband, and any one who induces her to become
unfaithful must pay the penalty of the tapu if the delinquents be
discovered. Nor is the tapu restricted to married women. It is also
extended to young girls when they are betrothed; and any girl on whom
the tapu has thus been laid is reckoned as a married woman.
It will be seen, therefore, that the principle of the tapu is a good
one, and that it serves as protection both to property and morals.
There are, of course, many instances where this system has run into
extravagances, and where, instead of a protection, it has developed
into a tyranny.
Take, for example, the very praiseworthy idea that the life of a chief
is most important to his people, and that his person is therefore
considered as tapu. This is a proper and wholesome idea, and is
conducive to the interests of law and justice. But the development of
the system becomes a tyranny. The chief himself being tapu, everything
that he touched, even with the skirt of his garment, became tapu, and
thenceforth belonged to him. So ingrained is this idea that on one
occasion, when a great chief was wearing a large and handsome mantle
and found it too heavy for a hot day, he threw it down a precipice. His
companion remonstrated with him, saying that it would have been better
to have hung the mat on a bough, so that the next comer might make
use of it. The chief was horror-struck at such an idea. It was hardly
possible that a superior to himself should find the mat, and not likely
that an equal should do so, and if an inferior were to wear it, he
would at once die.
As the very contact of a chiefs garment renders an object tapu, _à
fortiori_ does his blood, and one drop of the blood of a chief falling
upon even such objects as are free from the ordinary laws of tapu
renders them his property. A curious example of the operation of this
law occurred when a meeting of chiefs was called at the Taupo lake. As
the principal man of the tribes, the celebrated chief Te Heu-heu was
invited, and a new and beautifully carved canoe sent to fetch him. As
he stepped into it, a splinter ran into his foot, inflicting a very
slight wound. Every man leaped out of the canoe, which was at once
drawn up on the beach and considered as the property of Te Heu-heu.
Another canoe was procured, and in it the party proceeded on their
journey.
Another kind of tapu takes place with regard to any object which is
connected with the death of a native. If, for example, a Maori has
fallen overboard from a canoe and been drowned, the vessel can never
be used again, but is tapu. Or if a man commits suicide by shooting
himself, as has already been mentioned, the musket is tapu. But in
these cases the articles are tapu to the atuas, and not to men.
Sometimes they are left to decay on the spot, no man daring to touch
them, or they are broken to pieces, and the fragments stuck upright in
the earth to mark the spot where the event occurred.
Sometimes this personal tapu becomes exceedingly inconvenient. The wife
of an old and venerable tohunga had been ill, and was made tapu for a
certain length of time, during which everything that she touched became
tapu. Even the very ground on which she sat was subject to this law,
and accordingly, whenever she rose from the ground, the spot on which
she had sat was surrounded with a fence of small boughs stuck archwise
into the earth, in order to prevent profane feet from polluting the
sacred spot.
The most sacred object that a New Zealander can imagine is the head of
the chief. It is so sacred that even to mention it is considered as an
affront. Europeans have often given deadly offence through ignorance of
this superstition, or even through inadvertence. Mr. Angas narrates a
curious instance of such an adventure. A friend of his was talking to a
Maori chief over his fence, and the conversation turned upon the crops
of the year. Quite inadvertently he said to the chief, “Oh, I have in
my garden some apples as large as that little boy’s head”--pointing at
the same time to the chief’s son, who was standing near his father.
He saw in a moment the insult that he had offered, and apologized, but
the chief was so deeply hurt that it was with the greatest difficulty
that a reconciliation was brought about. The simile was a peculiarly
unfortunate one. To use the head of a chiefs son as a comparison at
all was bad enough, but to compare it to an article of food was about
the most deadly insult that could be offered to a Maori. All food and
the various processes of preparation are looked down upon with utter
contempt by the free Maori, who leaves all culinary operations to the
slaves or “cookies.”
One of the very great chiefs of New Zealand was remarkable for his
snowy white hair and beard, which gave him a most venerable aspect. He
was held in the highest respect, and was so extremely sacred a man that
his head might only be mentioned in comparison with the snow-clad top
of the sacred mountain.
The same traveller to whom we are indebted for the previous anecdote
relates a curious story illustrative of this etiquette. There was a
certain old chief named Taonui, who was in possession of the original
suit of armor which was given by George IV. to E’ Hongi when he visited
England. “The subsequent history of this armor is somewhat curious. It
passed from the Nga Puis to Tetori and from Tetori to Te Whero-Whero
at the Waikato feast, and came into Taonui’s hands under the following
circumstances.
“On the death of a favorite daughter Te Whero-Whero made a song, the
substance of which was, that he would take off the scalps of all the
chiefs except Ngawaka, and fling them into his daughter’s grave to
avenge her untimely death. The words of this song highly insulted the
various individuals against whom it was directed, more especially as
it was a great curse for the hair of a chief, which is sacred, to be
thus treated with contempt. But the only chief who dared to resent this
insult from so great a man as Te Whero-Whero was Taonui, who demanded a
‘taua,’ or gift, as recompense for the affront, and received the armor
of E’ Hongi in compensation.
“I made a drawing of the armor, which was old and rusty. It was of
steel, inlaid with brass, and, though never worn by the possessors in
battle--for it would sadly impede their movements--it is regarded with
a sort of superstitious veneration by the natives, who look upon it as
something extraordinary.”
A chief’s head is so exceedingly sacred that, if he should touch it
with his own fingers, he may not touch anything else without having
applied the hand to his nostrils and smelt it so as to restore to the
head the virtue which was taken out of it by the touch. The hair of a
chief is necessarily sacred, as growing upon his head. When it is cut,
the operation is generally confided to one of his wives, who receives
every particle of the cut hair in a cloth, and buries it in the ground.
In consequence of touching the chief’s head, she becomes tapu for a
week, during which time her hands are so sacred that she is not allowed
to use them. Above all things, she may not feed herself, because she
would then be obliged to pollute her hands by touching food, and such a
deed would be equivalent to putting food on the chief’s head--a crime
of such enormity that the mind of a Maori could scarcely comprehend its
possibility.
When engaged in his explorations in New Zealand, and employed in
sketching every object of interest which came in his way, Mr. Angas
found this notion about the chief’s head to be a very troublesome one.
He was not allowed to portray anything connected with food with the
same pencil with which he sketched the head of a chief, and to put a
drawing of a potato, a dish for food, or any such object, into the same
portfolio which contained the portrait of a chief, was thought to be a
most fearful sacrilege.
The artist had a narrow escape of losing the whole of his sketches,
which a chief named Ko Tarui wanted to burn, as mixing sacred with
profane things. They were only rescued by the intervention of Te
Heu-heu, a superstitious old savage, but capable of seeing that the
white man had meant no harm. Warned by this escape, Mr. Angas always
made his drawings of tapu objects by stealth, and often had very great
difficulty in eluding the suspicious natives.
Even the carved image of a chief’s head is considered as sacred as the
object which it represents. Dr. Dieffenbach relates a curious instance
of this superstition.
“In one of the houses of Te Puai, the head chief of all the Waikato,
I saw a bust, made by himself, with all the serpentine lines of the
moko, or tattooing. I asked him to give it to me, but it was only after
much pressing that he parted with it. I had to go to his house to fetch
it myself, as none of his tribe could legally touch it, and he licked
it all over before he gave it to me; whether to take the tapu off, or
whether to make it more strictly sacred, I do not know. He particularly
engaged me not to put it into the provision bag, nor to let it see the
natives at Rotu-nua, whither I was going, or he would certainly die in
consequence.
“Payment for the bust he would not take; but he had no objection to
my making him a present of my own free will: which I accordingly did,
presenting him and his wife with a shirt each.”
Once the natives were very angry because Mr. Angas went under a cooking
shed, having with him the portfolio containing the head of Te Heu-heu.
Even his hands were tapu because they had painted the portrait of so
great a chief, and he was subjected to many annoyances in consequence.
Finding that the tapu was likely to become exceedingly inconvenient, he
put a stop to further encroachments by saying that, if the people made
any more complaints, he would put Te Heu-heu’s head into the fire. This
threat shocked them greatly, but had the desired effect.
Sometimes this sanctity of the chief is exceedingly inconvenient to
himself. On one occasion, when Mr. Angas was visiting the chief Te
Whero-Whero, he found the great man superintending the plantation of
a kumera ground and the erection of a house for himself. Rain was
falling fast, but the old chief sat on the damp ground, wrapped up in
his blanket, and appearing to be entirely unconcerned at the weather, a
piece of sail-cloth over the blanket being his only defence.
He did not rise, according to the custom of the old heathen chiefs,
who will sometimes sit for several days together, in a sort of
semi-apathetic state. To the request that his portrait might be taken
Te Whero-Whero graciously acceded, and talked freely on the all
important subject of land while the painter was at work. Finding the
rain exceedingly unpleasant, the artist suggested that they had better
move into a house. The old chief, however, knowing that he could not
enter a house without making it his property by reason of contact
with his sacred person, declined to move, but ordered a shelter to
be erected for the white man. This was done at once, by fastening a
blanket to some upright poles: and so the portrait was completed, the
painter under cover and the sitter out in the rain.
Localities can be rendered tapu, even those which have not been touched
by the person who lays the tapu upon them. The chief Te Heu-heu, for
example, was pleased to declare the volcano Tongariro under the tapu,
by calling it his backbone, so that not a native would dare approach
it, nor even look at it, if such an act could be avoided. Mr. Angas was
naturally desirous of visiting this mountain, but found that such a
scheme could not be carried out. He offered blankets and other articles
which a New Zealander prizes; but all to no purpose, for the tapu could
not be broken. The chief even tried to prevent his white visitors from
travelling in the direction of the mountain, and only gave his consent
after ordering that the sacred Tongariro should not even be looked
at. So deeply is this superstition engraven in the heart of the New
Zealander, that even the Christian natives are afraid of such a tapu,
and will not dare to approach a spot that has thus been made sacred
by a tohunga. Reasoning is useless with them; they will agree to all
the propositions, admit the inference to be drawn from them, and then
decline to run so terrible a risk.
One of the finest examples of native architecture was made tapu by this
same chief, who seems to have had a singular pleasure in exercising
his powers. It was a pah called Waitahanui, and was originally the
stronghold of Te Heu-heu. It is on the borders of the lake, and the
side which fronts the water is a full half-mile in length. It is made,
as usual, of upright posts and stakes, and most of the larger posts
are carved into the human form, with visages hideously distorted, and
tongues protruded seaward, as if in defiance of expected enemies.
Within this curious pah were the cannibal cook-houses which have
already been figured, together with several of the beautifully carved
patukas or receptacles for the sacred food of the chief. Specimens of
these may be seen figured on page 831. In this pah Mr. Angas found
the most elaborate specimen of the patuka that he ever saw. It was
fortunate that he arrived when he did, as a very few years more would
evidently complete the destruction of the place. Many of the most
beautiful implements of native art were already so decayed that they
were but a shapeless heap of ruins, and the others, were rapidly
following in the same path. Of these specimens of Maori carving and
architecture nothing is now left but the sketches from which have been
made the illustrations that appear in this work.
Here I may be allowed to controvert a popular and plausible fallacy,
which has often been brought before the public. Travellers are blamed
for bringing to England specimens of architecture and other arts from
distant countries. It is said, and truly too, that such articles are
out of place in England. So they are: but it must be remembered that
if they had not been in England they would not have been in existence.
The marvellous sarcophagus, for example, brought to London by Belzoni,
and now in the Soane Museum, would have been broken to pieces and
hopelessly destroyed if it had been allowed to remain in the spot where
it was found.
Again, had not the Assyrian sculptures found a home in the British
Museum, they would have been knocked to pieces by the ignorant tribes
who now roam over the ruins of Nineveh the Great. Even had the vast
statues defied entire destruction, the inscriptions would long ago have
been defaced, and we should have irreparably lost some of the most
valuable additions to our scanty knowledge of chronology.
So again with the Elgin Marbles. Undoubtedly they were more in their
place in Greece than they are in England; but, if they had not been
brought to England, the iconoclastic hand of the Mussulman would have
utterly destroyed them, and the loss to art would have been indeed
terrible.
Thus is it with regard to the specimens of savage art, no matter in
what way it is developed. Taking New Zealand as an example, there is
not in England a single specimen of a Maori house. It could be easily
taken to pieces and put together again; it is peculiarly valuable to
ethnologists on account of the extraordinary mixture which it displays
of ancient Egyptian architecture and ancient Mexican art; and in a
very few years there will not be a single specimen of aboriginal
architecture in the whole of New Zealand. The Maories, who have
abandoned the club for the rifle, the mat for the blanket, and even the
blanket for the coat and trousers, have begun to modify their ancient
architecture, and to build houses after the European models.
Unless, therefore, means be taken to rescue specimens of Maori
architecture from destruction, it is much to be doubted whether in
twenty years’ time from the present date a single specimen will
exist as a type of native art. So it is with the canoes. Graceful,
picturesque, and adorned with the finest specimens of Maori art, the
canoes were unique among vessels. At the present day the more useful
but more commonplace whaleboat has superseded the canoe, and in a
few years the elaborately decorated vessels of the Maories will have
utterly passed away.
We may be sure that the tide of civilization is sweeping so rapidly
over the world, that a very few years will see the end of savage life
in all lands to which the white man can gain access. The relics of the
ancient mode of life are left by the natives to perish, and, unless
they are rescued, and brought to a country where they can be preserved,
they will necessarily vanish from the face of the earth. Having this
idea in my own mind, I set myself some years ago to collect articles
of daily use from all parts of the world. The light which they throw
upon anthropology is really astonishing, and, among some eight or nine
hundred specimens, there is not one that does not tell its own story.
Take, for example, the stone merai that lies before me. What a tale
does it not tell of the country where it was found, and of the workman
who made it! The stone shows that it was obtained from a volcanic
country; the short, weighty form of the weapon shows that it was made
for a courageous race who fought hand to hand; and the graceful curves
and perfect balance of the weapon show that the maker was a true
artist. More than that. The merai has been made by rubbing it with
another stone, and must have occupied years of labor. See, then, what a
tale this weapon tells us--the volcanic region, the courageous warrior,
and the worthlessness of time. Year after year the man must have worked
at that merai, bending his tattooed face over it, balancing it in his
hand, and watching its soft curves grow into perfection. Then, after it
was made, he has evidently carried it about with him, fought with his
foes, and dashed out their brains with its once sharp and now notched
edge. Afterward, when he, or may be his grandson, came to fight against
the white men, their fire-arms were too terrible to be opposed, and
the merai was taken from the hand of the dead warrior as he lay on the
field of battle, its plaited cord still round his wrist. Nevermore will
a stone merai be made, and before very long the best examples of Maori
weapons will be found in English museums.
We will now return to the subject of the tapu. Useful as it may be as a
guardian of property, it often exaggerates that duty, and produces very
inconvenient results. For example, some travellers were passing through
the country, and were hungry and wearied, and without food. Very
opportunely there came in sight a fine pig; but the animal contrived to
run across a piece of ground which was tapu, and in consequence became
tapu itself for a certain number of days, and could not be eaten.
There are thousands of such tapu spots in the country. If, for example,
a great chief has been travelling, every place where he sits to rest is
tapu, and is marked by a slight fence of sticks. In many cases, each of
these sacred spots has its own name. The same is the case when the body
of a chief is carried to his own pah for burial, every resting place of
the bearers becoming tapu. Therefore nothing was more likely than to
come across one of these tapu spots, or more easy than for the pig to
break through its slight fence.
A curious modification of the tapu took place before and after a
battle. The tohunga assembled the warriors of his own party, and went
with them to the lake or river, which had been made tapu for the
purpose. The men then threw off all their clothing, and went into the
water, which they scooped up with their hands and threw over their
heads and bodies. The priest then recited the appropriate incantation.
Thus the battle tapu was laid upon the warriors, who were thereby
prohibited from undertaking any other business except that of fighting,
and were supposed, moreover, to be under the protection of the gods.
This tapu was most strictly regarded, and the warriors had to learn
quite a long list of occupations which were forbidden to them, such as
carrying a load, cutting their own hair, touching the head of a woman,
and so forth.
After the fighting is over, it is necessary that the tapu should be
taken off from the survivors, so that they should be enabled to return
to their usual mode of life. This ceremony is rather a complicated
one, and varies slightly in different parts of the country. The chief
features, however, are as follows:--
Each man who had killed an enemy, or taken a slave, pulled off a lock
of hair from the victim, and retained it as a trophy. They then went
in a body to the tohunga, and gave him a portion of the hair. This he
tied on a couple of little twigs, raised them high above his head,
and recited the incantation; after which the whole body joined in the
war song and dance. This being over, the warriors clapped their hands
together and struck their legs, that act being supposed to take off the
tapu which had been contracted by imbruing them in the blood of the
enemy.
The war party then goes home, and a similar ceremony is undergone in
the presence of the principal tohunga of their pah, the hands being
clapped and the war dance performed. The remainder of the hair is given
to the tohunga, who, after reciting his incantation, flings the tuft
of hair away, and ends by another incantation, which declares that the
tapu is taken away.
As a general rule, the tapu can only be taken off by the person who
imposed it; but if a man imposed a tapu on anything, another who was
very much his superior would not have much scruple in breaking through
it. By courtesy the tapu was mostly respected by great and small alike,
and, by courtesy also, the very great men often put themselves to great
inconvenience by refraining from actions that would lay the tapu on the
property of inferiors. Thus we have seen how a chief refused to enter a
house, lest he should render it his property, and preferred to sit in
the pouring rain, rather than run the risk of depriving an inferior of
his property.
Should an object become tapu by accident, the tohunga can take off the
tapu and restore the object to use. A curious instance of the exercise
of this power is related by a traveller. A white man, who had borrowed
an iron pot for cooking, wanted some soft water, and so he placed the
pot under the eaves of a house from which the rain was running. Now,
the house happened to be tapu, and in consequence the water running
from it made the pot tapu. It so happened that a woman, who was
ignorant of the circumstance, used the pot for cooking, and when she
was told that the vessel was tapu she was greatly frightened, declaring
that she would die before night. In this difficulty a tohunga came to
her relief, repeated an incantation over the vessel, and made it “noa,”
or common, again.
Sometimes the tapu only lasts for a period, and, after that time has
elapsed, expires without the need of any ceremony. Thus, if a person
who is tapu by sickness is touched by another, the latter is tapu for
a definite time, usually three days. If a sick person dies inside a
house, that house is _ipso facto_, tapu and may never again be used.
It is painted with red ochre, as a sign of its sanctity, and is left
to decay. In consequence of this superstition, when the patient seems
likely to die, he is removed from the house, and taken to a spot
outside the pah, where a shed is built for his reception.
It will be seen from the foregoing account how great is the power of
the tapu, and how much it adds to the power of the chiefs. Indeed,
without the power of tapu, a chief would be but a common man among
his people--he would be liable to the tapu of others, and could not
impose his own. The tapu is one of the chief obstacles against the
spread of Christianity. Knowing that the missionaries treat the tapu
as a mere superstition, the great chiefs do not choose to embrace a
religion which will cause them to lose their highest privilege, and
would deprive them of the one great power by which they exercise their
authority.
Mr. Williams, the well-known missionary, sums up the subject of the
tapu in very bold and graphic language:--“It is the secret of power,
and the strength of despotic rule. It affects things both great
and small. Here it is seen tending a brood of chickens, and there
it directs the energies of a kingdom. Its influence is variously
diffused. Coasts, islands, rivers, and seas; animals, fruit, fish, and
vegetables; houses, beds, pots, cups, and dishes; canoes, with all that
belong to them, with their management; dress, ornaments, and arms;
things to eat and things to drink; the members of the body; the manners
and customs; language, names, temper; and even the gods also; all come
under the influence of the tapu.
“It is put into operation by religious, political, or selfish motives;
and idleness lounges for months beneath its sanction. Many are thus
forbidden to raise their hands or extend their arms in any useful
employment for a long time. In this district it is tapu to build
canoes; on that island it is tapu to erect good houses. The custom is
much in favor among chiefs, who adjust it so that it sits easily on
themselves, while they use it to gain influence over those who are
nearly their equals; by it they supply many of their wants, and command
at will all who are beneath them. In imposing a tapu, a chief need only
be checked by a care that he is countenanced by ancient precedents.”
CHAPTER LXXXVII.
NEW ZEALAND--_Concluded_.
FUNERAL CEREMONIES AND ARCHITECTURE.
THE MOURNING OVER THE DEAD CHIEF -- THE TANGI, AND THE SCARS WHICH
IT LEAVES -- FIRST BURIAL OF THE CHIEF -- THE WAHI TAPU -- THE
SECOND BURIAL, OR “HAHUNGA” -- REMOVAL OF THE TAPU, AND INSTALLATION
OF THE SUCCESSOR -- E’ HONGI’S DEATHBED -- A DECAYING PAH -- CANOE
TOMBS -- MONUMENT TO E’ TOKI -- TOMB OF TE WHERO-WHERO’S DAUGHTER --
SAVAGE SENTIMENT -- MAORI ARCHITECTURE -- MATERIAL, SHAPE, AND SIZE
OF THE HOUSES -- A CROWDED SLEEPING PLACE -- THE EAT MAN HOUSE --
RANGIHAEATA’S REVENGE -- PUATIA’S WAR-HOUSE AND ITS SCULPTURES --
INTERIOR VIEW OF A PAH -- TOOLS USED IN HOUSE-BUILDING -- THE AXE AND
THE CHISEL -- THE TOKO-TOKO, OR WALKING STICK.
We now come to the ceremonies that belong to funerals.
When a chief, or indeed any Rangatira, dies, his friends and relations
deck the body in the finest clothes which the deceased had possessed
in his lifetime, lay it out, and assemble round it for the customary
mourning. The women are the chief mourners, and indulge in the most
demonstrative, not to say ostentatious, ebullitions of grief. Sometimes
they squat upon the ground, their bodies and faces wrapped in their
mantles, as if utterly overpowered by grief. Sometimes they wave
their arms in the air, shaking their hands with expressive gestures
of sorrow; and all the while they utter loud wailing cries, while the
tears stream down their cheeks.
Much of this extravagant sorrow is necessarily feigned, according
to the custom of New Zealand life, which demands tears on so many
occasions; but there is no doubt that much is real and truly felt. The
women cut themselves severely with shells, making incisions in the skin
several inches in length. These incisions are filled with charcoal,
as if they had been part of the regular moko or tattoo, and become
indelible, being, in fact, perpetual records of sorrow. Some of these
women cut themselves with such severity, that in their old age they are
covered with the thin blue lines of the “tangi,” their faces, limbs,
and bodies being traversed by them in rather a ludicrous manner. The
tangi lines might be mistaken for regular tattooing, except for one
point. They have no pattern, and instead of being curved, as is always
the case with the moko, they are straight, about two inches in length,
and run parallel to each other.
They address long speeches to the dead man, enumerating his many
virtues, his courage, his liberality, the strength of his tapu, and
so forth, mixed with reproaches to him for dying and going away from
them when they stood in such need of him. Indeed, the whole of the
proceedings, with the exception of cutting the skin, are very like
those of an Irish wake.
In the illustration No. 1, on the 872nd page, are shown these various
ceremonies. The dead body of the chief is lying under the shed, wrapped
in the best mantle, and with a coronal of feathers in the hair. In
the front sits a chief, whose rank is denoted by his hani, or staff
of office, that lies by him, and by the elaborate mantle in which he
has wrapped himself. Standing near the corpse is one of the mourners,
with arms upraised and hands quivering, while others are seen sitting
in various attitudes of woe. The fence of the pah is shown in the
background, with its grotesque images and curious architecture.
When the old people attend a funeral, they usually paint themselves
freely with red ochre, and wear wreaths of green leaves upon their
heads. The house in which the death took place is rendered tapu until
the body is finally disposed of--an event which does not take place for
some time.
After the mourning ceremonies have been completed, the body is placed
in a sort of coffin and allowed to decay, the green jade merai, the
tiki, the hani, and other emblems of rank being placed with the corpse.
In some parts of the country this coffin is canoe-shaped, and suspended
to the branches of a tree, certain places being kept sacred for this
purpose. There existed, for example, several graves belonging to the
Nga-pui tribe, which had been preserved on account of the sacred
character which belonged to them. The natives had long abandoned the
custom of hanging the coffins of the dead on the trees, but the sacred
character still clung to them, and, though the woods in that part of
the country had been felled, the sacred groves were allowed to flourish
unharmed.
Sometimes the body of a very great chief was placed in a wooden
receptacle in the midst of the pah, called the waki-tapu, and there
allowed to decay. As might be expected, a most horrible odor is
disseminated through the pah during the process of decomposition; but
the inhabitants do not seem to trouble themselves, their nostrils not
being easily offended. For example, when a whale is thrown ashore, the
stench of the huge mass of decomposition is so overpowering that an
European cannot endure it. The natives, however, say that they are used
to it, and do not notice it. Indeed, people who can eat the horrible
messes of putrid maize of which they are so fond must be so obtuse of
scent as to be indifferent to any ill odor.
Be it as it may, in time the process of decay is supposed to be
complete,--seven or eight months being the usual time. A curious
ceremony, called the “hahunga,” then takes place. The friends and
relatives of the deceased chief are again assembled, and the bones are
solemnly taken from their receptacle and cleaned. The person who cleans
them is necessarily tapu, but is rendered “noa,” or common again, by
the eldest son and daughter of the deceased chief eating of the sacred
food offered to the dead. Should the eldest girl happen to be dead, the
food is placed in a calabash, and laid in the now empty coffin, the
spirit of the girl being called by name, and the food offered to her.
The spirit is supposed to partake of the food; and the tapu is thus
removed as effectually as if she were alive, and had visibly eaten the
provisions. Should the chief have had no daughter, the nearest female
relative takes the office. The usual orations are made in honor of the
deceased and the merai, tiki, and other ornaments of the dead chief are
then handed over to his eldest son, who thus takes possession of the
post which his father had vacated, the ceremony being analogous to a
coronation among Europeans.
When the celebrated chief E’ Hongi, the “Scourge of New Zealand,” as
he has been called, died, his children were so afraid that they would
be attacked by those whom the terror of his name had kept quiet, that
they wanted to omit the preliminary orations and “tangi,” and to lay
his body in the “waki-tapu,” or sacred place, on the day after his
death. This intention was, however, overruled, chiefly in consequence
of the foresight of the dying chief.
Feeling that his end was close at hand, he rallied his sons round
him, sent for all his warlike stores, the merais, patus, muskets,
ammunition, and, above all, the armor which he had received from George
IV., and bequeathed them to his children. He was asked what “utu,” or
satisfaction, should be exacted for his death, but replied that the
only utu which his spirit would desire was, that his tribe should be
valiant, and repel any attack that might be made upon them. But for
this really noble sentiment, there would have been great slaughter at
his death, in order to furnish attendants for him.
That his tribe should for the future be valiant, and repel the attacks
of their enemies, was the ruling idea in E’ Hongi’s mind; and on March
6, 1828, he died, continually repeating the words, “Kia toa! kia
toa!”--_i. e._ “Be valiant! be valiant!”
After the ceremony of cleaning the bones is over, they are taken by the
principal tohunga, or priest, who generally disposes of them in some
secret spot sacred to the remains of dead chiefs, and known only to
himself. Sometimes, however, they are laid in beautifully carved boxes,
which are supported on posts in the middle of the pah.
Sometimes the waki-tapu, or sacred place in which the body of a chief
is placed while it undergoes decomposition, is marked in a very curious
manner, and the entire village deserted for a time. For example, at
the pah of Huriwenua, the chief had died about six weeks before Mr.
Angas arrived at the place, which he found deserted. “Not far from
this island pah stood the village of Huriwenua, the gaily-ornamented
tomb of the late chief forming a conspicuous object in the centre.
Here, although everything was in a state of perfect preservation, not a
living soul was to be seen; the village, with its neat houses made of
raupo, and its courtyards and provision boxes, was entirely deserted.
From the moment the chief was laid beneath the upright canoe, on which
were inscribed his name and rank, the whole village became strictly
tapu, or sacred, and not a native, on pain of death, was permitted to
trespass near the spot. The houses were all fastened up, and on most of
the doors were inscriptions denoting that the property of such an one
remained there.
“An utter silence pervaded the place. After ascertaining that no
natives were in the vicinity of the forbidden spot, I landed, and trod
the sacred ground; and my footsteps were probably the first, since
the desertion of the village, that had echoed along its palisaded
passages.
[Illustration: (1.) MOURNING OVER A DEAD CHIEF. (See page 869.)]
[Illustration: (2.) TOMB OF E’ TOKI. (See page 873.)]
“On arriving at the tomb, I was struck with the contrast between the
monument of the savage and that of the civilized European. In the
erection of the latter, marble and stone and the most durable of metals
are employed, while rapidly decaying wood, red ochre, and feathers
form the decorations of the Maori tomb. Huriwenua having been buried
only six weeks, the ornaments of the _waki-tapu_, or sacred place,
as those erections are called, were fresh and uninjured. The central
upright canoe was richly painted with black and red, and at the top
was written the name of the chief; above which there hung in clusters,
bunches of _kaka_ feathers, forming a large mass at the summit of the
canoe. A double fence of high palings, also painted red, and ornamented
with devices in arabesque work, extended round the grave, and at every
fastening of flax, where the horizontal rails were attached to the
upright fencing, were stuck two feathers of the albatross, the sunny
whiteness of which contrasted beautifully with the sombre black and red
of the remainder of the monument.”
One of these tombs may be seen in the background of illustration No.
1, on p. 860, containing the portrait of an old priest, and another is
shown in the view of a village which will be given on a future page.
Within the pah is often erected a monument or mausoleum of the dead. A
very beautiful example of this kind of tomb was erected in the pah of
Rangihaeta to the memory of E’ Toki, the mother of Raupahara.
It was nearly semi-circular in shape, and the body was placed in it
in an upright position. It was covered with a roof, squared at the
corners, and projecting like a verandah all round, and sloping toward
the back. The central tomb, the roof, and the posts which supported it,
were all covered with the most elaborate arabesque pattern, mostly of a
spiral character. Paint was liberally used on it, that on the central
tomb or coffin being red and white, while that which decorated the roof
and posts was red and black. In front of the projecting roof was hung
the beautifully woven kaitaka mat of the deceased woman, and tufts of
the white feathers of the albatross were arranged at regular intervals
upon it.
Even when Mr. Angas saw this beautiful example of Maori art, it was
beginning to decay, the climate being damp, and the natives never
repairing a decaying tomb. It was, of course, strictly tapu. No native
liked to go close to it, and for a slave, or even a free man of
inferior rank, to go within a certain distance of it would have been a
crime punishable with instant death.
I have much pleasure in presenting on the preceding page an
illustration of this beautiful monument of Maori art, taken from a
drawing made by Mr. Angas in 1844, while the perishable materials of
which the tomb was made were yet in tolerable preservation. Under the
carved and decorated roof may be seen the semicircular coffin in which
the body had been placed, distinguished from the outer portion of the
tomb by the red and white colors with which it was painted, in contrast
to the red and black of the outer portions. The reader will notice
that red is the prevalent color in all tombs, because red is the hue
of mourning as well as of war among the Maories. Immediately under the
eaves of the front may be seen the highly ornamented border of the
kaitaka mat once worn by the deceased, and now left to decay upon her
tomb.
Round the tomb itself runs a slight and low fence. This palisade, small
as it might appear, afforded ample protection to the tomb, inasmuch as
the whole space within it was rendered sacred by a tapu laid upon it by
Raupahara, so that not even the highest chief would venture to enter
the forbidden enclosure.
One of the finest specimens of carving in New Zealand--perhaps the
finest in the whole country--is, or rather was, a mausoleum erected by
Te Whero-Whero to his favorite daughter. It was upon the death of this
daughter that Te Whero-Whero gave such dire offence to the other chiefs
by threatening to throw their scalps into his daughter’s grave, for
which offence he had to give up the celebrated armor of E’Hongi by way
of fine.
The monument was erected in Raroera, formerly one of the largest and
finest pahs in New Zealand, but rendered desolate by the act of the
headstrong and determined chief. He had this wonderful tomb built
for his daughter, and, as soon as her body was placed within it, he
pronounced the whole pah to be tapu. It was at once deserted: old and
young quitted the place, leaving everything behind them, the provisions
to moulder and the weapons to decay. Solid houses that had occupied
many years in building and carving were allowed to fall into mere
shapeless heaps of ruins; and even in 1844 the rank vegetation had so
completely overrun the place that many of the best pieces of native
work were covered by the foliage.
The tomb is about twelve feet high, and consists of the usual box for
the reception of the body, covered by a projecting roof, which is
supported by pillars. Were it as graceful in form as the monument to
E’ Toki, this would be by far the finest specimen of native art; but
unfortunately it does not possess the bold outline and contrast of the
curve and the straight line which are so characteristic of E’ Toki’s
tomb.
The elaboration of the carving on this monument is so great that it
almost baffles the skill of the draughtsman. Mr. Angas succeeded
in copying it, and when the drawing was shown to the artist who had
executed the work he was astounded, and pronounced the white man to
be a great tohunga. The roof is supported by pillars, each pillar
consisting of two human figures, the upper standing on the head of
the lower. The upper figure is about seven feet in height, and has a
gigantic head, with an enormous protruding tongue that reaches to the
breast.
The whole of the tomb is covered with human heads. Exclusive of those
upon the posts, the front alone of the tomb contains fourteen faces,
each differing from the other in expression and pattern of the moko,
but all wearing the same defiant air. Their enormous eyes are made
peculiarly conspicuous by being carved out of haliotis shell, carrying
out on a large scale the plan adopted in the chiefs’ hanis and other
sculptures. The whole of the space between the figures is covered
with the most elaborate arabesques, intertwining with each other in
a bewildering manner, but each running its own boldly curved course.
Between the various pieces that compose this tomb are set bunches and
tufts of white and green feathers, which serve to adorn as well as
disguise the necessary seams of the woodwork.
This wonderful monument was entirely carved by one man, named Paranui.
He was lame, and in consequence had expended his energies in art, in
which he had so greatly distinguished himself that he took rank as
a tohunga. He was equally celebrated as a tattooer; and it may well
be imagined that a man who could design so extraordinary a piece
of workmanship must be skilful in inventing the endless variety of
patterns needful in the decoration of chief’s faces. In performing this
work, Paranui had but one tool, the head of an old bayonet.
The loss of such specimens of native art as those which have been
described carries out my former remarks on the necessity for removing
to our own country every memorial of savage life that we can secure. We
inflict no real injury upon the savages, and we secure an invaluable
relic of vanishing customs. These monuments, for example, were simply
carved and then left to decay. Had they been removed to this country,
where they would have been guarded from the power of the elements and
the encroachments of vegetation, we should have seen them in complete
preservation at the present day, and likely to last as long as the
building which contained them.
Of course the sentimental argument may be pleaded against this view of
the case; but in matters which are of vital importance in the grand
study of anthropology mere sentiment ought to have no place. Neither
has it such place as some often imagine. The savage, finding that the
white man yields to him on this point, is only too glad to find any
vantage ground, and always presses on as fast as the other yields--just
as has been done in India with the question of caste. We cannot measure
their mental sensibilities any more than their physical by our own. A
savage endures with stoicism tortures which would kill an European,
simply because he does not feel them as much. And the mental and
physical sensibilities are very much on a par.
The Maori is perhaps the finest savage race on the face of the earth,
and yet we cannot think that he is exactly an estimable being, whose
ambition is murder, and whose reward is to eat the body of his victim,
who never does a stroke of work that he can avoid, and who leads a life
of dissipation as far as his capabilities go. Of all savage nations,
the New Zealander displays most sorrow for the loss of a friend or
relation. Tears flow profusely from his eyes, and every tone of his
voice and every gesture of his body convey the impression that he is
borne down by unendurable woe. Yet we have seen that this effusion of
sorrow is mostly premeditated, and merely a conventional mode of acting
required by the etiquette of the country.
When two people can be bathed in tears, speak only in sobbing accents,
utter heart-rending cries, and sink to the ground as overwhelmed by
grief, we cannot but compassionate their sorrow and admire their
sensibility. But if, in the middle of all these touching demonstrations
of grief, we see them suddenly cease from their sobs and cries, enter
into a little lively conversation, enjoy a hearty laugh, and then
betake themselves afresh to their tears and sobs, we may take the
liberty of doubting their sincerity.
So with those beautiful houses and monuments that are left to perish
by neglect. The builder did in all probability feel very keenly at the
time, though the feeling of grief seems sometimes to take a curious
turn, and be metamorphosed into vengeance and an excuse for war; but it
is very much to be doubted whether grief for the departed is a feeling
that is really permanent in the savage mind. The Maori chief may lay
his tapu on an entire village when a relative dies, and if, after
the lapse of years, any one be rash enough to invade the forbidden
precincts, he will visit the offence with instant punishment. But it
must be remembered that the infringement of the tapu in question is
not an insult to the dead but to the living, and that when the chief
punishes the offender, he does not avenge an affront offered to his
dead relative, but a direct insult to himself.
In spite of his sentiment, I think that the Maori might have been
induced to sell such specimens of art, and even if he refused to yield
to such a proposition, he would have respected us none the less if,
when we had captured a pah, we exercised the right of conquest, and
took that which we could not buy. Or even supposing that the first idea
had proved impracticable, and the second unadvisable, it would not
have been very difficult to have induced a native artist to execute a
duplicate which he could sell for a price which would enrich him for
life.
Such sentiments are, I know, unpopular with the mass of those who only
see the savage at a distance, which certainly, in the case of savage
life, lends the only enchantment to the view that it can possess. But
I believe them to be just and true, and know that the closer is our
acquaintance with savage life, the more reason we have to be thankful
for civilization. The savage knows this himself, and bitterly feels
his inferiority. He hates and fears the white man, but always ends by
trying to imitate him.
To return to these monuments. In former times they existed in great
numbers, and even in more recent days those which survive are so
characteristic of a style of art that may have taken its rise from
ancient Mexico, that I should have been glad to transfer to these pages
several more of Mr. Angas’ sketches.
* * * * *
It will be seen from several of the previous illustrations that
the New Zealanders must possess much skill in architecture. The
observant reader must have remarked that the art of house-building is
practically wanting in Australia; and that such should be the case
is most extraordinary, seeing that architectural skill is singularly
developed among the great Polynesian families. The New Zealander, whose
country has much in common with Australia, is remarkable for the skill
and taste which he displays in architecture; and a short space will
therefore be devoted to this subject.
As is the case throughout Polynesia in general, the material used in
house-building is wood, and the various pieces of which a house is
composed are fastened together not by nails, but by ropes and strings,
which in many cases are applied in a most elaborate and artistic
manner, beauty being studied not only in the forms of the houses and in
the carved patterns with which they are adorned, but in the complicated
lashings with which they are bound together. As, however, this branch
of ornamental architecture is carried to a greater extent in Fiji than
in New Zealand, I shall reserve the details for the description of the
Fiji Islands.
The size of some of these edifices is very great. For example, in
1843 the Maori converts built for themselves a place of worship large
enough to contain a thousand persons, and measuring eighty-six feet in
length by forty-two in width. The size of this edifice was evidently
determined by the length of the ridge-pole. This was cut from a single
tree, and was dragged by the natives a distance of three miles. The
cross-lashings of the building were all ornamental, giving to it a
peculiar richness of finish.
We are, however, chiefly concerned with the domestic architecture
of the Maories. Within each pah or enclosed village are a number of
houses, each representing a family, and separated from each other
by fences, several houses generally standing near each other in one
enclosure. A full-sized house is about forty feet long by twenty
wide, and is built on precisely the same principle as the tombs which
have been just described, the actual house taking the position of the
coffin, and being sheltered from the weather by a gable roof, which
extends far beyond the walls, so as to form a sort of verandah. The
roof is supported on separate posts, and does not, as with ourselves,
rest upon the walls of the house. The roof always projects greatly at
the principal end of the house, in which the door is situated, so that
it forms a sort of shed, under which the members of the family can
shelter themselves from the sun or rain without going into the house.
A genuine New Zealander has a great love for fresh air, and, as we
have seen, will composedly sit for a whole day on the wet ground in a
pouring rain, although a house may be within easy reach. Yet at night,
when he retires to rest, he is equally fond of shutting himself up, and
of excluding every breath of fresh air.
Indeed, the native does not look upon a house as a place wherein to
live, but merely as a convenient shelter from the elements by day and
a comfortable sleeping-place by night. As soon as evening is near,
a fire is lighted in the middle of the house, which fills it with
smoke, as there is no chimney. The New Zealander, however, seems to
be smoke-proof, and sits composedly in a place which would drive an
European half mad with smarting eyes. Indeed, before the natives become
inured to the acrid vapor, their eyes have much to endure, and it is to
the habit of sitting in the smoke that the bleared look so prevalent in
old people is chiefly due.
Not only do the natives thus surround themselves with a smoky
atmosphere, but they limit its quantity as well as its quality. The
number of men and women that will pack themselves into one house at
night is almost incredible, each person lying down on a simple mat,
and retaining the same clothes that have been worn during the day. As,
however, the heat becomes excessive, the inmates generally contrive to
throw off their clothing during the night. By daybreak the heat and
closeness are almost stifling to an European, and it is rather an
amusing sight to see a hut give up its inmates on the morning of a cold
day, the whole party being enveloped in steam as they come into the
cold air.
At the principal end of the house, under the verandah, is the entrance.
This strangely resembles the gate of an Egyptian temple, being made of
three large beams, the two side posts slightly inclining to each other,
and the third laid upon them. The aperture is closed by a sliding door,
and at the side of the door is generally a square window, which can be
closed in the same manner. In some large houses there were two of these
windows, one on either side of the door.
As the roof is made with a considerable slant, the walls are seldom
more than two or three feet high where the roof touches them, though
in the middle the house is lofty enough. The roof is supported on the
inside by one or two posts, which are always carved elaborately, and
almost invariably have the human figure as one of the ornaments upon
them. The ridge-pole is flattened and boardlike, and in good houses
is carved and painted in patterns, usually of the spiral character.
This board, as well as those which are used in different parts of the
building, is made by hacking the trunk of a tree on both sides, until
it is reduced to the required thickness, the native Maories having no
tool which can answer the purpose of a saw.
At the end of the ridge-pole, over the door, is carved a distorted
human figure, intended to represent the owner of the house, and
recognized as such by the lines of the moko or tattoo on its face, and
generally having the tongue thrust out to an inordinate extent.
An illustration on page 877 represents the most celebrated of all Maori
houses, namely, the war house of the ruthless chief Rangihaeta, an
edifice which fully expresses the ferocious character of the builder.
These houses are designed by chiefs in honor of some great victory,
and are surrounded with wooden figures, which either represent in
derision the leading warriors of the enemy who have been killed, or
the victorious chief and his own warriors in the act of defying and
insulting the enemy by thrusting out their tongues at them. This house
bears the ominous name of Kai-tangata, or Eat-man.
The illustration is taken from a sketch made by Mr. Angas, who
describes the building as follows: “Kai-tangata, or Eat-man House, is
a wooden edifice in the primitive Maori style, of large dimensions,
with the door-posts and the boards forming the portico curiously and
elaborately carved in grotesque shapes, representing human figures,
frequently in the most indecent attitudes. The eyes are inlaid with
pawa shell, and the tattooing of the faces is carefully cut. The
tongues of all these figures are monstrously large, and protrude out
of the mouth, as a mark of defiance toward their enemies who may
approach the house. The whole of the carved work, as well as the wooden
parts of the building, are colored red with _kokowai_, an ochre found
principally on the side of the volcano of Taranaki.
“The portico or verandah of Rangihaeta’s house is about twelve feet
deep, and the ridge-pole and frame boards of the roof are richly
painted in spiral arabesques of black and red; the margin of each
spiral being dotted with white spots, which add richness to the effect.
The spaces between the woodwork are filled up with variegated reeds,
beautifully arranged with great skill, and fastened together with
strips of flax dyed red, and tied crosswise, so as to present the
appearance of ornamental basketwork.
“Above the centre of the gable-roofed portico is fixed a large wooden
head, elaborately tattooed, with hair and a beard fastened on, composed
of dogs’ tails. Within the house is a carved image of most hideous
aspect, that supports the ridge-pole of the roof. This is intended to
represent the proprietor, and is said by the natives to be entirely the
work of Rangihaeta’s own hand.”
This figure, together with the pole that issues from the head, may
be seen in illustration No. 1, on page 809, which represents the
interior of the house. On account of the circumstance recorded in the
beginning of this description, the artist has been unable to draw a
vast number of carvings which decorated this house, so that much of the
extraordinary elaboration is necessarily omitted.
Rangihaeta displayed his merciless disposition in one of the
unfortunate skirmishes which often took place between the Maories
and the English, and which have afterward been equally regretted by
both parties, the white men having generally offered an unintentional
insult to the natives, and the latter having resented it in the heat of
passion. On this occasion, a number of the white men had been captured
by the Maories under the two chiefs Rangihaeta and Raupahara, who were
related to each other by marriage, the former having married a daughter
of the latter. Some time previously, this woman had been accidentally
killed by a chance shot, which, as a matter of course, her relations
insisted on considering as intentional.
[Illustration: (1.) RANGIHAETA’S WAR HOUSE. (See page 876.)]
[Illustration: (2.) INTERIOR OF A PAH OR VILLAGE. (See page 879.)]
While the prisoners and their capturers were standing together, another
chief named Puatia tried to make peace, saying that the slain on both
sides were about equal. His proposition was accepted, the lately
opposing parties shook hands, and all would have gone well had they
not been joined by Rangihaeta, who had been employing himself in the
congenial task of killing all the wounded. He immediately demanded the
lives of the prisoners, and when Raupahara refused to accede to his
demand, Rangihaeta told him to remember his daughter. The bereaved
chief was silent at this implied reproach, and, before he had time to
collect his thoughts, Rangihaeta glided round the party, getting behind
each of the captives as they stood among the Maories, and killed them
successively with his merai. The ubiquitous land question was at the
bottom of this sad business.
Houses like the Kai-tangata were formerly common, answering the purpose
of the ancient trophies. A war house nearly as celebrated as that which
has just been described was erected by Puatia, the chief of Otawhao
Pah, in order to commemorate the capture of Maketu on the east coast.
Since Puatia died, the whole of this splendid pah was rendered tapu,
and, in consequence, the buildings within it were given up to decay.
Mr. Angas was fortunate enough to secure a sketch of the war house
before, like the rest of the buildings in the pah, it had entirely
decayed.
The house itself is perhaps scarcely so neatly made as the Kai-tangata,
but it derives great interest from the number of figures with which
the beams, rafters, and posts are decorated. On either side of the
verandah stand two huge wooden figures, which are intended to represent
two chiefs who fell in battle, but who, as belonging to the victorious
side, are represented with their tongues defiantly menacing the beaten
enemy.
The figure that supports the central pole represents a chief who was
one of the principal warriors at the capture of Maketu. At the height
of six and ten feet respectively, on the same pole, are carvings which
represent two other warriors, their moko, or tattoo, doing duty for the
whole of the person. Still higher are a couple of figures representing
warriors, the upper figure appearing to stand on the roof itself.
Just within the upper part of the gable is the figure of Pokana, a
warrior who was living at the time when the house was built, and who
is represented with a pipe in his mouth. Around the house are numbers
of similar figures, each representing some well-known individual,
and having a signification which is perfectly well understood by the
natives.
It was in this ruined pah of Otawhao that the disused wooden war-bell
was found. The former owner, Puatia, was converted to Christianity
before his death, and, while he lay sick within his pah, he had a
school established for the purpose of disseminating Christianity, and
used to call his people round him for the morning and evening prayers.
It has been mentioned that, owing to the contempt with which the
Maories regard everything that pertains to the preparation of food,
cooking is never carried on in the dwelling-houses. If possible, it
is conducted in the open air; but when the weather is too wet or too
windy, a shed is employed. These cooking sheds are built expressly for
the purpose, and no one with any claims to rank ever enters within
them. Were no shelter but a cooking shed to be found within miles, the
Maori chief would not enter it, no matter how severe the weather might
be.
The cooking sheds are built very simply, the sides or walls being
purposely made with considerable interstices, so that the wind may pass
freely between them. They are roofed with beams, over which is placed a
thatch of the raupo rush. As, among other articles of diet, the putrid
maize is prepared in these sheds, the European traveller is often glad
to find that the abominable mess will be cooked at a distance from him.
Some of the larger pahs contain a great number of houses, and several
of them are inhabited by at least two thousand people. Civilization
has at the present day exercised great influence upon the pahs, and
reduced them, as a rule, to fortresses rather than villages. In many
districts the use of the pah has been practically abandoned, those
natives who wish to be at peace devoting themselves to the cultivation
of the ground and living in scattered houses, without caring for the
protection of the fence.
The illustration No. 2, on page 877, is taken from a sketch by Mr.
Angas, representing the interior of a pah as seen by him in 1844.
One or two of the houses are seen scattered about, adorned with the
grotesque figures of which the Maori is so fond, and having several of
the inmates sitting under the shelter of the deep verandah. Rather in
the background are one or two of the ingenious and beautifully carved
storehouses, in which food is protected from the rats, and on one side
is a great wooden tiki projecting from the ground. Just behind the
large storehouse is seen the curious monument that marks the waki-tapu,
or sacred burial-place of a chief, a half canoe being planted in the
ground and painted with elaborate patterns in red, the color for
mourning and war among the New Zealanders.
Groups of the natives may be seen scattered about, conspicuous among
whom is the council that is sitting in the foreground, under the
presidency of the seated chief, whose hani, or staff of office, marks
his dignity. A slave woman is seen working at her task of beating
the flax leaves; and wandering promiscuously about the pah, or lying
comfortably asleep, are the pigs, with which every village swarms.
* * * * *
We now come to the tools with which the Maori performs all this
wonderful amount of carpentering and carving.
Looking at the results, we might naturally fancy that the dusky
architect possessed a goodly array of tools; but, in fact, his tools
are as few and simple as his weapons, and may be practically considered
as two, the adze and the chisel. On the next page an example of each
is drawn, the artist having taken care to select the best and most
valuable specimens; the blades being formed from the precious green
jade, and the handles carved elaborately, so as to be worthy of the
valuable material from which the blades are shaped.
As may be imagined, these tools cannot have very sharp edges given to
them, as the brittleness of the stone would cause it to chip into an
edge like that of a bad saw, and in consequence the worst iron axe is a
far better tool than the best specimen of green stonework that a Maori
ever made.
At No. 3 may be seen one of the common “tokis,” or stone axes, that
were formerly so much used in building canoes. The specimen from
which it is drawn is in my collection, and I have selected it for
illustration because it gives so excellent an idea of the structure of
the tool, and the mode of fastening the blade to the handle. This is
achieved in a very ingenious manner, and although it scarcely seems
possible to secure the requisite firmness by a mere lashing of string,
the Maori workman has contrived to attach the blade as firmly as if it
had been socketed.
This mode of fastening the blade to the handle prevails over the
greater part of the Polynesian group, and, although the elaboration of
the lashings varies considerably, the principle is exactly the same
throughout. The same plan prevails even in Borneo, and there is in my
collection a boat-builder’s adze, the iron blade of which is lashed to
the socket in precisely the same manner, the only difference being that
split rattan is employed instead of string. The reader will notice the
peculiar shape of the adze-edge, which is exactly that of the incisor
tooth of any rodent animal. Whether the maker intentionally copied the
tooth is doubtful, but that he has done so is evident.
Tools such as these are necessarily imperfect; yet with these the
Maories patiently executed the elaborate and really artistic designs
which they once lavished on their dwellings, their canoes, their
weapons, and their tools. They could not even make a walking stick but
they must needs cover it with carvings. There is in my collection, and
illustrated at fig. 4, a remarkably fine example of such a walking
stick, called in the Maori tongue “toko-toko,” which was presented to
me by Stiverd Vores, Esq. As the reader may see from the illustration
it is ornamented with six complete human figures, and a human face on
the knob of the handle. The portions of the stick that come between the
figures are completely covered with carving, and the only plain surface
is that which is intended to be grasped by the hand.
The six figures are in three pairs, set back to back, and those of each
pair exactly resemble one another. A distinct gradation is observed in
them, the uppermost pair having their faces most elaborately tattooed,
the middle pair being less ornamented, and the lowermost pair having
a comparatively simple tattoo. In the position of the heads there is
also a distinction, which I believe to have some signification known to
the carver. The upper pair have the left hand laid on the breast, and
the right hand pressed to the lips; the middle pair have the left hand
still on the breast, and the right fingers touching the throat; while
the lower figures have both hands clasped on the breast.
All the figures are separated, except at the backs of the heads, the
hips, and the heels, where they touch each other; so that the labor
expended on this stick has been very great.
* * * * *
We now take farewell of this interesting race--a race which is fast
waning away, and will soon perish altogether. No New Zealander will
ever sit on the broken arches of London Bridge, and contemplate
the ruins of St. Paul’s. The Maori is fast disappearing, and in a
comparatively few years it is certain that not a Maori of pure blood
will be found in the islands; and before a century has elapsed, even
the characteristic tattoo will be a remembrance of the past, of which
the only memorials will be the dried heads that have been preserved
in European museums. It is pitiful that such a race should be passing
away; but its decadence cannot be arrested, and in a short time the
Maories will be as completely extinct as the people of the stone age,
leaving nothing but their manufactures as memorials of their existence.
Such memorials, therefore, ought to be sedulously preserved. Every
piece of genuine native carving that can be found in New Zealand ought
to be secured and brought to England, where it can be preserved for
future ages, and, with the isolated specimens that are scattered in
private houses throughout the country, ought to be gathered together in
some central museum, where they can be accessible to all who interest
themselves in the grand science of anthropology.
[Illustration: (1.) MAORI PADDLES. (See page 854.)]
[Illustration: (2.) GREEN JADE ADZE AND CHISEL. (See page 880.)]
[Illustration: (3.) COMMON STONE ADZE. (See page 880.)]
[Illustration: (4.) TOKO-TOKO. (See page 880.)]
CHAPTER LXXXVIII.
NEW CALEDONIA.
POSITION AND DIMENSIONS OF NEW CALEDONIA -- APPEARANCE AND DRESS OF
THE NATIVES -- THE DANCING MASK -- NATIVE ARCHITECTURE -- SMOKE AND
MOSQUITOES -- WARFARE -- CURIOUS WEAPONS -- THE SLING AND THE SPEAR
-- MODE OF THROWING THE SPEAR -- THE OUNEP, OR “AMENTUM” OF THE
ANCIENTS -- SHAPE OF THE CLUB -- OBJECTS OF WAR -- CANNIBALISM -- THE
KNIFE AND FORK -- DIET AND COOKERY IN GENERAL -- THE NOUGUI SPIDER --
MODE OF DRINKING -- CHARACTER OF THE NEW CALEDONIANS -- AN INGENIOUS
THEFT -- THE KATA -- THE ISLE OF PINES, AND ITS INHABITANTS.
East of Australia is a tolerably large island known by the name of New
Caledonia. It is of no very great extent, but is inhabited by a people
who deserve a short notice in these pages.
The New Caledonians are nearly black in color, and in general form and
appearance bear some resemblance to the aborigines of Tasmania. They
are, however, better looking, and wear altogether a less savage aspect,
probably on account of the comparatively regular supplies of food which
they can obtain. They are of ordinary stature, but one man was seen
who measured rather more than six feet in height. His form, however,
was ill proportioned. They wear scarcely any dress, the men having
generally a single leaf hanging from their girdles, or at the most a
strip of soft bark answering the purpose of drawers, while the adult
women wear a narrow fringed girdle, which passes several times round
the waist.
Their hair is woolly and short, but at a distance many of them would
be taken for long-haired people, in consequence of a habit of making
artificial tresses some two feet in length, out of grass and the hair
of a bat. Some of these appendages are so long that they fall to the
middle of the back. Round the head is sometimes tied a small net with
wide meshes, and the chiefs wear an odd sort of a hat. These hats are
cylindrical, and decorated with a large circular ornament at each side,
a plume of feathers at the top, and a long drooping tuft of grass and
hair that hangs down the back. The hat forms no protection to the head,
having no crown to it, and is only used as a mark of rank.
The natives also make a sort of mask, very ingeniously cut out of
wood, having the mouth open and the eyes closed. The wearer looks, not
through the eyes, but through some apertures which are made in the
upper part of the mask. It is supposed that these masks are employed
in war, when the combatants desire to disguise themselves from their
opponents. This, however, is only a conjecture. I have little doubt
that the wooden mask described and figured by D’Entrecasteaux is
nothing more than an ornament used in the native dances. It is, in
fact, the “momo,” which is described by more recent travellers. When
complete, the “momo” is decorated with plumes of feathers, long tufts
of hair, and a thick, coarse network, which does duty for a beard, and
descends as far as the knees of the wearer.
A mask made in a precisely similar manner is used by the natives of
Vancouver’s Island, but is employed by them in their dances. One of
these masks is in my collection, and will be described in the course of
the work.
Ear ornaments of various kinds are in favor among the New Caledonians,
and some, of the natives enlarge the hole in the lobe to such an extent
that it forms a long loop, the end of which falls on the shoulders.
Occasionally, they try the elasticity of the ear too much, and tear it
completely through. Anything seems to be worn in the ears, and when
a New Caledonian cannot find a suitable ornament, he fills up the ear
with a leaf or a roll of bark. They do not tattoo themselves, but draw
black lines across the breast with charcoal, the lines being broad,
and traced diagonally across the breast. Necklaces of various kinds
are worn, and these ornaments bear a certain resemblance to those
of New Guinea, consisting principally of a twisted string, to which
is suspended a shell or piece of bone, carved in a manner which the
natives are pleased to consider as ornamental.
Although by nature the men possess thick and stiff beards, these
hirsute ornaments are generally removed, the hair being pulled up by
the roots by means of a pair of shells used in lieu of tweezers.
Architecture among the New Caledonians is infinitely superior to that
of Australia, and in some respects almost equals that of New Zealand.
The houses are conical in shape, and often reach from ten to eleven
feet in height in the middle.
The principle on which the huts are built is perfectly simple. The
native architect begins by digging a hole in the ground, and planting
in it a stout pole, some fifteen feet in length, and nine or ten inches
in circumference. A number of smaller poles or rafters are set in the
ground around the standard or central pole, their bases being planted
in the earth and their tips leaning against the standard. Smaller
branches are interwoven among the rafters, and the whole is rendered
weather-tight by dried herbage lashed to the walls.
These simple walls are often several inches in thickness; and as the
natives spread thick mats on the floor, they are well sheltered from
the weather.
The entrance is very small, never above three feet in height, and on
occasions can be closed with a rude door made of palm branches. Some of
the latter kind of huts have regular door-posts, on which are carved
rude imitations of the human face. A fire is almost always kept burning
inside the hut, not so much for the sake of warmth or for culinary
purposes, as to form a defence against mosquitoes. Smoke, therefore, is
encouraged; and, though it may be the lesser of two evils, it forms a
great drawback to the comfort of Europeans, who can defy the mosquitoes
by their clothes, and can protect themselves at night by means of
curtains. The central post of the house is mostly decorated with
shells, and carved at the top into the shape of a human being.
Each house is usually surrounded with a fence some four or five feet
in height, and within the hut there is a curious piece of furniture
which gives to the rude habitation quite a civilized look. This is a
wooden shelf, suspended by cords exactly like our hanging bookshelves.
It is hung about four feet from the ground, but as the cords are very
slight, it can support only a trifling weight. The native name for
this shelf is “paite.”
* * * * *
We will now proceed from domestic to military life, and devote a small
space to warfare among the New Caledonians.
It is very remarkable that among these naked and peculiarly savage
cannibals we should find two of the weapons of war which were in
greatest favor among the civilized Romans of the classic times. These
are the sling and the javelin, the latter being cast by a peculiar
arrangement of a thong, so that, in point of fact, the New Caledonian
warrior does not only sling the stone, but the spear also.
We will take these weapons in order, the sling coming first, as being
the simpler of the two weapons.
The construction of the sling or “wendat,” as the natives call it, is
very simple, the weapon being merely a doubled thong with a pouch in
the middle, in which the stone is placed. This pouch is made of two
small cords laid side by side, and as the smooth stone might slip out
of it, the slinger always wets the missile in his mouth before placing
it in the pouch. The stones are cut out of a hard kind of steatite,
which can take a good polish. They are oval in shape, and are carefully
ground down by friction, the surface becoming very smooth in the
process.
Thirty or forty of these stones are kept in a small net, which is
fastened to the left side of the slinger. In illustration No. 1, on
page 893, one of the warriors is seen with his sling in his hand, and
the net filled with stones fastened to his side. When the slinger
wishes to hurl a stone, he does not waste time and strength by whirling
the sling round and round, but merely gives it one half turn in the
air, and discharges the missile with exceeding force and wonderful
accuracy of aim. In consequence of only giving one half turn to the
sling, the stones can be hurled nearly as fast as they can be thrown by
the hand, and the weapon is therefore an exceedingly formidable one in
the open field when fire-arms are not opposed to it.
We now come to the spear, or rather javelin.
This weapon is of very great length, some specimens measuring fourteen
or fifteen feet from butt to point; and unless the warrior were able
to supplement the natural strength of his arm by artificial means, he
would not be able to throw the spear more than a few yards. He has
therefore invented an instrument by which he can hurl this long and
unwieldly weapon to a considerable distance. The principle on which
this instrument is formed is identical with that of the Australian
throw-stick, but there is a difference in the application. The
Australian throw-stick is straight, rigid, and is applied to the butt
of the spear, whereas the implement used by the New Caledonian is
flexible, elastic, and applied to a spot a little behind the middle of
the spear.
This instrument is ingeniously simple. It is nothing more than a
plaited cord or thong made of a mixture of cocoa-nut fibre and
fish-skin. It is a foot or more in length, and is furnished at one end
with a knob, while the other is worked into a loop. This elastic cord
is called by the natives “ounep.” When the warrior desires to throw a
spear, he slips the loop over the forefinger of his right hand, and
allows it to hang in readiness for the spear. As soon as the time comes
for the spear to be thrown, the man balances the weapon for a moment so
as to find the middle, and then casts the end of the thong round it in
a sailor’s half-hitch, drawing it tight with his forefinger.
As long as pressure is thus kept upon the thong, it retains its hold of
the spear; and as soon as it is released, “the half-hitch” gives way
and allows the spear to free itself. The mode of throwing is therefore
evident. The warrior holds the loop of the thong on his forefinger,
the rest of the hand grasping the spear. As he throws the weapon, he
loosens the hold of his hand, and so hurls the spear by means of the
thong.
The classical reader will doubtless remember that this thong or “ounep”
is precisely the “amentum” of the ancients, but is actually superior
in its construction and manipulation. The amentum was simply a loop of
cord or leather fastened to the shaft of the javelin just behind the
balance. When the warrior wished to throw a spear, he grasped the shaft
in his hand, inserted his fingers in the loop, and by means of the
additional leverage was able to throw a heavy weapon to a considerable
distance. See, for example, Ovid’s Metamorphoses, xii. 321:
“Inserit amento digitos, nec plura locutus,
In juvenem torsit jaculum;”
in English, “He inserted his fingers into the amentum, and,
without saying more, whirled the dart at the youth.” Commentators
have been extremely perplexed about this passage. In the first place
they were rather uncertain as to the meaning of the word “amentum,”
and in the second place, they could not see the force of the word
“torsit,” _i. e._ whirled. The reader will, however, see how perfectly
appropriate is the term, the spear being flung with a whirling movement
as a stone from a sling. The same word is used by Virgil: “Intendunt
acres arcus, amentaque torquent.” Another writer also alludes to this
instrument:
“Amentum digitis tende prioribus,
Et totis jaculum dinige viribus;”
_i. e._ “Stretch the amentum with your first fingers, and aim the
javelin with your full strength.”
Ingenious as was the amentum of the ancients, the ounep is far superior
to it. With the ancients a separate amentum had to be fixed to each
spear, while among the New Caledonians only one ounep is required.
Besides these weapons, the club is much used, and great ingenuity
is shown in its manufacture. The shape and size of the clubs are
extremely variable, and in some of them the natives have exhibited a
surprising amount of artistic skill, the curves being singularly bold
and flowing. One of these clubs, which is indeed a typical form, is in
my collection. The form of the head is evidently taken from the beak of
a bird, and the curves are exceedingly bold and sweeping. It is rather
more than three feet in length, and it weighs almost exactly two pounds
and a half.
War is in New Caledonia, as in New Zealand, the chief occupation of the
men. The first lesson that a child receives is fighting, and the idea
is prevalent with him as long as he lives. As soon as he is born, the
boy is consecrated to the god of war, and a hard black stone is laid
on his breast, as a symbol that his heart must be as hard as a stone
in battle. Even the women take a share in the fighting, and, though
they are not actual combatants, they follow their relatives to the
battle, in order to seize the bodies of slain enemies, and drag them
away to the cooking oven. Strife is always fomented by the priests
from interested motives, inasmuch as the hands of the slain are their
perquisites, and among the connoisseurs in cannibalism the palms of the
hands are the most delicate portions of the human body.
Primarily the New Caledonians are cannibals because they are warriors,
the body of a dead enemy being always supposed to be eaten by the
victors. There is mostly a fight over the body of a fallen warrior, the
one party trying to drag it away to the cooking oven, and the other
endeavoring to save it for burial by themselves.
As a rule, however, the body is carried off by the women, who have the
task of cooking it. The preparation of the body is quite a ceremonial,
each part of it belonging by right to certain individuals, and even the
carving being regulated by strict rules. A peculiar kind of knife is
made of flat serpentine stone, oval in form, and about seven inches in
length. Two holes are bored on one side of it, by means of which it is
fastened to a wooden handle. This knife is called “nbouet.”
With the nbouet the body is opened, and the whole of the intestines are
torn out by means of a fork made expressly for the purpose. This fork
is composed of two human armbones placed side by side, about an inch
apart, and fastened tightly together. They are sharply pointed, and are
very effectual instruments for the purpose. Sometimes the bodies are
cut up for cooking, but in many cases they are baked entire, the women
priding themselves in serving them up in a sitting posture, furnished
and dressed in full war costume.
Thus, then, we see that cannibalism is connected with warfare; but
unfortunately it is not restricted to war. When Captain D’Entrecasteaux
went in search of _La Pérouse_, one of the natives was eating a
newly-roasted piece of meat. The naturalist to the expedition
immediately recognized it as being part of the body of a child. The man
who was eating it did not attempt to deny the fact, but even pointed
out on the body of a little boy the part of the body which he was
eating, and gave his hearers to understand that the flesh of children
was very good.
This cannibalism of New Caledonia explained some curious gestures
which the natives were fond of making. They used to be very familiar
with their white visitors, feeling their arms and legs, looking at
each other with admiration, and then whistling and smacking their lips
loudly. In point of fact, they were admiring the well-fed limbs of the
white men, and anticipating to each other the delights of a feast upon
the plump Europeans.
As, however, flesh is but a luxury among the New Caledonians, and
cannot be considered as an ordinary article of diet, the natives
depend chiefly for their existence on vegetable food. Roots of various
kinds are eaten by them, as well as cocoa-nut and other fruit; all the
cooking, as well as the work in general, being performed by the women.
Shell-fish are also much eaten, and are procured by the women. The
large clam-shell is found on the shores of the island, and supplies
abundance of food; while the smaller molluscs are mostly dug out of the
sand by women, who frequently spend half a day up to their waists in
water.
Two very strange articles of diet are in use among the New Caledonians.
The first is a sort of spider, which spins large and thick nets in the
woods, often incommoding travellers by the number and strength of the
silken cords. They are not eaten raw, but cooked by being placed in a
covered earthen jar, which is set on a brisk fire. The natives call
the spider by the name of “nougui.” It is gray above, the back being
covered with a fine silvery down, and below it is black.
The second article of diet is clay, of which the natives will consume a
great amount. The earth in question is a soft greenish steatite, which
crumbles very easily, and has the property of distending the stomach,
and so allays the cravings of hunger, even though it does not nourish
the body. A well-distended stomach is one of the great luxuries of a
savage, and, in accordance with this idea, a man was seen to eat a
piece of steatite twice as large as his fist, even though he had just
taken a full meal. Some of the natives have been known to eat as much
as two pounds of this substance. A similar propensity is found both in
Africa and America.
When they drink at a pool or river, they have an odd fashion of dipping
the water with their hands, and flinging it into their mouths, so that
much more water is splashed over their heads than enters their mouths.
With regard to the bodies of those who fall in war, and are rescued
from the enemy, many ceremonies are employed. According to Captain
Head, in his “Voyage of the _Fawn_” they are “brought home with loud
lamentations, and buried with great wailing and shrieking from the
appointed mourners, who remain unclean often for several years after
burying a great chief, and are subject to many strict observances.
For weeks they continue nightly to waken the forest echoes with their
cries. After ten days have elapsed, the grave is opened, and the
head twisted off; and, again in this custom resembling the Andaman
islanders, the teeth are distributed as relics among the relatives, and
the skull preserved as a memorial by the nearest kin, who daily goes
through the form of offering it food.
“The only exceptions are in the case of the remains of old women, whose
teeth are sown in the yam patches as a charm to produce good crops;
their skulls set up upon poles being deemed equally potent in this
respect.”
The general character of the New Caledonians seems to be tolerably
good, and, in spite of their evident longing after the flesh of their
visitors, they are not on the whole inhospitable. They are clever
thieves, and are ingenious in robbery by means of an accomplice. On
one occasion, when a native was offering for sale a basket full of
sling-stones, and was chaffering about the price, an accomplice came
quietly behind the white man and uttered a loud yell in his ears.
Naturally startled, he looked behind him, and in a moment the man with
whom he was trading snatched away the basket and the goods offered in
exchange, and ran away with them.
One of the officers was robbed of his cap and sword in an equally
ingenious manner. He had seated himself on the ground, and for better
security had placed his sword under him. Suddenly one of the natives
snatched off his cap, and as he instinctively rose to rescue it,
another man picked up his sword and escaped with it. They even tried to
steal a ship’s boat, together with the property in it, and would not
leave it until they were attacked by a strong body of armed sailors.
They make very good canoes--as, indeed, is generally the case with
islanders. The largest canoes are mostly double, two boats being
placed alongside of each other, and connected by a platform. They
have a single mast, which is stepped toward one end of the compound
vessel, and can sail with considerable swiftness, though they are
not so manageable as those of New Guinea, some of which are marvels
of boat-building. They can accommodate a considerable number of
passengers, and have generally a fire burning on the platform, which is
protected from the heat by a thick layer of earth.
A rather remarkable custom prevails among them, which derives its chief
interest from the fact that it is practised in Northern Asia. This
is the Kata, or scarf of felicity. It is a little scarf, of white or
red material; and when two persons meet they exchange their katas--a
ceremony which is analogous to shaking hands among ourselves.
Whether these savages are the aborigines of the island is doubtful.
If they be so, they seem to have declined from the comparative
civilization of their ancestors. This, indeed, is their own opinion;
and, in support of this theory, they point to the ruins which are still
to be seen, and which tell of architecture far beyond the power of the
present natives. There are even the remains of an aqueduct eight miles
in length, a piece of engineering which would never have entered the
head of the New Caledonian of the present day. Perhaps these works of
art may have been constructed by immigrants, who have since left them
to perish; but, in any case, their presence in such a spot is most
remarkable.
THE ISLE OF PINES.
Some thirty miles to the south-east of New Caledonia, and in fact
forming part of the same group, there is a small island, called by
Captain Cook the Isle of Pines, in consequence of the number of
araucarias with which its hills are covered. The strait between the
Isle of Pines and New Caledonia proper is nearly all shoal water,
caused by the numerous coral reefs.
In many respects the inhabitants of this island resemble those of New
Caledonia. They are not, however, so dark, and their features are
tolerably good. They are cannibals from choice, wrapping up the bodies
of the dead in banana leaves, and then cooking them in ovens. Some
years ago, they contrived to indulge their taste for human flesh at the
expense of their neighbors.
About 1840, it was found that sandal wood grew on the island, and
several vessels proceeded thither for the sake of procuring this
valuable product. At first they did so with great risk, and lost many
of their men from the onslaughts of the natives. Afterward, however, a
Sydney merchant set up an establishment for the collecting and storing
of sandal wood and bêches-de-mer, and since that time the natives have
become quite peaceable.
In course of this transitional time between utter barbarism and
commerce, they learned by painful experience the power of fire-arms. As
soon as they became accustomed to trade, the first thing that they did
was to procure a large stock of fire-arms and to go off with them to
New Caledonia, where they landed, shot as many of the natives as they
could, and brought their bodies home for consumption. It is true that a
constant feud raged between the two islands, but the sudden acquisition
of fire-arms gave the people of the Isle of Pines a terrible advantage
over their hereditary foes, and enabled them almost to depopulate the
south-eastern part of the island.
They care no more for dress than the New Caledonians, but are very
fond of ornament, the men appropriating all the best decorations, and
leaving the women to take what they can get. The men friz their hair
out as much as possible, and wrap a thin scarf round it, or sometimes
cut it short, leaving only a tuft on one side of the head. The women
shave off the whole of the hair, thus depriving themselves of their
natural ornament, and rendering themselves very unprepossessing to
European eyes. The rough work is done by them, the men reserving to
themselves the noble occupations of war, fishing, house building, and
canoe making, the only real work which they do being yam planting,
after the ground has been prepared by the women.
CHAPTER LXXXIX.
THE ANDAMAN AND NICOBAR ISLANDS.
POSITION OF THE ANDAMAN ISLANDS -- ORIGIN OF THE NATIVES -- THEIR
ROVING HABITS AND LACK OF CLOTHING -- THEIR HATRED OF STRANGERS
-- THE NATIVES AND THE STEAMER -- APPEARANCE OF THE WOMEN -- THE
ENORMOUS BOW AND SKILL OF THE MINCOPIE ARCHERS -- VARIOUS MODES OF
FISHING -- EXCELLENCE OF THEIR CANOES, AND MODE OF MAKING THEM --
THE LONG PADDLES -- THE SHIP’S CREW BEATEN BY THE MINCOPIE CANOE MEN
-- CANNIBALISM NOT PRACTISED IN THE ANDAMAN ISLANDS -- INGENIOUS
FIREPLACES AND METHOD OF COOKING -- WANT OF ARCHITECTURAL SKILL --
EDUCATION OF THE CHILDREN, AND THEIR GAMES -- POWERS OF SWIMMING --
MATRIMONIAL ARRANGEMENTS -- DEATH AND BURIAL -- THE NICOBAR ISLANDS
-- APPEARANCE AND COSTUME OF THE INHABITANTS -- THE CROSS-BOW AND ITS
ARROW -- A PRIMITIVE HAMMOCK -- TOMBS IN THE NICOBAR ISLANDS.
We will now pass to the westward, and travel gradually through the
wonderful group of islands which extends almost from Asia to America,
and which is known by the general title of Polynesia. One or two of
them will have to be omitted for the present, so as not to break the
continuity of races, but will be described before we pass upward
through America, from Tierra del Fuego to the Esquimaux.
* * * * *
In the Bay of Bengal, and not much to the eastward of India, is seen
a group of islands, named the Andamans. They are of considerable
length, but very narrow, seldom exceeding twenty miles in breadth, and
are arranged very much after the fashion of the New Zealand islands,
though on a smaller scale. These islands exhibit a phenomenon almost
unparalleled in the history of the human race.
They lie close to India, a country in which a high state of
civilization has been reached many centuries ago. They are almost in
the middle of the track which is traversed by multitudes of ships,
and yet their inhabitants are sunk in the deepest depths of savage
degradation. Even the regular visits made by the Chinese vessels to the
Andaman coasts, for the purpose of procuring the trepang, have had not
the least effect upon them; and they afford perhaps the most perfect
example of savage life which the surface of the earth can show.
The origin of the Andamaners is a problem to anthropologists. They are
small in stature, the men being on an average but little above five
feet in height, and the women being still smaller. They are very dark,
but have scarcely anything except their color in common with the negro.
They have neither the huge projecting jaws and cavernous mouth of the
true negro, nor his curiously elongated heel; and though they are so
small as almost to merit the name of pigmies, they are perfectly well
formed. The hair, when it is allowed to grow, is seen to be thick and
bushy, and resembles that of the Papuans; and it is the opinion of
many competent judges that the Andamaners are the aborigines of the
Papuan race, who have never permitted contact with strangers, and have
preserved their own individuality intact.
In habits they are absolutely savage, their arts being limited to the
manufacture of canoes and weapons, architecture and agriculture being
equally unknown. They possess one of the chief characteristics of
savage life in their roving disposition, never remaining long in one
spot, a stay of three or four days being considered a long visit to
any place. They have no laws, no religion, and no tribal distinctions.
Marriage, as we understand the word, is unknown to them; and there
seems to be few restrictions of consanguinity, a mother and her
daughter being sometimes the wives of the same husband.
Clothing is entirely unknown to them; and when captives have been
taken, they have always found clothes to be an incumbrance to them,
though they were pleased with gaudy handkerchiefs tied round their
heads. The only covering which they care for is one which they share in
common with many of the pachydermatous animals, and employ for the same
purpose. It is nothing more than a layer of mud, with which the natives
plaster themselves in the morning and evening, in order to defend
themselves from the attacks of the mosquitoes, sandflies, and other
insect plagues.
Until the last few years our knowledge of the Andamaners has been
almost _nil_, in consequence of their hatred of strangers, and the
determined opposition which they offer to any foreigners landing on
their shores. The very presence of a boat or a ship seems to excite
them to frenzy. In Captain Mouatt’s valuable account of these islands
is an animated description of a scene which occurred off the coast.
The steamer, on rounding a point, came suddenly upon two groups of
savages, who were at first paralyzed by fear at the sudden apparition
of the unknown object, with its columns of white steam roaring from
the escape-pipe, its smoke, and its plashing paddles. In a few moments
they recovered from their surprise, and raised a simultaneous shout of
defiance. Two boats’ crews were sent ashore, to the extreme anger of
the Mincopies.
“A peculiar natural phenomenon rendered the scene still more striking
and impressive as the interval between the two parties, the savage and
the civilized, was gradually diminished by the onward motion of the
boats. The spray as it rose in clouds from the breakers dashing on the
shore, reflecting the rays of the declining sun, magnified considerably
the slight figures of the natives, making massive and formidable
giants of men who were in reality little more than sable dwarfs. As
the cutters neared that part of the shore where they had stationed
themselves, and they clearly perceived that we were making preparations
to land, their excitement was such that they appeared as if they had
suddenly become frantic.
“They seemed to lose that restraint and control which it is the pride
of the savage to exhibit in time of danger, and jumped and yelled like
so many demons let loose from the bottomless pit, or as if there had
been a Bedlam in that locality, and they the most unmanageable of its
frantic inmates. Their manner was that of men determined and formidable
in the midst of all their excitement. They brandished their bows in our
direction; they menaced us with their arrows, said by common report--so
often a liar--to be poisoned; exhibiting by every possible contortion
of savage pantomime their hostile determination. To use a common
vulgar expression of some of the seamen, they seemed to have made up
their minds to ‘chaw us all up.’...
“The spear which he flourished incessantly was terminated by a bright,
flat, pointed head, which gleamed with flashes of light, as, circling
rapidly in the air, it reflected the rays of the sun. Sometimes he
would hold it aloft, poising it in his uplifted hand, as if with the
intention of hurling it with unerring and deadly aim at the first who
dared to approach the shore of his native island. At length, in a
paroxysm of well-acted fury, he dashed boldly into the water, boiling
and seething round him as it broke in great billows on the beach, and
on the rocks by which it was defended, and, fixing an arrow in his bow,
he shot it off in the direction of the steamer, as if that were the
arch enemy that had provoked his bellicose fury.”
The second party of natives, who turned out to be females, were as
frightened as their male friends were angry. After several failures
in launching a canoe, they rushed in a body to the jungle and hid
themselves from the strangers. They exhibited the usual characteristics
of the people, a basket for fish doing duty for clothes, and a patch of
red ochre on their heads taking the place of hair. So repulsive were
they in their appearance, that the sailors declined to leave mirrors
on the shore as presents for them, saying that such hideous creatures
ought not to be allowed to look at their own features.
The weapons with which the Mincopie men threatened the strangers are
really formidable, and before very long the exploring party learned to
hold them in great respect. The bows are sometimes six feet long and
enormously powerful,--so powerful in fact that the strongest sailors
tried in vain to bend the weapons which the pigmy Mincopies handled
with such skilful ease.
The shape of the bow is very peculiar. Instead of being nearly
cylindrical, largest in the middle and tapering regularly to each
end, it is nearly flat except at the handle, on either side of which
it becomes very broad. In fact, a good idea of it may be taken from a
flattened hour-glass, the channel in the middle being the handle.
The force and accuracy with which these tiny men can shoot are really
wonderful. They very seldom fail to hit their mark at any reasonable
distance, and can make tolerably sure of a man at sixty or seventy
yards, so that the Mincopie bow is really a far better weapon than the
old “Brown Bess” musket ever was. One arrow that was shot at a boat’s
crew at a distance of sixty yards struck a hickory oar, and knocked off
a piece of wood as large as a man’s hand.
These arrows are very neatly made. They are about three feet in
length, and are made of a reed by way of shaft, to the end of which is
fastened a piece of hard wood in order to give weight. Upon this tip is
fixed the head, which is usually the barbed tail bone of the sting-ray,
and sometimes, though not always, poisoned. Should this terrible weapon
enter the body, it cannot be removed without a severe operation, the
sharp brittle barbs being apt to snap off and remain in the wound if
any force be used in extracting the arrow.
Their consummate skill in the use of the bow is obtained by constant
practice from earliest infancy. As is the assagai to the Kaffir, the
boomerang to the Australian, and the lasso to the Gaucho, so is the bow
to the Andamaner. The first plaything that a Mincopie boy sees is a
miniature bow made for him by his father, and, as he advances in age,
bows of progressive strength are placed in his hands. Consequently, he
is so familiarized with the weapon that, by the time he is of full age,
the pigmy Andamaner draws with graceful ease a bow which seems made for
a giant.
Numbers of the toy bows and arrows may be seen scattered about an
encampment if the natives are forced to leave it in a hurry, and their
various sizes show the ages of the children to whom they belonged. The
education of the Mincopie archer is in fact almost precisely like that
of the old English bowmen, who, from constant practice in the art, and
being trained from childhood in the use of the bow, obtained such a
mastery of the weapon as made them the terror of Europe.
Being such skilful archers, they trust almost entirely to the bow and
arrow, caring little for any other weapon. Even the harpoon, with which
they catch the larger fish, is shot from the powerful bow. It is, in
fact, a very large arrow, with a moveable head. This head fits loosely
into a hole at the end of the arrow, and is secured to the shaft by
a thong. It is a very remarkable fact that the bow and harpoon arrow
of the Mincopies are almost exactly like those which are used by the
inhabitants of Vancouver’s Island. They are twice as large, but in
shape almost identical, as will be seen when we come to the North of
America.
When they use the harpoon, a long and elastic cord is attached to it,
one end of which is retained by the archer. The cord is made from a
fibre which has the useful property of hardening by being soaked in
water. For killing the fish when held with the harpoon the Mincopies
use smaller arrows, without barbs or movable heads.
The Mincopies are very expert fishermen, and use nets which are made
from the same fibre that has been mentioned. For small fish they make
the nets of rather thin but very tough string, but for turtle and
large fish they make nets of cord as thick as a man’s finger. One side
of the net is held to the bed of the sea by heavy stones laid on it,
and the other is upheld by floats.
The women search for molluscs, a business which occupies a considerable
part of their time. They always carry neat baskets, in which to put the
results of their industry, and each woman has generally a small net
fixed to a handle, like that which is used by butterfly collectors.
In nothing do the Andamaners show their superior skill more than
in canoe making. Their bows and arrows are, as we have seen, good
specimens of savage manufacture, but in the making and management of
canoes they are simply unapproachable, even though their tools are of
the rudest possible description.
Furnished merely with a simple adze made of a stone fixed into a
handle, the Mincopie boat maker searches the forest for a suitable
tree, and after a week or ten days succeeds in bringing it to the
ground. The rest of the process is so well described by Captain Mouatt,
that it must be given in his own words.
“The next operation is to round the trunk, a process which they perform
with remarkable dexterity, it being almost impossible to conceive how,
with the imperfect instruments at their command, they execute their
work with so much skill and neatness. Practice, however, must render
them, as well as others, perfect; and hence it is that in a short time
the rough and shapeless trunk begins to assume form and proportions;
and, when the process is finished, exhibits a finish and perfection
that even a Chinese carpenter, by far the most handy and ingenious
of human ‘chips,’ would regard with a feeling of envy, as a work of
dexterity which it would be vain for him to attempt to imitate.
“As soon as the trunk has been rounded, they commence the operation of
cutting and chipping at it externally, until eventually the outlines
of the elegant canoe begin to appear from the shapeless mass of the
knotted trunk, just as, by the skill of the statuary, the beautiful
figure gradually assumes its fair proportions in the block of marble.
The shape externally is generally finished with great care and
elaboration before they proceed to hollow it internally, the next
process to which they direct their attention. The interior is excavated
in the same perfect and business-like manner, until the shell is no
thicker than the side of a deal bonnet-box, although it still preserves
that strength which would enable it to resist successfully the utmost
force and violence of the waves, should it even be assailed by a
storm--a thing not at all probable, as, unless carried out to sea by
some accident, it is rare that the Andamaners venture far from the
shore.
“The buoyancy of these boats, when they are well constructed and
carefully finished, is remarkable. They float lightly on the top of the
waves, and, unless they have received some injury, it is considered
almost impossible to sink them. We sometimes made the attempt, but
never succeeded. We fired at them repeatedly when at Port Mouatt--which
may be regarded as a sort of Andaman Pembroke-yard, where a fleet of
Mincopie men-of-war were lying in every stage of preparation--but they
still floated with as great ease and buoyancy as ever. They would
make excellent life-boats, such, we believe, as have never yet been
constructed by any of our most experienced boat-builders.”
Near shore the boatmen paddle about with perfect ease in these fragile
vessels, though an European can hardly proceed twenty yards without
being upset. When they go further to sea they add a light outrigger
to one side of the canoe, and then venture forty or fifty miles from
land. They always, in such cases, take fire with them, which has the
double advantage of attracting the fish at night, and of cooking them
when taken. Sometimes a number of boats will remain all night at sea,
and the effect of their fires and torches is very picturesque when seen
from the land.
The outrigger is certainly a new invention. The earlier travellers,
who were always minute enough in their accounts, did not mention the
outrigger, and, as far as can be seen, the idea has been borrowed from
some Cingalese canoe which had got into a current and been drifted
toward the island.
The paddles are rather peculiar in their form, and, apparently, very
ineffective, looking something like long spoons with flattened bowls,
or, on a smaller scale, the “peels” with which bakers take bread out of
their ovens. The women are the paddle makers, and the implements vary
from three to four feet long. They are cut from a very hard wood, and
the work of making them is necessarily laborious.
Imperfect as the canoe and paddles seem to be, they are in fact
absolute marvels of efficiency. The tiny Mincopies, furnished with
these simple paddles, and seated in a canoe cut by themselves out of
a tree trunk, can beat with ease our best oarsmen. Captain Mouatt got
up several races between the Mincopies and his own prize crew in their
favorite boat. In point of fact there was never any race at all, the
Andamaners having it all their own way, and winning as they liked. The
powerful, sweeping stroke of the man-of-war’s crew was beautiful to
see, but the little Mincopies shot through, or rather over, the water
with such speed that the sailors were hopelessly beaten, although
they strained themselves so much that they felt the results of their
exertions for some time afterward.
Slight, and almost as active as monkeys, the Mincopies ascend the
tallest trees with the like agility, applying the soles of their feet
and the palms of their hands to the trunk, and literally running up
them. When they reach the branches, they traverse them with as much
ease and security as if they were on firm land. Indeed, their powers of
tree climbing seem to be equal to those of the inhabitants of Dourga
Strait, of whom an account will presently be given.
We now come to a question which has often been agitated, namely, the
asserted cannibalism of the Andamaners.
It is a question that every observant reader would be sure to ask
himself, as the Andamaners are just such a savage race as might be
expected to feed habitually on human bodies. Yet, though we find the
comparatively civilized New Zealander sharing with the savage New
Caledonian the habit of eating human flesh, the Mincopie, who is
infinitely below the New Zealander, and certainly not above the New
Caledonian, is free from that revolting practice. He undoubtedly has
been known to eat human flesh, but only when urged by extreme hunger
to eat the flesh of man or to die; and in so doing he has but set
an example which has been followed by members of the most civilized
countries.
That they are fierce and cruel toward foreigners is true enough, and it
is also true that the bodies of those whom they have killed have been
found frightfully mutilated, the flesh being almost pounded from the
bones by the blows which have been showered upon the senseless clay in
the blind fury of the savage. But no attempt has been made to remove
any part of the body, and it was evident that the victors had not even
entertained the idea of eating it.
The food of the Andamaners is tolerably varied, and is prepared in
a very simple and ingenious oven. A large tree is selected for this
purpose, and fire is applied to it at the bottom, so that by degrees a
large hole is burned in it, the charred wood being scraped away so as
to form eventually a large hole. This is the Mincopie oven, and at the
bottom a heap of ashes, about three feet in depth, is always left. The
fire smoulders away gradually among the ashes, and never entirely goes
out; so that whenever a native wishes to cook his pig, turtle, or fish,
he has only to blow up the smouldering embers, and in a few moments he
has fire sufficient for his purposes.
These oven-trees are very carefully preserved, the natives never
cutting them down, and always managing to prevent them from being
entirely burned through. In illustration No. 2, on the 893d page, one
of these trees is shown, with the fire burning in the hollow, and the
natives sitting round it. The Mincopies always contrive to have the
opening of the oven in such a direction that the rain cannot get into
it and put out the fire.
Pigs have been mentioned as forming part of the Andamaners’ food.
These pigs are small and black, with spare, hard bristles, that look
like pieces of wire. They are wonderfully active, and, according to
Captain Mouatt, “are the most curious and mischievous little animals
in creation. They have a leer that makes them look like so many
Mephistopheles, who have chosen to assume that peculiar form, in many
respects a very appropriate one, for, if they are not so many little
devils, they are certainly possessed by them.
“At the time of our visit to the Cinque Islands, we turned out a dozen
of them, and, our unwonted appearance filling them with alarm, they ran
off from us with the velocity of an Indian express train, squeaking
like mad. We set off and had a regular hunt after them--a hunt that
beats to chalks the most exciting scene of pig-sticking ever seen in
Bengal. After discharging their rifles, some of the hunters would
probably find the pigs between their legs, making them measure their
length on the sand. The falls were made with considerable violence,
though they were not dangerous, for they only excited our risible
faculties; and as each one came down he was greeted with a loud and
hearty burst of laughter, as a sort of congratulation to him in his
misfortune.”
The architecture of the Andamaners is very primitive. Four posts are
stuck in the ground in the form of a square, and the builder is quite
indifferent as to their straightness. Two of them are much longer
than the others, so that when they are connected by sticks, a sloping
roof is formed. Palm leaves are then placed upon them, one lying
over the other in tile fashion, so that they form a protection from
perpendicularly falling rain. A number of these huts are generally
erected in a circle, in some cleared space in the forest, which is
sheltered by large trees, and within a convenient distance of water.
One or two of these simple houses may be seen in the illustration.
Primitive as are these huts, some attempt is made at ornamenting them,
the decorations being characteristically the trophies of the chase.
Skulls of pigs and turtles, bundles of fish-bones, and similar articles
are painted with stripes of red ochre, and hung to the roofs off the
huts. Ochre painting, indeed, seems to be the only idea that the
Andamaners have of ornament, if perhaps we except a string which the
dandies tie round the waist, having a piece of bone or other glittering
article hanging from it.
This ochre is in great request among the Mincopies, the women being
especially fond of it by way of a decoration of their heads. As has
already been mentioned, they shave the head completely, using, instead
of a razor, a piece of flint chipped very thin, and having a sharp
edge. They are wonderfully adroit at making these primitive knives,
which are exactly like those of the stone age. The hair having been
scraped off, a tolerably thick plastering of red ochre is rubbed on the
head, and the toilet of a Mincopie belle is complete.
Not only is the ochre used for external application, but it is
administered internally. What is good for the outside, the Mincopie
logically thinks will be equally good for the inside. So, when he feels
ill, he makes a sort of bolus of red ochre and turtle oil, swallows it,
and thinks that he has cured himself. Wounds are dressed by binding
certain leaves upon them, and in many cases of internal pains, bruises,
or swellings, scarification is freely used. Certain individuals enjoy
a sort of reputation for success in the treatment of disease, and are
much honored by the less skilful.
It has already been mentioned that marriage is nothing more than taking
a female slave.
When a wife becomes a mother, the only treatment which she receives
is, that after the birth of her child she is plentifully rubbed with
the red ochre and turtle oil, and is expected to follow her usual
occupations on the next day. The young child is soused with cold water,
poured out of one of the great bamboo vessels which the Mincopies use,
and is dried by rubbing with the hand. Like its parent, the child wears
no clothing; but if the party should be on their travels, and rain
begin to fall, the mother pulls a few leaves from the next tree, ties
them together with a fibre of rattan, and fastens them on the body of
the child. This is the only clothing which an Andamaner ever wears.
Children are never weaned, but continue to take their childish
nourishment until the mother is absolutely incapable of affording it.
Both parents redeem much of their savage nature by their affection
for their children, the father being quite as loving a parent as the
mother--a trait which is often absent among savage tribes. The children
reciprocate the affection, so that, in spite of the absence of any
definite home, there is a domestic character about the family which
could scarcely have been expected from such a race.
It has been already mentioned that the boys amuse themselves chiefly
with small bows and arrows, having these toys of a continually
increasing size to suit their growth. The girls are fond of disporting
themselves by the sea-shore, and building sand houses for the waves to
knock down, precisely as is done by the civilized children of Europe
and America. Their great amusement is to build an enclosure with walls
of sand, and to sit in it as if it were a house of their own until
the rising tide washes away the frail walls. Both sexes are fond of
swimming, and as soon as they can walk the little black children are
seen running into and out of the water, and, if they can pick some
sheltered spot free from waves, they dive and swim like so many ducks.
A Hindoo, named Pooteeah, who was taken prisoner by the Mincopies, and
his life spared for some reason or other, states that they are such
excellent swimmers that several of them will dive together among the
rocks, search for fish in the crevices, and bring their struggling
captives to shore. This statement was discredited by those to whom
it was made, as were several other of his accounts. As, however,
subsequent observations showed that he was right in many of the
statements which were at first disbelieved, it is possible that he was
right in this case also.
[Illustration: (1.) NEW CALEDONIANS DEFENDING THEIR COAST. (See page
884.)]
[Illustration: (2.) ANDAMANERS COOKING A PIG. (See page 892.)]
This man, by the way, was furnished with two wives, mother and
daughter, and, as he was above the ordinary size, Captain Mouatt
expresses some curiosity as to the appearance of the progeny. He made
his escape from the island before the birth of a child that one of his
wives was expecting, and, as the Mincopie mothers are remarkable for
their affection toward their children, it is likely that the little
half-caste was allowed to live, and that a new element may thus be
introduced into the race.
They have more than once made use of their swimming powers in escaping
from captivity. Several instances have been known where Andamaners have
been kept prisoners on board ship, and have seemed tolerably reconciled
to their lot. As soon, however, as the ship neared land, they contrived
to escape for a moment from the eye of the sentry, slipped overboard,
and swam to land. They always dived as soon as they struck the water,
swam as far as they could without rising to the surface, and then,
after taking a single respiration, dived again, and so swam the
greater part of the distance under water. This mode of swimming was
doubtless practised by them when trying to escape from the arrows of an
unfriendly party.
In Captain Syme’s “Embassy to Ava” there is a curious account of two
young Mincopie girls who had been decoyed on board the ship. They
were treated very kindly, and soon learned that no harm would be
done to them. “They suffered clothes to be put on, but took them off
again as soon as opportunity offered, and threw them away as useless
encumbrances. When their fears were over, they became cheerful,
chattered with freedom, and were inexpressibly diverted at the sight of
their own persons in a mirror.
“They were fond of singing, sometimes in a melancholy recitative, at
others in a lively key; and often danced about the deck with great
agility, slapping the lower part of their bodies with the back of their
heels. Wine and spirituous liquors were disagreeable to them; no food
seemed so palatable as fish, rice, and sugar. In a few weeks, having
recovered strength and become fat, from the more than half-famished
state in which they were brought on board, they began to think
confinement irksome, and longed to regain their native freedom.
“In the middle of the night, when all but the watchman were asleep,
they passed in silence into the Captain’s cabin, jumped out of the
stern windows into the sea, and swam to an island half a mile distant,
where it was in vain to pursue them, had there been any such intention;
but the object was to retain them by kindness, and not by compulsion,
an attempt that has failed on every trial. Hunger may (and these
instances are rare) induce them to put themselves into the power of
strangers; but the moment that their want is satisfied nothing short
of coercion can prevent them from returning to a way of life more
congenial to their savage nature.”
Like many other savage races, the Mincopies make a kind of festivity on
each new moon; and as soon as the thin crescent appears they salute it
after their odd fashion, and get up a dance. Their dances are rather
grotesque, each performer jumping up and down, and kicking himself
violently with the sole of his foot, so as to produce a smart slapping
sound. This is the dance which is mentioned in the preceding account of
the two captives.
When a Mincopie dies, he is buried in a very simple manner. No
lamentations are made at the time; but the body is tied in a sitting
position, with the head on the knees, much after the fashion employed
among the Bechuanas, and described on page 300. It is then buried,
and allowed to decay, when the remains are dug up, and the bones
distributed among the relatives. The skull is the right of the widow,
who ties it to a cord and hangs it round her neck, where it remains
for the rest of her life. This outward observance is, however, all
that is required of her, and is the only way in which she troubles
herself to be faithful to the memory of her dead husband. It is rather
strange that, though the Andamaners make no lamentations on the death
of a relative, they do not altogether dispense with these expressions
of sorrow, but postpone them to the exhumation and distribution of the
relics, when each one who gets a bone howls over it for some time in
honor of the dead.
THE NICOBAR ISLANDS.
Immediately to the south of the Andaman Islands, and barely thirty
miles distant, lie the NICOBAR ISLANDS. The group consists of nine
tolerably large islands, and several of much smaller size. One of the
large islands, called Great Nicobar, is twenty miles long by eight
wide, while Little Nicobar is barely half these dimensions.
The islands are singularly fertile, and abound in various kinds of
vegetation, especially in the cocoa-nut palm, not a specimen of
which is to be found in the Andaman Islands. This curious fact is
accounted for by the character of the Andamaners, who have an almost
superstitious love for the cocoa-nut. If one of the nuts be washed
ashore, it is always broken up and eaten; and if perchance one of the
fruit happens to escape the sharp eyes of the natives and to germinate,
its green feathery shoots are sure to attract the attention of the
first Mincopie who passes in that direction. A similar barrier to the
production of the cocoa-nut is found on the coast of Australia.
Although so close to the Andaman Islands, the inhabitants of Nicobar
are very unlike the Mincopies, being a fine tall race, and of a copper
rather than a black hue. Unlike the Mincopies, the men are very fat,
especially about the breast, so that at a little distance they might
easily be mistaken for women. Moreover, they wear the hair long, and
parted in the middle, which to the eyes of a modern European, gives
them a peculiar effeminate look. They wear neither beard nor moustache,
their features are ugly, and their large mouths are stained a dark red
from the juice of the betel-nut, which they are continually chewing.
There is one distinction, however, which is apparent at a considerable
distance. In lieu of clothes, the men wear a strip of cloth, never more
than two inches wide. This is passed round the waist, under the legs in
front, and tucked through itself behind, the end being left as long as
possible. The men place great value on the length of this tail, and he
is the best dressed man who wears it the longest. Some of the wealthy
among them have the tail dragging along the ground for several feet,
like an European lady’s train. If possible, this tail is made of blue
cloth, an article that is held in very high estimation by the natives.
The women are quite as ill-favored as the men, and increase their
natural ugliness by shaving off all their hair. They do not wear tails
like the men, but have a plaited grass girdle, from which depends a
soft fibrous fringe about a foot in depth.
The character of the Nicobarians is far gentler than that of the
Mincopies, the latter being proverbially fierce and cruel toward
strangers, and the former soon learning to welcome foreigners when
they have made up their minds that no harm is intended them. Captain
Campbell, to whom I am indebted for most of the information respecting
these natives, found them very agreeable and hospitable, ready to
barter, and always welcoming him to their houses.
After a short time, even the women and children, who had at first
been scrupulously concealed, after the manner of savages, came boldly
forward, and were as hospitable as the men. On one occasion, while
paying a visit to one of their huts, Captain Campbell tried to make
friends with one of the children, all of whom were terribly frightened
at the white face of their visitor. Finding that no response was made
to his advances, he pulled the child from his hiding-place, and held
him for a little time, in spite of his struggles. The mother made no
opposition, but laughed heartily at the skirmish, evidently feeling
that no harm was intended toward her little one.
The native weapons of the Nicobarians are very curious. As the people
are not of a warlike character like the Mincopies, their weapons are
used almost exclusively for killing game. The most formidable is a
tolerably large spear headed with iron, which is used for killing
hogs, and is thrown like the assagai of Southern Africa. They have
also a smaller javelin for fish-killing, and a number of many-pointed
hand-spears for the same purpose. The most remarkable of their weapons
is a cross-bow, which is almost exactly like that of the Fan tribe of
Africa. It is not very powerful, and only propels a small arrow. Its
chief use is in killing birds.
Besides these weapons, every man carries a cutlass-blade from which the
hilt has been removed, and a handle roughly made by wrapping some six
inches of the butt with cocoa-nut fibre. It is intended not so much as
a weapon as a tool, and with it the natives cut down trees, carve their
canoes, and perform similar operations.
The architecture of the Nicobarians is infinitely superior to that of
the Mincopies, and is precisely similar in character to that which is
found among the inhabitants of New Guinea, the home of the Papuan race.
The native architect begins by fixing a number of posts in the ground,
and erecting on them a platform of split bamboo. Over this platform
he builds a roof shaped exactly like a beehive, and his house is then
complete. The bamboo platform is the floor of the hut, and, being
elastic as well as firm, serves also for a bed. To this hut the native
ascends by a primitive sort of ladder, and passes into the chamber
through a hole cut in the floor. The sides of the hut are adorned with
the skulls of hogs, intermixed with spears, knives, bows, and arrows.
The huts are kept peculiarly neat and clean.
A rather remarkable use is made of the hut. The open space between the
floor and the ground is far too valuable not to be utilized, as it
affords a cool and airy shelter from the sunbeams. Under this floor is
suspended a primitive sort of hammock, which is a board about six feet
in length, slung by ropes. In, or rather on, this very uncomfortable
hammock the Nicobarian likes to lounge away his time, dozing throughout
the hot hours of the day, sipping palm wine at intervals, and smoking
without cessation. In fact, we seem to have got again among the
inhabitants of Western Africa, so similar is the character of the
Nicobarian to that of the negro. The “Scene in the Nicobar Islands,”
represented on the 903d page, shows the personal appearance of the
Nicobarians and their style of architecture.
The canoes of the Nicobarians are not so beautifully formed as those
of the Mincopies, but are constructed on the same principle, being
hollowed out of the trunks of trees, and supported by a slight
outrigger. They have a very high and ornamental prow, and are propelled
by short paddles. They are very light, and, when properly manned, skim
over the water at an astonishing pace. Some of them are nearly sixty
feet in length, while others are barely six or seven feet long, and
only intended for one person.
The mode of burial is not in the least like that which is employed
among the Mincopies. When a man dies, the body is placed in a coffin,
which is generally made from a canoe. The canoe is cut in half, the
body being laid in one moiety, and covered with the other half. In
order to supply the deceased with provisions for his journey to the
spirit-land, a pig is killed and placed in the coffin, together with
a supply of yams and cocoa-nuts. In case he should be attacked on his
journey, a quantity of weapons, such as bows, spears, and cutlasses,
are placed in the coffin.
The body is buried in the middle of the village, and the spot marked by
a stick, to which is attached a small streamer. After some time, when
the body has been consumed by the earth, the coffin is dug up again.
The deceased being now supposed to have completed his journey to his
spirit-home, his bones are thrown into the bush, and the cutlasses and
other weapons distributed among his relatives.
CHAPTER XC.
NEW GUINEA.
THE HOME OF THE PAPUAN RACE -- DISTINGUISHING MARKS OF THE RACE
-- DERIVATION OF THE NAME -- GENERAL CHARACTER OF THE PAPUANS --
THE SIGN OF PEACE -- AN UNFORTUNATE MISUNDERSTANDING -- DRESS AND
ORNAMENTS OF THE TRIBES OF DOURGA STRAIT -- THEIR AGILITY AMONG THE
TREES -- THE OUTANATA TRIBES -- TATTOOING AND ORNAMENTS -- ELABORATE
ARCHITECTURE -- WEAPONS -- THE DUST SIGNALS AND THEIR MEANING --
THEIR UNSUSPICIOUS NATURE -- ABRAUW, THE CHIEF.
We now come to the very home and centre of the Papuan race.
New Guinea is a very large island, fourteen hundred miles in length,
and, as far as has been ascertained, containing some two hundred
thousand geographical square miles. It is separated from Australia only
by Torres Strait, and, as we have seen, a certain amount of intercourse
has taken place between the Papuans of the south of New Guinea and the
natives who inhabit the north of Australia. Fertile in the vegetable
kingdom, it possesses one or two animals which have the greatest
interest for the naturalist, such as the tree-kangaroo, the crowned
pigeon, and the bird of paradise. It is equally interesting to the
ethnologist as being the home of the Papuan race.
Taken as a race, they are very fine examples of savage humanity,
tall, well-shaped, and powerful. They are remarkable for two physical
peculiarities. The one is a roughness of the skin, and the other is the
growth of the hair. The reader may remember that some of the tribes of
Southern Africa have the hair of the head growing in regular tufts or
patches, each about the size of a pea.
It is a remarkable fact that, in the Papuan race, the hair grows in
similar patches, but, instead of being short like that of the South
African, it grows to a considerable length, sometimes measuring
eighteen inches from root to tip. The Papuans are very proud of this
natural ornament, and therefore will seldom cut it off; but as, if
left untrained, it would fall over the eyes, they have various modes
of dressing it, but in most cases manage to make it stand out at right
angles from the head. Sometimes they take the hair of each patch
separately and screw it up into a ringlet. Sometimes they tease out
all the hairs with a wooden comb of four or five prongs, and, as the
hair is very coarse and stiff, it is soon induced to assume a mop-like
shape, and to increase the apparent size of the head to an enormous
extent.
Indeed, the word Papua is derived from this peculiarity of the hair. In
the Malay language, the word which signifies “crisped” is _pua-pua_,
which is easily contracted into _pa-pua_. Even the hair of the face
grows in similar patches, and so does that on the breast of the man,
and in the latter case the tufts are much further apart than on the
head or face.
The color of the Papuans is a very dark chocolate, sometimes inclining
to black, but having nothing in common with the deep shining black of
the negro. Their features are large and tolerably well made, though the
nose is very broad at the wings, and the lips wide. The nose, however,
is not flat like that of the negro, but is prominent, rather arched,
and descends so low that when seen in front the tip nearly reaches the
upper lip. The natives seem to be perfectly aware of this peculiarity,
and perpetuate it in their carvings.
Although taken as a whole, they are a fine race, there are many
diversities among the different tribes, and they may be divided
into the large and small tribes. The former are powerfully built,
but more remarkable for strength than symmetry--broad-breasted and
deep-chested, but with legs not equal in strength to the upper parts of
the body.
Their character has been variously given, some travellers describing
them as gentle and hospitable, while others decry them as fierce and
treacherous. Suspicious of strangers they certainly are, and with
good reason, having suffered much from the ships that visited their
coasts. A misunderstanding may soon arise between savage and civilized
people, especially when neither understands the language of the other.
An example of such a misunderstanding is given by Mr. Earle in his
valuable work on the native races of the Indian Archipelago. Lieutenant
Modera, an officer in the Dutch navy, embarked with several other
gentlemen in the ship’s boat, for the purpose of landing on the shore
of Dourga Strait, a passage between the mainland and Frederick Henry
Island.
“When the boat had proceeded to within a musket-shot distance from
them, the natives, who were armed with bows, arrows, and lances,
commenced making singular gestures with their arms and legs. The
native interpreter called out to them in a language partly composed of
Ceramese, and partly of a dialect spoken by a Papuan tribe dwelling
a little further to the north; but his words were evidently quite
unintelligible to them, as they only answered with loud and wild yells.
We endeavored, for a long time without success, to induce them to lay
aside their weapons, but at length one of them was prevailed upon to do
so, and the others followed his example, on which we also laid down our
arms, keeping them, however, at hand.
“We now slowly approached each other, and the interpreter, dipping
his hand into the sea, sprinkled some of the water over the crown of
his head as a sign of peaceful intentions. This custom seems to be
general among all the Papuan tribes, and in most cases their peaceful
intentions may be depended upon after having entered into this silent
compact.
“This they seemed to understand, for two of them immediately did the
same, on which the interpreter jumped into the shallow water, and
approached them with some looking-glasses and strings of beads, which
were received with loud laughter and yells. They now began dancing
in the water, making the interpreter join, and the party was soon
increased by other natives from the woods, who were attracted by the
presents. Mr. Hagenholtz also jumped into the shallow water and joined
in the dance, and they soon became so friendly as to come close round
the boat; indeed some of them were even induced to get in.”
Meanwhile their confidence increased, and they began to barter with
their visitors, exchanging their ornaments, and even their weapons,
for beads, mirrors, and cloth. They were very inquisitive about the
strange objects which they saw in the boat, and, although they handled
everything freely, did not attempt to steal. One of them took up a
loaded pistol, but laid it down at once when the owner said it was
tapu, or forbidden. Unfortunately, a misunderstanding then took place,
which destroyed all the amicable feeling which had been established.
“While all this was going on, they kept drawing the boat--unperceived,
as they thought--toward the beach, which determined us to return, as
our stock of presents was exhausted, and there seemed no probability
of our inducing any of them to go on board with us. Shortly before
this, Mr. Boers had ornamented a Papuan with a string of beads, who, on
receiving it, joined two of his countrymen that were standing a little
distance off with the arms that had been laid aside, but which they had
been gradually getting together again--a proceeding we had observed,
but, trusting in the mutual confidence that had been established, we
did not much heed it.
“At the moment in which we were setting off the boat to return on
board, this man fixed an arrow in his bow, and took aim at Mr. Boers,
who was sitting in the fore part of the boat, on which the latter
turned aside to take up his gun, but before he could do so he received
the arrow in his left thigh, which knocked him over, shouting, ‘Fire!
fire! I am hit!’ as he fell. The order was scarcely given before every
one had hold of his arms (which, as before stated, were kept at hand),
and a general discharge put the natives to flight, swimming and diving
like ducks.
“Before they took to flight, however, they discharged several more
arrows at our people, one of which struck Mr. Hagenholtz in the
right knee, another hit a sailor in the leg, while a third pierced a
sailor’s hat and remained sticking in it; and lastly, a Javanese had
the handkerchief shot off his head, but without receiving any personal
injury.”
Three of the natives were severely wounded, if not killed, in this
unfortunate affair, which evidently arose, as Mr. Earle points out,
from misunderstanding, and not from deliberate treachery. Seeing the
boats being pulled toward the ships while four of their companions were
on board, they probably thought that they were being carried off as
captives, as has so often been done along their coast by the slavers.
They could not be expected to understand the difference between one
white man and another, and evidently mistook the Dutch sailors for
slavers, who had come for the purpose of inveigling them into the
ships, where they could not be rescued.
The tribes of this part of the coast are not agreeable specimens of the
Papuan race. They are barely of the middle size, and lightly built.
Their skin is decidedly black, and they ornament their bodies with red
ochre, paying especial attention to their faces, which are made as
scarlet as ochre can make them. The hair is deep black, and is worn in
various ways. Most of the men plait it in a number of tresses, which
fall nearly on the shoulders, while others confine it all into two
tails, and several were seen with a curious headdress of rushes, the
ends of which were firmly plaited among the hair. They are a dirty set
of people, and are subject to diseases of the skin, which give them a
very repulsive appearance.
Dress is not used by the men, who, however, wear plenty of ornaments.
They mostly have a belt made of plaited leaves or rushes, about five
inches wide, and so long that, when tied together behind, the ends
hang down for a foot or so. Some of them adorn this belt with a large
white shell, placed exactly in the middle. Earrings of plaited rattan,
necklaces, and bracelets, were worn by nearly all. Some of them had a
very ingenious armlet, several inches in width. It was made of plaited
rattan, and fitted so tightly to the limb that, when a native wished
to take it off for sale, he was obliged to smear his arm with mud, and
have the ornament drawn off by another person.
Their principal weapons are bows, arrows, and spears, the latter being
sometimes tipped with the long and sharp claw of the tree-kangaroo.
The agility of these Papuans is really astonishing. Along the water’s
edge there run wide belts of mangroves, which extend for many miles in
length with scarcely a break in them. The ground is a thick, deep, and
soft mud, from which the mangrove-roots spring in such numbers that no
one could pass through them even at low water without the constant use
of an axe, while at high water all passage is utterly impossible.
As the natives, who are essentially maritime in their mode of life,
have to cross this belt several times daily in passing from their
canoes to their houses, and vice versa, they prefer doing so by means
of the upper branches, among which they run and leap, by constant
practice from childhood, as easily as monkeys. (See p. 909.) There is
really nothing extraordinary in this mode of progress, which can be
learned by Europeans in a short time, although they never can hope to
attain the graceful ease with which the naked savages pass among the
boughs. In some places the mangroves grow so closely together that to
traverse them is a matter of perfect ease, and Mr. Earle remarks that
he once saw a file of marines, with shouldered arms, making their way
thus over a mangrove swamp.
The familiarity of these people with the trees causes them to look upon
a tree as a natural fortress, and as soon as explorers succeeded in
reaching the villages, the natives invariably made off, and climbed
into the trees that surrounded the villages.
Wild and savage as they are, the Papuans of Dourga Strait display some
acquaintance with the luxuries of civilized life and are inordinately
fond of tobacco, the one luxury that is common to the highest and
lowest races of mankind.
Some travellers have stated that these Papuans are cannibals, and it is
certain that their gestures often favor such an opinion.
The Papuans of Dourga Strait are admirable canoe men, and paddle with
singular skill and power. They always stand while paddling, a plan
whereby they obtain a great increase of power, though perhaps at the
expense of muscular exertion. They give as their chief reason for
preferring the erect position, that it enables them to detect turtle
better than if they were sitting, and to watch them as they dive under
water after being wounded.
* * * * *
Skirting the coast of New Guinea and proceeding northward from Dourga
Strait, we come to the OUTANATA River, at the embouchure of which is
a tribe that differs much from those natives which have already been
described. They are a finer and taller set of men than those of Dourga
Strait, and seem to have preserved many of their customs intact since
the time when Captain Cook visited them. Their skin is a very dark
brown, and is described as having a bluish tinge, and they are said
to rub themselves with some aromatic substance which causes them to
diffuse an agreeable odor.
It is probable that the bluish gloss may be due to the same aromatic
substance with which the body is perfumed. Mr. Earle thinks that the
odoriferous material in question is the bark of the tree called the
“rosamala.”
The blue tinge is never seen among Papuan slaves, and this circumstance
adds force to Mr. Earle’s conjecture.
The features are rather large, especially the mouth, and the lips
are thick. The custom of filing the teeth to a sharp point prevails
among this tribe, but is not universal. The eyes are small, and the
septum of the nose is always pierced so as to carry a piece of white
bone, a boar’s tusk, or some similar ornament. The hair is thick, and,
instead of being trained into long tails like that of the Dourga Strait
natives, it is plaited from the forehead to the crown.
The men wear scarcely any real dress, many of them being entirely
naked, and none of them wearing more than a small piece of bark or
a strip of coarse cloth made either of cocoa-nut fibre or of split
bamboo. They are, however, exceedingly fond of ornament, and have all
the savage love of tattooing, or rather scarifying, the body, which is
done in a way that reminds the observer of the same process among the
Australians. The scarifications project above the skin to the thickness
of a finger, and the natives say that this effect is produced by first
cutting deeply into the flesh, and then applying heat to the wounds.
Anklets, bracelets, and other articles of savage finery are common, and
a man who does not wear an inch of clothing will pride himself on his
boar’s teeth necklace, his bracelets of woven rattan, and his peaked
rush cap.
The women always wear some amount of clothing, however small, the very
fact of possessing apparel of any kind being conventionally accepted as
constituting raiment. Their solitary garment consists of a small apron,
about six inches square, made from the cocoa-nut fibre.
It is rather remarkable that these people have the same habit of
placing their new-born children in hot sand, as has already been
described when treating of the now extinct Tasmanians. When the mother
goes about her work, she carries the child by means of a sort of sling
made of leaves or the bark of a tree.
The architecture of the Outanatas is far superior to that of their
brethren of Dourga Strait. One of these houses, described by Lieutenant
Modera, was at least a hundred feet in length, though it was only five
feet high and six wide, so that a man could not stand upright in it.
There were nineteen doors to this curious building, which was at first
mistaken for a row of separate huts. The floor is covered with white
sand, and the inhabitants generally seat themselves on mats. Each of
these doors seemed to be appropriated to a single family, and near the
doors were placed the different fireplaces. Over the roof a fishing net
had been spread to dry in the sun, while a number of weapons were hung
under the roof.
This house was built in a few days by the women and girls, and was
placed near a much larger building, which had been raised on piles.
The weapons of the Outanatas are spears, clubs, and the usual bow and
arrows, which form the staple of Polynesian arms.
The bows are about five feet in length, and are furnished with a string
sometimes made of bamboo and sometimes of rattan. The arrows are about
four feet in length, and made of cane or reed, to the end of which
is attached a piece of hard wood, generally that of the betel-tree.
The tips are mostly simple, the wood being scraped to a sharp point
and hardened in the fire, but the more ambitious weapons are armed
with barbs, and furnished with a point made of bone. The teeth of
the sawfish are often employed for this purpose, and a few of the
arrows are tipped with the kangaroo claw, as already mentioned in the
description of the Dourga Strait spear.
Beside these weapons, the natives carry a sort of axe made of stone
lashed to a wooden handle, but this ought rather to be considered as
a tool than a weapon, although it can be used in the latter capacity.
With this simple instrument the Outanatas cut down the trees, shape
them into canoes, and perform the various pieces of carpentering that
are required in architecture.
The most remarkable part of an Outanata’s equipment is an instrument
which greatly perplexed the earlier voyagers, and led them to believe
that these natives were acquainted with fire-arms. Captain Cook, who
visited New Guinea in 1770, mentions that as soon as he reached the
shore and had left his boat, three natives, or “Indians,” as he calls
them, rushed out of the wood, and that one of them threw out of his
hand something which “flew on one side of him and burnt exactly like
powder, but made no report.” The two others hurled their spears at the
travellers, who were in self-defence obliged to use their fire-arms.
Not wishing to come to an engagement, they retired to the boat, and
reached it just in time, the natives appearing in considerable force.
“As soon as we were aboard, we rowed abreast of them, and their number
then appeared to be between sixty and a hundred. We took a view of
them at our leisure. They made much the same appearance as the New
Hollanders, being nearly of the same stature, and having their hair
short-cropped. Like them they also were all stark naked, but we thought
the color of their skin was not quite so dark; this, however, might be
merely the effect of their being not quite so dirty.
“All this time they were shouting defiance, and letting off their fires
by four or five at a time. What those fires were, or for what purpose
intended, we could not imagine. Those who discharged them had in their
hands a short piece of stick--possibly a hollow cane--which they swung
sideways from them, and we immediately saw fire and smoke, exactly
resembling those of a musket, and of no longer duration. This wonderful
phenomenon was observed from the ship, and the deception was so great
that the people on board thought they had firearms; and in the boat, if
we had not been so near that we must have heard the report, we should
have thought they had been firing volleys.”
The reader will doubtless remark here that the travellers were so
accustomed to associate fire with smoke that they believed themselves
to have seen flashes of fire as well as wreaths of smoke issue from
the strange weapon. Many years afterward, Lieutenant Modera contrived
to see and handle some of these implements, and found that they were
simply hollow bamboos, filled with a mixture of sand and wood-ashes,
which could be flung like smoke-wreaths from the tubes. The Outanatas,
their weapons, canoes and the remarkable instrument just described,
are illustrated on the following page.
Some persons have thought that the natives used these tubes in
imitation of firearms, but the interpreters gave it as their opinion
that they were employed as signals, the direction of the dust cloud
being indicative of the intention of the thrower. Others say that
the tubes are really weapons, made for the purpose of blinding their
adversaries by flinging sand in their eyes. I cannot agree with this
last suggestion, because the other weapons of the Outanatas show that
the natives do not fight hand to hand like the New Zealanders. I think
that the interpreters were right in their statement that the tubes are
used for signalling, and this supposition is strengthened by the fact
that the natives of Australia do use smoke for the same purpose, as has
already been described.
The canoes of the Outanatas are often of considerable size, measuring
fifty or sixty feet, and, although narrow in proportion to their
length from stem to stern, containing a great number of men. They are
handsomely carved and adorned with paint, and both ends are flat and
broad. The rowers stand up when they use their paddles, which are
necessarily of considerable length, having long handles and oval blades
slightly hollowed. The narrowness of these canoes strengthens the
opinion of several travellers, that the Outanatas are really an inland
tribe, descending the river in flotillas, and returning to their inland
home when the object of their expedition is accomplished.
They seem to be less suspicious than their countrymen of Dourga Strait,
and have no hesitation in meeting Europeans and exchanging their own
manufactures for cloth, knives, and glass bottles, the last mentioned
objects being always favorite articles of barter with Polynesian
savages, who employ them when entire for holding liquids, and, if they
should unfortunately be broken, use the fragments for knives, lancets,
points of weapons, and similar purposes. Lieutenant Modera describes
the appearance of one of their flotillas as representing a perfect
fair, the boats being laid closely together, and their decks crowded
with natives laden with articles for barter.
Unlike the Dourga Strait natives, those of the Outanata River had
no objection to come on board the European ships, and visited the
vessels in great numbers. Even their principal chief came on board
frequently. On the first occasion he disguised his rank, and merely
came as an ordinary native, but he afterward avowed himself, and came
freely on board in his own character. For convenience’ sake he called
himself Abrauw, _i. e._ Abraham, a name by which he was well known for
a considerable distance. He offered no objection to going below and
entering the Captain’s cabin, though his subjects were rather uneasy at
his absence, and shouted his name so perseveringly that he was obliged
every now and then to put his head out of the cabin window. He had all
the regal power of concealing astonishment, and witnessed with utter
imperturbability the discharge of firearms, the ticking of watches,
and examples of similar marvels. He did, however, display a little
interest in the musketry practice, which was directed at a succession
of bottles, slung from the yard-arm, but whether he was struck with the
accuracy of aim or with the needless destruction of valuable bottles is
doubtful.
He seemed to be worthy of his position as chief, and was desirous of
establishing an European settlement near the mouth of the Outanata.
Unfortunately, the river, although a noble stream, has a sandbar across
the mouth which effectually prevents vessels of even light draught from
passing except at high water. The people in general were wonderfully
honest, not displaying the thievish propensities which cause the visits
of many savage tribes to be so troublesome. They even brought on board
articles which had been accidentally left on shore. They probably
owe much of their superiority to their connection with the Malay
Mohammedans, many of whom visit New Guinea as traders.
[Illustration: (1.) A SCENE IN THE NICOBAR ISLANDS. (See page 897.)]
[Illustration: (2.) THE OUTANATAS AND THEIR WEAPONS. (See page 902.)]
CHAPTER XCI.
NEW GUINEA--_Concluded_.
THE ALFOËRS OR HARAFORAS -- VARIOUS REPORTS RESPECTING THEM --
THEIR MODE OF GOVERNMENT -- AN ALFOËRIAN DIVORCE COURT -- TREPANG
COLLECTING -- DESTRUCTION OF PROPERTY -- FUNERAL RITES -- TRIBES OF
THE SOUTH-EASTERN COAST -- A QUAINT DRUMMER -- DRESS AND ORNAMENT
-- THE TATTOO -- THE FULL-DRESS PETTICOAT -- HAIR-DRESSING --
EXCELLENCE OF THEIR CANOES -- AN INGENIOUS SAIL -- HOW TO STOP A
LEAK -- THE PIG-PET -- ARCHITECTURE -- DEFENCE AGAINST VERMIN --
HOUSES OF REDSCAR BAY -- DREAD OF STEEL -- TRIBES OF THE NORTH-WEST
COAST -- THEIR CANOES -- MODES OF FISHING -- AQUATIC HOUSES -- MODE
OF GOVERNMENT -- APPOINTMENT OF A NEW CHIEF -- NEW GUINEA WEDDINGS
-- THE KARWAR, OR HOUSEHOLD GOD -- THE WAR-DANCE -- CEREMONIES AT
FUNERALS.
We must here give a short space to some tribes called by various
names, such as Haraforas, Alfouras, and Alfoërs, and supposed by
many ethnologists to be a separate family living in New Guinea and
the neighboring islands, but as distinct from the generality of the
inhabitants as the Bosjesman of Southern Africa are from the Kaffir.
This theory, however, has now been shown to be untenable, and it is now
known that the word Alfoërs, or Alfouras, is applied by the tribes of
the coast to those who live in the interior. The word has a Portuguese
origin, and as Mr. Earle remarks, is applied to the mountaineers of
the interior, just as the Spaniards called the aborigines of America
“Indians,” and the Mohammedan inhabitants of Salee and Mindano “Moros,”
or “Moors.”
Most of the accounts that have been received of the Alfoërs are not at
all to be trusted. They have been described as peculiarly disgusting
and repulsive, ferocious, gloomy, living in the depths of the forest,
and murdering all strangers who came in their way. In fact, they have a
worse reputation than the Andamaners. It has been ascertained, however,
that these evil reports have originated from the coast tribes, who have
a very strong objection to allow foreigners to penetrate inland.
The reason is obvious. The visits of the traders are exceedingly
valuable, furnishing all kinds of tools, weapons and ornaments, which
constitute the wealth of the savage. The natives, having purchased
these with articles which to themselves are comparatively valueless,
can sell their superabundance to the inland Alfoërs, and make an
enormous profit on their bargain. If the white men were allowed to go
inland and trade directly with the natives, their profitable traffic
would be broken up.
As far as can be ascertained, the Alfoërs are in much the same state as
were the Outanatas before they were visited by traders. Those who were
seen were remarkable for a certain stupidity of aspect, a taciturnness
of disposition, and a slowness of movement, which are not found among
the Outanatas. As, however, they were slaves, it is more than likely
that these characteristics were the result of servitude.
Subsequently some discoveries were made among the Alfoërs, which
entirely contradicted the reports of the coast tribes. They are
certainly rough in their manners, and if they take a dislike to a
foreigner, or if he should perchance offend any of their prejudices,
they eject him from the district with more speed than ceremony; taking
care, however, not to inflict personal damage, and refraining from
confiscating his property.
As far as can be ascertained from the slight intercourse which has
been held with these tribes, there is no regular form of government,
the elders deciding disputes, and their decisions being respected.
They are an honest set of people, paying the greatest regard to the
rights of property; and being so scrupulous in this respect, that if
any one should even enter the house of an absent man he is called to
account, and made to pay a fine to the owner of the house. A similar
law exists with regard to the women. If a man should even touch, though
accidentally, the wife of another, he makes himself liable to a fine.
A curious example of this regulation is mentioned by Lieutenant Kolff.
A man set out in his canoe to fish, intending to return in a week; but
being caught by contrary winds, he was driven away from his own part of
the coast, and was detained two months. Unfortunately he had only left
at home provisions for a week, and his wife, finding herself without
food, asked a neighbor to provide it for her. This he did, and as, day
after day, nothing was heard of the husband, the woman transferred her
affections and herself to the neighbor who had assisted her, and the
pair went off to another island.
After two months had elapsed the husband came back, and, not finding
his wife, demanded her from her brothers, who were then bound to
produce her. They set off in search of the guilty couple, discovered
them, and brought them back, when the injured husband demanded an
enormous sum by way of fine. The man said that he could not possibly
pay such a sum if he were to work for the rest of his lifetime. The
affair was eventually brought before the elders, who decided that
the husband had done wrong in leaving his wife so ill provided for,
and that if he had supplied her with a sufficiency of provisions the
acquaintance between herself and her paramour would probably have been
avoided. So they decreed that the man should pay a small fine, and
advised the husband to leave plenty of provisions at home when he next
went out fishing.
The principal object for which the natives make these expeditions is
the trepang, or sea-slug (_Holothuria_), which is in great demand in
China, and is purchased by traders from the natives for the Chinese
market. It is chiefly by means of the trepang that a man procures a
wife. As is the case among many savage tribes, a wife can only be
obtained by purchase, so that daughters are quite as valuable to their
parents as sons. With the Alfoërs, the marriage present must always
consist of foreign valuables, such as elephants’ tusks, gongs, China
dishes, cloth, and similar objects. These are obtained by exchanging
trepang with the traders.
When, therefore, a young man wants a wife, and has settled the amount
of the marriage portion with the father, he goes off for a year on a
hunting expedition. He takes a canoe, and sails from island to island,
catching as much trepang as possible, and begging from all those whom
he visits. At the end of the year he returns home, knowing that by
means of the protective law his house and property will be perfectly
safe, and presents himself to the father of the girl with the goods
which he has obtained. It is seldom that he is able to make up the
entire amount at once, but he is allowed to pay by instalments.
Property cannot be inherited, owing to a peculiar custom. As soon
as any one dies, his relations assemble, gather together all his
valuables, break them to pieces, and throw the fragments away. Even
the precious brass gongs are thus broken, the survivors thinking that
no one may use anything belonging to the dead. Large heaps of broken
china, ivory, and metal are found on the outskirts of villages that
have existed for any long time, showing that many deaths must have
occurred within its limits.
The rest of the funeral ceremonies are curious, and are worthy of a
brief description.
When death is ascertained, notice is sent to all the relatives of the
deceased, who often are scattered widely apart, so that several days
usually elapse before they can all assemble. The body meanwhile is kept
sprinkled with lime, in order to retard decay as much as possible, and
aromatic resins are burned in the house to counteract any ill odor.
As the relatives come, they take their places in the house, and begin
drinking. Before the traders supplied them with arrack, they had a
fermented liquor made by themselves from fruit. They always offer the
deceased a share of everything, putting a little food into the mouth
of the dead person, and pouring a little liquid between the senseless
lips. Meanwhile the women utter loud lamentations, gongs are beaten,
and a stunning uproar is kept up until the time of the funeral.
When the relatives have all assembled, a bier is provided, covered with
cloth, the quantity and quality of which accord with the wealth of the
deceased; and the body is then brought out in front of the house, and
supported in a sitting position against a post. The villagers then
assemble, and a general feast takes place, a share of which is offered
to the deceased as before. Finding that he will neither eat nor drink,
in spite of the solicitations of his friends and companions, the body
is carried into the woods, where it is placed on a platform erected on
four feet.
This being done, the concluding ceremony is left to the women. They
remove all their clothing, and then plant by the side of the platform
a young sapling; this ceremony being called the “casting away of the
body,” and considered as a symbol that the deceased has done with his
body, and thrown it from him.
* * * * *
Passing more to the eastward of New Guinea, we come to some interesting
nations inhabiting Brumer’s Island, and the neighborhood. These islands
are situate about lat. 10° 45´ S. and lon. 150° 23´ E.
Living as they do on a number of small islands, the largest being
rather less than three miles in width, the natives are necessarily
maritime, passing from one island to another in their admirably
contrived vessels. They are accustomed to the visits of ships, and
boldly put off to meet them, taking no weapons, except for sale, and
displaying the greatest confidence in their visitors.
One of these natives caused great amusement by his imitation of the
ship’s drummer. Some one gave him a large tin can, which he, being a
musical genius, immediately converted into a drum. At first he merely
pounded it with his hands, but when the ship’s drummer was sent into
the chains, and began to play upon his instrument, the man watched
him for a little time, and then began to imitate him in the most
ludicrous manner, his antics and grimaces being especially provocative
of laughter. The effect of his buffoonery was heightened by the manner
in which he had adorned his face. He had blackened his naturally dark
features with charcoal, and had drawn a streak of white paint over each
eyebrow, and another under the chin to the cheekbones.
The mode of salutation is rather ludicrous to a stranger, as it
consists of pinching. When they desire to salute any one, they pinch
the tip of the nose with the finger and thumb of the right hand, while
with the left they pinch the middle of their stomachs, accompanying
this odd and complex gesture with the word “Magasûka.” These natives
seem to be a hospitable people, for, after several of them had been
received on board and treated kindly, they returned on the following
day, and brought with them a great quantity of cooked yams, for which
they refused payment.
The men wear nothing but a small strip of pandanus leaf, but the women
have a dress which in principle is exactly similar to the thong-aprons
of Southern Africa. It consists of a number of very narrow strips of
pandanus leaf, reaching nearly to the knee. The girls wear only a
single row of these strips, but the women wear several layers of them,
one coming a little below the other, like flounces. In wet weather the
uppermost petticoat is taken from the waist and tied round the neck,
so as to protect the shoulders from the rain, which shoots off the
leaf-strips as off a thatched roof.
On gala days a much handsomer petticoat is worn. This consists of much
finer leaf strips than those which constitute the ordinary dress, and
it is dyed of various colors. Some of them which were seen by Mr.
M’Gillivray were red and green, with bands of pale yellow and pure
white. The tufts of which they were composed were extremely light and
soft, and looked like very fine-twisted grass blades. Several of the
women, by way of finishing their toilet, had blackened their faces.
This process, if it did not add to their beauty, certainly did not
detract from it, as their faces were originally so plain that the black
covering could not make them more ugly. The young men and lads formed
a curious contrast to the women in this respect, many of them being
remarkable for their good looks.
The women usually, though not invariably, divide their hair into a vast
number of little tresses, and twist them up like the thrums of a mop,
while the men tease out their stiff and wiry locks as much as possible,
and fix in them a slender stick, some two feet in length, decorated
with a little plume at the top, the base being cut into teeth and so
used as a comb.
The inhabitants of Redscar Bay use a more elaborate system of tattooing
than that which has been described above. The men generally restrict
themselves to certain portions of the body, such as the breast,
cheeks, forehead, and arms, and even on those spots the tattooing is
comparatively slight. But the women are so covered with blue patterns,
that there is hardly a portion of their bodies which has not been thus
decorated. They have various patterns, but the usual type is formed
by double parallel lines, the intervals between which are filled with
smaller patterns, or with zigzag lines. As the dress of the women
consists merely of the leaf-strip petticoat, the patterns of the
tattooing are very fully displayed.
The hair of the men is dressed here after a rather singular fashion. It
is shaved from the forehead for some three inches, and the remainder
is combed backward to its full length. A string is then tied round
it, so as to confine it as closely as possible to the head, leaving
rather more than half its length to be frizzed into a mop-like bundle
projecting from the crown.
Those who are especially careful of their personal appearance add
an ornament which is not unlike the pigtail of the last century. A
tolerably large bunch of hair is gathered together and tied into a long
and straight tail, the end of which is decorated with some ornament.
In one case, a man had attached to his pigtail a bunch of dogs’ teeth.
The mouths, naturally wide, are disfigured with the universal custom of
chewing the betel-leaf mixed with lime, which stains the lips of a dull
brick-red, and makes the whole mouth look as if it had been bleeding.
The hair is usually black, but some diversities of color are often
seen. Sometimes it is black except the tips of each tress, where the
hue becomes yellow or reddish, and sometimes the whole of the hair is
red. In all probability, this change of tint is produced by artificial
means, such as lime-water, the use of which is known in various parts
of New Guinea. Those who have the entire hair red have probably dyed
it lately, while those who have only the tips red have passed several
months without dyeing it. There is but little beard or moustache.
As far as can be judged from appearances, the women are treated better
than is usually the case among savages, and seem to be considered as
equal with the men. They are affectionate parents, as was proved by the
fact that children were often brought by their fathers to look at the
ships.
The average stature of these natives was rather small, few exceeding
five feet four inches in height. They were very active, but not
powerful, as was proved by testing their strength against that of the
ship’s crew.
Allusion has already been made to their skill in boating. These natives
possess various canoes, some so small as only to hold, and by no means
to accommodate, one person, while others contain with ease fifty or
sixty at once.
The commonest canoe is that which is popularly called a catamaran,
and which is more of a raft than a boat. It is formed of three planks
lashed together with rattan. The man sits, or rather kneels, a little
behind the centre, and is able to propel this simple vessel with great
speed. Some of these catamarans are large enough to carry ten or twelve
persons, together with a cargo. Instead of being merely three planks,
they consist of three great logs of wood laid side by side, and lashed
firmly together with rattan at their ends, in the centre, and midway
between the centre and each end. There is no particular bow or stern,
but the central log is longer than the others, so as to project at each
end, and is generally carved into rude patterns, and ornamented with
red and white paint.
Of course the sea washes freely over this primitive vessel, so that the
natives are obliged to erect a small platform in the middle, on which
they can place any goods that might be damaged by wetting.
One of the smaller catamarans is shown in the foreground of
illustration, No. 2, on the next page, and just behind it is one of
the large canoes with its sail struck. Such a canoe as this is about
twenty-five feet in length. It consists of two parts, the canoe proper
and the outrigger. The canoe proper is very curiously formed. It is
cut from the trunk of a tree, and, in spite of its length, is not more
than eighteen or nineteen inches in extreme width. The most curious
part of its construction is, that the sides, after bulging out below,
come together above, so that the space between the gunwale is barely
eight inches, there is only just room for a man’s legs to pass into the
interior of the boat. A section of the canoe would present an outline
very much like that of the Greek Omega reversed, thus--℧. In order to
preserve the gunwales from injury, a slight pole is lashed to them
throughout their entire length.
As is the case with the catamaran, both ends of the canoe are alike.
They are generally raised well above the water, and are carved into
the semblance of a snake’s or turtle’s head, and decorated with paint,
tufts of feathers, shells, and similar ornaments.
The outrigger is as long as the canoe, to which it is attached by a
series of light poles to the gunwale of the canoe itself. The method by
which the outer ends of the poles are fastened to the outrigger is very
curious, and can be better understood by reference to the illustration
than by a description. Like the ends of the canoe, those of the
outrigger poles are fashioned into a snake-like form.
The natives can run along these poles to the outrigger with perfect
safety, often sitting upon it when the wind is high, so as to
preserve the balance of the vessel. In many canoes, however, a slight
platform is laid upon these poles, so as greatly to increase the
burthen-carrying space of the vessel; and a corresponding but smaller
platform projects from the opposite side of the canoe. On this platform
several paddlers are stationed, finding it easier to work their
long-handled paddles from the platform than from the narrow space of
the canoe itself.
The sail is made of strips of palm leaf, interlaced with each other.
When it is not required, the sail is struck and rolled up, so as to
occupy as little room as possible, and the mast can also be struck,
like those of our sailing barges while passing under a bridge.
Two other kinds of New Guinea canoes are shown in the same
illustration. These canoes are not found in the same part of New
Guinea, but, as the natives travel in them for considerable distances,
they have been brought together in the same illustration for the
convenience of comparison.
Beyond the large canoe is a smaller one, with a sail that is set in
rather a curious manner. There is no mast, but the two edges of the
sail are fastened to slight spars, and when the native finds the wind
to be favorable, he fixes the lower ends of these spars in the canoe,
and supports the upper ends by stays or ropes that were fore and aft.
The reader will notice the pointed end of the cylindrical outrigger. On
the opposite side to the outrigger is a slight platform made of planks.
The platform itself is out of sight, but the reader may see the heads
and shoulders of the two men who are sitting on it.
[Illustration: (1.) THE MONKEY MEN OF DOURGA STRAIT. (See page 900.)]
[Illustration: (2.) CANOES OF NEW GUINEA. (See page 908.)]
This canoe is made near Redscar Point, and, except in the arrangement
of the sail, is somewhat similar to the vessels which are built at
Brumer Island. The paddles are between six and seven feet in length,
and are rather clumsily formed, without any attempt at ornament.
The canoe to the right of the illustration is the most curious of these
vessels. The body of the canoe is made out of the trunk of a tree,
which is first shaped to a conical form at each end, and then hollowed.
Over the ends is firmly fixed a piece of wood, several feet in length,
so as to make the two ends into hollow cones into which the water
cannot force its way. The gunwale is raised about two feet by planks
which box in the opening of the canoe, and act as wash-boards, the
seams being pitched and rendered water-tight.
These particulars are mentioned because in general the natives of New
Guinea are singularly indifferent as to the amount of water which
is taken in by their canoes, provided that they are not sunk. There
is, for example, one kind of New Guinea canoe found in Coral Haven,
in which the gunwales are not connected at the stern, which is left
open. The water would of course rush in, were it not that one of the
crew sits in the opening, forcing his body into it so as to render it
temporarily water-tight. Even with this precaution it is impossible to
prevent some water from making its way between the body of the man and
the sides of the canoe, as it heels over by the force of the wind, and
in squally weather another of the crew is obliged to keep perpetually
baling with a large shell.
The most curious part of the canoe which we are now examining is the
sail, which, clumsy as it looks, is a very great improvement on those
which have been previously described, inasmuch as it can be shifted and
trimmed to suit the wind.
The mast, instead of being merely stuck upright when wanted, is
permanently fixed, but is so short that it causes no inconvenience when
the sail is struck and the paddles alone are employed. It is fixed,
or “stepped,” into a hole in a board at the bottom of the canoe, and
is lashed to a transverse spar that extends across the canoe from one
gunwale to the other. At the head of the mast is a stout projecting
arm, through which is bored a hole.
The sail is made by matting stretched between two slight spars, and
when not wanted it can be rolled up and laid up on the platform of
the outrigger. The halyard, a rope by which the sail is hauled to its
place, is fixed to the middle of the sail, and passes through the hole
in the projecting arm of the mast-head. Hopes are fastened to each
end, constituting the “tack” and the “sheet.” When the crew wish to
put their canoe about, they do so in a very expeditious manner, merely
letting go the ropes and hauling them in again, so as to turn the sail
and convert the sheet into the tack, and _vice versâ_. As both ends of
the canoe are alike, the vessel at once obeys the new impulse, and goes
off in the required direction.
The canoe is steered with one special paddle some nine feet in length,
of which the oblong, rounded blade occupies half.
* * * * *
The inhabitants of the New Guinea coasts are remarkable for their skill
in swimming and diving. When H. M. S. _Rattlesnake_ was off New Guinea,
the anchor of one of the boats caught in the coral, and could not be
dislodged. An old man who was standing on the beach saw that something
was wrong, and swam off to the boat. He soon understood the case, and,
after diving several times, succeeded in clearing the anchor, a feat
for which he was rewarded by an axe. He always dived feet foremost,
without an effort, and remained under water for about half a minute.
It is rather curious that the love of pigs which is found among the
New Zealanders should be quite as strongly developed among the natives
of New Guinea. The girls and women make great pets of them, and it is
not at all an uncommon event to see a young girl tripping along in
all the graceful freedom of the savage, holding a young pig in her
arms, and caressing and talking to it as an European girl talks to her
doll, or to her pet lapdog. These pigs are long-legged, black-skinned,
stiff-haired animals, not at all agreeing with our ideas of a pig’s
proper form.
The dress used by the women consists of slender leaf-strips, and
forms a really graceful costume. Many of the women employ a kind
of tattooing, though they do not carry it to such an extent as to
disfigure themselves. The patterns, though elaborate, are very small
and delicate, and extend over a considerable portion of the body.
The arms and front of the body display a regular pattern, which is
usually carried over the shoulder for a little way, but leaves the back
untouched. The most delicate pattern is reserved for the arm and waist,
where it looks like a delicate blue lace fitting tightly to the skin.
The women are very proud of this ornament, and are always gratified
when a stranger expresses admiration of it. The men occasionally
use the tattoo, but in a comparatively scanty manner, confining the
patterns to a star or two on the breast. Now and then a man will have
a double series of stars and dots extending from the centre of the
chest to the shoulders, but on an average a native of this part of the
country is not so much tattooed as an ordinary English sailor.
The architecture of this part of New Guinea differs from that of Dourga
Strait in being much more elaborate, but throughout New Guinea the
style of house-building is so similar that we will take a few examples
as representatives of the whole group of islands. All the houses are
elevated on posts like those of the Nicobar Islands, but have several
improvements in architecture.
The posts vary in number according to the size of the house, and about
four feet from the ground each post passes through a wide circular
wooden disc, which serves as an effectual barrier against the rats and
snakes, which would otherwise take possession of the dwellings. The
posts are connected together at about five feet from the ground by
rafters, on which the floor is laid.
These rafters, or joists, support a row of poles laid horizontally side
by side, and upon them are laid crosswise a great number of slighter
spars, thus forming a framework, on which is fixed the floor itself,
which consists of a number of thin planks taken from the cocoa-nut
tree. The supporting posts are about ten feet in total length, and
are connected at their tops by horizontal poles, on which a second or
upper floor is fixed, precisely similar to the principal floor, though
much smaller. On this upper floor are kept the weapons, implements,
provisions, and similar articles, for which accommodation cannot be
found on the principal floor. A supply of water, for example, is
generally kept in the huts, a number of empty cocoa-nut shells being
used in lieu of bottles, and closed at the orifice by a plug of grass.
In fact, they are identical in principal with the ostrich-egg vessels
of the South African savage, which have been already described upon a
preceding page.
Entrance is gained to the house by a square hole in the flooring, and
the primitive staircase by which the inhabitants ascend into their
houses is equally simple and effectual. It is necessary that the
stairs--if we may use the term--should be so constructed, that while
human beings can easily obtain access to the house, the rats and other
vermin shall be kept out. If an ordinary ladder or even a notched
pole were fixed to the house, the rats and snakes would be sure to
climb up it and take possession of the dwelling. The native architect,
therefore, proceeds after a different fashion.
Immediately under the opening in the floor he fixes two stout posts
in the ground, leaving them to project rather more than three feet.
The posts have forked heads, and upon them is laid a transverse pole,
which is firmly lashed to them. From this transverse pole another pole
is laid to the ground, so as to form an inclined plane up which the
inhabitants of the house can walk. It will now be seen, that if a man
walk up the inclined pole, to the transverse one, he can pass along
the latter in a stooping attitude until he comes to the opening in the
floor. He can then pass his body through the opening and lift himself
to the level of the floor, while the space which intervenes between the
horizontal post and the floor affords an effectual barrier against the
rats and other vermin.
The reader will better understand this description by comparing it with
illustration No. 1, on the 916th page, which represents three of these
huts. That on the right is seen from the end, and is represented as
half finished, in order to show the structure of the interior.
The sides and roof of the hut are formed of slight spars which are
lashed together by a framework, so as to form a support for the
thatching. This is made of coarse grass pulled up by the roots in large
tufts, and covered with an outer layer of cocoa-nut leaves. If the
house be a large one, there is an entrance at each end, and another
in the middle, each being closed with neatly woven mats. Similar but
coarser mats are fastened to the lower portion of the sides, in order
to exclude the wind.
Up to this point the architecture is identical throughout the island,
but a divergence takes place in the shape of the house itself,
according to the locality. The usual form is that which is represented
in the illustration. Such a house as is there drawn is on the average
thirty feet in length, nine in width, and thirteen in total height, so
that a space of about three feet intervenes between the upper floor and
the roof. The central figure of the illustration shows the side view
of a finished hut, and the left-hand figure shows the end view of a
similar dwelling.
In some places, however, such for example as Redscar Bay, the form of
the houses is different. Instead of having the slender poles which
form the framework of the walls bent over in a curved form, they are
arranged so as to make a lofty and sharply-pointed gable roof. A house
of this description, which measures thirty feet in length, will reach,
on an average, twenty-five feet in height. There is no distinction
between the roof and walls of the huts, except that the lower portion
of the roof is covered with sheets of a bark-like substance, which is
supposed to be the base of the cocoa-nut leaf flattened by pressure.
The entrance or door of these huts is at one end, and is covered with a
mat as has already been mentioned. Access is obtained by a sloping pole
resting on a short post. In some of these huts a number of spears were
seen in the interior, lashed along the sides, together with several
human skulls; but whether the latter were intended as ornaments, or
whether they were preserved in memorial of the dead owners, is not
certain.
The people who inhabit Redscar Bay and its vicinity exhibited a curious
mixture of shyness and confidence. They came freely to the ships as
they anchored in the bay, and were very anxious to be admitted on
board, peeping into the ports in the most inquisitive manner, and
holding up their weapons and implements for sale. They have in use a
rather remarkable arrow, with a head in the form of a pointed gouge or
scoop.
One of these arrows is in my collection. The shaft is made in the usual
manner from a reed, and is weighted at one end with a piece of hard and
heavy wood. Into this wooden tip is cut a deep groove, into which slips
the butt of the head. This is about eight inches in length, and is made
of bamboo, the reed being nearly cut away so as to leave a piece rather
more than half an inch in width in the middle, and tapering gently to
one end so as to form a point, and abruptly to the other end in order
to form a butt which can be slipped, into the wooden tip of the arrow.
Bamboo scoops of a similar description, but of a larger size, are used
as knives, and are sharpened by the simple process of biting off a
piece of the edge. When Mr. M’Gillivray visited New Guinea, he asked
a native the use of the bamboo scoop; and when he found that it was
used as a knife, he produced his own knife, and, taking up a piece of
wood, he showed the superiority of steel over bamboo by cutting a stick
vigorously with it.
Strangely enough, instead of being gratified with the performance of
the knife, the man was so frightened that he pushed off his canoe,
called his friends around him, and explained to them the terrible deed
that had been done. The knife was offered to him, but he looked upon
the proffered gift as an aggravation of the original offence, and
declined all overtures toward reconciliation. This aversion to steel
was found to be prevalent among the inhabitants of this part of New
Guinea.
The bow by which these arrows are propelled is a very effective though
clumsily made weapon. My own specimen is about six feet in length, and
is made from some hard and tough wood, apparently that of the cocoa-nut
tree. It is very stiff, and requires a strong arm to draw it. The
string is a strip of rattan, like that which has already been mentioned
when treating of North Australia.
Passing to the north-west of the island, we find that their appearance
and manners are not very dissimilar from those which belong to their
brethren of the southern coast. Taking the Dory people as our type,
we find that they often display good examples of the high and narrow
forehead of the Papuan family, and many of them have narrow and arched
noses, together with lips nearly as thin as those of an European.
Indeed, some of these natives possess a cast of countenance which is
so like that of an European that several travellers have thought that
there must have been some admixture of foreign blood. Such, however, is
not the case, these peculiarities belonging to the individual, and not
implying any foreign mixture.
The canoes of this part of the country are rather different from those
of the southern coast. The mast is made of three distinct spars,
united at their tops. Two of them are fastened to the side by pins
passing through them, on which they work backward and forward, as if
on hinges. The third is not fastened to the vessel, but its butt fits
into a cavity from which it can be removed at pleasure. If, therefore,
the natives wish to use their paddles, all they have to do is to lift
the foot of this spar out of its socket, when the whole of the triple
mast can be lowered on deck. When the wind becomes favorable, and the
sail is to be employed, the masts are raised again, the butt of the
third spar is stepped into its socket, and the triple mast is thus kept
firmly upright. A similar contrivance is now proposed for our ships of
war, as these triple masts made of three slight iron bars cannot be so
easily shot away as the single and solid mast.
The natives are very expert canoe-men, and are accustomed to the use
of their vessels from childhood. Even the small boys have their little
canoes, which are so light that they can be carried to and from the
water without difficulty.
They excel as fishermen, being as expert in the water as on it. The
trepang fishery is energetically conducted by them, as it is by the
sale of trepang to the merchants that they obtain the greater part of
the foreign luxuries on which they set so high a value. The hawksbill
turtle is captured principally for the sake of the shell, which is also
purchased by the traders, and, together with mother-of-pearl shell, is
mostly sent to the Chinese markets.
The mode of fishing with a net is much the same as on all these coasts.
The net is three or four feet in depth, and a hundred feet or more in
length. The meshes are about an inch in width. One edge is furnished
with a row of flat pieces of light wood, which act as floats, and along
the other edge are fastened a number of perforated shells by way of
weights.
When the natives wish to use this net, they place it in a canoe, and
look out for a shoal of fish. As soon as a favorable opportunity is
found, the canoe is taken to seaward of the shoal, and let carefully
into the water. Each end is taken in charge by one or two men, who
bring the net round the shoal in semi-circular form, so as to enclose
the fish. These men gradually approach each other, while another
man beats the water with a pole, or flings stones into it, so as to
frighten the fish into the enclosure. As soon as the two ends of the
net have been brought together, the canoe comes up, and the net, with
the fish hanging in its meshes, is hauled on board. They also use
fish-traps, like those which have been already described in the account
of Australia, sinking them by means of a stone, and raising them by a
cord, to the end of which a bamboo buoy is fastened.
They are tolerable smiths, and have a kind of bellows identical in
principle with those of savage Africa, but worked in a different
manner. Instead of having a couple of inflated skins, they have a pair
of wide bamboo tubes, about four feet in length, the lower ends of
which are buried in the earth, and connected by means of channels with
the hole in which the fire is made. The pistons are formed of bunches
of feathers tied to bamboos, and the blower works them alternately up
and down, so as to produce a tolerably constant blast. It is remarkable
that the bellows of the Chinese itinerant jeweller are fitted with
feather pistons. It is most probable that these bellows have been
borrowed from the more eastern islands.
As to the actual working of the metal, it bears a curious similitude
to that which is employed in savage Africa. The anvil is generally a
stone, unless the native smiths can procure an iron “pig” or a piece of
a broken anchor. They can work in silver and copper as well as iron,
melting the two former metals and running them into moulds, to be
afterward beaten and worked into shape.
The architecture of these tribes is rather remarkable. Like the
generality of houses in New Guinea, the huts are raised on stakes in
order to preserve them from vermin; but those of the Dory people are
similarly elevated in order to preserve them from water. These natives
have a curious predilection for building their huts on the sea-shore,
and place them below the level of low water. They begin this curious
style of architecture by building a long pier, or rather jetty, which
extends far into the sea, and which keeps open a communication between
the house and the shore.
At the end of this jetty the hut itself is situated, and is made of
boarded walls and a thatched roof. Great as is the labor that is
bestowed upon it, the house does not come up to our ideas of comfort.
In the first place, the floors are made of rough spars, placed parallel
to each other, but still far enough apart to cause some uneasiness, not
to say danger, to an unpractised walker.
A good specimen of a Dory house is about seventy feet long, twenty-five
wide, and fifteen high. Along the centre runs a tolerably wide passage,
and at either side are a number of rooms, separated from each other and
from the passage by mats. At the end next the sea there are no walls,
but only a roof, so that a sort of verandah is formed, under which
the inhabitants spend much of their time when they are not actively
employed. Such a house as this is usually occupied by some forty or
fifty individuals, consisting of about twenty men, together with the
wives and families of those who are married. All cooking is carried
on by the different families in their own chambers, each of which is
furnished with its own fireplace.
The dress of the Dory natives varies but little from that of other
Papuans of New Guinea. The men, however, often ornament their bodies
with raised scars like those of the Australians, and they are fond
of tattooing their breasts and arms with figures of their weapons.
They are fond of ornaments, such as shells, twisted wire, and armlets
of plaited rattan. They ingeniously utilize the latter ornament by
plaiting a very thick and strong bracelet, and wearing it on the left
wrist and fore-arm, so as to protect the wearer from the recoil of the
bowstring.
Though not a warlike people, they always go armed, carrying the
invariable parang, or chopper, which, as its very name imparts, is
procured from the Malay tribes. These parangs are chiefly made in
Borneo, as we shall see when we come to treat of the Dyaks. The Dory
Papuans do not seem to fight, as do some savage tribes, for the mere
love of combat; the chief object of warfare being the capture of
slaves, each of whom is valued at fifty shillings.
This value is, however, a conventional term; and when a bargain is made
with the Dory people for so many slaves, in most cases the conventional
money value is intended, and not the actual slaves. In fact, the word
“slaves” is used much as we use the word “horses” in reckoning the
power of a steam-engine, or “tons” in describing the capacity of a
ship. Perhaps the words “pony” and “monkey,” of modern sporting slang,
are better illustrations.
Still, slavery is rife among the Dory people, who sometimes make a raid
into a district, capture a village, and carry off the inhabitants into
servitude. They do not, however, treat their captives badly, but feed
them well, and seem to consider them partly in the light of domestic
servants, and partly as available capital, or as a means of exchange
when any of their own friends are taken prisoners by hostile tribes.
The government of the Dory tribes is nominally a delegated
chieftainship, but in reality a sort of oligarchy. There is a certain
dignitary, called the Sultan of Tidore, under whose sway this part
of the country is supposed to be, and from him the chief of the Dory
tribes receives his rank. When the chief dies, one of his relatives
goes to convey the news to the Sultan, taking with him a present of
slaves and birds of paradise as tokens of allegiance. This man is
almost always appointed to the vacant place, and is bound to pay a
certain tribute of slaves, provisions, and war canoes, the latter being
employed in collecting the Sultan’s taxes. Should he fail to comply
with these conditions, his village would be attacked by the Sultan’s
fleet, and the whole district ransacked; so that the position of chief
has its anxieties as well as its privileges.
[Illustration: (1.) HUTS, NEW GUINEA. (See page 912.)]
[Illustration: (2.) DANCE BY TORCHLIGHT, NEW GUINEA. (See page 917.)]
His authority is more nominal than real, for he decides nothing but
unimportant matters, leaving more weighty subjects to a council of
elders, who, as a rule, administer justice with impartiality. Their
laws are really good and sensible, and, though lenient, are based on
the principle of the old Jewish law, the eye for the eye and the tooth
for the tooth.
Marriages are managed in a very simple manner, the bride and bridegroom
sitting opposite each other, in front of an idol, and the former giving
the latter some betel-leaf and tobacco. His acceptance of the present,
and taking the hand of the giver, constitute the whole of the ceremony.
The idol which has been mentioned is called the Karwar, and is found in
every house except those which belong to Mohammedan natives. The Karwar
is a wooden figure, about eighteen inches in height, large-headed,
wide-mouthed, and long-nosed,--this peculiarity of the Papuan face
being exaggerated. It is represented as holding a shield, and wearing a
calico wrapper on the body and a handkerchief on the head.
The Karwar plays an important part in the life of a Dory native. It is
present at his birth, takes part in his funeral, and, as we have seen,
is witness to his marriage. In all cases of perplexity the Karwar is
consulted, the devotee stating his intentions, and abandoning them
if he should feel nervous, such a sensation being supposed to be the
Karwar’s answer. There are plenty of fetishes, but these are only
supplementary to the Karwar.
Without going into the details of the various tribes which inhabit this
part of the earth, we will glance at a few of the most interesting
customs.
These Papuans have a strong love for flowers, especially those which
possess a powerful scent. They twine such flowers in their hair, weave
them into garlands for their necks, and carry them in their bracelets
and armlets.
They are fond of singing and music, and, as far as has been
ascertained, are in the habit of composing extempore songs, as well as
singing those ditties which they know by heart. As for their musical
instruments, they consist chiefly of the cylindrical drum, a trumpet
made of a triton shell, and a sort of Pandean pipe, composed of six or
seven reeds of different lengths lashed firmly together. There is also
a wind instrument, which is nothing but a bamboo tube some two feet in
length.
Accompanied by these instruments, they perform their curious dances,
one of which as been well described by Mr. M’Gillivray. “They advanced
and retreated together by sudden jerks, beating to quick or short time
as required, and chanting an accompanying song, the cadence rising and
falling according to the action. The attitude was a singular one--the
back straight, chin protruded, knees bent in a crouching position, and
the arms advanced.
“On another occasion, one of the same men exhibited himself before us
in a war dance. In one hand he held a large wooden shield, nearly three
feet in length, and rather more than one in width, and in the other a
formidable looking weapon, two feet in length--a portion of the snout
of the sword-fish, with long, sharp teeth projecting on each side.
Placing himself in a crouching attitude, with one hand covered by the
shield, and holding his weapon in a position to strike, he advanced
rapidly in a succession of short bounds, striking the inner side of his
shield with his left knee at each jerk, causing the large cowries hung
round his waist and ankles to rattle violently. At the same time, with
fierce gestures, he loudly chanted a song of defiance. The remainder
of the pantomime was expressive of attack and defence, and exultation
after victory.
“But a still more curious dance was once performed a few nights ago
by a party of natives who had left the ship after sunset, and landed
abreast of the anchorage. On seeing a number of lights along the beach,
we at first thought they proceeded from a fishing party, but on looking
through a night-glass the group was seen to consist of above a dozen
people, each carrying a blazing torch, and going through the movements
of the dance. At one time they extended rapidly into line, at another
closed, dividing into two parties, advancing and retreating, crossing
and recrossing, and mixing up with each other. This continued for half
an hour, and, it having apparently been got up for our amusement, a
rocket was sent up for theirs, and a blue light burned, but the dancing
had ceased, and the lights disappeared.”
An accompanying illustration represents this wild and curious scene.
In the foreground are the dancers, each with his torch in his hand,
and indulging in the grotesque movements of the dance. To the left
are seen the musicians, one playing on the bamboo pipe, and the other
beating the drum which has before been mentioned. One of these drums is
lying in the foreground. It is a hollow cylinder of palm wood, about
two feet in length and four inches in diameter. One end is covered
with lizard-skin, and along the side there run longitudinal slits. The
native name for this drum is “baiatú.”
The funeral ceremonies appear to differ according to the locality.
Among the Dory people, when a man dies, the body is rolled in white
calico, and laid on its side in a grave, its head resting on an
earthenware dish. The weapons and ornaments of the dead man are laid in
the grave, which is then filled up, and a thatched roof erected over it.
Should the deceased be a head of a family, the Karwar is brought to
perform its last duties. When the man is buried, the Karwar is placed
near the grave, and violently execrated by all the mourners for
allowing its charge to die. The thatched roof being finished, the idol
is laid upon it, and idol and roof are left to decay together. As is
usual with savage tribes, funeral feasts are held at the time of burial
and for some days afterward, those which celebrate the deaths of chiefs
being kept up for a whole month.
CHAPTER XCII.
THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS.
THE AJITAS, OR AHITAS.
POSITION AND DIMENSIONS OF THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS -- THE MALAYS AND
THE NEGRITOS, OR AJITAS -- RESEMBLANCE TO THE BOSJESMAN -- THE BOW
AND POISONED ARROWS -- SKILL IN ARCHERY -- THE SAVAGE INSTINCT --
MEETING A PARTY OF AJITAS -- THEIR APPEARANCE, AND CHIRPING SOUND OF
THEIR LANGUAGE -- CONCILIATING THE ABORIGINES -- GOVERNMENT OF THE
AJITAS -- THEIR ACTIVITY IN HUNTING -- NOMADIC PROPENSITIES OF THE
AJITAS -- REVERENCE FOR THE DEAD -- A QUARREL, AND ITS CAUSE.
To the north-west of New Guinea lie several islands, which are grouped
together under the general name of Philippines. They consist of a
considerable number of islands, of which the northern island, called
Luza, and the southern island, called Magindano, are by far the largest.
The inhabitants of the Philippines are of two kinds; namely, the
Malays and the Negritos. The former are evidently not the aboriginal
inhabitants, but have voyaged to the islands in their canoes and formed
a number of settlements. As in the course of the work we shall see
much of the Malay race, we will pass them by for the present, and only
notice the Negritos, or little negroes, so called by the Spanish on
account of their dark skins and small size.
This strange little race is mostly known by a name which is given in
different forms. By some writers it is spelt Ajitas, by some Ahitas,
and by others Itas. Of these different forms I select the first, which,
by the way, is pronounced as if it were spelled Aheetas.
The Ajitas are quite as small as the Bosjesmans of Southern Africa,
their average height being four feet six inches. They are well shaped,
and their skins, though of a very dark hue, are not so black as those
of the negro tribes. The features are tolerably good, except that the
nose is broad and rather flat, and that there is a marked deficiency of
chin. The hair is woolly, like that of other Papuans, and, as they do
not know how to dress it, they wear it in a sort of mop round the head.
The eyes are remarkable for a decided yellow tinge.
In common with other savages who lead an uncertain kind of life,
fasting sometimes for two days together, and then gorging themselves
like wolves, they are apt to have their limbs and projecting stomachs
with a recurved back such as is the case with the Bosjesman, the back
being bent like the letter S. Their shape is in no way concealed by
their dress, which is nothing more than a wide belt of plaited bark
fastened round the waist.
In many respects there is a great similarity between the Bosjesman
and the Ajita. The latter live by the chase and by plunder, having no
idea of agriculture. They always go armed, their weapons being bamboo
lances and bows and arrows, the latter being poisoned. The effect of
the poison with which they are tipped is to produce an unextinguishable
thirst in the animal, which seeks the nearest water, drinks, and dies.
As soon as it is dead, the hunter cuts away the flesh from around the
wound, as the poison would otherwise communicate so bitter a taste to
the whole carcass that the flesh could not be eaten.
Their bows are but slight, as are their arrows, the poison doing the
work of death, and the depth of the wound being of no consequence.
They are skilful archers, having the bow and arrow in their hands from
infancy, and practising at any object that may take their attention.
Both sexes use the bow, and the little boys and girls are fond of
wading along the banks of streams and shooting the fish.
Like the Bosjesman, the Ajita is always at feud with the other races
that inhabit the same country, and, small as he is, makes himself
dreaded by reason of his poisoned weapons. Sometimes Ajitas are taken
prisoners, and are generally enslaved. As they are light, active, and
not bad-looking, they are often employed as servants by the dignitaries
of Manilla.
One of these people was in the household of an Archbishop of Manilla,
and was educated by him with great care. To all appearance he was
thoroughly civilized, and at last was ordained priest. But the
instincts of his savage nature were too strong for him, and the
man escaped from his position and civilized society, threw off his
garments, and rejoined his savage relatives. Such instances are
continually occurring, and it is almost impossible to retain an Ajita
in civilized society, no matter how well he may be treated, or how
young he may be when captured.
The habits of the Ajitas are essentially of a savage character, and, as
a rule, travellers in the Philippines are obliged to be very careful
lest they should suddenly be set upon by these dangerous little
creatures. Sometimes, however, they can be gentle, and even hospitable,
and an instance of such conduct is related by M. de la Gironière,
part of whose narrative has been translated and quoted by Mr. Earle:
“We directed our course toward the north, among mountains always
covered with thick forests, and which, like those we had just quitted,
presented no traced route, excepting a few narrow pathways beaten by
wild beasts. We advanced with caution, for we were now in the parts
inhabited by the Ajitas. At night we concealed our fires, and one of us
always acted as sentinel, for what we feared most was a surprise.
“One morning, while pursuing our way in silence, we heard before us a
chorus of squeaking tones, which had more resemblance to the cries of
birds than to the human voice. We kept on our ground, concealing our
approach as much as possible with the aid of the trees and brambles.
All at once we perceived at a little distance about forty savages, of
all sexes and ages, who had absolutely the air of animals. They were on
the banks of a rivulet, surrounding a great fire. We made several steps
in advance, and presented the butt-end of our guns toward them. As soon
as they perceived us, they set up shrill cries and prepared to take
to flight; but I made signs to them, by showing them some packets of
cigars, that we wished to offer them for their acceptance.
“I had fortunately received at Binangonan all the instructions
necessary for knowing how to open a communication with them. As soon
as they comprehended us, they ranged themselves into a line, like men
preparing for a review; this was the signal that we might approach.
We went up to them with our cigars in our hands, and I commenced
distributing them from one extremity of the line. It was very important
that we should make friends with them, and give each an equal share,
according to their custom. The distribution being over, an alliance was
cemented, and peace concluded, when they commenced smoking.
“A deer was hanging to a tree, from which the chief cut three large
slices with a knife of bamboo, and threw them upon the fire, and,
drawing them out an instant afterward, presented a piece to each of
us. The exterior was slightly burned and sprinkled with ashes, but the
interior was perfectly raw and bloody. It would not do, however, to
show the repugnance I felt at making a repast scarcely better than that
of a cannibal, for my hosts would have been scandalized, and I wished
to live in good correspondence with them for some days. I therefore ate
my piece of venison, which, after all, was not ill flavored, and my
Indian having followed my example, our good repute was established, and
treason on their part no longer possible.”
M. de la Gironière showed his wisdom in accommodating himself to
circumstances, and in sacrificing his own predilections in favor of
expediency; and if all travellers had acted in a similar manner, we
should have known much more of savage manners and customs than we do
at the present time. After propitiating his little black hosts by tact
and kindness, he remained among them for some time, and by means of
an interpreter, whom he was fortunate enough to obtain, continued to
procure a considerable amount of information concerning a people of
whom scarcely anything had been previously known since their existence.
The Ajitas live in small tribes, consisting of some fifty or sixty
individuals. They have no fixed residence, but wander about the country
according to the amount of game which they find. They have not the
least notion of house-building, and in this respect are even below the
aborigines of Australia, and at night they crowd round the fire and
lie as close to it as possible. This fire is the central point of the
tribe, the old people and children assembling round it during the day
while the adults are hunting for game; and if the hunters should be
able to bring in enough food to last for some days, they remain round
the fire until it is all consumed.
There seems to be no particular form of government among the Ajitas,
who always choose one of the oldest men to be the chief of each
little tribe, and do not acknowledge any principal chief or king. Age
is respected among them, and in this point the Ajitas show their
superiority over many savage tribes. The language of the Ajitas is said
to resemble the chirping of birds rather than the voice of mankind,
but it must be remembered that the same was said of the Bosjesmen’s
language when European travellers first came among them. Any language
which is heard for the first time affects the ear unpleasantly, and
even those of Europe are generally stigmatized by foreigners as
gabbling or grunting, according to the pitch of the voice. Of the
structure of the Ajitas’ language nothing is yet known.
In one point they are superior to many savage people. A man has but
one wife, and both are faithful in the married state. When a young man
wishes to marry, he asks the consent of her parents, who, on a fixed
day, send her into the woods alone before sunrise, and after an hour
the young man goes after her. If he can find her, and bring her back
before sunset, the marriage is acknowledged; but if he cannot succeed
in his search, he must yield all claims to her. It will be seen that
the real choice lies with the girl, who can always conceal herself if
she dislikes the intended bridegroom, or, even if he did find her,
could refuse to come back with him until the stipulated time has passed.
The religion of the Ajitas seems to be, as far as can be ascertained
on a subject from which a savage always shrinks, a mere fetishism; any
object, such as an oddly-shaped tree trunk or stone, being worshipped
for a day, and then forsaken in favor of some other idol.
Any real reverence in the nature of the Ajitas seems to be given to the
dead, whom they hold in veneration. Year after year they will resort to
the burial-places of their friends for the purpose of laying betel-nut
and tobacco upon the grave. Over each spot where a warrior is buried
his bow and arrows are hung, the Ajitas having an idea that at night
the man leaves his grave, and hunts until the morning. Owing to this
reverence for the dead, M. de la Gironière’s expedition nearly came to
a fatal termination. They had succeeded in procuring a skeleton from
the burial-place, when the theft was discovered by the Ajitas, who at
once set upon them, and fairly chased them out of their country, the
poisoned arrows proving to be weapons too formidable to be resisted,
especially when used by foes as active as monkeys, who could pour their
arrows on their foes, while they scarcely exposed an inch of their
little dark bodies to the enemy.
It is owing to another form of this veneration for the dead that
travellers have so often come in collision with the Ajitas. When a
warrior dies, his companions are bound to take their weapons and roam
through the country, for the purpose of killing the first living
thing that they meet, whether man or beast. As they pass along, they
break the boughs in a peculiar manner as warnings to others, for even
one of their own tribe would be sacrificed if he fell in their way.
Travellers from other countries would either fail to see, or, if they
saw, to understand, the meaning of these little broken twigs, and in
consequence have been attacked by the Ajitas, not from any unfriendly
feelings, but in fulfilment of a national custom.
CHAPTER XCIII.
FIJI.
APPEARANCE AND DRESS OF THE FIJIANS.
POSITION OF THE FIJI ISLANDS -- GENERAL APPEARANCE OF THE NATIVES --
THEIR PECULIAR HAIR, AND VARIOUS MODES OF DRESSING IT -- HAIR-DYES --
THE FIJIAN MIRROR -- WIG-MAKING -- THE AMBASSADOR AND HIS MESSAGE --
THE FIJIAN TURBAN -- WATER-PROOF HEADDRESSES -- DRESS OF THE FIJIANS
-- THE “MASI,” AND METHOD OF WEARING IT -- EAR-ORNAMENTS -- NECKLACES
AND FLOWERS -- TATTOOING AND PAINT -- PATTERNS USED FOR THE FACE --
DRESS OF THE WOMEN -- THE ROUGHNESS OF THE SKIN AND USE OF PAINT
-- HAIR-DRESSING -- MAKING MASI AND MODE OF PRODUCING PATTERNS --
INGENIOUS MODE OF STENCILLING -- THE WOMAN’S APRON, OR “LIKU,” AND
MODE OF WEARING IT.
To describe the inhabitants of all the multitudinous islands of
Polynesia would be an agreeable, but impossible task, our space
confining us within limits which may not be transgressed. We will
therefore pass at once to the large and important group of islands
which is popularly known by the name of FIJI.
This group of islands lies due north of New Zealand, and to the
eastward of New Guinea, so that they are just below the Equator. The
collective name of the islands has been variously given, such as Fiji,
Beetee, Feegee, Fidge, Fidschi, Vihi, and Viti. Of all these names, the
first and the last are correct, the northern portion of the islands
being known as Fiji, and the southern as Viti. The reader must remember
that these names are pronounced as if written Feegee and Veetee.
The inhabitants of Fiji are a fine race of savages, tolerably well
formed, and with dark, though not black skin. Like other Papuans, they
are remarkable for their thick, bushy hair, which they dress in a
singular variety of patterns. As the appearance and costume of savage
races are the first points which strike a stranger, we will at once
proceed to describe them.
The most conspicuous part of a Fijian’s general appearance is his
headdress, in the arrangement of which he gives the reins to his
fancy, and invents the most extraordinary variations of form and
color. Examples of the Fijian headdress will be seen in most of the
illustrations. But as it would be tedious to describe them as they
occur, I will mention a few of the most prominent varieties.
The hair of the Papuan race is always stiff, wiry, and plentiful,
and grows to a considerable length; so that it necessarily assumes
a bushy form if suffered to grow according to its own will. The
Fijian, however, thinks that nature is to be improved by art, and
accordingly lavishes all the resources of a somewhat artistic character
on his hair. To train the hair into any of the graceful and flowing
methods which distinguish those soft-haired races would be utterly
impossible for a Fijian. He goes on quite the opposite principle, and,
true to real artistic feeling, tries to develop to the utmost those
characteristics which rightly belong to him, instead of endeavoring to
produce effects which would not be consonant with their surroundings.
The principle on which a Fijian _coiffure_ is arranged is, that every
hair is presumed to grow naturally at right angles to the skin, and to
stand out stiffly and boldly. Supposing, then, that each hair could be
induced to follow its own course, without being entangled by others,
it is evident that the whole head of hair would form a large globular
mass, surrounding the face. It is, therefore, the business of the
Fijian hair-dresser to accept this as the normal form of the hair, and
to change or modify it as he thinks best.
It is impossible to describe the various modes of Fijian hair-dressing
better than has been done by Mr. Williams, who resided in Fiji for
thirteen years. “Most of the chiefs have a hair-dresser, to whose care
his master’s hair is intrusted, often demanding daily attention, and
at certain stages of progress requiring several hours’ labor each day.
During all this time, the operator’s hands are _tapu_ from touching his
food, but not from working in his garden.
[Illustration: (1.) THE AMBASSADOR’S MESSAGE. (See page 925.)]
[Illustration: (2.) FIJIAN CANOE IN A BREEZE. (See page 932.)]
“The hair is strong, and often quite wiry, and so dressed that it will
retain the position in which it is placed, even when projecting from
the head a distance of six or eight inches. One stranger, on seeing
their performance in this department, exclaims, ‘What astonishing
wigs!’ another thinks, ‘Surely the _beau idéal_ of hair-dressing must
exist in Fiji;’ a third, ‘Their heads surpass imagination.’” No wonder,
then, that they defy description.
“Whatever may be said about the appearance being unnatural, the best
_coiffures_ have a surprising and almost geometrical accuracy of
outline, combined with a round softness of surface and uniformity of
dye which display extraordinary care, and merit some praise. They seem
to be carved out of some solid substance, and are variously colored.
Jet-black, blue-black, ashy white, and several shades of red prevail.
Among young people, bright red and flaxen are in favor. Sometimes two
or more colors meet on the same head. Some heads are finished, both as
to shape and color, nearly like an English counsellor’s wig.
“In some, the hair is a spherical mass of jet black hair, with a white
roll in front, as broad as the hand; or, in lieu of this, a white,
oblong braid occupies the length of the forehead, the black passing
down on either side. In each case the black projects further than the
white hair. Some heads have all the ornamentation behind, consisting of
a cord of twisted coils, ending in tassels. In others, the cords give
place to a large red roll or a sandy projection falling on the neck. On
one head, all the hair is of one uniform length, but one-third in front
is ashy or sandy, and the rest black, a sharply defined separation
dividing the two colors.
“Not a few are so ingeniously grotesque as to appear as if done
purposely to excite laughter. One has a large knot of fiery hair on his
crown, all the rest of the head being bald. Another has the most of
his hair cut away, leaving three or four rows of small clusters, as if
his head were planted with small paint brushes. A third has his head
bare, except where a black patch projects over each temple. One, two,
or three cords of twisted hair often fall from the right temple, a foot
or eighteen inches long. Some men wear a number of these braids so as
to form a curtain at the back of the neck, reaching from one ear to the
other.
“A mode that requires great care has the hair wrought into distinct
locks, radiating from the head. Each lock is a perfect cone, about
seven inches in length, having the base outward, so that the surface
of the hair is marked out into a great number of small circles, the
ends being turned in, in each lock, toward the centre of the cone. In
another kindred style, the locks are pyramidal, the sides and angles of
each being as regular as though formed of wood. All round the head they
look like square black blocks, the upper tier projecting horizontally
from the crown, and a flat space being left at the top of the head.
When the hair, however, is not more than four inches long, this flat
does not exist, but the surface consists of a regular succession of
squares or circles. The violent motions of the dance do not disturb
these elaborate preparations, but great care is taken to preserve them
from the effects of the dew or rain.”
Whenever the Fijian desires to know whether his headdress is in proper
order, he has recourse to his mirror. This is not a portable, but a
fixed article of manufacture, and is necessarily situated in the open
air. When the native sees a large tree with a sloping trunk, he cuts
in the upper part of the trunk several deep hollows, and arranges
the leaves of the tree so that the water from the foliage drips into
them, and keeps them full. These are his mirrors, and by their aid he
examines his hair, sees if the outline be quite correct, and, if he be
dissatisfied, arranges it with his long-handled comb, and then replaces
the comb in his mop of a head, carefully sticking it over one ear as a
soldier does his forage cap.
Not content with having the hair plaited and frizzed out as has already
been described, many of the Fijians wear great wigs over their own
hair, thus increasing the size of their heads to the most inordinate
dimensions. The natives are excellent wig-makers and, as their object
is not to imitate nature, but to produce as fantastic an effect as
possible, it is evident that the result of their labor is often very
ludicrous. As is the case with their own hair, they dye these wigs of
various colors, red and white being the favorite hues.
Three examples of these curious headdresses are shown in illustration
No. 1, on preceding page, which represents an ambassador delivering
a message from his chief to some man of consequence. Savages such
as these have no idea of writing, but, lest they should forget the
various terms of their message, they have recourse to a simple _memoria
technica_, consisting of a bundle of sticks, no two being of the same
length.
Each of these sticks answers to one of the terms of the message, which
is repeated once or twice to the ambassador, who reckons them over
on his sticks. When he delivers his message, he unties the bundle,
selects the sticks in their order, and, laying them down in succession,
delivers the message without a mistake.
In the illustration, the principal figure represents the ambassador,
the others being his attendants. He has laid down several of the
sticks, and is delivering the message belonging to one of them, while
he is holding the rest in his left hand. His headdress is of that
remarkable kind which consists of a number of conical locks of hair--a
fashion which denotes a man of rank, as no other could afford to have
such a _coiffure_ kept in order. The man seated next to the ambassador
has his hair in two colors, the greater part being dark and frizzed out
from the head, while a couple of rolls of a lighter hue pass over the
forehead. The central figure exhibits a favorite mode of hair-dressing,
in which the hair is clipped very short, except in certain spots, in
which it is allowed to grow, so as to form a series of brush-like tufts.
Men of consequence mostly protect their enormous mops of hair by a sort
of thin turban, which is wrapped round them. The turban is made of a
piece of very delicate bark cloth, or masi, nearly as thin as gauze,
and perfectly white. It is sometimes six feet in length, but varies
according to the quantity of hair. It is twisted round the head in
different fashions, but is mostly fastened by a bow on the forehead, or
on the top of the head. Several examples of the turban will be seen in
the course of the following pages. Men of rank often wear the masi of
such length that the ends fall down behind like a scarf.
In order to preserve their hair from being displaced by rain, they
use a waterproof covering of their own invention. This is a young
banana leaf, which is heated over a fire, and then becomes as thin,
transparent, and impervious to water as oiled silk. The light turban
offers no protection whatever, being soaked as easily as tissue paper,
which it somewhat resembles.
Material similar to that which is worn on the head is used for the
dress. The masi which is employed for this purpose is mostly from
twenty to thirty feet in length, though a wealthy man will sometimes
wear a masi of nearly three hundred feet long. In this case, it is
made of very delicate material. It is put on in a very simple manner,
part being wound round the loins, and the rest passed under the legs
and tucked into the belt, so as to hang as low as the knees in front,
and to fall as low as possible behind. A wealthy man will often have
his masi trailing far behind him like a train. This is all the dress
which a Fiji man needs. Clothing as a protection from the weather is
needless, owing to the geniality of the climate, and the masi is worn
simply as a matter of fashion.
Ornaments are worn in great profusion, and are of the kinds which
seem dear to all savage races. Ear ornaments of portentous size are
worn by the inhabitants of Fiji, some of them stretching the lobe
to such an extent that a man’s two fists could be placed in the
opening. The Fijians also wear breast ornaments, very similar in
shape and appearance to the large dibbi-dibbi which is worn by the
Northern Australians, and has evidently been borrowed from the Papuan
race. Any glittering objects can be made into necklaces, which often
combine the most incongruous objects, such as European beads, bits of
tortoise-shell, dogs’ teeth, bats’ jaws, and the like.
Flowers are plentifully worn by the Fijian, who keeps up a constant
supply of these natural ornaments, weaving them into strings and
chaplets, and passing them, like belts, over one shoulder and under the
other. In the illustration on page 937th, which represents the payment
of taxes, several girls are seen adorned with these garlands.
Tattooing is almost entirely confined to the women, and even in them
is but little seen, the greater part of the patterns being covered by
the _liku_ or fringe apron. When young, the women usually tattoo their
fingers with lines and stars in order to make them look ornamental
as they present food to the chief, and, after they become mothers,
they add a blue patch at each corner of the mouth. The operation is a
painful one, though not so torturing as that which is employed in New
Zealand, the pattern being made by the punctures of a sharp-toothed
instrument, and not by the edge of a chisel driven completely through
the skin.
Paint is used very largely, the three principal colors being black,
white, and red. With these three tints they contrive to produce a
variety of effect on their faces, that is only to be rivalled by the
fancy displayed in their hair-dressing. Sometimes the face is all
scarlet with the exception of the nose, which is black, and sometimes
the face is divided like a quartered heraldic shield, and painted red
and black, or white, red, and black in the different quarterings. Some
men will have one side of the face black and the other white, while
others paint their countenances black as far as the nose, and finish
them off with white.
Reversing the first-mentioned pattern, the Fijian dandy will
occasionally paint his face black and his nose red, or will have a
black face, a white nose, a scarlet ring round each eye, and a white
crescent on the forehead. Sometimes he will wear a white face covered
with round scarlet spots like those on a toy horse; or will substitute
for the round spots a large patch on each cheek and another round the
mouth, just like the face of a theatrical clown.
Some very curious effects are produced by lines. A white face with a
single broad black stripe from the forehead to the chin has a very
remarkable appearance, and so has a face of which one side is painted
longitudinally with black stripes on a white ground, and the other
half with transverse stripes of the same colors. A similar pattern
is sometimes produced with black upon red. Perhaps the oddest of all
the patterns is formed by painting the face white, and upon the white
drawing a number of undulating lines from the forehead downward, the
lines crossing each other so as to form a sort of rippling network over
the face.
So much for the dress of the men. That of the women is different in
every way. Though possessing the same kind of stiff, wiry, profuse
hair as the men, they do not trouble themselves to weave it into such
fantastic designs, but mostly content themselves with combing it out so
as to project as far as possible on every side. Sometimes they twist it
into a series of locks, which are allowed to fall on the head merely at
random, like the thrums of a mop.
Paint is employed by them as by the men, though not with such
profusion. Scarlet seems to be their favorite color in paint, and to
this predilection Mr. Pickering was indebted for opportunities of
ascertaining by touch the peculiar roughness of the Papuan skin. The
Fijians, an essentially ceremonious and punctilious people, will not
allow themselves to be handled, and Mr. Pickering was rather perplexed
as to the means of ascertaining whether this roughness belonged to the
race, or whether it were only a peculiarity belonging to individuals.
The love of scarlet paint here came to his assistance. The vermilion
prepared by European art was so much superior to the pigments of Fiji,
that the natives were only too glad to have so brilliant a color put
on their faces and bodies. Accordingly men and women, old and young,
pressed forward to have a little vermilion rubbed on them, and the
mothers, after having their own faces painted, held out their infants
to participate in the same benefit.
The native cloth, or masi, which has already been mentioned, is made
from the inner bark of the malo tree, and is manufactured in a simple
and ingenious manner.
As at the present day English fabrics are largely imported into
Fiji, and are rapidly supplanting the delicate and becoming native
manufactures, the art of making the masi will soon become extinct in
Fiji, as has been the case in other islands where Europeans have gained
a footing. I shall therefore devote a few lines to the description of
its manufacture.
The natives cut off the bark in long strips, and soak them in water
for some time, until the inner bark can be separated from the outer,
an operation which is performed with the edge of a shell. After it has
been removed from the coarse outer bark, it is kept in water so as to
preserve it in the necessary state of moisture; and when a sufficient
quantity is collected, the operation of beating it begins.
Masi is beaten upon a log of wood flattened on the upper surface,
and so arranged as to spring a little with the blows of the mallet.
This tool does not resemble our mallet with a handle and a head, but
is simply a piece of wood about fourteen inches in length and two in
thickness, rounded at one end so as to form a handle, and squared for
the remainder of its length. Three sides of this mallet, or iki, as
it is called, are covered with longitudinal grooves, while the fourth
side is left plain. Those specimens that I have seen have the sides not
quite flat, but very slightly convex, perhaps by use, perhaps rounded
intentionally. A masi maker has several of these mallets, sometimes as
many as six or seven, each having some difference in the fluting, and
with them she contrives to produce a fabric that has all the effect of
woven linens among ourselves, the pattern being incorporated with the
material.
There are in my collection several specimens of masi, one of which
is singularly beautiful. It is thin, snowy white, and soft as silk,
and, even at a distance, must have looked very graceful when wrapped
round the dark body of a Fijian warrior. But it is only on a closer
examination that the real beauty of the fabric is displayed. Instead of
merely beating the masi after the usual fashion, so as to impress upon
it the longitudinal grooves of the mallet, the native manufacturer has
contrived to change the position of her mallet at every blow, so as to
produce a zigzag pattern on the fabric, very much like the well-known
Greek pattern of European decorators. It is beautifully regular, and,
when the fabric is held up to the light, looks like the water mark in
paper.
The plasticity of the malo bark is really wonderful. A strip of two
inches in length can be beaten to the width of eighteen inches, its
length being slightly reduced as the width increases. As the material
is very thin and flimsy, a single piece being, when beaten out, no
thicker than tissue paper, two or more pieces are usually laid on each
other and beaten so as to form a single thickness, the natural gluten
which this material contains being sufficient to unite them as if they
had been one piece. Some specimens of their larger mantles, now in my
collection, are as thick as stout brown paper, and very much tougher,
appearing both to the eye and the touch as if made of leather.
When a large masi has to be made, many lengths of the bark are united
to each other, the ends being soaked in arrowroot starch, laid
carefully over each other, and then subjected to the mallet, which
forces the two pieces of bark to unite as if they were one substance,
and does not exhibit the least trace of the junction. As I have already
mentioned, some of these masis are of very great length. Mr. Williams
measured one which was for the use of the king on festival days, and
found its length to be five hundred and forty feet. Many of the large,
and at the same time thin masis, are used as mosquito curtains, and
in that case are decorated with patterns of dusky red and black. The
patterns generally commence at the centre, and are gradually extended
toward the edges. The mode of making these patterns is well described
by Mr. Williams:--
“Upon a convex board, several feet long, are arranged parallel, at
about a finger’s width apart, thin straight strips of bamboo, a quarter
of an inch wide; and by the side of these, curved pieces, formed of
the mid-rib of cocoa-nut leaflets, are arranged. Over the board thus
prepared the cloth is laid, and rubbed over with a dye obtained from
the _lauci_ (_Aleurites triloba_). The cloth, of course, takes the dye
upon those parts which receive pressure, being supported by the strips
beneath, and thus shows the same pattern in the color employed. A
stronger preparation of the same dye, laid on with a sort of brush, is
used to divide the squares into oblong compartments, with large round
or radiated dots in the centre. The kesa, or dye, when good, dries
bright.
“Blank borders, two or three feet wide, are still left on each side of
the square, and to elaborate the ornamentation of these so as to excite
applause is the pride of every Fijian lady. There is now an entire
change of apparatus. The operator works on a plain board; the red
dye gives place to a jet black; her pattern is now formed by a strip
of banana leaf placed on the upper surface of the cloth. Out of the
leaf is cut the pattern, not more than an inch long, which she wishes
to print upon the border, and holds by her first and middle finger,
pressing it down with the thumb. Then, taking in her right hand a soft
pad of cloth steeped in dye, she rubs it firmly over the stencil, and a
fair, sharp figure is made.
“The practised fingers of the women move quickly, but it is after all a
tedious process. In the work above described, the Lakemba women excel.
On the island of Matuku very pretty curtains are made, but the pattern
is large, and covers the entire square, while the spaces between the
black lines are filled in with red and yellow.”
We now pass to the liku, or fringed girdle of the women. This is made
of various materials, and much trouble is usually expended in its
manufacture. The ordinary likus are little more than a number of slight
thongs fixed to a belt, and allowed to hang down for several inches.
When worn, it is passed round the waist and tied, not behind, but on
one side, and on festivals the bark cord by which it is fastened is
allowed to hang so low that it often trails on the ground as the wearer
walks along.
The thongs are made of the bark of a species of hibiscus, called by the
natives _vau_, and used for many purposes, of long flexible roots like
that of the cascus grass, and of different grasses. One kind of liku
which is rather fashionable, is made of a vegetable parasite, called
by the natives _waloa_. The thongs of this liku are not thicker than,
packthread, and when fresh, are as flexible as silk. In process of
time, however, they become brittle, and are apt to break. The color of
this material is deep glossy black.
There are in my collection two specimens of the liku, one of them being
made of the fashionable waloa. The other is the common liku. It is made
of split grass, the blades of which are more than three feet in length.
In order to make them into the garment they have been doubled, and
the loops woven into a narrow plaited belt of the same material. The
better kind of likus are, however, made with far greater care than is
bestowed on this article. There is but little difference in the thongs,
the chief labor being bestowed on the belt. In some cases the belt of
the liku is four inches in width, and is plaited into elegant patterns,
plaiting being an art in which the natives excel.
In general shape the liku never varies, being worn by girls and women
alike. As long as a girl is unmarried, she wears a liku the fringe of
which is not more than three inches in depth, and the whole article is
so scanty that when tied round the waist the ends do not meet at the
hips by several inches. As soon as the girl is married, she changes her
liku in token of her new rank, and wears a garment with a fringe that
reaches half-way to her knees, and which entirely surrounds the body.
After she has become a mother, she wears an apron which quite reaches
to the knees, and sometimes falls below them.
CHAPTER XCIV.
FIJI--_Continued_.
MANUFACTURES.
MAT MAKING -- SAILS FOR THE CANOES -- FLOOR MATS AND BEDDING -- ROPE
AND STRING -- SINNET AND ITS VARIOUS USES -- THE NETTING NEEDLE AND
MESH -- FANS AND SUNSHADES -- THE ORATOR’S FLAPPER -- BASKET WORK --
FIJIAN POTTERY, AND NATIVE ART -- POTTERY RESTRICTED TO THE WOMEN
-- THEIR SIMPLE TOOLS AND IMPERFECT MATERIALS -- MODE OF “FIRING”
THE VESSELS -- GLAZING THE WATER VESSELS -- FIJIAN FISHERMEN --
VARIOUS KINDS OF NETS, AND MODES OF USING THEM -- THE TURTLE FISHERY
-- A BOLD DIVER -- CONTRACTORS FOR TURTLE -- MODES OF CATCHING THE
REPTILE -- A “HEAD” OF TURTLE AND ITS VALUE -- DANGERS OF THE FISHERY
-- FIJIAN CANOES, AND MODE OF MANAGING THEM -- BUILDING CANOES --
INGENIOUS METHOD OF JOINING THE PLANKS -- TONGA CARPENTERS -- THE
FIJIANS INFERIOR SAILORS TO THE TONGANS -- FIJIAN TRADERS.
Mats of various kinds are made by the women, and they display as
much ingenuity in mat-making as in the manufacture of masi. Mats are
employed for many purposes. The sails of the Fijian canoes are always
made of matting, which is woven in lengths and then sewed together
afterward, just as is the case with our own canvas sails. The width of
the strips varies from two to four feet, and their length from three
to a hundred yards. On an average, however, the usual length of these
strips is twenty feet, that being the ordinary length of a sail. Sail
mats are necessarily rather coarse, and are made from the leaf of the
cocoa-nut palm.
Then there are floor-mats, which are used as carpets in the houses.
These vary in size according to the dimensions of the house, but twenty
feet by sixteen is a very ordinary measurement. They are generally
adorned with a border or pattern round the edges, this border being
about six inches wide, and often decorated with feathers and scraps of
any colored material that can be procured. Mats of a similar character,
but much finer texture, are used as bedding; the best kind, which is
called _ono_, being of a very fine texture.
The native love of ornament is in no way better displayed than in their
rope and string making. The best rope is formed from several strands of
sinnet. This is a sort of plait made from the fibre of the cocoa-nut.
The fibre is carefully removed from the nut, baked, and combed out
like wool. Cordage is made by twisting sinnet together, and some of
the Fijian cords are nearly as thick as a cable, and possessed of
extraordinary elasticity and strength. The sinnet is used in a great
variety of offices, houses being built and the planks of the canoes
tied together with this most useful material.
When made, the sinnet is made into great rolls, some of them being of
gigantic dimensions. Mr. Williams saw one which was twelve feet long,
and nearly seven feet in diameter. These rolls are differently shaped,
and each shape is known by its own name, such as the double cone, the
plain hank, the oval ball, the honeycomb ball, and the variegated
roll. These rolls are given as presents, and offered to the chiefs as
tribute, together with other property. In the large illustration on
page 937, which represents a tax-paying scene, one or two of these
rolls are shown.
Sinnet is the favorite material for net making, but as it is costly,
nets are often constructed of the hibiscus bark. Another material is a
sort of creeper named _yaka_, which is steeped in water to dissolve the
green matter, then scraped to clean the fibres, and, lastly, twisted
into strings. It is remarkable that the netting needle and mesh are
exactly similar to those which are employed by ourselves, and the same
may be said of the mesh and needle of the Esquimaux.
The same ingenuity in plaiting which is expended in the making and
rolling of sinnet asserts itself in various other manufactures, such
as basket and fan making. In the latter art the Fijian excels, and, as
the fan is almost as important to the Fijian as to the Japanese, much
play of fancy is exhibited in fan making. Dissimilar as are these fans
in shape, there is always a sort of character about them which denotes
their origin to a practised eye.
I have a specimen in my collection, which is a very good type of the
Fijian fan. It is two feet in length, and rather more than a foot broad
in the widest part. The handle is made of cocoa-nut wood, and extends
nearly to the end of the fan, so as to form a support through its
entire length. It is fastened to the fan by double bands of the finest
and most beautifully plaited sinnet. The material of which the fan is
composed is cocoa-nut leaf, divided into doubled strips about the third
of an inch in width near the base of the fan, and gradually decreasing
toward its tip. A strong band of the same material runs round the edges
of the fan, and the two ends of this band are secured to the handle by
the same sinnet as has been just mentioned.
Such a fan as this is employed rather as a sunshade or parasol than a
fan, and is held over the head when the owner happens to be seated in
the sunshine. It is very light, and is really a much more efficient
implement than its appearance intimates.
The form of the fan is exceedingly variable. Sometimes they are
triangular, with the handle projecting from one of the angles, and
sometimes they are square, but with the handle passing diagonally
across them. Various modifications of the battledoor are in much favor,
and there is one form which almost exactly resembles that of the
Japanese handscreen.
It is rather remarkable that the aborigines of tropical America, such
as the Caribs, the Accowais, and the like, make fans of precisely
similar material and structure, except that the handle is not
separately made of wood, but is formed from the ends of the leaf-strips
of which the implement is made.
There is another curious article of manufacture which is properly
Fijian, but extends through several of the Polynesian group. It is
the orator’s flapper, which the native holds in his hand while he
speaks in council. An engraving showing its form is given on the 949th
page. The handle is carved into various patterns, and mostly, though
not invariably, is terminated by a rude representation of a couple
of human figures seated back to back. Sometimes the entire handle is
covered with sinnet, plaited in the most delicate patterns, as none
but a Fijian can plait. The tuft at the end is formed of cocoa-nut
fibre, which has first been soaked in water, next rolled round a small
twig, and then dried. When it is unwound from the stick, it has a
crisp, wrinkled appearance, very like that of the Fijian’s hair, and
is probably intended to imitate it. In the specimens of my collection,
some have sinnet-covered handles, and some carved handles, while some
have the tuft black, and others sandy red, just as is the case with the
hair of the natives.
In their basket making, the Fijians are equally lavish of their
artistic powers, weaving them in patterns of such elaborate intricacy
as to put the best European makers to shame, and then, as if not
satisfied with the amount of work bestowed upon them, covering all the
edges with sinnet, braided into really artistic patterns.
Indeed, the Fijians are born artists. Their work, although sometimes
grotesque, is always artistic, because always appropriate. They carry
this feeling of art into the material whose plasticity allows the
greatest freedom of manipulation; namely, earthenware. Some of the
vessels which are intended for cooking are quite plain, while others
which are made for other purposes are of elegant shape, and covered
with ornaments. Mr. Williams suggests, with much probability, that the
cooking pots are made in imitation of the cells of a species of black
bee which inhabits the Fiji group of islands.
Several specimens of Fijian pottery are in the British Museum. As
examples of intuitive art they are far superior in outline and ornament
to the generality of decorated earthenware in civilized countries. A
conventional imitation of nature is the principle which is employed by
the Fijian potters, who find their chief patterns in flowers, leaves,
and fruits, thus obtaining the most graceful curves, joined to great
certainty and precision of outline.
Rude as is the manipulation of the potter, and coarse as is the
material, the design of the vessel is sure to be bold and vigorous,
putting to shame the feeble prettiness with which we are too familiar
in this country. Going to nature for their models, the Fijian potters
display a wonderful power, fertility, and originality of design. In
any country, an artist who really studies nature is sure to produce
works that are fresh and original; and in a country like Fiji, which
is within the tropics, and in which the magnificent vegetation of the
tropics springs up in luxuriant profusion, it is likely that an artist,
however rude he may be, who studies in such a school, will produce
works of genuine merit.
The art of pottery is confined to the women, and is practically
restricted to the wives and daughters of fishermen. The material
employed by them is a red or blue clay mixed with sand, and their
implements are merely an annular cushion, a flat stone, one or two
wooden scrapers, a round stone to hold against the inside of the
vessel, and a sharp stick. They have no wheel: and yet, in spite
of such disadvantages, they contrive to produce vessels so true in
outline, that few persons, unless they are practically acquainted with
pottery, could believe that they were merely rounded by the eye.
The shapes of nearly all the vessels are very elegant, as is likely
to be the case from the models employed by the maker. They are often
wonderfully elaborate specimens of workmanship. Permanently covered
vessels, with a hole in the lid, are very common, and Mr. Williams saw
one jar as large as a hogshead, that was furnished with four openings
for the purpose of filling and emptying it rapidly. The most remarkable
examples are the compound vessels, several being united together at
the point where they touch, and further connected by arched handles.
In some cases, even the handles are hollow, and have an opening at the
top, so that the vessels can be filled or emptied through them. This
compound form has lately been copied by Europeans.
Considering the amount of labor and artistic skill which is given to
pottery, it is a pity that the natives are not better off for material
and firing. The material is very coarse, and the very imperfect mode of
baking fails to give to the vessels the hard and almost imperishable
quality which distinguishes properly prepared earthenware.
After the vessels have been shaped, and the decorative patterns traced
on them with a sharp stick, they are placed on the ground close
together, but not touching each other, and covered with a quantity of
dried leaves, grass, reeds, and similar materials. The pile is then
lighted, and when it has burned itself out the baking is supposed to
be finished. Those pots that are to be glazed are rubbed, while still
hot, with kawri, the same resin which has already been mentioned in the
account of New Zealand.
* * * * *
As may be expected in an island population, the Fijians are expert
fishermen, and employ various means of securing their prey. Nets,
weighted at one edge with shells and floated at the other with pieces
of light wood, are much used; and so are the hook, the creel, and the
weir. In some places a very remarkable net, or rather an imitation of a
net, called the _rau_, is used. To the long, flexible stems of creepers
are fastened a quantity of split cocoa-nut leaves, so as to make a
fringe of considerable depth and very great length, one of these raus
sometimes measuring nearly ten thousand feet from one end to the other.
When completed, the rau is taken out to sea and thrown into the water,
the ends being attached to canoes, which stretch it to a straight line.
They then make for a small bay, across which the rau can be drawn, and
then capture all the fish by smaller nets or spears. Sometimes they do
not trouble themselves to return to the shore, but bring the net round
in a circle, the fish being so afraid of the leafy fringe that they
avoid it, and keep themselves in the middle of the toils.
The principal use of the net is, however, in turtle fishing, a sport
which may be almost called an art. The turtle fishers supply themselves
with sinnet nets, some ten feet in width, and one or two hundred yards
in length. While the turtle are feeding upon the shore, the fishermen
carry out the net and shoot it to seaward, so that when the turtle
returns to the sea after feeding, it is sure to be intercepted by the
net, which has large meshes, in order to entangle the flippers of the
reptile.
When the fishermen feel that the turtle is fairly caught, they proceed
to get it on board, a task of very great difficulty and some danger,
inasmuch as the turtle is in its own element, and the men are obliged
to dive and conduct their operations under water. The most active
diver tries to seize the end of one of the fore-flippers, and pulls it
violently downward, knowing that the instinctive desire to rid itself
of the inconvenience will cause the reptile to rise. Of course the
diver can only retain his hold for a limited time, but as soon as he
rises to the surface for breath another takes his place. Should the
turtle be a vicious one, as is often the case, one of the divers grasps
it across the head, fixing his finger and thumb in the sockets of the
eyes, so as to prevent the creature from doing mischief.
Finding itself thus hampered, the turtle rises to the surface, when
it is seized by the other fishermen who are in the canoe, hauled on
board, and laid on its back, in which position it is utterly helpless.
The successful fishermen then blow loud blasts of triumph on their
conch-shell trumpets, and bring their prize to land.
In consequence of the number of men who are employed in this pursuit,
the men almost invariably fish in parties, who are engaged by some
individual. Sometimes they are the servants of a chief, and fish on his
account, all the captured turtles belonging to him, but the fishermen
always receive a present of some kind when they have been successful.
Should the fishers be free men, they hire themselves, their nets, and
canoe to some one who will pay the regular price, for which they are
bound to make ten expeditions. Should they be entirely unsuccessful,
they get nothing, but each time that they bring a turtle ashore they
receive a present from the hirer, who is obliged, after the completion
of the fishing, to give the men a handsome present. Sometimes several
turtles are taken in a single day; but the business is a very
precarious one, even the best fishermen returning day after day without
catching a single turtle.
Some of the modes of catching the turtle are very ingenious. When the
men have no net, they chase the reptile as they best can, keeping the
shadow of the sail just behind it so as to frighten it, and keep it
continually on the move. They will pursue it in this way for a long
time, until the creature is so exhausted that it can be captured by a
few divers without the aid of a net. When brought home, the turtles are
kept in pens and killed as wanted.
Although the flesh of the turtle is highly esteemed, and the green
fat is appreciated nearly as much as in England, the chief value of
the turtle lies in its shell, the thirteen plates of which are called
a “head,” and sold to the traders by weight. A “head” weighing three
pounds is a fair one, a head that weighs four pounds is exceptionally
good, while one that exceeds five pounds is hardly ever seen.
The dangers that beset the turtle fishery are many. Chief among them
is the shark, which is very plentiful on these coasts, and which is
equally fond of men and turtle, so that when it sees a turtle entangled
in the net it makes an attack, and is as likely to take off the limb
of one of the divers as to seize the reptile. Another fertile source
of danger lies in the structure of the coral reefs, which form the
principal shores of these islands. They are full of hollows and
crannies, and it sometimes happens that a diver becomes entangled in
them, and is not able to extricate himself in time to save his life.
As the canoes return home after turtle fishing, the women come down to
the shore and meet them. Should the expedition be successful, the men
return with songs and shouts of triumph, as if they were bringing home
the bodies of slain foes, on which occasion, as we shall presently see,
a scene of horrid rejoicing takes place. Should they be unsuccessful,
they return in sad silence.
In the former case, the women welcome the successful fishermen with
songs and dances, and sometimes become rather rough in the exuberance
of their delight. Mr. Williams once witnessed an amusing scene, in
which the women brought a quantity of bitter oranges down to the shore,
and when the fishermen were about to land, pelted them so mercilessly
that the men were in self-defence obliged to drive their aggressors off
the beach.
As the canoe has so often been mentioned in connection with fishing,
it will be now described. In principle it resembles the form which
prevails among the great Polynesian group, though in detail it differs
from many of the ordinary vessels. All the canoes possess modifications
of the outrigger, but the best example is the double canoe, where two
boats are placed side by side in such a manner that one of them acts as
the outrigger and the other as the canoe.
If the reader will refer to illustration No. 2, on the 924th page,
he will be able to understand the general appearance of this curious
vessel. The two canoes are covered over, so as to keep out the water,
and are connected by a platform which projects over the outer edges of
both boats. Hatchways are cut through the platform, so as to enable the
sailors to pass into the interior of the canoes. In the illustration
a man is seen emerging from the hatch of the outer canoe. Upon this
platform is erected a sort of deck-house for the principal person on
board, and on the top of the deck-house is a platform, on which stands
the captain of the vessel, so that he may give his orders from this
elevated position, like the captain of a steamboat on the paddle-box
or bridge. This position also enables him to trace the course of the
turtle, if they should be engaged in the profitable chase of that
reptile.
The mode of managing the vessel is extremely ingenious. The short mast
works on a pivot at the foot, and can be slacked over to either end of
the vessel. When the canoe is about to get under way, the long yard is
drawn up to the head of the mast, and the latter inclined, so that the
mast, the yard, and the deck form a triangle. The halyards are then
made fast, and act as stays. When the vessel is wanted to go about, the
mast is slacked off to the other end, so that the stern becomes the
bow, the tack and the sheet change places, and away goes the vessel on
the other course.
It will be seen that such a canoe sails equally well in either
direction, and, therefore, that it can be steered from either end. The
rudder is a very large oar, some twenty feet in length, of which the
blade occupies eight, and is sixteen inches wide. The leverage of such
an oar is tremendous, and, in a stiff gale, several men are required
to work it. In order to relieve them in some degree, rudder-bands are
used; but even with this assistance the men have great difficulty in
keeping the canoe to her course, and are nearly sure to receive some
very sharp blows in the side from the handle of the steering oar.
Sometimes a sudden gust of wind, or a large wave, will bring round the
rudder with such violence that the handle strikes a man in the side
and kills him. With all these drawbacks, canoe sailing is a favorite
occupation with the Fijians, who are as merry as possible while on
board, singing songs to encourage the steersman, watching the waves
and giving notice of them, and adding to the joyous tumult by beating
any drum that they may happen to have on board. Even when the wind
fails, and the canoe has to be propelled by poling if she should be in
shoal water, or by sculling if she should be too far out at sea for the
poles, the crew do their work in gangs, which are relieved at regular
intervals, those who are resting singing songs and encouraging those
who are at work.
Sculling one of these large canoes is rather heavy work, the great
paddles being worked from side to side in perfect unison, the men
moving their feet in accordance with the rhythm of their comrades’
song. As many as eight sculls are sometimes employed at the same time,
should the canoe be a large one and the crew tolerably numerous. The
sculling oars pass through holes in the deck, an equal number being out
fore and aft.
The mode of building these canoes is so ingenious that I will try to
describe it, though without a plentiful use of diagrams description is
very difficult. Canoes of moderate size are cut out of single logs; and
in these there is nothing particularly worthy of remark. But when the
native ship-builder wishes to construct one of the great war canoes, he
has to exercise all the skill of his craft.
Here it must be mentioned that the canoe makers form a sort of clan of
their own, and have their own chief, who is always a man eminent for
skill in his profession. The experienced Fijians know the workmanship
of these men as well as our artists know the touch and style of a
celebrated sculptor or painter, and contemplate both the man and his
workmanship with respectful admiration.
The first process in canoe building is to lay the keel, which is made
of several pieces of wood carefully “scarfed” together; and upon it
the planking is fixed, without requiring ribs, as in our boats. The
most ingenious part of boat building is the way that the planks are
fastened, or rather tied together, without a vestige of the sinnet
appearing on the outside. Along the inside edge of each plank runs a
bold flange, through which a number of holes are bored downward at
regular distances, so that when two planks are placed together, the
holes in the flanges exactly coincide, and a cord can be run through
them.
When a plank has been made, and all the flange holes bored, the edges
are smeared with a sort of white pitch, upon which is laid a strip of
fine masi. This of course covers the holes, which are reopened by means
of a small fire-stick. The planks thus prepared are called “vonos.”
When the vono is ready, it is lifted to its place, and very carefully
adjusted, so that all the holes exactly coincide. The best and
strongest sinnet is next passed eight or ten times through the hole,
drawn as tight as possible, and then tied. It will be seen, therefore,
that all the tying is done inside the vessel. In order to tighten the
sinnet still more, a number of little wedges are inserted under it in
different directions, and are driven home with the mallet.
By this process the planks are brought so tightly together that, when
the carpenter comes to smooth off the outside of the vessel with his
adze, he often has to look very closely before he can see the line of
junction. Caulking is therefore needless, the white pitch and masi
rendering the junction of the planks completely waterproof. The vonos
are by no means equal in size, some being twenty feet in length, while
others are barely thirty inches, but all are connected in exactly the
same manner.
The gunwales, and other parts above the water mark, do not require so
much care, and are fastened without flanges, a strip of wood or “bead”
being laid upon the junction, and the sinnet bands passing over and
over it and drawn tight with wedges, and the holes carefully caulked
with fibre and pitch. When the canoe is completed, it is beautifully
finished off, the whole of the outside being first carefully trimmed
with the adze, and then polished with pumice stone, so that it looks as
if it were made of one piece of wood.
Ornament is freely used in the best canoes, especially in the two
projecting ends, which are carved in patterns, and frequently inlaid
with white shells belonging to the genus Ovulum or egg shells. This
form of canoe has gradually superseded the more clumsy forms that were
once in use in Tonga and the neighboring islands. The Tongans often
made voyages to Fiji, being better and bolder sailors, though their
canoes were inferior; and, having been struck with the superiority of
Fijian boat-building, have by degrees built their own vessels after
Fijian models. Being also remarkably good carpenters, they have taken
to boat building even in Fiji itself, and have in a great measure
ousted the native builders, being able to work better and quicker, and
for less pay.
In spite of their excellent canoes, and their skill in managing their
vessels, the Fijians are not bold sailors, and, according to Mr.
Williams, “none have yet taken their canoes beyond the boundaries
of their own group.” He knew one old man named Toalevu (Great Fowl)
who had a fancy that he could make a profitable trading expedition
westward, and who accordingly loaded his canoe with pottery and
masi, and started off. After two or three days, however, he became
frightened, and made the best of his way back again, only to become a
standing warning to rash voyagers. Yet in waters which they know the
Fijians are excellent sailors, and the women appear to be as bold and
skilful as the men, assisting in steering, managing the sail, and even
in the laborious task of sculling or poling.
Owing to their excellence in canoe building, the Fijians carry on
a brisk trade with other islands, supplying them not only with
the canoes, but with the masts, sails, sinnet, and other nautical
appliances, receiving in exchange the whales’ teeth, shells, weapons,
and other valued commodities.
CHAPTER XCV.
FIJI--_Continued_.
GOVERNMENT AND SOCIAL LIFE.
A NATIVE LEGEND -- THE RAT GOD, AND HIS MISHAPS ON A JOURNEY --
EVASION OF A HUMILIATING CUSTOM -- MODERN CHANGES OF GOVERNMENT --
THE VARIOUS RANKS OF CHIEFS AND PEOPLE -- THE SYSTEM OF VASU, OR
NEPOTISM EXTRAORDINARY -- SINGULAR POWER OF THE VASU -- THE SYSTEM
A HINDRANCE TO INDUSTRY -- THE VASU AS AN AMBASSADOR -- PAYMENT OF
TAXES -- PRESENTATION OF THE CANOE -- TRIBUTE PAID IN KIND AND IN
LABOR -- THE TENURE OF LAND -- A SINGULAR CUSTOM -- ATTACHMENT TO
THE SOIL -- THE DISAPPOINTED PURCHASER -- THE FAMILY THE TYPE OF
FIJIAN GOVERNMENT -- CODE OF ETIQUETTE AMONG THE FIJIANS -- THE COURT
LANGUAGE -- THE “TAMA,” AND ITS MODIFICATIONS -- MEETING A SUPERIOR
-- THE “BALEMURI” CUSTOM -- THE POLITE NATIVE WHO DID NOT GET A
MUSKET -- HOW GREAT CHIEFS VISIT EACH OTHER -- ORATORY, AND MODES OF
GREETING -- STRICTNESS OF THE CODE OF ETIQUETTE -- THE YOUNG CHIEF
AND THE GUANA’S TAIL -- A FIJIAN FEAST -- THE VAST OVENS, AND MODE
OF MAKING THEM -- PREPARATIONS FOR THE FEAST -- ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE
BANQUET -- VARIETY OF DISHES -- MODE OF DRINKING -- HOW TO OPEN A
COCOA-NUT -- CANNIBALISM -- THE KING THAKOMBAU -- PRESUMED ORIGIN OF
CANNIBALISM -- NATIVE LEGEND -- THE CANNIBAL FORKS -- OPPORTUNITIES
FOR HUMAN SACRIFICES -- “TAKING DOWN THE MAST” -- AN UNFORTUNATE
MISTAKE.
Owing to the geographical nature of the Fiji group, which consists of
seven groups of islands, some of them very large and some very small,
the mode of government has never been monarchical, the country being
ruled by a number of chiefs of greater or less importance, according
to the amount of territory over which their sway extended. The various
islands had in former days but little connection with each other. At
the present time, more intercourse takes place, and in one instance the
visit involves a singular and ludicrous ceremonial.
One of the gods belonging to Somo-somo, named Ng-gurai, went to visit
Mbau a spot on the eastern coast of Viti Lemi, one of the greater
islands, and to pay his respects to the god of that place. He was
accompanied by a Vuna god named Vatu-Mundre, who gave him a bamboo by
way of a vessel, and undertook to guide him on his journey. Ng-gurai
then entered into the body of a rat, seated himself on the bamboo, and
set off on his journey. After they had sailed for some time, Ng-gurai
lost his way on account of wanting to call at every island which he
passed, and at last, just as he arrived on the Mbau shore, he was
washed off the bamboo and nearly drowned in the surf.
From this fate he was rescued by a Mbau woman, who took him into the
chiefs house, and put him among the cooks on the hearth, where he
sat shivering for four days. Meanwhile, Vatu-Mundre arrived at his
destination, and was received in royal manner by the Mbau god, who
tried in vain to induce him to become tributary to him.
After a proper interval, the Mbau god returned the visit of
Vatu-Mundre, who had craftily greased the path, so that when his
visitor became animated, his feet slipped, and he fell on his back.
Vatu-Mundre then took advantage of his situation, and forced his
visitor to become his tributary.
In consequence of this affair, the Mbau people pay a homage to
the natives of Vuna, but indemnify themselves by exacting a most
humiliating homage from the men of Somo-somo, though in fact Somo-somo
is the acknowledged superior of Vuna.
Whenever a Somo-somo canoe goes to Mbau, the sail must be lowered
at a certain distance from shore, and the crew must paddle in a
sitting position. To keep up the sail or to paddle in the usual
standing position would cost them their lives. As soon as they come
within hearing of the shore they have to shout the Tama, _i. e._ the
reverential salutation of an inferior to a superior, and to reiterate
it at short intervals.
Arrived on shore, they are not allowed to enter a house, but are kept
in the open air for four days, during which time they are obliged to
wear their worst dresses, move about in a stooping attitude, and to say
the Tama in a low and trembling voice, in imitation of the shivering
rat-god. After the four days have expired, they may enter houses and
dress in better clothes, but are still obliged to walk in a half-bent
attitude. When a Mbau man meets one of these crouching visitors, he
cries out, “Ho! Ho!” in a jeering manner, and asks the Somo-somo man
whether his god is yet at liberty. The unfortunate visitor is then
obliged to place his hand on his heart, stoop half-way to the ground,
and say humbly that Ng-gurai is allowed his liberty.
Naturally disliking this oppressive and humiliating custom, the people
of Somo-somo have of late years managed to evade it by means of foreign
vessels. The custom of lowering the sail and paddling while seated
was not binding on people of other countries, and so they contrived
to visit Mbau on board of Tongan canoes, or, better still, English
ship-boats.
Of late years the government has assumed a feudal aspect, the chiefs
of large districts being considered as kings, and having under them
a number of inferior chiefs who are tributary to them, and bound to
furnish men and arms when the king declares war. According to Mr.
Williams, the Fijians may be ranked under six distinct orders. First
come the kings, and next to them the chiefs of separate large islands
or districts. Then come the chiefs of towns, the priests, and the
Mata-ni-vanuas, or aides-de-camp of the great chiefs. Next to them come
the chiefs of professions, such as canoe building and turtle fishing,
and with them are ranked any distinguished warriors of low birth. The
fifth rank includes all the commonalty, and the sixth consists of the
slaves, who are always captives.
As is often the case in countries where polygamy is practised, the law
of descent passes through the female line, the successor of the king or
chief being always the son of a woman of high rank.
The oddest part of Fijian political economy is the system of Vasu, or
nephew--a system which may be described as nepotism carried to the
greatest possible extreme. Mr. Williams’s description of the Vasu is
very curious. “The word means a nephew, or niece, but becomes a title
of office in the case of the male, who in some localities has the
extraordinary privilege of appropriating whatever he chooses belonging
to his uncle, or those under his uncle’s power.
“Vasus are of three kinds: the _Vasu-taukei_, the _Vasu-levu_ and the
_Vasu_;--the last is a common name, belonging to any nephew whatever.
Vasu-taukei is a term applied to any Vasu whose mother is a lady of the
land in which he was born. The fact of Mbau being at the head of Fijian
rank gives the Queen of Mbau a pre-eminence over all Fijian ladies, and
her son a place nominally over all Vasus.
“No material difference exists between the power of a Vasu-taukei and a
Vasu-levu, which latter title is given to every Vasu born of a woman of
rank, and having a first-class chief for his father. A Vasu-taukei can
claim anything belonging to a native of his mother’s land, excepting
the wives, home, and land of a chief. Vasus cannot be considered
apart from the civil polity of the group, forming, as they do, one of
its integral parts, and supplying the high-pressure power of Fijian
despotism.
“In grasping at dominant influence, the chiefs have created a power,
which ever and anon turns round and grips them with no gentle hand.
However high a chief may rank, however powerful a king may be, if
he has a nephew, he has a master, one who will not be content with
the name, but who will exercise his prerogative to the full seizing
whatever will take his fancy, regardless of its value or the owner’s
inconvenience in its loss. Resistance is not to be thought of, and
objection is only offered in extreme cases. A striking instance of the
power of the Vasu occurred in the case of Thokonauto, a Rewa chief,
who, during a quarrel with an uncle, used the right of Vasu, and
actually supplied himself with ammunition from his enemy’s stores....
“Descending in the social scale, the Vasu is a hindrance to industry,
few being willing to labor unrewarded for another’s benefit. One
illustration will suffice. An industrious uncle builds a canoe in which
he has not made half-a-dozen trips, when an idle nephew mounts the
deck, sounds his trumpet-shell, and the blast announces to all within
hearing that the canoe has that instant changed masters.”
The Vasu of a king is necessarily a personage of very great importance;
and when he acts as delegate for the king, he is invested for the time
with royal dignity. He is sent, for example, to other places to collect
property, which is handed over to his king as tribute; and were it not
for a check which the king has over him, he might be tempted to enrich
himself by exacting more from the people than they ought to give. In
this case, however, the Vasu is held amenable to the king, and should
he exceed his proper powers, is heavily fined.
Taxes, to which reference is here made, are paid in a manner differing
materially from the mode adopted in more civilized countries. In
Europe, for example, no one pays a tax if he can possibly escape from
it, and the visits of the tax-gatherer are looked upon as periodical
vexations. In Fiji the case is different. People take a pride in paying
taxes, and the days of payment are days of high festival.
On the appointed day the king prepares a great feast, and the people
assemble in vast multitudes with their goods, such as rolls of sinnet,
masi, whales’ teeth, reeds, women’s dresses--and often accompanied by
their wearers--ornaments, weapons, and the like, and present themselves
in turn before the king. Each man is clad in his very best raiment, is
painted in the highest style of art, and displays the latest fashion in
hair-dressing. With songs and dances the people approach their monarch,
and lay their presents before him, returning to the banquet which he
has prepared for them.
It is hardly possible to imagine a more animated scene than that
which occurs when the tribute from a distant place is taken to the
king, especially if, as is often the case, a valuable article, such
as a large war canoe, is presented as part of the tribute. A fleet
of canoes, containing several hundred people and great quantities of
property, makes its appearance off the coast, and is received with
great hospitality, as well may be the case. The king having seated
himself on a large masi carpet, the principal chief of the tribute
bearers comes before him, accompanied by his men bringing the presents
with them in proper ceremonial, the chief himself carrying, in the
folds of his robe, a whale’s tooth, which is considered as the symbol
of the canoe which is about to be presented, and which is called by the
same name as the canoe which it represents.
Approaching the king with the prescribed gestures, the chief kneels
before him, and first offers to his master all the property which has
been deposited on the ground. He then takes from the folds of his
voluminous dress, which, as the reader may remember, is often several
hundred feet in length, the whale’s tooth, and makes an appropriate
speech. He compliments the king on the prosperity which is enjoyed by
all districts under his sway, acknowledging their entire submission,
and hoping that they may be allowed to live in order to build canoes
for him. As an earnest of this wish, he presents the king with a new
canoe, and, so saying, he gives the king the symbolical whale’s tooth,
calling it by the name of the vessel. On receiving the tooth, the king
graciously gives them his permission to live, whereupon all present
clap their hands and shout, the cry of the receivers being different
from that which is employed by the givers.
In the following illustration one of these animated scenes is
represented.
Nearly in the centre is the king seated on the masi carpet, having his
back to the spectator in order to show the mode in which the flowing
robes of a great man are arranged. In front of him kneels the chief of
the tax-paying expedition, who is in the act of offering to the king
the symbolical whale’s tooth. One or two similar teeth lie by his side,
and form a part of the present. In the distance is the flotilla of
canoes, in which the tax-paying party have come; and near the shore is
the new war canoe, which forms the chief part of the offering.
In the foreground are seen the various articles of property which
constitute taxes, such as yams, rolls of cloth and sinnet, baskets,
articles of dress, and young women, the last being dressed in the
finest of likus, and being decorated, not only with their ordinary
ornaments, but with wreaths and garlands of flowers. Behind the
offering chief are his followers, also kneeling as a mark of respect
for the king; and on the left hand are the spectators of the ceremony,
in front of whom sit their chiefs and leading men.
Tribute is not only paid in property, but in labor, those who accompany
the tax-paying chief being required to give their labor for several
weeks. They work in the fields, they thatch houses, they help in
canoe building, they go on fishing expeditions, and at the end of the
stipulated time they receive a present, and return to their homes.
Should the king take it into his head to go and fetch the taxes
himself, his visit becomes terribly burdensome to those whom he honors
with his presence. He will be accompanied by some twenty or thirty
canoes, manned by a thousand men or so, and all those people have
to be entertained by the chief whom he visits. It is true that he
always makes a present when he concludes his visit, but the present is
entirely inadequate to the cost of his entertainment.
The tenure of land is nearly as difficult a question in Fiji as in
New Zealand. It is difficult enough when discussed between natives,
but when the matter is complicated by a quarrel between natives and
colonists, it becomes a very apple of discord. Neither party can quite
understand the other. The European colonist who buys land from a native
chief purchases, according to his ideas, a complete property in the
land, and control over it. The native who sells it has never conceived
such an idea as the total alienation of land, and, in consequence, if
the purchaser should happen to leave any part of the land unoccupied,
the natives will build their houses upon it, and till it as before.
Then as in process of time the proprietor wants to use his ground for
his own purposes, the natives refuse to be ejected, and there is a
quarrel.
The state of the case is very well put by Dr. Pritchard: “Every inch of
land in Fiji has its owner. Every parcel or tract of ground has a name,
and the boundaries are defined and well-known. The proprietorship rests
in families, the heads of families being the representatives of the
title. Every member of the family can use the lands attaching to the
family. Thus the heads of families are the nominal owners, the whole
family are the actual occupiers. The family land maintains the whole
family, and the members maintain the head of the family.
[Illustration: PRESENTATION OF THE CANOE. (See page 936.)]
“A chief holds his lands under precisely the same tenure, as head
of his family, and his _personal_ rights attain only to the land
pertaining to his family, in which right every member of his family
shares so far as on any portion of the land. But the chief is also head
of his tribe, and, as such, certain rights to the whole lands of the
tribe appertain to him. The tribe is a family, and the chief is the
head of the family.
“The families of a tribe maintain the chief. In war they give him
their services, and follow him to the fight. In peace they supply him
with food. In this way, the whole tribe attains a certain collective
interest in all the lands held by each family; and every parcel of land
alienated contracts the source whence the collective tribal support
of the chief is drawn. From this complicated tenure it is clear that
the alienation of land, however large or small the tract, can be made
valid only by the collective act of the whole tribe, in the persons of
the ruling chief and the heads of families. Random and reckless land
transactions under these circumstances would be simply another seizure
of Naboth’s vineyard, for which the price of blood would inevitably
have to be paid.”
Another cause of misunderstanding lies in a peculiar attachment which
the Fijian has to the soil. When he sells a piece of land, it is an
understood thing between the buyer and seller that the latter shall
have the exclusive right of working on the ground, that none but he
shall be employed to till the ground, or build houses upon it. The
white settlers who understand the customs of the natives have accepted
the condition, and find that it answers tolerably well. Those who are
unacquainted with native ideas have often suffered severely for their
ignorance, and, when they have brought a gang of their own workmen to
put up a house on the newly purchased land, have been fairly driven out
by armed parties of natives.
Mr. Pritchard narrates an amusing anecdote, which illustrates the
working of this principle. A missionary had purchased some land
according to the code of laws which had been agreed upon by the native
chiefs and the colonists; all the natives who belonged to the family
having been consulted, and agreed to the purchase. As a matter of
course, they expected that the work of clearing the ground and building
the house would be given to them. Being ignorant of this custom, the
purchaser took some of his own people, but was immediately surrounded
by a body of armed savages, who flourished their clubs and spears, and
frightened him so much that he retreated to his boat, and made off.
When he was well out of range, all those who had muskets fired them in
the direction of the boat, as if to show that their intention was not
to kill but merely to intimidate.
It will be seen from the foregoing passages, that the whole government
of Fiji is a repetition of one principle, namely, that of the family.
The head of a family is the nominal possessor of the land. All the
members of the family use the land, and support their head, as a return
for the use of the land. Districts again are considered as families,
the chief being the head, and being supported by the district. The
king, again, is considered as the father of all the chiefs, and the
nominal owner of all the land in his dominions, and he is therefore
entitled to be supported by the taxation which has been described.
Practically, however, he has no more right to land than any other head
of a family.
From the preceding observations the reader may see that a definite
code of etiquette prevails among the Fiji islands. Indeed, there is no
part of the world where etiquette is carried to a greater extent, or
where it is more intimately interwoven with every action of ordinary
life. If, for example, one man meets another on a path, both having, as
usual, their clubs on their shoulders, as they approach each other they
lower their clubs to their knees, as a token that they are at peace,
and pass on. Retaining the club on the shoulder would be equivalent to
a challenge to fight.
The leading characteristic of this code of etiquette is the reverence
for the chief, a reverence which is carried to such a pitch, that in
battle a chief sometimes comes out unhurt simply because his opponents
were so much awe-stricken by his rank that they did not dare to
strike him. Each superior therefore partakes of the chiefly character
as far as his inferiors are concerned, and expects the appropriate
acknowledgments of rank.
This extraordinary reverence is carried so far that it has invented a
language of etiquette, no one with any pretensions to good breeding
speaking in ordinary language of a chief, of a chiefs head or limbs,
of a chiefs dress, or indeed of any action performed by a chief, but
supplying a paraphrastic and hyperbolical phraseology, of which our own
court language is but a faint shadow. The Tama, which has before been
mentioned, is the right of a chief, and is therefore uttered by men of
inferior rank, not only when they meet the chief himself, but when they
come within a certain distance of his village. So elaborate is this
code of ceremony that, discourteous as it might be to omit the Tama
when due, it would be thought doubly so to utter it on occasions when
it was not due. For example, the Tama is not used toward the close of
the day, or when the chief is either making a sail or watching a sail
maker at work; and if the Tama were uttered on any such occasion, it
would be resented as an insult.
Passing a superior on the wrong side, and sailing by his canoe on the
outrigger side, are considered as solecisms in manners, while passing
_behind_ a chief is so deadly an insult that the man who dared do
such a deed would run the risk of getting his brains knocked out on
the spot, or, if he were a rich man, would have to pay a very heavy
fine, or “soro,” by way of compensation. The reason of this rule is
evident enough. The Fijian is apt to be treacherous, and when he
attacks another always tries to take him unawares, and steals on him,
if possible, from behind. It is therefore a rule, that any one passing
behind a superior is looked upon as contemplating assassination, and
makes himself liable to the appropriate penalty.
If a man should meet a chief, the inferior withdraws from the path,
lays his club on the ground, and crouches in a bent position until
the great man has passed by. If, however, the two men should be of
tolerably equal rank, the inferior merely stands aside, bends his body
slightly, and rubs the left arm with the right hand, or grasps his
beard and keeps his eyes fixed on the ground.
The act of giving anything to the chief, touching him or his dress, or
anything above his head, or receiving anything from him, or hearing a
gracious message from him, is accompanied by a gentle clapping of the
hands. Standing in the presence of a chief is not permitted. Any one
who addresses him must kneel; and if they move about, must either do so
on their knees, or at least in a crouching attitude.
In some cases the code of etiquette is carried to an extreme which
appears to us exceedingly ludicrous. If a superior fall, or in any
other way makes himself look awkward, all his inferiors who are present
immediately do the same thing, and expect a fee as recognition of their
politeness.
Mr. Williams narrates an amusing anecdote of this branch of etiquette,
which is called _bale-muri_ (pronounced bahleh-moo-ree), _i. e._
follow in falling. “One day I came to a long bridge formed of a single
cocoa-nut tree, which was thrown across a rapid stream, the opposite
bank of which was two or three feet lower, so that the declivity was
too steep to be comfortable. The pole was also wet and slippery: and
thus my crossing safely was very doubtful.
“Just as I commenced the experiment, a heathen said with much
animation, ‘to-day I shall have a musket.’ I had, however, just then
to heed my steps more than his words, and so succeeded in reaching the
other side safely. When I asked him why he spoke of a musket, the man
replied, ‘I felt certain you would fall in attempting to go over, and I
should have fallen after you (that is, appeared to be equally clumsy);
and as the bridge is high, the water rapid, and you a gentleman, you
would not have thought of giving me less than a musket.’” Ludicrous
as this custom appears, it is based upon a true sense of courtesy, a
desire to spare the feelings of others.
When one person of rank visits another, a number of ceremonies are
performed in regular order. Should the visit be paid in a canoe, as is
mostly the case, a herald is sent a few days previously to give notice
of his coming, so as to avoid taking the intended host by surprise. As
soon as the canoe comes in sight, a herald is sent out to inquire the
name and rank of the visitor, who is met on the shore by a deputation
of petty chiefs, headed by one of the Matas, or aides-de-camp. If the
visitor be a personage of very high rank, the Matas will go ten miles
to meet him.
As soon as the visitor and his retinue have reached the house of their
entertainer, they seat themselves, and the host, after clapping his
hands gently in token of salutation, welcomes them in a set form of
words, such as “Come with peace the chief from Mbau,” or “Somo-somo,”
as the case may be.
A series of similar remarks is made by both parties, the main point
being that Fijian oratory is the driest and dullest of performances,
always broken up into short sentences, without any apparent connection
between them, and further hindered by the attitude of courtesy which
the speaker has to adopt. It is impossible for the finest orator in the
world to make an effective speech if he has to deliver it in a kneeling
position, with his body bent forward, his hands holding his beard,
and his eyes directed to the ground. In some parts of Fiji etiquette
requires that the orator’s back should be toward the chief whom he is
addressing. Nobody takes the trouble to listen to these speeches, or is
expected to do so, the chiefs often talking over indifferent matters
while the proper number of speeches are rehearsed.
The ceremonies on leave-taking are quite as long, as intricate, and
as tedious; and, when the speeches are over, the two great men salute
each other after the fashion of their country, by pressing their faces
together, and drawing in the breath with a loud noise, as if smelling
each other. A chief of inferior rank salutes his superior’s hand, and
not his face.
When the visitors start upon their return journey, the host accompanies
them for a part of the way, the distance being regulated by their
relative rank. If they should have come by sea, the proper etiquette is
for the host to go on board, together with some of his chief men, and
to accompany his visitors to a certain distance from land, when they
all jump into the sea and swim ashore.
As is the case in all countries, whether savage or civilized, the code
of etiquette is rigidly enforced at meal-times. Even the greatest
chief, if present at a banquet, behaves in as deferential a manner as
the commonest man present. Though he may be in his own dominions, and
though he may hold absolute sway over every man and woman within sight,
he will not venture to taste a morsel of food until it has first been
offered to him. Many years ago one chief did so, and, in consequence,
the Fijians have hated his very name ever since.
So great would be the breach of manners by such a proceeding, that the
life of the offender would be endangered by it. On one occasion it did
cost the chief his life. He inadvertently ate a piece of cocoa-nut
which had not been offered to him; and this insult so rankled in the
mind of one of his officers, who was in attendance, that he ran away
from his own chief, and joined another who was at war with him. A
battle took place, the offending chief was worsted, and was running
for his life, when he met the insulted officer, and asked for his
assistance. The man was inclined to give it, but the insult could not
be forgotten, and so, with an apology for the duty which he was called
on to perform, he knocked out his former master’s brains with his club.
A still more astonishing instance of this feeling is mentioned by
Mr. Williams. A young chief and his father-in-law were about to dine
together, and a baked guana was provided for each. The guana is a
lizard which has a long and slender tail. In passing by his relative’s
guana, the young man accidentally broke off the end of its tail, which
would necessarily be rendered brittle by cooking. This was held to be
so gross an insult, that the offender paid for it with his life.
Etiquette is shown to its fullest extent when a king or principal
chief gives a great banquet. As with the New Zealanders, such a feast
is contemplated for many months previously; vegetables are planted
expressly for it, and no one is allowed to kill pigs or gather fruit,
lest there should not be a sufficient quantity of provisions.
Just before the day of festival, the final preparations are made.
Messages are sent to all the neighboring tribes, or rather to the
chiefs, who communicate them to the people. The turtle fishers bestir
themselves to get their nets and canoes in order, and, as soon as they
are ready, start off to sea. Yams and other root crops are dug up, the
ovens made, and the fuel chopped and brought ready for use.
These ovens are of enormous size, as each is capable of cooking a
number of pigs, turtles, and vast quantities of vegetables. With all
our skill in cooking, it is to be doubted whether we are not excelled
by the Fijians in the art of cooking large quantities of meat at a
time. The ovens are simply holes dug in the ground, some ten feet in
depth and fifteen feet or so in diameter.
The mode of cooking is very simple. A small fire is made at the bottom
of the pit, which is then filled with firewood, and as soon as the wood
is thoroughly on fire, large stones are placed on it. When the wood has
all burned away, the pigs, turtles, and vegetables are laid on the hot
stones, some of which are introduced into the interior of each animal,
so that it may be the more thoroughly cooked. The oven is then filled
up with boughs and green leaves, and upon the leaves is placed a thick
covering of earth. The oven regulates its own time of cooking, for as
soon as steam rises through the earthy covering, the contents of the
oven are known to be properly cooked.
For the two or three days preceding the feast, all the people are full
of activity. They take a pride in the liberality of their chief, and
each man brings as many pigs, yams, turtles, and other kinds of food as
he can manage to put together. The king himself takes the direction of
affairs, his orders being communicated to the people by his Matas, or
aides-de-camp. Day and night go on the preparations, the pigs squealing
as they are chased before being killed, the men hard at work digging
the ovens, some loosening the earth with long pointed sticks, others
carrying off the loosened soil in baskets, while the flames that blaze
from the completed ovens enable the workmen to continue their labors
throughout the night.
On these occasions the Fijians dispense with their ordinary feelings
respecting cooking. In Fiji, as in New Zealand, cooking is despised,
and the word “cook” is used as a term of reproach and derision. In
consequence of this feeling, all cooking is performed by the slaves.
But on the eve of a great feast this feeling is laid aside, and every
man helps to cook the food. Even the king himself assists in feeding
the ovens with fuel, arranging the pigs, stirring the contents of the
cooking pots, and performing offices which, on the following day, none
but a slave will perform.
By the time that the cooking is completed, the various tribes have
assembled, and the ovens are then opened and the food taken out. It
is then arranged in separate heaps, a layer of cocoa-nut leaves being
placed on the ground by way of dish. On the leaves is placed a layer
of cocoa-nuts, then come the yams and potatoes, then puddings, and at
the top of all several pigs. The quantity of provisions thus brought
together is enormous. Mr. Williams mentions that at one feast, at
which he was present, two hundred men were employed for nearly six
hours in piling up the food. There were six heaps of food, and among
their contents were about fifty tons of cooked yams and potatoes,
fifteen tons of pudding, seventy turtles, and about two hundred tons of
uncooked yams. There was one pudding which measured twenty-one feet in
circumference.
Profusion is the rule upon these occasions, and the more food that
a chief produces, the more honor he receives. One chief gained the
honorable name of High Pork, because he once provided such vast
quantities of food that before it could be finished decomposition had
begun in the pork.
All being arranged, the distribution now begins, and is carried out
with that precision of etiquette which pervades all society in Fiji.
The various tribes and their chiefs being seated, the Tui-rara, or
master of the ceremonies, orders the food to be divided into as many
portions as there are tribes, regulating the amount by the importance
of the tribe. He then takes the tribes in succession, and calls their
names. As he calls each tribe, the people return their thanks, and a
number of young men are sent to fetch the food. This goes on until the
whole of the food has been given away, when a further distribution
takes place among the tribes, each village first taking a share and
then each family receiving its proper portion, which is handed to its
head.
It is evident that the Tui-rara has no sinecure. He must possess the
most intimate knowledge of all the tribes, and the ranks of their
respective chiefs, and must at the same time be on the alert to
distinguish any stranger that may make his appearance. Should he be a
foreigner, he is considered a chief, and a chief’s portion, _i. e._ a
quantity sufficient for twenty Fijians or sixty Englishmen, is sent to
him. Of course he gives the greater part away, but in so doing he acts
the part of a chief. It is, in fact, the old story of Benjamin’s mess
translated into Fijian.
The men always eat their food in the open air, but send the women’s
portion to the houses to be eaten within doors.
The first illustration on the next page will give an idea of a Fijian
feast. On the left hand is seen the master of the ceremonies, calling
the name of a tribe, and in the centre are seen the young men running
to fetch the food. In the foreground is the portion of their tribe,
consisting of pigs, yams, turtles, and so forth. In front of them are
some of the curious drums, which will be presently described, and in
the distance are seen the members of the different tribes, some eating,
and others waiting for their portion. The curious building in the
background is one of the Burés, or temples, which will be presently
described.
From the preceding description it will be seen that the Fijians are not
bad cooks, and that the number of dishes which they produce is by no
means small. The variety of the dishes is, however, much greater than
has been mentioned. They eat many kinds of fish, together with almost
every living creature that they find in the coral reefs. Some of their
preparations very much resemble those to which we are accustomed in
England. For example, a sort of shrimp sandwich is made by putting a
layer of shrimps between two taro leaves. Several kinds of bread are
known, and nearly thirty kinds of puddings. Turtle soup is in great
favor, and so are various other soups.
The Fijians even make sauces to be eaten with various kinds of food,
the sweet juice of the sugar-cane being much used for this purpose.
They also have a sort of an imitation of tea, infusing sundry leaves
and grasses in boiling water, and drinking it when it becomes
sufficiently cool. Most of their food is cooked; but, like ourselves,
they prefer some food in an uncooked state. Small fish, for example,
are eaten alive, just as we eat oysters.
They mostly drink water, or the milk of the cocoa-nut. To drink water
in native fashion is not very easy. They keep it in long bamboo tubes,
so that when it is raised to the lips the greatest care is required
lest it should suddenly deluge the face and body.
Cocoa-nuts are opened in rather a curious manner. A stout stick is
sharpened at both ends, and one end driven firmly into the ground.
Taking the nut in both hands, the native dashes it on the stick, which
splits open the thick husk, and allows the nut to be extracted. With a
stone, or even with another cocoa-nut in case a stone should not be at
hand, the native hammers away round the pointed end, and contrives to
knock off a small round lid, which is then removed, leaving a natural
drinking-cup in his hand.
* * * * *
We now come to the terrible subject of cannibalism, on which no more
will be said than is necessary to illustrate the character of the
people.
The Fijians are even more devoted to cannibalism than the New
Zealanders, and their records are still more appalling. A New Zealander
has sometimes the grace to feel ashamed of mentioning the subject in
the hearing of an European, whereas it is impossible to make a Fijian
really feel that in eating human flesh he has committed an unworthy
act. He sees, indeed, that the white men exhibit great disgust at
cannibalism, but in his heart he despises them for wasting such
luxurious food as human flesh.
[Illustration: (1.) A FIJIAN FEAST. (See page 942.)]
[Illustration: (2.) THE FATE OF THE BOASTER. (See page 952.)]
Even the Christianized natives have to be watched carefully lest
they should be tempted by old habits, and revert to the custom which
they had promised to abjure. For example, Thakombau, the King of
Mbau, became a Christian, or at least pretended to do so. He was not
a particularly creditable convert. Some time after he had announced
himself to be a Christian, he went in his war canoe to one of the
districts under his sway. He was received with the horribly barbarous
ceremonial by which a very great chief is honored, conch-shell
trumpets blowing before him, and the people shouting their songs of
welcome. Thus accompanied, he walked through a double row of living
victims--men, women, and children of all ages--suspended by their feet,
and placed there to give the king his choice. The hopeful convert was
pleased to accept the offering, touching with his club as he passed
along those victims which seemed most to his taste.
The natives are clever enough at concealing the existence of
cannibalism when they find that it shocks the white men. An European
cotton-grower, who had tried unsuccessfully to introduce the culture of
cotton into Fiji, found, after a tolerably long residence, that four
or five human beings were killed and eaten weekly. There was plenty of
food in the place, pigs were numerous, and fish, fruit, and vegetables
abundant. But the people ate human bodies as often as they could get
them, not from any superstitious motive, but simply because they
preferred human flesh to pork.
Many of the people actually take a pride in the number of human bodies
which they have eaten. One chief was looked upon with great respect on
account of his feats of cannibalism, and the people gave him a title
of honor. They called him the Turtle-pond, comparing his insatiable
stomach to the pond in which turtles are kept; and so proud were they
of his deeds, that they even gave a name of honor to the bodies brought
for his consumption, calling them the “Contents of the Turtle-pond.”
This man was accustomed to eat a human body himself, suffering no one
to share it with him. After his family were grown up, he bethought
himself of registering his unholy meals by placing a stone on the
ground as soon as he had finished the body. His son showed these stones
to an English clergyman, who counted them, and found that there were
very nearly nine hundred.
One man gained a great name among his people by an act of peculiar
atrocity. He told his wife to build an oven, to fetch firewood for
heating it, and to prepare a bamboo knife. As soon as she had concluded
her labors her husband killed her, and baked her in the oven which her
own hands had prepared, and afterward ate her. Sometimes a man has been
known to take a victim, bind him hand and foot, cut slices from his
arms and legs, and eat them before his eyes. Indeed, the Fijians are so
inordinately vain, that they will do anything, no matter how horrible,
in order to gain a name among their people; and Dr. Pritchard, who
knows them thoroughly, expresses his wonder that some chief did not eat
slices from his own limbs.
Cannibalism is ingrained in the very nature of a Fijian, and extends
through all classes of society. It is true that there are some persons
who have never eaten flesh, but there is always a reason for it. Women,
for example, are seldom permitted to eat “bakolo,” as human flesh is
termed, and there are a few men who have refrained from cannibalism
through superstition. Every Fijian has his special god, who is supposed
to have his residence in some animal. One god, for example, lives in
a rat, as we have already seen; another in a shark; and so on. The
worshipper of that god never eats the animal in which his divinity
resides; and as some gods are supposed to reside in human bodies, their
worshippers never eat the flesh of man.
According to the accounts of some of the older chiefs, whom we may
believe or not, as we like, there was once a time when cannibalism
did not exist. Many years ago, some strangers from a distant land
were blown upon the shores of Fiji, and received hospitably by the
islanders, who incorporated them into their own tribes, and made much
of them. But, in process of time, these people became too powerful,
killed the Fijian chiefs, took their wives and property, and usurped
their office.
In this emergency the people consulted the priests, who said that the
Fijians had brought their misfortunes upon themselves. They had allowed
strangers to live, whereas “Fiji for the Fijians” was the golden rule,
and from that time every male stranger was to be killed and eaten, and
every woman taken as a wife.
Only one people was free from this law. The Tongans, instead of being
killed and eaten, were always welcomed, and their visits encouraged,
as they passed backward and forward in their canoes, and brought with
them fine mats and other articles for barter. So much have these
people intermingled, that in the eastern islands, which are nearest
to those of Tonga, there is a decided mixture of Tongan blood. With
this exception, however, the Fijians went on the same principle as the
Ephesians of Shakespeare--
“If any Syracusan born
Come to the bay of Ephesus, he dies;”
save that, instead of merely putting to death those who came from one
country, they only excepted one country from the universal law.
The reader may remember that a sort of respect is paid to a human body
used for food. Educated people speak of it in the court language, and,
instead of using any vulgar term, such as a human body, they employ
the metaphorical language, and call it the “long pig.” As a general
rule, the vessels in which human flesh is cooked are reserved expressly
for that purpose, and both the vessel in which it is cooked and the
dish from which it is eaten are held as tapu.
So highly is “bakolo” honored, that it is eaten, not with fingers, but
with a fork, and the implement in question is handed down from father
to son, like the merais and tikis of the New Zealander. These forks are
quite unlike those which are used in England. They mostly have four
prongs, but these prongs, instead of being set in a line, are generally
arranged in a circle or triangle as the case may be. They are carved
out of some very hard wood, and, when they have become venerable by
reason of age or of the rank of their proprietor, they receive names
of honor. For example, the cannibal chief who ate nearly nine hundred
human bodies had a fork which was named “Undro-undro,” the title
signifying a small person carrying a great burden. The fork was a small
object, but it had carried to the lips of its master the bodies of
nearly nine hundred human beings.
As the Fijians set such a value on human flesh, it is to be expected
that they will invent a variety of excuses for obtaining it. For
example when a chief builds a house, he kills at least one human victim
to celebrate the event. If he builds a large war canoe, a series of
sacrifices takes place. A man is killed, for example, when the keel is
laid, and, if the chief be a very powerful one, he will kill a victim
as each plank is fixed in its place. Even when it is finished the
slaughter is not over, as, in the first place, the planks of the new
vessel have to be washed with human blood, and, in the next, the launch
must be commemorated in the same way as the building. One chief gained
some notoriety by binding a number of men, and laying them side by side
along the shore to act as rollers over which the canoe was taken from
the land into the sea. The weight of the canoe killed the men, who were
afterward baked and eaten.
Even after the canoe is launched, excuses are found for carrying on
the system of human butchery. Whenever it touches at a place for the
first time, a man must be sacrificed in honor of taking down the mast,
this being done to show that the vessel means to make some stay at the
place. If a chief should arrive in a new canoe, and keep up his mast,
the people understand the signal, and bring on board a newly-slain
victim, so that the mast may be taken down.
On one occasion, when a war canoe had been built at Somo-somo, the
missionaries exerted themselves so successfully that the canoe was
launched without the sacrifice of a single life. Eventually, however,
their well-intentioned interference rather increased than diminished
the number of victims. When the canoe arrived at Mbau, the chiefs were
so vexed that it had reached them unhonored by human blood that they
straightway attacked a village, killed some fourteen or fifteen men,
and ate them in order to do honor to the ceremony of taking down the
mast.
Sometimes, in order to secure a victim whenever one is wanted, the
chiefs pick out secretly a certain number of men, and put them, so
to speak, on the black list. Whenever a sacrifice is needed, all the
executioners have to do is to find out how many victims are wanted, and
then to go and kill the requisite number of the black-list men.
Whole towns are sometimes put on the black list, a curious example
of which custom is given by Mr. Williams. “Vakambua, chief of Mbau,
thus doomed Tavua, and gave a whale’s tooth to a Nggara chief, that he
might at a fitting time punish that place. Years passed away, and a
reconciliation took place between Mbau and Tavua, but, unhappily, the
Mbau chief failed to neutralize the engagement made with the Nggara.
A day came when human bodies were wanted, and the thoughts of those
who held the tooth were turned toward Tavua. They invited the people
of that place to a friendly exchange of food, and slew twenty-three of
their unsuspecting victims.
“When the treacherous Nggarans had gratified their own appetites by
pieces of the flesh cut off and roasted on the spot, the bodies were
taken to Vakambua, who was greatly astonished, expressed much regret
that such a slaughter should have grown out of his carelessness, and
then shared the bodies to be eaten.”
The Fijian can seldom resist meat, and that he should resist “bakolo”
could not be expected of him. In Mrs. Smythe’s “Ten Months in the Fiji
Islands,” an amusing instance of this predilection is recorded. “A
white man had shot and carried off a pig belonging to a Fijian, who,
being a convert, went to a native teacher named Obadiah, and asked
him to go to the delinquent and remonstrate with him. The teacher put
on his black coat, went to the man’s house, and with much earnestness
pointed out to him the iniquity of the deed, asking him how he would
have liked it had a Fijian killed one of his own pigs. The man listened
very respectfully, and allowed the error of his ways, acknowledging
that the teacher had put the matter in a new light. ‘But,’ said he ‘the
pig is now dead, and we cannot bring it to life again. Shall we throw
it out and let it go to waste, or, as it is just baked, and you have
not breakfasted, shall we not sit down, and you will ask a blessing?’
“Obadiah, taken by surprise by Q----’s penitence, and the compliment
paid to his own clerical functions, and swayed perhaps a little by the
irresistible love of all Fijians for roast pork, bowed his head, and
reverentially said a long prayer, after which the two set heartily to
work on the pig.” When the teacher went to the missionary to report
his successful labors, he was quite astonished at being charged with
complicity with the thief.
CHAPTER XCVI.
FIJI--_Continued_.
WAR AND AMUSEMENTS.
WEAPONS OF THE FIJIANS -- THE SLING, AND MODE OF USING IT -- THE
CLUB, AND ITS VARIOUS MODIFICATIONS -- GRADUAL DEVELOPMENT OF THE
CLUB INTO THE PADDLE -- MODE OF MAKING THE CLUBS, AND PREPARATION OF
THE TREES -- ORNAMENTS OF THE CLUBS, AND THEIR NAMES -- FIJIAN SPEARS
-- THEIR TERRIBLE BARBS -- OBJECTS OF WAR -- THE REVIEW -- THE FATE
OF THE BOASTER -- INGENIOUS ENGINEERING -- CRUELTY TOWARD PRISONERS
-- “CONSECRATION” OF A WARRIOR, AND HIS NEW NAME -- DOMESTIC LIFE --
CEREMONIES AT BIRTH -- TRAINING IN REVENGE -- AMUSEMENTS -- VARIOUS
GAMES -- RIRIKI -- WOMEN AGAINST MEN -- DANCES AND SONGS -- MARRIAGE
FESTIVITIES -- WEDDING OF A CHIEF’S DAUGHTER -- DOMESTIC DISCIPLINE
-- THE KING’S STAFF -- FESTIVITIES AT HOUSE BUILDING -- MODE OF
THATCHING AND DECORATING THE HOUSES -- A PRACTICAL JOKE.
In accordance with the plan on which this work has been arranged,
Fijian warfare will be described as it was before fire-arms were
introduced, and had changed the ancient style of warfare.
The original weapons of the Fijian are the club, the axe (which, by
the way, is little more than a modification of the club), the bow,
the sling, and the spear. In most of these weapons is exhibited the
fancifully artistic nature of the manufacturers. The sling is perhaps
the only weapon from which ornament is almost wholly absent. Like the
corresponding weapon of the New Caledonians, it carries stones of
tolerable weight and great hardness, and, when wielded by a skilful
hand, becomes no inefficient weapon even against fire-arms themselves.
A stone hurled from a Fijian sling has been known to render a musket
useless, the stone having struck the barrel, and bent and indented it
as much as would have been done by a bullet.
The chief weapon of the Fijian is the club, and upon this he lavishes
all the artistic power at his command, covering nearly the whole of it
with the most intricate and delicately executed carvings. Some clubs
are straight, like thick cudgels, others are curved. Those which are
knobbed at the end have an infinite variety in the knob, as we shall
presently see. Some are more or less flattened, while there are some
which are so flat and so broad that it is not easy at first sight to
determine whether they are clubs or paddles. Some are so large that
they require the whole exertion of a muscular man to wield them, while
others are so short that they are kept stuck in the girdle, and used
as missiles, precisely as the short knob-kerries are used by the South
Africans. A Fijian will often carry two or more of these clubs in his
girdle.
Some of the most characteristic forms of Fijian clubs are given on
the following page, all being drawn from specimens in my collection.
Fig. 1 represents a club, and is evidently modified from a gnarled and
knotted branch, and by comparing a number of specimens together it is
easy to trace the progress of manufacture. This form of club is also to
be found among the Papuans of New Guinea, the natives of the Outanata
district carrying it. With the exception of the deep transverse cuts,
there is no attempt at ornament. It is tolerably heavy, though not very
large, and requires two hands to be wielded properly.
Figure 2 represents one of the paddle-like clubs which have just been
mentioned. The blade is not an inch in thickness in the middle, and
it gradually slopes off to either side, so as to form a tolerably
sharp edge. With the exception of the handle, it is entirely covered
with carving; the dentated pattern, which seems common to nearly all
savage art, being very conspicuous. It is extremely weighty, and, to an
European, appears a very awkward instrument, except perhaps that the
broad blade might be utilized as a shield.
[Illustration: (1.) ORATOR’S FLAPPER. (See page 930.)]
[Illustration: (2.) IDOL OF SOLOMON ISLANDS. (See page 970.)]
[Illustration: (3.) SPEAR. (See page 952.)]
[Illustration: (4.) FIJIAN CLUBS. (See page 948.)]
Fig. 3 is a club, which may be considered as a sort of intermediate
form between the two already mentioned. Like the last, it has a
broad blade, but is evidently a club and not a paddle. The blade is
strengthened by a bold ridge running along the centre. In order to
show the mode in which it is flattened, a side view of the lower
part is shown at fig. _a_, and a cross section of the blade is given
at fig. _b_. This kind of club is modified in various ways, but is
always made on the same principle, _i. e._ a round handle and a
flattened paddle-like end, sometimes nearly plain, as in the above
mentioned specimens, and sometimes furnished with knobs, teeth, and
spikes projecting from the sides. In some cases it assumes the shape
of a crescent, and looks, indeed, much like a cheese knife very much
magnified.
Another very characteristic shape is given in fig. 4. As may be
imagined from the illustration, it is very weighty, so that even
to carry it about must be rather troublesome. It is covered with
carvings in the most lavish manner, and such value has been set by the
manufacturer upon the weapon, that he has even taken the trouble to
invent different patterns for the opposite sides.
The peculiar form of this club is evidently due to the structure of
the branch from which it was cut, the projecting portion being the
base of another branch. Although in many specimens--my own among the
number--the club has been carved from a great log of solid wood, the
form has evidently been borrowed from the junction of two branches. The
edge of the club is cut into slight teeth, and just within the edge are
a number of round holes, set in a line. A tolerably bold ridge runs
along the head of the club and follows its curve, and through this
ridge are also bored a number of holes, apparently for the purpose of
attaching bunches of feathers, or other ornaments, to the weapon.
The most characteristic club of Fiji is, however, that of which an
example is given in fig. 5. It is made from the stem and part of the
root of a young tree. In this part of the world there are certain trees
which grow in a manner which to us seems very peculiar. As is the case
with many trees, it sends a tap-root deeply into the earth, and is
further supported by a number of smaller roots which diverge from it
on all sides, and retain it in its upright position, just as a mast is
upheld by the standing rigging.
While the tree is very young, it is drawn down nearly horizontally, and
fixed in that position, so as to be bent nearly at right angles close
to the earth. When it has grown to the thickness of a man’s wrist, the
top is cut off and the roots dug out of the ground. The tap-root is
then scraped down to a point, and all the smaller roots are cut off to
within an inch and a half of the tap-root, so as to form a radiating
mass of spikes, which are sharpened, and thus present the appearance
shown in the illustration.
Such a club as this is an exceedingly valuable weapon, and the greatest
care is taken in its manufacture. The spike at the end is scraped
and rounded until it assumes a perfectly regular shape, and is then
polished until it shines like a well-rubbed piece of mahogany. The
radiating spikelets are each trimmed with the greatest nicety, so that,
in whatever direction the weapon is viewed, they all radiate with exact
regularity.
The handle is polished as carefully as the lower spike, and in most
cases is adorned with elaborately carved patterns. In many clubs it
is completely covered with black and white sinnet made expressly for
this purpose, and plaited in patterns as elaborate as those which are
carved. Some of the best clubs are further ornamented by having scarlet
feathers worked in with sinnet. There are, indeed, scarcely any bounds
to the decoration of clubs, many of which are inlaid with shell, or
hogs’ tusks, or whales’ teeth, or even the teeth of men. These latter
ornaments are chiefly reserved for the knobs of the small missile club.
Beside these, there is an infinite variety of forms, some of the clubs
exactly resembling the steel maces of the days of chivalry, others
being first squared and then cut into pyramidal form, while others look
just like enormous mushrooms. Some of them have the handles completely
covered with wickerwork; but, as a rule, these highly ornamental
weapons are not for use but for show, like the court sword of the
present day.
Some of the names given to these clubs are highly suggestive.
For example, one was called “Weeping urges me to action,” others
“Disperser,” “Smasher,” and so forth. Those which belong to well-known
chiefs or distinguished warriors are used much as cards among
ourselves. If, for example, a great chief desires to pay a visit, he
will send his club as an intimation that the owner will follow. Or, if
one chief asks another for aid in war, the ordinary mode of showing
that the application is favorably received is for the latter to send
his club by the ambassador who brought the message.
There is as great variety of spears as of clubs. Spears are almost
invariably of great length, some measuring fourteen or fifteen feet in
length. They are made from hard wood and are almost invariably armed
with a series of barbs. In the manufacture and arrangement of the
barbs, the Fijians show wonderful ingenuity. Mostly, they are not from
the same piece of wood as the spear itself, but in many weapons they
are made of other materials. The sharp tail-bone of the sting-ray is a
favorite material, both for the points and barbs of spears, probably
because it is very hard, and so brittle that it is nearly sure to
break off in the wound. Other barbs are made of a wood which has the
property of swelling up when moistened, and bursting in the wound, so
that it can hardly be extracted. Such spears as this are called by a
very ominous title, “The priest is too late.” Some of the spears are
not only carved in various patterns, but have the heads cut into a
kind of bold open work pattern, which has a very elegant appearance,
though it must detract greatly from the strength of the weapon. One
of the ordinary Fijian spears is shown on page 949, and is taken from
specimens in my collection, in which there are several others, but all
of a similar character.
Many of the weapons have more than one point. In the specimens which I
have, the points are rather more than a yard in length, and are made of
separate pieces of wood, ingeniously dovetailed into the shaft of the
spear, and held in their place by lashings of sinnet. In my specimen,
the manufacturer has been so lavish of his labor, that he has not only
woven the sinnet into elegant patterns, but has continued them along
the whole of the shaft, covering it with a sort of mixture of the
zigzag and the dentated patterns. There are also spears with several
points, each point being barbed or deeply serrated on the inside cap.
These are not for war, but for fishing purposes. As for the war in
which these weapons are used, it is hardly deserving of the name.
When two chiefs have decided on going to war, messengers pass between
them, and both sides beat up recruits for their armies and offer
gifts to the gods. Whales’ teeth and food form the chief part of
these offerings, and the latter is often given in vast quantities.
Independent chiefs often take advantage of war to increase their
property. Such a chief, for example, though urged by both sides to
join them, trims and hesitates, and bides his time. One party will
then send him a bribe, and as soon as the other party hear of it, they
send a larger bribe, in order to “press down” the former gift. The
result usually is, that the recipient keeps both bribes, and eventually
declines to fight on either side.
The forces are gathered by a series of reviews, held as the army
marches. These reviews form the great charm of war, as any amount of
boasting may be done without the slightest risk. Each warrior rushes
up to the commanding chief, brandishes his weapons, and boasts of the
great deeds which he is going to do; all the warriors being in their
very best, with bodies covered with black powder, so as to contrast
with the snow-white masi, and their faces painted as none but a Fijian
can paint them, in order to look as martial as possible.
The chief often ridicules the pretensions of these men, insinuating
that they will be more ready to run away than to fight; but this is
only for the purpose of inciting them to display their courage, and,
by way of inducing them to fight well, large gifts are promised to
those who distinguish themselves in battle.
Sometimes a warrior, carried away by the excitement of the moment,
boasts that he will kill the enemy’s chief, eat his flesh, and make a
drinking-cup of his skull. This is generally a very foolish proceeding.
The menaced chief is sure to hear of it, and to promise a large reward
if the boaster be taken alive.
Should he be captured, his fate is certain. His hands are bound behind
him, and a large bundle of dried cocoa-nut leaves is fastened tightly
across his shoulders, projecting for several feet on either side.
The ends of the leaves are then lighted, and the poor wretch is left
to die, the spectators laughing and jeering at him as he runs about,
maddened by the torment. This punishment is called by a name which
signifies carrying fuel. The artist has represented in the lower
engraving, on the 943d page, this frightful fate of the boaster.
The party that are attacked usually retire into a native fort, the
structure of which often shows great engineering skill. The Fijians
are very apt at selecting a spot which is difficult of access, and
fortifying it in such a manner that two or three men could hold it
against a thousand. Mr. Williams visited one of these forts, and found
that the approach to it was not without danger, even in time of peace.
The only path to the fort led through thick and tangled vegetation,
and terminated on the edge of a precipice. The entrance to the fort
was on the face of the precipice, several yards from the end of the
path, and there was no mode of getting to it except by crawling along
the perpendicular rock by means of little holes in which the toes and
fingers could be inserted.
When the natives cannot find a place of such natural strength, they
have a way of defending the entrance by a series of gates with
traverses between them, so that any enemies who forced the first gate
were obliged to go for some distance through a narrow passage which was
pierced with loopholes, through which spears could be thrust and arrows
shot. Even if they succeeded in passing the second gate, a similar
gauntlet had to be run before they could reach the third. Thorny
trees are in great request for the outer defences of these forts, the
bare-skinned natives greatly dreading the prickly walls, which every
year grow more dense and less penetrable.
Knowing the strength of the forts, the natives do not care about
assaulting them, and, as they advance to the walls, avail themselves
of every cover. They then yell and shout derisive taunts at the enemy,
challenging them to come out and fight. Sometimes the challenge
is answered, a number of warriors issuing from the fort and each
selecting an adversary; often, however, as soon as the besiegers see
their challenge answered, they run away as fast as they can, the Fijian
liking to come behind his enemy and knock him on the head stealthily
better than to oppose him in open fight.
Should a fort be taken, the slaughter is dreadful, and is nothing but
a massacre, the greater number being killed, and the rest reserved to
be put to death by torture. One favorite mode of torture is to stun the
unhappy captive with a club, and to throw him into a heated oven by way
of bringing him back to his senses. The struggles of the unfortunate
man as the fierce heat restores him to consciousness are greeted with
laughter and jeers by the delighted spectators. Others are bound hand
and foot and given to the sons of chiefs as subjects on which they can
try their skill at torturing.
As these expeditions are nearly always made in canoes, the return of
the war party is seen from a great distance, and all the population
assemble on the beach to welcome the victorious warriors, the women
dancing and singing songs of triumph in honor of the conquerors. A
horrible scene then takes place, too horrible indeed to be described;
the bodies of the dead are offered in the temples, the ovens are
prepared, and for some days unbridled license reigns supreme.
In connexion with warfare must be mentioned a curious custom of giving
a new name to men who have killed any of the enemy during the campaign.
Whether the enemy be an armed warrior slain in fair fight, an unarmed
man knocked down by stealth, a woman, or even a little child, signifies
nothing. The warrior has clubbed an enemy, and has a right to his new
name of honor. Should he have killed a chief, he takes the name of his
victim, and sometimes his own chief honors him by calling the man his
flag, his canoe, his comb, &c. Of the consecration ceremony, wherein
the new name is given, Mr. Williams once saw a very excellent example
at Somo-somo, the subject of consecration being a young chief.
“The king and leading men having taken their seats in the public
square, fourteen mats were brought and spread out, and upon these were
placed a bale of cloth and two whale’s teeth. Near by was laid a sail
mat, and on it several men’s dresses. The young chief now made his
appearance, bearing in one hand a large pine-apple club, and in, the
other a common reed, while his long train of masi dragged on the ground
behind him.
“On his reaching the mats, an old man took the reed out of the hero’s
hand, and despatched a youth to deposit it carefully in the temple of
the war god. The king then ordered the young chief to stand upon the
bale of cloth; and while he obeyed, a number of women came into the
square, bringing small dishes of turmeric mixed with oil, which they
placed before the youth, and retired with a song. The masi was now
removed by the chief himself, an attendant substituting one much larger
in its stead. The king’s Mata (aide-de-camp) next selected several
dishes of the colored oil, and anointed the warrior from the roots of
the hair to his heels.
“At this stage of the proceedings one of the spectators stepped forward
and exchanged clubs with the anointed, and soon another did the same.
Then one left him a gun in place of the club, and many similar changes
were effected, under a belief that the weapons thus passing through his
hands derived some virtue.
“The mats were now removed, and a portion of them sent to the temple,
some of the turmeric being sent after them. The king and old men,
followed by the young man and two men sounding conchs, now proceeded
to the seaside, where the anointed one passed through the ancients to
the water’s edge, returned, while the king and those with him counted
one, two, three, four, five, and each then threw a stone into the sea.
The whole company now went back to the town with blasts of the trumpet
shells, and a peculiar hooting of the men.
“Custom requires that a hut should be built, in which the anointed
man and his companions may pass the next three nights, during which
time the newly named hero must not lie down, but sleep as he sits; he
must not change his masi, or remove the turmeric, or enter a house in
which there is a woman, until that period has elapsed. In the case
now described, the hut had not been built, and the young chief was
permitted to use the temple of the god of war instead.
“During the three days he was on an incessant march, followed by half a
score lads reddened like himself. After three weeks he paid me a visit,
on the first day of his being permitted to enter a house in which there
was a female. He informed me his new name was _Kuila_, or Flag.”
When a name of honor has thus been given to a man, the complimentary
title of _Koroi_, or consecrated, is prefixed to it.
The battles of the Fijians are not, as a rule, remarkable for the
slaughter that takes place. They are, in fact, little but a series of
single combats. When a man falls, his friends try to get him off the
ground to save his life, if possible, or to be able to bury the body if
he should die; while the enemy use their best endeavors to secure the
wounded man in order to bake and eat him. No dishonor is attached to
the fact of a slain man being eaten. On the contrary, it is a proof of
his courage, for none but those who die bravely in battle are eaten in
the feast which follows upon the victory, the bodies of slain cowards
being contemptuously thrown into the bush.
* * * * *
We now come to a more pleasing part of Fijian character, namely, the
various incidents of domestic life.
As soon as the Fijian child comes into the world, it is taken from the
mother, and given to another woman for three days, during which time
she lies at her ease. The first clothing which the child receives is
a thick coating of turmeric oil, and the first food which it knows is
either the juice of sugar-cane or of cocoa-nut. A name is given to
the child as soon as possible after its birth, and these names are
generally significant of some event that has happened either to the
child itself or to some member of its family.
Though the Fijian children spend the great part of their time in the
open air, and are untrammelled by clothing, they are liable to a very
unpleasant disease called the “thoko,” which somewhat resembles the
“yaws” of the negro tribes. The parents are rather glad than sorry to
see their children afflicted with this disease, as they believe that
it forms a necessary adjunct to infantile health, and that a child who
escapes the thoko is sure to be sickly and feeble when it grows up.
The Fijian child receives no training, unless encouragement of every
bad passion may be called by that name. Revenge is impressed upon the
child’s mind from its earliest infancy, and most horrible are the means
which are sometimes employed for this purpose. In riper years the
duty of revenge is kept always before his eyes. Should one man insult
another, the offended individual keeps himself constantly reminded of
the offence by placing some object in his sight, and not removing it
until he has avenged himself.
Sometimes he will effect the same purpose by depriving himself of some
luxury until he has had his revenge. One man, for example, will plait
his hair in a particular manner, another will hang some article of
dress in his house, while another will refuse to dance, or to eat of
some particular kind of food. One chief, for example, hung a roll of
tobacco on the roof of his house, with the intention of refusing to
smoke until he had killed his enemy and could smoke that tobacco over
the dead body. Another refrained from speaking, and would only answer
by whistling.
The knowledge of this custom makes the Fijians a most nervous race.
Should a strange canoe appear off the coast, the inhabitants of the
villages are all in a stir, some escaping to the woods, and others
concealing their food and other valuables in secret storehouses. They
do not like to walk alone in the evening. Mr. Williams mentions that
he has seen a whole company disperse at the lifting of a telescope,
and, more than once, when he was visited by natives and the door
suddenly slammed with the wind, the whole of his visitors rushed
tumultuously out of the windows. On one occasion, a number of men were
dragging a large canoe into the sea, when one of them espied a slight
crack on one side. He whispered his discovery to the man next him, he
to the next, and so on, and in a few minutes every man had run away
from the boat, fearing lest the owner should charge him with having
done the damage.
The amusements of the Fijians are rather more varied than is usually
the case among savages. Some of them are identical with many of our
own children’s games, such as “hide and seek,” “blind man’s buff,” and
a sort of “hop, skip, and jump.” A sort of “pitch and toss,” is also
in vogue, the substitute for pence being the flat, circular fruit of a
species of mimosa.
They have one game which bears some resemblance to that of the
“kangaroo-rat” of Australia, which has been described on page 730. The
players have a reed about four feet in length, at one end of which is
an oval piece of hard and heavy wood some six inches in length. This
instrument is held between the thumb and middle finger, the end of the
forefinger being applied to its extremity. With a peculiar underhand
jerk the player drives it horizontally, so that it glides over the
ground for a considerable distance, the player who sends the missile
farthest being the winner. In order that this favorite game maybe
constantly played, each village has attached to it a long strip of
smooth sward, which is kept sedulously trimmed, so that the missile may
skim along with as little resistance as possible.
Then there is the swing. This is made much like the New Zealand swing,
but is used in a different manner. Instead of being held by the hands
alone, the rope has a loop at the end, into which the swinger inserts
his foot. Sometimes, it has a large knot, on which both feet can be
supported. Drawing the rope to the top of a convenient bank, the
swinger grasps it with his hands, leaps in the air, places his foot
in the loop, and goes sweeping through an enormous arc, the radius of
which often exceeds fifty feet. In some cases the swing is fixed by the
water side, and the more daring of the performers loosen their grasp at
the proper moment, and are hurled through the air into the water.
One favorite game, called Ririki, is played after the following
fashion:--Close to the water’s edge is fixed a stout post, and on this
is laid the trunk of a tall cocoa-nut tree, so that its base rests on
the ground, and the tip projects over the water. The game consists in
running at full speed up this inclined tree, and jumping into the
water one after the other, swimming ashore and repeating the process.
This is a very lively game, the natives shouting and laughing the whole
time, and plunging so rapidly in succession that the water beneath the
end of the inclined tree is white with foam. The people are admirable
swimmers, and, having been accustomed to swim as soon as they could
walk, disport themselves in the water with as much ease as on land.
They are fond of swimming out to sea in parties, and join in various
aquatic games, such as trying to push each other under water, diving,
racing, and so forth.
Some of their sports are rather rough. They have one game which bears
a certain resemblance to snow-balling, except that the missiles are
bitter oranges instead of snow-balls. In some places they jerk stones
at each other by means of elastic bamboos, and do so with such force
that considerable pain is caused when the missile strikes the bare skin.
Sometimes a sort of mock battle takes place. When food is brought to
the men, the women suddenly rush upon them, try to drive them away, and
to seize the food. Rough as the women may be, the men seldom retaliate,
except by taking their assailants round the waists and throwing them on
the ground. Mr. Williams mentions one instance when a woman actually
shot a man dead with an arrow, turning the mock fight into a sad
reality. Several cases are known where the men have been so severely
handled that they have afterward died of their wounds.
On certain occasions an amusing game is played by the young men. A thin
earthenware vessel is filled with water and suspended from a bough, and
a number of young men with their eyes blindfolded, try to break the
vessel by striking at it with long sticks.
Music and dancing are greatly studied among the Fijians, and any one
who knows a new dance is sure to earn plenty of goods by teaching it.
Their musical instruments are very poor, consisting of drums, pipes,
and trumpets. The first-mentioned instruments are nothing more than
wooden cylinders, through one side of which a groove is cut about an
inch or so in width. The pipes are of two kinds; namely, a sort of
pandean pipe made of several strips of bamboo fastened together, and
the flute. This latter instrument is played by placing the aperture
close to one nostril, and breathing through it while the other is
stopped with the thumb of the left hand. The trumpets are merely
conch-shells blown through a hole in the side.
The dances are very carefully got up, and more resemble military
movements than dances, the similitude being increased by the martial
array of the dancers, who are all dressed as if for war, their faces
painted with scarlet, their bodies powdered with black, and their best
clubs or spears in their hands. They execute intricate manœuvres,
marching in various figures, wheeling, halting, and stamping their
feet in exact time to the rhythm of the song and the beat of the drum.
Sometimes several hundred men are engaged in the dance, while the
musicians are twenty or thirty in number.
The scene at one of these dances is very picturesque, but it wants the
furious energy which gives such fiery animation to the war dance of the
New Zealanders, the movements, though correct in point of time, being
comparatively dull and heavy. In order to enliven it a little more, a
professional buffoon is usually introduced upon the scene, who performs
sundry grotesque movements, and is usually applauded for his exertions.
Music and dancing are always used at the celebration of a marriage,
and, as may be imagined from the punctilious nature of the Fijian,
there is no lack of ceremony on the occasion.
Mostly, girls are betrothed when they are quite infants, no regard
being paid to disparity of age between themselves and their intended
husbands. The form of betrothal is rather curious, and consists in
the mother of the child taking a small liku, or woman’s girdle, and
presenting it to the man, who from that moment takes her daughter under
his protection until she is old enough to be married.
In those cases where a young man takes a liking to a young woman, he
asks her of her father, making at the same time a small present as a
matter of form. Should the application be successful, an interchange
of presents then takes place between the friends of both parties, and
in a few days follows the ceremony called “warming,” which consists in
conveying to the house of the bride some food prepared by the intended
husband. In most parts of Fiji, the bride has a complete holiday for
four days, sitting quietly at home, dressed in her finest apparel, and
painted with turmeric and oil. At the expiration of the four days,
she is taken by a number of married women to the sea, where they all
join in fishing, and afterward cook the fish that they have taken. The
cooking being completed, the bridegroom is sent for, and the betrothed
couple eat together, each giving the other a portion of food.
After this ceremony comes a period during which the bridegroom is
employed in building a house for his intended wife, and the girl
undergoes the painful tattooing which marks her as having taken her
place among women. During this time, she remains within the house so
as to shield her complexion from the sun. The house being completed,
all the friends of both families are gathered together, and a great
feast takes place, at which the givers make it a point of honor to be
as lavish as possible. At the end of this feast, the girl is formally
handed over to her husband, and exchanges her narrow liku for the
broader garment befitting her new condition.
When the daughter of an important chief is married, her father always
gives her a number of female attendants, sometimes as many as twelve
or fifteen accompanying the bride to her home. They are placed under
the charge of an elderly woman who acts as their superintendent, and
are called by a name which signifies a pet servant. There is always a
great scene at the departure of a bride to her home, all her relations
and friends crowding round her, and kissing her until she is nearly
smothered by their caresses.
An interesting description of the presentation of a bride is given by
Mr. Williams, and the artist has reproduced the scene in the engraving
No. 1, on the next page. “She was brought in at the principal entrance
by the king’s aunt and a few matrons, and then, led only by the old
lady, approached the king. She was an interesting girl of fifteen,
glistening with oil, wearing a new liku, and a necklace of curved
ivory points, radiating from her neck, and turning upward. The king
then received from his aunt the girl, with two whale’s teeth, which
she carried in her hand. When she was seated at his feet, his majesty
repeated a list of their gods, and finished by praying that the girl
might live, and bring forth male children.
“To her friends, two men who had come in at the back door, he gave a
musket, begging them not to think hardly of his having taken their
child, as the step was connected with the good of the land, in which
their interests, as well as his own, were involved. The musket, which
was about equivalent to the necklace, the men received with bent heads,
muttering a short prayer, the close of which was exactly the same as
they had offered for years, ‘Death to Natawa.’ Tuikilakila then took
off the girl’s necklace and kissed her. The gayest moment of her life,
as far as dress was concerned, was past; and I felt that the untying
of that polished ornament from her neck was the first downward step to
a dreary future. Perhaps her forebodings were like mine, for she wept,
and the tears which glanced off her bosom and rested in distinct drops
on her oily legs were seen by the king, who said, ‘Do not weep. Are
you going to leave your own land? You are but going a voyage, soon to
return. Do not think it a hardship to go to Mbau. Here you have to work
hard; there you will rest. Here you fare indifferently; there you will
eat the best of food. Only do not weep to spoil yourself.’ As he thus
spoke, he played with her curly locks, complimenting her on her face
and figure. She reminded him of a sister of hers, who had been taken
to Mbau in years past.”
She had certainly reason for her tears, as the condition of Fijian
wives is not a very enviable one. As is the case with most countries
in which polygamy is practised, the wives are apt to be very jealous
of each other, and to quarrel among themselves. Generally, their
squabbles are treated with contemptuous indifference by the husband as
long as they do not annoy him personally; but if he should feel himself
angered, he speedily checks the tumult by belaboring all parties alike
with a very sufficient stick which he keeps for the purpose. One chief
had a cudgel as thick as a broomstick, in which he seemed to take no
little pride, having carved and inlaid it with ivory.
Women are not held in any great estimation, whether they be single or
married. A rather ludicrous example of the value set by Fijians upon
women occurred in the course of traffic between Europeans and natives.
A chief had bargained with the captain of a ship for a musket, the
price of which was to be two pigs. The chief went off with his musket,
but could only find one pig. So he honorably kept his bargain by
sending the one pig and a young woman instead of the other.
In the description of the ceremonies attendant upon a wedding, mention
was made of the custom of building a house for the bride. The form of
Fijian houses varies according to locality. In some places they are
sharp-ridged and gabled, like those which have already been described
when treating of New Guinea. In others they are round, and in others
conical. Some are built on posts, and others simply on the ground. As
is the case throughout all Polynesia, the houses are made of a wooden
framework lashed together, and covered with a thatch of reeds. Many of
these houses are of great size, more than a hundred feet in length and
about forty in width. A house that is meant to endure for any length of
time is made of a wood called by the natives _vesi_, which is exactly
similar to the greenheart of India, and a sort of sandal wood is also
used for the same purpose.
The walls are generally made of reeds arranged in three layers,
the middle layer being horizontal and the outer and inner layers
perpendicular. They are tied or sewed together with sinnet, and it is
the Fijian architect’s pride to weave the sinnet into elegant patterns.
Some men are celebrated for their skill in inserting and executing
these patterns, and go about from place to place as they are wanted.
Even the posts that support the edifice are often covered with reeds,
bound together in the same ingenious manner. The door is always a small
one, probably for the same reason that induces a Kaffir to make so low
an entrance to his hut; namely, fear of enemies.
[Illustration: (1.) A FIJIAN WEDDING. (See page 956.)]
[Illustration: (2.) HOUSE THATCHING. (See page 959.)]
The thatch is sometimes of cocoa-nut or sugar-cane leaves, and
sometimes of grass, while in a few of the best houses both are used.
The leaves are doubled over reeds and sewed together, so as to form
lengths of about five or six feet. Grass thatch is fixed almost exactly
as straw is used in England being laid on the roof in bundles, and held
down by long mangrove branches, and tied firmly with rattan.
House thatching is one of the most animated scenes that can be
imagined. As soon as the roof is finished, notice is given that the
thatchers are wanted, and then straightway assemble a gang of merry
laborers, varying in number according to the size of the house, as many
as three hundred sometimes uniting to thatch a very large house. Some
bring the leaves and grass, others bind and sew them into the proper
form, and others take them to the thatchers. Those who actually apply
the reeds always arrange themselves in pairs on the roof, one outside
and the other inside the building, so that one can take the end of
the lashing as it is pushed through the thatch by his comrade, draw
it tight, and return it to him. The reader may find house thatching
represented in a spirited engraving, on the 957th page.
The noise that arises from a large house during the process of
thatching is almost deafening. Naturally, the Fijian has a great genius
for shouting, and on such occasions he fairly outdoes himself. Some
call for more grass, leaves, mangrove rods and rattans; others from
below shout in reply to them. Those who bring the materials must needs
shout as they clamber to the roof, and every one throws in a few yells
occasionally by way of encouragement to his companions.
The most characteristic part of a Fijian house is the ridge pole
which runs along the top of the roof. It projects at either end for a
considerable distance, and in first-class buildings is worked into a
trumpet-like shape at the extremities. These projecting ends are mostly
blackened, and decorated with large white cowrie shells. A sort of
cable made of grass and bound with vine-stalks is generally laid on the
ridge pole, and in many cases is finished off with a row of tassels,
and nearly covered with patterns worked in sinnet.
Some, though not all, the houses have openings by way of windows, which
can be closed by means of mats fastened over them like curtains. Within
the house, and nearly in the centre, is the fireplace, which is sunk
in the ground to a foot or so in depth, and surrounded by a sort of
fender made of hard wood. In very large houses, the fireplace is ten
or twelve feet square, and is covered by a wooden framework of several
tiers, on which cooking pots and similar utensils can be kept. There is
no chimney, nor even a hole in the roof, so that all the smoke from the
fireplace ascends to the roof, and finds its way out through the thatch
as it best can. In nearly every case the doorway is furnished with a
projecting roof.
In connection with roof thatching, a characteristic joke is recorded of
the Mbau people. The short missile club is called _ula_, and the act of
hurling it is called _ulaula_. The latter word, however, also signifies
house thatching. By way of a practical joke, the people of Mbau sent to
those of Tailevu, asking them to come and _ulaula_. The latter, taking
the word in its ordinary sense, accepted the invitation, and came,
expecting the usual scene of merriment, when to their surprise, they
were saluted by a volley of _ulas_ hurled at them by their entertainers.
The furniture of a Fijian house is simple. At one end is a raised dais,
on which the master of the house sleeps by night and reclines by day.
It is covered with mats, and over it are hung the sheets of thin masi
which are used as mosquito curtains. On this dais are generally one
or two pillows. These implements are not unlike those of the Kaffirs,
being nothing more than cylindrical bars of wood supported on legs at
either end. Some of them are from four to five feet in length. This
form of pillow is used on account of the mop-like headdress of the
natives, which would be pressed out of all shape were it laid on an
ordinary pillow.
On the hearth are several large earthenware cooking pots, oval in
shape, and each set on three stones. As the quantity of food in them
diminishes, they are gradually tilted, so that when they contain but
very little food they lie quite on their sides. Near the hearth lies
the thick concave board on which bread is kneaded, and close to the
board are the smooth round stones by which the operation of kneading is
conducted. The small hand nets used for fishing are kept near the fire,
together with the knives and other implements used in preparing food.
Several earthen water jars are always placed near the fire. They may
be distinguished by their glazed surfaces, and are placed carefully on
a thick bed of grass. A few bamboo vessels containing salt and fresh
water, are generally placed near the larger jars. Round the foot of the
wall are ranged a series of bowls and jars, which contain the arrowroot
and similar articles of food.
CHAPTER XCVII.
FIJI--_Continued_.
RELIGION AND FUNERAL RITES.
THE GODS AND THEIR ABODES -- VISIT OF THE LAND CRAB -- FIJIAN
PRIESTS AND THEIR INSIGNIA -- CONSULTING THE DEITY -- VARIOUS MODES
OF DIVINATION -- THE DIFFICULT PASSAGE TO HEAVEN -- NATIVE TEMPLES,
THEIR STRUCTURE AND USES -- FEASTS GIVEN TO THE GODS -- SACRED
STONES -- MURDER OF THE AGED AND SICK -- A STRANGE MARK OF AFFECTION
-- PROVIDING THE DEAD WITH ATTENDANTS -- BURIAL OF A LIVING KING
-- A TERRIBLE SCENE -- VOYAGE TO THE CEMETERY, AND THE FUNERAL --
SIMILARITY BETWEEN THE CUSTOMS OF FIJI AND INDIA -- MODE OF MOURNING
-- THE SUCCESSIVE RITES AFTER A FUNERAL -- THE CUSTOM OF LOLOKU --
TOMB OF A CHIEF’S WIFE.
The religion, or rather the superstition, of the Fijians is much like
that of other polytheists. The people acknowledge vast numbers of gods
of greater or lesser power; most, if not all, of which are symbolized
under some natural form, such as a hawk, a tree, or the like. Every
Fijian considers himself under the protection of some especial god,
and, as has been stated, will not eat the animal which is his symbol.
An amusing instance of the reverence paid to the symbols of the gods
occurred at Tilioa. A very powerful god, who is worshipped at that
place, resides in a land crab, but, as that crustacean is scarcely ever
seen in the locality, there are but few opportunities of paying the
proper worship. Whenever any one saw a land crab, he immediately ran
to the priest, and forthwith the whole place was in a commotion. The
people assembled to pay their respects to their deity, and a number of
cocoa-nuts were gathered, strung together, and humbly presented to the
crab deity in order to propitiate him, and to induce him to give them
fair weather and a healthy season.
As to the particular doctrines of the Fijian religion, it is scarcely
possible to learn much about them. In the first place, the people know
nothing, and the priests, who know but little, dislike communicating
their knowledge. Even the Christian converts can seldom be induced to
speak on the subject with any degree of truth.
The priests are known by their official insignia, which consists of
an oval frontlet of scarlet feathers, and a long-toothed comb made of
separate pieces of wood ingeniously fastened together. Several of these
combs are in my collection, and are excellent examples of the artistic
capabilities of the makers. No two of them are alike, the delicate
thread which fastens them together being woven in a singular variety of
patterns. The threads are nearly as fine as hairs, and an additional
beauty is given to the pattern by using alternately a deep black and a
glittering yellow thread.
The priests communicate with their deities by throwing themselves into
a sort of ecstatic state, technically called “shaking,” in which the
whole body is convulsed, and the utterances which come from the foaming
lips are held to be the responses of the god. A vivid idea of this mode
of consulting a deity is given by Mr. Williams in the valuable work to
which reference has often been made.
“Nothing like regular worship or habitual reverence is found, and a
principle of fear seems the only motive for religious observances;
and this is fully practised on by the priests, through whom alone the
people have access to the gods, when they wish to present petitions
affecting their social or individual interest. When matters of
importance are involved, the _soro_ or offering consists of large
quantities of food, together with whales’ teeth. In smaller affairs a
tooth, club, mat, or spear, is enough. Young nuts covered with turmeric
powder formed the meanest offering I have known. On one occasion, when
Tuikilakila asked the help of the Somo-somo gods in war, he built the
war god a large new temple, and presented a quantity of cooked food,
with sixty turtles, beside whales’ teeth.
“Part of the offering--the _sigana_--is set apart for the deity, the
rest forming a feast of which all may partake. The portion devoted to
the god is eaten by his priest and by old men, but to youths and women
it is tapu.
“Strangers wishing to consult a god cut a quantity of fire wood for the
temple. Sometimes only a dish of yams or a whale’s tooth is presented.
It is not absolutely necessary for the transaction to take place at a
temple. I have known priests to become inspired in a private house or
in the open air; indeed, in some parts of Fiji, the latter is usually
the case.
“One who intends to consult the oracle dresses and oils himself, and,
accompanied by a few others, goes to the priest, who, we will suppose,
has been previously informed of the intended visit, and is lying near
the sacred corner getting ready his response. When the party arrives,
he rises and sits so that his back is near to the white cloth by which
the god visits him, while the others occupy the opposite side of
the Buré. The principal person presents a whale’s tooth, states the
purpose of his visit, and expresses a hope that the god will regard
him with favor. Sometimes there is placed before the priest a dish of
scented oil with which he anoints himself, and then receives the tooth,
regarding it with deep and serious attention.
“Unbroken silence follows. The priest becomes absorbed in thought,
and all eyes watch him with unblinking steadiness. In a few minutes
he trembles; slight distortions are seen in his face, and twitching
movements in his limbs. These increase to a violent muscular action,
which spreads until the whole frame is strongly convulsed, and the man
shivers as with a strong ague fit. In some islands this is accompanied
with murmurs and sobs, the veins are greatly enlarged, and the
circulation of the blood quickened.
“The priest is now possessed by his god, and all his words and actions
are considered as no longer his own, but those of the deity who has
entered into him. Shrill cries of ‘Koi au! Koi au!’ (‘It is I! It is
I!’) fill the air, and the god is supposed thus to notify his approach.
While giving the answer, the priest’s eyes stand out and roll as if
in a frenzy; his voice is unnatural, his face pale, his lips livid,
his breathing depressed, and his entire appearance like that of a
furious madman. The sweat runs from every pore, and tears start from
his strained eyes; after which the symptoms gradually disappear. The
priest looks round with a vacant stare, and as the god says ‘I depart,’
announces his actual departure by violently flinging himself down on
the mat, or by suddenly striking the ground with a club, when those
at a distance are informed by blasts on the conch, or the firing of a
musket, that the deity has returned into the world of spirits.”
In many cases it is evident that the priests enact deliberate
impositions, but it is also certain that in many others they are
completely under the dominion of frenzy, and that they do not recollect
afterward the words which they uttered while in their delirious state.
“My own mind,” said one of them, “departs from me, and then, when it is
truly gone, my god speaks by me.”
Various modes of divination are employed by the Fijian priests. They
have, for example, divination by the leaf, by the reed, by the nut,
and by water. The leaf is tested by taking it between the front teeth
and biting it. If it be completely severed, the omen is good; if it
hang together, even by a single fibre, the omen is unfavorable. One
priest had a very strange mode of divination by the leaf. He had two
magic leaves, which he placed on the sides of the applicant, and then
left them. If the leaf on the right side stung the skin, the omen was
good; but if any plots or treacheries were hatched, the leaf stung the
man on the left side, and so warned him of the danger. Another mode of
divination by the leaf is to bite it, and judge by the flavor whether
the omen be adverse or the contrary.
The reed test is managed as follows. A number of short reeds are cut,
and laid in a row on the ground, a name being given to each. The priest
then holds his right foot over each, and the response is given by the
trembling of the foot.
The water test is performed by holding the straightened arm slightly
upward, and pouring a few drops of water on the wrist. If the water
should run to the shoulder, the response is favorable; should it fall
off at the elbow, the answer is adverse.
The next test is performed by laying a cocoa-nut on a small surface and
spinning it. When it stops, the response is given by the direction in
which the eye points.
According to Fijian notions, the passage to Buruto or heaven is a very
difficult one, except for great chiefs, and the only plan by which
a man of inferior rank can hope to obtain admission is by telling
the god a lie, and proclaiming himself a chief with so much apparent
truthfulness that he is believed, and allowed to pass. Taking on his
shoulder his war club and a whale’s tooth, the Fijian spirit goes to
the end of the world, where grows a sacred pine, and throws the tooth
at it. Should he miss it, he can go no further; but if he hit it, he
travels on to a spot where he awaits the arrival of the women who were
murdered at his death.
Escorted by them, he proceeds until he is met and opposed by a god
called Ravuyalo, whom he fights with his club. Should he fail, he is
killed and eaten by the god, and there is an end of him. Should he
conquer, he proceeds until he finds a canoe, into which he gets, and is
conveyed to the lofty spot where the chief god, Ndengei, lives. Over
the precipice extends the long steering oar of the god’s canoe. He is
then asked his name and rank, when he replies with a circumstantial
account of his grandeur and magnificence, of the countries over which
he has ruled, of the deeds which he did in war, and of the devastation
which he caused. He is then told to take his seat on the blade of the
oar. Should his story have been believed, he is conveyed to Buruto; but
should Ndengei disbelieve his story, the oar is tilted up, and he is
hurled down the precipice into the water below whence he never emerges.
It has been mentioned that the spirit has to wait for the escort of his
wives. This is in order to prove that he is a married man, bachelors
having no hope of admission into Buruto. Should a wifeless man start on
his journey, he is confronted by a goddess, called the Great Woman, who
has a special hatred of bachelors, and, as soon as she sees one, flies
at him and tries to tear him in pieces. Sometimes she misses him in her
eagerness; but, even in such a case, he has to deal with another god,
who hides himself in the spirit path, and, as the soul of the bachelor
passes by, he springs on the wretched being, and dashes him to atoms
against a stone.
The Burés or temples of the gods abound in Fiji, at least one Buré
being found in every village, and some of the villages having many of
these buildings. They are made of the same material as the houses, but
with much more care. Instead of being merely set on the ground, they
are placed on the top of a mound of earth, sometimes only slightly
elevated, and sometimes twenty feet or more in height.
The natives think no labor too great for the decoration of a Buré, and
it is in those buildings that their marvellous skill in plaiting sinnet
is best shown. Every beam, post, and pillar is entirely covered with
sinnet plaited into the most beautiful patterns, black and red being
the favorite colors; and even the reeds which line the window frames,
and fill up the interstices between the pillars, are hidden in the
plaited sinnet with which they are covered. So lavish are the natives
of their work, that they are not content with covering the pillars and
reeds with sinnet work, but they make large plaited cords of the same
material, and hang them in festoons from the eaves.
It has already been mentioned that the best houses have the ends of the
ridge-poles decorated with cowries, but those of the Buré are adorned
with long strings of cowries that sometimes reach the ground. Ordinary
laths are thought too common to be used in thatching temples, and the
beautifully carved spears of warriors are employed instead of simple
wood. When the Buré is erected on a high mound, entrance is gained to
it by means of a very thick plank cut into notched steps.
Although the Burés are considered as temples, and dedicated to the god,
they are mostly used for secular purposes. Visitors from a distance are
generally quartered in them, and in many instances the principal men of
the village make the Buré their sleeping-place. Councils are held in
the Burés, and entertainments are given in them, of which the offerings
to the god form a large part. Sometimes, as has been mentioned, a chief
who wishes to propitiate some deity offers a great quantity of food in
his temple, and this food is consumed in a general feast. A certain
portion is dedicated to the god, and may only be eaten by the priests
and the old men, but the remainder may be eaten by any one.
None of the food is left to perish, the Fijians having a convenient
belief which combines piety with self-indulgence. The god is supposed
to be a great eater, but only to consume the soul of the provisions,
so that when food is cooked and offered, the god eats the soul and the
people the body. The chief god, Ndengei, used to be both greedy and
dainty in his demands for food. He sometimes ate two hundred hogs and
a hundred turtles at a single feast, and was continually insisting on
human sacrifices. In order to procure these, no respect was paid to
persons, and so infatuated were the people that, to keep up Ndengei’s
supplies of human food, chiefs were known to kill their own wives.
No regular worship is ever offered in the Burés, which, indeed, are
often left to fall into decay until some one desires to consult or
propitiate the god, when the building is repaired and cleaned for the
occasion. As may be expected, during the building of the Buré several
human sacrifices are offered.
If the reader will refer to the drawing of the Buré on the following
page, he will see that in front of it are two oddly-shaped objects.
These are examples of the sacred stones, several of which are to
be found in various parts of Fiji. They are considered as the
dwelling-place of certain gods, and are held to be either male or
female, according to the sex of the deity who inhabits them. Should the
god be of the female sex, the fact is known by a woman’s apron or liku
being tied round the stone. One such god is a very useful one, because
he hates mosquitoes, and keeps them away from the spot in which he
dwells. Food is prepared and offered to those sacred stones, the god
as usual, eating the spirit of the food, and the priest and officers
consuming its outward form.
[Illustration: (1.) A BURÉ, OR TEMPLE. (See page 962.)]
[Illustration: (2.) CANOE HOUSE AT MAKIRA BAY. (See page 970.)]
* * * * *
We now come to the funeral ceremonies of Fiji, taking those of the
chiefs as types of the whole.
Among the Fijians a very singular superstition reigns. When men or
women become infirm with age, they are considered to have lived their
full time on earth, and preparations are made for their burial. So
ingrained is this belief, that if a man finds himself becoming feeble
with age or disease, he requests his sons to strangle him, and with
this request they think themselves bound to comply. Indeed, if they
think that he is too slow in making the request, they suggest to him
that he has lived long enough, and ought to rest in the grave. Such
conduct seems to imply that they are destitute of affection, but in
reality it is their way of showing their love for their parent.
They are really a most affectionate race of people. A young chief
has been seen to sob with overpowering emotion at parting from his
father for a short time, and yet, were his parents to become ill or
infirm, he would think it his duty to apply the fatal rope with his
own hands. To be strangled by one’s children, or to be buried alive by
them, is considered the most honorable mode of death. The reason for
this strange custom seems to be that the Fijians believe the condition
of the spirit in the next world to be exactly the same as that of
the individual when in life. Consequently, affectionate children are
unwilling to allow their parents to pass into the next world in an
infirm state of body, and therefore strangle them out of sheer kindness.
From a similar notion of kindness, they also strangle the favorite
wives and attendants of the dead chief, so as to provide him with the
followers to whom he has been accustomed. They also kill a powerful
warrior, in order that he may go before his chief through the passage
into the spirit land, and drive away the evil spirits who oppose the
progress of a new comer. These victims go by the name of “grass,” and
are laid at the bottom of the grave; the warrior painted and dressed
for battle, with his favorite club by his side, the women arranged in
folds of the finest masi, and the servants with their implements in
their hands; so that the inhabitants of the spirit world may see how
great a chief has come among them.
All their preparations are carried on in a quiet and orderly manner,
the victims never attempting to escape from their fate, but vying with
each other for the honor of accompanying their chief. In some cases,
when a chief has died young, his mother has insisted on sharing his
grave. So deeply do the Fijians feel the necessity for this sacrifice
that the custom has been a greater barrier against Christianity even
than cannibalism or polygamy, and even those natives who have been
converted to Christianity are always uneasy on the subject. On one
occasion a Christian chief was shot, and by the same volley a young
man was killed. The Christian natives were delighted with the latter
catastrophe, inasmuch as it provided an attendant for their slain chief.
The scene which takes place when a great chief is expected to die has
been described by Mr. Williams with great power. The King of Somo-somo,
a magnificent specimen of the savage, was becoming infirm through age,
and toward the middle of August 1845 was unable to do more than walk
about a little:--
“I visited him on the 21st, and was surprised to find him much better
than he had been two days before. On being told, therefore, on the
24th that the king was dead, and that preparations were being made for
his interment, I could scarcely credit the report. The ominous word
_preparing_ urged me to hasten without delay to the scene of action,
but my utmost speed failed to bring me to Nasima--the king’s house--in
time. The moment I entered it was evident that, as far as concerned two
of the women, I was too late to save their lives. The effect of that
scene was overwhelming. Scores of deliberate murderers in the very act
surrounded me: yet there was no confusion, and, except a word from him
who presided, no noise, only an unearthly, horrid stillness. Nature
seemed to lend her aid and to deepen the dread effect; there was not a
breath stirring in the air, and the half-subdued light in that hall of
death showed every object with unusual distinctness.
“All was motionless as sculpture, and a strange feeling came upon me,
as though I was myself becoming a statue. To speak was impossible; I
was unconscious that I breathed; and involuntarily, or rather against
my will, I sunk to the floor, assuming the cowering posture of those
who were actually engaged in murder. My arrival was during a hush, just
at the crisis of death, and to that strange silence must be attributed
my emotions; and I was but too familiar with murders of this kind,
neither was there anything novel in the apparatus employed. Occupying
the centre of that large room were two groups, the business of whom
could not be mistaken.
“All sat on the floor; the middle figure of each group being held in
a sitting posture by several females, and hidden by a large veil. On
either side of each veiled figure was a company of eight or ten strong
men, one company hauling against the other on a white cord which was
passed twice round the neck of the doomed one, who thus in a few
minutes ceased to live. As my self-command was returning to me the
group furthest from me began to move; the men slackened their hold, and
the attendant women removed the large covering, making it into a couch
for the victim.
“As that veil was lifted some of the men beheld the distorted
features of a mother whom they had helped to murder, and smiled with
satisfaction as the corpse was laid out for decoration. Convulsion
strongly on the part of the poor creature near me showed that she still
lived. She was a stout woman, and some of the executioners jocosely
invited those who sat near to have pity and help them. At length a
woman said, ‘she is cold.’ The fatal cord fell, and as the covering was
raised I saw dead the oldest wife and unwearied attendant of the old
king.”
Leaving the house of murder, Mr. Williams went to the hut of the
deceased king, determining to see his successor, and beg him to spare
the lives of the intended victims.
To his horror and astonishment, he found that the king was still alive.
He was lying on his couch, very feeble, but perfectly conscious, every
now and then placing his hand to his side as he was racked by cough.
The young king was full of grief. He embraced his visitor with much
emotion, saying, “See, the father of us two is dead.” It was useless
to dispute the point. The poor old king certainly did move and speak
and eat; but, according to the son’s ideas, the movements were only
mechanical, the spirit having left the body.
So the preparations for his funeral went on. His chief wife and an
assistant employed themselves in covering his body with black powder,
as if dressing him for the war dance, and fastening upon his arms and
legs a number of long strips of white masi, tied in rosettes, with the
ends streaming on the ground. They had already clad him in a new masi
of immense size, the white folds of which were wrapped round his feet.
In place of the usual masi turban, a scarlet handkerchief was bound on
his hair with a circlet of white cowrie-shells, and strings of the same
shells decorated his arms, while round his neck was an ivory necklace,
made of long curved claw-like pieces of whale’s teeth.
The reader may perhaps wonder that the chief wife of the king was
suffered to live. The fact was that the young king would not allow her
to be killed, because no executioner of sufficient rank could be found.
She lamented her hard lot in being forbidden to accompany her husband
to the spirit land, and begged to be strangled, but without success.
Presently the sound of two conch-shell trumpets was heard outside the
house, this being the official intimation that the old king was dead,
and the new king was then formally acknowledged by the chiefs who
were present. He seemed overcome with grief, and, gazing on the body
of his father’s attendant, he exclaimed, “Alas, Moalevu! There lies
a woman truly wearied, not only in the day but in the night also;
the fire consumed the fuel gathered by her hands. If we awoke in the
still night, the sound of our feet reached her ears, and, if spoken to
harshly, she continued to labor only. Moalevu! Alas, Moalevu!”
The bodies of the murdered women were then rolled up in mats, placed on
a bier, and carried out of the door, but the old king was taken through
a breach made in the wall of the house. The bodies were carried down to
the seaside and placed in a canoe, the king being on the deck, attended
by his wife and the Mata, who fanned him and kept off the insects.
When they arrived at Weilangi, the place of sepulture, they found the
grave already dug, and lined with mats. The bodies of the women were
laid side by side in the grave, and on them the dying king. The shell
ornaments were then taken from him, and he was entirely enveloped in
mats, after which the earth was filled in, and thus he was buried
alive. The poor old man was even heard to cough after a quantity of
earth had been heaped on him.
This final scene is represented in an illustration on the 980th
page. In the foreground is seen the open grave, with the bodies of
the murdered women lying in it as “grass.” The still living king is
being borne to the grave by the attendants, while his successor sits
mournfully surveying a scene which he knows will be re-enacted in his
own case, should he live to be old and infirm. Just above the grave are
the rolls of fine mats with which the body of the king is to be covered
before the earth is filled in; and in the background appears the mast
of the canoe which brought the party to the burial-ground.
The reader cannot but notice the resemblance between this Fijian custom
of strangling the wives and the well-known suttee of India. In both
cases the women are the foremost to demand death, and for the same
reason. Just as the Hindoo women arrange their own funeral pile, and
light it with their own hands, the Fijian woman helps to dig her own
grave, lines it with mats and then seats herself in it.
The fact is, that the woman has positively no choice in the matter;
a wife who survives her husband is condemned to a life of neglect,
suffering, and insult, so that the short agony of immediate death is
preferable to such a fate, especially as by yielding to the national
custom she believes that she shall secure a happy and honored life in
the spirit land. Moreover, her relatives are bound by custom to insist
upon her death, as, if they did not follow this custom, they would be
accused of disrespect toward her husband and his family, and would run
the risk of being clubbed in revenge.
In consequence of this horrid custom, the population of Fiji has been
greatly checked, for not only is there the direct sacrifice of life,
but much indirect loss is occasioned. Many of the murdered women
are mothers, whose children die for want of maternal care, so that,
what with the perpetual feuds and continual murders, the custom of
cannibalism, the sacrifice of wives with their husbands, the strangling
of the old or sick, and the death of children by neglect, very few
Fijians die from natural causes. Mr. Williams mentions that in a class
of nine children under his charge, the parents had all been murdered
with the exception of two, and these had been condemned to death, and
only saved through the exertions of the missionaries.
After a king is buried, sundry ceremonies are observed. For twenty days
or so, no one eats until the evening, the people shave their heads
either partially or entirely, and the women cut off their fingers,
which are inserted in split reeds, and stuck along the eaves of the
royal house. Those who are nearly related to the dead king show their
grief by refusing to wear their usual dress, and substituting rude
garments of leaves. They often deny themselves the luxury of a mat to
lie upon, and pass their nights on the grave of their friend. The coast
is rendered tapu for a certain distance, no one being allowed to fish
until the proper time has elapsed, and the cocoa-nut trees are placed
under a similar restriction.
Various strange rites take place on certain days after the funeral.
On the fourth day the friends assemble, and celebrate the melancholy
ceremony called the “jumping of maggots,” in which they symbolize the
progress of corruption. Next evening is one of a directly opposite
character, called the “causing to laugh,” in which the immediate
friends and relatives of the dead are entertained with comic games. On
the tenth day the women have an amusing ceremony of their own. Arming
themselves with whips, switches, or cords, they fall upon every man
whom they meet, without respect to age or rank, the greatest chiefs
only being exempt from this persecution. The men are not allowed to
retaliate, except by flinging mud at their assailants, and those
who have witnessed the scene say that nothing more ludicrous can be
imagined than to see grave, elderly men running in all directions,
pursued by the women with their whips and switches.
The last ceremony is the completion of some special work begun in honor
of the dead. It may be the erection of a house, the making of a huge
ball of sinnet, a great bale of cloth, and, in any case, it bears the
name of the person in whose honor it was undertaken. Building large
canoes is a favorite form of this custom, and, during the whole time
that the work is in progress, the canoe is put to sleep at night by the
beating of drums, and awakened every morning in a similar manner, when
the carpenters come to their work.
A curious ceremony takes place in Fiji when one of the principal chiefs
has died. It is called the loloku of the sail, and is a sort of a
signal of honor. Whenever a canoe approaches the coast for the first
time since the death of the chief, the vessel is obliged to show the
loloku. This is generally a long strip of masi tied to the head of the
mast, and as soon as the canoe touches the land, both the sail and masi
are thrown into the water. Sometimes, when the owner of the canoe is
tolerably rich, he adds to the simple loloku a whale’s tooth, which
is flung from the mast-head into the water, when the people dive and
scramble for it.
Should the chief perish at sea, or be killed in a warlike expedition,
and be eaten by his enemies, the loloku is shown as carefully as if
he had been buried on shore, and his relatives try to compensate him
for his adverse fate, by killing an unusual number of women as his
attendants. Nearly twenty women have thus been sacrificed on the death
of a young chief who was drowned at sea.
The graves of chiefs and their wives are marked by tombs. These are
sometimes nothing but stones at the head and foot of the grave, or
large cairns of stones piled on the deceased. Sometimes they are roofs
from three to six feet in height, decorated, after Fijian custom, with
patterns worked in sinnet.
One tomb, that of a chief’s wife, was a very remarkable one. Her
husband had a large mound of earth thrown up, and faced with stones.
On the top of the mound was a double canoe, forty feet in length, held
firmly in its place by being imbedded in earth. Fine shingle was strewn
on the deck, and mats were spread on the shingle for the reception of
the body. Sand was then heaped over the canoe, and on the sand was
laid the body of a little child of whom the deceased woman had been
very fond. Over all was then built a large roof, made of mahogany, and
adorned with white cowrie-shells.
CHAPTER XCVIII.
THE SOLOMON ISLANDS AND NEW HEBRIDES.
CHARACTER, DRESS, CUSTOMS.
POSITION OF THE SOLOMON ISLANDS -- REASON FOR THE NAME OF THE GROUP
-- CHARACTER OF THE NATIVES -- CANNIBALISM -- DRESS AND ORNAMENTS
-- NEW IRELAND AND NEW BRITAIN -- NOMAD CHARACTER OF THE NATIVES --
CAVE HOUSES -- THE ADMIRALTY ISLANDS -- DISTINGUISHING MARKS OF THE
CHIEFS, AND THEIR DOMINION OVER THE PEOPLE -- THE BOUKA ISLAND -- THE
NEW HEBRIDES -- MODE OF GOVERNMENT, AND DIVERSITY OF LANGUAGE -- THE
INHABITANTS OF VATÉ -- CURIOUS DRESS OF THE WOMEN -- ORNAMENTS OF THE
HOUSES -- TAUNA AND ERRUMANGA -- TRADE IN SANDAL WOOD -- ANEITEUM AND
VANIKORO.
Between New Guinea and the Fiji group lie the Solomon (or Salomon)
Islands. They were discovered, as far as we know, by Alvero de Mendana,
who touched upon them in the year 1567. Being desirous of inducing his
countrymen, who held in those days the chief place among sailors, to
visit and colonize so fertile a land, he concocted a pious fraud, and
called the group by the name of Solomon Islands, as being the Ophir
from which Solomon’s ships brought the vast quantities of gold with
which he adorned the Temple and his own palace.
His scheme failed, inasmuch as, when he again went in search of the
islands, he could not find them, the imperfect astronomical instruments
of that day being far inferior to those of the present time, by means
of which a competent observer can tell within a few yards his exact
place on the earth.
The natives of the Solomon Islands are so fierce and treacherous, that
comparatively little has as yet been learned about them. They have
displayed a great genius for lulling voyagers into a fancied security,
and then murdering and eating them; so that the Spaniards lost nothing
by Mendana’s inability to find the islands again. They contrived
lately to entrap a gentleman who visited their islands in his yacht,
and murdered him while he was on shore, shooting pigeons. They have
committed so many murders on seamen, and even captured so many vessels,
that the greatest precautions are now taken by those who visit their
shores.
Perhaps the reader may wonder that any one should take the trouble of
visiting so inhospitable a place; but the fact is that the hawk’s-bill
turtle, so valued as supplying the tortoise-shell of commerce, is
plentiful on the coasts, and captured by the natives, who reserve the
shell for barter with European ships.
When ships anchor off the coast, the natives put off in canoes; but
only a certain number are allowed to approach, the hammock nettings
being triced up so as to prevent the natives from boarding the vessel.
Only the principal chief is allowed to come on board, and through
him the bargains are made. These are very tedious, as the natives
will insist on haggling separately over each piece of tortoise-shell,
instead of selling the whole “head” at once, as is done at other
places. The usual articles of merchandise are employed in the trade,
such as glass bottles, beads, axes, cloth, knives, and similar objects.
The natives are very dark, and may even be called black, with thick
and crisp hair. That they are cannibals has already been mentioned.
They are such inordinate lovers of human flesh that, according to the
accounts of some travellers, which may however have been exaggerated,
they make it their customary diet. It is evident, however, that this
statement must be somewhat overdrawn, as no people inhabiting a limited
country could make human flesh the chief article of diet without
gradual extermination. That they prefer it to all other food is likely
enough, and in this they only follow the example of the Papuans.
Mendana mentions that the chief of one of the islands sent him a
handsome present of a quarter of a boy, and that he gave great offence
to the natives by burying instead of eating it.
They do certainly use great quantities of this horrible diet, and
one traveller mentions that, in visiting their houses, he has seen
human heads, legs, and arms hung from the rafters, just as joints of
meat are hung in a larder. The houses bear token in other ways of the
cannibalistic habits of the natives, being ornamented with skulls and
similar relics of bygone feasts, together with other ornaments.
The Solomon Islanders are not handsome people, and do not add to
their beauty by their modes of adornment. Their inveterate use of
the betel-nut blackens their teeth, and their faces are disfigured
with streaks and patches of white paint, which has a horribly ghastly
appearance against the black skin. They are fond of wearing numerous
ornaments in their ears, the lobes of which are perforated, and so
distended that they can wear in them circular blocks of wood nine
inches in circumference. Their chief ornament is, however, an armlet
made from a large shell found on the reefs. Shells of sufficient size
for this purpose are extremely rare, and are prized even more than
whales’ teeth among the Fijians and neighboring people. Wars are often
caused by a struggle for the possession of a single armlet; while, in
comparison with so valuable an article, human life is looked upon as
utterly worthless. Very great chiefs and warriors wear several of these
rings on their arms; but they do so with the full knowledge that their
finery is as perilous as it is valuable, and that they are likely to be
murdered merely for the sake of their ornaments.
The Solomon Islanders care little for clothing, their whole dress
being simply a piece of matting tied round the waist; and it is rather
a remarkable fact that they pursue the same art of staining the hair
yellow, white, or red, or discharging all color out of it, that is
practised by the Fijians.
Warlike as well as fierce, they possess a variety of weapons; such as
clubs of different kinds, spears, bows and arrows. In order to guard
themselves against the missile weapons, they carry shields made of
rushes, woven so thickly and tightly together that they are able to
resist the arrows and to render the spears almost harmless.
That they possess canoes may be inferred from the fact that they
inhabit islands of such diminutive size. These canoes are made in a
most ingenious manner, and are constructed in a mode that gives a clue
to the peculiar shape which is so often seen among the islands of
Polynesia. Both at the stem and stern the ends of the canoe are very
much raised. This structure is not only for ornament, though decoration
is freely used in it, but is principally intended for defence. When the
crew attack an enemy, or are attacked, they always take care to present
the bow or stern of the canoe to the foe, and thus are in a great
measure protected by the raised ends.
As is the case with most of these oceanic peoples, the inhabitants of
the Solomon Islands profusely adorn the sides of their canoes with
carvings, feathers, and inlayings. For the last-mentioned purpose
white shells are liberally used, and tortoise-shell is also employed.
Sometimes these portions of the canoe are carved so as to resemble
the human face, the eyes being made of mother-of-pearl, the ears of
tortoise-shell, and the chin furnished with a long beard.
In one of these canoes Captain Bouganville found a great quantity of
weapons and implements, such as spears, bows and arrows, shields, and
fishing nets. The shape of the shields was nearly oval, and the arrows
were tipped with sharp fish bones. Various articles of food were also
found in the boat, such as cocoa-nuts and other fruits, among which was
the somewhat startling object of a human jaw-bone partially cooked.
* * * * *
Among the same group of islands are New Ireland and New Britain, both
of which, by the way, seemed to have been named on the _lucus a non
lucendo_ principle, inasmuch as it is scarcely possible to find any
part of the world less like Ireland or Britain in general than these
little islands.
In their dress and ornaments the inhabitants differ but little from
the Solomon Islanders, except that the chiefs wear circular ornaments
of pearl almost exactly like the dibbi-dibbi of North Australia.
Tortoise-shell is also used for the purpose.
These tribes seem to be continually on the move, the warriors being
ordered by the chiefs from stations much like our own regiments at
home, and being accompanied by their wives and families. In their
various migrations the men are bound to look to the interests of their
families; and if they neglect to do so, the case is brought before a
council of chiefs, who investigate the matter. Should the accusation be
proved, the delinquent is condemned to run the gauntlet, a punishment
which is inflicted in exactly the same mode as has been employed in
Europe.
All the inhabitants of the village, men, women, and children, are drawn
up in a double line, and each is furnished with a bundle of twigs
bound together like the birches of schools. The culprit is placed at
one end of this line, and at a signal from the chief he is obliged to
run through it a certain number of times, receiving a blow from every
one as he passes. Sharp and severe as is this law, it shows no small
amount of political wisdom, and lifts the people in a degree from mere
savage life. Among ordinary savages the man is everything and the women
and children nothing, and that in these remote islands they should be
placed under the protection of the government shows a considerable
advance toward civilization. There is, moreover, an ingenious
retributive justice in the mode of punishment. By deserting his family,
the man throws the burden of their maintenance on the community, and
it is, therefore, thought only fair that the punishment should also be
left to the community.
The architecture of these people is good, and we shall presently see
an example of it. When a new village is to be built a large space is
cleared, in the middle of which is the council house, a large circular
edifice, supported on red pillars, and distinguished by having on the
roof a number of tall poles, each bearing on its point a human skull.
The floor is carpeted with fine mats, colored with turmeric, and
adorned with birds’ feathers woven into it.
The dwelling-houses are made in a very different manner. The native
architect begins by digging a large square hole in the ground some
five feet deep, and over this pit he erects the house, which is rather
low, in consequence of the depth gained in the basement. The thatch is
of weeds, and is covered with a thick coating of clay, which serves
the double purpose of rendering the hut fire-proof and of keeping the
interior cool.
The weapons of the warriors are much the same as those of the other
islands, but slings are also employed, and the spears are generally
tipped with sharp flint. Like most of the Papuans, the victorious party
eat the enemies whom they kill in battle.
Owing to the character of these islanders, little is known of their
religion. That they have some form of worship is evident from the
fact that they make great wooden idols, sometimes ten or more feet
in height, and plant them in different parts of the country. The
illustration No. 2, on the 949th page, represents one of these idols.
To these idols offerings of food are constantly made; and, as such
offerings are never taken away, the odor of decomposing figs, fowls,
and fruit betrays the presence of the idol at a great distance. In one
of the islands, called Ysabel, the natives are said to worship snakes,
toads, and various reptiles.
* * * * *
The most eastward of this group, San Christoval, is about seventy miles
long and twenty wide. In No. 2, on page 963, is given a view taken in
Makira harbor, in order to show the ingenious houses which the natives
build for the protection of their canoes. As may be seen, the house
is capable of accumulating a considerable number of the beautifully
carved vessels, and is elaborately adorned, after the native fashion,
with idols in images, human skulls, tufts of feathers, and similar
ornaments.
* * * * *
The extremest of the group are those which are known by the name of the
Admiralty Islands.
The natives of these islands make use of a sort of obsidian, which
they split into fragments and use as we use steel. For example, they
make razors of it, with which they shave every part of their bodies
excepting the head, on which the hair is allowed to grow, and is tied
up in a knot on the top of the head. The hair is often colored with red
ochre and oil. They use the same material as heads to their spears,
tying the head to the shaft with plaited string coated with gum. The
clothing of the Admiralty Islanders is very simple, the women wearing a
piece of matting tied round the waist, and the men nothing but a large
white shell. They have bracelets and armlets made of plaited fibre, and
a belt of similar material round the waist. Some of them make their
bracelets of large sea-ear shells, grinding out the middle and rounding
the edges; and ornaments of a similar character are hung in the ears,
which are often dragged down to such an extent that the lower tips of
the lobes almost rest on the shoulders. This enormous size is attained
at the cost of much trouble, an elastic hoop being constantly kept in
the aperture so as to keep it gradually distended. A few of the natives
also have the septum of the nose pierced, and hang upon it a string,
to the end of which are fastened teeth. The chiefs are distinguished
by a double row of little shells on the forehead, and seem to exercise
considerable authority over their inferiors.
When Captain D’Entrecasteaux visited the place, his boats approached
the shore, whereon a number of natives were collected, and the captain
made signs of peace. A chief, distinguished by the insignia of rank
on his forehead, ordered one of the natives to swim to the boats with
some cocoa-nuts. “The fear of approaching persons of whose intentions
he was ignorant, made the islander, swimming and defenceless, hesitate
a moment. But the chief, who doubtless was little accustomed to have
his will disobeyed, did not allow him to reflect. Blows from a cudgel,
which he held in his hand, immediately succeeded his order, and
enforced instant obedience....
“By way of comforting the poor fellow, our people gave him some bits of
red stuff, a few nails, and a knife, with which he was greatly pleased.
No sooner had he returned to the island, than curiosity collected all
the rest around him, every one wishing to see our presents. Canoes were
immediately launched, many natives took to the water and swam, and in
a short time there was a great concourse round our boats. We were
surprised to see that neither the force of the surf nor of the breakers
discouraged them from the attempt.
“There was another chief distinguished by the same ornaments as he who
has been already mentioned, and also by the blows which he inflicted
with his cudgel upon those to whom he gave his orders.”
The canoes of these people are furnished with a double outrigger, only
one touching the water, and the other projecting at an equal distance
on the opposite side. They are connected by a platform, on which the
commander stands when the sail is lowered and laid on the second
outrigger. When the sail is hoisted, he stands on the place where
it had been laid. Each outrigger projects about eight feet from the
gunwale. The paddles are about six feet in length, and are furnished
with a broad blade, which is made separately from the handle, and
firmly lashed to it with cord.
The sail is made of matting, and about thirteen feet square. The mast
is twenty feet in height, and when the canoe is to be pushed to its
full speed, the sail is hoisted diagonally, with one angle projecting a
yard above the top of the mast. When the natives desire to go slowly,
they only hoist a few feet of the sail, the rest of it lying in the
canoe; and by thus hoisting or lowering the sail they can regulate
their speed much as they like. When the sail is hoisted to its fullest
extent, the canoe can beat the swiftest sailing ships. The ordinary
length of a canoe is about thirty-two feet, and the extreme breadth is
only twenty-six inches.
The Admiralty Islanders chew the pepper leaf, with the addition of
lime, which they keep in a little calabash, but do not seem to add the
cocoa-nut. Only the chiefs appear to practise this habit, probably on
account of the difficulty of obtaining the proper materials.
* * * * *
One of these islands, named BOUKA, was visited by Captain
D’Entrecasteaux in 1792. The natives are black, tall, powerful, and
quite naked. The face is rather broad and flat, the nose projects but
little, the mouth is large, and the lips peculiarly thin. They pluck
all the hair off the body, and only allow that of the head to grow,
sometimes powdering it with red chalk. Red and white paint are freely
used on their bodies, and their ears are pierced and loaded with large
shells, which drag them nearly to the shoulders. Round the waist they
wear a cord which passes round the body several times, and some of them
have a custom of binding the upper arm in a similar manner, placing
some flat pieces of wood between the arm and the ligature.
These people are good canoe men, and, when they man their large war
canoes, exhibit a discipline which is hardly to be expected among
savages. Between every two paddlers on each side stands a warrior armed
with bow and arrows, while intermediate parties of warriors stand with
their faces toward the stern, so as to observe the enemy and fight
during a retreat. Two of the crew are told off to bale out the water,
which beats continually over the side of the canoe when the wind blows
freshly.
The bow is remarkable for having the string coated with a sort of
resinous substance in order to preserve it, the middle of the cord
being skilfully wrapped with bark to guard it against injury from the
nock of the arrow. The arrows are made of two pieces, the head being
shaped from a hard and heavy wood, and the shaft being a reed. The
place where they are joined is strengthened by a ligature of bark. The
butt of the arrow is wrapped in the same manner to prevent it from
being split by the string. They use these weapons with much skill, and,
as was proved by Captain D’Entrecasteaux, are able to kill birds with
them.
The natives were ready to part with their weapons in exchange for red
stuff, biscuits, bottles, and other commodities, but were rather prone
to cheat, agreeing to deliver a bow for a handkerchief, and, when they
had got the handkerchief, pretending that the bargain was not made for
a bow but for an arrow. The natives of Bouka Island, naked and savage
as they are, have some sort of civilization among themselves, as is
evident from the fact that they cultivate the cocoa-nut palm, large
plantations of which useful tree extend to the water-side along a great
portion of the coast.
* * * * *
Following the line of the Solomon Islands in a south-easterly
direction, we come upon another group of islands called the NEW
HEBRIDES, extending for some four hundred miles, and containing a
considerable number of islands of various sizes. They are perhaps best
known from the fact that one of them, called Errumanga, was the place
in which the celebrated missionary, John Williams, met with his death.
These islands attained importance in a secular point of view from the
fact that several of them produce sandal-wood, and therefore attract
to them a great number of trading vessels of different countries, with
whom a considerable commerce has been carried on.
The islands are mostly of a volcanic nature, and present the usual
variations of such localities, some parts being rough, craggy, and
bare, while others are fertile and prolific to a degree that can
scarcely be conceived by those who have never seen tropical vegetation.
As is often the case with islands of no great size and divided from
each other by moderately wide channels, the tribes which inhabit them
differ considerably in their language and manners, and are in a
chronic state of feud with each other. They are just far enough apart
to have but rare and infrequent intercourse with each other, and so
gradually diverge into different customs, and they are not far enough
apart to isolate them, and confer upon them a nationality.
We find this feeling in every one of the innumerable groups of islands
which stud the Pacific, and, as we shall soon see, it prevails even
among those groups which preserve the same language and customs.
In fact, among the Polynesians there is that very feeling of local
jealousy which prevails even in civilized countries, and which is,
though necessarily more limited, far more rancorous than the feelings
of enmity which prevail between mighty nations.
One of the largest of these islands is VATÉ, sometimes called Sandwich
Island. This latter term should not be used, as it tends to cause
confusion between a single island of the New Hebrides and the great
group of the Sandwich Islands, which are inhabited by a totally
different race of men. To strangers Vaté is very unhealthy, but the
causes which produce malaria also produce a wonderful fertility of
vegetation. This island is about seventy miles in circumference, and is
remarkable for the thick growth of forests upon its lower limits, and
of verdure upon the higher portions which are not so well fitted for
trees. The natives seem to give some time and trouble to agriculture.
The inhabitants are black of skin, but tall and well-formed, and their
dress in many points reminds the observer of the costume of several
African tribes. That of the men consists of a broad belt or wrapper of
matting wrought in patterns colored with red, white, and black. The
hair is generally gathered up into a bunch at the top of the head,
stained yellow, and adorned with a plume of feathers.
As to ornaments, they are much like those which have already been
mentioned as belonging to the Solomon Islanders. The lobes of the ears
are always much distended, from the habit of wearing in them heavy
ornaments cut from white shells, or similar materials. The septum of
the nose is mostly pierced, and the aperture filled with a white stone.
Raised scars are made in the arms and chest, and arranged in definite
patterns. Armlets made of shells are used by these islanders. Their
figure and costume are well represented in the engraving No. 1, on the
973d page.
The women are equally well made with the men, and the general fashion
of the dress is much the same. They wear, however, a curious addition
to the dress, which is very much like that of the Ovambo women of
Africa. Passing round the waist is a belt some seven inches wide, made
of plaited fibre woven into neat patterns. From this belt depends
in front a square apron of no great size, and behind is attached
a broad strip of the same plaited matting as that which faces the
belt. It descends half-way down the leg, and is finished off with a
fan-like fringe of plaited grass, some eighteen inches long, and of
proportionate width. The women, as well as the men, practise the custom
of making raised scars on their bodies. They differ from the men in the
mode of dressing the hair, keeping it cut closely to the head instead
of allowing it to grow to its full length and tying it up in a bunch.
The weapons of these islanders are remarkable for the beauty of their
finish, the barbs of the arrows being neatly carved, and the junction
of the head and shaft being neatly ornamented with plaited grass and
feathers. Indeed, the arrows have a curious resemblance to those made
by some of the tribes of tropical America.
Like the Solomon Islanders, the inhabitants of the New Hebrides have
large council chambers in their villages. Instead, however, of being
circular, they are generally made of considerable length, sometimes
measuring as much as a hundred feet from one end to the other. They are
entirely open on one side. For some reason which seems rather obscure,
they are adorned with bones of various animals, the particular species
from which they are taken not seeming to be of any consequence. For
example, in one of these houses may be seen bunches of bones taken
indiscriminately from pigs, fowls, and fishes, while the shells of
lobsters and other crustacea are mixed with them. It is believed that
human bones are not used for this purpose.
* * * * *
A curious contrast to these tribes is presented by the inhabitants
of another island called TANNA, who are certainly inferior to those
of Vaté in stature and general appearance, and are thought to be so
in point of intellect. They have a bad reputation, being said to be
treacherous and cruel. That they are also reputed to be cannibals is
no matter of wonder, inasmuch as they belong to the Papuan race. They
are said to rival the Fans of Africa in one respect, and to dig up the
bodies of the buried dead, in order to eat them.
The island is volcanic, and the subterranean fires seem to aid the
already exuberant vegetation of the tropics, which in Tanna attains a
development that is almost incredible.
The inhabitants of Tanna are as black as those of Vaté, but seem to
have no other points of resemblance. The men appear to think that
they are not black enough by nature, for they have a way of daubing
their sable countenances with black lead, and painting upon the black
groundwork sundry patterns in red ochre. The hair is frizzed out after
the ordinary Papuan type which is dyed a reddish dun color by means of
lime.
[Illustration: (1.) MAN AND WOMAN OF NEW HEBRIDES. (See page 972.)]
[Illustration: (2.) WOMAN AND CHILD OF VANIKORO. (See page 975.)]
[Illustration: (3.) DAUGHTER OF TONGAN CHIEF. (See page 977.)]
* * * * *
We come now to Errumanga. It has kept up its traditional ferocity.
Not content with killing the first missionary who set his foot on
their shores, the people many years afterward murdered another
missionary and his wife. This second murder was owing to the priests,
who persuaded the people that an epidemic which had done much damage
among the natives was caused by the missionaries from a strange land.
The ignorant people readily believed this statement, and, wild with
the uncontrolled fury of the savage, they murdered both the accused
persons. The deed was scarcely done before the people repented of it,
and only the day after the murder, when the bodies were buried, the
natives stood round the grave overwhelmed with grief, the most sincere
mourner being the chief of the district.
The murder of these people, unfortunate as it may seem, really paved
the way for others to follow in their footsteps; and, as is generally
the case with persecution, the cause only gained additional strength by
the attempts made to repress it by main force.
At one time the inhabitants were held in such dread that the natives
were not allowed to come on board the ships, nor were the men permitted
to land. A small trade was carried on in sandal-wood, which the
natives carried to the boats by swimming through the surf, and being
necessarily unarmed, could be allowed to make their bargains without
suspicion of treachery. Although, therefore, the savage nature of the
inhabitants has occasionally broken out and showed itself in bloodshed,
the very fact that Europeans have been allowed to reside for any time
on the island shows a great improvement in the character of the natives.
* * * * *
The northernmost island of the group is ANEITEUM, one of the islands
which produce sandal-wood in great plenty. The natural ferocity
and suspicion of the natives has been overcome by the judicious
establishment and introduction of a factory, to which the sandal-wood
is taken by the natives, and from which it is sold to the ships,
which find here a store of this valuable wood always ready for them.
The chief market for the wood is found in China, where it is cut
into various articles of luxury with the customary patience which
characterizes the artists of that country. The success of this factory
shows that the best way of dealing with savages is to treat them
precisely as children are treated, and to employ in all dealings with
them an equal mixture of kindness and firmness, making allowances for
the different constitution of their minds and the influence of savage
habits upon their conduct; but at the same time to be firm almost to
severity, and never to permit an encroachment. The safest maxim in
dealing with savages is never to deceive and never to trust.
* * * * *
The inhabitants of MALICOLO differ considerably from those of the
islands which have been mentioned. While the natives of Vaté are
tall and finely made, those of Errumanga scarcely inferior to them,
and those of Tanna stout and powerful, though comparatively short
of stature, the inhabitants of Malicolo are small, ill-proportioned
people, ugly of face, and disfiguring themselves by wearing a belt
round the waist, drawn so tight that it gives them an hour-glass or
waspish aspect.
* * * * *
The reader may perhaps be aware that, in the year 1788, the vessels
_Boussole_ and _Astrolabe_, commanded by the celebrated voyager La
Pérouse, disappeared, and nothing more was heard of them. He was last
seen at Botany Bay, where he had arrived from Tonga.
In 1791 an expedition, consisting of two vessels, the _Recherche_
and the _Espérance_, was fitted out under the command of Captain
D’Entrecasteaux, and sent out in search of the missing vessels. The
expedition failed in its immediate object, though in the course of the
explorations some valuable discoveries were made.
In 1792 D’Entrecasteaux’s vessels got among the New Hebrides, and found
themselves in the midst of coral reefs and shoals of which they knew
nothing, and which caused no small alarm. In consequence of the danger
of these reefs, the captain did not touch at all the islands which
were seen, but contented himself with naming them, and marking their
places on a chart. As it turned out, one of these islands, VANIKORO,
or Recherche Island, as D’Entrecasteaux named it, was the place on
which La Pérouse was wrecked, so that the expedition actually passed
within sight of the very spot which was the object of their voyage.
Indeed, D’Entrecasteaux practically completed the voyage which La
Pérouse began, and his narrative furnishes a necessary supplement to
that of the voyager in search of whom he sailed. It was not until some
forty years afterward that the relics were discovered which proved
beyond a doubt that Vanikoro was the place in which La Pérouse and his
companions perished. Vanikoro is sometimes called Pitt’s Island. An
illustration is given on the 973d page, which represents a woman of
Vanikoro, and her child, and is a type of the expression and features
of these islanders.
CHAPTER XCIX.
TONGA.
GOVERNMENT AND GRADATIONS OF RANK.
FRIENDLY RELATIONS BETWEEN TONGA AND FIJI -- THE ARMY OF OCCUPATION
-- GENERAL APPEARANCE OF THE TONGANS -- THEIR DRESS -- THE GNATOO,
AND MODE OF WEARING IT -- MAKING THE GNATOO -- BEATING, JOINING, AND
PRINTING THE PIECES -- THE DISTINCTION BETWEEN GNATOO AND TAPPA --
ORNAMENTS WORN BY THE TONGANS -- WHALE’S TEETH, AND THE VALUE SET
ON THEM -- FINOW AND THE TEETH -- DISTINCTIONS OF RANK -- SECULAR
AND RELIGIOUS RANK -- THE TOOI-TONGA, HIS ORIGIN AND PRIVILEGES --
THE VEACHI -- THE HOW, OR KING, OFTEN INFERIOR IN RANK TO MANY OF
HIS CHIEFS -- THE EGI, OR NOBLES -- THE MATABOOLES, THEIR RANK AND
DUTIES -- THE MOOAS, OR GENTRY; AND THE TOOAS, OR COMMON PEOPLE
-- MATRIMONIAL ARRANGEMENTS BETWEEN PEOPLE OF DIFFERENT RANKS --
TREATMENT OF WOMEN.
Our readers may remember that, in the account of the Fiji Islands, it
was mentioned that there was one nation which was held by the Fijians
as free from their usual custom of killing and eating all visitors to
their coast. These people are the inhabitants of the Tongan group,
popularly known as the Friendly Islands. Owing to their courage in war
and superior intellect, they have performed toward the Fijians the same
part that has so often been played by more civilized people. On one or
two occasions they found the Fijian chiefs hard pressed by rebellion,
took the part of their hosts, crushed the rebel forces, and restored
the chiefs to power.
A remarkable instance of this timely aid occurred as late as 1855.
Thakombau, of whom we have already heard, was in danger of losing his
life and throne together through a rebellion led by a chief named
Mara. Fortunately, he had previously given a magnificent canoe to the
Tongan king, who sailed over, according to custom, accompanied with
a large fleet, in order to receive the royal present with due honor.
He instantly led his forces against the rebels, stormed a fort called
Kamba which was held by them, took it, and utterly dispersed the enemy,
Mara himself only escaping by running over the sharp shells of the
reef, thereby nearly cutting his feet to pieces, and swimming to a
neighboring town on the coast.
After this exploit, the Tongan chief followed up his blow by sailing
to the island of Taviuni, where another rebellion was raging in
consequence of the murder of the chief by his sons. He put an end to
this rebellion also, inquired which of the murdered chief’s other sons
had the best claim to his father’s rank, and installed him formally.
The vanquished rebels, finding that the Tongan leader was too strong
for them, tried to entrap him in an ambuscade, but only succeeded in
murdering one of his chiefs. The Tongans immediately landed on the
island, and avenged the death of their friends in a most terrible
manner. A large party of Tongan warriors was afterward left under the
command of a chief named Maafu, a relation of the king, and by means of
this force the rebels were effectually suppressed.
As might be expected, the Tongans took advantage of their situation,
and enacted over again the fable of the deer, the horse, and the man.
Some four hundred of them generally remain in Fiji, and domineer over
the natives much like armies of occupation in other countries. A Tongan
warrior has not the least scruple in going to a strange village,
entering the house that pleases him best, and installing himself in the
best place with the simple words: “This part of the house is mine.” He
takes the best of the food, and, if he builds a canoe, merely acts as
foreman, making the Fijians do all the hard work. There is nothing
that the Tongans do, however, which so much incenses the natives as
their careless habit of shaking the bread-fruit trees in order to
procure the fruit, which ought always to be gathered by hand.
It is said, and perhaps with reason, that the Tongans contemplate the
complete conquest of the Fijian group; and from their experience,
courage, and discipline, and the fear which they have contrived to
instil into the Fijians, there is little doubt that the attempt, if it
were to be made, would be a successful one. The Fijian warrior fights
on his own account, each man separately, while the Tongans act in
unison; so that the Fijians who have fought against them compare them
to the gods, against whom it is useless to struggle.
As may be gathered from these particulars, the Tongans are a superior
race to the Fijian. They are, indeed, a different people altogether;
the Fijians belonging to the Papuan race, whereas the Tongans belong
to the Polynesian race, which does not possess the very crisp hair and
rough skin of the Papuans; and, as a rule, is much lighter in skin,
the complexions being often as white as that of many Europeans. They
are, on the whole a singularly handsome set of people, the beauty not
being limited to the men, as is the case with so many savage tribes,
but possessed equally, if not to a superior extent, by the women. The
portrait of a daughter of a Tongan chief, on the 973d page, will verify
this statement.
The dress of both sexes is made of similar materials, but is
differently arranged. The fabric is called in the Tongan language
“gnatoo,” and is almost identical with the Fijian masi. It is made from
the bark of the same tree, and is beaten out in very similar fashion,
except perhaps that the Tongan women are more particular than those of
Fiji in the care and delicacy with which they beat out the bark with
their grooved mallets. The gnatoo varies somewhat in quality according
to the island in which it is made, that of Vavau being considered as
the finest.
In putting on the gnatoo, there is nearly as much diversity as in the
arrangement of a Scotch plaid, and the mode in which it is arranged
serves to denote difference of rank. The most fashionable mode, which
is practised by the chiefs, is to wrap a portion of it round the loins
in such a manner that the folds allow fair play to the limbs, and then
to pass the remainder round the waist like a broad belt, and tuck the
ends under the belt in front of the body. The portion which forms the
belt is so arranged that it can be loosened at any moment and thrown
over the head and shoulder. This is always done when the wearer is
obliged to be abroad in the night time.
The gnatoo of the men measures about eight feet in length, by six in
width. Under the gnatoo is a belt made of the same material. Women have
a larger piece of gnatoo than the men, and arrange it in folds which
are as graceful as those of antique art, and seem as likely to fall off
the person. This, however, is never the case, and, even if the gnatoo
were by any accident to slip, the women wear under it a small mat or
petticoat about a foot in depth.
As this gnatoo plays so important a part in the clothing of the
Polynesians, its manufacture will now be described, the account being
taken from Mariner’s valuable history of the Tongans:--“A circular
incision being made round the tree near the root with a shell, deep
enough to penetrate the bark, the tree is broken off at that point,
which its slenderness readily admits of. When a number of them are thus
laid on the ground, they are left in the sun a couple of days to become
partially dry, so that the inner and outer bark may be stripped off
together, without danger of leaving any of the fibres behind.
“The bark is then soaked in water for a day and a night, and scraped
carefully with shells for the purpose of removing the outer bark or
epidermis, which is thrown away. The inner bark is then rolled up
lengthwise, and soaked in water for another day. It now swells, becomes
tougher, and more capable of being beaten out into a fine texture.
“Being thus far prepared, the operation of _too-too_, or beating
commences. This part of the work is performed by means of a mallet a
foot long and two inches thick, in the form of a parallelopipedon, two
opposite sides being grooved horizontally to the depth and breadth of
about a line, with intervals of a quarter of an inch.
“The bark, which is from two to three feet long, and one to three
inches broad, is then laid on a beam of wood about six feet long and
nine inches in breadth and thickness, which is supported about an inch
from the ground by pieces of wood at each end, so as to allow of a
certain degree of vibration. Two or three women generally sit at the
same beam; each places her bark transversely upon the beam immediately
before her, and while she beats with her right hand, with her left she
moves it slowly to and fro, so that every part becomes beaten alike.
The grooved side of the mallet is used first, and the smooth side
afterward.
“They generally beat alternately, and early in the morning, when the
air is calm and still, the beating of gnatoo in all the plantations
has a very pleasing effect. Some sounds being near at hand, and others
almost lost by the distance,--some a little more acute, and others more
grave,--and all with remarkable regularity, produce a remarkable effect
that is very agreeable, and not a little heightened by the singing of
the birds and the cheerful influence of the scene. When one hand is
fatigued, the mallet is dexterously transferred to the other, without
occasioning the smallest sensible delay.
“In the course of about half an hour, it is brought to a sufficient
degree of thinness, being so much spread laterally as to be now
nearly square when unfolded; for it must be observed that they double
it several times during the process, by which means it spreads more
equally and is prevented from breaking. The bark thus prepared is
called _fetagi_, and is mostly put aside till they have a sufficient
quantity to go on at a future time with the second part of the
operation, which is called _cocanga_, or printing with _coca_.
“When this is to be done, a number employ themselves in gathering the
berries of the _toe_, the pulp of which serves for paste (but the
mucilaginous substance of the mahoá root is sometimes substituted for
it); at the same time others are busy scraping off the soft bark of the
cocoa tree and the _toodi-tooi_ tree, either of which, when wrung out
without water yields a reddish-brown juice, to be used as a dye.
“The stamp is made of the dried leaves of the _paoongo_ sewed together
so as to be of a sufficient size, and afterward embroidered, according
to various devices, with the wiry fibre of the cocoa-nut husk. Making
these stamps is another employment of the women, and mostly women of
rank. They are generally about two feet long, and a foot and a half
broad. They are tied on to the convex side of half cylinders of wood,
usually about six or eight feet long, to admit two or three similar
operations to go on at the same time.
“The stamp being thus fixed, with the embroidered side uppermost, a
piece of the prepared bark is laid on it, and smeared over with a
folded piece of gnatoo dipped in one of the reddish-brown liquids
before mentioned, so that the whole surface of the prepared bark
becomes stained, but particularly those parts raised by the design in
the stamp. Another piece of gnatoo is now laid upon it, but not quite
so broad, which adheres by virtue of the mucilaginous quality in the
dye, and this in like manner is smeared over; then a third in the same
way.
“The substance is now three layers in thickness. Others are then added
to increase it in length and breadth by pasting the edges of these over
the first, but not so as there shall be in any place more than three
folds, which is easily managed, as the margin of one layer falls short
of the margin of the one under it.
“During the whole process each layer is stamped separately, so that
the pattern may be said to exist in the very substance of the gnatoo;
and when one portion is thus printed to the size of the stamp, the
material being moved farther on, the next portion, either in length or
breadth, becomes stamped, the pattern beginning close to the spot where
the other ended. Thus they go on printing and enlarging it to about six
feet in breadth, and generally about forty or fifty yards in length. It
is then carefully folded up and baked under ground, which causes the
dye to become rather dark, and more firmly fixed in the fibre; beside
which it deprives it of a peculiar smoky smell which belongs to the
coca.
“When it has been thus exposed to heat for a few hours, it is spread
out on a grass plat, or on the sand of the seashore, and the finishing
operation of _toogi-hea_ commences, _i. e._ staining it in certain
places with the juice of the _hea_, which constitutes a brilliant red
varnish. This is done in straight lines along those places where the
edges of the printed portions join each other, and serves to conceal
the little irregularities there; also in sundry other places, in the
form of round spots, about an inch and a quarter in diameter. After
this the gnatoo is exposed one night to the dew, and the next day,
being dried in the sun, it is packed up in bales to be used when
required. When gnatoo is not printed or stained, it is called _tappa_.”
Various ornaments are worn by both sexes among the Tongans, among
which may be enumerated a kind of creeper, with flowers at intervals
along the stem. This is passed round the neck or the waist, and has a
singularly graceful and becoming appearance. The most valued ornament
is, however, that which is made of the ivory of the whale’s teeth, so
cut as to resemble in miniature the tooth itself. They are of different
sizes, varying from one inch to four inches in length, and strung
together by a cord passing through a hole bored in their thick ends.
These teeth are even more valued in Tonga than in Fiji, and a common
man would not dare to have one in his possession, knowing well that he
would assuredly lose his life on the very first occasion that offered
the slightest opportunity of an accusation. Once Finow, the King of
Tonga, was told of a whale which had been stranded on a little island
inhabited only by a man and his wife. When Finow reached the place he
found that the teeth had been removed, and ordered the man and woman
into custody on the charge of stealing them. Both denied that they
had more than two teeth, which they gave up, whereupon the man was
immediately killed with a club, and the woman threatened with a similar
fate. Under fear of this threat she produced two more teeth which she
had hidden, but, refusing to acknowledge that she knew of any others,
met with the same fate as her husband. Many years afterward the missing
teeth were discovered, the woman having buried them in the ground.
This anecdote shows the value in which whales’ teeth are held, the
king taking the trouble to go in person to claim them, and the woman
allowing herself to be killed rather than part with her treasures.
[Illustration: (1.) INTERIOR OF A TONGAN HOUSE. (See page 981.)]
[Illustration: (2.) BURIAL OF A LIVING KING. (See page 966.)]
A good idea of the appearance of a Tongan woman of rank may be obtained
from the illustration No. 1, on the preceding page, which represents
the interior of a chief’s house, and part of his family.
In the foreground is one of the odd wooden pillows which are so much
in vogue throughout Polynesia; while one of the most conspicuous
objects is a roll of narrow matting, which is used for the purpose of
surrounding men and women of high rank as they sit on the floor. Within
it is seated the chief’s wife, in the graceful attitude adopted by the
Tongans, exhibiting the simple and really elegant folds of the gnatoo
dress. The reader will observe the apparent looseness with which the
dress is put on, the folds lying so loosely that they seem ready to
slip every moment. They are, however, perfectly tight, and there is not
the least danger of their slipping.
Within doors the children never wear any clothing until they are two
years old; but when they go out, their parents always wrap round them a
piece of gnatoo or tappa. The natives are exceedingly fastidious about
their dress, criticising every fold with minute care, and spending a
considerable time in arranging them. Even when bathing, they always
array themselves in a slight dress made for such occasions, going
aside for the purpose of exchanging the usual gnatoo for an apron of
leaves or matting. So disrespectful is utter nudity reckoned among the
Tongans, that if a man be obliged to undress near the spot where a
chief is buried, the leaf apron is worn while the dress is changed.
* * * * *
We now come to the various divisions of rank in Tonga, and the mode of
government. Ranks may be divided into two distinct orders, namely, the
religious and the civil. We must take them in this order, because among
the Tongans religious takes the precedence of civil rank.
By far the greatest man in point of rank is the TOOI-TONGA. This word
literally signifies Chief of Tonga, and is given because the man who
bears it is the greatest man in Tonga, which is the chief of the whole
group of islands. The word does not represent a name, but a rank, the
family name being Fatagehi, and the rank passes downward by legitimate
descent. So great a man is the Tooi-tonga, that in his presence no man
may stand, but is obliged to sit down in the attitude of respect. Even
the king is not exempt from this law; and if he should happen to meet
the Tooi-tonga, he would have to squat down humbly until the great man
had passed by.
The Tooi-tonga stands alone in many particulars, and, according to
our ideas, he has plenty of dignity, but very little comfort, leading
a life somewhat like that of the spiritual Emperor of Japan. He has
certainly one advantage over his fellows: he does not undergo the
operation of tattooing, because there is no one of sufficiently high
rank to draw the blood of so sacred a personage. He is married after
a manner peculiar to himself, is buried in a peculiar manner, and is
mourned in a peculiar manner. He is so sacred, that in speaking of him
another language is used, many phrases being reserved expressly for
the Tooi-tonga. These are probably relics of an ancient and nearly
lost language, as is the case with the incantations of the New Zealand
priests.
The reason for this extraordinary veneration is, that the Tooi-tonga is
supposed to be a direct descendant of a chief god who was accustomed to
visit the islands; but whether his female ancestor was a goddess or a
native of earth is an open question with the Tongans. In spite of all
the veneration which is shown to him, the Tooi-tonga has very little
real power, and in this respect is far surpassed by the king, and
equalled by many of the nobles.
There is another chief, the VEACHI, who is also supposed to have a
divine origin, and is therefore held in higher veneration than any of
the chiefs, but is inferior to the Tooi-tonga. It is true that in his
presence the king has to sit on the ground in the attitude of humility,
and that he is considered a being next in rank to the great Tooi-tonga
himself; but the other marks of veneration, such as a separate
language, and different modes of marriage, burial, and mourning, are
not paid to him; and in power he is equalled by many of the chiefs.
Next in rank, but at a very great distance, come the priests. These men
receive their name from their capability of being inspired by certain
gods, and, except when actually inspired, have no special rank, and are
paid no honor except such as may belong to them as private individuals.
Mariner remarks that he never knew a case in which a priest was a
chief. The king occasionally becomes inspired, because there is one
god who cannot speak except by the royal mouth; but the king is not,
in consequence, considered as a priest. Neither are the Tooi-tonga and
Veachi considered as priests, nor is there any connexion between them
and the priesthood.
Should, in an assembly, a priest become inspired, he is immediately
held in the highest veneration as long as the inspiration lasts,
because a god is supposed to be speaking through his lips. If, on such
an occasion, the king should be present, he immediately leaves his
place, and sits humbly among the spectators. Even the great Tooi-tonga
himself acts in the same manner, and, though the descendant of a god,
he retires before the actual presence of a divinity.
So much for the spiritual rank, and we now pass to the temporal rank.
The highest man in a secular point of view is the HOW, or king, who is
the most powerful of all the chiefs, and yet may be in point of rank
inferior to the poorest of his nobles, or EGIS. Rank is measured in
Tonga by relationship to the Tooi-tonga or Veachi, the relatives of the
former being held superior to those of the latter. The consequence is,
that the king may meet a poor man who has scarcely any power, and yet
who is so high in rank above the king that the latter must sit down
till his superior has passed. Should he not do so, or should he by any
accident touch anything that belonged to his superior, the tapu would
assume its sway, and he would not be permitted to feed himself with
his own hands until he had gone to his superior, and saluted him by
touching his feet.
In consequence of these customs, the king avoids associating with
nobles who are his superior in rank, and they in their turn keep out
of his way as far as possible, so as not to humiliate him by making
him sit while they stand. Originally, the king was a descendant of the
Tooi-tonga, and thus was equally high in spiritual and temporal rank.
But when the throne was usurped by other families, the king still
retained the temporal power, though he yielded in spiritual rank to
others.
Next to the king come the EGIS, or nobles. These are all relations of
the Tooi-tonga, the Veachi, or the king, kinship to the king being held
as conferring rank because he holds the reins of power. Rank descends
in Tonga, as in other Polynesian islands, through the female line,
so that all the children of an Egi woman possess the rank of Egi, no
matter who may be the father.
After the nobles come the MATABOOLES, or councillors, who are the
companions and advisers of the chiefs, and take their rank from that
of the chief to whom they are attached. They are always the heads
of families, and are mostly men of mature age and experience, so
that their advice is highly valued. The eldest son of a Mataboole is
carefully trained to take his father’s place when he dies, and is
thoroughly versed in all the rites and ceremonies, the administration
of laws, and the many points of etiquette about which the Tongans are
so fastidious. He also learns all the traditionary records of his
people, and by the time that he is thirty years old or so is perfectly
acquainted with his profession. But until his father dies he has
no rank, and is merely one of the ordinary gentry, who will now be
described.
Last of all those who possess any rank are the gentry, or MOOAS.
All the sons of Matabooles are Mooas, and act as assistants of the
Matabooles, aiding on great ceremonies in managing the dances,
distributing food, and so forth. Like their superiors, they attach
themselves to the service of some chief, and derive their relative
consequence from his rank. As a rule, the Mooas all profess some art,
such as canoe building, ivory carving, and superintending funeral
rites, in which three occupations the Matabooles also take part. They
also preside over the makers of stone coffins, the makers of nets, the
fishermen, and the architects, and all these employments are hereditary.
Just as the children and brothers of Matabooles take the next lowest
rank, that of Mooa, so do those of Mooas take the next lowest rank,
and are considered as TOOAS, or plebeians. In this case, however, the
eldest son of a Mooa assumes the rank of his father after his death,
and is therefore more respected than his brothers, who are regarded
like younger sons among ourselves. The Tooas do all the menial work,
and act as cooks, barbers, tattooers, club-carvers, and so forth. The
two latter occupations, however, as requiring artistic skill, are also
practised by Mooas.
It will be seen from this brief sketch how elaborate, and yet how
intelligible, is this system of the Tongans, even when complicated with
the double grades of spiritual and temporal rank. This respect for
rank is carried even into the privacy of home. If, for example, an Egi
woman marries a Mataboole, or a Mooa, she retains her original rank,
which is shared by all her children, so that both she and her children
are superior to the husband and father. He, on his part, has to play
a double _rôle_. He is master in his own house, and his wife submits
to him as implicitly as if he were of the same rank as herself. Yet
he acknowledges the superior rank both of his wife and children, and,
before he even ventures to feed himself with his own hands, he goes
through the ceremony of touching the feet of his wife or either of his
children, in order to free himself from the tapu.
When the case is reversed, and a man of high rank marries a woman of
an inferior station, she does not rise to the rank of her husband, but
retains her original station, which is inherited by her children, who,
together with herself, have to touch the feet of the husband whenever
they eat. They imagine that if they did not do so a terrible sickness
would consume them. When Mariner lived among the Tongans, he did not
trouble himself about the tapu, much to the horror of the natives, who
expected that the offended gods would wreak their vengeance on him.
Finding that he suffered no harm, they accounted for the phenomenon by
the fact that he was a white man, and therefore had nothing to do with
the gods of the Tongans.
In consequence of the strictness of this system, Finow, who was king
when Mariner lived among the Tongan islands, used to feel annoyed if
even a child of superior rank were brought near him, and used angrily
to order it to be taken away. Such conduct, however, would not be
thought right unless both parties were nearly equal in rank; and if,
for example, the Tooi-tonga’s child had been brought near the king, he
would at once have done homage after the customary fashion.
Some very curious modifications of this custom prevail throughout
Tongan society. For example, any one may choose a foster-mother, even
though his own mother be alive, and he may choose her from any rank.
Generally her rank is inferior to that of her adopted son, but even
this connection between them does not earn for her any particular
respect. She would be much more honored as an attendant of a young
chief than as his foster-mother.
So elaborate and yet simple a system implies a degree of refinement
which we could hardly expect among savages. In consonance with this
refinement is the treatment of women, who are by no means oppressed
and hard-worked slaves, as is the case with most savage nations.
Consequently the women possess a gentle freedom of demeanor and grace
of form which are never found among those people where women are merely
the drudges of the men. So long ago as 1777, Captain Cook noticed that
the women were much more delicately formed than the men, that they were
beautifully proportioned, and that the hands were so small and soft
that they would compare favorably with the finest examples in Europe
and America. Hard and constant labor, such as is usually the lot of
savage women, deteriorates the form greatly, as indeed we can see among
ourselves, by comparing together a high-bred lady and a field laborer.
The two hardly seem to belong to the same race, or scarcely to the same
sex.
The Tongan women certainly do work, but they are not condemned to do it
all, the men taking the hard labor on themselves, and leaving the women
the lighter tasks, such as beating gnatoo, plaiting baskets, making
crockery, and the like. At the great dances, the women are not only
allowed to be present, but assist in them, taking as important a share
as the men, and infusing into the dance a really cultivated grace which
would not exist without them.
The light-colored hue of the skin, which has already been mentioned,
is much more common among the women than the men, for the reason that
the better class of women take more care of themselves than the men;
and, though all classes live for the most part in the open air, the
wives and daughters of powerful and wealthy men are careful not to
expose themselves to the sun more than is absolutely necessary, so
that many of them, instead of being brown, are of a clear olive tint,
the effect of which is singularly beautiful when contrasted with their
dark clustering hair, their gnatoo garments, and the leaves and flowers
with which they adorn themselves, changing them several times daily.
Altogether, a Tongan chief looks, and is, a gentleman, and his wife a
lady.
CHAPTER C.
TONGA--_Continued_.
WAR AND CEREMONIES.
NATURAL MILDNESS OF THE TONGANS -- BOASTING DISCOURAGED -- WAR
APPARENTLY LEARNED FROM THE FIJIANS -- FINOW’S SPEECH TO HIS
SOLDIERS, AND A NEW DISCIPLINE -- FATE OF THE VANQUISHED -- THE
DROWNED CHIEFS -- CEREMONIES -- KAVA-DRINKING -- STRICT CODE OF
ETIQUETTE -- PREPARATION OF THE KAVA -- A GRACEFUL PERFORMANCE --
DISTRIBUTION OF THE KAVA -- POINTS OF CEREMONY -- A TONGAN PLANTATION
-- SETTING THE YAMS -- CEREMONY OF INACHI -- THE POLE BEARERS AND
THEIR BURDEN -- THE YAM PILLARS -- LIFTING THE PIGS -- DISTRIBUTION
OF PROVISIONS, AND CONCLUSION OF THE CEREMONY -- TOW-TOW, AND ITS
OBJECT -- PRESENTATION OF THE OFFERING -- A GRAND SCRAMBLE -- BOXING
AND WRESTLING MATCHES -- GOOD-HUMORED COMBATANTS -- FIGHTS WITH CLUBS
-- THE SAMOAN AND TONGAN RULES.
By nature the Tongans are gentle and kind-hearted, and present a most
curious mixture of mildness and courage. To judge by many traits of
character, they might be stigmatized as effeminate, while by others
they are shown to possess real courage, not merely the dashing and
boastful bravery which is, when analyzed, merely bravado, and which
is only maintained by the hope of gaining applause. The Tongan never
boasts of his own courage, nor applauds that of another. When he has
performed a deed of arms which would set a Fijian boasting for the rest
of his life, he retires quietly into the background and says nothing
about it. His king or chief may acknowledge it if they like, but he
will be silent on the subject, and never refer to it.
For the same reason, he will not openly applaud a deed of arms done by
one of his fellows. He will regard the man with great respect, and show
by his demeanor the honor in which he holds him, but he will not speak
openly on the subject. Mariner relates an instance in which a young
warrior named Hali Api Api, who seems to have been the very model of
a gentleman, performed a notable deed of arms, equally remarkable for
courage and high-minded generosity. During a council, the king called
him out, and publicly thanked him for his conduct. The man blushed
deeply, as if ashamed at this public recognition of his services,
saluted the king, and retired to his place without saying a word.
Neither did he afterward refer either to his exploit or to the public
recognition of it.
One warrior actually declared that he would go up to a loaded cannon
and throw his spear into it. He fulfilled his promise to the letter.
He ran up within ten or twelve yards of the gun, and, as the match was
applied, threw himself on the ground, so that the shot passed over
him. He then sprang up, and, in spite of the enemy’s weapons, hurled
his spear at the cannon, and struck it in the muzzle. Having performed
this feat, he quietly retired, and was never heard to refer to so
distinguished an act of courage, though he was greatly respected for it
by his countrymen.
We need not wonder that such men should establish a moral influence
over the boastful but not warlike Fijians, and that the small colony
established in the Fiji group should virtually be its masters. Two
hundred years ago, the Tongan appears to have been ignorant of weapons
and warfare, and to have borrowed his first knowledge of both from
Fiji. Consequently, the Tongan weapons are practically those of Fiji,
modified somewhat according to the taste of the makers but evidently
derived from the same source. Captain Cook, who visited the islands
in 1777, remarks that the few clubs and spears which he saw among the
Tongans were of Fiji manufacture, or at least made after the Fiji
pattern. Yet by a sort of poetical justice, the Tongan has turned the
Fijian’s weapons against himself, and, by his superior intellect and
adventurous courage, has overcome the ferocious people of whom he was
formerly in dread.
Since the introduction of fire-arms, the superiority of the Tongans has
made itself even more manifest, the Fijians having no idea of fighting
against men who did not run away when fired at, but rushed on in spite
of the weapons opposed to them.
It is possible that the Tongans may have learned this mode of fighting
from Mariner and his companions. When the king Finow was about to make
war upon a neighboring island, he assembled the warriors and made them
an address, telling them that the system of warfare which had been
previously employed was a false one. He told them no longer to advance
or retreat according as they met with success or repulse, but to press
forward at all risks; and, even if a man saw the point of a spear at
his breast, he was not to flinch like a coward, but to press forward,
and at risk of his own life to kill his foe. He also instructed them in
the art of receiving the onset of the enemy with calmness, instead of
indulging in cries and gesticulations, telling them to seat themselves
on the ground as the enemy approached, as if perfectly unconcerned, and
not to stir until ordered, even if they threw spears or shot arrows.
But as soon as they got the word to advance they were to leap to
their feet, and charge without regard to consequences. The reader may
remember that this is exactly the strategy which was employed in Africa
by the great Kaffir chief Tchaka.
It may easily be imagined how such a course of conduct would
disconcert their opponents, and the Fijians in particular, with whom
boasting and challenging took the place of valor. Emboldened by the
apparent weakness of the enemy, they would come on in great glee,
expecting to make an easy conquest, and then, just when they raised
the shout of victory, they found themselves suddenly attacked with a
disciplined fury which they had never been accustomed to meet, and were
consequently dispersed and almost annihilated before they could well
realize their position.
Though tolerably mild toward their captives, the Tongans sometimes
display an unexpected ferocity. On one occasion, some of Finow’s men
surprised and captured four of the enemy, whom they imagined to belong
to a party who had annoyed them greatly by hanging on their track and
cutting off the stragglers.
At first they wished to take the prisoners home and make an example of
them, but the chief of the party suggested that they would have all the
trouble of guarding them, and proposed to decapitate them, and take
their heads home. One of them objected to the proposal on the ground
that they had no knives, but another man, fertile in expedients, picked
up some oyster-shells that were lying about, and suggested that they
would answer the purpose.
It was in vain that the victims protested their innocence, and begged
that at least they might be clubbed before their heads were cut off.
The conquerors coolly took off their dresses to prevent them being
stained with blood, and deliberately sawed off the heads of the
captives with their oyster-shells; beginning at the back of the neck,
and working their way gradually round. The reason for this course of
action seemed to be twofold--first, that they thought they might spoil
the heads by the club; and secondly, that as the heads must be cut off
at all events, clubbing the captives beforehand was taking needless
trouble.
Indeed, the character of the Tongan presents a curious mixture of
mildness and cruelty, the latter being probably as much due to
thoughtlessness as to ferocity. Once when eighteen rebels had been
captured, Finow ordered them to be drowned. This punishment is
inflicted by taking the prisoners out to sea, bound hand and foot,
and towing some worthless canoes. When they are far enough from land,
the culprits are transferred to the canoes, which are then scuttled,
and left to sink. Care is taken that the holes made in the canoes are
small, so that they shall be as long as possible in sinking.
On that occasion twelve of the prisoners begged to be clubbed instead
of drowned, and their request was granted. The young men divided the
prisoners among themselves, being anxious to take a lesson in clubbing
a human being, which would serve them when they came to make use of the
club against an enemy. The twelve were, accordingly, despatched with
the club, but the others, being tried warriors, scorned to ask a favor,
and were drowned. The leading chief among them employed the short time
which was left him in uttering maledictions against Finow and his
chiefs, and even when the water came up to his mouth, he threw back his
head for the purpose of uttering another curse.
* * * * *
We will now pass to a more pleasant subject, namely, the various
ceremonies in which the Tongan delights. Chief among these is the
drinking of kava, which forms an important part of every public
religious rite, and is often practised in private. Kava drinking is
known throughout the greater part of Polynesia; but as the best and
fullest account of it has been obtained from Mariner’s residence in
Tonga, a description of it has been reserved for the present occasion.
It must first be premised that the kava is made from the root of a
tree belonging to the pepper tribe, and known by the name of _Piper
methysticum_, _i. e._ the intoxicating pepper-tree. Disgusting as the
preparation of the kava may be to Europeans, it is held in such high
estimation by the Polynesians that it is never made or drunk without a
complicated ceremony, which is the same whether the party be a large or
a small one.
The people being assembled, the man of highest rank takes his place
under the eaves of the house, sitting with his back to the house
and his face toward the _marly_, or open space in front, and having
a Mataboole on either side of him. Next to these Matabooles, who
undertake the arrangement of the festival, sit the nobles or chiefs of
highest rank, and next to them the lower chiefs, and so forth. They are
not, however, very particular about the precise order in which they
sit, distinctions of rank being marked by the order in which they are
served.
This is the business of the presiding Matabooles, and as the
distinctions of rank are most tenaciously observed, it is evident that
the duties of a Mataboole are of a most difficult nature, and can only
be learned by long and constant practice. If the men sat according to
their rank, nothing would be easier than the task of serving them in
order. But it often happens that a man of high rank happens to come
late, and, as he is too polite to disturb those of lower rank who have
already taken their places, he sits below them, knowing that his rank
will be recognized at the proper time.
It mostly happens, however, that when one of the presiding Matabooles
sees a man occupying a place much below that to which his rank entitles
him, he makes some one surrender his place to him, or even turns out
altogether a man who is seated in a high place, and puts the chief into
it. The people thus gradually extend themselves into a ring, sometimes
single, but often several ranks deep when the party is a large one,
every one of the members being a man of some recognized rank. Behind
those who form the bottom of the ring opposite the presiding chief,
sit the general public, who may be several thousand in number. It is
a remarkable fact, illustrating the rigid code of etiquette which
prevails among the Tongans, that no one can sit in the inner ring if
a superior relative be also in it; and, no matter how high may be his
rank, he must leave his place, and sit in the outer circle, if his
father or any superior relative enters the inner ring.
This ring, which constitutes the essential kava party, is formed mostly
of the sons of chiefs and Matabooles, and it often happens that their
fathers, even if they be chiefs of the highest rank, will sit in the
outer ring, rather than disturb its arrangements. Even the son of the
king often adopts this plan, and assists in preparing the kava like any
of the other young men.
Exactly opposite to the king is placed the kava bowl, and behind it
sits the man who is to prepare the drink. On either side of him sits an
assistant, one of whom carries a fan wherewith to drive away the flies,
and another takes charge of the water, which is kept in cocoa-nut
shells. The rank of the preparer is of no consequence. Sometimes he is
a Mooa or gentleman, and sometimes a mere cook; but, whoever he may be,
he is known to be able to perform his difficult task with sufficient
strength and elegance.
All being ready, one of the presiding Matabooles sends for the kava
root, which is then scraped quite clean and cut up into small pieces.
These are handed to the young men or even to the young women present,
who masticate the root, contriving in some ingenious way to keep it
quite dry during the process. It is then wrapped in a leaf, and passed
to the preparer, who places it in the bowl, carefully lining the
interior with the balls of chewed root, so that the exact quantity can
be seen.
When all the kava has been chewed and deposited, the preparer tilts
the bowl toward the presiding chief, who consults with his Matabooles,
and if he thinks there is not enough, orders the bowl to be covered
over, and sends for more kava, which is treated as before. Should
he be satisfied, the preparer kneads all the kava together, and the
Mataboole then calls for water, which is poured into the bowl until he
orders the man to stop. Next comes the order to put in the _fow_. This
is a bundle of very narrow strips of bark of a tree belonging to the
genus _hibiscus_, and it has been compared to the willow shavings that
are used in England to decorate fire-places in the summer time. The
assistant takes a quantity of this material, and lays it on the water,
spreading it carefully, so that it lies equally on the surface of the
liquid. Now begins the important part of the proceeding which tests the
power of the preparer.
“In the first place, he extends his left hand to the farther side
of the bowl, with his fingers pointing downward and the palm toward
himself; he sinks that hand carefully down the side of the bowl,
carrying with it the edge of the _fow_; at the same time his right hand
is performing a similar operation at the side next to him, the fingers
pointing downward and the palm presenting outward. He does this slowly
from side to side, gradually descending deeper and deeper till his
fingers meet each other at the bottom, so that nearly the whole of the
fibres of the root are by these means enclosed in the _fow_, forming as
it were a roll of above two feet in length lying along the bottom from
side to side, the edges of the _fow_ meeting each other underneath.
[Illustration: THE KAVA PARTY. (See page 989.)]
“He now carefully rolls it over, so that the edges overlapping each
other, or rather intermingling, come uppermost. He next doubles in the
two ends and rolls it carefully over again, endeavoring to reduce it to
a narrower and firmer compass. He now brings it cautiously out of the
fluid, taking firm hold of it by the two ends, one in each hand (the
back of his hands being upward), and raising it breast high with his
arms considerably extended, he brings his right hand toward his breast,
moving it gradually onward; and whilst his left hand is coming round
toward his right shoulder, his right hand partially twisting the _fow_,
lays the end which it holds upon the left elbow, so that the _fow_ lies
thus extended upon that arm, one end being still grasped by the left
hand.
“The right hand being at liberty is brought under the left fore-arm
(which still remains in the same situation), and carried outwardly
toward the left elbow, that it may again seize in that situation the
end of the _fow_. The right hand then describes a bold curve outwardly
from the chest, whilst the left comes across the chest, describing a
curve nearer to him and in the opposite direction, till at length the
left hand is extended from him and the right hand approaches to the
left shoulder, gradually twisting the _fow_ by the turn and flexures
principally of that wrist: this double motion is then retraced, but
in such a way (the left wrist now principally acting) that the _fow_,
instead of being untwisted, is still more twisted, and is at length
again placed on the left arm, while he takes a new and less constrained
hold.
“Thus the hands and arms perform a variety of curves of the most
graceful description: the muscles both of the arms and chest are seen
rising as they are called into action, displaying what would be a fine
and uncommon subject of study for the painter: for no combinations of
animal action can develop the swell and play of the muscles with more
grace and better effect.
“The degree of strength which he exerts when there is a large quantity
is very great, and the dexterity with which he accomplishes the whole
never fails to excite the attention and admiration of all present.
Every tongue is mute, and every eye is upon him, watching each motion
of his arms as they describe the various curvilinear lines essential
to the success of the operation. Sometimes the fibres of the _fow_ are
heard to crack with the increasing tension, yet the mass is seen whole
and entire, becoming more thin as it becomes more twisted, while the
infusion drains from it in a regularly decreasing quantity till at
length it denies a single drop.”
The illustration on the preceding page represents this portion of the
ceremony. On the right hand is seen the presiding chief seated under
the eaves of the house, with a Mataboole on either side of him, and
just beyond him extends a portion of the inner ring. In front of the
chief sits the performer, who is wringing out the kava, and is just
about to change the grasp of his right hand, according to Mariner’s
description. On either side sit his assistants, both of whom are
engaged in fanning away the flies.
Near them lie the cocoa-nut shells from which the water has been
poured. Beyond the inner ring are seen the outer rings and the general
population, who have come to witness the ceremony and get their chance
of a stray cup of kava or some food.
When the _fow_ ceases to give out any more fluid, a second and third
are used in the same manner, so that not a particle of the root remains
in the liquid. Should more _fow_ or water be wanted, an order is given,
and twenty or thirty men rush off for it, going and returning at full
speed, as if running for their lives; and anything else that may be
wanted is fetched in the same manner.
While the operator is going through his task, those who are in the
outer circle and cannot properly see him occupy themselves in making
cups from which the kava can be drunk. These cups are made of the
unexpanded leaves of the banana tree, cut up into squares of about nine
inches across. The cups are made in a most ingenious manner by plaiting
up the two ends and tying them with a fibre drawn from the stem of the
leaf. The Mataboole then orders provisions to be served out, which is
done in an orderly manner. To the general assembly this is the most
interesting part of the ceremony, for they have but little chance of
getting any kava, and it is very likely that they will have a share of
food, as the regular kava drinkers never eat more than a morsel or two
at these entertainments.
The operator having done his part, now comes the test of the
Mataboole’s efficiency. The kava is to be distributed in precisely
the proper order, a slip in this respect being sure to give deep
offence. Should a visitor of rank be present, he gets the first cup,
the presiding Mataboole the second, and the presiding chief the third.
If, however, the kava be given by one of the guests, the donor always
has the first cup, unless there should be a visitor of superior rank to
himself, in which case the donor is ignored altogether, only having the
kava according to his rank. No person is allowed to have two cups from
the same bowl, but after all the inner circle and their relatives are
served, the remainder is given out to the people as far as it will go,
and a second bowl is prepared. It will be seen that, if the preparer be
a man of low rank, he stands a chance of never tasting the liquid which
he has so skilfully prepared.
The second bowl is prepared in precisely the same way as the first,
except that the second presiding Mataboole gives the orders; and, if a
third or fourth bowl be ordered, they take the direction alternately.
When the second bowl is prepared, the cups are filled and handed round
in exactly the same order as before, so that those of high rank get
three or four cups, and those of lower rank only one, or perhaps none
at all.
It is a point of etiquette that no chief ever visits the kava party
of an inferior chief, as in that case the latter would be obliged
to retire from the presidency and sit in the outer ring. When the
Tooi-tonga presides, no one presumes to sit within six feet of him; and
if perchance an inspired priest be present, he takes the presidency,
and the greatest chief, or even the king himself, is obliged to retire
into the outer ring on such occasions. A priest always presides at
religious ceremonies, and the kava party is held in front of the temple
dedicated to the particular god which they are about to consult. But in
some cases a god has no priest, and in those cases he is supposed to
preside in person, though invisibly, the president’s place being left
vacant for him.
The reader will see from the foregoing account that kava is a luxury
practically confined to the higher classes. The great chiefs and
Matabooles drink it every day, either as presidents or members of the
inner ring. Those of lower rank obtain it occasionally; while the Tooas
seldom taste this luxury, except by taking the kava after it has been
wrung by the operator, and preparing it afresh.
As the reader will see, it is impossible to separate the secular and
religious life of the Tongans. They are inextricably woven together,
and therefore must be described together. There are a vast number
of ceremonies in which these two elements are united, one or two of
which will be described, by way of sample of the rest. The first is
the festival of Ináchi, a feast of firstfruits, a ceremony which in
principle is found throughout the whole earth, though the details
necessarily differ. In the present case, the offering is made to the
Tooi-tonga, as being at once the descendant and representative of the
gods.
About the latter end of July the ordinary yams are planted in the
ground; but those which are intended for the feast of Ináchi are of
a different kind, coming to maturity earlier, and are planted about
a month sooner. In an illustration on the next page we may see how
the yams are set in the ground, and may get a good idea of a Tongan
plantation. In the centre of the foreground is the chief to whom the
plantation belongs, accompanied by his little boy. As is usual with
men of rank in Tonga, he bears in his hand a short, many-barbed spear,
which may either be used as a walking staff or as a weapon. The former
is its normal use, but the chiefs sometimes find the advantage of
having with them a serviceable weapon. The point of the spear is
frequently armed with the barbed tail-bone of the sting-ray. When Finow
captured by craft the rebel chief whose death by drowning has already
been described, his chief difficulty was the bone-tipped spear which
the chief always carried with him, and of which he was temporarily
deprived by a stratagem.
One of his laborers is talking to him, having in his hand the hoe
with which he has been making holes in the ground for the reception
of the yams. Behind him are more laborers, employed in cutting the
yams in pieces, and planting them in the holes. Just beyond the yam
plantation is a piece of ground stocked with sugar-canes; and beyond
the sugar-canes is the house of the chief, known by the superiority of
its architecture. The house is built near the sea-shore, and close to
the beach a canoe is seen hauled up on its support.
The greater part of the illustration is occupied with the ingenious
spiked fence within which the storehouses and dwellings for the Tooas,
or peasants, are placed. As may be seen, it has no doors, but at
intervals the fence is only half the usual height and without spikes,
and is crossed by means of stiles, two of which are given in the
illustration, one to show the exterior and the other the interior of
the fence. Close to the further stile is a young tree, surrounded with
a fencing to the height of several feet, in order to guard it, while
growing, from the attacks of pigs and children.
The open shed is one of the peasants’ houses, under which are seated
a number of women, employed in making mats; while some children are
playing and fowls feeding by them. Toward the further end of the
enclosure is shown one of the storehouses.
As soon as the yams are ripe, the king sends a message to the
Tooi-tonga, asking him to fix a day for the ceremony, which is
generally settled to be on the tenth day after the request is made, so
that time may be given for notice to be sent to all the islands. The
day before the ceremony of Ináchi, the yams are dug up and ornamented
with scarlet streamers made of the inner membrane of the pandanus leaf.
These are in long and narrow strips, and are woven spirally over the
yams, first in one direction and then the other, so as to produce a
neat checkered pattern, and having the ends hanging loose.
All through the night is heard the sound of the conch shell, and
until midnight the men and women answered each other in a song, the
men singing, “Rest, doing no work,” and the women responding, “Thou
shalt not work.” About midnight the song ceases; but it is resumed
at daybreak, and continues until about eight A. M., accompanied with
plenty of conch blowing. The prohibition of work is so imperative, that
the people are not even allowed to leave their houses, except for the
purpose of assisting in the ceremony.
[Illustration: (1.) TONGAN PLANTATION. (See page 990.)]
[Illustration: (2.) CEREMONY OF INACHI. (See page 993.)]
At eight A. M. the ceremony of Ináchi really begins, the people
crowding from different parts of the Tooi-tonga’s island toward the
capital town, and canoes approaching in all directions from other
islands. All are in their very best, with new clothes and ribbons;
while the men carry their most beautiful spears and clubs. Each party
carries the yams in baskets, which are taken to the _marly_, or large
central space of the village, and there laid down with great ceremony.
In the marly are ready laid a number of poles, eight or nine feet in
length, and four inches in diameter, and upon them the men sling the
yams, only one yam being hung to the middle of each pole.
Meanwhile the great chiefs and Matabooles have gone to the grave of
the last Tooi-tonga, should it happen to be on the island, or, should
he have been buried on another island, the grave of any of his family
answers the purpose. They sit there in a semicircle before the grave,
their heads bowed and their hands clasped, waiting for the procession,
which presently arrives.
First come two boys blowing conch shells, and advancing with a slow
and solemn step; and behind them come a vast number of men with the
yams. Each pole is carried by two men, one at each end, and, as they
walk, they sink at every step, as if overcome with the weight of their
burden. This is to signify that the yams are of such a size that the
bearers can hardly carry them, and is a sort of symbolized thanksgiving
to the gods for so fine a prospect of harvest. As the men come to the
grave, they lay the poles and yams on it, and seat themselves in order
before the grave, so that they form a line between the chiefs and the
yams.
This part of the ceremony is shown in the lower illustration, on the
991st page. In the foreground are seated the chiefs and Matabooles,
with their clubs and spears, while the procession of pole bearers is
seen winding along from the far distance. Two of them have already
laid their yams and poles before the grave, and have seated themselves
between the grave and the circle of chiefs, while others are just
depositing their burdens on the same sacred spot. Standing by them are
the two boys who headed the procession, still blowing busily at their
conch-shell trumpets. In the distance, and on the left hand of the
illustration, may be seen the people seated in numbers on the ground.
One of the Tooi-tonga’s Matabooles then sits between the pole bearers
and the grave and makes an oration, in which he gives thanks to the
gods for their bounty, and asks for a continuance of it to their
offspring, the Tooi-tonga. He then retires to his former place, the men
take up their poles, and after marching several times round the grave,
they return to the marly and again deposit their loads, this time
untying the yams from the poles, but leaving the colored streamers upon
them.
Here the whole of the people seat themselves in a large circle, at
which the Tooi-tonga presides, even the king himself retiring, and
sitting in the back ranks. Next the remainder of the offerings are
brought forward, consisting of mats, gnatoo, dried fish, and various
kinds of food. These are divided by one of the Tooi-tonga’s Matabooles
into four equal parts. One of these goes to the gods, and is at once
taken away by the servants of the different priests, and the remainder
is shared by the Tooi-tonga and the king, the latter, although of
inferior rank, getting the larger portion, because he has four times
as many dependents to feed. The proceedings are wound up with the
kava drinking, which always accompanies such ceremonies. While the
infusion is being prepared, the presiding Mataboole makes a speech to
the people, explaining the right that has just been concluded, and
advising them to pay due honor to the gods and their representative the
Tooi-tonga.
* * * * *
When this great potentate dies, there is a most extravagant feast,
which often reduces the people to a state of semi-starvation for a
long time, and sometimes threatens an actual famine. In such a case,
the tapu is laid upon hogs, cocoa-nuts, and fowls for seven or eight
months, or even longer, during which time none but the great chiefs are
allowed to touch them. Two or three plantations are always exempted,
so that there may be a supply for the great chiefs and for the various
religious ceremonies. At the expiration of the stated period, if
the crops look well, and the pigs and fowls have increased in due
proportion, the tapu is taken off with very great ceremony.
One of these ceremonies was seen by Mariner at the Hapai Islands, and
a very strange rite it turned out to be. It was held on two marlies,
one belonging to the Tooi-tonga and the other to the king. As if to
compensate for the limited diet of the previous month, food was piled
in abundance. On the Tooi-tonga’s marly were erected four square hollow
pillars, about four feet in diameter, and made of four poles connected
with matting. These were about fifty or sixty feet in height, and each
of them was crowned with a baked hog.
The king’s marly, which was about a quarter of a mile from the other,
was equally well supplied with food, only in this case the yams were
placed in wooden cars or sledges, and nearly four hundred half-baked
hogs were laid on the ground. The king having arrived, and the signal
given for beginning the proceedings, the young chiefs and warriors
tried successively to lift the largest hog, and at last, when all had
failed, it was lifted by two men and taken to the other marly. “In the
meantime the trial was going on with the second hog, which, being also
found too heavy for one man, was carried away by two in like manner,
and so on with the third, fourth, &c., the largest being carried away
first, and the least last.
“The second, third, fourth, &c., afforded more sport than the others,
as being a nearer counterbalance with a man’s strength. Sometimes he
had got it neatly upon his shoulder, when his greasy burden slipped
through his arms, and, in his endeavor to save it, brought him down
after it. It is an honor to attempt these things, and even the king
sometimes puts his hand to it.”
The next part of the proceedings was the carrying twenty of the largest
hogs to the late Tooi-tonga’s grave, and leaving them there, while the
rest, together with the other provisions, were shared among the chiefs,
who in their turn distributed them to their followers, until every man
in the island gets a piece of pork and yam. The four great columns of
yams were given, one to the king, another to the Tooi-tonga, the third
to the Veachi and one or two of the very great chiefs, and the fourth
to the gods. The Tooi-tonga also took the cars of yams as a matter
of tacit though unacknowledged right. Kava drinking, dancing, and
wrestling concluded the ceremony; and as soon as the circle broke up,
the tapu was considered as annulled.
The twenty large hogs which were laid on the grave were left there
for several days; but as soon as they showed signs of putridity, they
were cut up, and divided among all who chose to apply for a share of
the meat. By right they belonged to the chiefs, but as they were able
to procure fresh pork for themselves, they preferred to forego their
right, and divide the tainted meat among the people.
The ceremony of Mo’ee-mo’ee, or taking off the tapu contracted by
touching a chief, has already been mentioned. The tapu is even
contracted by eating in the presence of a superior relation; but
there is a conventional way of getting rid of this tapu by simply
turning the back upon the superior, who is then considered as not
being ceremonially in the presence of the inferior. Should a man think
that he may have contracted the tapu unwittingly, he will not dare
to feed himself until he has gone to some chief, whose foot he takes
and presses it against his stomach. This rite is called the _Fota_,
or pressing. Any chief can take away the tapu contracted by touching
an equal or inferior, but has no power over that of a superior.
Consequently, no one but himself can take away the Tooi-tonga’s
tapu; and this proved so inconvenient that whenever the potentate
went from his house, he left behind him a consecrated bowl as his
representative, and this was held to be equally powerful in removing
the tapu. The Veachi adopted a similar plan. It is a remarkable fact
that kava is exempt from all tapu, so that if even the Tooi-tonga has
touched a piece of kava root, the lowest cook may chew it.
* * * * *
There is a ceremony which in principle somewhat resembles that of
Ináchi, though it is conducted after a very different manner. Just
as the Ináchi is an offering to the gods in general through the
Tooi-tonga, so is this ceremony, which is called the Tow-tow, a special
thanksgiving to Alo-Alo, the god of weather. It is begun in the early
part of November, when the yams are ripe, and is continued for some
three months, at intervals of eight or ten days.
All the islands of Tonga are divided into three distinct portions,
namely, the northern division, or _Hahagi_, the southern division,
or _Hihifo_, and the middle division, or _Mooa_. Each of these
divisions has orders to prepare a certain amount of food, such as yams,
cocoa-nuts, and the like, and to bring them to the marly. The correct
mode of doing so is to bring them on sticks, so that each stick has
upon it seven or eight yams, or a bunch of plantains, or a quantity of
bananas. If sugar-canes form part of the offering, they are tied in
bundles of three or four in each: and all the offerings, no matter what
they may be, are piled up in three great heaps, one being erected by
the people of each district.
This being done, and a few preliminary matches of boxing and wrestling
played, after about three hours a small procession appears, composed
of eight or ten men sent by the priest of Alo-Alo, and accompanied by
a young girl about eight or nine years old, who represents the god’s
wife. She is always the daughter of a chief, and generally of one of
the highest chiefs, and, during the eighty days of the ceremony, she
resides at the temple of Alo-Alo. She has nothing particular to do,
except presiding at one or two feasts and kava parties.
The men are all dressed in mats, and have green leaves tied round
their necks. This is the dress of humility and sorrow, and is employed
in times of mourning for the dead and supplication for mercy. When
they have arrived, they seat themselves in a line, having in front
of them a great drum, which is kept for this special purpose. They
then offer their prayers to Alo-Alo, begging for propitious weather
and good crops, and after these prayers are concluded two of the
piles of provisions are carried off by the chiefs, and the third is
set aside for the gods. Suddenly the great drum is beaten, on which
a general dash is made at the pile of food, every one scrambling for
the provisions, and getting as much as he can. There is not the least
order in the scramble, and the scene is a most exciting one, the yams
being torn from the sticks, and the sticks smashed to pieces, while
the sugar-canes are broken up into fragments. Thus the gods are fed
vicariously.
The women keep prudently out of the way during this struggle, and stand
aside to watch the chief and concluding ceremony. This is nothing more
than a general fight. The inhabitants of the island arrange themselves
in two divisions, one half fighting against the other. All engage in
this battle, the highest chiefs as well as the lowest cooks taking part
in it. There is no respect of persons, the king, or even the Tooi-tonga
himself, being assaulted without compunction, and handled as roughly as
any of the common people.
Severe as is the fighting, it is all conducted with the greatest good
humor, and no one displays a sign of ill-temper at the injury which he
receives. If a man is knocked down, he gets up with a smile; if his
arm is broken, he retires from the battle and has it set, but he never
thinks of complaining. The same system is observed in the boxing and
wrestling matches of which the Tongans are so fond.
In wrestling matches, for example, it is not thought polite for any
one man to challenge another; he ought to give a general challenge, by
striking with the right hand the bent elbow of the opposite arm. If the
challenge be accepted, the antagonists meet very leisurely, and take
care to fasten tightly the gnatoo belt that surrounds the waist. They
grasp the belt with a hand on each side, and endeavor to throw their
antagonist by lifting him from the ground and flinging him on his back.
The vanquished man rises and retires to his place among the spectators
without showing any displeasure. Only in one case did Mariner know a
man display ill-feeling at being beaten, and in that instance the man,
although a chief, was looked upon as an ill-bred fellow.
The victor seats himself on the ground for a few seconds, and then
retires to his place, his friends belonging to his own side singing,
or rather chanting, a song of victory. After a short time he again
rises and offers another challenge, and if it be accepted by several
antagonists, he may select one from them. If they find that they are
equally matched, they leave off by mutual consent; and sometimes, if a
man encounters a chief much superior to him, he will generally yield
out of respect to the other’s rank. This only takes place in single
combat, not in the general fight of the Tow-tow festival.
Boxing is conducted on similar principles of fair play. The challenger
proceeds into the middle of the ring, holding one arm stretched out in
front and the other behind, and advances sideways, changing sides at
every step. When the challenge is accepted, both combatants wrap a
piece of cord round their hands and proceed to blows, which are given
with great force and rapidity. When one is vanquished, he retires
with apparent unconcern to the ring, and sits to watch the combats of
others, knowing that to be vanquished is not considered a disgrace.
When the victor returns to his people, they welcome him, but do not
sing the chant of victory unless he has knocked his antagonist down.
Falling is on these occasions considered as equivalent to being killed
in real battle, and, in consequence, the song of victory is not sung
unless the antagonist has fallen to the ground. If a man be beaten in
wrestling, he may not wrestle a second time in the same day, though he
may box, and _vice versâ_.
In the ceremony of Tow-tow, these scrambling, boxing, and wrestling
matches are carried on every tenth day, and are repeated eight times,
so as to make up the eighty days of the festival. After each battle,
those who have touched a superior chief come to be relieved of the tapu
which they have contracted by touching him. Even the Tooi-tonga, whose
nose has been flattened, his teeth knocked out, and his face pounded to
a jelly by a mere peasant, over whom he has supreme command of life and
death, performs the needful ceremony with perfect good humor.
The illustration No. 1, on the 999th page, represents the concluding
scene of this ceremony. In the foreground are seen the two contending
parties, one of which is beginning to get the victory over the other.
In the centre of the illustration, and on the left, are the fragments
of the food-piles, with a few men still scrambling for them, and in the
distance the women are seated under the trees, watching the progress of
the fight.
Fighting is not confined to the men, but is practised also by the
women, who on this occasion lay aside the ordinary gentleness and
mildness for which they are remarkable. When Captain Cook visited
Tonga, he was much surprised to see the girls step into the ring and
box with as much spirit and determination as had been shown by the men.
They do not, however, carry the combat to such extremes, and if one of
them does not speedily yield, the combatants are parted by the elder
women. Even the merest children box after a similar fashion, the little
girls knocking each other about with hearty good-will as long as they
are allowed to fight.
On one occasion, Finow ordered that all the women who were seated as
spectators should engage in a general fight, after the manner of the
men. They seemed nothing loth, and all the women who lived on the
north of the island fought against those who lived on the south side.
Nearly fifteen hundred women engaged on each side, and fought with the
greatest courage for more than an hour, both parties contending with
such determination that neither could gain a foot of ground; and at
last Finow ordered them to desist, seeing that several ankles had been
sprained and limbs broken.
Besides boxing and wrestling matches, the Tongans have club fights on
great occasions. As with the other matches, the combatants are divided
into two parties, one being seated opposite to the other, with a
considerable space of ground between them.
When all is ready, a man jumps up, runs to the people of the opposite
side, and sits down in front of them, asking if any of them will fight
him. As in the boxing and wrestling matches, to challenge a particular
opponent is bad manners. If the challenge be accepted, the combatants
walk to the middle of the ring, each attended by his second, and then
settle whether they shall fight after the Tongan or Samoan manner.
The former mode does not allow a man to strike an antagonist after he
is knocked down, but only to flourish his club over him in token of
victory. By the latter mode he is allowed to beat the fallen man as
long as he shows signs of life. When the fight is over, the men on
the side of the victor chant their song of triumph, and the conqueror
advances to the king, sits down before him in token of respect, and
then rises and returns to his own party. On one of these occasions, the
young prince fought no less than fourteen battles, and was victorious
in every one of them.
CHAPTER CI.
TONGA--_Concluded_.
SICKNESS--BURIAL--GAMES.
SACRIFICE OF THE FINGER, AND MODE OF OPERATING -- SACRIFICE OF
CHILDREN -- CONSULTING THE GODS -- MODES OF INSPIRATION -- SACRIFICE
OF WIVES -- FINOW’S GOOD SENSE -- SUPPOSED CAUSES OF DEATH --
FINOW’S FUNERAL -- CUTTING THE HEAD -- OPENING AND CLOSING THE VAULT
-- DRESSING THE GRAVE -- APPOINTMENT OF A SUCCESSOR -- CONCLUDING
CEREMONIES -- IDEAS OF RELIGION -- VARIOUS SPORTS AND GAMES -- RAT
SHOOTING AND BIRD CATCHING -- FINOW AND THE DECOY BIRD -- BALL PLAY
-- A DANGEROUS STAKE, AND HONORABLE PAYMENT -- THE LOVER’S CAVE, AND
A NATIVE LEGEND.
As might be expected, various ceremonies take place with regard to
sickness and burial.
If any one is ill, the inferior relations cut off a joint of the little
finger as an offering to the gods. Sometimes a whole joint is taken
off at once, but those who have many superior relations remove only a
portion, so that they may be able to offer the sacrifice several times.
In consequence of this superstition, there is scarcely a person in
Tonga who has not lost a considerable portion of the little finger of
one or both hands.
The mode of amputating the finger is simple enough. It is laid upon a
flat block of wood, and the edge of a knife or axe, or even a sharp
stone, placed on it. A smart blow is given with a mallet, and the
stump, which bleeds but little in consequence of the nature of the
operation, is held over the smoke of fresh grass, so as to check any
after bleeding. No application is made to it, and in a week or two it
heals without trouble. The Tongans do not seem to fear this operation,
and even little children may be seen quarrelling with each other for
the honor of having it performed upon them.
Should the illness take an unfavorable turn, instead of a mere finger,
a child is offered to the gods by being strangled. For example, when
Finow fell ill of the malady from which he died, and was apparently
sinking, his eldest son took a young child of the king’s from its
mother’s lap, strangled it, and offered it to the gods at various
consecrated houses. The people look with the greatest compassion on the
poor little victim, but think that it is right to sacrifice a little
child who at present is useless to the community, and may not live to
be of service, so that they may obtain in exchange the life of a chief
who is needed by his people.
Such a sacrifice is sometimes made on other occasions, when the anger
of some god is to be averted. In Tonga there are several sacred places,
in which to spill blood is a sacrilege, so that they serve the purpose
of cities of refuge. Once a chief named Palavali was pursuing some
men, who ran for refuge to the nearest sacred spot. One of them was
just getting over the fence, when Palavali, in the heat of the moment,
struck him on the head, so that he fell dead within the enclosure. As
soon as he had done the deed he was filled with fear, and reported what
he had done to Finow, who consulted a priest. The priest, becoming
inspired, said that a child must be sacrificed to the gods, and the
chiefs, after holding a consultation, agreed that they should sacrifice
a child of one of their own number by a female attendant. Such children
are always selected, for two reasons; firstly, because the child of a
chief is held to be a worthy sacrifice, and secondly, because, as its
mother is of inferior rank, it could never live to be a chief.
The mother, knowing the custom, took alarm, and hid the child, but it
was at last found by the men who were sent to search for it. The rest
must be told in Mariner’s words. “Its poor mother wanted to follow, but
was held back by those about her. On hearing its mother’s voice it
began to cry, but when it arrived at the fatal place of execution, it
was pleased and delighted with the band of gnatoo that was put round
its neck, and, looking up in the face of the man who was about to
destroy it, displayed in its beautiful countenance a smile of ineffable
pleasure.
“Such a sight inspired pity in the heart of every one; but adoration
and fear of the gods was a sentiment superior to any other, and its
destroyer could not help exclaiming, as he put on the fatal bandage, ‘O
yaooé chi vale!’ (‘Poor little innocent!’) Two men then tightened the
cord by pulling at each end, and the guiltless and unsuspecting victim
was soon relieved of its painful struggles. The body was then placed
upon a sort of hand-barrow, supported upon the shoulders of four men,
and carried in a procession of priests, chiefs, and Matabooles clothed
in mats, with wreaths of green leaves round their necks.
“In this manner it was conveyed to various houses consecrated to
different gods, before each of which it was placed on the ground, all
the company sitting behind it, except one priest, who sat beside it,
and prayed aloud to the god that he would be pleased to accept of this
sacrifice as an atonement for the heinous sacrilege committed, and that
punishment might accordingly be withheld from the people. After this
was done before all the consecrated houses in the fortress, the body
was given up to its relations, to be buried in the usual manner.”
This particular case had a strange termination. Four or five days after
the sacrifice, Palavali went on a foraging excursion at the head of a
body of men who were not tried soldiers, and met with a smaller body of
real warriors. In a very short time Palavali’s men began to run, and
it was in vain that he tried to rally them. At last, in boldly facing
the enemy to set his men an example, he received four spears in his
body, and fell. This sight angered his men so much that they charged
the enemy, drove them back, and rescued their dying chief. They were
proceeding to draw out the spears, but he told them that it would be
useless, as the gods had doomed him for his sacrilege, and he must die.
His prognostication was correct, for he died half an hour after the
battle.
When a priest is consulted on any subject--say, on the sickness of any
one--a carefully regulated ceremony is performed. On the previous night
a hog is killed and prepared, and taken to the place where the priest
lives, together with plantains, yams, and kava root. Next day they all
go to the patient’s house, and there seat themselves in order, the
priest taking his place just within the eaves, if the appointed spot
be a house. Opposite to the priest is the kava bowl, and around him
sit the Matabooles as usual; but on this occasion the chiefs always mix
with the people, or even sit behind them, thinking that such retiring
and humble behavior is pleasing to the gods.
From the moment that all are seated, the god is supposed to take
possession of the priest, who sits silently with his hands clasped in
front of him, his head bowed, and his eyes bent on the ground. The
kava being prepared, the required questions are put to him. Sometimes
he answers them at once, but very often he remains in silence until
all the provisions are eaten and the kava drunk. When he does speak,
it is in a low, constrained voice, generally above its natural pitch,
the words being supposed to be the utterances of the god through him
without his volition. In some cases he is quite calm and quiet while
delivering his answers, but at others his face becomes inflamed, his
eyes seem ready to start from their sockets, tears pour from his eyes,
and his words issue in broken sobs and gasps.
This paroxysm lasts for some time, and then gradually subsides. As it
is passing away, he takes up a club which is placed near him for the
purpose, gazes at it attentively, and then looks round, apparently
without seeing the object at which he looks--“his eyes are open,
but their sense is shut.” Suddenly he raises the club, and dashes
it violently on the ground, at which instant the god is supposed to
leave his votary, who immediately rises and leaves the place of honor,
retiring to the back of the ring among the people. The man of highest
rank present then takes the place of honor, and more kava is served.
When a priest is consulted on behalf of a sick person, the inspiration
retains its hold as long as the patient is in his presence, and in some
cases the inspiration lasts for several days. If one priest cannot find
a cure, the patient is taken to another, and so on, until he either
recovers or dies.
The illustration No. 2, on the next page, represents a consultation
of the priest respecting a sick child. In the foreground are the
provisions and the presents brought to the priest, and in the centre
is the kava bowl. On the right is the priest, seated in a state of
inspiration, with crossed hands and bowed head, listening to the
questions which are being put by the Mataboole. The mother of the
child is seen with the infant in her arms, and around are members of
her family, all wearing coarse mats instead of fine gnatoo, and having
round their necks the leaves which denote humility.
Other persons beside chiefs become inspired, generally by the spirits
of those whom they had known in life. The eldest son of Finow, who
afterward succeeded to the throne, used to be inspired by a great chief
who had been murdered by his father and another chief. Mariner asked
him what were his feelings on such occasions, and he replied that he
felt restless and uncomfortable, and all over in a glow of heat, and
that his mind did not seem to be his own. When asked how he knew the
name of the spirit who then visited him, he answered that he could not
tell--he knew it intuitively, but could give no explanation.
[Illustration: (1.) THE TOW-TOW. (See page 995.)]
[Illustration: (2.) CONSULTING A PRIEST. (See page 998.)]
While Mariner was in the Tonga Islands, a young chief, remarkable for
his beauty, became inspired to such a degree that he fainted, and was
taken to the house of a priest, who told him that the spirit was that
of a young woman who had died two years before, and was now in Bolotoo
the Tonga heaven. She inspired him because she wished for him as a
husband in Bolotoo, and would soon take him there. The young chief
acknowledged the truth of the exposition, saying that for several
nights he had been visited in his sleep by a young woman, and had
suspected that she was the person who inspired him. Two days after he
was taken ill and died. Mariner was present when the priest gave his
explanation of the illness.
Shortly before Mariner was at the Tonga Islands, a still graver form of
human sacrifice was practised than that of a child.
When the Tooi-tonga died, his chief widow was strangled on the day of
the funeral, and buried in the same grave with him, just as is the case
in Fiji, whence in all probability, the Tongans borrowed the practice.
Comparatively short as was Mariner’s stay two Tooi-tongas died; but in
neither case was this terrible rite observed. In the one case there
happened to be no chief wife, all his wives being so equal in rank that
neither of them ruled the household; and, in consequence a selection
of a victim became impossible. In the second case the chief wife was
the daughter of Finow, who said openly, that if the husband were to
die first, his daughter should not be strangled, for that to destroy a
young and beautiful woman because her husband had died was inflicting
a double loss upon the community. As it happened, the Tooi-tonga did
not die until after the elder Finow was dead and had been succeeded by
his son, who not only carried out his father’s wishes on that subject,
but would not allow another Tooi-tonga to succeed; thus abolishing the
source of the only rank that was superior to him.
The Tooi-tonga being abolished, it necessarily follows that the
ceremony of Ináchi was abolished too, and but for the fact of Mariner’s
enforced residence in Tonga, this curious and interesting ceremony
would have passed away without being known to European civilization.
Mariner was present at the wedding of Finow’s daughter to the
Tooi-tonga, and describes it with some minuteness. It much resembled
a Fijian wedding, except in the costume of the bride, who was first
copiously anointed with cocoa-nut oil scented with sandal-wood, and
then arrayed in a vast number of the finest Samoan mats, which were
wrapped round her in such quantities that her arms were stuck out
almost horizontally from her body, and her legs were so much trammelled
that she could not sit down, but had to rest in a bent attitude upon
her attendants.
She was eighteen at the time. Had it not been for the good sense of
Finow, Mariner would have seen within a very short time her wedding,
her murder, and her burial. The technical name for the ceremony of
strangling is Nawgía.
We now come naturally to the subject of funerals, and will take as a
typical example the funeral of the elder Finow.
Almost immediately after the death and burial of his favorite daughter,
a child about seven years of age, Finow fell ill, his malady having
been increased by the exertions which he made during the long ceremony
of the funeral. It was on this occasion that he ordered the women to
box in general combat. On the evening of that day Finow retired to a
small house that had just been built for him, and was seized with a
violent illness, which almost deprived him of the power of speech,
though not of intellect. He evidently knew that his end was at hand,
and continually muttered “My country! my country!” evidently feeling
that calamities might come on his land if he were suddenly taken away.
A child was offered on behalf of him, which had already been selected,
but, by the time that the sacrificing party had come back to the house
where the king lay, he had lost both his speech and his consciousness,
and in a few minutes the great and wise Finow had departed this life.
When his death was ascertained, a curious ceremony was performed. The
body was carried to the Tooi-tonga’s house, and placed on the hole
in which the cooks were accustomed to light their fires. This was a
symbolical expression of humility and submission to the gods, the
cooking place being so degraded a spot that only the lowest Tooas would
condescend to touch it.
Not only the king himself, but all those in his confidence, fully
believed that his death was caused by a god named Toobo Totai, to
whom he had prayed in vain for his daughter’s recovery. In revenge
for the negligence of the god, Finow had made arrangements for
killing his priest, and had been heard to say that if Toobo Totai
did not change his conduct, and exert himself a little more, his
priest should not live long. Finow’s sudden death put a stop to this
project, which was only known to one or two of his immediate friends.
It is not unlikely that the threatened priest may have heard of his
intended assassination, and saved himself by getting a dose of poison
administered to Finow at the funeral banquet.
Finow was right in his prognostications of trouble, for no sooner was
his death known than a number of the principal chiefs of different
islands began to assemble their forces, with the intention of seizing
on the throne. His successor, however, inherited his father’s wisdom,
and took such precautions that the attempt of the conspirators was
quietly foiled.
After the royal corpse was brought back from the Tooi-tonga’s dwelling,
it was laid on bales of gnatoo in the large conical house, which
was nearly filled with women, who kept up a continual lamentation,
led by his daughter, a beautiful girl of fifteen. Even by night the
lamentations went on, the house being lighted up with lamps made of
cocoa-nut shells half filled with cocoa-nut oil, which is only used on
such occasions; and on the following morning the people assembled on
the marly to take part in the obsequies of their late king, whom they
both loved and feared. Indeed, among savage nations, there is no love
toward a chief who is not thoroughly feared.
By this time the faces of the principal mourners were scarcely
recognizable, being swollen and disfigured by the repeated blows which
they had inflicted on themselves as signs of sorrow. The chiefs and
Matabooles who were especially attached to the person or household
of the deceased king proceeded to inflict even severer injuries upon
themselves, using the club, or shell, or a sharp stone; and running
two or three at a time into the open space, while they cut their heads
with the clubs and shells so that the blood poured down their bodies in
streams; as they did so, they uttered a sort of dirge, some specimens
of which have been given by Mariner. The following is his translation
of the death chant and accompanying proceedings.
“‘Finow, I know well your mind; you have departed to Bolotoo, and left
your people, under suspicion that I or some of those about you are
unfaithful; but where is the proof of infidelity? where is a single
instance of disrespect?’ Then inflicting violent blows and deep cuts
in the head with a club, stone, or knife, would again exclaim at
intervals, ‘Is not this a proof of my fidelity? does this not evince
loyalty and attachment to the memory of the departed warrior?’ Then
perhaps two or three would run on and endeavor to seize the same club,
saying with a furious tone of voice, ‘Behold, the land is torn with
strife, it is smitten to pieces, it is split by revolts; how my blood
boils; let us haste and die! I no longer wish to live: your death,
Finow, shall be mine. But why did I wish hitherto to live? it was for
you alone; it was in your service and defence only that I wish to
breathe; but now, alas! the country is ruined. Peace and happiness are
at an end; your death has insured ours: henceforth war and destruction
alone can prosper.’
“These speeches were accompanied with a wild and frantic agitation of
the body, whilst the parties cut and bruised their heads every two or
three words with the knife or club they held in their hands. Others,
somewhat more calm and moderate in their grief, would parade up and
down with rather a wild and agitated step, spinning and whirling the
club about, striking themselves with the edge of it two or three
times violently upon the top or back of the head, and then suddenly
stopping and looking steadfastly at the instrument spattered with
blood, exclaim, ‘Alas! my club, who could have said that you would have
done this kind office for me, and have enabled me thus to evince a
testimony of my respect to Finow? Never, no, never, can you again tear
open the brains of his enemies. Alas! what a great and mighty warrior
has fallen! Oh, Finow, cease to suspect my loyalty; be convinced
of my fidelity! But what absurdity am I talking! if I had appeared
treacherous in thy sight, I should have met the fate of those numerous
warriors who have fallen victims to your just revenge. But do not
think, Finow, that I reproach you; no, I wish only to convince you of
my innocence, for who that has thoughts of harming his chiefs shall
grow white-headed like me (an expression used by some of the old men)?
O cruel gods, to deprive us of our father, of our only hope, for whom
alone we wished to live. We have indeed other chiefs, but they are only
chiefs in rank, and not like you, alas! great and mighty in war.’”
Such were their sentiments and conduct on this mournful occasion. Some,
more violent than others, cut their heads to the skull with such strong
and frequent blows, that they caused themselves to reel, producing
afterward a temporary loss of reason. It is difficult to say to what
length this extravagance would have been carried, particularly by one
old man, if the prince had not ordered Mr. Mariner to go up and take
away the club from him, as well as two others that were engaged at the
same time. It is customary on such occasions, when a man takes a club
from another, to use it himself in the same way about his own head;
but Mr. Mariner, being a foreigner, was not expected to do this: he
therefore went up, and, after some hesitation and struggle, secured
the clubs one after another, and returned with them to his seat, when,
after a while, they were taken by others, who used them in like manner.
The next proceeding was to place the body of the dead king in the
grave, which was at some distance from the place where those wild
laments had been made. Having arrived at the spot, a small house was
speedily put together, the body was laid in it, and the whole house
was covered with coarse black gnatoo, the sign of mourning, which
passed over the top of the house, and hung from the eaves to the
ground, so as entirely to conceal it.
Here another set of lamentations took place, while a number of men were
employed in opening the grave. All great families bury their dead, not
merely in the ground, but in a solid vault, about eight feet long by
six wide, and eight deep. It is made of six enormous stones, the upper
one, which forms the cover, being necessarily larger than the others.
For the convenience of raising it when required, the upper stone does
not fit quite closely upon the lower, some smaller stones being placed
between them at one end.
After digging some ten feet deep, the men came to the vault, and,
having cleared away the earth, they passed a rope under the end of the
stone cover, and by the united force of nearly two hundred men raised
it on end. Several bodies were already in the grave. Two of them, which
had been buried for full forty years, were dried and nearly perfect;
while others, which had not been buried nearly so long, were reduced
to a few bones. In some cases the vault is lined with the gnatoo on
which the body rested, while in others it becomes the property of the
presiding Mataboole.
All being ready, the body of Finow was handed down into the vault,
still lying on the gnatoo, and the body of his daughter, at whose
funeral he was seized with illness, was buried by his side. The stone
was then let down with a great shout, and the head-cutting and maiming
began afresh. The next ceremony was that of collecting sand for the
decoration of the grave.
The whole company formed themselves in single line, the women going
first, and proceeded to the back of the island, singing loudly to warn
stragglers of their presence. For any one not actually engaged in a
funeral to be seen on the road is held as so great an insult that
any ordinary man would lose his life. Even if the king himself saw
a similar procession advancing, he would hide himself until it had
passed. Remaining on his feet, though it might not actually cost him
his life, would probably be so bitterly remembered that he might lose
his throne. As soon as the funeral party arrived at the place where the
sand was found, they all set to work at making baskets out of leaves,
which they suspended from sticks and carried on their shoulders. By the
time that they reached the grave, it was nearly filled up with earth,
and the remainder was filled with sand, which was carefully and neatly
smoothed.
Next came a very curious custom, that of burning the cheeks. The
mourners, clothed in mats and green leaves, set fire to little rolls
of bark, and pressed them against each cheek-bone, so as to raise a
circular blister. This is then rubbed with the juice of an astringent
berry, which causes the wound to bleed, and the blood is smeared over
the cheeks. The friction is repeated daily for twenty days, so that an
indelible scar is the natural result.
The day after the burial a ceremony took place by which the young
prince was installed in his father’s place, and invested with his
father’s name. Finow was the name of the reigning family; but,
according to custom, no one but the actual king was allowed to bear it.
Sometimes, as a mark of especial favor, he allowed it to be borne by a
relation, but always in conjunction with some other name. The name by
which the young prince had previously been called was Moegnagnongo.
The ceremony was begun by a kava party, at which the young prince
presided. The two first cups having been filled and drunk, the third
was due to the president. The Mataboole who directed the proceedings
said, while all eyes were fixed on the prince, “Give it to FINOW,” thus
acknowledging him as the king of Tonga. The young king displayed not
the least emotion on being called by the new name, as that would have
been thought beneath his dignity, but took the cup as quietly as if he
had been called by the name of Finow all his life.
Rites similar to those which have been described went on for nineteen
days, and on the twentieth the concluding ceremony was performed. All
the relations of the deceased king, together with those who had taken
part in the funeral, went to the back of the island, and procured a
great quantity of flat pebbles, mostly white, but having a few black
among them. These they carried to the grave, and strewed completely
over the grave in the form of an oval, each pebble being laid by the
side of the other. The black pebbles were laid upon the white ones.
Dances, wrestling matches, and head-cutting then took place, in which
latter rite the fishermen of the late king distinguished themselves
in a very curious manner. Into each cheek they thrust three arrows,
the points of which passed into the mouth. The shafts of the arrows
were brought over the shoulders, and to each pair was tied another
arrow across the shoulders, so as to make a triangle. Equipped in this
extraordinary manner, they walked round the grave, and, not satisfied
with this proof of their devotion to their late master, they cut their
heads with their paddles, and pinched up the skin of their breasts,
thrusting a spear through the fold. A grand wrestling match ended this
complicated series of ceremonies.
At the burial of one great chief, who was assassinated while walking
with the king (apparently with his connivance), a very curious
variation of the ceremony took place. As soon as the body had been
lowered into the vault, one of the assassins, a man of exceptional
strength and stature, advanced toward the grave, and, brandishing his
club, avowed himself as the murderer, and challenged any friend of the
deceased chief to fight him.
The challenge was not accepted, and, although one of the wives of
the murdered man did her best to arouse the family to vengeance, she
could only succeed in inducing them to erect a strong fortress, in
which they hoped to bid defiance to Finow. The king, however, was too
wise to allow such a standing menace to remain, started off with four
thousand warriors, and reduced the disaffected chiefs to obedience. In
storming the fort, the challenging chief distinguished himself by his
deeds of arms. Though wounded in the breast with a five-barbed spear,
he broke off the shaft, scaled alone the enemy’s fortress, knocked
out a man’s brains with his club, and made good his escape. As he
retreated, however, he received another spear in his back, and died on
the following day. It is remarkable that in this battle nearly all the
assassins perished.
The religious system of the Tongans is tolerably simple. They believe
that there are several orders of gods, just as there are several ranks
of men. The principal gods are self-existent and eternal; but the
second order of gods are the souls of deceased chiefs and Matabooles.
All of noble blood have souls, and take rank in Bolotoo, or Paradise,
not according to their moral merit, but according to the rank which
they held in the world. Matabooles become ministers to the gods, just
as they were ministers to the chiefs; but they are not powerful enough
to inspire priests. There is also a class of mischievous gods, who are,
fortunately, much less powerful than the benevolent deities.
As to the Mooas, or middle class, the learned are rather doubtful
whether they go to Bolotoo, or whether they have souls. But that the
Tooas, or peasantry, have no souls, there is not the slightest doubt,
and that they can go to Bolotoo is therefore impossible.
With regard to Bolotoo, or Paradise, the Tongans believe it to be an
island somewhere to the north-west of Tonga. It is a most beautiful
place, full of the choicest fruits and the most lovely flowers. Pigs
are plentiful, and never die unless they are killed to supply food for
the gods, in which case another hog comes into existence to supply
the place of the one that was killed. So, when a fruit or a flower is
plucked, another immediately takes its place. These particulars are
learned from some Tongan voyagers, who were returning from Fiji, but
were driven out of their reckoning by a storm. At last they were blown
to a lovely island, on which they succeeded in landing. There was
abundance of fruit, but their hands could not grasp it. They walked
through the trunks of trees, and through the walls of houses as if they
were mere shadows; while some of the inhabitants walked through their
own bodies in a similar manner. Then they found they were at Bolotoo.
The gods told them to go home at once, and promised them a favorable
wind. They reached Tonga in safety, but all died soon afterward, the
air of Bolotoo not suiting mere mortals.
* * * * *
It has already been mentioned that the religious and secular lives
of the Tongans are so blended together that it is very difficult to
separate them, and that even their amusements partake somewhat of
the religious character. There are, however, one or two of their
games which partake but slightly of this element, and which are
yet characteristic of the natives. One of these sports is called
Fanna-kalai, and is a very ingenious mode of bird catching by means of
decoys.
In order to practise this amusement, the sportsman furnishes himself
with a bow and arrows, goes into the woods, and there ensconces himself
within a large wicker cage covered with green leaves, so that the
inmate may not be seen, but having plenty of openings through which
the arrows can be aimed. By his side he has a small cage, in which is
kept a hen bird, and on the top of the large cage the cock bird is tied
by the leg. When properly trained, these birds continue calling to
each other, and thus attract numbers of their own species, which fall
victims to the arrows.
Well-trained birds are exceedingly valuable, and one chief has been
known to make war upon another for the sake of procuring an especially
fine bird. Indeed, the Tongans look on these birds much as sportsmen of
the olden times looked on their falcons. To each pair of birds there
is a keeper, whose whole business it is to attend to and train them.
He is careful to teach the cock bird to flap its wings as it calls to
its mate, and to utter its notes loudly, so that they may be taken as
a challenge to other birds to come and fight him. The bird keepers
have almost unlimited powers, as nothing is allowed to interfere with
the welfare of their charge. Even when a famine visits a district, the
birds must not starve. The keeper forages for the birds, and if he
sees a fine bunch of plantains, he is allowed to put the tapu on it by
sticking a reed in the tree, after which the proprietor dares not touch
the fruit which he has saved for himself and his family. He may starve,
but the birds must be fed.
As may be imagined, the keepers attend to their own interests as
well as those of the birds, and are great pests to the neighborhood,
fleecing the people without mercy. Now and then they go a little too
far in their insolence, and a complaint is laid against them, in which
case the man seldom escapes without a severe beating.
In order to show the enormous value of these birds, Mariner tells a
story respecting the elder Finow. The chief of Hihifo possessed a bird
which he had himself trained, and which was the best that ever was
known. Finow heard of this bird, and sent a commissioner to Hihifo in
order to treat with the chief for the purchase of it. This the owner
declined to do, saying that not only had he an affection for the bird,
which he had himself trained, but he had sustained many wars made on
him by neighboring chiefs who wanted to get the bird--many lives had
been lost, and he felt his honor involved in keeping it. However, he
intrusted the ambassador with another pair of birds, very nearly as
good, and asked him to present them to Finow.
The king tried the birds next day, and was so delighted with their
performance that he was the more anxious to obtain the bird which
was even superior to them. He therefore prepared a present, which
according to the Tongan ideas of that day was of almost incalculable
value, comprising, beside whales’ teeth, gnatoo, kava, and other native
productions, several iron bolts, a quantity of beads, a looking-glass,
a grindstone, and some axes, all of which had been procured from
Europe, and most of them from the vessel in which Mariner had been
wrecked. Seeing that Finow was determined to have the bird, and that he
would probably make war if again refused, the chief wisely accepted the
present, and sent the desired prize with a polite message.
As this sport is necessarily a very expensive one, it can only be
practised by the king and very great chiefs, even the lesser chiefs
being unable to bear the cost. There is another sport which is limited
to chiefs and Matabooles. This is Fanna-gooma, or rat shooting, and is
conducted as follows. Two chiefs take the command of two parties who
intend to shoot rats, and arrange the preliminaries, _i. e._ settling
the course which they mean to take, the number of shooters on each
side, and so forth. On the appointed day, they go to some place which
has been previously fixed upon, each being provided with his bow and
two arrows.
These arrows are six feet in length, and made of a reed headed with
hard wood. They are most beautifully made, the heads being smooth and
polished with the greatest care, and the junction of the head and shaft
guarded with plaited sinnet. In some of these weapons in my collection,
the sinnet is scarcely broader than sewing silk, and is laid on with
a perfection that is scarcely credible. After the sinnet is finished
off, a slight coating of transparent varnish is laid over it, so as to
bind the plait more firmly together, and to give it an uniform polish.
In some arrows there are several similar belts of plaited sinnet. No
feather is needed, as they are never aimed at any distance, and their
great length is requisite to allow them to go straight through the
bushes among which the rats lurk.
The bow is about the same length as the arrows, and not very powerful,
so that the aim may not be disturbed by the effect of drawing it.
When they are ready to start, a couple of attendants are sent forward,
who take in their mouths some roasted cocoa-nut, which they chew,
and spit the fragments on either side of the path. If they come to a
cross-road, they plant in it an upright reed, by means of which a tapu
is laid on the path, in order to prevent any one from passing along and
disturbing the rats. No one ever disregards this tapu. Even if one of
the greatest chiefs come toward it, he will stop at a distance and sit
down until the sportsmen have passed, while an inferior chief would to
a certainty be clubbed for his insolence if he were to break the tapu.
When the party start, they arrange themselves in the following manner.
They walk in Indian file along the path, the leading chief of one party
going first, followed by the leading chief of the other side. Then come
the men of next rank on either side, and so on alternately. Except the
leading man, no one may shoot at a rat that is in front of him, though
he may do so if it be on either side, or behind him. As soon as any
one has shot his arrow, he changes places with the man behind him, no
matter whether the shot be successful or not, so that each in turn has
his chance of becoming the leading man, and so getting a double chance
of a rat. Every sportsman has an attendant who follows the party, and,
as soon as his master has discharged an arrow, picks it up and returns
it to him.
In order to attract their game, the sportsmen imitate the squeaking of
a rat, which often has the effect of bringing them out of their holes,
and if a rat should run away instead of waiting to be shot, one or two
of them, with a sharp percussion of the tongue, utter another sound,
which has the effect of making the rat stop and sit up to listen. The
party that shoots ten rats first wins the game. Birds of any kind are
counted as rats.
These two sports are necessarily restricted to chiefs, on account of
the expense in one case and the power of the tapu in the other, but
there is another which is played only by chiefs and Matabooles, being
restricted to them by etiquette and not by necessity.
The two players sit opposite each other, and one of them makes one
of three movements with his right hand, _i. e._ presenting the open
palm, the closed fist or the extended forefinger. His antagonist
endeavors to imitate the movements, but if he can succeed in making
five without being imitated, he wins a point, and marks it by laying
down a little piece of stick. Should the antagonist be successful, he
asks of the other player what were the preceding movements, their order
and the reason for each of them. If his opponent should fail to give
the correct answer, he loses a point, but if he succeeds, the game is
continued.
The skill lies not in seeing and imitating the various movements, which
are made so rapidly that an inexperienced eye cannot detect one of
them, but in remembering the movements made by the antagonist, and in
giving a feigned explanation of each. This explanation must be made
according to the laws of the game, and alters with every variation
in the order of the movements, so that considerable readiness and
ingenuity are needed in order to invent on the spur of the moment
an explanation according to the laws of the game. The chiefs are
exceedingly fond of this game, and, while playing it, work themselves
up to a wonderful pitch of excitement. The lower orders play a game
somewhat similar to this, except that no discussion about the moves is
allowable, and the intellectual element is therefore wanting.
There are many other games that are common to all ranks. One of these
is called Tolo. A piece of soft wood, nine inches in diameter, is
fastened to the top of a post of harder wood about five or six feet
high, and the game consists in throwing a heavy spear so that it shall
stick in the soft wood. Six or eight persons play on each side, every
player being allowed three throws. Another game with spears somewhat
resembles the djerid, and consists in hurling blunted spears at each
other.
The Tongans are singularly dexterous of hand. They excel in ball play,
and have a game which consists in playing with five balls, which are
thrown from one hand to the other, so as to keep four balls always in
the air. They sing a song at the same time, each cadence coinciding
with the transfer of the balls from one hand to the other, and for
every verse that they can finish without a mistake they score one
point. They have also a game very much resembling our cup and ball.
Another game in which dexterity of hand is needed is called Lafo. A mat
is laid on the ground, and the players throw beans on it, each trying
to knock off those of his antagonist. This game has a sort of celebrity
from having been connected with one of the few acts of cannibalism
attributed to the Tongans. During a severe famine, two daughters of a
chief played a game of lafo with two young warriors. If the men won,
they were to have half the yam, but if they lost, they were still to
have half the yam, but were obliged to go out, kill an enemy, and
divide his body with the girls. They lost the game, ate their yam, and
waited until night for the fulfilment of their promise. After dark
they stole out, and hid themselves near the fortress of the enemy. As
they had anticipated, in the early morning one of the men came out to
fetch salt water, and passed near the spot where they lay in ambush.
They struck him down with their clubs, and at the risk of their lives
brought his body off to the spot where the girls lived. If in any
of these games there should be a dispute, the men settle it by an
extemporized wrestling match, and the women by spinning a cocoa-nut.
Being islanders, they are very familiar with the water, and practise
the well-known sport of surf swimming. This sport will be described
when we come to treat of the Sandwich Islands. They have another
aquatic sport peculiar to themselves. Two posts are driven into the bed
of the sea, about seventy yards apart, a spot being chosen where the
water is about ten feet deep. Each player takes in his hands a large
stone, jumps into the water by one post, and tries to carry it to the
other post by running along the bottom. The chief difficulty is to
pursue a straight course, as at such a distance the winning post is not
visible through the water.
While Mr. Mariner was at the Tonga Islands, he took part in an
amusement which derived its origin from a love legend. He accompanied
Finow to a small island called Hoonga, and, on walking down to the
sea-shore, he saw his companions bathing near a great rock, and was
startled to find that they one after the other dived into the water and
did not come up again. Just as the last was preparing to dive, he asked
the meaning of this astonishing proceeding, and was told to follow, and
he would be taken to a place where he had never been before, and where
Finow and his Matabooles were then assembled.
He then dived into the water, and Mr. Mariner followed him, guided by
the light reflected from his heels. Passing through an aperture in the
base of the rock which has just been mentioned, he rose to the surface
of the water and found himself in a cavern. At first he could see
nothing, but he could distinguish the voices of Finow and his other
friends; and after a while became so accustomed to the dim light that
he could just manage to see that he was in a vast stalactitic cavern.
As the only light which entered it was reflected from the bottom of
the water, and exceedingly dim, he dived out again, wrapped up his
loaded pistol in a quantity of gnatoo, directed a servant to prepare a
torch in the same manner, and dived back again By means of the pistol
he lighted the torch, and probably for the first time since it was
formed, the cavern was illuminated. It was about forty feet wide and
as many high, and ran off at one side into two galleries. Its roof
was covered with stalactites hanging in the fantastic patterns which
they are apt to assume. The story which was told him respecting the
discovery of this cavern is quite a romance of savage life.
Many years ago a young chief of Vavaoo discovered the cavern by
accident, while diving after turtles, but took care to keep the
discovery to himself, as he thought he should find it useful in case
he was detected in a plot against the principal chief of the island,
a man of cruel and tyrannous disposition. Another chief had the same
intentions, and was organizing a revolt, when he was betrayed by one of
his own followers, and condemned to be drowned, together with the whole
of his family. It so happened that he had a very beautiful daughter
whom the young chief had long loved, but to whom he dared not speak,
knowing her to be betrothed to a man of higher rank than himself.
When, however, he found that her life was to be sacrificed, he
contrived to make his way to her in the evening, told her of the fate
which was in reserve for her, and offered to save her. The girl at once
consented, and the two stole gently to the seaside, where a little
canoe was drawn up. On their way to Hoonga the young chief told the
girl of this place of retreat, and as soon as the day broke took her
into the cavern. He was not long in finding out that the affection was
mutual, but that the fact of her being betrothed to another had caused
her to avoid him.
She remained in this cavern for two months, during which her young
husband brought her the finest mats and gnatoo, the best food, and
everything which constitutes Tongan luxury. He was, however, forced to
spend a considerable part of his time at Vavaoo, lest the tyrannical
chief should suspect him, and he was naturally anxious to take his wife
to some place where they could live together in safety.
Accordingly, he called together his subordinate chiefs and Matabooles,
and told them to prepare for a voyage to the Fiji Islands, accompanied
with their wives and families. This expedition was kept secret lest the
tyrant should put a stop to it. Just as they started, one of the chiefs
advised him to take a Tongan wife with him, but he declined to do so,
saying that he should find one by the way. They took his reply for a
joke, and set sail toward Hoonga. When they neared the shores of the
island, he told his men to wait while he went into the sea to fetch a
wife, and, leaping into the sea from the side of the canoe which was
farthest from the shore, he dived and disappeared.
After waiting for a while the people began to be seriously alarmed,
thinking that he must have met with some accident, or that a shark had
caught him. Suddenly, while they were debating as to the best course
to be pursued, he appeared on the surface of the water, accompanied by
a beautiful young female, whom he took into the canoe. At first his
people were terribly frightened, thinking that she was a goddess; but,
when they recognized her features, they took her for an apparition,
believing that she had been drowned together with the rest of her
family. The young chief arrived safely at the Fiji Islands, where
he lived for two years; and at the expiration of that time, hearing
that the tyrant of Vavaoo was dead, he returned to his native island,
bringing with him his strangely rescued wife.
The facts of this story show that the cave must have some opening
which admits the outer air, as otherwise no one could have lived in
it so long. Even granting that the time of the girl’s residence was
exaggerated, Mr. Mariner found that the air was perfectly fresh and
sweet after Finow and his friends had remained in it for several hours,
and a torch had been burned in it besides.
The island in which this extraordinary cavern is found is rather
venerated by the Tongans as being the origin of their group of islands.
Tongaloa, the god of arts and inventions, let down a fishing-line from
the sky into the sea, when he suddenly felt his hook caught. He hauled
up his line, thinking that from the resistance he had caught a very
large fish. It turned out, however, that the hook had got itself fixed
in the bed of the sea, and as the god continued to haul he drew up the
Tonga islands. They would have been much larger, only the line broke,
and the islands were left imperfect.
Mr. Mariner learned that the hook by which the Tonga islands had
been drawn from the bed of the sea was kept in the custody of the
Tooi-tonga, but had been burned, together with the house, about thirty
years before. It was about six inches long, and from the description
was one of the ordinary fishhooks of the country. Mariner asked why it
did not break when hauling up so enormous a weight, and was told that
it was a god’s hook, and therefore could not break. Being asked how it
happened that the line, which was also the property of a god, broke,
his interlocutor declined to pursue the subject any further, saying
that so he had been told, and that there was no necessity for further
inquiries.
CHAPTER CII.
SAMOA, OR THE NAVIGATORS’ ISLANDS.
APPEARANCE--CHARACTER--DRESS--MANUFACTURES.
POSITION OF THE GROUP, AND DERIVATION OF THE NAME -- GENERAL
APPEARANCE OF THE PEOPLE -- THEIR CHARACTER FOR GENTLENESS,
HOSPITALITY, HONESTY, AND COURTESY -- CARRYING A MISSIONARY AND HIS
FAMILY -- AFFECTION FOR CHILDREN -- DRESS OF THE SAMOANS -- THE
TATTOO A PARTIAL SUBSTITUTE FOR DRESS -- MODE OF TATTOOING -- TIME
OCCUPIED IN COMPLETING THE OPERATION -- THE FINE MATS OF SAMOA --
WIG MAKING -- FEATHER HEADDRESSES -- DRESS OF THE WOMEN -- DANCING
COSTUME -- ADVICE TO FAA-SAMOA -- MODE OF DRESSING THE HAIR --
TREATMENT OF WOMEN -- MODE OF MAKING CLOTH -- THE PROFESSIONAL AND
HEREDITARY MANUFACTURER.
North of the Tongan group, and a little to the eastward, lie the
NAVIGATORS’ ISLANDS, more property called by their native name of
SAMOA, or HAMOA. The former of these names was given to them by
Bougainville, in consequence of the skilful seamanship of the natives.
There are eight islands comprehended in this group, the largest of
which is Savaii.
As is often the case among these island groups, no single king or head
chief is recognized, each island having its own ruler; under whom are
subordinate chiefs of different ranks. This mode of government is so
similar to that of the Tongans that we need not expend any time upon it.
The Samoans are a fine race of people, much exceeding the English
in average stature, and peculiarly well made. Their skin is smooth,
soft, and a warm reddish-brown in color, and the hair, though copious,
possesses none of that woolliness which distinguishes the hair of the
Papuan races, but is long, straight, and, in a few cases, possesses a
slight wave. Naturally there is but little beard, and the Samoan takes
a pride in extirpating every sign of a hair upon his chin. He is quiet,
composed, and stately in manner, so that in all things he presents a
bold contrast to the black, harsh-skinned Fijian, with his frizzed and
woolly hair, his copious beard, and his quick, restless, suspicious
manner.
Being savages, the Samoans have many of the imperfections which
necessarily accompany savage life, but at the same time they approach
nearer to the “noble savage” of the poet than most races of men. They
are hospitable, affectionate, honest, and courteous, and have well
been described as a nation of gentlemen. Toward strangers they display
a liberality which contrasts greatly with the cruel and bloodthirsty
customs of the Papuan tribes. The Fijians, for example, do all in
their power to repel strangers from their shores, either driving them
off, or killing and eating them. The Samoans, on the contrary, welcome
strangers, allot to them their best houses, give them the best food,
and make them feel that they are honored guests.
They are singularly affectionate in their disposition, and as parents
are rather too fond of their children. As a rule, a Samoan parent
cannot bear to thwart a child, and allows it to do what it likes. In
consequence of this absence of discipline, many a child dies through
the mistaken kindness of its parents, who have allowed it to eat food
that was unsuitable to it, or to engage in games for which it had not
sufficient strength.
The honesty of the Samoans is really wonderful. When a number of them
were on board of an English vessel, they scrupulously refrained from
stealing. Property which to them was equivalent to unbounded wealth
lay within reach of their hands, but not even a nail or a needle was
touched. In one instance, an European vessel went ashore on the rocks.
The whole of its cargo was at the mercy of the Samoans, but not a
man went on board of the vessel, and the whole of the property was
reserved for the rightful owners. There are many civilized countries
where the vessel would have been ransacked within an hour of her
striking on the rocks.
Once when a great chief, named Malietoa, went on board an English
vessel, accompanied by a younger brother, he examined everything with
great attention, but asked for nothing, only requesting the white men
to come on shore and visit him. This they did, bringing with them a
present of axes, mirrors, beads, knives, scissors, needles, and similar
articles. When the present was offered, Malietoa took up each article
separately, laid it on his head, and returned thanks for it, and after
he had gone through the whole of the present in detail, he made a
complimentary speech, in which he thanked the donors for the entire
gift. His brother, to whom a similar present had been offered, at first
refused to take the basket, priceless as were its contents, but passed
it on to his elder brother, saying that he would take whatever his
brother did not happen to want.
“At the close of this important and interesting interview, Malietoa
informed his people, who had been gazing with wonder upon the novel
proceedings, that a large quantity of valuable property had been given
to him, and that the English chiefs, to whom he was indebted for it,
would want something to eat on their return. ‘For,’ said he, ‘there are
no pigs running about upon the sea, neither is there any bread-fruit
growing there.’ Upon hearing this, the whole company instantly rose and
scampered away; and in about an hour they returned, bringing with them
fifteen pigs of various sizes, with a large quantity of bread-fruit,
yams, and other vegetables, the whole of which the chief presented to
us.” This extract, from the journal of Mr. Williams, the well-known
missionary, gives a good idea of the hospitable nature of the people.
Courtesy is, among the Samoans, reckoned as one of the duties of life.
They address each other by titles of honor, and it is considered as an
essential point of etiquette that, when one man addresses another, he
should use a title rather higher than that to which his interlocutor
has any claim. Should he be ignorant of the rank of the person whom he
addresses, he uses the term chief, as a safe one.
The earlier voyagers have all been struck with the Samoans, whose
gentle demeanor, perfect honesty, scrupulous cleanliness, graceful
costume, gigantic stature, and polished manners, made a strong
impression upon them. When Messrs. Williams and Barth visited these
islands, they were received in the most hospitable manner. As they went
on shore, the former happened to mention that he was tired, when a
young chief addressed a few words to the people, and in a moment the
visitor was lifted off the ground by a number of gigantic young men,
who seized him, “some by the legs, and others by the arms, one placing
his hand under my body, another, unable to obtain so large a space,
poking a finger against me; and thus, sprawling at full length upon
their extended arms and hands, I was carried a distance of half a mile,
and deposited safely in the presence of the chief and his principal
wife.”
Several children were on board, and were carried off by the natives in
great glee. One or two of them were missing for several hours, causing
their parents great anxiety. However, they were all brought back in
safety, their absence being due merely to the exuberant hospitality of
the Samoans. The natives were so delighted at their good fortune in
having the charge of a white child that they could not make up their
minds to restore it to its parents, but took it home, killed and baked
a pig and other food, feasted the child to the fullest extent, and
then, having kept it as long as they dared, restored it to its parents.
This anecdote carries out the statement already made, that the Samoans
are exceedingly fond of children. Mr. Pritchard mentions that on one
occasion, when he was witnessing a native dance, which is a performance
requiring the greatest exertion, the chief’s wife sat as a spectator,
with two fine twin children in her lap. The chief, engaged as he was in
the absorbing amusement of the dance, could not keep himself away from
his children, but every now and then left the dance to caress them. The
mothers nurse their children for several years, and a child of five or
six years old may often be seen to pull away its younger brother or
sister and take its place.
* * * * *
The dress of the Samoans varies considerably, according to the rank
of the individual and the occasion on which it is assumed. The usual
dress of the men is a sort of small apron, about a foot square, made of
the green leaves of the _Dracæna_ tree, but on occasions of ceremony
they generally wear a flowing robe called the lava-lava. This is made
of bark cloth, and is beautifully fine and soft, the Samoans excelling
in such manufactures, which will presently be described. This robe is
gathered round the waist into folds, and reaches down to the ankles.
Small as may be the ordinary dress of the Samoan men, they always seem
to be fully dressed, in consequence of the tattooing with which they
are carefully decorated. Even to European eyes the tattooing conveys
the same impression, and has been mistaken for a dress by some of
the early voyagers, who described the people as being clothed from
the waist downward, with fringed lace “made of a silken stuff, and
artificially wrought.”
The reader will remember that the New Zealanders tattoo no part of the
body except the hips, and that even in that case a semblance of dress
is produced. The Samoans tattoo the whole of the body from the hips to
the knees, covering the skin so completely with the pattern that it
looks at a little distance exactly as if the man were wearing a tight
pair of ornamental drawers.
Even European eyes become so accustomed to the tattoo that they are
rather shocked at its absence; and, according to Mr. Pritchard, an
untattooed Samoan does in truth look unmanly, looks even naked, by the
side of one who is tattooed. So completely is this feeling realized
by the natives that chiefs who have arrived at middle age frequently
undergo the process of tattooing a second time, in order to renew the
patterns, as they become dim and uncertain by lapse of years; for,
though indelible, the tattoo does fade in the course of years, as I can
testify from personal experience. When a very young boy, I read of the
custom of tattooing, and must needs try it on my own arm. I did not
do much of it, but the whole arm swelled up to the shoulder, and was
useless for some time. At first the marks were bright blue, clear and
well-defined, but now the blue is of dull indigo, and the outline very
undecided.
The production of this elaborate decoration is a work of considerable
time, the operation being, in the first place, too painful to be
continued for any long time; and, in the second, it is apt to cause
so much disturbance in the general system that the result would be
fatal if the whole were executed at once. The operation is generally
performed in company, a number of young men keeping company with the
son of the chief. When, for example, a chief’s son arrives at the
proper age, _i. e._ about eighteen, all the lads of his tribe assemble
to partake with him of the tattoo, which is to transform them from boys
into men.
There is quite a ceremony, or rather a series of ceremonies, for the
occasion. The tattooer or Matai, is a man of great influence, and his
services have to be requested in regular form, accompanied by a present
of fine mats. His acceptance of the mats ratifies the bargain, though
no regular charge is made. On the appointed day, the lads and their
friends meet in a house set apart for the ceremony, and more mats are
presented to the Matai. Should the youth be wealthy, he sometimes gives
a canoe. The friends of the lads are also bound to supply provisions as
long as the operation lasts.
The tools are simple enough, being a set of five “combs” and a little
mallet. The combs are made of human bone, and are an inch and a half
in length, varying in width from the eighth of an inch to an inch, and
looking very much like little bone adzes with the edges cut into a
number of teeth. These blades are attached to handles about six inches
in length. The pigment which is introduced into the wounds is made from
the ashes of the cocoa-nut.
All being ready, the young chief lies on his face in front of the
operator, and lays his head in the lap of his sister or some other
female relation, while three or four young women hold his legs, and
sing at the tops of their voices, in order to drown any groans or
cries that he may utter. This is done out of consideration for his
reputation, as it is thought unworthy of the state of manhood to utter
a sound. Still the pain is so intense that the lads often do utter
groans, and now and then actually yell with the pain. In one or two
instances they have been so utterly overcome with the agony that, after
they have been released they have not dared to submit themselves again
to the operation, in which case they are despised for life as cowards.
Having traced out his pattern, the operator begins his work, driving
the teeth of the comb through the skin by sharp and rapid taps of the
mallet; there is an art even in holding this instrument, the handle
of which passes under the thumb and over the fore-finger, and is used
with wonderful rapidity and regularity. “The rapidity with which the
Matai works his fingers,” writes Mr. Pritchard, “the precision with
which he moves the instrument and punctures exactly the right spot,
and the regularity of tapping with the mallet, are astounding.” By
the side of the patient are placed several assistants, furnished with
strips of white masi, whose duty it is to wipe away the blood as it
flows from the punctures of the comb, and to leave the skin clear for
the operator. Between every two or three strokes the toothed end of the
comb is dipped into the pigment, which is mixed with water.
The pattern is in its main elements alike throughout all the Samoan
Islands; but there are usually slight variations which denote the
island in which the man lives, and others which mark the family to
which he belongs. Sometimes, after a man has slain an enemy, he will
make an addition which corresponds to a grant of arms among ourselves.
The form of some animal is the ordinary pattern for such a badge of
honor.
About an hour is occupied in executing a patch of tattoo not quite
three inches square, and when this is done, the lad rises and another
takes his place. In a week or so, the turn of the first lad comes
round again, and so the process is continued for three or four months,
according to the number of the patients, not more than five being
operated on in a single day. When the pattern is about half completed,
the Matai has another present; but the great payment is only made when
the last finishing touch is put to the work. Should the Matai feel
dissatisfied with his fees, he will not go on with the work, and, as an
unfinished tattoo is thought to be most disgraceful, the friends of the
youths get together what property they can, and make up the deficiency.
[Illustration: (1.) TATTOOING DAY IN SAMOA. (See page 1013.)]
[Illustration: (2.) CLOTH MAKING. (See page 1016.)]
During the time engaged in the operation, the patients look most
miserable beings, the wounded parts swollen and inflamed, and
displaying as yet none of the elegant pattern which has been traced
on them. The lads hobble about in all sorts of contorted attitudes,
fanning away the flies with flappers made of white masi, and doing
all in their power to alleviate the pain. At last, however, comes the
reward of all their sufferings. As soon as the wounds are healed,
their friends get up a grand dance. As the costume of the male dancers
is nothing but the little apron of leaves which has been already
mentioned, the pattern of the tattooing is freely displayed; and the
lads, now admitted among the men, think themselves well repaid for
their former sufferings by the honor and glory of being ranked as men,
and by the admiration of the opposite sex.
An illustration on the preceding page represents the process of
tattooing. In the centre is lying the patient with his head in his
sister’s lap, and his legs held by her companions, who are singing,
in order to cover his groans, should he utter any. Near him are two
assistants with their white masi cloths, and at his side kneels the
operator, busily at work with his mallet and comb. The little vessel
of pigment is by his side. Ranged round the wall of the house are the
young men who are waiting their turn. Painful as is the operation, and
expensive as it is, involving not only the fees to the operator, but
a constant supply of provisions, all the lads look forward to it with
the greatest anxiety, knowing that they will never be considered as men
unless they can show a complete tattoo.
Both men and women wear mats, called in the native language “je-tonga.”
One of these mats is in my collection, and is a beautiful piece of
work. It is made of very narrow strips of leaf scraped thin, each
strip being about the fifteenth of an inch in width. These are plaited
together with beautiful regularity, and the whole is edged with a very
fine and almost silken fringe of the same material.
Some of these mats are decorated with the red feathers of the parrot
tribe, and increase in their value by age, being handed down to
successive generations, and having legends attached to them. My own
specimen has been adorned in a way which doubtless was very imposing
to a Samoan eye, though not to that of an European. The native maker
had evidently treasured up some scraps of English calico, and some blue
and yellow paper such as is used for wrapping parcels. These treasures
she has fastened to the mat, to which they give a most ludicrous
appearance.
Samoan chiefs, when full dressed for war or state, may be known at a
great distance by the splendid headdress which they wear. In the first
place, they increase the apparent size of their heads by enormous wigs
made of their own hair, which is suffered to grow long for this express
purpose. When it has attained sufficient length, it is cut off, and is
stained red, and frizzed out, until it assumes as large dimensions as
the woolly head of a Papuan. They also wear great plumes of feathers,
sometimes towering to the height of nearly two feet above their heads;
so that the height of a Samoan chief, measured from the top of his
plume, is not far from nine feet.
One of these headdresses in my collection is made of a vast number of
feathers, tied by the stems in little bundles, and carefully arranged
so that they shall droop evenly. There are about ten feathers in each
bundle. These tufts are arranged closely together in circles composed
of leaf stems and cocoa-nut fibre, and there are four of these circlets
placed one over the other, so that several hundred feather tufts are
employed for this single dress. The maker has ingeniously, though
ignorantly, copied the peacock, the egret, and other birds which
are furnished with trains. In them, the tail feathers are short and
stiff, so as to allow the long train of feathers to droop gracefully
over them. In a similar manner, the Samoan artificer has employed the
shortest and stiffest feathers in the lower-most circlet, while in the
uppermost are placed the longest and most slender plumes. The headdress
is really very handsome, and even when worn by an European gives a most
martial aspect to the countenance, especially when the war mat is worn,
and the huge Samoan club carried on the shoulder.
The dress of the women is made of the same material as that of the
men, but differently arranged. Their work costume is a petticoat of
_Dracæna_ leaves, but instead of being, like that of the men, a mere
short apron, it is much longer, and completely surrounds the body. On
occasions of state or ceremony, however, they wear lava-lavas of siapo
like those of the men, only put on rather differently, and of much
larger size. A woman of rank will often have this garment so long that
it trails on the ground far behind her.
Captain Hood, in describing an entertainment given in honor of the
white visitors, writes as follows. After the men had danced “a
number of girls entered, who went through a somewhat similar set of
evolutions, with infinite exactness and grace. It may seem incredible
to our fair sisters in England, that a young lady arranged in no other
garment but a mat tied round her waist should look handsomely dressed;
but could they see these Samoan belles enter the circle in their full
evening costume, with their coronets of nautilus shell and scarlet
hibiscus, and their necklaces of red and yellow flowers, I believe they
would admit that their appearance is highly imposing.
“Some wore beautifully plaited fine mats, which are so highly prized
that they cost more than a rich silk or satin dress. Others had white
shaggy dresses, made from the inner fibres of the hibiscus, the
amplitude of which would satisfy the most extensive patronesses of
crinoline, and indulged in trains equalling in length that worn by
those dames of England in former days, while their carriage and air
plainly showed that, whatever we might think, they felt themselves
superior beings.” To judge from the photographed portraits of these
Samoan beauties, Captain Hood is perfectly right; they not only look
well dressed, but, if anything, over dressed.
That this opinion was not a rare one is evident from Mr. Williams’s
account of Samoa, which he visited more than thirty years before
Captain Hood. The missionaries’ wives had endeavored to persuade the
Samoan women to wrap their abundant mantles over the whole of the
body, but without success. On the contrary, the Samoan belles in their
turn tried to convince the white visitors that it would be much better
for them to _faa Samoa_, _i. e._ to do in Samoa as the Samoans do.
Garments that covered the whole of the body might do well enough in
the white woman’s country, but when they came to Samoa they ought to
dress themselves like the Samoans, tie a shaggy mat round the waist,
coquettishly looped up on one side, and anoint themselves with scented
oil and color themselves with turmeric; wear a flower on the head
instead of a bonnet, and a necklace of flowers by way of a bodice.
Thus accoutred, they might _faa-riaria_, _i. e._ strut about in the
consciousness of being well dressed, and certain of admiration. There
is much to be said on both sides of the question.
The women wear their hair differently from the men, generally cutting
it rather short, and combing it back. It is then powdered with fine
lime made of burning coal, which has the effect of staining it of a
reddish purple hue, which is thought to be the most fashionable color.
After this is done, a Samoan belle merely twists a wreath of scarlet
hibiscus flowers among the hair. In both sexes great pains are taken
about the hair, and in order to promote its growth in after years the
head is kept shaved in childhood, the boys having a single lock of hair
on one side, and the girls one on either side.
There is a slight distinction of dressing the hair in the different
islands of the Samoan group. In some of them the women separate the
hair into multitudinous ringlets, each bound with cocoa-nut fibre, and
cut square at the bottom, much like the ancient Assyrian fashion. As
if to carry out the resemblance still further, the men preserve their
beards, and dress them almost exactly like those of the figures on the
Nineveh marbles.
In bodily form the women are by no means equal to the men, the latter
being truly magnificent specimens of humanity, while the former are
rather short, and stoutly made, with features that are pleasing in
expression, but have otherwise little beauty. They are as well treated
as in Tonga, and are not expected to do hard work. In fact, the men
seem to take a pride in assisting the weaker sex. Mr. Pritchard writes
on this subject as follows:--“We saw several women sitting quietly in
their canoe, whilst their cavaliers swam alongside, towing them through
the surf, not because they are at all less at home in the water than
their husbands and brothers, as we saw this afternoon, when a large
number of girls were alongside, who were as often swimming about,
laughing and talking, for about half-an-hour at a time in the water, or
sitting in their boats, which they are constantly upsetting.”
When the husband of a Samoan wife dies, his widow is not sacrificed at
his funeral, but is usually taken by his brother, after the ancient
Jewish custom. It is remarkable, by the way, that many of the Mosaic
laws still exist in full force among the Samoans. In time of war no
male captives are taken, all being killed. Their female relatives,
whether wives or sisters, are considered as the property of the
victors, and mostly become their wives. Thus it often happens that
women are related to both sides, and, as they are by courtesy allowed
to visit their relatives, all the designs of one side are speedily
told to the other. So, whenever the principal chief prepares any plan
of action, some of the women who have relations on the opposite side,
immediately go off and tell them about the proposed movements. Still,
the Samoans seem to make it a matter of honor not to take advantage of
this knowledge, and to allow the enemy to execute his movements without
interruption.
The women seem quite at their ease in warfare, and mostly accompany
their husbands to the wars, in order to supply them with necessaries,
and to nurse them if they should be wounded. Mr. Pritchard says that he
has seen them in the heat of action, carrying water to the wounded, and
seeming to care less for the thickly flying bullets than the warriors
themselves.
* * * * *
Before passing to another subject, we will complete our notices of
dress. The reader may remember that on page 977 was given a full
account of the various processes by which the inner bark of the paper
mulberry is made into garments. The Samoans employ the same method as
the Tongans, but are even more careful in the manufacture of the cloth,
which is in great request throughout many parts of Polynesia, and can
be recognized at once by a skilful eye.
The women are the sole manufacturers, and are wonderfully skilful and
patient over their work. In the first place, for the finest cloth they
always employ very young trees, not more than fourteen to fifteen
months old, and only two or three inches in diameter. They begin their
work by cutting down the trees, peeling off the bark, and steeping
it for eight and forty hours in water, so as to enable the rough
outer bark to be removed from the thin and delicate inner bark. The
well-known “bass,” with which gardeners tie up flowers, is a familiar
instance of “_liber_,” or inner bark, procured from the lime tree. By
constant beating, this substance becomes greatly increased in width
and reduced in thickness, and, like gold leaf, it can be beaten out to
almost any extent.
As the strips of bark are only ten or twelve inches wide, a number
of them are united by overlapping the edges and putting between them
arrow-root dissolved in water. The united pieces, while still wet, are
again beaten, and after a while the two pieces become incorporated into
one, and all signs of the junction disappear.
When a piece of sufficient size is made, printing and staining are the
next processes. The dyes are generally of three kinds, red, brown, and
yellow. The two first tints are obtained from clays, and the third from
the ever useful turmeric. The women who make and print the cloth do
not prepare the dyes, that being a separate occupation, and in these
islands the different professions are strictly limited to certain
families, just as is the case with the castes in India. The printing is
done on exactly the same principle that is employed in rubbing brasses
in this country. The pattern is made by fastening the flexible ribs of
the cocoa-nut leaf on a board. When the ribs are quite hard and dry the
cloth is stretched over them, and the dye rubbed over it with a stiff
brush, so that it only adheres to those parts of the cloth which press
against the raised pattern below. For patterns of a larger description
a softer bark is used, which holds a quantity of color.
There are in my collection several specimens of Samoan bark cloth; one
is very fine, pure white, six feet long, by two wide, and ornamented
with a fine fringe all round it. Another is thicker and stronger, being
made of four layers of bark, one placed upon the other. In some places
the junction has not been completed, and the different layers are quite
distinct. It measures rather more than seven feet in length and three
feet ten inches in width. It has a deep-colored border about eighteen
inches in width, composed of a diamond pattern impressed upon a number
of perpendicular parallel lines and dots. This border is a light red
in color, and upon it are several circles of dark brown. Circles of
a similar kind are scattered over the uncolored portion of the robe,
which is of a creamy yellow hue.
The third specimen is still thicker, and larger. It is seven feet
square, and has been completely covered on the outside with the clay
pigment, which has been put on so thickly as to make the fabric
comparatively stiff. Two broad bands of deep black are drawn across
it so as to divide it into three equal portions, and in each division
are four patterns also drawn in black, very much resembling the “broad
arrow” used in the government mark of England.
In the second illustration on page 1012 are shown the successive
processes of converting the bark into cloth. In the foreground and at
the right hand are seen some women kneeling in the stream, engaged
in scraping the _liber_ to free it from every particle of the outer
bark. One woman is examining a piece against the light, to see whether
it is quite clean. Behind them, and toward the left centre of the
illustration are more women, some of them beating and scraping the
bark with the square mallets which have been already described when
treating of Tonga, and another is busily employed in joining two pieces
with arrow-root. Just above them is another woman engaged in the more
skilful part of the manufacture, _i. e._ printing by rubbing dye over
the cloth when laid on the pattern board, and one or two of the boards
themselves are given, in order to show the cocoa-nut leaf pattern upon
them. In the distance, the other women are seen hanging the still wet
cloth up to dry.
CHAPTER CIII.
SAMOA, OR THE NAVIGATORS’ ISLANDS--_Continued_.
WAR.
CAUSES OF WAR IN SAMOA -- THE MALO, AND STRUGGLES FOR ITS POSSESSION
-- THE CHIEF’S VENGEANCE -- FIRE-ARMS PREVENTIVE OF WAR -- SAMOAN
WEAPONS -- THE CLUBS -- PATTERNS OF CLUBS THROUGHOUT POLYNESIA --
STRANGE MODE OF USING THE SPEAR -- THE SHARK-TOOTH GAUNTLETS --
SUITS OF ARMOR -- GETTING TOGETHER AN ARMY, AND MODE OF FIGHTING --
UNPLEASANT POSITION OF NEUTRALS -- THE SEA-FIGHT -- DISTINGUISHING
PENNANTS -- THE DEFIANCE BEFORE BATTLE -- TROPHIES OF WAR, AND
ELATION OF THE VICTOR -- DISPOSAL OF THE BODIES -- THE HEAD PILE --
SINGLE COMBAT BETWEEN CHIEFS -- SAMOAN LAW -- PUNISHMENT FOR MURDER
AND LESSER OFFENCES -- CANNIBALISM -- NATIVE LAWYERS -- THE PLAINTIFF
DEFEATED WITH HIS OWN WEAPONS.
It was mentioned on page 1014, that women when captured in war become
the absolute property of those who take them; we will therefore
devote a short space to warfare among the Samoans, omitting those
characteristics in which it resembles war among the other Polynesian
tribes, which have already been described.
The causes of war may mostly be reduced to four; namely, the desire of
political supremacy, disputed succession to chieftainship, revenge for
the murder of a chief, and infringement of the strange marriage laws of
the Samoans.
The first of these causes is always rankling. Each island is divided
into several districts, and when one begins to show signs of special
prosperity, another is sure to take umbrage at it and go to war in
order to secure the “Malo,” or political supremacy. One example of such
a war occurred only a few years ago in the island of Apolo.
Manono, one of the three districts into which it is divided, held the
supremacy, and the chiefs felt indignant because another district,
Aâna, was prospering under the teaching of the missionaries. The chiefs
of Manono therefore began to oppress Aâna by making continual demands
of property and food. Still, in spite of their exactions, the district
would persist in flourishing; it made and sold more cocoa-nut oil, and
sold it for more hatchets, calico, and other European treasures, than
the other districts. The Manono chiefs were naturally indignant that
when they went to a subject district they found it better cultivated
and richer than their own, and construed the inferiority which they
could not but feel into an intentional insult on the part of Aâna. So
they proclaimed the people of Aâna to be rebels, and made war against
them.
Such a cause of war, absurd as it may be, and subversive of all real
progress, is intelligible, and to be explained by the petty jealousies
of human nature, which is too prone to feel itself personally hurt
at the prosperity of another. Vengeance for a murdered chief is
intelligible, and so is a war for succession; but the last cause needs
some explanation.
By the laws of Samoa, a woman once a wife is always a wife, even though
she may be put away by her husband. The Samoan chiefs claim the right
of marrying as many wives as they choose, and putting them away as
often as they like. Indeed, a man often marries a girl merely for the
sake of her dower of mats and other property. But even after he has
put away a wife, he still considers her as his own chattel; and if any
other chief takes her to his house, war is at once declared against
him. It is a curious fact that the original husband cares nothing
about the morality of the wife whom he has put away, but only for the
insult offered to himself by taking his property. Such cast-off wives
mostly attach themselves to the Fala-tele, or visiting house, leading
most immoral lives, and may do so without incurring any resentment
from their former husband. But let them marry another, and vengeance
immediately follows the insult.
[Illustration: MANGAIAN SPEAR. (See page 1034.)
_Head larger_
_Full length in proportion to head_]
[Illustration: ADZE MAGNIFIED. (See page 1033.)]
[Illustration: SUIT OF ARMOR. (See page 1019.)]
[Illustration: SAMOAN CLUB. (See page 1019.)]
[Illustration: MANGAIAN PADDLES (See page 1033.)]
Before the introduction of fire-arms, the principal weapons of Samoa
were the spear and the club. The older chiefs have a rooted objection
to the musket, and, like Hotspur’s fop, have not been particularly
willing to take the field since that “villanous saltpetre” has come
into vogue. Muskets, say they, are weapons for boys; clubs for men.
They have some reason to complain of the bullets, which, as they say,
do not know chiefs, because their towering headdresses make them so
conspicuous that they afford excellent marks to the enemy; and if by
chance one of their opponents should have even a moderate notion of
taking aim, their chance of coming safely out of the battle would be a
very small one.
The clubs used in Samoa are remarkable for the excellence of their
make, and the polish and finish with which the native carver loves to
ornament them. Some of them are short, used for one hand, and made just
like the steel maces of European chivalry. Others are almost exactly
like the club No. 1, figured on page 949. The example which is given
in the illustration entitled “Club,” on page 1018, is drawn from a
specimen in my collection, and belonged to the same chief who owned the
war mat and feather headdress which have been described. It is five
feet in length, and very heavy, so that none but a very powerful man
can use it. As it has seen much work, it has been battered about, the
wood of the head cracked, and the carving defaced. I have therefore had
it drawn as it was when new.
As a rule the clubs of Tonga, Samoa, Fiji, and other Polynesian groups
can hardly be definitely referred to any one of them. The commerce
which passes between them has caused an interchange of weapons as
well as of peaceful commodities, so that the two distinct races which
inhabit Fiji and the Tongan and Samoan group use weapons which are
almost identical. Thus the serrated club which has just been mentioned
is equally used in New Guinea, Fiji, and Samoa, the pattern having been
found a convenient one, and so transmitted from one island to the other.
The spears, again, have a great similitude, and are armed with barbs,
the best being tipped with the tail-bone of the sting-ray. In former
days, when a warrior had pierced an enemy with his spear, he tried to
lift him from the ground upon it; and if he were unable to do so, he
was generally assisted by several of his comrades, who all thrust their
spears into his body, lifted him in the air, and bore him aloft in
triumph, not caring whether he were alive or dead.
One weapon, however, seems to be peculiar to Samoa, and has been
mentioned by Mariner. It consists of a pair of gauntlets made of
cocoa-nut fibre, on the inside of which are fixed several rows of
sharks’ teeth, set edgewise. In fact, this weapon is made exactly on
the principle of the terrible “tiger-claw” of India, and is intended
for the purpose of ripping up an adversary, the abdomen being the part
that is always attacked, both by the Samoan and the Hindoo.
One chief, who was of gigantic dimensions, even for a Samoan,
always fought with these terrible gauntlets. He used them, however,
in a different manner, and disdained to tear open the body of his
antagonist. As all the points of the teeth are directed backward, it
is impossible for any one who is grasped by these gauntlets to tear
himself away. The gigantic chief was accustomed to rush at one of the
enemy, seize him with his gauntleted hand, fling him on his face, place
one foot on the small of his back, grasp him by the head and bend
him forcibly upward so as to break his spine. This was his mode of
dealing with able-bodied men. If, however, he seized a small man, he
merely threw the victim across his knee, broke his back, and flung his
dying foe on the ground. The illustration on page 1025 is taken from a
beautiful specimen in the collection of the United Service Museum.
In order to guard themselves against these weapons, the Samoan warriors
gird themselves with a very broad and thick belt, made of cocoa-nut
fibre, wide enough to reach from the arm to the hip. It is not quite
long enough to encircle the body, but is worn mostly on the left side,
that being the side most exposed to the enemy.
One of these belts, in my collection, is two feet nine inches in
length, so that when fastened round the waist it leaves a considerable
portion of the right side exposed. It is made by taking a number of
plaited cords, and passing them over two sticks, so that all the cords
are parallel to each other. They are then bound firmly together by
strings of twisted fibre, which pass under and over each alternately,
and make a very strong armor, through which the dreaded sharks’ teeth
cannot make their way.
Sometimes the Samoan warrior seems to have been mistrustful of the
efficacy of the belt, and to have feared the effects of the shark’s
teeth on his naked arms and legs. There is in the collection of the
United Service Museum a complete suit of armor, most ingeniously made
out of fibre, and so formed as to cover the greater part of the body
and limbs. It is in two portions, the upper being put on as a coat,
and the lower as trousers. By the sides of the armor, on p. 1018, are
two small sketches, showing on an enlarged scale the patterns of the
plaiting.
There is no definite army among the Samoans, each man being considered
as a soldier, and having his weapons always at hand. He is liable at
any time to be called out by his chief, and, as a rule, he troubles
himself very little about the cause of the war, only concerning himself
to fight in the train of his chief. The Samoans are a brave race, and,
if properly led and taught the veriest rudiments of discipline, would
make good soldiers. As it is, however, no Samoan warrior fights with
the knowledge that his movements are directed in accordance with a
definite plan, or that he will be supported by others. He does not feel
himself a simple unit among many, but has to look out for himself, to
select his own adversary, to advance when he thinks he can do so with
advantage, to run away when he feels himself getting into undue peril.
Whenever a few Samoans have put themselves under the guidance of a
white man, they have always repelled their foes. In one such case,
twenty men drove off a body of five hundred enemies, flushed with
success and bloodshed. Both parties were armed with muskets, but the
regular though insignificant volleys of the twenty men so completely
disorganized the five hundred undisciplined foes, that the latter dared
not attack the little stone wall, five feet high and twenty-five yards
long, behind which the defenders were lying.
Had the latter been left to their own devices, they would have fired
all their pieces at once, and been left with unloaded muskets at the
mercy of their foes. But being taught always to keep half their muskets
loaded, they had always a volley ready for their enemies, who were
utterly discomfited at their reception, and at last were only too glad
to escape as they best could, with the loss of many men.
The position of a neutral is not at all a pleasant one in Samoa, as, in
case either side should appear to be likely to win the day, those of
the losing side who happen to be friendly with the unfortunate neutral
make a point of stripping him of all his property, to prevent it from
falling into the hands of the enemy. Those Europeans who know the
native customs always erect barricades whenever war parties come near
them, knowing that they stand in equal danger from friends or foes.
When a chief decides on going to war, he calls out all the warriors
in his district. Though there is no real discipline of the soldiers,
there is at all events some semblance of order in their arrangement.
Each town has its definite place, and the inhabitants would resent
any attempt on the part of another town to take the place which they
consider as their own. The most honorable post is in front, and, though
it is a post of danger, it is so honorable that if a man belonging to
any town privileged to lead the war were placed in the rear, he would
probably desert to the enemy. In fact, a vast amount of desertion
does take place, and by means of the deserters and the women, both
parties know tolerably well the designs of their antagonists. The idea
of conceiving, maturing a plan, keeping it secret, and then suddenly
acting on it, seems never to have entered the mind of the Samoan chiefs.
Though the vanguard is the post of danger as well as of honor, it is
greatly coveted, for it is also the post of profit both in peace and
war. The inhabitants of the privileged towns claim the largest share
at the feasts, and generally rule the district in which they live. As
all the Samoans dress much alike and speak the same language, they are
obliged to wear a sort of uniform, by which they shall know friends
from foes. In the case of warriors, the hair is dressed in some strange
way, or a white shell is hung round the neck, or a strip of cloth tied
round the arm, these symbols being changed every three or four days, in
order to prevent the enemy from imitating them.
When canoes unite under one leader, they hang out symbols of a similar
character, such as bunches of leaves, strips of matting, or even a
sort of flag made of native matting, and having painted on it the rude
figure of some animal, such as a pig, a dog, or a bird. True to the
independent nature of Samoan warriors, the two men who respectively
command the land and the sea forces never think of consulting together,
and acting in concert together, but each does what he thinks best on
the spur of the moment. In the case already mentioned, where twenty
Aâna men repulsed five hundred of the Savaiis, the latter might have
been cut off to a man. While they were kept in check by the twenty
disciplined warriors, a fleet of Aâna canoes appeared off the shore;
and, if the commander had only landed his men, a most thorough example
would have been made of the invaders. But he had nothing to do with the
land force, and so allowed the enemy to escape without even attempting
to stop them.
The student of anthropology always finds that human nature is much the
same in different parts of the earth, and that manners and customs
wonderfully resemble each other in principle, though they may be
modified in detail by the accident of time and place. It has already
been mentioned that many of the Samoan laws are identical with those
given by Moses, though there is no possibility that any geographical
connection could ever have taken place between Polynesia and Sinai.
Warfare is carried on at the present day in Samoa just as the
scriptures tell us it used to be in Palestine and Syria, and as Homer
tells us it was waged on the plains of Troy. When two opposing bodies
meet, the leaders challenge and abuse each other in good set terms,
each boasting of his own prowess, depreciating that of the adversary,
and threatening after he has killed his enemy to dishonor his corpse
in some way. Thus, we find that when David had accepted the challenge
of Goliath, before they proceeded to action they reviled each other,
Goliath threatening to give David’s flesh unto the “fowls of the air
and the beasts of the field,” and David retorting in almost the same
words, but adding that he would do the same by the bodies of the whole
army.
Thus, in the old Homeric story, where Ulysses flings his spear at
Socus, he uses almost exactly the same formula of words:--
“Ah, wretch! no father shall thy corpse compose,
Thy dying eye no tender mother close;
But hungry birds shall tear those balls away,
And hovering vultures scream around their prey.”
Thus, the Fijian warrior defies his enemy in words before he proceeds
to blows, threatening to bake and eat his body and make a drinking-cup
of his scull. Thus, the Samoan war parties always think it necessary
to pause and defy each other in words before they proceed to blows.
For example, when the Manono and Aâna men fought in the struggle which
has just been described, they exchanged threats and injurious epithets
wonderfully like the “winged words” of the Homeric warriors, the
sentiment being identical, though the imagery is necessarily different.
The illustration No. 1, on page 1027, shows these Samoan warriors
exchanging defiance with their foes.
“You banana-eating Manono men, be your throats consumed by Moso.”
“Ye cocoa-nut eating Aâna men, be your tongues wasted.”
“Where is that Savii pig that comes to his death?”
“Roast that Atua king who is about to die by my spear;” and so on _ad
infinitum_.
These war parties afford excellent opportunities of studying the dress
and ornaments of the Samoans. It is thought a point of honor with them,
as with the American Indians, to go into action in the fullest dress
and decorated with every ornament that can be procured, so that the
headdress and general accoutrements of a chief when engaged in war are
sure to be the best examples that can be seen.
The proceedings that take place after a battle are well described by
Mr. Pritchard. “After a fight, the heads of the slain warriors are
paraded in presence of the assembled chiefs and people, when the heroes
are individually thanked, and their general prowess and daring publicly
acknowledged. The excitement of the successful warrior is intense,
as he passes before the chiefs with his bleeding trophy, capering in
the most fantastic evolutions, with blackened face and oiled body,
throwing his club high in the air, and catching it behind his back or
between his legs; sometimes himself carrying his dead enemy’s head,
sometimes dancing round a comrade who carries it for him, all the while
shouting in his loudest voice, ‘Ou te mau tangata! Ou te mau tangata!’
(‘I have my man, I have my man!’)”
To a young Samoan this is the realization of his highest ambition, to
be thus publicly thanked by the chief for slaying an enemy in mortal
combat, as he careers before his comrades with the reeking head of his
foe in one hand, and his club in the other.
“Then, again, when the war is over, and he returns to his village, to
hear his companions rehearse the exploit, and the girls pronounce him
‘toa’ _i. e._ brave; then it is you see in their very perfection the
complacent dignity and latent pride that lurk within that brown-skinned
islander. As he assumes an air of unconscious disregard of the praises
his deeds evoke, you see the sublime and the ludicrous neatly blending,
when he turns to the girls, and mildly exclaims, ‘Funa mai si rului!’
(‘Woman, hand me a cigar.’) This modest little order is at once pretty
and pert, dignified and careless, when it falls from the lips of a hero
or a beau. And proud is the girl who hands it to him; she has but one
ambition then, to become his wife, even with the certainty of being
cast off in less than a month for another.
“After the heads have been paraded before the chiefs, they are piled
up in the malae, or open space in the centre of the town, the head
of the greatest chief slain being placed uppermost. If among the
visitors there are any relatives of the slain, they claim the heads
and bury them, or send them back to the comrades of the deceased. The
unclaimed heads are buried together in the malae. Any bodies that may
be recognized are also buried by their friends, while those who have no
relations among the visitors are left to rot and make food for the dogs.
“The relations are careful to bury the bodies they identify, lest
their spirits should haunt them or wander about the field of battle,
disconsolate and mournful, lamenting the fate which left their bodies
to rot or to be eaten by the dogs. I have often heard the natives say,
‘Hear that spirit moaning, I am cold! I am cold!’ when a stormy night
has thrown its darkness and poured its torrents of rain and gusts of
wind over the battle-field. It was vain to tell them that the noise
they heard was merely the creaking boughs or the pelting rain; to them
it was nothing else than the spirit of the unburied dead enemy.”
The feelings of vanity are so acute in a Samoan warrior that he will
do almost anything to procure applause at these meetings after a
battle. One man who had failed to kill an enemy was greatly annoyed
with himself at having missed the public applause which he had hoped
to gain, and hit upon another mode of obtaining a sort of celebrity.
He cut off the great toes of a dead enemy whose head had already been
taken, and with these toes in his mouth paraded before the chiefs as if
he had taken a head. Finding that this novel act excited admiration, he
became so excited that he ate the toes, even without cooking them, in
the presence of all the people.
Such an act as this might induce the reader to suppose that the
Samoans, like many Polynesians, are cannibals. In the ordinary sense of
the word, they are not so. After a battle they will sometimes cook and
eat a human body, but this is done as an act of disgrace, and not as
a gratification of the appetite. In one instance, a young woman whose
father had been killed in battle obtained a scalp that had belonged to
the enemy. She first burned it to ashes, then beat it to powder, and
scattered the dust on the fire over which she cooked her provisions.
After a decisive battle, the chiefs of the beaten side come humbly
before their victorious antagonists, carrying firewood, stones and
pieces of bamboo. They lay their burdens before the principal chief,
and prostrate themselves on the ground, lying there in silence.
Should, as is generally the case, the victors be willing to accept the
submission, the prostrate chiefs are told to rise and return home; but
if they should not be satisfied, the men are clubbed where they lie,
while the people whom they represent suffer all the horrors of savage
warfare.
The firewood, stones, and bamboo are considered as emblems of the
utterly abject state to which the bearers have been reduced. The
stones, being the material with which the native ovens are made,
signify that those who deposit them at the feet of the victors give
themselves up to be baked and eaten by the conquerors. The firewood
represents the material with which the ovens are heated, and the bamboo
serves as a double symbol. In the first place, the knives with which
the Samoans cut up their food were always made of bamboo before the
use of iron was introduced by Europeans; and in the second place,
the instruments by which torture was inflicted on prisoners by cruel
captors were made of the same material.
When the conquered party are pardoned, they enter the house of the
chief, kiss his feet, and present him with fine mats, bark cloth, food,
and similar property. This ceremony is called Ifonga, and is sometimes
employed on other occasions. For example, during the war between Manono
and Aâna, two of the most influential chiefs of the latter party took
umbrage at some slight, either real or fancied, and deserted to the
enemy. Desertion of this nature is quite a common event in Samoan
warfare, inasmuch as the chiefs are almost entirely independent of
each other, and are bound together by the slightest of ties. In fact,
the condition of these islanders much resembles that of the Scottish
Highlanders in the old times, when it was hardly possible to wage a
regular war on account of the rival jealousies of the different chiefs,
besides the internal dissensions among the members of each clan.
Besides, as in the old Scottish clans, there is no discipline by which
even the men are bound together. Each man serves as long as he chooses,
and no longer. If he thinks himself slighted, or if his crops at home
have to be got in, he has no hesitation in shouldering his club, and
going off to his own village; nor is there any law by which he can
be punished for so doing. In the war to which we are now alluding, a
vast number of the Savaii allies of Manono had gone off to their own
plantations.
In order to carry out the principle of obtaining the Malo, or
sovereignty, it was necessary that the deserters should do homage
to Manono, and be replaced in state in their homes, which they were
supposed to hold under Manono as vassals in charge. If they could take
possession without being attacked by the opposing party, they were
supposed to have asserted their rights.
Accordingly, a great ceremony was projected. The Manono chiefs recalled
all the allies who had escaped from the war, ostensibly to look after
their plantations, but in reality because they had a strong objection
to bullets, and summoned them to bring the produce of their plantations
to a great “fono,” or discussion. Accordingly, they all came back,
allured by the prospect of the feast which accompanies such a “fono.”
The two deserting chiefs were introduced to the assembly, and went
through the ceremony of Ifonga as a matter of form. Next they had to
be safely installed in their own villages. With one of them this was a
comparatively easy matter, as the whole district was deserted. So the
chief was taken there in triumph, escorted by thirty or forty canoes,
and formally installed in his own domains, as vassal to Manono, and
therefore acknowledging the right of Malo to belong to that district.
He had no followers with him, and in a day or two he left the place
and returned to Manono. Still, the transaction had been completed, the
time during which he held his domain not being of any importance. The
reader may be glad to know that this chief suffered the usual fate of
renegades, being received at first with great ceremony, and made much
of, and afterward sinking into utter obscurity.
As to the other chief, there was a difficulty respecting the
installation. It so happened that, he having been one of the most
influential leaders, all the united forces of the two districts, Aâna
and Atua, were encamped in and about the place, and if he had been
taken there he would not only have been attacked, but the invading
party would probably have been repelled by the united forces of the
other two districts. So, after much deliberation, it was determined
that he should be installed at a convenient season, but that the
precise time for performing the ceremony need not for the present be
fixed upon.
Sometimes a couple of chiefs quarrel, and, instead of going to war,
fight it out themselves with their clubs. They display great dexterity
in fencing and guarding, as well as striking, and are watched intently
by the spectators. They are usually parted before they do any serious
harm to each other, because in case either were killed, or even
seriously injured, a war of vengeance would be the inevitable result.
* * * * *
Comparatively little is known of the native laws of Samoa, which, like
all similar institutions, are always on the change, and of late years
have been almost forgotten by reason of the presence of Europeans in
the islands. We find, however, from several travellers, especially
from those who have lived among the Samoans as missionaries, that a
tolerably well-defined code of laws is recognized, and administered by
the chief and his councillors.
Murder, for example, was punishable by death; and this was so well
known that when one man murdered another, he and all his family
generally fled to another district, where they were sure of protection.
It was necessary that all the family should accompany the murderer,
because the relatives of the slain man might wreak their vengeance
upon any relation of the murderer. Practically, the punishment for
murder resolved itself into a heavy fine. The fugitive necessarily
left behind him his plantations, his house, and other property, all
of which was seized by the chief. Sometimes the whole of the property
was confiscated, the house burned down, the plantation devastated, and
a message sent to the murderer that he might never return to his own
village. Generally, however, this extreme punishment was commuted for
a heavy fine, part of which consisted in giving a feast to the entire
village.
Damaging a fruit tree was held to be a crime deserving of heavy
punishment; and so was speaking disrespectfully to a chief, destroying
a fence, or behaving rudely to strangers. For several offences the
Samoans had a curiously graduated scale of punishments. Sometimes, when
the offence was a light one, the offender was sentenced to seat himself
in front of the chief and his council, and take five bites of a cruelly
pungent root. Sometimes he was obliged to toss and catch a certain
number of times one of the prickly sea-urchins, which are covered with
slender spikes, as sharp as needles and as brittle as glass. Sometimes
he had to beat his head with sharp stones until his face was covered
with blood.
These punishments were usually inflicted, but there was a severe set
of penalties for graver offences. In some cases the offender was hung
by the feet to the branch of a tree, or stripped of all his clothes,
and set in the burning rays of the mid-day sun. One of the severest,
as well as most degrading punishments consisted in taking a pole cut
from a very prickly tree, tying together the culprit’s feet and hands,
slinging him on the pole as pigs are slung when they are being taken to
the oven, and carrying him to the house or village against which he had
offended.
The degrading part of this punishment consisted in likening the
offender to a pig going to the oven. It is always held as a deep insult
to a Samoan to compare him to a pig; while the very idea of being baked
in the oven is most repulsive to the feelings of the people, who have
the same contempt for any of the processes of cookery that prevails
throughout New Zealand, Fiji, and Tonga. So utterly humiliating is this
punishment, that when the culprit is laid helpless at the feet of those
whom he has injured he is almost invariably released and forgiven,
the extreme degradation being accepted as an atonement for almost any
offence, no matter how heinous. This is the reason why the ceremony of
Ifonga is considered as so degrading.
Indeed, it is in consequence of this feeling that cannibalism is
occasionally practised, though, as has already been mentioned, it
exists in a very modified form. Formerly, the women always attended
upon the warriors for the sake of obtaining the bodies of the slain
foes, which they dragged out of the field, and then cooked, by way
of expressing the utmost contempt for them. The priests used also to
accompany the warriors, and pray to the gods for success. They had good
reason for wishing for victory, as their portion of the food was only
the hands of the slain warriors, and as long as the struggle lasted
they were not allowed to eat any other food except these hands. The
priests of the losing side have sometimes been obliged to fast for
several days in succession.
When the body of a chief was carried off to the oven, great rejoicings
were made, and every one was expected to eat a piece of it, no matter
how small. On such occasions, even the women and little children had
a share, the question being frequently asked whether all have tasted.
Sometimes, when a captive has been taken alive, the Samoans have been
known to tie him up to a tree, dig a hole in front of him, line it with
stones, heat it before his eyes, and then throw him into it.
According to the accounts of the natives, wars were formerly much more
common than is now the case, the musket having almost driven the club
and spear out of the field, and rendering useless the strength and
skill of the warriors, who prided themselves on their dexterity of
handling their weapons. How well they fence with the club has already
been described, and that they were equally efficient in the use of the
spear is evident from an anecdote told by Mr. Williams.
A chief named Matetau had come on board an English vessel, and
the captain, wishing to test the skill of his visitor, painted on
the foresail a ring about four or five inches in diameter, and
asked Matetau to throw his spear at it. The chief retired to the
quarter-deck, about eighty feet from the mark, poised his spear for
a moment, and sent it through the middle of the ring. Warriors thus
skilful in the use of their weapons might well feel indignant at the
introduction of fire-arms, which equalize the weak and the strong, and
enable a mere boy only just tattooed to kill the greatest chief.
When cases are brought before the council for adjudication, both
plaintiff and defendant exhibit the greatest ingenuity in stating
their case, and are wonderfully fertile in inventing new arguments.
The Samoan litigant is as slippery as an eel, and no sooner has he
found one post untenable than he has contrived to glide away from it
and establish himself in another. Mr. Pritchard gives a very amusing
instance of this characteristic of the Samoan.
The property of an English resident, who was popularly called “Monkey
Jack,” had been wantonly destroyed, and the injured man referred the
case to the council. As at that time two ships of war arrived, the
matter was by common consent referred to the senior officer, and the
plaintiff, accompanied by his friends, proceeded to the spot. The
chiefs were convened, and, though they could not deny that the property
had been destroyed, they put forward a series of excuses for refusing
to pay any indemnity.
Firstly, they said that the plaintiff had joined the enemy, and that
they were therefore entitled to wage war on him. This accusation being
refuted, they shifted their ground from the man to his wife, saying
that she was related to the enemy, and that her husband necessarily
partook of the relationship. Fortunately, the woman happened to be
related equally to both sides, so that the defendants had to abandon
that plea.
Their next count was, that the destruction of the property was
accidental, and that therefore the owner had no claim on them. As their
own previous admissions contradicted them, there was no difficulty in
disposing of this allegation. Their next line of defence was a very
ludicrous one, and showed that they were nearly brought to bay. It so
happened that “Monkey Jack” was something of an armorer, and used to
repair for the natives the muskets which their rough hands had damaged.
His opponents suddenly recollected this and turned it to account,
saying that his charges for repairs were so much heavier to them than
to the enemy, that in self-defence they had taken his property in
compensation. Evidence was brought that his charges were always the
same to any natives, no matter to which party they belonged, and so the
defendants were again beaten.
Like wise men, however, they had reserved their weightiest argument
to the last. It has already been mentioned that in time of war either
party has no scruple in destroying or confiscating the property of
a friend, on the plea that it is better for them to have the use of
the property than for the enemy to take it. The defendants brought
forward an argument based on this custom, saying that they only acted
in accordance with national custom, and that they had destroyed the
property of the plaintiff, in order to keep it out of the hands of the
enemy.
This was by far the most formidable argument they could have employed,
but “Monkey Jack” was as clever as his opponents, and replied with
crushing effect, that for several weeks the opposite party had been
able, if they had desired to do so, to destroy all his property, but
had refrained from touching it.
When the chiefs saw that they had met with men more skilful than
themselves in argument, they were sadly perplexed, and some of the
younger chiefs hit on a mode by which they thought that they might
escape from paying the indemnity. They agreed quietly to surround the
spot where the captain and the consul were sitting, and suddenly carry
them off, and retain them as hostages until the indemnity should be
given up. Fortunately, Mr. Pritchard detected their plot, and contrived
to slip back to the boats, where he arranged a counter plot.
Before very long, the Samoans surrounded the place where the intended
captives were sitting, and, just as they were about to seize them, Mr.
Pritchard called out to them, and showed them that they were covered by
the levelled muskets of the sailors and marines, who had accompanied
the captain and the consul to the spot. Knowing that, unlike
themselves, the English warriors had an inconvenient habit of hitting
when they fired, the Samoan chiefs acknowledged themselves conquered,
and agreed to pay the indemnity.
Another case, much more petty, was a very ludicrous one, the Samoan
absolutely granting himself to be defeated by the logic of his
opponent.
There was a certain West Indian negro, who had taken up his residence
in Samoa, and had attained in a neighboring tribe the rank of chief,
together with the name of Paunga. A native chief, named Toe-tangata
(called, for brevity’s sake, Toe), had a dog, which was in the habit
of stealing from Paunga’s house. The latter had often complained to
the owner of the animal, but without success, and at last, as the dog
continued to steal, Paunga shot it. Now in Samoa to insult a chief’s
dog is to insult the owner, and so Toe considered himself to have been
shot by Paunga.
The case was at last referred to the captain of an English man-of-war,
but Paunga refused to appear, saying that he was a Samoan chief, and
not under the jurisdiction of a foreigner. A file of armed marines
was at once sent for Paunga, who ingeniously took advantage of the
proceeding, placing himself at their head, and telling the people that
they might now see that he was a chief among the white people as well
as among natives, and had his guard of honor, without which he would
not have stirred out of the house.
Both being before the captain, Toe made his complaint, and was
instantly crushed by Paunga’s reply. He admitted that the property of
a chief was identical with the owner. Consequently, when Toe’s dog ate
Paunga’s food, he, Toe, ate Paunga. Therefore, when Paunga shot Toe in
the person of his dog, he only balanced the account, and neither party
had grounds of complaint against the other.
[Illustration: SHARK-TOOTH GAUNTLET. (See page 1019.)]
CHAPTER CIV.
SAMOA, OR THE NAVIGATORS’ ISLANDS--_Concluded_.
AMUSEMENTS--MARRIAGE--ARCHITECTURE.
SAMOAN AMUSEMENTS -- PIGEON CATCHING -- THE DECOY BIRDS, AND MODE OF
USING THEM -- TRAINING THE BIRDS -- FISHING: THE NET AND THE LINE
-- DARING MODE OF SHARK CATCHING -- A BOLD FISHERMAN -- CURIOUS
ACCIDENTS TO THE DIVERS: THE SHARK AND THE CORAL -- THE BOAR HUNT
-- A DANGEROUS FOE -- SAMOAN COOKERY -- THE PALOLO -- ITS CURIOUS
APPEARANCE, MODE IN CAPTURE, AND WAY OF COOKING IT -- MARRIAGE
IN SAMOA -- CEREMONIES IN THE MARRIAGE OF A CHIEF -- THE WEDDING
FEAST AND DANCES -- SAMOAN ARCHITECTURE -- DIVISION OF THE HOUSE BY
MOSQUITO CURTAINS.
The amusements of the Samoans are in many respects identical with
those of other Polynesians, and therefore only those will be described
wherein is anything characteristic of these islanders. One of the
principal sports is pigeon shooting, which is carried on in certain
parts of the wood expressly prepared for it. The principle on which the
sport is followed much resembles that of the rat shooting practised
by the Tongans. Several chiefs agree to go off on a pigeon-catching
expedition, and at the appointed time the fowling ground is cleared
of bush, a large circle is marked out by stones, and just outside the
circle are made a number of ambushes, formed from leaves and branches,
which are cut fresh daily.
The sport is preluded by a drink of kava, and when this indispensable
preliminary is over, the chiefs repair to their stations, each having a
net and a trained bird. The net is small, and is fixed to the end of a
bamboo, thirty or even forty feet in length. The bird is perched on a
stick near its master, and is attached to its perch by a string forty
or fifty yards in length.
At a given signal, the birds are thrown into the air, and, following
the instructions they have received, wheel round and round for some
little time. The wild pigeons see them from a distance, and fancying
from their movements that they are hovering over food, fly to join
them. As they wheel to and fro with the decoy birds, the chiefs raise
their nets and dexterously capture them. He who takes the greatest
number of pigeons wins the game, and receives from each of the other
players a stake which has been previously fixed upon. Generally the
stakes consist of food or kava roots, and in such cases the winner
practically gains nothing but the honor of winning the game, as the
food is cooked and distributed by the winner to all his companions, and
the kava is converted into drink.
These bird-catching parties last for a very long time, the players
sometimes remaining on the spot for a month. Huts are consequently
run up around the open space on which the birds are flown. The second
engraving on the next page illustrates this sport very accurately.
The decoy birds are most carefully trained, the object of the trainer
being to make them rise at the word of command, fly to the end of the
string, wheel round in graceful circles for some time, and then return
to the perch. When a bird will remain on the wing for five minutes and
return to its perch at its master’s call, it is considered as having
been highly trained, and is held in great estimation. The natives may
be often seen engaged in training the birds in the open space in the
centre of the village. The birds are encouraged in their flight by a
peculiar mode of jerking the string.
[Illustration: (1.) SAMOAN WARRIORS EXCHANGING DEFIANCE. (See page
1021.)]
[Illustration: (2.) PIGEON CATCHING BY SAMOANS. (See page 1026.)]
Fishing is a very favorite amusement with the Samoans, who display a
wonderful amount of skill and often of courage in their sport. The
latter quality is chiefly brought into play when the natives are
occupied in shark fishing. Whenever a great feast is to be held, the
fishermen go off in search of sharks, the flesh of this fish being one
of the principal dainties of Samoa. The fishermen go off in canoes,
each canoe being manned by two or three fishermen, who are supplied
with a strong rope, having a noose at one end and a quantity of animal
offal.
Going to the edge of the lagoon, where the sharks lie under shelter of
the rocks, the men throw the offal overboard, for the double purpose
of attracting and gorging the sharks. They then peer into the water,
and when one of the fishermen sees a shark lazily stretching itself on
the sand that lies under the overhanging rocks, he lets himself very
quietly into the sea, dives down with the rope in his hand, slips the
noose over the shark’s tail, and rises to the surface. As soon as he
gets into the boat, the men drag the shark out of his retreat, and
haul away until the creature’s tail is raised out of the sea, when it
becomes nearly helpless. A sudden jerk brings it into the canoe, where
it is instantly killed.
Sometimes the shark lies in a deep submarine cave, with only its
head out of the opening. The Samoan fisherman, however, is not to be
baffled by this attitude, but dives down to the shark, and taps it
gently on the head. The fish, replete with food, feels annoyed at the
interruption, and turns round, exposing as it does so its tail to the
daring fisherman, who slips the noose over it in a moment.
One young man, mentioned by Mr. Pritchard, was celebrated for his
daring in this sport. He disdained assistance, and used to go out alone
in a little canoe, dropping bait overboard in order to attract the
sharks, and throwing his noosed rope over their tails. On one occasion
the rope broke, but the brave fellow had no idea of losing both shark
and rope. He leaped overboard among all the sharks, seized the rope,
scrambled into his canoe again, and, after a long and severe struggle,
succeeded in killing his shark and towing it ashore.
Sometimes the hook is used in shark fishing. The fishermen bait a hook,
carry it out in a canoe in twelve feet or so of water, and bring the
line back to land. Before very long a shark is nearly sure to seize the
bait; and when the fish is fairly hooked, several men haul at the rope
and drag the shark into shallow water, where it is allowed to flounce
about until it is exhausted, and is then killed without difficulty.
Such a sport as this is necessarily attended with much danger, but the
Samoan fisherman is nearly as much at home in the water as the shark
itself, and treats his dangerous game with the same easy indifference
which a Spanish matador displays toward a furious bull. Accidents
certainly do happen in both cases, but they are the exception, and not
the rule.
Another of their amusements which is dangerous is pig hunting. As the
swine are allowed to run loose in the woods, they have reverted to
their wild modes of life, and are sly, swift, active, and ferocious.
It is thought a point of honor for a chief to challenge a wild boar,
and to receive no assistance except in case of extreme need. The hunter
is armed with his knife and tomahawk, or sometimes with a whale spade,
which makes a very formidable weapon if the edges are kept sharp.
To kill one of the animals is no easy task. In the first place, a wild
boar is so quick that nothing but the greatest activity can save the
hunter from its tusks; and were the fight to take place on an open
plain instead of among trees, behind which the hunter can jump when
hard pressed, the beast might probably get the better of the man. Then
the boar is wonderfully tenacious of life, and has a skin so tough that
a sharp weapon and a strong arm are needed to inflict a mortal wound.
Even when the animal has fallen, and is apparently dead, an experienced
hunter always drives his knife into its throat, as boars have an
awkward way of suddenly reviving, leaping on their legs, and dashing
through their foes into the bush.
The sows are even more dangerous antagonists than the boars. They are,
as a rule, lighter, thinner, and more active, and, although they have
no long tusks wherewith to rip up their foes, they can bite as sharply
and as quickly as wolves. Indeed, were it not for the dogs which are
trained to boar-hunting, and are wonderfully courageous and skilful,
though very ugly and most unpromising to the eye, they would seldom be
brought to bay.
Mr. Pritchard gives an account of an adventure of his own with a boar,
which gives an excellent idea of the ferocity, cunning, and activity
of the animals. The boar had actually received two rifle bullets in
his left shoulder, inflicting wounds which would have disabled, if not
killed, most animals, but seemed only to irritate the boar by the pain.
“The fury of the beast was intense, with its two wounds and the
worrying of the dogs. He stood grinding his teeth and frothing at the
mouth, looking first at one and then at another of us, as if measuring
an antagonist for fight. The chief suggested that one of us should
tackle him, while the others looked on without interfering. Of course I
had to claim the _privilege_ to do so after such a challenge; though,
in truth, this being the first boar I had ever encountered, I felt as
if I had somewhat rashly undertaken the combat, for, even with his
two wounds, I fancied he might possibly hold out longer than myself,
and, if I failed to kill him, the failure would be fine sport for my
comrades, and not soon forgotten in their jokes.
“However, I stepped out in front of the infuriated beast, and no sooner
was I there than he was there too--quite promptly enough, I thought. He
made a furious charge at me, which I received with the butt end of my
rifle, trying to throw him over on his wounded side, but ineffectually.
A second time he came at me, and a second time I checked him. As he
drew up for the third charge, his long bristles standing on end,
grinding his tusks and tossing the froth from his huge mouth, I drew my
tomahawk. On he came, swifter than ever; the tomahawk fell deep into
the thick part of his neck, and my boy Atamu did the rest with his long
knife.
“It was rather hot work, for these boars have immense strength and no
little dogged pluck, and their skins are so tough that often a spear
will break short off without leaving even a mark where it struck.”
The same boar had previously forced the writer to employ rather a
ludicrous manœuvre. He had fired at the shoulder of the animal,
thinking that, if the bullet did not reach the heart, it would at all
events disable him. But the boar made at him almost as it received the
shot, and sprang on him so quickly that he was forced to jump over its
head upon its back, and roll off toward the nearest tree. The smaller
pigs are killed in a different manner. The dogs are trained to catch
them by the ears, shoulders, and tail, and when the hunters come up
they place a stick across the animal’s throat, and press it down until
the pig is dead.
As to the cookery of the Samoans, there is little to distinguish it
from that of the Tongans and other Polynesians of the same race. They
have a great abundance of dishes, being able to produce almost as great
a variety in that respect as the Fijians, and many of their dishes are
extremely palatable to an European. Vegetables form the staple of the
Samoan’s food, and of those he has abundant choice. Putting aside those
vegetables which have been imported from Europe, he has yams, taro,
bananas, bread-fruit, cocoa-nuts, and plantains. Sometimes these are
cooked separately and sometimes mixed, in order to produce a compound
more palatable to native taste. As a rule, the simpler specimens of
Samoan cookery please even the English palate, but when the native
cooks dress compound dishes the natives are generally the only persons
who can eat them.
For instance, there is nothing better in its way than the young
cocoa-nut, which is entirely different from the hard, indigestible
state in which we see it in England. But when the milk is poured out,
its place is supplied with salt water, and the contents allowed to
become putrid, the compound is offensive to more senses than one. Some
of their compounds are, however, excellent. Such is a sort of pudding
made by pouring the juice of cocoa-nuts over bananas, and baking them
together. Even the very young kernel of the cocoa-nut makes a very rich
dish when baked.
The strangest diet of the Samoans is the annelid called the Palolo
(_Palolo viridis_). Mr. Pritchard gives an excellent account of this
curious being and the mode of cooking it.
It appears only in certain strictly defined and very limited localities
in each group (_i. e._ in Fiji, Tonga, and Samoa); a month earlier,
about the first week in November, in Samoa than in the two other
groups. It rises directly from the bottom of the sea to the surface,
appearing first about four o’clock in the morning, and continuing to
increase in number, until about half an hour after sunrise, when it
begins to dissolve, and gradually disappears. By eight o’clock not a
trace of the palolo remains in the sea. They look just like so many
worms, from an inch to a yard in length, showing every conceivable
color as they wriggle about, and are soft to the touch.
“The time of their appearance is calculated by the old men of the
various tribes, and is known by the sun, moon, and stars having a
particular bearing to each other. A month before the great appearance,
a few are found in each of the localities where they rise. Parties go
out in their canoes to watch for this first appearance, for by it the
calculation as to the second and great appearance is verified.
“When that time comes, whole villages, men, women, and children,
crowd the scene; by two o’clock the sea is covered with canoes, the
outriggers getting foul and breaking adrift without distracting the
attention, as by four o’clock all are busied scooping up the palolos
and pouring them into baskets made for the occasion. The noise and
excitement from four to six o’clock is something astonishing, and
the scrambling most amusing. And when, with canoes landed, the crowd
disperses, the next thing is to prepare the ovens to cook the palolos,
which are merely wrapped in bread-fruit leaves. They are sent round
with much formality to friends at a distance, and sometimes kept three
or four weeks by being occasionally warmed in an oven.
“I never could muster courage to do more than merely taste them, so
repulsive is their very appearance as they roll and coil together,
though Englishmen and even English women there are who eat them, and
professedly with a relish, for which I suppose one cannot but accept
their word. One lady in particular there is, as described by Dr.
Seeman, a ‘strong-minded individual,’ who eats palolo with a remarkable
gusto. I think she will not be deprived of her fancy dish by many of
her visitors.”
There has been much discussion about the palolo, many persons having
doubted whether it was ever an annelid, and believing the worms to be
mere strings of spawn. The question has, however, been settled, and
there is an elaborate paper on the palolo in the “Transactions of the
Linnæan Society,” vol. xxii. p. 237.
The worm is allied to the well-known Nereids, several species of which
are so plentiful on our own shores. It is flattish, about the sixth
of an inch in width, and consists of a vast number of segments. The
entire specimen has never been secured, so delicate and fragile is
the creature, and it is with the greatest difficulty that a head can
be discovered. Among the specimens first sent to the British Museum,
not a single head could be found, and among a large bottle full of
palolo collected expressly for scientific purposes, only one head was
discovered. The head is a little narrower than the joints which compose
the neck, and is furnished with two little eyes on the upper surface,
between which are placed three tentacles, of which the middle is the
longest.
The normal color of the annelid is green, and it is remarkable for the
regularly dotted appearance of the back, one black dot being placed
on the middle of each segment. So regularly does the palolo make
its appearance, that among the Fiji group the months of October and
November are known by the names of the Little Palolo and Great Palolo,
the former being the month in which it is first seen, and the second
that in which it makes its grand appearance.
* * * * *
Marriages in Samoa are conducted much like those of Tonga, the latter
group of islands having borrowed many of the Samoan customs. It is
thought rather below the dignity of a chief to court a wife for
himself, and that office is generally undertaken by his friends, who
praise him in the most unmeasured terms, and do all in their power to
induce the girl to yield. When her consent has been given, the chief
sends property to her father, and receives in return fine mats and
other articles, this exchange being considered as the betrothal.
On the day of marriage, the bride, well anointed with oil, colored with
turmeric, and dressed in large quantities of the finest mats, is placed
in the malae, or open space in the centre of the village, attended by
her young friends, who are arrayed in all the gorgeousness of savage
finery, with wreaths of flowers and nautilus shells on their heads. She
is also accompanied by the two duennas who have had charge of her, and
who chant her praises and extol her virtue. The object of this public
assembly is to prove whether the girl be worthy to be the wife of a
chief. Should the verdict be in her favor, she is presented to the
people as the chief’s wife, and, amid their acclamations, is taken into
the house by her duennas and attendants. Should, as is very seldom the
case, the verdict be adverse, all the male members of her family, even
her fathers and brothers, rush on her with their clubs and kill her on
the spot, in order to take away the disgrace which she has brought on
her house.
After the bride has been led away there is a grand dance. This differs
somewhat from the dances which are usually seen among the Polynesians.
The spectators being seated in a circle round a cleared space, and
keeping up a monotonous chant, the men first enter the circle, led by
a young chief, and clothed merely in the little leaf apron, so as to
show off the tattoo to the best advantage. Their leader goes through a
vast number of steps, sometimes leaping high in the air, and sometimes
executing movements of a slower and more graceful character, while
every step is watched and criticised as it is danced by the leader and
imitated by his followers. After the men have danced for some time they
retire, and a number of girls enter, who go through evolutions of a
similar character, and afterward both men and women dance together.
* * * * *
The houses of the Samoans are all built on the same model. They are
very conservative in some of their ideas, and follow implicitly the
plan which was adopted by the chief who, according to their traditions,
first built a dwelling. At a distance, the appearance of the house has
been compared to a large mushroom.
The first process is, to make a large platform of rough stones, covered
with gravel, extending some twenty feet on every side beyond the walls
of the house. In the centre are planted three posts, standing about
twenty-five feet out of the ground. Upon these central posts are
supported the rafters of the roof, one end of each rafter being fixed
to them, and the other end to the tops of short posts about four feet
high, which form, or rather which do duty for, the walls of the house.
Real walls there are none, but at night the space between the posts is
closed by blinds made of plaited cocoa-nut leaves. The whole framework
of the roof is made in several sections, so that it can be removed.
The thatch is made of the leaves of the sugar-cane, nailed by the women
to reeds with spikes made of the ribs of the cocoa-nut leaves. About
four thousand leaves are required for thatching a house, and they are
lashed carefully with cocoa-nut fibre.
The floor of the house is strewn with very fine gravel and covered with
mats. There are no separate chambers, but at night the house is divided
into a number of sleeping places by means of the mosquito curtains
which are attached to the central post, and let down when required. It
is a point of etiquette that all guests should be supplied with clean
mats. The pillow used in Samoa is like that of Fiji, and is nothing
more than a stick supported on a foot at each end.
CHAPTER CV.
HERVEY AND KINGSMILL ISLANDS.
APPEARANCE--WEAPONS--GOVERNMENT.
POSITION OF THE HERVEY ISLANDS -- FIERCE AND TREACHEROUS NATURE OF
THE INHABITANTS -- THE CHIEF MOUROOA, AND HIS VISIT TO THE SHIP
-- SKILL IN CARVING -- THEIR BEAUTIFUL PADDLES AND CANOES -- THE
MANGAIAN ADZE: ITS CARVED HANDLE AND STONE HEAD -- THE MANY-BARBED
SPEAR -- THE CLUB AND SLING -- THE FOUR RANKS IN BATTLE -- FEROCITY
OF THE WOMEN -- FEUDS AND THEIR CONSEQUENCES -- A MANGAIAN HOUSE
-- FOOD -- PROCURING AND COOKING IT -- A RAT HUNT -- IDOLS OF
THE MANGAIANS -- THE KINGSMILL ISLANDERS -- LOCALITY AND GENERAL
DESCRIPTION OF THE KINGSMILL ISLANDS -- APPEARANCE OF THE NATIVES --
ARCHITECTURE -- DRESS AND TATTOOING -- WARLIKE NATURE -- THE TERRIBLE
WEAPONS OF THESE ISLANDS -- THE SWORD AND SPEAR -- MODE OF GOVERNMENT
-- BURIAL OF A DEAD CHIEF.
Eastward of Samoa, and rather southward, lie the Hervey, or Cook’s
Islands. The group includes seven islands, the principal of which is
Rarotonga, an island between thirty and forty miles in circumference.
This island is remarkable for the lofty mountains of the interior,
and round it extends a large reef of coral. Some of the islands are
entirely coral, and all of them are surrounded by the dangerous coral
reefs, at which the coral “insects” are still working.
In general appearance the people bear much resemblance to the Samoans,
but seem to be of a more warlike and ferocious character. Indeed, so
quarrelsome and bloodthirsty are the natives of this group, that when
Mr. Williams visited Hervey’s Island he found that only sixty of the
population survived, and a few years later they were reduced to five
men, three women, and some children, and these were on the point of
fighting among themselves, in order to ascertain which should be king.
One of the principal islands of this group, namely, Mangaia, was
discovered by Captain Cook in March 1777. The natives were very
unwilling to come on board the vessel, but at last two men put off in
a canoe, their curiosity overcoming their terror. The name of one of
them was Mourooa, and he was distinguishable by a large scar on his
forehead, the result of a wound received in battle.
“Mourooa,” writes Captain Cook, “was lusty and well-made, but not very
tall. His features were agreeable, and his disposition seemingly no
less so, for he made several droll gesticulations, which indicated both
good nature and a share of humor. He also made others which seemed
of a serious kind, and repeated some words with a devout air before
he ventured to lay hold of the rope at the ship’s stern; which was
probably to recommend himself to the protection of some divinity.
“His color was nearly of the same cast common to the most southern
Europeans. The other man was not so handsome. Both of them had strong,
straight hair, of a jet color, tied together on the crown of the head
with a bit of cloth. They wore such girdles as we perceived about those
on shore, and we found they wore a substance made from the _Morus
papyrifera_, in the same manner as at the other islands of this ocean.
It was glazed, like the sort used by the natives of the Friendly
Islands, but the cloth on their heads was white, like that which is
found at Otaheite.
“They had on a kind of sandal made of a grassy substance interwoven,
which we also observed were worn by those who stood upon the beach,
and, as we supposed, intended to defend their feet against the rough
coral rock. Their beards were long; and the inside of their arms, from
the shoulder to the elbow, and some other parts, were punctured or
tattooed, after the manner of the inhabitants of almost all the other
islands in the South Sea. The lobe of their ears was pierced, or rather
slit, and to such a length that one of them stuck there a knife and
some beads which he had received from us; and the same person had two
polished pearl-shells and a bunch of human hair loosely twisted hanging
about his neck, which was the only ornament we observed.”
After some time, Mourooa ventured on board the ship, but seemed very
uneasy at his position, his feelings of curiosity being overcome by
those of alarm at finding himself in so gigantic a vessel. He showed
little curiosity about the ship and the various objects which it
contained, but the sight of a goat entirely drove out of his mind any
emotion except wonder, he never having seen so large an animal. He
wanted to know what _bird_ it could be, and, as soon as he could get
ashore, he was seen narrating to the people the wonders which he had
seen on board the great canoe.
All the Hervey Islanders are gifted with a natural appreciation of art,
and the inhabitants of Mangaia seem to be pre-eminent in this respect.
They lavish the most minute and elaborate carving on various objects,
the handles of tools and the paddles seeming to be their favorite
subjects. The beautiful paddle which is shown on the 1018th page, is
drawn from a specimen in my own collection. It is nearly four feet
in length, and the blade is eleven inches wide in the broadest part.
The pattern is given as well as can be done, considering the minute
elaboration of the original. The opposite face of the blade is even
more carefully decorated, and perhaps with a more artistic design. The
squared shaft of the paddle is covered with carving, as is also the
peculiarly shaped handle.
Another paddle is made in a similar manner, except that the shaft is
rounded instead of squared, and decorated at the handle with a row of
ornaments which seem to be conventional imitations of the human face
(see fig. 2). The wood of which these paddles are made is light, though
strong and elastic; and, as the implement is sometimes used as a club,
both these last-mentioned characteristics are needed.
Captain Cook noticed the peculiar shape of these paddles, though
he does not appear to have handled them, or to have examined them
carefully. “The canoe they came in (which was the only one we saw) was
not above ten feet long and very narrow, but both strong and neatly
made. The fore-part had a board fastened over it and projecting out,
so as to prevent the sea from getting in on plunging ... but it had an
upright stern about five feet high, like some in new Zealand, and the
upper part of this stern-post was forked. The lower part of the canoe
was of white wood, but the upper was black, and their paddles made of
wood of the same color, not above three feet long, broad at one end and
blunted.”
Another paddle was brought to England by the late Admiral Young, and
presented to me by his daughter. It is not so large as the specimens
which have been just described, but is the most delicately carved
specimen I have ever seen. The wood of which it is made is a very rich
dark brown, and takes a high polish, so that the effect of the carving
is peculiarly good. The blade is covered with a vast number of stars,
wonderfully well carved, seeing that the native maker had no compasses
by which to take his measurement, and that his only tools were sharks’
teeth and bits of stone. The maker has spared no pains over this trophy
of his skill, and, as if to show his own fertility of invention, he
has not covered the whole of the shaft with the same pattern, as is
the case with the two paddles that have just been described, but has
changed the pattern every few inches. I have also a much smaller and
shorter paddle, not quite three feet in length, which is made with
equal care, but which is not intended so much for use in propelling
boats as for ornament in dancing.
The love of ornamentation is displayed in all their manufactures, which
are decorated in a manner equally elaborate and artistic. Even their
drinking cups, which are made from cocoa-nut shells, are covered with
carved patterns of a nature similar to those of the paddles.
The reader will remark that many Polynesians adorn with carving the
handles of their tools and weapons, examples of which have been given
in the preceding pages. The Hervey Islanders, however, leave no portion
of the implement without carving, and, in many instances sacrifice
utility to ornament. This is generally the case with the adze handles,
many of which are so extremely ornamental that it is not easy to see
how they can be useful.
The specimen which is represented on page 1018 (adze magnified),
is a good example of such an adze. The lower part of the handle is
completely hollow, the native manufacturer having contrived to cut
away the wood through the intervals between the upright pillars. As
these intervals are not quite the third of an inch in width, the labor
of removing the interior of the handle must have been very great, and
the work exceedingly tedious. Even with European tools it would be a
difficult piece of workmanship, and its difficulty is greatly enhanced
by the fact that the native who carved it had nothing but a sharp
stone or a shark’s tooth lashed to a handle by way of a knife. This
particular specimen has been in England for many years, and must have
been made before the introduction of European tools among the natives.
The head of the adze is made of stone, and is lashed to the handle in a
way exactly like that which is employed by the New Zealanders, except
that it is far more elaborate. As if desirous of giving himself as much
trouble as possible, the maker has employed the finest plaited sinnet,
not wider than packthread and quite flat, and has laid it on the tool
in a manner so elaborate that to give a proper idea of it the artist
must have occupied an entire page with his drawing. Suffice it to say
that the illustration gives a good general idea of the mode in which
the head is lashed to the handle. The sinnet is laid as regularly as if
wound by machinery, and the native artist has contrived to produce the
most extraordinary effects with it, throwing the various portions into
a simulated perspective, and making the lashing look as if there were
four distinct layers, one above another.
Between the stone of the adze head and the wood of the handle is placed
a piece of very strong tappa cloth, which seems to have been laid on
while wet, so that the bands of sinnet have pressed it well together,
and aided in strengthening the junction. The end of this tappa is seen
projecting on the upper part of the head, just where it is joined to
the handle. That such an implement as this should have been intended
for use seems most unlikely, and I believe that it has only been
constructed as a sample of the maker’s skill. Sometimes adzes of a
similar character are made, the handles of which are from four to five
feet long, and carved with a pierced pattern throughout their entire
length, so that they could not have been intended for hard work.
A similar elaborate ornamentation is found upon the Hervey Islanders’
spears, one of which is shown in the illustration entitled “Spear,” on
the 1018th page.
The spear, which is in my collection, is rather more than ten feet in
length, and beautifully made. The shaft is very straight, very slender,
and highly polished, but without any carving; indeed, it is so slight
that it could not bear any pattern to be carved upon it. The ornament
is therefore confined to the many-barbed head, which is a beautiful
specimen of savage art.
By referring to the illustration, the reader will see that just
below the first set of barbs the wood of the spear swells into a
slightly oval form. This portion of the head is covered with carving,
necessarily very shallow, but sufficient for ornament. Between the
various sets of barbs the spear is wrapped with very narrow strips of
some reed, which is highly polished and of a bright yellow color, so
that the contrast between the dark wood of the barbs and the shining
yellow of the wrapping is very striking. In spite of the large size of
the head, the spear is well balanced, the length of the slender and
elastic shaft acting as a counterpoise; and altogether the weapon is
as formidable as it is elegant.
Their clubs are ornamented in a similar manner. Mr. Williams describes
one of a very curious form. It was carved like the club, fig. 1, on
page 949, but was bent nearly at right angles, rather beyond the
junction of the handle with the head, and was ornamented with a great
bunch of long and slender feathers. Slings of great length and power
are used by these people.
According to the accounts of this missionary, the inhabitants of
Mangaia can use their weapons with great skill and courage. They do not
try to hide behind trees and bushes, and take their foes by surprise,
but boldly meet them in the open field. When two parties meet, they
form themselves into four lines. The warriors who compose the first
row are armed with the long spears which have just been described, the
second rank carry clubs, the third are furnished with slings, and the
fourth rank is composed of the women, who carry additional weapons, in
case the men should be disarmed, together with a supply of small stones
for the slingers. This arrangement of forces is represented in the
battle scene given on the opposite page.
Sometimes the women take an active part in the fray. One young chief
told Mr. Williams that in one battle he was fiercely assailed by the
wife of his antagonist. He told her to desist, as he had not come to
fight with women. However, she would not listen to him, and exclaiming,
“If you kill my husband, what shall I do?” flung a stone at him, which
struck him to the ground. Had it not been for the prompt assistance of
his own people, who came to the rescue, he would assuredly have lost
his life through this woman’s fury.
The people are apt to be ferocious in battle, and Mr. Williams mentions
that several of his converts forgot the maxims of Christianity in the
excitement of battle, and killed their vanquished enemies in spite
of their entreaties for mercy. In all probability, these people were
carrying out some feeling of vengeance, according to the custom of
these islands.
Throughout the greater part of Polynesia the friends or relatives of
the murdered man are bound to avenge his death by killing the murderer,
if they can secure him, or at all events by killing one of his family.
The family of the victim then retaliate in their turn, so that when a
man goes into battle he mostly has a number of feuds on his hands. Like
the Corsican Vendetta, if such a feud cannot be carried out in a man’s
lifetime, he bequeaths it to his son, so that it may be carried on for
any number of generations.
This savage custom has stood greatly in the way of the missionaries.
They found no very great difficulty in persuading the people that to
harbor malice against another, who might be totally innocent, was
exceedingly wrong, and that they ought to abandon the feud. But the
new converts argued that it was very unfair to demand that they should
abandon their feuds against others while the feuds against themselves
were still in operation.
[Illustration: (1.) THE BATTLE. (See page 1034.)]
[Illustration: (2.) VILLAGE IN THE KINGSMILL ISLANDS. (See page
1038.)]
In their architecture the Mangaians display the same love of carving
which has already been mentioned. Mr. Williams thus describes a
building which had been erected for him, and which was large enough to
hold sixteen hundred persons:--
“It was a fine building, of an oval shape, about one hundred and twenty
feet in length. The large posts which supported the roof (eight in
number), the ridge-pole, and the rafters were most beautifully carved,
and tastefully colored with various native preparations.
“It is impossible, however, so to describe them as to enable the
reader to form a correct idea of their appearance, or of the taste and
ingenuity displayed in their execution. These posts were twenty-five
feet high, and from twelve to eighteen inches square, and when
we considered the tools with which the work was done, which were
principally old nails, pieces of iron hoop, and a few chisels, we were
amazed both at the patience and skill of the carvers. The effect on
entering the place was very striking.”
On the shores of this island fish appear to be less plentiful than is
generally the case, and the inhabitants are obliged to have resort to
various modes of procuring and preserving food. For example, when they
have caught a large quantity of flying fish, they do not eat them at
once, but dry them in wood smoke, much as herrings are cured among
ourselves. They have an ingenious method of catching these fish by
night. The boatmen go out in their double canoes, supplied with torches
and large ring nets fastened to the end of handles ten or twelve feet
long. They stamp on their canoes so as to make a noise, which is
communicated to the water and alarms the fish, and at the same time
wave their torches about. According to their instinct, the flying fish
dart out of the water toward the light, and are easily captured in the
nets.
Rats form a most valued portion of their diet. When the missionaries
first visited Mangaia, the natives were so fond of this food that
they measured all other kinds of diet by comparison with rats’ flesh.
Indeed, the flesh of these animals is far better than is generally
supposed. Several English rat-catchers have learned by practical
experience the value of rat’s flesh, which is said by those who have
tried it to be equal to that of the squirrel and better than that of
the rabbit. The Mangaians caught the rats by digging a hole in the
ground, and throwing bait into it. When a sufficient number had entered
the hole, a net was thrown over the mouth of it, and the inmates
easily secured.
* * * * *
In RAROTONGA, another island of this group, the rats swarmed in such
numbers that they were not only a nuisance, but an absolute pest; and,
if it had not been for the pigs which were introduced by the Europeans,
and allowed to run wild, the rats would probably have driven the
natives out of their villages. At every meal one or two persons were
detailed for the sole purpose of keeping the rats from the provisions.
When the people sat down in their houses the rats ran over them, and
when they lay down to rest the rats had made a settlement in their bed.
At last warfare was declared against the rats, and a number of baskets
were made to contain the bodies of the slain, each basket being five or
six feet in length. The inhabitants then armed themselves with sticks,
and in an hour no less than thirty of these great baskets were filled
with dead rats. Even then no diminution seemed to have taken place
among these pests. Next, the missionaries tried the introduction of
cats, and with some success, but the most fortunate introduction that
was made was that of the pig. These animals were brought to Rarotonga
for the purpose of supplying the sailors with meat which should
supersede the flesh of the rat, and the pigs repaid their introducers
by eating every rat which came across them.
When the natives were converted to Christianity, they consulted the
missionaries, wishing to know whether the flesh of rats was unlawful
food for Christians. They evidently asked this question because they
saw that their teachers abstained from these animals. The missionaries
returned a very judicious answer to this question, by saying that
in their own country rats were not eaten, because the white man had
a repugnance to them, but that there was nothing unlawful in eating
them, and that the Mangaians might do as they pleased. The people were
satisfied with this answer, and contented themselves with passing a law
that all Christians should catch and cook their rats on Saturdays, so
as to avoid working on the Sunday.
The idols of the Hervey Islanders are very odd-looking things, and
would scarcely be recognized as objects of worship. It might naturally
be imagined that if these people bestow such pains upon their weapons
and implements, they would at least take equal pains with their gods.
Yet the gods of the Hervey Islanders are the rudest possible specimens
of native workmanship. They consist principally of a staff about
sixteen or seventeen feet in length, the upper part of which is carved
into a rude representation of a human head. On the staff are laid a few
red feathers and a string of beads, which are called the soul of the
god. Round the staff and the beads is wrapped a vast quantity of native
cloth, so as to form a slightly conical roll about a yard in diameter,
and ten feet in length. One of these idols is placed at the bow of
every canoe, and whenever the natives are out on a fishing excursion
they always make offerings to this strange deity.
THE KINGSMILL ISLANDS.
North-west of the Samoans is a group known by the name of Kingsmill
Islands. It consists of about fifteen islands, all of coral, and all
lying very low, so that they might easily escape the attention of
voyagers. As is always the case with coral islands, the navigation
among them is very dangerous. They are mostly very long in proportion
to their width, the largest of the group, called Taputeonea or Drummond
Island, being nearly forty miles in length, and in many places not a
mile in width.
The inhabitants of these islands have a character for ferocity which is
not often to be found among this race of Polynesians, and are said to
be lower in the human scale than any whom we have hitherto described.
Those of one of the group, called Pitt Island, are said to be less
liable to this charge than any other, being quiet, peaceable, and not
so perpetually at war as is the case with the inhabitants of the other
islands.
Their color is approaching nearer to black than that of the inhabitants
of Tonga and Samoa, and the people are of more moderate stature than
those of the latter group of islands. They are well made and slender,
and have black and glossy though rather fine hair. The mouth is large,
but has nothing of the negro character about it and the teeth are kept
very white. The nose is mostly aquiline, and the hair of the beard and
moustache black, and by no means coarse.
It is rather remarkable that the people of Pitt Island are not only
more quiet and peaceable than their neighbors, but are also of a
lighter hue, approaching in this respect the naturally peaceful though
courageous inhabitants of Tonga. Their faces are oval and neatly
rounded, and their features delicate. It may be that they have been
modified by the mixture with the Samoans or Tongans, who have been
blown out of their course by gales, landed on the island, and gradually
became absorbed in the community.
Architecture among the Kingsmill Islands is rather distinguished for
strength and massiveness than for beauty, the natives preferring to
employ their artistic powers on smaller objects, such as swords,
spears, and similar articles. The houses vary much in size and form
according to their uses. For example, the ordinary dwelling-house of
the Kingsmill Islanders consists of two stories, the upper part being
used as a sleeping-house, and the lower entirely open. In fact, the
houses of the Kingsmill Islands are exactly similar in principle to
those of Nicobar, which have been described on page 903.
Some of the houses wherein the chiefs sit and talk among themselves
and receive visitors are mere sheds, being nothing more than roofs
supported on poles. As is usually the case in Polynesia, there is in
every village a central council house, in which the people assemble on
stated occasions. It is of enormous dimensions, having a lofty roof
thatched with leaves and lined with matting. Several examples of their
houses are illustrated on the 1035th page, and the reader will see that
the lower part affords a complete and yet an airy refuge from the sun
in the heat of the day, while the upper part, which is too hot to be
comfortable during the daytime, forms comfortable sleeping-rooms at
night.
Dress varies much according to the particular island. Tattooing is
practised by both sexes, but the women are far less decorated than the
men, the lines being very fine and far apart. The men are tattooed
at the age of twenty, the process being always left in the hands of
professional tattooers, who, as in other islands of Polynesia, are paid
according to the celebrity which they have attained, in some cases
obtaining very large fees. They dress chiefly in mats made of the
pandanus leaf cut into narrow strips, and dyed brown and yellow. These
strips are plaited together in a very ingenious fashion so as to form
diamond or square patterns. A small cape, worn, in poncho fashion, with
a slit in the middle, through which the head passes, is worn over the
neck, and a conical cap of pandanus leaf is worn on the head.
The dress of the women consists of a petticoat of leaf-strips reaching
from the waist to the knees, and fastened by a thin rope, sometimes
five or six hundred feet in length, made of human hair. On the rope are
strung at intervals beads made of cocoa-nut and shells, ground so as to
fit closely together, and strung alternately so as to form a contrast
between the white shell and the dark cocoa-nut.
* * * * *
It has already been mentioned that the Kingsmill Islanders are a
warlike people. War, indeed, seems to be their chief business, and
indeed their whole thoughts appear to be given to fighting. Even their
principal amusement is of a combatant character. There is nothing
which delights the Kingsmill Islanders so much as cock fighting, and
large groups of the people may be seen seated in a circle, eagerly
watching the progress of the combat which is taking place in the midst.
Cock fighting is largely practised in many other countries, but is
almost invariably accompanied by betting. The Malays, for example,
are passionately fond of the sport, and wager whole fortunes upon it.
Betting, however, has no charms for the Kingsmill Islander, whose
martial soul is utterly absorbed in the fight, and does not require the
additional excitement of betting.
This being the nature of the people, it is natural that their weapons
should be of a formidable character. They are indeed exactly suitable
to the fierce and bloodthirsty people by whom they are made. Instead
of contenting himself with a club or a spear, the Kingsmill Islander
must needs arm his weapons with sharks’ teeth, which cut like so many
lancets.
The spears and swords which are shown on the 1041st page are drawn
from specimens in my collection, and are admirable examples of these
extraordinary weapons.
For want of a better word, we must use the name of sword for these
weapons, as they are constructed with edges, and are meant more for
striking than thrusting. I have often wondered that in none of these
weapons that I have seen is the point tipped with a sharp bone, such as
that of the sting-ray, or even with a shark’s tooth. Perhaps they are
formidable enough even for these ferocious islanders, as the reader may
easily infer by looking at the illustration. By the side of each figure
is a specimen of the shark’s tooth drawn on an enlarged scale, partly
to show the nature of the tooth itself, and partly to exhibit the
principal methods by which it is fastened in its place.
On referring to these illustrations, the reader will see that the
teeth are not merely sharply edged and pointed, but that their edges
are finely and regularly serrated, so that their cutting power is
greatly increased. Indeed, the weapons armed with these teeth have
such a facility of inflicting wounds that they must be handled with
the greatest caution. I have cut myself more than once with them, and
visitors who insist upon handling them generally suffer for their
curiosity.
Although these teeth are fastened to the blade of the weapon on the
same principle, the makers vary the detail according to their own
convenience. In the weapon represented in fig. 1, a slit runs along
each edge, into which the bases of the teeth fit rather tightly. A hole
is bored through the tooth, and a corresponding one through the edge
of the sword, and each tooth is fixed in its place by a piece of fine
sinnet passed repeatedly through the holes, drawn tight, and neatly
finished off. A plaited loop of broad sinnet serves to suspend the
weapon round the wrist, and a piece of the hard, ivory-like skate-skin
holds it in its place.
The next, fig. 2, shows a much more elaborate weapon, which, instead of
consisting of a single piece, has one central blade and three auxiliary
blades. Moreover, as the reader may see by carefully examining the
illustration, there are four rows of teeth instead of two on each
blade, and the teeth are larger and more deeply serrated than those of
the other weapon. In this case the maker has most ingeniously contrived
to spare himself the trouble of making a fresh tie for every tooth,
which, as upwards of two hundred teeth are employed, would have been a
very tedious business.
Firstly, he has shaped the wooden blades with four bold ridges, and cut
a slight groove along each ridge, so as to keep the teeth straight.
Instead of troubling himself to bore holes in the sword as well as
in the tooth, he has laid along the edges of each groove a strip of
elastic wood obtained from the rib of the palm leaf, which is as hard
and elastic as whalebone. The sinnet has then been passed through the
holes in the teeth, and over all them palm-leaf strips, so that one
piece of sinnet serves to fasten four teeth. As in the other case,
the sinnet is exceedingly fine, and is passed several times round
the sword. It is observable that in this weapon the teeth have been
most carefully selected and graduated, the largest and longest being
near the handle, and diminishing equally to the point, where they are
comparatively small.
The auxiliary blades diverge more than is shown in the illustration,
and it is hardly possible to imagine a more formidable weapon,
especially when employed against the naked skin of a savage. In actual
warfare the Kingsmill Islander has a mode of protecting himself, which
will be presently mentioned; but in a sudden skirmish or a quarrel
the sword would be used with terrible effect. As may be inferred from
its shape, it is not merely used as a striking weapon, but is driven
violently backward and forward against the body of the antagonist, one
or more of the blades being sure to take effect somewhere.
The next sword, fig. 3, has the teeth fixed exactly in the same manner
as those of the many-bladed sword, as may be seen by reference to
the single tooth, where is seen not only the tooth but the strips of
leaf stem between which it is placed, and the mode of fastening off
the sinnet. The wooden blade of this weapon is quite unlike that of
the others, being marked with a rich black graining, to which the
glittering white teeth form an admirable contrast.
The last of these swords, fig. 4, is remarkable for the cross-guard. I
cannot but think that the maker must have seen an European sword with
a cross-guard, and made his own in imitation of it. Otherwise, without
the least idea of the object of a guard, it is not easy to see why he
should have armed the guard with teeth, especially in the centre, or
where they come against the handle, and must be quite ineffectual.
The Kingsmill Islanders do not restrict the sharks’ teeth to the
swords, but also use them as armature to their spears. One of these
spears, also in my collection, is fifteen feet in length, and about
as formidable a weapon as can well be imagined. It is made of a very
light wood, so that it may be wielded more easily, and at the butt is
nearly as thick as a man’s wrist, tapering gradually to the point. The
butt is unarmed, and rounded for about four feet, so as to act as a
handle, but from this point to the tip it is rather flattened, like the
sword blades, for the more convenient reception of the teeth, which
are fixed along each edge nearly to the point of the weapon. The teeth
are fastened by means of the leaf ribs. In order to render it a more
dangerous weapon, it is furnished with three projections, also armed
with teeth, and made exactly like the auxiliary blades of the sword,
though much smaller.
This remarkable spear is shown in the illustration No. 2, on the next
page, accompanied by sections and a portion drawn on a larger scale,
so as to show the mode of its construction. Fig. _a_ represents the
method in which the teeth are fastened to the weapon by the sinnet
passing through the hole in the teeth and bound down by the cross
loop under the little strips of wood. At fig. _b_ is a section of the
spear, showing the oval shape of the weapon, and the mode in which the
teeth are supported by the wooden strips at each side. It is worthy
of notice, that if the jaw of a saw-fish were to be cut through the
section would present a wonderfully similar appearance.
In order to show more clearly the source whence the natives obtain such
vast numbers of sharks’ teeth, I have introduced a drawing of a shark’s
mouth on same page, taken from a specimen in my collection. The reader
will see that the jaws are furnished with row after row of teeth, all
lying upon each other, except the outer teeth, and constructed so that
when one tooth is broken or falls out of the jaw, another takes its
place.
In the jaw which is here figured, the teeth lie in five rows, and
altogether there are three hundred of them--largest toward the middle
of the jaw, and becoming gradually smaller toward the angles of the
mouth. The native, therefore, has no difficulty either in procuring the
requisite number of teeth, or in selecting them of the requisite shape
and dimensions.
That they may look more imposing in battle, the chiefs wear a cap made
of the skin of the diodon, or porcupine fish, which, when inflated, is
covered with sharp spikes projecting in every direction, and upon this
cap is fixed a bunch of feathers. Both sexes fight in battle, and both
are killed indiscriminately, women and children being slaughtered as
well as the warriors.
The chiefs, of whom mention has just been made, are the principal
persons in the islands. With one exception, there is no chief who is
looked upon as a king, ruling over subordinate chiefs, each being
independent of the other. Government is carried on by a council of
chiefs, the eldest taking the first place, and the others being
reckoned by seniority. To this council are referred crimes of great
importance, while those of lesser moment are left to be punished by
the offended person and the relatives. The solitary exception to the
independence of the chiefs is in the three islands Apamama, Nanouki,
and Koria, which are governed by the chief of Apamama.
Each chief has a mark peculiar to himself, and when a stranger arrives,
and can place himself under the protection of a chief, he receives the
mark of his protector. The symbol is a very simple one, and consists of
a patch on the forehead, made of some colored paint, and a stripe drawn
down the middle of the face as far as the chin. Next in rank to the
chiefs come the land-holders, and the slaves form the third and last
division of the people.
In order to accommodate the council of chiefs and the people in their
public assemblies, there is in every village a central town-house,
called the Mariapa. It is built very much after the fashion of the
Samoan houses, having an enormous arched roof, and the walls being
composed of posts and matting. It might be thought from their warlike
and ferocious character that the Kingsmill Islanders are cannibals.
Such, however, is not the case. It is very true that in some instances
portions of a human body have been eaten. For example, if a celebrated
warrior is killed, the victors sometimes cook the body, and each eats
a small portion of it. This however is done, not from any predilection
for human flesh, but from a feeling of revenge, and probably from
some underlying notion that those who partake of such food also add
to themselves a portion of the courage which once animated the body.
Animated by the same spirit, they preserve the skulls of such warriors,
and use them as drinking vessels.
The skulls of the dead are always preserved by their friends, provided
that they have died natural deaths, or their bodies been recovered in
battle. The body is first laid out on mats for eight days, being every
day washed, oiled, and laid out in the sunshine at noon, while the
friends mourn, dance, and sing praises of the dead. The body is then
buried for a time, and lastly, the skull is removed, cleaned, oiled,
and stowed away. Each family preserve the skulls of their ancestors,
and, occasionally, bring them out, oil them afresh, wreathe them
with flowers, and set food before them. When a family change their
residence, they take the skulls with them.
[Illustration: (1.) SHARK’S JAW. (See page 1040.)]
[Illustration: (2.) SHARK TOOTH SPEAR. (See page 1040.)
SHARKS TEETH
ENLARGED PIECE OF SPEAR
SECTION
SECTION]
[Illustration: (3.) SWORDS OF KINGSMILL ISLANDERS. (See page 1039.)
SHARKS TOOTH
SECTION]
In one portion of the Kingsmill group, Pitt Island, or Makin, there
exists the most extraordinary funeral ceremony in the world. The body
is washed, oiled, exposed to the sun, and wailed over, as already
related. But, after the first wailing, it is laid on a new mat spread
over a great oblong plate or tray made of tortoise-shell sewed
together. A number of persons seat themselves opposite each other on
the floor of the house, and support the plate on their knees as long
as they are able. When they are tired, they are relieved by others,
and thus the body is borne by friends and relations for two years, the
bearers relieving each other at intervals. During this time a fire is
kept burning in the house, and is never extinguished night or day.
After the two years have expired, the head is removed, and the skull
cleaned and preserved, as has been already mentioned, and not until
that time are the bones wrapped up in mats and buried. The place where
the warriors have been interred is marked with three stones.
CHAPTER CVI.
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.
CHAPTER CVII.
NIUE, OR SAVAGE ISLAND.
ORIGIN--COSTUME--LAWS--BURIAL.
REASON FOR THE NAME OF THE ISLAND -- SINGULAR LEGEND -- THE SAILOR
AMONG THE SAVAGES -- APPEARANCE OF THE NATIVES -- A SAVAGE WAR DANCE
-- MODE OF DRESSING THE HAIR -- COSTUME OF THE MEN -- A CURIOUS
WEAPON -- PRESUMED ORIGIN OF THE SAVAGE ISLANDERS -- DEFEAT OF THE
TONGANS -- CODE OF LAWS AND PUNISHMENTS -- CANOE MAKING -- SAILING --
NIUAN ARCHITECTURE -- DISPOSAL OF THE DEAD.
Between the Hervey and the Tongan groups, there lies an island which
was called by Captain Cook “SAVAGE ISLAND,” on account of the behavior
of the natives, who not only declined his overtures of peace, but
attacked him “like so many wild boars.” The native name of the island
is Niue.
This ferocity of theirs is due to an ancient custom of putting to death
all strangers who land on their shores, a fate from which even their
own people do not escape, if they have been absent for any length of
time. The history of this strange people has of late years become
better known, owing to the exertions of the missionaries, who have
discovered that fear rather than ferocity was the cause of this savage
custom. They had an idea that their island was naturally free from
disease, and that all ailments were brought by foreigners, and they in
consequence had a law that all foreigners should be killed as soon as
they could be captured.
On one occasion a native teacher narrowly escaped death in consequence
of his absence. He was obliged to exert all his powers of eloquence
to persuade his countrymen to spare him for a time, so that he might
keep himself far away from their residence, and purify himself by the
healthy air of Niue.
When Mr. Williams visited the island, he contrived to induce two lads
to go off with him for the purpose of being instructed. They were at
first very miserable on board, and howled incessantly for the first few
days, thinking that the white sailors were cannibals and that they were
only carried off to be fattened and eaten. Finding, however, that the
sailors were eating pork, and not human flesh, they became reconciled
to their lot, and were even pleased at the prospect of seeing new
lands. These lads were taken to Raietea, and, having been educated
for their task, were sent home again. Unfortunately, soon after their
arrival, an epidemic disease spread over the island, and the natives,
naturally attributing it to the two travellers, killed them both.
The first white man who landed there since the time of Cook met with a
singular fate. A ship was lying off the island, and bartering with the
natives. Just as the ship got under weigh, the master flung one of the
sailors overboard among the savages, who took him on shore, and held a
great debate as to the course to be pursued. Some were for keeping up
the old custom, and killing him, but others argued that the man had not
landed of his own free will, and that he ought not to be liable to the
usual penalty, even though salt water was in his eye--this being the
mark of a shipwreck.
After a vast amount of discussion they agreed to a compromise, put him
into a canoe, gave him a quantity of bananas and cocoa-nuts, and sent
him out to sea. The man contrived to slip on shore again without being
seen, and, after hiding in caves for some days, he succeeded in getting
on board a whaler that was passing near the island.
[Illustration: (1.) THE WAR DANCE OF THE NIUANS. (See page 1055.)]
[Illustration: (2.) PRESENTING THE CLOTH. (See page 1060.)]
The appearance of the natives as they were before the missionaries came
to them was anything but prepossessing. Mr. Williams gives a graphic
account of an old chief who was induced, after much trouble, to come
on board. “His appearance was truly terrific. He was about sixty years
of age, his person tall, his cheek-bones raised and prominent, and his
countenance most forbidding. His whole body was smeared with charcoal,
his hair and beard were long and gray, and the latter, plaited and
twisted together, hung from his mouth like so many rat’s tails. He wore
no clothing except a narrow strip of cloth round his loins, for the
purpose of passing a spear through, or any other article he might wish
to carry.
“On reaching the deck the old man was most frantic in his
gesticulations, leaping about from place to place, and using the
most vociferous exclamations at everything he saw. All attempts at
conversation with him were entirely useless, as we could not persuade
him to stand still for a single second. Our natives attempted to clothe
him, by fastening round his person a piece of native cloth, but,
tearing it off in a rage, he threw it upon deck, and, stamping upon it
exclaimed, ‘Am I a woman, that I should be encumbered with that stuff?’
“He then proceeded to give us a specimen of a war dance, which he
commenced by poising and quivering his spear, running to and fro,
leaping and vociferating, as though possessed by the spirit of
wildness. Then he distorted his features most horribly by extending his
mouth, gnashing his teeth, and forcing his eyes almost out of their
sockets. At length he concluded this exhibition by thrusting the whole
of his long grey beard into his mouth, and gnawing it with the most
savage vengeance. During the whole of the performance he kept up a
loud and hideous howl.” On the preceding page the artist has given the
reader an illustration of this singular war dance of the Niuans.
These islanders do not use the tattoo, though they are fond of
decorating their bodies with paint. Those who come on board European
vessels are delighted to be adorned with streaks and spots of red and
green paint, especially the latter, which is a novelty to them, and
for which they are willing to pay highly. At a little distance, they
look much as if they were suffering from some cutaneous disease, but
a closer inspection shows that their appearance is partly due to the
salt of the sea crystallizing on their oiled bodies, and partly to the
multitudinous flies which settle upon them.
The hair is sometimes seen very short and sometimes very long, and this
is the case with both sexes. They allow it to grow to a considerable
length, and when it is a foot or eighteen inches long, they cut it
off, and plait it into thin bands which are worn round the waist. The
men prize these ornaments highly, and Captain Hood thinks that the
love-locks are exchanged, and are valued accordingly. The younger men
do not wear their beards, but the elders suffer them to grow to a
great length, plait them, and adorn them with pieces of oyster or clam
shell. They know the art of coloring the hair a yellowish red by the
application of lime.
As to dress, the men think it quite needless, and wear nothing but the
belt round the waist. Some, however, wear a very small apron, only ten
or twelve inches square, and this is considered rather in the light of
ornament than of dress. They are of moderate stature, rather under than
over the middle height, thus forming a strong contrast to the gigantic
Marquesans and Samoans. The natural color of the skin is a clear brown,
and their limbs are round and well shaped.
In weapons, they use the spear, the club, and the bow, all made well
and neatly. They do not seem to invade other islands, and their warfare
is therefore waged mostly among themselves. It seems rather strange
that in an island only thirty miles in circumference war should exist,
but in Niue, the usual Polynesian custom exists of dividing an island
into several districts, among which is perpetual feud.
They use a very curious weapon. On their island are a number of caves
in the coral limestone, similar in character to that which has been
described in page 1006, though not approached in the same curious
manner. From the roof hang vast numbers of stalactites, from which
water continually drops. Indeed, the natives owe their fresh water
almost entirely to these caves, and since the missionaries came to
reside among them have learned to collect it by digging wells in the
caves, into which the water flows, and so insure a certain instead of a
precarious supply. The floor of the caves is covered with stalagmitic
masses, and from these the natives make oval balls about the size of
cricket balls, which they hurl from the hand with wonderful force and
accuracy, not using the sling, as is the case with so many Polynesian
tribes. Specimens of these balls are in the Christy collection.
These caves are evidently due to the character of the island, which is
partly coral and partly volcanic, the coral having been upheaved by
volcanic force, leaving the surface fissured and broken by the sudden
violence of the shock. The native legend respecting the origin of
the island points to the same conclusion. They state that the island
was raised to its present elevation by two of their ancestors, named
Hananaki and Fao, who swam there from Tonga, and found the island only
just above the waves. They stamped twice upon it, the first stamp
elevating the island to its present height, and the second clothing
it with trees and plants. They made wives for themselves out of the
Ti tree, and so the island became peopled. We may easily see in this
tradition a record of the two facts that the island was elevated
suddenly from the sea, and that the inhabitants are not aborigines,
but emigrants from some other part of Polynesia, probably from Tonga.
Though they believe themselves to be derived from this origin, they
have been subject to invasion from the restless and daring Tongans,
whom they repulsed by an ingenious stratagem. The Tongans, possessed of
far better weapons and better disciplined than the Niue islanders, and
being equally courageous, were rapidly completing the conquest of the
island, when the natives took advantage of the peculiar formation of
their country.
The reader will remember that Niue is rocky, and covered with deep and
narrow clefts, the result of the upheaval which elevated the island
above the sea. Across one of these the Niuans laid small branches,
which they covered with banana and cocoa-nut leaves, and then strewed
over all a slight covering of earth, which they arranged so as to look
exactly like the surrounding soil. They then executed a sham retreat,
and slipped round to the further side of the chasm, so that the
Tongans, flushed with victory, rushed on their retreating enemies with
yells of triumph, and a great number of the foremost and best warriors
were hurled down to the bottom of the cavern. Before the survivors
could recover from their surprise, an attack was made upon them in
overwhelming numbers, and of the whole Tongan expedition not a man
escaped alive.
It was formerly thought that the Niuans were cannibals, but, as far as
can be ascertained, the natives have never eaten human flesh. They do
not even care for animal food of any kind; and, though at the present
time they have pigs in abundance, they use them almost entirely for the
market to European ships, contenting themselves with bananas, yams,
taro, and fish. Strangely enough, they have not imported into Niue the
custom of kava drinking, and they stand almost alone in their non-use
of tobacco.
Polygamy is still practised among the inhabitants of Niue, though it
is fast dying out under the influence of the missionaries, who have
further conferred a vast boon on the people by their discouragement
of infanticide, which at one time prevailed to a terrible extent. The
mere check which they have placed on this custom has already raised the
number of the population by more than three hundred--a considerable
increase when the small size of the island is taken into consideration.
Even before the missionaries came, a tolerably comprehensive and just
code of laws was in existence, so that the Niuans were in reality much
less savage than many of their neighbors, and the missionaries had
a better ground to work on than in other islands of more promising
aspect. Their standard of morality was much higher than is usually the
case among savages, infidelity among women being severely punished. So
great was their horror of this crime that illegitimate children were
always thrown into the sea until the missionaries taught the people
that, though the parents might be liable to punishment, the innocent
children ought not to suffer.
Their punishment consisted generally in deprivation of food. For
example, for some offences, the criminal was tied to a post, and
allowed no food except bitter and acrid fruits, while for more serious
offences he is lashed hand and foot to a bamboo for a considerable
length of time, only sufficient food being given to save him from
actually dying of starvation. For these punishments the missionaries
have induced the natives to substitute forced labor in well sinking,
road making, and other useful works.
The Niuans are good canoe-makers, constructing their vessels
very neatly, and ornamenting them with devices in shells and
mother-of-pearl. They manage these canoes well, and as a rule are
excellent swimmers. There are, however, some families living in the
interior of the island who, although they can be barely four miles
from the sea, have never visited it, and are greatly despised by their
neighbors because they can neither swim nor sail a canoe.
The native architecture is not particularly good, but it has been
much improved by the instructions of the Samoan teachers, who have
instructed the Niuans in their own mode of building houses, upon
which the Niuans have engrafted their own mode of adornment, so that
altogether the effect of a modern Niuan house is quaint, and at the
same time artistic. The natives seem to be wonderfully quick at
learning, and have even acquired the use of the pen, so that a Niuan
can now be scarcely better pleased than by the gift of a pencil and a
supply of white paper.
Nothing shows the wonderful advance that these people have made more
than the fact that they have not only utterly discarded their old habit
of murdering foreigners, but that they display the greatest eagerness
to be taken as sailors on board European ships. They contrive to
smuggle themselves on board without the knowledge of the captain and
crew; and whereas in former times it was scarcely possible to induce a
Niuan to venture on board an European ship, the difficulty is now, to
find a mode of keeping them out of the vessels.
The method of disposing of the dead is twofold. When one mode is
followed, the body is laid on a bier and left in the woods until
all the flesh has decayed, when the bones are removed to the family
burying-place, which is usually a cave in the limestone rock. When the
other method is employed, the body is laid in a canoe, and sent adrift
in the sea to go wherever the wind and tides may carry it.
CHAPTER CVIII.
THE SOCIETY ISLANDS.
APPEARANCE, DRESS, AND SOCIAL CUSTOMS.
DISCOVERY OF THE ISLANDS, AND REASONS FOR THEIR NAMES -- THE ISLAND
OF TAHITI OR OTAHEITE -- CONFORMATION AND CLIMATE OF TAHITI -- THEIR
EFFECT UPON THE INHABITANTS -- EFFEMINATE APPEARANCE OF THE MEN,
AND BEAUTY OF THE WOMEN -- SOCIAL CONDITION OF THE SEXES -- GENERAL
MODE OF LIFE IN TAHITI -- SEPARATE TABLES FOR THE MEN AND WOMEN --
POMARÉ’S CRUCIAL TEST, AND ITS RESULTS UPON IDOLATRY -- DRESS OF
THE SOCIETY ISLANDERS -- MODES OF WEARING THE HAIR -- TATTOOING IN
TAHITI -- MEANS EMPLOYED BY THE MISSIONARIES TO ABOLISH THE PRACTICE
-- HOSPITALITY OF THE TAHITANS -- MODE OF MAKING PRESENTS -- SOCIAL
USE OF PRESENTS -- THE BAKED PIG AND THE CLOTH -- DISTINCTIONS OF
RANK -- REASONS FOR OMAI’S FAILURE -- EXTERNAL INDICATIONS OF RANK --
DEPORTMENT OF TAHITANS TOWARD THEIR SOVEREIGN -- AMUSEMENTS OF THE
TAHITANS -- THEIR SONGS AND MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS -- SURF RIDING --
BOXING AND WRESTLING MATCHES.
This interesting group of islands was originally discovered in 1605 by
De Quiros, and has derived the name of the Society Islands from the
liberality of the Royal Society, which, in 1767, sent an expedition
under Captain Cook for the purpose of observing the transit of Venus
over the sun. There are many islands of this group, the best known of
which is TAHITI, or OTAIIEITE, as the word was given in Cook’s Voyages.
This island forms one of a portion of the group which is distinguished
by the name of the Georgian Islands, in honor of George III.
Tahiti is singularly picturesque when viewed from the sea, in
consequence of its mountainous character, the island being so filled
with lofty peaks and crags that the only way of reaching the interior
is by following the courses of the valleys. Sometimes the rocks shoot
up into sharp and spire-like peaks, sometimes they run for miles in
perpendicular precipices, several thousand feet in height; sometimes
they are scarped and angular like gigantic fortresses, sometimes they
are cleft into ravines of terrible depth, and sometimes they are
scooped out into hollows like the craters of extinct volcanoes.
Down these craggy steeps dash torrents that fertilize the soil, and so
equably genial is the temperature that every shelf and ledge is covered
with luxuriant foliage and gorgeous flowers. Tahiti indeed, as has been
well said, is the gem of the Pacific. Our business, however, lies not
so much with the island as with its inhabitants--not the semi-civilized
people of the present day, but the uncivilized people of 1769, when
Captain Cook visited them. In the following description, we will take
Tahiti as the typical island of the Society group, merely introducing
the lesser islands by way of illustration of the manners and customs
which pervaded the whole group.
In consequence of the superior fertility of Tahiti, and the consequent
supply of food without the need of labor, the Tahitans are more plump
and rounded of form than are the inhabitants of most other Polynesian
islands. In the case of the men, the fair skin and plump rounded forms
give them an effeminate appearance, and the earlier voyagers have all
noticed the strong contrast between the dark, nervous, and muscular
frames of the Tongan men, and the fair, smooth limbs and bodies of the
Tahitans. The men, too, wear their hair long, and, if it were not that
they permit the beard to grow to some length, they would well deserve
the epithet of effeminate.
Not only is this smoothness and fairness one of their distinguishing
marks, but they also are characterized by a sort of languor in their
movements and timidity in their carriage, very unlike the demeanor of
the bold and warlike Tongans and Samoans. “This observation,” writes
Captain Cook, “is fully verified in their boxing and wrestling, which
may be called little better than the feeble efforts of children, if
compared to the vigor with which those exercises are performed at the
Friendly Islands.”
They are so careful of their complexion that when they think their
skins are becoming darkened by exposure to the sun, they have a mode
of bleaching themselves. Captain Cook merely mentions that they remain
within doors for a month or two, wear great quantities of clothing, and
eat nothing but bread-fruit, this diet being supposed by them to have a
strong bleaching power. It is probable, however, that besides the diet
and the confinement within the house, they also employ some preparation
similar to that which is used by the Marquesan women under similar
circumstances.
The Tahitans place such reliance on the effect of food on complexion,
that they believe themselves to change the hue of their skins several
times in the year, owing to the kind of food on which, owing to the
change of season, they are obliged to live. They do not, however, like
many nations, think that corpulence is a mark of rank and wealth.
That fairness of skin and roundness of form which detract from the
manly beauty of the male sex only add to the feminine charms of the
women, who are far more beautiful even than those of Tonga, while
they infinitely surpass the short, thickset women of the Marquesans.
A Tahitan woman would be reckoned beautiful even among Europeans, the
skin being fairer than that of many a Spanish girl, and the large full
eyes and rich hair having a fascination peculiar to themselves, a charm
which many travellers have endeavored to describe, and all, according
to their own statements, have failed to convey in words.
Yet the lot of the Tongan women is far superior to that of the Tahitan.
As we have already seen, the woman of Tonga is by no means the mere
slave of the despotic husband, but is often his true helpmeet and best
adviser. Among the Tahitans, however, we find that the effeminate,
smooth-limbed, long-haired, fair-skinned man, who would not abide the
charge of a Tongan boy, is a very tyrant at home, having no idea that
women can be anything but chattels, and beating his wives, his dogs, or
his pigs, with equal disregard of their feelings.
The women are not allowed to eat of various kinds of food, as they
would offend the gods by so doing, and it is a remarkable coincidence
that the gods do not permit the women to eat exactly those articles
of food which the man likes best, such, for example, as turtle, and
certain kinds of fish and plantain.
Neither are the women allowed to eat with their husbands, but take
their meals in a separate part of the house. This prohibition is the
more galling because, in a well-to-do Tahitan’s family, eating goes
on all day with very short intervals. The family breakfast at eight,
and have a first dinner or luncheon at eleven. Thus invigorated, they
are able to wait until two, when they take their first dinner. This
is followed by a second dinner at five and supper at eight, after
which they retire to rest. But as it is manifestly impossible to go
without food for twelve hours, they awake at two, take another meal, or
“rere-supper,” and sleep again until daybreak.
As to the turtle, a certain sort of sanctity is attached to it. When
one of these reptiles is caught, it is always sent to the king, who,
however, does not cook so sacred a creature in his own house, but sends
it to the temple, where it is offered to the idol. It is cooked in the
marae, or sacred enclosure, and, after a portion has been taken by the
priest for the idol, the remainder is sent back to the king. Unless
this offering were made, the offender would immediately suffer from the
vengeance of the offended god.
This custom was exploded by Pomaré about 1820. The king had long
believed that the idols were nothing more than images, and that the
gods were but human inventions, and determined to try the subject by
a crucial test. He waited until his subjects had caught a turtle,
and sent it to him according to the custom of the island. Instead of
sending it to the marae, he had the turtle taken to his own kitchen and
cooked there. It was then served up, and his whole household sat down
with him to partake of it. No one, however, except the king, had the
courage to eat a mouthful, and even Pomaré himself was in a state of
nervous trepidation, and had very little appetite when he came to apply
his test. However, he was a man of great moral courage, and though he
could not eat much of the royal dainty, he ate enough to bring down
upon him the wrath of the god.
Finding that no harm happened to him, he convened an assembly of the
chiefs, and narrated the whole of the circumstances, telling them
they were free to act as they liked, but that for his part he abjured
idolatry from that time. The consequence was, that of their own accord
the people voluntarily abandoned their idols, and either gave them to
the missionaries, used them as seats, or put them in the fire with
which food is cooked, the last proceeding being the very depth of
degradation.
One of these raids on the idols was conducted after a very curious
manner.
When the converts had reached the temple in which were deposited the
idols that they had so long worshipped, their hearts failed them, and
not a man dared to enter the house and lay his hands on the sacred
images. They bethought themselves, however, of trying the effect of
fire-arms, with which they were furnished, and, in the presence of the
terrified population, made ready to fire upon the idols. After calling
upon the images, warning them that they were about to be fired upon,
and calling upon them to avenge themselves if they could, they fired a
volley into the house. Finding that no harm ensued, they advanced more
boldly, and burned down the temple together with its occupants.
A curious instance of courage similar to that of Pomaré occurred at the
island of Rurutu. A native teacher recommended at a public assembly
that a feast should be held, and that the king, his chiefs, his people,
and their wives should together partake of turtle and pork, both these
articles of diet being prohibited to women in Rurutu. The test was
accepted, and the party assembled, having by a curious coincidence
selected ignorantly a piece of ground sacred to Oro, the vengeful god
of war. That any one should eat on so sacred a spot would have been
sufficient to draw upon the delinquents the full terrors of Oro’s
anger; but that men and women should eat together on the spot, and
that women should absolutely eat both turtle and pork, were enormities
almost too great to be conceived.
The feast took place, and, as writes Mr. Bennett, “when the Rurutuans
saw that, they said, ‘No doubt they will die for this trespass on
the sacred ground,’ and looked earnestly, expecting some one to have
swollen or fallen down dead suddenly; but after they had looked for a
considerable time and saw no one come, they changed their minds, and
said, ‘Surely theirs is the truth; but perhaps the god will come in the
night and kill them: we will wait and see.’
“One man actually went in the night to the wife of the chief Auüra,
who also ate a part of a hog or turtle on the sacred spot, and said,
‘Are you still alive?’ When the morning arrived, and the Rurutuans
found that no harm had happened to any of them, they became exceedingly
disgusted at their having been deceived so long by the evil spirit.”
* * * * *
Like many other Polynesians, the Tahitans are of fair complexions, and
very well made. Both men and women are good-looking, and many of the
latter may be called beautiful, their graceful robe of bark cloth,
and the flowers with which they love to entwine their hair setting
off their charms in an admirable manner. It is rather strange, by the
way, that the women of Eimeo, one of this group, are very inferior to
those of the other islands, being darker, of lower stature, and not so
graceful, and, as Captain Cook remarked, if a handsome woman were seen
at Eimeo, she was sure to have come from another island.
The men dress in rather a variable manner. All wear the primitive
garment of Polynesia, namely, a piece of bark cloth passed round the
waist, then through the legs, and the end tucked into the girdle. Over
this garment many wear a sort of mantle made of finer cloth, gathered
neatly round the waist, and sometimes flowing over their shoulders;
while others wear the _tiputa_, or _tibuta_, a garment made in poncho
fashion, with a hole in the middle through which the head passes, and
hanging down in front and behind, but open at the sides. This garment
is found in a very great number of Polynesian islands, the material
and the form varying according to the locality. The bark cloth is made
exactly after the fashion employed in Tonga and Samoa.
Both sexes usually cut their hair short, and sometimes crop it so
closely at the crown of the head that it looks as if shaven. They
anoint their locks freely with scented cocoa-nut oil, or with a
resinous gum, which gives it a moist and glossy appearance, and causes
it to retain the shape into which it is twisted. Beside the flowers
worn in the hair and ears, and the garlands twisted round the head,
the women wear a very elegant and striking ornament. They take the
very young stipe of the cocoa-nut palm, peel it into long strips, and
dry it. When properly prepared, it is of a glossy, pure white, looking
much like white satin ribbon, and is worn twisted into rosettes and
similar ornaments. The normal color of the hair is mostly black, but in
some cases it takes a lighter and reddish hue. In children it is often
light, but assumes a dark hue in the course of a few years.
The Tahitans think that the shape of the head is much improved by
being flattened at the back. Accordingly, the mothers have a way of
supporting their children during infancy by the heels and back of the
head, and, as they think that the shape of the nose can be improved by
art, they continually squeeze and press it with the hand while it is
tender and plastic.
Tattooing was once much esteemed, and the operation was performed by
means of a comb and mallet, as has been described when treating of
Samoa. Professional artists executed the tattoo, and were accustomed
to travel about the islands, remaining for some months at each spot,
and being paid highly for each lad whom they decorated. The face was
almost invariably left untouched; the bust, legs, arms, and even hands
being covered with the graceful patterns. The women also employed the
same decoration, but in a less degree, wearing the tattoo mostly on the
arms, ankles, and feet, the latter being tattooed nearly half-way to
the knees, so that at a little distance the woman looked as if she were
wearing boots or socks fitting tightly to the skin. The missionaries,
however, discouraged the tattoo, which by degrees came to be accepted
as a mark of a revolutionary spirit, and rendered the offender liable
to punishment.
Mr. Bennett mentions two instances where old men were tattooed on the
face as well as the body, one of them being a man who had been the high
priest of the god Oro, the Polynesian Mars, who was worshipped with
every accessory of bloodshed and cruelty. This deity, together with
other objects of Tahitan worship, will be presently described.
The means that were employed to put an end to the practice of tattooing
were of a very severe and rather despotic character, It was found
that ordinary punishments were of little avail in checking a practice
so much in consonance with the feelings and habits of the natives.
Even after they had submitted themselves to the laws which the white
colonists introduced, they could scarcely bring themselves to obey
the edict which forbade the tattoo, and evaded it on every possible
pretext. They would even voyage to another island, nominally on
mercantile affairs, but in reality for the purpose of being tattooed
while out of the reach of the white men and their laws.
As to the punishment which ensued, the delinquents cared little about
it--the allotted task of road making or well digging was completed
in time, whereas the decoration of the tattoo lasted throughout
life. After trying to check the practice by various penal laws, the
new legislators hit upon a plan described by themselves as merely
disfiguring the pattern made by the tattoo. Dr. Bennett, however,
uses more forcible terms. “The ancient practice of tattooing the skin
is gradually declining amongst the Society Islanders generally. The
missionaries have been much opposed to the custom, and among the laws
framed for these islands was one which made tattooing criminal; but
this has since been repealed, or continues in force only in the islands
of Huahine, Raiatea, and Tahaa.
“When viewed in connection with the habits of the natives, tattooing
is not, certainly, so innocent a display of savage finery as most
Europeans imagine it to be; nevertheless, we felt much regret, not
unmingled with indignation, when we beheld, in the house of the royal
chief of Raiatea, a native woman of naturally agreeable features,
disfigured by an extensive patch of charcoal embedded in her cheek--a
punishment inflicted upon her by the judges for having slightly
tattooed herself. While we were regarding this spectacle a second
female showed us her hand, which afforded a similar instance of
judicial severity.”
The various figures employed by the Tahitans have each a separate name,
and these figures are imprinted not only upon the skin, but upon the
bark cloth garments of both sexes.
The Tahitans are naturally a hospitable people, and have invented a
complete code of etiquette for making presents, the most curious of
which is that which is employed in giving bark cloth. Captain Cook’s
description of this custom is very interesting. It is also illustrated
on the 1054th page. “I went with Otoo to his father’s house, where I
found some people employed in dressing two girls with a prodigious
quantity of fine cloth, after a very singular fashion. The one end of
each piece of cloth, of which there were a good many, was held up over
the heads of the girls, while the remainder was wrapped round their
bodies, under the arm-pits. Then the upper ends were let fall, and hung
down in folds to the ground, one over the other, so as to bear some
resemblance to a circular hoop-petticoat.
“Afterward, round the outside of all were wrapped several pieces of
differently colored cloth, which considerably increased the size, so
that it was not less than five or six yards in circuit, and the weight
of this singular attire was as much as the poor girls could support. To
each were hung two _taames_ or breastplates, by way of enlivening the
whole, and giving it a picturesque appearance. Thus equipped, they were
conducted on board the ship, together with several hogs and a quantity
of fruit, which, with the cloth, was a present to me from Otoo’s father.
“Persons of either sex, dressed in this manner, are called _atee_, but
I believe it is never practised except when large presents of cloth are
to be made. At least, I never saw it practised on any other occasion;
nor, indeed, had I ever such a present before; but both Captain Clarke
and I had cloth given to us afterward, thus wrapped round the bearers.”
These cloths are mostly put on the bearers by laying the end of the
cloth on the ground. The girl then lies down on the end of the piece,
holds it tightly to her body, and rolls over and over, until she has
wound herself up in all the cloth that she is intended to present.
When the bearers are taken into the presence of the chief to whom the
offering is made, they reverse the process, and unroll themselves, by
revolving on the floor in the contrary direction.
Food is presented in another way. The donor sends his servants with the
hogs, bread-fruit, and other provisions, to the house of the person
to whom the present is made. They do not enter the house, but simply
spread leaves on the ground, lay the provisions on them, and then
return to their master. The donor then enters the house, and calls upon
his friend to come out and look at the present that has been brought
for him. The latter signifies his acceptance by ordering his servants
to carry the food within his house, but utters no thanks.
In most of these cases, it is expected that a present of equal value
should be returned, and, if the recipient should be a wealthy man, he
would be thought rather shabby if his return present were not rather
more valuable. In consequence of this theory, Captain Cook found that
when he purchased provisions he got them much more cheaply than when
they were presented to him.
In these islands is found the widely spread practice of selecting
friends from strangers. When a ship arrives, each of the officers and
crew is selected by a native as his particular friend, and during
the time of the vessel’s stay is placed under his charge. Every day,
the “apoa” or friend will come on board with his present of cooked
bread-fruit and other provisions; and should his visitor go on shore,
he takes care that all possible necessaries, and even luxuries, shall
be provided for him. It is assumed that when the visitor departs he
will in his turn make a present; but there have been many instances
where the natives have been so grateful for some kindness that they
have refused to accept anything in return for their hospitality.
One very graceful mode of giving presents is by offering them in the
name of a child. In this case, whenever provisions are sent, they are
always accompanied by the child, who is supposed to present them, and
to whom all returns are made.
There is a custom--once very prevalent but now become nearly if not
wholly extinct--which is evidently based on the same principle. When
a man is in want of something which he cannot obtain, such as a new
house, or a quantity of cloth, he bakes a pig, and sends it by his
friends to all the population of the place. The bearers offer the
pig, and mention at the same time the needs of the owner. All those
who partake of it, even though they eat but a mouthful, thereby bind
themselves to share in assisting the petitioner, either in building the
house or in making the cloth.
Mr. Bennett mentions one instance, where a man wanted thirty-six yards
of cloth, and sent a pig after the usual fashion. No one, however,
would touch it, and the poor man would have gone without his cloth
had not the queen taken compassion on him. She ordered the bearers to
leave the pig in her house, thereby assuming to herself alone the task
of providing the cloth. A number of women who saw the proceeding, felt
rather ashamed that the queen should be left to perform the task alone,
so they went into the house, ate the pig, and made the desired cloth.
Among the Society Islands, the distinctions of rank are jealously
insisted upon, and no one can command any respect unless he be in the
possession of some acknowledged rank. Ignorance of this characteristic
was the real cause of Omai’s failure. Most of my readers are aware that
this man, the first Polynesian who had ever visited England, was a
native of Raietea, one of the Society Islands, and that he was brought
to England for the purpose of being educated, so that he might act as a
missionary both of Christianity and civilization in his native country.
In Captain Cook’s third voyage, Omai was taken back again, after he had
been loaded with presents of various kinds. It was found, however, that
all that he really cared for was the possession of weapons, especially
fire-arms, by means of which he might make himself master of the
island. He had several muskets and pistols, together with ammunition,
but Captain Cook remarked in his journal that he fancied Omai would be
happier without the fire-arms than with them, and expresses a doubt
whether he would not have been happier still if he had never been
removed from his island.
The result justified these anticipations. No one, except the lower
orders, would have anything to do with a man of no rank, and the
nobles, who led public opinion, would not even look at him as he
paraded up and down, clad in the suit of armor which had been presented
to him with more generosity than prudence. In fact, they felt that his
possession of all these treasures was a slight upon themselves, and the
natural result was that Omai was soon fleeced of all his property, and
speedily sank back again into his original barbarism and idolatry.
Tenacious as they are of their rank, the Tahitan nobles show but few
external marks of it. Even at the present day, although they have
obtained considerable wealth from trade, and though implicit deference
is paid to them by their own people, the chiefs, as a rule, dress and
fare no better than the generality of their subjects. The fact is,
that every person’s rank is so well known, that there is no necessity
for indicating it by outward show or luxurious habits, which would
only serve to bring upon them the contemptuous epithet of _fahié_, or
conceited.
In illustration of this principle, Mr. Bennett remarks in his “Whaling
Voyage round the Globe,” that it was “usual to see the Queen Aimata
clad in a loose cotton gown, bare-headed and bare-footed, mingling with
natives of every class. Her meals, too, are equally unostentatious, the
bread-fruit, poë, cocoa-nuts, and baked pig, intended for her food,
being placed on a layer of fresh leaves spread on the ground; while
the partaking party display, by the use of their fingers, a thorough
contempt for the modern innovation of knives and forks, in the use of
which, however, they are perfectly well versed.” This visit to Tahiti
was made in 1834.
Nothing, perhaps, shows the innate respect for rank more than the
conduct of the Tahitans toward their queen. Personally she was not in
the least respected, nor indeed did she deserve respect. Being the
only daughter of Pomaré II., and deriving from her birth the title
of Pomaré Vahine, by which she was better known than by the name of
Aimata, she became queen in 1827, on the death of her infant brother.
Her conduct as queen was at first of the most unqueenly kind. She
resisted to the utmost the attempts that were being made to improve the
moral condition of the people, and did her best, both by precept and
example, to bring back the state of unrestrained licentiousness which
had reigned through the land. Yet, in spite of her conduct, the respect
for her rank was in no way diminished, and, as has been seen, she could
be on familiar terms with the lowest of her subjects without derogating
from her dignity.
* * * * *
The amusements of the Tahitans are much like those of other
Polynesians, and therefore need but little description. The Tahitans
are fond of singing, and possess good voices and ears, so that they
have been apt pupils in European music. As a rule, however, they prefer
singing the air, or at most a first and second, the more elaborate
movements of concerted music scarcely pleasing them. They excel in
keeping time, and exhibit this capacity not only in their songs but in
their dances. The native mode of singing is not pleasing to an English
ear, being of a monotonous character, nasal in tone, and full of abrupt
transitions from the highest to the lowest notes.
The native songs are mostly on two subjects, namely, love and war,
the former predominating, as is likely to be the case from the quiet
and peaceable character of the people. Sometimes their songs assume
a more patriotic cast, and set forth the praises of their island
home, the beauty of its scenery, and the fertility of its soil. The
singers are usually women, whose sweet voices render pleasing even the
nasal intonations. The men sing but seldom, and when they do exert
their voices, they almost invariably use the harsh native mode of
vocalization.
Their musical instruments are but few. They have of course the drum,
with which they accompany their songs and dances, not by beating it
violently after the African style of drumming, but gently tapping
it with the fingers. The drums are of different sizes, and are all
cylindrical, and very long in proportion to their diameter. Like
many other uncivilized people, they display a great fondness for the
Jews’ harp, partly because it is easy to play, and partly because it
reproduces to some extent the peculiar intervals of savage music.
The chief native instrument that is capable of producing different
notes is a sort of flageolet or “hoe,” which produces a low, deep tone,
something like the “drone” of the bag-pipe. The native musician can
tune his instrument in a very simple manner. The mouth-piece is split
longitudinally, so that the pieces vibrate like those of any “reed”
instrument. Surrounding the mouth-piece is a ring of soft wood, and by
pushing this forward, or driving it back, the performer can tune his
instrument with some nicety, the former movement producing a sharp, and
the latter a graver tone.
The hoe is seldom played alone, and is generally used as an
accompaniment to the native dances. The performers, after tuning
their instruments, sit in a circle, pressed closely together, and,
bending forward so that their heads are bowed over their knees, play
in admirable time, though as much praise can scarcely be given to the
melody.
Following the instincts of the savage nature, the Tahitans are
passionately fond of cock-fighting, and amusements of a similar
character. Some of them are of a more harmless character. One of the
most manly and graceful of these amusements closely resembles the surf
swimming of the Sandwich Islanders, and is thus described by Captain
Cook:--
“Neither were they strangers to the soothing effects produced by
particular sorts of motion, which in some cases seem to allay any
perturbation of mind with as much success as music. Of this I met with
a remarkable instance. For on walking one day about Matavai Point,
where our tents were erected, I saw a man paddling in a small canoe
so swiftly, and looking about with such eagerness on each side, as to
command all my attention.
“At first I imagined that he had stolen something from one of the
ships, and was pursued, but on waiting patiently saw him repeat his
amusement. He went out from the shore till he was near the place where
the swell begins to take its rise; and watching its first motion very
attentively, paddled before it with great quickness till he found that
it overtook him, and had acquired sufficient force to carry his canoe
before it without passing underneath. He then sat motionless, and was
carried along at the same swift rate as the wave, till it landed him
upon the beach, when he started out, emptied his canoe, and went in
search of another swell.
“I could not help concluding that this man felt the most supreme
pleasure while he was driven on so fast and so smoothly by the sea,
especially as, though the tents and ships were so near, he did not
seem in the least to envy, or even to take any notice of the crowds of
his countrymen collected to view them as objects which were rare and
curious.
“During my stay, two or three of the natives came up, who seemed to
share his felicity, and always called out when there was an appearance
of a favorable swell, as he sometimes missed it by his back being
turned and looking about for it. By this I understood that this
exercise, which is called _chorooe_, was frequent amongst them, and
they have probably more amusements of this sort, which afforded them at
least as much pleasure as skating, which is the only one of ours with
whose effects I could compare it.”
Like the Tongans and Samoans, these people are fond of boxing and
wrestling matches, not only as spectators, but actors. They do not,
however, enter into them with the spirit and courage displayed by
the more hardy islanders, and there is little doubt that a boxer or
wrestler of Tonga would scarcely be able to find a worthy opponent in
the Society Islands.
Of these two sports, the Society Islanders much prefer wrestling,
boxing being thought rather too rough an amusement, and being apt
to leave unpleasant marks on the face of the vanquished combatant.
Wrestling, however, is much more common, and is conducted after the
following manner.
The intending combatants first went to the temples of their special
gods, and laid offerings before them, asking for their assistance in
the approaching struggle. They then proceeded to the spot selected
for the sports, which had always a smooth surface, sometimes covered
with grass and sometimes with sand. A circle of thirty or forty feet
in diameter was left clear for the competitors, and around it sat the
spectators, the inhabitants of the island or district on one side,
and the visitors on the other. All being ready, the combatants enter
the arena, wearing nothing but the simple girdle, and mostly having
well anointed their bodies and limbs with cocoa-nut oil. The mode of
challenge and wrestling has been so well described by Mr. Ellis that I
prefer to give his own words:--
“The fame of a celebrated wrestler was usually spread throughout
the islands, and those who were considered good wrestlers, priding
themselves on their strength or skill, were desirous of engaging only
with those they regarded as their equals. Hence when a chief was
expected in whose train were any distinguished wrestlers, those among
the adherents of the chief by whom the party were to be entertained who
wished to engage, were accustomed to send a challenge previous to their
arrival.
“If this, which was called _tipaopao_, had been the case, when they
entered the ring they closed at once without ceremony. But if no such
arrangement had been made, the wrestlers of one party, or perhaps their
champion, walked round and across the ring, having the left arm bent
with the hand on the breast, and, striking the right hand violently
against the left, and the left against the side, produced a loud hollow
sound, which was challenging any one to a trial of skill. The strokes
on the arm were sometimes so violent as not only to bruise the flesh,
but to cause the blood to gush out.
“When the challenge was accepted the antagonists closed, and the
most intense interest was manifested by the parties to which they
respectively belonged. They grasped each other by the shoulders, and
exerted all their strength and art each to throw his rival. This was
all that was requisite; and although they generally grappled with each
other, this was not necessary according to the rules of the game.
“Mape, a stout and rather active though not a large man, who was often
in my house at Eimeo, was a famous wrestler. He was seen in the ring
once with a remarkably tall heavy man, who was his antagonist; they had
grappled and separated, when Mape walked carelessly toward his rival,
and, on approaching him, instead of stretching out his arms as was
expected, he ran the crown of his head with all his might against the
temple of his antagonist, and laid him flat on the earth.
“The most perfect silence was observed during the struggle, but as soon
as one was thrown the scene was instantly changed; the vanquished was
scarcely stretched on the sand when a shout of exultation arose from
the victor’s friends. Their drums struck up; the women and children
danced in triumph over the fallen wrestler, and sung in derision of
the opposite party. These were neither silent nor unmoved spectators,
but immediately commenced a most deafening noise, partly in honor of
their own clan or tribe, but chiefly to neutralize the triumph of the
victors. It is not easy to imagine the scenes that must often have been
presented at one of these wrestling matches, when not less than four or
five thousand persons, dressed in their best apparel, and exhibiting
every variety of costume and brilliancy of color, were under the
influence of excitement. One party were drumming, dancing, and singing,
in all the pride of victory and the menace of defiance; while, to
increase the din and confusion, the other party were equally vociferous
in reciting the achievements of the vanquished, or predicting the
shortness of his rival’s triumph. When the contest was at an end,
victor and vanquished once more repaired to the idol temple, and
renewed their offerings of young plantain trees.
“Although wrestling was practised principally by the men, it was not
confined to them. Often when they had done, the women contended,
sometimes with each other, and occasionally with men. Persons of the
highest rank often engaged in this sport; and the sister of the queen
has been seen wearing nearly the same clothing the wrestlers wore,
covered all over with sand, and wrestling with a young chief in the
midst of the ring, round which thousands of the queen’s subjects were
assembled.”
CHAPTER CIX.
THE SOCIETY ISLANDS--_Continued_.
RELIGION.
RELIGION OF THE SOCIETY ISLANDS -- THEIR IDOLS -- PARALLEL BETWEEN
THE IDOLATRY OF MODERN POLYNESIA AND ANCIENT SYRIA -- ORO, THE GOD
OF WAR -- EXTENT OF HIS WORSHIP -- LEGEND OF A SHELL -- ORO’S MARAE,
OR TEMPLE -- THE HUMAN SACRIFICE -- HIRO, THE GOD OF THIEVES -- HIS
WORSHIP AND APOTHEOSIS -- TANE, THE CHIEF GOD OF HUAHINE -- HIS MARAE
AND HIS BED -- DRESSING TANE -- THE TREES AROUND HIS MARAE -- HIS
UNFORTUNATE TAIL -- HIS HIGH PRIEST -- AN INGENIOUS EVASION -- TANE’S
HALF-WAY HOUSE -- TANE AVERSE TO BLOODSHED, BUT NEEDING THE SACRIFICE
OF LIFE -- TANE’S STONE CANOE -- THE SHARK GOD, AND HIS WATER TEMPLE
-- APOTHEOSIS OF A LIVING MAN -- SINGULAR PERFORMANCE OF THE INSPIRED
PRIESTS -- MOVABLE SHRINES.
We now come to the somewhat complicated subject of the religious belief
of the Society Islanders. It is not an easy subject, involving, as it
does, a great variety of national customs, including the all-pervading
tapu, the burial of the dead, and the human sacrifices which accompany
a funeral or are offered on great occasions. We will begin with a brief
account of the religious system of these islanders, as far as it is
possible to reduce to a system a subject so obscure in itself, and so
little understood by the first travellers, who alone would be likely to
witness and gain information about the various religious ceremonies.
As might be expected from these islanders, their religion is pure
idolatry, or rather, it consists in the worship of certain images which
are conventionally accepted as visible representatives of the invisible
deities. The idols are of two different kinds, the one being rude
imitations of the human figure, and the other, certain combinations
of cloth, sinnet, and feathers, rolled round sticks, not having the
slightest similitude to the human form, or being recognizable as idols
except by those who understand their signification. The human figures
are held as being inferior to other idols, and are considered in much
the same light as the Lares and Penates of the ancient Romans. They are
called by the name of Tu, and are supposed to belong to some particular
family which is taken under their protection.
The other gods are, in the ideas of the natives, possessed of far more
extensive powers, sometimes being supposed to watch over particular
districts, or even particular islands. There are gods of the valleys
and gods of the hills, exactly as we read was the belief of the Syrians
nearly three thousand years ago: when Ahab had repulsed Benhadad, “the
servants of the king of Syria said unto him, their gods are gods of the
hills, therefore they were stronger than we; but let us fight against
them in the plain, and surely we shall be stronger than they.” (1 Kings
xx. 23.)
Fully believing in the protection which these deities are able to
extend over their worshippers, it is no matter of wonder that the
latter consider that they have a right to the good offices of their
gods, and complain bitterly when anything goes wrong with them. So,
if a god has been worshipped in some locality, and the ground becomes
barren, or the cocoa-nut trees do not produce their full amount of
fruit, or the district is devastated by war, the people think that
their god is not doing his duty by them, and so they depose him, and
take another in his place.
Although these gods are in a manner limited in their scope, many of
them are acknowledged throughout the whole of the group of islands; and
the chief, because the most dreaded, of them is Oro, the god of war.
This terrible deity is held in the greatest awe by his worshippers, and
at one time was feared throughout the whole of the islands. His name
was associated with sundry localities, and with many objects, so that
his dreaded name was continually in the mouth of the people. There was
even a small species of scallop shell which was held in such fear that
not a native would dare to touch it. It was called tupe (pronounced
_toopeh_), and was said to be the special property of Oro. When a
man died, and was to be converted into a spirit, the body had to be
entirely consumed. This was done by Oro, who scraped the flesh from the
bones with a tupe shell, and thus ate the body.
The subsequent career of the spirit was rather peculiar. After issuing
from Oro in its new form, it betook itself to a great lake in Raiatea,
round which is a belt of trees, which from some cause are quite flat
at the top, presenting a level surface like a leafy platform. On this
place the newly enfranchised spirits danced and feasted, and after they
had passed through that stage of their existence, they were transformed
into cockroaches.
In Huahine there was an enormous marae, or sacred enclosure, dedicated
to Oro. It was a hundred and fifty-six feet long by eighteen wide, and
was built by a fence made of flat slabs of coral-rock placed on their
edges, and the intervals between them filled in with earth. One of
these blocks of stone measured nine feet by ten, so that the labor of
cutting them and conveying them to such a distance from the sea must
have been enormous.
On this platform a smaller one was erected, so as to leave a space
of about four feet in width, and within this upper story were laid
the bones of the many victims that had been slain in the worship of
the god. The temple itself, called Fare no Oro, or the House of Oro,
was quite a small building, eight feet long by six wide, and a little
beyond this was the square stone on which the priest stood when about
to offer a sacrifice, a higher stone behind it answering as a seat
whereon the priest might rest himself when wearied.
Small as was this house, it had been the scene of many human
sacrifices, and even its erection cost a number of lives, every post
having been driven into the ground through a human body. Besides these
victims, others had been sacrificed on many occasions, fourteen of whom
were enumerated by an old man who had once officiated as the priest of
Oro. When the chief of the island became converted to Christianity,
this man tried to conceal the idol which he had so long worshipped,
and to save it from destruction, hid it in a hole in the rock. The
chief, however, very rightly feared that if the idol were allowed to
remain its worship might revive, and accordingly insisted upon its
destruction. Besides the priest who offered the sacrifice, Oro had
another officer, whose special duty it was to kill the victims. He was
officially termed the Mau-buna, or Pig-owner, a human body killed for
sacrifice being named a “long pig.” When the victim was pointed out to
him, the Mau-buna, having a round stone concealed in his hand, found
an opportunity, of getting behind him, and, with a single blow, struck
him senseless to the ground, where the murder was completed. He then
packed the body in a basket of cocoa-nut leaves, and delivered it to
the priest.
Next to Oro was Hiro, the Polynesian Mercury, or god of thieves. He
was originally a man, but was elevated to the society of the gods in
consequence of his wonderful deeds on earth, the chief of which seems
to have been his daring in taking the image of Oro and flinging it to
the ground with impunity.
The worship of Hiro extended through all ranks, from the highest chief
to the lowest cook, and his votaries always asked for his help when
they went on a plundering expedition, and promised him a share of the
spoil. This promise they always performed, but as they were careful
not to define the amount of booty which was to belong to the god, they
contrived practically to have it all to themselves. For example, a
thief would go out pig stealing, and promise Hiro a share of the stolen
pork. Accordingly, if he had been successful, he would take home his
ill-gotten booty, bake it, break off an inch of the tail, and go with
it to the shrine of Hiro, where he would offer it with as much ceremony
as if it had been half the pig, and at the same time beg the god not to
divulge the theft of a votary who had kept his promise.
The natives are quite dexterous enough in the thieving way to be worthy
of the protection of this god, having the most ingenious modes of
stealing the goods of another. For example, if the objects are small, a
hook is fastened to the end of a long bamboo, and the coveted article
is slily withdrawn by the actual thief while a confederate directs the
attention of the victim elsewhere. Sometimes the hook is tied to a
line, and the thief literally angles for the property.
The apotheosis of Hiro was a very remarkable one. After his life of
theft, rapine, and murder, in which he did not spare even the temples
of the gods, and had, as we have seen, the hardihood to fling Oro’s
image on the floor, and roll on it as if he had conquered Oro in
wrestling, he was thought to have been so superhumanly wicked that he
must have been a god. Accordingly, his skull was placed in a huge marae
which he himself had erected, while his hair was put into an image of
Oro, and both buried together, this act constituting the apotheosis.
When Messrs. Bennett and Tyerman were at the Society Islands, this
skull was still in existence, but it disappeared, together with the
idols and other relics of the old religions.
The next god is Tane (pronounced _tahneh_), who was worshipped over a
considerable range of country, and was in one or two islands considered
as their supreme god. Such was the case with Huahine, in which Tane had
a marae or malae of gigantic dimensions. I may here remark that in most
Polynesian dialects the letters _r_ and _l_ are interchangeable, so
that marae and malae are, in fact, the same word.
This marae is a hundred and twenty-four feet in length by sixteen in
breadth, and is composed, like the marae of Oro, of two stories, the
last being nearly ten feet in height, and built of coral blocks, some
of which are ten feet in width, and correspondingly long and thick, so
that their weight is enormous. As the marae is about a hundred yards
from the shore, a prodigious amount of labor must have been expended
in getting these huge stones out of the sea and fixing them in their
places. The upper story is barely a yard in height, and has at each end
an upright stone six feet high.
In the middle of the principal part is the idol’s bed, which he
occupies once annually, and in which he ought to feel comfortable, as
it is twenty-four feet long by thirteen wide. It is built, like the
marae, of stone and earth, and is only eighteen inches high. This is
a very ancient structure, as is shown by the trees that surround and
spread their arms over it. Near the bed is a small house about twelve
feet by six, in which rests the god Tane, together with lesser gods,
each of whom is set over a district.
Tane himself--burned in 1817--was carved out of a great block of wood,
and was about as large as a tall man. He was not remarkable for an
elegant shape, having no neck and no legs, the body terminating in a
cone. The head was furnished with apologies for eyes, mouth, nose, and
ears, and the whole was covered with sinnet.
Once in every year, Tane had a new dress, and was invested with great
solemnity. He was brought out of his house by his priest and laid on
his bed, having four lesser gods on either side of him. The chiefs of
the district stood each in front of his own god, and the priests stood
round Tane as being the great god of them all. The old garments were
then removed, and examination made into the interior of the idol, which
was hollow, and contained various objects, such as scarlet feathers,
beads, bracelets, and other valuables. Those that began to look shabby
were removed, and others inserted to take their place, and the idols
were then invested in their new robes.
Meanwhile, a vast amount of kava was prepared--the natives saying that
it was equal in cubic measure to the marae--and a scene of drunken
debauch took place, lasting for several days, even the priests being
so intoxicated that they were unable to stand while performing their
duties, but had to chant their incantations while lying on the ground.
This stage of the idol-dressing is represented in the fine engraving on
the opposite page. At the expiration of the three days a special god
called Moorai was produced and stripped, and, as soon as his garments
were removed, violent rain showers fell, as a signal for all the idols
to be removed to their respective houses. The greatest care was taken
that no woman should witness this ceremony, and if a female of any age
had been detected coming within a certain distance of the marae, she
would be at once killed, and even her father, husband, or brother,
would have been among the first to strike her down.
The trees which decorated this marae are the banyans (_Ficus Indica_),
one of which is described by Mr. Bennett as being seventy feet in girth
at the principal stem, and throwing out vast horizontal branches, each
of which is supported by a root which looks more like the trunk than
the root of a tree. “More than forty of these we counted, standing like
a family of earth-born giants about their enormous parent. A circle
drawn round all these auxiliary stems measured a hundred and thirty-two
feet in circumference, while a circle embracing the utmost verge of
their lateral ramification was not less than four hundred and twenty
feet.
“The upper stories (if such we may call them) of this multiform
tree presented yet more singular combination of interesting and
intertwisting boughs, like Gothic arches, circles, and colonnades,
propped as by magic in mid-air. These were occasionally massy or light,
and everywhere richly embellished with foliage, through which the
flickering sunshine gleamed in long rays that lost themselves in the
immensity of the interior labyrinth, or danced in bright spots upon
the ground black with the shadows of hundreds of branches, rising tier
above tier, and spreading range above range, aloft and around.”
This tree was one of the places in which the bodies of human beings
were offered, being packed in leaf baskets and hung to the branches.
One branch, which was hugely thick and strong, and ran horizontally
at a small height from the ground, was pointed out as the principal
gibbet, on which human sacrifices, thousands in number, have been
offered century after century.
Tane, all powerful though he was, labored under one disadvantage. He
had a very long tail, and whenever he wished to leave his house, rise
into the air, and dart through the sky on some errand of mischief, he
was restrained by his long tail, which was sure to become entangled
in some object, which from that time became sacred to the god. For
example, the magnificent tree which has just been described was
several times the means of detaining Tane on earth, and the several
branches round which his tail was twisted became tapu at once. On one
side of his house there was a large stone, which had become sacred in
consequence of having arrested the flight of the god.
[Illustration: SOCIETY ISLANDERS DRESSING THE IDOLS. (See page 1066.)]
This idea of the long and streaming tail has evidently been derived
from meteors and comets, which are supposed to be the gods passing
through the air, and whenever a native saw one of them, he always threw
off his upper garments, and raised a shout in honor of the passing god.
Mr. Bennett suggests that the permanent tail attached to Tane is in all
probability a commemoration of some very magnificent comet with a tail
measuring eighty or ninety degrees in length.
So sacred was the idol that everything which was touched by it became
tapu, and might not be touched by profane hands. There was only one man
who was allowed to carry it, and he was called from his office, “Te amo
attua,” _i. e._ the god-bearer. His task was not an easy one, and his
office, though it caused him to be viewed with nearly as much reverence
as the god of whom he was the special servant, must have deprived
him of many comforts. The god-bearer was not even allowed to climb a
cocoa-nut tree, because, if he did so, the tree would be so sacred that
no one might ascend it after him; indeed, every action of his life was
fenced about with some similar restriction. He could not marry, as, in
the first place, no woman could be deserving of the honor, and, in the
second place, he would be defiled and unfitted for his office if he
were to take any woman to wife.
A celibate life does not seem to us to entail such self-denial as
seems to be implied by the prominence given to the celibacy of the
god-bearer, who appears to have been the only bachelor in the whole
group of islands. But among most savage nations a man’s wealth and
consequence are regulated by the number of his wives, who do all the
work of the household, and in fact keep their husband in idleness.
The house in which the god lived was a small hut elevated on posts
twenty feet high, and there were no means of access except by climbing
one of these posts. The god-bearer, therefore, had no easy task in
climbing up these posts with the great wooden image fastened to his
back.
In the illustration on the 1084th page we see the chief priest of
Tane--the god-bearer--ascending the pole of the sacred house, with the
unwieldy idol slung on his back. A gust of wind has risen, and has
wafted Tane’s long tail into the air, so that it has been entangled in
a neighboring tree. One of the principal priests is running to ascend
the tree and free the god’s tail, and from that time the tree will be
tapu, and no one of lower rank than the priest who freed the tail will
be allowed to ascend the tree.
Sometimes Tane paid a visit to a marae at some distance, and when
he did so, his bearer was naturally fatigued with the weight of his
burden. It was, however, thought derogatory to the character of the god
to say that his bearer could by any possibility be tired of carrying
him, and so, by an ingenious evasion, the god himself was thought to
be fatigued with the journey, and was laid to rest for a while on a
flat stone about half a mile from the sacred tree. This stone was tapu
to women, and if a woman had sat upon it, or even touched it with her
finger, she would have been at once killed.
The stone was not a large one, being only four feet long, one foot
broad, and nine inches thick. It is a singular fact that this sacred
stone, which had so often been the witness of idolatrous rites,
should also have witnessed the destruction of the idol to whom it was
consecrated. After Christianity had been fairly established in the
island, the chief men who adhered to the worship of Tane made war
upon the Christians, who repelled them, so that they were obliged to
bring out their idol and lay him on the sacred stone. The two bodies
of warriors met face to face close to the idol, and the struggle was
about to commence when the chief of the Christians made a speech to
the enemy, laying before them the distinctions between idolatry and
Christianity, and recommended peace instead of war.
His voice prevailed, and those who came to fight against the Christians
renounced their idols, and, as a proof of their sincerity, they built
a large fire on the spot, threw Tane into it, and then held a great
feast, at which the men and women ate together. They then proceeded to
Tane’s house, burned it down, and dismantled his great marae.
The feathers attached to these idols and placed within their hollow
bodies are mostly the two long tail-feathers of the tropic bird, white
and broad toward the base, and narrow and scarlet for the remainder
of their length. When the gods are newly dressed, it is considered
a meritorious act for any one to present fresh feathers in lieu of
those which have been deteriorated by age. After the old garments are
unrolled, the feathers are placed inside the image, and a corresponding
number of old feathers taken out and presented to the devotee, who
values them beyond all things, as partaking of the sanctity which
surrounds the original idol. These feathers are then carefully wrapped
with sinnet, so as to cover them, with the exception of a little
portion of both ends, and they are then laid before the idol, while
the priest recites a prayer, in which he beseeches the god to transfer
his sanctity to these feathers, which from that moment become minor
gods.
The happy devotee has already provided himself with bamboo tubes, in
each of which he places one of the feathers, and from which he never
takes them except to pray to them. Sometimes he has a smaller idol
made, and places the feathers within it; but in this case, he has to
take the new idol to be laid before the original one, so that the
transfer of sanctity may be guaranteed to them. This mode of honoring
the sacred feathers is usually employed when the devotee has enjoyed
some piece of good fortune after he has received them, and in most
cases he not only encloses them in a new idol, but builds a small
temple in which that idol lives.
Formerly, when animals were brought to be sacrificed to Tane, no blood
was shed, but they were laid upon a stone and strangled by pressing
their necks between two sticks. Food of all kinds was presented to him,
part of which he was supposed to consume himself, part was taken by the
priests, and the remainder was consumed by the worshippers. All first
fruits went to Tane, a peasant being supposed to offer him two of the
earliest fruits, while a _raatira_ or gentleman offered ten, and the
chiefs still more, according to their rank and wealth.
Not very far from the sacred stone was a marae containing a very sacred
object, no less, in fact, than a piece of Tane’s own canoe. According
to the people, it was a very miraculous canoe, for it was made of
stone, and yet floated as well as if it were made of wood. In proof of
this statement, they placed the fragment in water, where it floated, as
it was likely to do, being nothing more than a piece of pumice stone.
No one knew where the stone had been obtained, but they said that there
were more pieces in different parts of the island.
Besides the idol gods, there are gods which are symbolized by living
creatures, of which the shark is the chief, being worshipped for the
same reason that crocodiles and venomous serpents are worshipped in
some parts of the world, viz. on account of its destructive powers. Mr.
Bennett saw a large marae which had been consecrated to a shark god
on account of a miraculous event which was said to have happened some
time previously. In one particular spot the ground begun to shake and
tremble, and, as the people were flying in terror, the ground opened,
and a huge shark forced his head through the cleft in the soil.
The formation of the maraes has already been mentioned. Some time
before Mr. Bennett arrived at the place, a shark had contrived to
force its way through the sand into the marae, which was situated
on the shore of the lagoon. The water flowed in with the fish, and
the natives, feeling delighted that their god had actually come to
take possession of his temple, blocked up the passage by which he had
entered, cleared out the marae, and kept the shark in it for the rest
of his life, feeding him abundantly with fish and meat.
Indeed, in one bay the sharks were regularly fed by the priests, and
the consequence was that they became quite familiar, and would swim to
the beach to be fed with fish and pork. They would also accompany the
canoes, knowing well that the natives always threw overboard some of
the fish which they had caught, for the sake of propitiating the shark
gods. The latter, however, were so little sensible of the kindness
bestowed upon them, that had one of their worshippers fallen overboard
they would have eaten him, in spite of all his propitiatory offerings.
Sometimes a living man has been elected to the rank of a god, and
worshipped as such during his lifetime. This was done at Raiatea, the
king, Tamatoa, having been reckoned among the gods by means of a series
of ceremonies which might have been very appropriate in assigning him
a place among the very worst and vilest of demons, but were singularly
unsuitable to an apotheosis. After this ceremony, the king was
consulted as an oracle, prayers and sacrifices were offered to him, and
he was treated as reverently as if he had been Tane himself.
It is a most remarkable fact that Tamatoa became a Christian in
his later life, and afforded most valuable information respecting
the religious belief of the Society Islanders. He corroborated, as
having been an eye-witness, the accounts that have been given of the
astonishing deeds done by the heathen priests while in a state of
inspiration. They have been seen to dash their hands against the ground
with such violence that they imbedded the whole arm up to the shoulder.
Captain Henry, the son of one of the missionaries, states that he has
seen one of these priests plunge his arm into the solid earth as if it
were water, and that he would perform the feat on any ground wherever
he chanced to be.
“The infuriated priest, on that occasion, foamed at the mouth,
distorted his eyeballs, convulsed his limbs, and uttered the most
hideous shrieks and howlings. After he had seemingly buried his arm
like a spear stuck suddenly in the ground, he held it there for a
considerable time; then, drawing it out uninjured, he rushed toward the
shore, and, laying hold upon a large canoe, which ordinarily required
three or four men to launch, he shoved it before him with apparent
ease, and sent it adrift.
“He afterward threw himself into the sea, wallowed about in it, and
kept his head under water for a long time. When this act of the
tragical pantomime was finished, he sat among the waves, and delivered
his prophecies in very figurative and hyperbolical language, at the
same time sufficiently ambiguous to be fulfilled in one of two senses,
whatever might happen.”
Portable shrines of the gods were once used in the Society Islands, but
so complete and rapid has been the demolition of everything connected
with idolatry, that Mr. Bennett, who was eye-witness of many idolatrous
practices, was only able to procure one specimen, which is now in the
museum of the London Missionary Society.
In form it resembles a house, with sloping roof, and is about a yard
in length. It is supported on four short legs, and underneath there
is a round hole through which the idol was passed into its shrine, a
door exactly fitting and closing the aperture. The idol which was in
this shrine represented a female god greatly venerated by the people,
because she was so very mischievous, and had killed thousands of
people, gaining from her bloodthirsty propensities the name of Tii
Vahine, or Queen Tii. The idol is a horribly repulsive example of the
ugliness with which savages invariably invest their deities.
The shrine, with the idol within it, was hidden in a rock cave by
priests of Tii Vahine when idolatry was overthrown by Christianity, and
was not discovered for a considerable time, when it was brought from
its place of concealment and sold.
CHAPTER CX.
THE SOCIETY ISLANDS--_Continued_.
HISTORY--WAR--FUNERALS--LEGENDS.
THE PRIESTS THE HISTORIANS OF THE SOCIETY ISLANDS -- THE MARO, OR
KING’S ROBE, AND ITS HISTORICAL VALUE -- THE HEREDITARY TITLE OF THE
KING -- THE KING’S BEARER -- ARCHITECTURE IN THE SOCIETY ISLANDS --
TAHITAN WARFARE -- RETENTIVE MEMORY, AND ITS USE IN WAR -- BEHAVIOR
OF THE VICTORS TOWARD THE VANQUISHED -- NAVAL BATTLES AND MANŒUVRES
-- MILITARY ETIQUETTE -- HUMAN SACRIFICE BEFORE BATTLES -- CAPTAIN
COOK’S ACCOUNT OF THE CEREMONY -- FUNERALS AMONG THE TAHITANS --
EMBALMING OF A CHIEF’S BODY -- STRANGE DRESS OF THE CHIEF MOURNER --
THE AREOI SOCIETY, AND THE INFLUENCE WHICH IT EXERTED ON THIS GROUP
OF ISLANDS -- LEGENDARY TALES OF THE AREOIS.
The priests performed the office of historians as well as of
hierophants, every chief of consequence having in his household at
least one of these men, who made it his business to chant on all great
occasions the most important events which had happened in the country,
and especially those which affected the family of his patron. Not
only did he relate those events of which he had been a witness, but
he also sang of the deeds of past days, the records of which had been
transmitted to him by his predecessors.
The priests were, therefore, the only historians of the Society
Islands; and, indeed, there was no other mode of delivering to each
succeeding generation the traditions of the past. As, however, much
of their accuracy depended on the memory of the historian, and as
that memory was likely to fade by age, it naturally followed that the
history of earlier times was considerably modified by each succeeding
narrator. Tamatoa was himself a well-known chronicler, and could repeat
a wonderful number of narratives, in which fact and fiction were mixed
together in a manner that exactly resembled the semi-mythic history of
ancient Greece and Rome.
These chroniclers, though they were unable to write, were not without
some means whereby they could refresh their memories. Chief of these
was the Maro, the sacred scarf of royalty. The word “Maro” signifies
the simple girdle which the men wear by way of clothing, but that of
the king is called, by way of pre-eminence, THE MARO; and, like the
crown of an emperor, is only worn when the kingly rank is conferred.
When not in use, it is rolled up in native cloth so as to make a large
bundle, and is only untied when it is wanted. When Captain Cook saw
it he described it as being fifteen feet long, but when Mr. Bennett
was in the Society Islands it measured twenty-one feet in length, the
additional measurement being due to the coronation of successive kings.
It is only six inches in width, and when worn is rolled round the body,
so that the end flows far behind on the ground. It is covered with the
precious red feathers, and to it is attached the needle with which it
is worked. So sacred is the maro thought to be, that, according to the
ideas of the natives, whenever a new stitch was taken the event was
marked by peals of thunder.
The maro was never intended to be finished, but, according to the
original projection, would receive an addition at the coronation of
every new king, so that it would continue to increase in length as long
as the kingly succession was kept up. In several respects it bears a
great resemblance to the Bayeux tapestry. It is very long in proportion
to its width, and the patterns described upon it are records of the
time when the maro was woven, and act as aids to the memory of the
professional historians, who celebrate in their songs the deeds of past
days.
The manufacture of the maro was stopped in a very curious manner. After
Tamatoa became a Christian, he was so horrified at the unspeakable
iniquity of the ceremonies that took place at each lengthening of
the maro that he determined to destroy the maro itself. Fortunately,
instead of destroying it, he gave it up to his teachers, and it was
sent, together with many specimens of the idolatrous arts of Polynesia,
to the museum of the London Missionary Society. I may here mention that
Tamatoa is the hereditary name of the king, like the Pharaoh of Egypt
and the Finow of Tonga.
All the kings, or rather the principal chiefs, have the greatest
idea of their dignity, and are regarded by their subjects almost as
demigods. Like some of the African royalties, they are carried on men’s
shoulders when they travel from one place to another by land, and when
they go by sea they are said to fly and not to sail. There is a special
language for the king, whose canoe is called the Rainbow, and whose
house is termed the Cloud of Heaven. No one is allowed to stand above
him: and this idea is so strongly impressed upon him that a great chief
dislikes going into the cabin of an European ship, lest an inferior
should tread on the deck over his head. The king even claims authority
over the language. We speak in England familiarly of the king or
queen’s English. In the Society Islands the language really does belong
to the king, who invents and alters words according to his own caprice,
and even strikes out of the language those words which he does not
happen to like.
The power of the king being so absolute, it might be imagined that
the house in which he lived would be far superior to those of his
subjects. His power is, however, more real than apparent, and though
he has despotic authority, he is lodged, clothed, and fed, scarcely
better than any of his subjects, and not in the least better than
the chiefs. His house is built in the same manner and of the same
materials as those of his subjects. It is certainly larger, because it
has to accommodate more persons; but in other respects it is in no way
superior.
The houses of the Society Islands are, indeed, little more than
thatched roofs supported on pillars about seven or eight feet in
height, the pillars tapering from the base to the top, and not being
quite upright, but sloping a little inward. The floor is generally
covered with grass and mats, while to the rafters of the roof are hung
baskets, bundles of cloth, and other property.
* * * * *
Warfare among the Society Islands differs little from the mode which
is practised in many other parts of Polynesia, and therefore does not
require a lengthened notice.
Formerly, when their weapons were the spear, the club, and the sling,
the wars used to be very protracted and caused much bloodshed, but the
later introduction of fire-arms has had its usual effect, and not only
reduced the number of wars but the loss of life in battle.
Some of their spears were dreadful weapons, the worst of which seems to
have been a sort of trident, something like an eel spear. The head of
it was armed with three bones from the tail of the sting-ray. They were
not fastened to the head of the spear, but only slipped into sockets,
just tightly enough to hold them. When an enemy was struck with either
of these points, it became detached from the spear, and, in consequence
of its peculiarly barbed edges, kept working its way deeper and deeper
into the body, so that certain death was the result of a wound with one
of these spears.
The natives of the Society Islands also used the bone of the sting-ray
for secret assassination. They watched the intended victim while he
slept, and, by gently touching him with a feather, made him turn about
until he was in a favorable position. The fatal dagger was then struck
into the body, and the assassin made his escape, being sure that the
wound must sooner or later be mortal.
The peculiar character of the people shows itself in other ways.
They are most tenacious of memory in everything that has a personal
interest to them, and are equally unwilling to forget an injury or a
benefit. They will cherish a life-long vengeance against any one who
has offended them, so that one man has been known to follow another
from year to year, from one island to another, with the certainty and
tenacity of the bloodhound, and never to cease from his quest until
he has avenged himself upon his enemy. There is, however, a redeeming
point in this trait of character, namely, that although it is mostly
exercised for evil purposes, it sometimes takes the opposite course.
Mr. Bennett mentions that on one occasion, after a battle, a chief of
the victorious side knew that among the flying enemy was a man who had
shown a kindness to him in a former war. Knowing the fate that would
befall the man if he fell into the hands of the victors, he followed
on the track of the fugitive, and after seeking his friend from cover
to cover, and from bush to bush, he at last discovered him, took him
to his own house, kept him there for a time, and then dismissed him in
safety.
Cruelty toward the vanquished is one of the invariable accompaniments
of savage warfare, and we cannot expect to find that the Society
Islanders are more free from it than others. The only cannibalism of
which they are guilty is in connection with war, and even on those
occasions the victorious party only eat a small portion of the dead
adversary’s body, in accordance with custom, and do not feast upon
human flesh, as many of the Polynesians do.
They are, however, on some occasions very cruel to the captured or
wounded enemies, absolutely tearing them to pieces by degrees, and
taking care to avoid the vital parts, so as to prolong the agony of
the sufferer as much as possible. Even Pomaré, before he became a
Christian, was guilty of many abominable atrocities. He has been known
to take the children of vanquished chiefs, run sinnet cords through
the backs of their necks, and drag them about until they died of the
torture.
Even when the enemy was dead, the victors could not be content
without insulting the senseless corpse. “When a combatant had slain a
distinguished adversary,” writes Mr. Bennett, “after the fray was over,
the perishing carcass was left upon the field for a day or two. It was
then dragged to the marae, when the victor and his friends would stand
over it, and exult in the most savage manner over the corrupted mass.
“Each taking a fibrous wand of cocoa-nut leaf, tough as whalebone, in
his hand, to employ as a drumstick, they would beat the body with these
till they were weary; saying to it, ‘Aha! we have you now; your tongue
fills your mouth, your eyes stand out of your head, and your face is
swollen; so would it have been with us, had you prevailed.’ Then, after
a pause, they would renew their impotent stripes and not less impotent
taunts. ‘Now you are dead, you will no more plague us. We are revenged
upon you; and so you would have revenged yourself on us, if you had
been the strongest in battle.’ Again: ‘Aha! you will drink no more
kava; you will kill no more men; you will disembowel no more of our
wives and daughters. As we use you, you would have used us; but we are
the conquerors, and we have our vengeance.’
“When they had tired themselves, and beaten the flesh of the corpse to
a mummy, they broke the arms above the elbows, placed flowers within
the hands, and, fastening a rope about the neck, they suspended the
mangled remains on a tree, and danced with fiend-like exultation about
it, laughing and shouting as the wind blew the dislocated limbs and the
rent muscles to and fro.”
The canoe fights show some skill in manœuvres. The war canoes are
double, with a platform laid across the bars, forming a sort of stage,
on which the warriors stand to fight. The movements of the canoes are
directed by one man, who tries to take the adversary at a disadvantage,
and orders the vessel to advance or retreat as he thinks best, while
the warriors are dancing on the platform, and exciting themselves to
rage by frantic shouts, brandishing club and spear, and exchanging
defiances with the enemy when near enough. As soon as one of them can
take the other favorably, the canoes close, and the warriors from one
try to board the other and kill its defenders.
The reserves receive and take care of the wounded, laying them in
the bottom of the canoe, where they are safe from the weapons of the
enemy, and in their turn take the place of those who are disabled, so
that a constant succession of fresh warriors is continually coming to
the front. When at last one party gets the better of the other, those
of the vanquished side who are able to use their limbs leap overboard
and try to save themselves by swimming. They have, indeed, no other
alternative, for no quarter is ever given or expected, and if the
lives of the vanquished be spared at the time, it is only that the
unfortunate men may be tortured to death next day.
When Captain Cook visited the Society Islands, he found that all the
decisive battles were fought by water, and that such a thing as a great
battle on land was never thought of. Indeed, the chief strength of
these insular people lies in their canoes, and in a sea fight a great
number of them were usually engaged. In such a sea fight, whenever one
party found themselves being worsted, they immediately made for the
beach, drew their canoes ashore, jumped out, and made the best of their
way to the hills, where they concealed themselves during the day, and
at night slipped off to their own homes.
When a pitched battle of this kind is determined upon, it is fought out
very fairly, and becomes a sort of general tournament. The two opposing
chiefs arrange with each other as to the time and place for the battle.
The whole of the day and night preceding the battle are occupied by
both parties in feasting and dancing, evidently on the principle
that, if they are to be killed on the morrow, they may as well enjoy
themselves while they can. Before daybreak the canoes are launched and
made ready for battle, and with the dawn the fight commences.
After the engagement is over, and the vanquished have run away, the
victors go in great triumph to the maraes, where they return thanks to
their gods, and offer to them the dead, the wounded, and the prisoners
whom they have taken. The chief of the conquered party then opens
negotiations with his successful opponent, and a treaty is arranged,
in which peace is restored on certain conditions. These are often very
hard, and force the vanquished to give up large tracts of land as well
as to pay heavy fines in property. Sometimes a whole district changes
masters, and, in one or two cases, an entire island has been added to
the conquerors.
* * * * *
As human sacrifices have several times been mentioned, it will be as
well to describe the circumstances under which they take place. We have
already seen that in times of war the captured enemies are offered to
the idols. There is a sort of excuse for this act, the idea being
that, as the captives had sought the lives of the worshippers of the
gods, their own lives should be sacrificed to them as an atonement for
their presumption.
There are, however, other occasions on which such sacrifices are
offered, and where the victim is selected by the chief and killed
in cold blood. If, for example, the king or principal chief of an
island or district should project a war against another, he generally
sacrifices a man to his god in order to bespeak his aid against the
enemy. One of these sacrifices was seen by Captain Cook in 1777. He did
not witness the actual murder of the victim, who was killed, as usual,
unawares, by a blow from a stone, but saw the body as it was prepared
for offering, and was present at the curious ceremony which accompanied
the sacrifice.
It appeared that Towha, the chief of his district, intended to make
war against the island of Eimeo, and sent a message to his friend and
relative Otoo that he had sacrificed a man, and wished for Otoo’s
presence when the body was offered at the great marae of Attahooroo.
Having previously doubted whether the usually mild and gentle Tahitans
would really offer human sacrifices, Captain Cook asked permission to
accompany Otoo, and accordingly went with him to the marae. The party
accordingly embarked in their canoes, taking with them a miserable,
half-starved dog, which was to form part of the sacrifice.
When they arrived at the landing-place, they found the body of the
slain man already there, lying in a canoe which was half in and half
out of the water, just in front of the marae. Otoo, his visitors, and
the chiefs halted about ten yards from the body, while the rest of the
people looked on from a distance.
“The ceremonies now began. One of the priests’ attendants brought a
young plantain tree, and laid it down before Otoo. Another approached
with a small tuft of red feathers, twisted on some fibres of the
cocoa-nut husk, with which he touched one of the king’s feet, and then
retired with it to his companions.
“One of the priests, seated at the marae, facing those that were upon
the beach, now began a long prayer; and, at certain times, sent down
young plantain trees, which were laid upon the sacrifice. During this
prayer a man, who stood by the officiating priest, held in his hand two
bundles, seemingly of cloth. In one of them, as we afterward found, was
the royal maro; and the other, if I may be allowed the expression, was
the ark of the Eatooa (_i. e._ the Atua, or god). As soon as the prayer
was ended, the priests at the marae, with their attendants, went and
sat down with those upon the beach, carrying with them the two bundles.
“Here they renewed their prayers; during which the plantain trees were
taken, one by one, at different times, from off the sacrifice, which
was partly wrapped up in cocoa leaves and small branches. It was now
taken out of the canoe and laid upon the beach, with the feet to the
sea. The priests placed themselves around it, some sitting and others
standing; and one or more of them repeated sentences for about ten
minutes. The dead body was now uncovered by removing the leaves and
branches, and laid in a parallel direction by the sea-shore.
“One of the priests then, standing at the feet of it, pronounced a long
prayer, in which he was at times joined by the others; each holding in
his hand a tuft of red feathers. In the course of this prayer some hair
was pulled off the head of the sacrifice, and the left eye taken out;
both which were presented to Otoo, wrapped up in a green leaf. He did
not, however, touch it, but gave to the man who presented it the tuft
of feathers which he had received from Towha. This, with the hair and
eye, was carried back to the priests.
“Soon after, Otoo sent to them another piece of feathers, which he had
given me in the morning to keep in my pocket. During some part of this
last ceremony, a kingfisher making a noise in the trees, Otoo turned to
me, saying, ‘That is the Eatooa,’ and seemed to look upon it as a good
omen.
“The body was then carried a little way, with its head toward the
marae, and laid under a tree, near which were fixed three broad thin
pieces of wood, differently but rudely carved. The bundles of cloth
were laid on a part of the marae; and the tufts of red feathers were
placed at the feet of the sacrifice, round which the priests took their
stations; and we were now allowed to go as near as we pleased.
“He who seemed to be the chief priest sat at a small distance, and
spoke for a quarter of an hour, but with different tones and gestures;
so that he seemed often to expostulate with the dead person--to whom he
constantly addressed himself--and sometimes asked several questions,
seemingly with respect to the propriety of his having been killed. At
other times he made several demands, as if the deceased either now had
power himself, or interest with the divinity, to engage him to comply
with such requests. Amongst which, we understood, he asked him to
deliver Eimeo, Maheine its chief, the hogs, women, and other things of
the island, into their hands,--which was indeed the express intention
of the sacrifice. He then chanted a prayer, which lasted near half an
hour, in a whining, melancholy tone, accompanied by two other priests,
and in which Potatau and some others joined. In the course of this
prayer some more hair was plucked by a priest from the head of the
corpse, and put upon one of the bundles.
“After this, the chief priest prayed alone, holding in his hand the
feathers which came from Towha. When he had finished, he gave them to
another, who prayed in like manner. Then all the tufts of feathers were
laid upon the bundles of cloth; which closed the ceremony at this place.
“The corpse was then carried up to the most conspicuous part of the
marae, with the feathers, the two bundles of cloth, and the drums, the
last of which beat slowly. The feathers and bundles were laid against
the pile of stones, and the corpse at the foot of them. The priests
having again seated themselves round it, renewed their prayers, while
some of the attendants dug a hole about two feet deep, into which they
threw the unhappy victim, and covered it over with earth and stones.
While they were putting him into the grave a boy squeaked aloud, and
Omai said to me that it was the Eatooa.
“During this time, a fire having been made, the dog before mentioned
was produced, and killed, by twisting his neck, and suffocating him.
The hair was singed off, and the entrails taken out and thrown into
the fire, where they were left to consume. But the heart, liver, and
kidneys were only roasted, by being laid on hot stones for a few
minutes; and the body of the dog, after being besmeared with the blood,
which had been collected in a cocoa-nut shell, and dried over the fire,
was with the liver, &c., carried and laid down before the priests, who
sat praying round the grave.
“They continued their ejaculations over the dog for some time, while
two men at intervals beat on two drums very loud, and a boy screamed as
before in a loud shrill voice three different times. This, as we were
told, was to invite the Eatooa to feast on the banquet that they had
prepared for him. As soon as the priests had ended their prayers, the
carcass of the dog with what belonged to it were laid on a _whatta_,
or scaffold, about six feet high, that stood close by, on which lay
the remains of two other dogs, and of two pigs, which had lately been
sacrificed, and at this time emitted an intolerable stench. This kept
us at a greater distance than would otherwise have been required of
us; for after the victim was removed from the seaside toward the marae
we were allowed to approach as near as we pleased. Indeed, after that,
neither seriousness nor attention were much observed by the spectators.
When the dog was put upon the whatta, the priests and attendants gave a
kind of shout, which closed the ceremonies for the present.”
The scene is well represented in illustration No. 1, on the opposite
page. In the foreground is the canoe, in which lies the body of the
slain victim, attended by two priests; while just above it on the shore
is the dog that is intended to furnish the second portion of the
offering. Just in front of the house are two platforms, on the taller
of which lie the dogs and pigs that have already been sacrificed, and
on the lower lies the embalmed body of the late king, which is brought
out for inspection. In front of the bier are the drummers performing on
their elaborately carved instruments. A portion of the marae is seen
on the left hand of the illustration, and on it lie the skulls of the
human sacrifices that have been offered on various occasions.
Next day the ceremonies were resumed; more pigs were killed, some gifts
were laid upon the movable house in which the Atua (or god) was carried
about, and a young plantain tree was plucked up and laid at the feet of
the king.
The mysterious bundles of cloth which had been laid on the marae were
then unrolled, and out of one of them was taken the sacred maro, or
royal girdle, which has already been described. It was remarkable for
the fact that a portion of the scarlet feathers with which the maro is
decorated were sewed upon an English pennant which had been hoisted by
Captain Wallis when he landed on the island, and left flying when he
left it. The second bundle contained the idol to whom the sacrifices
were made.
Another hog was then killed, and the entrails inspected, exactly after
the manner employed by the old Roman augurs; and the ceremony ended
with rolling up the Atua, together with a number of scarlet feathers,
in the bundle of cloth from which it had been taken.
At the funerals of very great men human sacrifices are often made,
and near the large whattas, or platforms, on which the pigs and other
provisions are offered, there are numbers of human skulls, each a relic
of a human sacrifice. The only redeeming point about these sacrifices
is, that the victim is quite unconscious of his fate. He is struck to
the ground suddenly by an assassin who comes stealthily upon him, and
never feels the real bitterness of death, namely, the dread of the
coming fate.
The bodies of great chiefs undergo a process by which they are
preserved for a considerable time. Captain Cook saw the corpse of a
chief who had been dead for several months, and whose body had suffered
scarcely any apparent change. There was a slight contraction of the
muscles and sinking of the eyes, but the body was otherwise perfect;
and when the attendants on the corpse unrolled the cloth in which it
was enveloped, the limbs were found to be nearly as pliant as in life.
This result is obtained by removing the whole of the interior of the
body, supplying its place with cloth soaked in cocoa-nut oil, and
anointing the whole body repeatedly with the same substance. The bodies
are exposed to public view for some time; but the embalming only
postpones the process of decay, and, sooner or later, decomposition
does its work. At first the body is exposed for several hours daily,
provided that there be no rain; but by degrees it is only shown at
intervals, and at last is scarcely ever exhibited, except by request.
[Illustration: (1.) THE HUMAN SACRIFICE. (See page 1076.)]
[Illustration: (2.) CORPSE AND CHIEF MOURNER. (See page 1079.)]
There is a special building, called a _tupapau_, in which the bodies of
chiefs are exhibited when lying in state. First, there is a tolerably
large house, with a palisade around it, and within this house is the
tupapau itself. It is made exactly like the little pent-houses that are
built upon the larger canoes, and is profusely decorated with scarlet
feathers, cloth, and other precious ornaments. Two men are attached
to the tupapau, who watch over it night and day, attend to the proper
arrangement of the cloth and feathers, receive the offerings of fruit
and provisions that are constantly made, and prevent intruders from
venturing within the palisades.
The second illustration on the 1077th page exhibits the manner in
which the bodies of ordinary chiefs are laid out under the protection
of a covered shed, as well as the extraordinary dress worn by the
chief mourner. The dress is composed in the most ingenious manner of
mother-of-pearl shell, feathers, bark cloth, and similar materials, and
has a peculiarly startling appearance from the contrast between the
glittering white of the pearl-shell and the dark feathers with which
the shell is surrounded. Several of these extraordinary dresses have
been brought to England, and may be seen in different collections.
* * * * *
Before leaving the Society Islands, it will be necessary to mention an
extraordinary institution that in former times prevailed among them. It
consisted of a society called the “Areois.” They were worshippers of
the god Oro; and though they formed a single confraternity throughout
all the Society group, each island furnished its own members.
Some writers have likened the society to that of Freemasonry; but no
two institutions can be more utterly opposed than those of the Masonic
and the Areoi societies--the one insisting on monotheism, while the
other is based on idolatry; the one being an universal, and the other a
local society; the one inculcating morality, and the other being formed
for the express purpose of throwing aside the small relics of morality
possessed by a native Polynesian.
It is not improbable, however, that on its first foundation the Areoi
society possessed something of a religious nature. When Areois who
had been converted to Christianity managed to shake off the dread
with which they contemplated any reference to the mysteries of their
society, they all agreed in the main points, though differing in
details.
In the first place, the Areois believed in the immortality of the soul,
and in the existence of a heaven suited to their own characters. Those
who rose to high rank in the Areoi society were believed, after their
death, to hold corresponding rank in their heaven, which they called
by the name of Rohutu-noa-noa, or Fragrant Paradise. All those who
entered were restored to the vigor and bloom of youth, no matter what
might be their age; and in almost every respect the resemblance between
the Polynesian Rohutu and the Mohammedan Paradise is close and almost
startling.
The method by which this Paradise was to be gained was most
extraordinary. Fanatics of an ordinary turn of mind believe that
everlasting happiness hereafter is to be gained by self-denial and
mortification of the body during the present life. The Areois, with
an almost sublime audacity, held precisely the opposite view, and
proclaimed both by words and deeds that a life of eternal enjoyment
in the next world was to be obtained by leading a life of unbridled
license in the present world.
In order to carry out this theory to the fullest extent, the Areois
formed themselves into a society, and travelled about from one island
to another, disseminating their peculiar opinions wherever they went,
and gaining fresh recruits to their number in each island. On one
occasion Captain Cook saw seventy canoes filled with Areois set off
on an expedition to the different islands. Wherever they landed, they
proceeded to the nearest marae, and offered a sacrifice of a sucking
pig to the god who presided over it, this sacrifice being in the first
place a thank-offering to the god for their safe landing, and in the
next a notification that they wanted pigs for themselves.
Partly on account of the terror inspired by their numbers and
unanimity, and partly on account of the spread of their very
intelligible doctrines, the invitation always met with an immediate
response, and great numbers of pigs, together with vegetable food,
cloth, kava, and other luxuries were produced. A great feast was then
held, during which the peculiar doctrines of the society were carried
out to the full, and a scene ensued such as cannot be described.
Among the worst of their doctrines was that which declared them all
to be celibates, because the god Oro was unmarried. Consequently, the
existence of children among them could not be recognized, and as soon
as a child was born, it was murdered, and the fact of its existence
ignored. By a similarly convenient fiction, all Areois were presumed to
be in the full vigor of human life. Consequently, the possibility of
age and debility was ignored, and in order to prove the non-existence
of either senility or sickness, any old or sick person was quietly
buried alive. The victims were never apprized of their fate, as is the
case in Fiji, but a grave was dug surreptitiously, the sick person was
decoyed to it on some pretence or other, dropped into the grave, the
earth flung on him, and stamped down almost before he had time for a
remonstrance.
Sometimes, when provisions ran short, the Areois had a very strange
method of supplying themselves. A party of them, led by some chief,
whose rank was known by the marks tattooed on his body, would visit a
house where they saw evidences of prosperity, and look about until they
came on a little boy--an easy matter enough in a country where polygamy
is practised. They would then take the child, and go through various
ceremonies, by which they represented him as having been raised to
kingly rank.
They would then simulate the utmost deference to the new king, place
him on an elevated seat, prostrate themselves before him, and appeal
to him as though he really held the kingly rank. “We are come to the
king’s house, poor, naked, and hungry. We need raiment--give us that
piece of cloth. We need food--give us that pig.” Accordingly, the
father of the child was forced to fall in with their humor, and, in
return for the honor conferred upon his house, to give them whatever
they demanded.
The only redeeming point of the Areois was their value in keeping up
the old historical records of the islands. The food and clothing which
they obtained from the various people were repaid by the dramatic
performances and recitations which they gave, and which debased as
they were by the licentious element which permeated every section
of the society, performed toward their local history the same part
which the ancient mysteries performed toward the Christian religion.
The Polynesians being unable to read or write, and having no mode of
recording historical events except by tradition, these performances
rendered as it were history visible, and enacted before the eyes of the
illiterate people the deeds of days long gone by.
Sometimes the story was that of a celebrated ancestor, much on a par
with the semi-mythical legends of ancient European and Asiatic history,
and sometimes it took a graver cast, and narrated the deeds and powers
of the native gods. For example, the legend of Taroa, the father of
gods and men, was somewhat as follows:--
In ages long gone by, Taroa existed only in the form of a vast egg, and
hung high in the firmament, inclosing in the shell the sun, moon, and
stars. After floating in ether for ages, he thrust his hands through
the shell, so that the light of the sun burst upon the universe and
illumined the earth beneath him. And the earth was then small as it lay
beneath him. Then Taroa saw the sands of the sea, and cried to them,
“Sands, come up to me, and be my companions.” But the sands replied,
“We belong to the earth and sea, O Taroa, and may not leave them. Come
thou down to us.” Then he saw the rocks and cliffs, and cried to them,
“Rocks come up to me, and be my companions.” But the rocks replied, “We
are rooted in the earth, O Taroa, and may not leave it. Come thou to
us.”
Then Taroa descended, and cast off his shell, which immediately added
itself to the ground, and the earth was increased to its present
dimensions, while the sun and moon shone above. Long did Taroa live on
the earth which he peopled with men and women; and at last the time
came when he should depart from it. He transformed himself into a large
canoe, which was filled with islanders, when a great storm arose, and
suddenly the canoe was filled with blood. The islanders with their
calabashes baled out the blood, which ran to the east and west of the
sea; and ever afterward the blood of Taroa is seen in the clouds which
accompany the rising and setting sun, and, as of old tinges the waves
with red.
When the canoe came to land, it was but the skeleton of Taroa, which
was laid on the ground with its face downward, and from that time
all the houses of the gods have been built on the model of Taroa’s
skeleton, the thatched roofs representing the backbone and the posts
the ribs.
Legends such as these are often transmitted from one reciter to
another, and recited verbatim, being merely illustrated and exemplified
by such poetical digressions as the mind of the narrator may suggest.
With others, on the contrary, the orator has only the mere skeleton,
and tells the story in the manner that seems him best.
CHAPTER CXI.
THE SANDWICH ISLANDS.
CLIMATE--DRESS--ORNAMENTS--WOMEN.
LOCALITY OF THE GROUP -- CONFORMATION AND CLIMATE OF HAWAII --
APPEARANCE AND DRESS OF THE MEN -- FEATHER MANTLES AND HELMETS --
SINGULAR RESEMBLANCE TO CLASSIC MODELS -- APPEARANCE OF THE WOMEN --
A HAWAIIAN BEAUTY -- DRESS OF THE WOMEN -- MODES OF WEARING THE HAIR
-- BRACELETS AND OTHER ORNAMENTS -- FONDNESS FOR PIGS AND DOGS --
OCCUPATIONS OF THE WOMEN -- HOSPITALITY TO STRANGERS -- FISH PONDS,
AND MODE OF MAKING THEM -- TREATMENT OF WOMEN -- SEMI-AMPHIBIOUS
NATURE OF THE SANDWICH ISLANDERS -- INGENIOUS METHOD OF OBTAINING
SOUNDINGS.
Considerably to the northward of the Society Islands lie the SANDWICH
ISLANDS, so called by Captain Cook, in honor of the Earl of Sandwich.
The entire group consists of eight inhabited islands, and a few which
are too barren and rocky to maintain human beings. The largest and most
important of them is HAWAII, or Owhyhee, as the word is spelt in Cook’s
“Voyages.” It was on the shore of a bay on the western side of this
island that Captain Cook was killed in 1779. Owing to the interchange
of the letters _l_ and _r_, which is so prevalent among the Polynesian
languages, the name of this bay is sometimes spelt as Karakakooa, and
sometimes as Kealakekua.
The capital city of the Sandwich Islands is not situated in Hawaii, but
in Oahu, or Woahu, one of the smaller islands, and is called Honolulu.
It rightly deserves the name of a city, because it is the seat of a
bishopric. The climate of the Sandwich Islands is said to be the most
charming in the world. The variation is exceedingly trifling, as near
the sea the temperature is below that of sultry English summer-time,
while on the coldest winter’s day the thermometer never sinks below
62° Fahr. Owing, however, to the mountainous nature of these islands,
any one may live throughout the year in almost exactly the same
temperature, by ascending into a cooler atmosphere when the weather is
too hot, and descending into the warmer strata during the months of
winter.
Adhering to the principle which has been followed in this work, I
shall say but little of the present Europeanized condition of the
natives of these islands, and confine myself as far as possible to the
manners and customs of the people as they were before the white men had
introduced their own mode of civilization. Even at the present day,
however, the old savage character continually shows itself, and among
the very people who seem to be most completely under the influence of
civilization the original old heathenism exhibits itself when they are
off their guard, or when they think themselves out of the ken of white
men. It will be understood, therefore, that although the present tense
may be used in the following pages, all descriptions apply to them as
they were originally, and not to them as they are at the present day.
* * * * *
The men are tall, active and powerful, and in color are of an olive
brown, the precise depth of tint varying much according to the exposure
to the sun, so that the skins of the chiefs are much lighter than those
of the commonalty. The hair is jet black, and not in the least woolly,
being sometimes quite straight, and sometimes wavy. The face is mostly
wide, and is a very handsome one, the only fault in it being a tendency
to width across the nostrils.
The men all wear the maro or malo, _i. e._ the slight girdle of cloth
which has already been mentioned, and having this, they consider
themselves dressed for all purposes of decency. They also have a tappa,
or bark-cloth garment, which is twisted round the waist, and falls
below the knees, while the better class wear also a sort of mantle, to
shelter their skin from the darkening sunbeams.
The great chiefs have also mantles made of a sort of network, into
each mesh of which are interwoven the feathers of various birds, the
most precious of them being that which supplies the yellow feathers.
This is a little bird called _Melithreptes pacifica_. It is one of the
honey-birds, and under each wing there is a single yellow feather, one
inch in length. The late king, Kamehameha, had a cloak made of these
feathers alone. It was four feet long, and eleven feet wide at the
bottom. No less than nine successive kings died before this priceless
mantle was finished.
The headdress of the chiefs is of so graceful and classical a form as
absolutely to startle the spectator. It is a helmet made of wicker-work
and covered with feathers, the shape being exactly that of the ancient
Grecian helmet even to the elevated crest which runs over the top.
One of these beautiful helmets is shown on the 1097th page. It is not
intended as a protection for the head, the material being too fragile
for such a purpose, but is simply a badge of rank and wealth. Mostly
they are covered with scarlet and yellow feathers, disposed in bold
bands or belts, and the wealth of the wearer may be known by the
proportion which the yellow and scarlet feathers bear to each other.
Examples of these beautiful ornaments may be seen in several museums,
where it is to be hoped that they will be kept from the destructive
moths and beetles, inasmuch as they form the sole memorials of a time
now passed away.
The birds which furnish these feathers are eagerly sought by
the Sandwich Islanders, who have the same love of scarlet that
distinguishes not only all Polynesians but all savages and children.
The birds are usually caught by means of a tenacious substance much
resembling our birdlime, and used in a similar manner by being smeared
on twigs and poles, to which the birds are attracted by means of baits.
The natural taste in color is as good as that which displays itself in
form, and although the brightest and most boldly contrasting colors
are used by the Sandwich Islanders, they are used with such admirable
judgment that they do not look gaudy, or even obtrusive.
The women, when young, are singularly beautiful, and retain their
good looks longer than is usual among Polynesians. Like the other
sex, however, they generally attain to great size in their latter
years, those of the better sort being remarkable for their enormous
corpulence. This development is probably owing, like that of the Kaffir
chiefs, to the great quantity of porridge which they are continually
eating. When young, however, they are exceedingly beautiful, their
features having a peculiar charm of their own, and their forms being
like those of the ancient Grecian statues. An American traveller,
writing under the _nom de plume_ of Haöle, _i. e._ foreigner, gives a
most animated description of a native girl, in his interesting work on
the Sandwich Islands, showing that the partial civilization to which
the natives have been subjected has not destroyed their beauty of
features nor symmetry of form.
“In truth to nature, it may be safely asserted that beauty is not
confined merely to the saloon of the monarch, nor to the tapestried
chambers of the patrician. It is more frequently found amid the lowlier
walks of life, on the desert, or the distant isle of the ocean. In this
instance I wish to be understood as speaking of physical beauty only.
On leaving the shore-road to ascend the mountains for Halawa, I met
just such a specimen as has often driven men mad, and whose possession
has many a time paved the way to the subversion of empire on the part
of monarchs.
“She was rather above the medium size of American women. Her finely
chiselled chin, nose, and forehead were singularly Grecian. Her
beautifully moulded neck and shoulders, looked as though they might
have been borrowed from Juno. The development of her entire form was
as perfect as nature could make it. She was arrayed in a single loose
robe, beneath which a pretty little nude foot was just peeping out. Her
hair and eyebrows were as glossy as a raven’s wing. Around her head
was carelessly twined a wreath of the beautiful native _ohelo_ flowers
(_Gaultheria penduliflorum_). Her lips seemed fragrant with the odor
of countless and untiring kisses. Her complexion was much fairer than
the fairest of her countrywomen, and I was forced into the conclusion
that she was the offshoot of some white father who had trampled on
the seventh precept in the Decalogue, or taken to his embrace, by the
marriage relation, some good-looking Hawaiian woman.
“But her eyes! I never shall forget those eyes! They retained
something that spoke of an affection so deep, a spiritual existence so
intense, a dreamy enchantment so inexpressibly beautiful, that they
reminded one of the beautiful Greek girl Myrrha, in Byron’s tragedy of
‘Sardanapalus,’ whose love clung to the old monarch when the flame of
the funeral pile formed their winding sheet.
“In no former period of my life had I ever raised my hat in the
presence of beauty, but at this moment, and in such a presence, I _took
it off_. I was entirely fascinated, charmed, spell-bound now. I stopped
my horse; and there I sat, to take a fuller glance at the fair reality.
And the girl stopped, and returned the glance, while a smile parted her
lips, and partially revealed a set of teeth as white as snow, and of
matchless perfection. I felt that smile to be an unsafe atmosphere for
the nerves of a bachelor; so I bowed, replaced my hat, and passed on my
way, feeling fully assured that nothing but the chisel of Praxiteles
could have copied her exquisite charms. And as I gently moved past her,
she exclaimed, in the vocabulary of her country ‘Love to you.’”
[Illustration: (1.) IDOL TANE RETURNING HOME. (See page 1069.)]
[Illustration: (2.) SANDWICH ISLAND WOMEN AND PIG. (See page 1085.)]
The same writer mentions in several other places the beauty of the
young girls whom he saw in Hawaii. There was no reason for the surmise
that the girl who impressed him so deeply was a half-caste, because, as
has already been mentioned, people of the better class are much fairer
than those of lower rank, and are scarcely so dark as the inhabitants
of Southern Europe.
The dress of the Sandwich Islands women is much like that of the
Tongans, and consists essentially of a wrapper of bark cloth passing
round the waist and falling below the knees. It is often arranged so
that the end may be thrown over the shoulders, and many of the better
class of women have a separate piece of cloth which is used as a
mantle. When young they wear no clothing at all.
The methods of wearing the hair are somewhat various. The women
generally cut it behind, but allow it to grow to its full length on
the rest of the head. The men sometimes divide the hair into a number
of locks, and plait or twist each lock into a sort of tail about the
thickness of a man’s finger. These tails are allowed to grow to their
full length, and stream for some distance down the back. The length of
tail seems to be much valued among these people, who are in the habit
of adding to their length by supplementary additions of hair woven into
their own locks. The hair is often stained of a reddish color by the
use of lime, as is done in Fiji and other parts of Polynesia. Sometimes
the men shave the whole of the hair on either side of the head, leaving
only one crest of long hair to run from the forehead to the nape of the
neck, just like the crests of the feather helmets.
Captain Cook remarks that the Sandwich Islanders stand almost alone
among Polynesians in refusing to perforate their ears, and that
they have no idea of wearing ornaments in them. They are fond of
ornaments, some of which are worth a brief description. They have a
sort of necklace made of black cord, doubled forty or fifty times, and
supporting a piece of wood, shell, or bone cut into the form of a broad
hook. Necklaces made of small shells strung together are also common,
as are also necklaces of dried flowers.
Bracelets of various kinds are valued by the women. Some of these
ornaments are made of hog’s teeth placed side by side, with the concave
parts outward, and joined by a string running through the middle. Some
of these bracelets are made entirely of the long curved tusks of boars,
and are really handsome ornaments. Others are formed from pieces of
black wood, fastened together in a similar manner, and being variegated
by small pieces of hog’s teeth let into them.
The men sometimes wear on their heads tufts of feathers tied to slight
sticks. The most valuable of these plumes are those which are made
of the tail-feathers of the tropic bird. Others, which are not so
valuable, are made of white dog’s hair. The sticks are sometimes two
feet in length.
Tattooing is but slightly practised among the Sandwich Islanders,
though some of them have the arms and chest decorated with lines and
figures tolerably well executed.
Like many of the Polynesians, the Sandwich Islanders have an absurd
liking for pigs and dogs, carrying them about and feeding them when
young, as if they had been children. Even when the animals attain
their full growth, they are petted to no small extent. The “Haöle”
narrates an amusing example of the extreme tenderness which the
Hawaiian women evince for these animals, and the artist has represented
the description in engraving No. 2, on the preceding page. He was
travelling through the island, and noticed a group of women sitting
under the shade of a pandanus tree, and surrounding something in which
they seemed to be greatly interested. On coming closer, he found that
the object of their attention was an enormous hog.
The women were taking it to market, a task which usually devolves
upon them, and had to drive the animal for a considerable distance
over lofty mountains, a task which could not occupy them less than
thirty-six hours. To produce the hog in good condition was evidently
their principal object, and they would therefore hurry it as little as
possible, coax it along, rather than drive it, by day, and sleep by its
side at night. It so happened that the day was a very warm one, and the
hog, which was in very good condition, was oppressed with its own fat,
with the heat and the fatigue of the journey. Accordingly, the women
had led their charge to a shady spot, taken off their only garments,
soaked them in water, and spread them over the panting animal, which
uttered occasional grunts of satisfaction at the coolness caused by the
wet garments, and the continual fanning which the women kept up with
leaves.
When the pig is of smaller size, and the market is near at hand, so
that there is no danger the animal may get out of condition, a much
simpler plan is followed, the legs of the pig being tied together, and
a pole run between them, which is lifted on the shoulders of two or
four men, according to the weight of the animal.
Although the Sandwich Islanders will eat dogs, pigs, and cats too,
when they can afford themselves the luxury, they are so fond of them
while living that a man will sooner resent an injury done to his dog
or pig than to his child. When travelling, accompanied by their dogs,
they treat the animals just like children, taking them in their arms,
and carrying them over any rough or muddy places, lest perchance the
poor animals should hurt or soil their feet. It is possible that this
extraordinary predilection may arise from the fact that none of these
animals are indigenous, but have been introduced by Europeans.
It will be seen that the women do not spend their lives in idleness.
Indeed, though they are not treated with the harshness that too often
falls to the lot of women in uncivilized countries, they do a very
fair share of the work. The cooking, for example, is entirely their
business, and they are as great adepts at procuring as at cooking food.
For example, if a stranger should call at the house of a native, the
wife is sure to come out, pass her hand over him, and inquire whether
he is hungry. Should he reply in the affirmative, she or another girl
runs out to one of the fish ponds, launches a small canoe, and in a
very short space of time she has caught some fish, broiled them, cooked
some taro, and laid them on plantain leaves before the guest.
These fish ponds are very common in Hawaii, and are mostly made by the
women. They are formed by taking advantage of the coral beach, which
has numerous small bays or inlets with comparatively narrow mouths.
Across the mouths of these bays the natives pile pieces of coral rock
so as to prevent any fish from escaping. They are deepened as occasion
may require, and it is not an uncommon thing to see a number of women
up to their waists in mud and water busily employed in cleaning out
a fish pond, and evidently enjoying the work rather than thinking it
a hardship. While they are thus at work on land, their husbands and
brothers are equally hard at work on sea, catching the fish which are
to be transferred to the pond.
The natives rely much for their supplies of food on these ponds, as
fish forms a considerable portion of their diet, pork and fowls being
too expensive to be considered anything but luxuries, and only to be
eaten constantly by the rich. The ponds vary much in size, but are
generally of considerable dimensions. Few of them cover less than an
acre of ground, while others are a hundred times as large. One or two
of the largest are very ancient, and may be considered as historical
monuments, the coral blocks which shut them off from the sea being of
such enormous size as to tell of the time when the kings or principal
chiefs were absolute, and could command any amount of human labor.
Even at the present time the natives rely much on their fish ponds for
their supplies of food, and the size of the pond is an invariable test
of the rank and wealth of the owner. They are watched as carefully as
game preserves in our own country, and suffer as much from poachers,
who, however, seldom escape detection.
While, therefore, the women do their share of the work, their life is
by no means a laborious one, because there is so little work to be
done. The taro patch has to be prepared and cultivated, but this is
not a very laborious task; the fish ponds have to be made and left
in order, the cooking has to be done, and the bark cloth to be made.
Of all these tasks the second is the hardest, and this is rather
considered as an amusement than a labor, the women being so amphibious
in their habits that to spend half the day in mud and water is no
hardship to them, as is seen by the merry talk and laughter that
accompany the work.
Mr. Bennett mentions one instance in which a woman was badly treated
by her husband. Being in a state of intoxication, he ordered her to
carry him on her back up one of the precipices with which these islands
abound. In spite of the almost perpendicular rocks, which are in that
spot so steep that the white visitors could barely climb up them
without any burden at all, the woman undertook the task, and succeeded
in reaching the summit in safety.
The semi-amphibious nature of the Sandwich Islanders has already been
mentioned. The mode in which both sexes turn their aquatic powers
into a means of amusement will be presently described, but we are now
dealing with the work done by the women, and not with their amusements.
There is a salt-water lake called Loki Nomilu, which was said by the
natives to be the handiwork of the terrible fire-goddess Pele, who dug
deep into the ground in search of fresh water, but was baffled by the
sea finding a subterranean entrance, although the lake is many yards
from the shore. Being angry with the sea for its misconduct she took
her departure, and took up her abode in the crater of the great volcano
of Hawaii, which is called by her name. There is little doubt that
the lake in question is itself the crater of an extinct volcano. The
“Haöle” went to visit this extraordinary lake, and gives the following
account of the mode by which its actual depth was ascertained:--
“Having been informed that this lake was fathomless, I felt only more
solicitous to test the mystery. There were no means, however, on the
premises; and, two women excepted, the little village was temporarily
deserted. There were several canoes on the shore, but the lake was
much disturbed by a heavy north wind, so that they would have been
rendered nearly useless. But I felt as though I could not abandon the
expedition. The gentleman who accompanied me thither informed the women
of my object in coming, and assured them I was extremely anxious to
know the depth of the water in that lake, and that we would wait until
some of the men returned from their fishing excursion.
“But one of them soon provided a remedy. She proposed swimming into
the lake with a sounding-line to make the required measurement. Our
remonstrance against such a measure was in vain, for she resolutely
assured us it would be not only an easy performance, but afford her
much satisfaction to have an opportunity of serving me. She procured a
piece of wili-wili wood, exceedingly light, about six feet long, and
as many inches in diameter. This she insisted on carrying to the north
end of the lake, where, under the lee of the high hills, she launched
the log of wood. After wading in until it was deep enough to swim, she
placed the log firmly under her chest, keeping it there with one hand,
and retaining the sounding-line with the other. In this position she
struck down the lake, stopping at short intervals to let down the line,
which she knotted at the surface of the water every time she found the
bottom. This done, she would gather up her line, replace her log, and
resume her course. And she pursued this plan until her task was done.
“It would be superfluous to say that this feat excited our admiration,
or that we compensated her for her pains. It was the most novel
expedition I had ever seen; nor could I fully realize it until I
remembered that in these islands, as in other parts of Polynesia, and
in the Caribbean Sea, the women and girls are the best swimmers. The
Hawaiians are almost amphibious. Volumes might be written detailing
their extraordinary feats in the water. It is owing to their frequent
bathing that many of the women of Polynesia display such an exquisite
_contour_.”
The woman who performed the feat was the mother of nine children, all
of whom were living--an extraordinary event in the life of an Hawaiian
woman, so many children perishing either by neglect, disease, or
intentional violence.
CHAPTER CXII.
THE SANDWICH ISLANDS--_Concluded_.
WAR--SPORT--RELIGION.
WEAPONS OF THE SANDWICH ISLANDERS -- KAMEHAMEHA AND THE SPEARS --
TWO KINDS OF SLINGS -- THE WOODEN DAGGER OR PAHÚA -- THE KNIFE FOR
CUTTING UP THE BODIES OF SLAIN ENEMIES -- THE WAR MAT AND ITS USES
-- THE TOOTH BREASTPLATE -- SUPPOSED CANNIBALISM OF THE SANDWICH
ISLANDERS -- VARIOUS GAMES -- SURF SWIMMING -- CHILDREN AND THE WATER
-- MASKED PADDLERS -- BALL PLAY -- CUP AND BALL -- THE HIDDEN STONE
-- A BOXING MATCH IN THE SANDWICH ISLANDS -- SLEDGING AND ITS DANGERS
-- RELIGION OF HAWAII -- FEATHER AND WOODEN IDOLS.
Some of the weapons used by the Sandwich Islanders are rather curious.
In the first place they have the spear, which is made of a chestnut
colored wood, which takes a high polish, and is usually barbed at
the point and brought to a flattened point at the butt. They are
exceedingly skilful in the use of this weapon, not only in throwing
it, but in warding off the weapons that are flung at them. Kamehameha,
the well-known king or chief, was celebrated for his skill with the
spear. He used to stand with a spear in his right hand in front of six
men, also armed with spears. At a given signal they flung their spears
simultaneously at him, when he used to strike three aside with the
spear in his right hand, and catch the other three in his left hand.
Illustration No. 1, on the next page, shows the king performing this
dangerous and remarkable feat.
These spears, which are intended to be thrown, are from six to eight
feet in length, and are made to fly straight by being tapered gradually
from the head to the butt. There is another kind of spear, which is
used as a pike. This is from twelve to fifteen feet in length, and is
not barbed.
The sling is another of the Sandwich weapons. It is of considerable
length, and the receptacle for the stone is made of plaited matting.
The stones are oval in shape, and are ground down for the express
purpose, so that the slingers evidently possess much accuracy of aim.
There is a modification of the sling, the use of which seems to be
forgotten at the present day, and even in Captain Cook’s time was far
from universal. The stone is cut of an oval shape, with a groove round
it, much like a lady’s tatting-needle, and the cord is passed round
the groove with a half-hitch, so that when the end of the sling is
liberated the stone flies off. Some of these stones obtained by Captain
Cook were made of hæmatite, or blood-stone, and were very heavy,
weighing at least a pound. It was rather curious that, although there
was little difficulty in purchasing the stones, which must have cost
much trouble in making, it was not possible to persuade the natives to
part with the cord by which they were flung.
Another of their weapons is the dagger, or _pahúa_, as the natives call
it. The material of which it is made is a very hard wood, something
like ebony, and it is shaped much like the ordinary steel dagger,
except that it has no guard. It is about two feet in length, and is
secured to the wrist by a cord passing through a hole at the end of the
handle. Some of these daggers are still larger, and double-pointed,
being held in the middle like the antelope-horn daggers of India. This
weapon has a mournful interest from the fact that when Captain Cook was
murdered his body was pierced with innumerable wounds mostly made by
wooden daggers, though one of the natives had a dagger made of iron,
which they snatched from each other’s hands in their eagerness to
inflict fresh wounds.
[Illustration: (1.) KAMEHAMEHA AND THE SPEARS. (See page 1088.)]
[Illustration: (2.) MASKED ROWERS. (See page 1095.)]
On some occasions the Sandwich Islanders employ a weapon which much
resembles the merai of the New Zealanders. It is a battledoor-shaped
piece of wood, armed with shark’s teeth round the edges. Its primary
use is that of a knife, and it is employed in cutting to pieces
the bodies of foes that are slain in battle. Still, though it was
originally intended as an implement and not as a weapon, it is of
so formidable a character that it is often employed in the latter
capacity. As far as can be ascertained, this knife is considered to be
especially devoted to the one object of cutting up human bodies, and is
never employed in any meaner work.
As to clubs, they are of various shapes, the natives having no special
form, but carving them into any device that may suit them best, and
using different kinds of wood for the purpose.
The defensive armor of the Sandwich Islanders is generally a thick mat,
which is worn in time of war, and is sufficiently strong to save the
wearer from the thrust of a spear or the stroke of a dagger, and can
even greatly deaden the blow of a sling stone.
When Captain Cook was killed, the man who precipitated the attack was
wearing his war mat, and, on threatening Captain Cook with a dagger in
one hand and a stone in the other, the captain was obliged to fire at
him in self-defence. Not wishing to kill, but only to wound and terrify
his adversary, he fired a charge of shot, which was resisted by the
war mat, so that the man escaped unhurt, his impunity encouraging the
natives to proceed with their attack. Had Captain Cook fired the other
barrel, which was loaded with ball, against which the war mat would
have been no protection, it is probable that the natives would have
been deterred from their attack, and that Captain Cook might have lived
to complete the voyage of discovery.
One of the most curious examples of defensive armor is a breastplate
made entirely of teeth, so arranged that they overlap each other just
like the plates of scale armor. One of these curious breastplates is in
the United Service Museum. Teeth hung in a similar fashion are employed
as castanets, and are hung to the legs of dancers.
Warfare as originally practised by the Sandwich Islanders was scarcely
deserving of the name, being little more than a series of desultory
skirmishes. They usually began by practising in earnest the skill in
avoiding spears which has already been mentioned as exhibited in sport.
When the opposing parties met, one of the chiefs, clad in his feather
helmet and cloak, advanced in front of his own men, totally unarmed,
having nothing in his hand but a fan, and challenging the enemy to
throw their spears at him. This they did, and by means of wonderful
agility in leaping, stooping, and twisting his body, when the weapons
could not be struck aside by the fan or caught in the left hand, he
often contrived to escape with his life.
Though it was a piece of military etiquette that he should take
no weapon into the field, he was at liberty to hurl back at his
adversaries any of the spears which he could catch. Should one of the
enemy’s spears bring him to the ground, or should he be successful
in killing an adversary, there was an immediate struggle for the
possession of the dead body, which is looked upon much as is a flag
among ourselves, to be defended or captured at all risks, even of life.
This statement naturally brings us to the disposal of the bodies of the
slain, and to the practice of cannibalism. That the latter practice
existed to a certain degree cannot be denied, but it is equally certain
that the practice was always exceptional, and that it was followed
rather as a portion of military etiquette than as a means of indulging
the appetite. As may be imagined, the higher the rank of a slain man
the greater the desire to eat a portion, however small of his flesh;
and this theory will account for the fact that the remains of Captain
Cook which were rescued from the natives bore evident marks of fire.
It has often happened that cannibalism has been thought to exist
on the strength of native evidence, which has afterward been found
to have been misunderstood. A remarkable instance of such an error
occurs in the account of Captain Cook’s voyages. In vol. ii. p. 209,
there is an account of a native who was observed to carry with him a
very small parcel carefully tied up with string. After resisting many
solicitations, he allowed it to be opened, when there appeared a small
piece of flesh about two inches long, “which to all appearance had been
dried, but was now wet with salt water.” On being further pressed on
the subject, the man admitted that it was human flesh, and, pointing to
his own stomach, indicated the portion of the body from which it had
been cut.
Nothing could be clearer than this account, but in vol. iii. p. 133,
the whole of this evidence is shown to be utterly untrustworthy. It
seems that almost every Sandwich Islander was in the habit of carrying
about with him a small piece of hog’s flesh very highly salted, which
he was accustomed to nibble occasionally as a delicacy, or by way
of sauce when eating vegetable food. By pointing to his stomach the
man merely used the conventional sign expressing the excellence of
the food; and as to his statement that the flesh was that of a human
being, he was so eagerly and closely questioned that, being a mere
lad of sixteen or seventeen, he gave an affirmative answer to leading
questions. As far as we can see, the Polynesian race is not given to
cannibalism, while the Papuans are devoted to it.
* * * * *
We now come to the various games with which the Sandwich Islanders
amuse themselves. Chief among them is the sport of surf-swimming. This
is practised in several of the islands of Polynesia, but in none is it
carried out to such perfection as in the Sandwich group. The following
spirited account of this sport is given in Captain Cook’s Voyages:--
“Swimming is not only a necessary art, in which both the men and women
are more expert than any people we had hitherto seen, but a favorite
diversion amongst them. One particular mode in which they sometimes
amused themselves with this exercise in Karakakooa Bay, appeared to us
most perilous and extraordinary, and well deserving a distinct relation.
“The surf, which breaks on the coast round the bay, extends to the
distance of about one hundred and fifty yards from the shore, within
which space the surges of the sea, accumulating from the shallowness
of the water, are dashed against the beach with prodigious violence.
Whenever from stormy weather, or any extraordinary swell at sea, the
impetuosity of the surf is increased to its utmost height, they choose
that time for this amusement, which is performed in the following
manner:--
“Twenty or thirty of the natives, taking each a long narrow board,
rounded at the ends, set out together from the shore. The first wave
they meet they plunge under, and, suffering it to roll over them, rise
again beyond it, and make the best of their way by swimming out into
the sea. The second wave is encountered in the same manner with the
first; the great difficulty consisting in seizing the proper moment of
diving under it, which, if missed, the person is caught by the surf,
and driven back again with great violence; and all his dexterity is
then required to prevent himself from being dashed against the rocks.
As soon as they have gained, by these repeated efforts, the smooth
water beyond the surf, they lay themselves at length on their board,
and prepare for their return. As the surf consists of a number of
waves, of which every third is remarked to be always much larger than
the others, and to flow higher on the shore, the rest breaking in
the intermediate space, their first object is to place themselves on
the summit of the largest surge, by which they are driven along with
amazing rapidity toward the shore.
“If by mistake they should place themselves on one of the smaller
waves, which breaks up before they reach the land, or should not be
able to keep their plank in a proper direction on the top of the swell,
they are left exposed to the fury of the next, and, to avoid it, are
obliged again to dive and regain the place from which they set out.
“Those who succeed in their object of reaching the shore have still
the greatest danger to encounter. The coast being guarded by a chain
of rocks, with here and there a small opening between them, they are
obliged to steer their board through one of these, or, in case of
failure, to quit it before they reach the rocks, and, plunging under
the wave, make the best of their way back again. This is reckoned very
disgraceful, and is also attended with the loss of the board, which I
have often seen, with great terror, dashed to pieces at the very moment
the islander quitted it. The boldness and address with which we saw
them perform these difficult and dangerous manœuvres was altogether
astonishing, and is scarcely to be credited.”
These swimmers used often to pass nearly a mile seaward, in order to
enjoy the rapid motion of their return as long as possible. Both sexes
and all ranks unite in it, and even the very chiefs themselves, who
have attained to the corpulency which they so much admire, join in the
game of surf-swimming with the meanest of their subjects. Some of the
performers attain to a wonderful degree of skill, and, not content
with lying on the board, sit, kneel, and even stand on it as they are
hurled shoreward by the giant waves. The boards are of various sizes,
according to the age and stature of the owner. For adults they are
about six feet in length. They are slightly convex on both sides, and
are kept very smooth--all surf-swimmers cherishing a pride in the
condition of their boards, and taking care to keep them well polished
and continually rubbed with cocoa-nut oil. The artist has finely
represented on the following page the marvellous conquest of the sea by
these islanders.
Such utter mastery of the waves can only be obtained by familiarity
with the water from earliest childhood. A Sandwich Island child
can swim as soon as it can walk, if not sooner, the mothers taking
them from the breast, laying them on the surface of the water and
encouraging them to kick about as if lying on their mats ashore. One
writer mentions his encounter with an object which he took to be a
very large frog, but which turned out to be a Kanaka (_i. e._ Sandwich
Island) baby, which was lying on its back and disporting itself quite
at its ease.
Indeed, in the mind of a Sandwich Islander there seems to be no
connection between the ideas of water and danger, neither does it enter
his imagination that any human being is unable to swim. Consequently,
there have been several instances where white men have fallen into
the water and have been almost drowned, though in the presence of the
natives, simply because the idea that any one could be endangered by
falling into the water never occurred to them.
[Illustration: SURF SWIMMING BY SANDWICH ISLANDERS. (See page 1092.)]
They are equally skilful in managing their canoes, and have a
curious mode of extracting amusement out of them. A number of men
will sometimes paddle a canoe after dressing themselves up in a most
ludicrous fashion. They take large empty gourds, and put them over
their heads, after cutting holes in them corresponding with the eyes
and nose, so that the effect is not at all unlike that of a turnip
lantern. To the upper part of the gourd is attached a bunch of slender
green twigs, which look at a little distance like a plume of feathers,
and to the lower part are suspended a number of narrow strips of cloth,
looking like a long beard. Their appearance is shown in illustration
No. 2, on the 1089th page.
In every case where these masks were worn, the wearers seemed
exceedingly jovial, laughing, shouting, and playing all kinds of
antics. It was suggested that these masks were in fact helmets, used
to protect the wearers against the stones slung by their adversaries;
but the whole demeanor of those who wore them was so completely that of
mere masqueraders that the helmet theory seems quite untenable.
Ball play is a favorite sport with the Sandwich Islanders, and is
carried on with infinite variations. Like the Tongans, they can play
with five balls at once, throwing them from hand to hand, so that four
of them are always in the air. The balls are extemporized on the spot,
being made of green leaves rolled together, and bound with string.
They have a modification of this game, which very much resembles our
cup and ball. They take a wooden stick, or handle, about a foot or
eighteen inches long, and through one end of it they pass a peg of hard
wood, some three inches in length, so that an inch or more projects on
either side. They bring both ends of the peg to a sharp point, and the
toy is then ready. Throwing up the ball with the left hand, they catch
it on one of the pointed ends of the peg, and then jerk it into the
air, and catch it again, reversing the stick so as to catch it upon the
other end of the peg. This game they will keep up for a very long time
without missing ball once.
Another amusement is very popular. Two players sit opposite each other,
one having a stone and a piece of bark cloth, and the other a stick.
The first player takes the bark cloth, spreads it on the ground, and
with his right hand crumples it up into folds, while with the other he
deposits the stone under the cloth. The peculiar character of the cloth
causes the folds and wrinkles to remain unaltered, just as would be the
case if a piece of thin paper were treated in the same way. The other
player carefully examines the cloth, endeavoring to discover the spot
under which the stone is concealed, and, when he has made up his mind,
strikes at the stone with his stick. Should he hit it, he wins a large
stake from his opponent; but in the very likely event of missing it he
forfeits a small stake to the adversary. Great interest is taken in the
game by the spectators, and heavy bets are laid on the two players.
They have many athletic amusements, such as bowls, spear throwing,
stick darting, and similar sports and occasionally engage in the
rougher sport of boxing. As may be seen from Captain Cook’s account,
this sport is not carried on with such fury and pertinacity as in
Tonga, the victory being gained on comparatively easy terms:--
“As we had not yet seen anything of their sports or athletic exercises,
the natives, at the request of some of our officers, entertained us
this evening with a boxing match. These games were much inferior, as
well in point of solemnity and magnificence as in the skill and powers
of the combatants, to what we had seen exhibited at the Friendly
Islands; yet, as they differed in some particulars it may not be
improper to give a short account of them.
“We found a vast concourse of people assembled on a level spot of
ground, at a little distance from our tents. A long space was left
vacant in the midst of them, at the upper end of which sat the judges,
under three standards, from which hung slips of cloth of various
colors, the skins of two wild geese, a few small birds, and bunches of
feathers.
“When the sports were ready to begin, the signal was given by the
judges, and immediately two combatants appeared. They came forward
slowly, lifting up their feet very high behind, and drawing their hand
along the soles. As they approached, they frequently eyed each other
from head to foot in a contemptuous manner, casting several arch looks
at the spectators, straining their muscles, and using a variety of
affected gestures. Being advanced within reach of each other, they
stood with both arms held out straight before their faces, at which
part all their blows were aimed. They struck, in what appeared to our
eyes an awkward manner, with a full swing of the arm; made no attempt
to parry, but eluded their adversary’s attack by an inclination of the
body or by retreating.
“The battle was quickly decided; for if either of them was knocked
down, or even fell by accident, he was considered as vanquished, and
the victor expressed his triumph by a variety of gestures, which
usually excited, as was intended, a loud laugh among the spectators. He
then waited for a second antagonist, and, if again victorious, for a
third, till he was at last in his turn defeated.
“A singular rule observed in these combats is, that whilst any two
are preparing to fight, a third person may step in, and choose either
of them for his antagonist, when the other is obliged to withdraw.
Sometimes three or four followed each other in this manner before
the match was settled. When the combat proved longer than usual, or
appeared too unequal, one of the chiefs stepped in, and ended it
by putting a stick between the combatants. The same good humor was
preserved throughout which we before so much admired in the Friendly
Islanders. As these games were given at our desire we found it was
universally expected that we should have borne our part in them; but
our people, though much pressed by the natives, turned a deaf ear
to their challenge, remembering full well the blows they got at the
Friendly Islands.”
A sport which was formerly in great vogue in the Sandwich Islands is
sledging, the sloping sides of the mountain ranges being pressed into
the service of the players. The game is called _holua_, and is played
in the following manner:--
Each player is furnished with a sledge, made of two narrow runners,
varying from seven to eighteen feet in length, three inches deep, and
rounded off at one end, just like the steel runner of a skate. These
are placed side by side, not parallel, but slightly diverging, the
space between the runners being about two inches at the tips, and five
inches at the other end. They are connected together with cross-pieces
of wood, and mostly covered with strong matting. The native name for
the sledge is _papa_. In order to prepare a path on which the sledge
can travel, the natives cut a narrow and shallow trench from the top of
the mountain to the base, and even carry it for a mile or more on level
ground. Before the sport is begun, the trench is laid with grass so as
to make the path easier.
When the players have assembled at the top of the mountain, one of them
takes the sledge in his hands, holding it in front of him, retreats a
few paces, and then runs forward with all his speed, flings himself
head foremost into the trench, and glides down it at a terrific pace,
resting on his sledge. The rapidity with which a well-managed sledge
will dash down the trench, is absolutely fearful, the incline being
often at an angle of forty-five degrees. The art of balancing the
narrow sledge is a very difficult one, and if a player should chance
to lean too much to one side, or should guide his sledge out of the
trench, it is scarcely possible for him to escape with his life. The
sledge flies to pieces in a moment, the rider is hurled high in the
air, and goes rolling down the steep hill, without any means of guiding
or stopping himself.
The winner in this game is the player who travels the farthest along
the trench, and so fascinating is the sport, that the natives have
been known to stake the whole of their property on their skill. They
staked their houses, their lands, their fruit trees, and their crops.
Husbands staked their wives and children, and wives staked themselves.
And after they had lost all that they had, or were likely to have, they
staked their very bones, to be used after death in making fish hooks
and arrow heads.
* * * * *
The religion of the Sandwich Islanders resembles so closely that of the
Polynesians that little need be said about it. What worship they have
is extorted by fear, and, in accordance with this principle, they make
their idols as ugly as possible. There is a certain character about the
idols of the Sandwich Islands which, like the carving of New Zealand,
cannot be mistaken.
In order to show how completely this character is impressed upon
the workmanship, I introduce upon the following page two specimens,
one from the British Museum, and the other from my own collection.
The former of these, No. 1, is made, like the feather helmets, of
wicker-work, and is very much larger than any human head and neck. It
is covered with the red and yellow feathers which have already been
mentioned, and, from the mere price of the material, must have been, in
the days in which it was made, a most costly and precious object.
The eyes are made of mother-of-pearl, and in the centre of each is set
a black bead by way of pupil. The enormous teeth which beset the open
mouth are simply the fangs, or canine teeth, of dogs. The top of the
head is furnished with a crest, just like that of the feather helmet.
In spite of the rudeness of form, the image possesses a certain force
and vigor, which shows that the native who made it had some modicum of
artistic power, which in this case expresses itself in outline, just as
in the case of the feather cloak it is exemplified in color.
By way of contrast with this idol, we will now look at another specimen
(No. 2, on same page), in which the artist has been obliged to renounce
color, and trust entirely to outline; and it cannot be said that he
has been unsuccessful. The head and body of this image are cut out of
a white and very light wood, and have been covered with bark cloth.
This cloth has been stained black, and the native artist has contrived
to apply it with such perfection of manipulation that it fits closely
to all the inequalities of the carving, and cannot even be seen until
specially pointed out.
The head and neck are separate from the trunk, and carved out of a
single piece of wood; and even the bold crest and its supporting rays
are cut out of the same piece of wood. The teeth of the upper jaw are
those of a human being; but those of the lower jaw are simply a row
of the palatine teeth of some large fish, and are sixteen in number.
They are flanked at each angle of the mouth by a human tooth. After
the teeth have been inserted into the wood, the bark cloth has been
applied, and is turned in at the roots of the teeth, so as to represent
the gums. The eyes are simply oval pieces of mother-of-pearl.
[Illustration: SANDWICH ISLAND HELMET. (See page 1082.)]
[Illustration: (1.) FEATHER IDOL. (See page 1096.)]
[Illustration: (2.) WOODEN IDOL. (See page 1096.)
_Top Human teeth._
_Lower Fish teeth._
_Mouth larger._]
It is rather remarkable that the strip of cloth which runs over the
crest has not been stained black, like that which covers the head,
face, and neck, but is nearly white, and of much stronger and coarser
texture. The skill with which the maker has applied the cloth to the
wood is really admirable. He has evidently soaked it until it was quite
soft and tender, and by means of careful stretching and pressing has
“coaxed” it over the various irregularities--such as the nose, eyes,
and mouth--so that it fits as closely as if it were the real skin.
The neck is small, narrow, and scarcely worthy of the name, being in
fact little more than a large peg, by which the head may be attached to
the body when needed. In consequence of this arrangement, the position
of the head can be altered at will, and the variety of expression
gained by so simple an arrangement is scarcely credible.
The body of the idol is made of the same light wood as the head, and
is also covered with the black bark cloth. There is a socket between
the shoulders, into which the neck fits loosely. The arms are nothing
more than bundles of rushes or reeds, tied with cloth; and each hand
is furnished with six fingers, probably as a symbol of extraordinary
power. The fingers are merely dogs’ teeth, the whiteness of which
presents a curious contrast with the black head and body. There are no
legs, nor even any indication of legs, the body being little more than
a block of wood, with a hole at the top for the insertion of the neck,
and a smaller hole at each shoulder for the insertion of the arms.
Whatever artistic power the maker possessed has been given to the head,
and it must be acknowledged that he has carried out his idea most
vigorously. The long dress worn by this idol is not stained black, like
that which covers the face, head, and body, but is white, and without
even a pattern.
For this interesting specimen I am indebted to E. Randell, Esq., who
has furnished me with many of the objects which have been figured in
this work.
CHAPTER CXIII.
THE CAROLINE ARCHIPELAGO.
DRESS--ARCHITECTURE--AMUSEMENTS--WAR.
DISCOVERY AND NAMING OF THE ISLANDS -- THEIR GEOGRAPHICAL EXTENT --
THE MARSHALL AND GILBERT GROUPS -- INHABITANTS OF ROMANZOFF ISLAND
-- THE ISLAND OF BORNABI AND ITS INHABITANTS -- TATTOOING AND HAIR
DRESSING -- A MAN OF FASHION IN BORNABI -- ARCHITECTURE AND ANCIENT
RUINS -- LOVE OF COAST -- THE PELEW ISLANDS -- SHIPWRECK OF CAPTAIN
WILSON -- COMPLEXION AND GENERAL APPEARANCE OF THE NATIVES -- THE
TATTOO -- CURIOUS COMBINATION OF NAKEDNESS AND MODESTY -- USE OF THE
BETEL-NUT -- THE RUPACKS AND THE BONE BRACELET -- MODE OF INVESTITURE
-- SPEAR THROWING -- MODE OF CONDUCTING SEA FIGHTS -- ARCHITECTURE OF
THE PELEW ISLANDS -- MANUFACTURE OF DOMESTIC IMPLEMENTS -- DANCE OF
THE WARRIORS -- IDEA OF RELIGION -- A FUNERAL IN THE PELEW ISLANDS --
STORY OF LEE BOO.
Passing in a south-westerly direction from the Sandwich Islands we come
to a very large group called the Caroline Archipelago. These islands
were discovered--as far as is known--in 1526, by the Portuguese, who
in those days were the most enterprising navigators in the world.
About fifty years afterward they were visited by Drake, but they did
not receive the name by which they are known until more than a hundred
years after Drake’s voyage, when they were named by the Spanish the
Carolines, in honor of Charles the Second, the then king of Spain.
These islands extend over a very considerable geographical range, a
space of some fifty degrees intervening between the most easterly and
westerly of them. Owing to the extensive range of these islands, there
is considerable difference between the manners and customs of these
natives, and even between their form and complexion. We will therefore
take as examples some of the easterly, central, and western islands.
* * * * *
The most easterly of the group are those which are called the Marshall
and Gilbert Islands, the former being those of the north and the latter
those of the south. They are sometimes divided into the Eastern and
Western Islands, the former being the Radick and the latter the Ralick
chain, each group comprising about fifteen or sixteen islands.
These islands are all low in the water, being mostly of coralline
structure, so that they are not visible from any great distance. In
consequence of their lowness, they seem to have escaped the observation
of voyagers until 1788, when they were discovered by Marshall and
Gilbert, after whom they were named. As is usual in coral islands,
the soil is but shallow, having been formed by the decomposition of
vegetable matter thrown on the coral reefs by the waves. The vegetation
is therefore scanty, and is mostly confined to bananas, cocoa-nut
trees, bread-fruit--all of which thrive best on a low situation near
water.
As a sample of the Marshall Islanders, I give a portrait of a man and
woman of Romanzoff Island, on the next page. They are a rather fine
race, taller than the generality of the Caroline Islanders, and possess
tolerably good features. They use the tattoo with some profusion, both
sexes appearing to be equally addicted to it. They are better clothed
than many Polynesians, the men wearing a short mat round their waists,
and the women being clad in a very fine and neatly-made mat, falling
nearly to the feet. The hair is long, and naturally curling, and is
worn long by both sexes. Earrings are in great request, and some of
them, as may be seen by reference to the illustration, are enormously
large.
[Illustration: (1.) ROMANZOFF ISLANDERS. (See page 1100.)]
[Illustration: (2.) DYAK WARRIOR AND DUSUM. (See page 1112.)]
From the structure of the island, it is evident that the present
inhabitants are not aborigines, but came from other islands at no very
remote period. They have kept up the nautical spirit to which they owe
their presence on the island, and make long voyages from one island to
another. Their canoes are well made, and are built of bread-fruit wood.
BORNABI is one of the largest and most important of these islands,
being about seventy miles in circumference, and having a sufficient
variety of soil to be very fertile. Instead of being as low-lying as
some of these islands, it is of volcanic origin, shooting up to a
considerable height in the middle, and surrounded by flat coral reefs.
In consequence of this structure, it affords excellent harborage, and
has become a great place of resort for whaling vessels. Like some
parts of America within the same zone, and having a somewhat similar
contour, the island is a very wet one, so that the combined heat and
moisture produce a wonderful fertility of vegetation. Even on the
higher parts of the island, the fresh water nourishes various trees
and shrubs, while on the coast the mangrove, which delights in salt
water, absolutely grows into the sea, and, by its interlacing roots and
branches forms a barrier which cannot be penetrated except through the
apertures made by the mouths of rivers and creeks.
The inhabitants are of a fair average stature, the men being about five
feet eight inches high, while the women are much shorter. They are,
however, well proportioned, and not stumpy or clumsy, as is too often
the case with the women of uncivilized races.
Like the Romanzoff Islanders, they tattoo themselves liberally, and
both sexes wear their black hair very long, keeping it well oiled and
carefully dressed, and, in the case of people of rank, adorning it
with wreaths of flowers. They have the same odd passion for turmeric
which is found in the Polynesian races generally, anointing themselves
profusely with it, and thereby converting their naturally pleasing
copper color into a repulsive yellow.
The men dress themselves very carefully, a Bornabi man of fashion
spending a vast amount of time on his costume. He must not exhibit
a vestige of hair on his face, but must painfully pluck out each
individual hair by means of forceps made of a couple of cockle-shells,
or a piece of tortoise-shell bent double. He must wear at least six
aprons, one over the other. These aprons are made of strips of the
cocoa-nut leaf bleached white and about two feet in length. He must
have round his waist a belt or sash made of banana fibre, and dyed
scarlet and yellow. He must have his necklaces, his head-band, and his
scarlet tassels in his ears; and he finishes off his costume by a sort
of parasol or sunshade made of leaves, which he ties round his head so
as to preserve the face from the sun.
This elaborate toilet must be made several times daily, as every native
bathes, oils, and paints his skin yellow at least three times every
day. The dress of the women bears some resemblance to that of the men,
except that, in lieu of the series of apron fringes they wear bark
cloth fastened round the waist and reaching to the knee.
In architecture the people of Bornabi are superior to the generality
of Polynesians. Like the Marquesans, they begin by building a platform
of stones, some four or five feet in height, and upon this they erect
the framework of the edifice. The spaces between the upright timbers
are filled in with wicker-work, in which are left certain apertures
that answer the purpose of windows. The floor is covered with the same
kind of wicker-work, except a small space in the centre, in which the
fireplace is made. The roof is thatched neatly with pandanus leaves.
In all these particulars there is little distinction between the
architecture of Bornabi and that of many other islands. The chief point
of difference lies, however, in the fact that the timbers are squared,
and that, instead of being merely lashed together, they are fastened by
tenon and mortise.
It seems probable that the superiority of their architecture, more
especially in the squaring of beams and the use of the mortise, is due
not so much to themselves as to the remembrance of buildings erected
by white men several centuries ago. Near one of the harbors are some
ruined buildings, which are evidently not of savage architecture. They
are built of cut stones, which have been imported from some other
country, and are arranged in streets, looking as if they had formed
a portion of a fortification. It has been conjectured that these
buildings were the work of the Spanish buccaneers, who used, some
centuries ago, to range these seas, and would have found such a harbor
and fort invaluable to them.
As far as is known, the inhabitants of Bornabi keep almost entirely
to the coast, and never visit the interior. It is certain that the
cultivated grounds only extend for a very little distance inland,
and, as all the energy of these islanders naturally takes a seaward
direction, it is very probable that the natives speak truth when they
say that they have never even visited the centre of their island.
THE PELEW ISLANDS.
The westernmost group of the Carolines is known by the name of the
Pelew or Pallou Islands. They were discovered, in 1543, by Villabolos,
but have been made known to us principally by means of Captain H.
Wilson, who was wrecked there in 1783. The group consists of about
twenty small islands, which are surrounded by a reef.
The inhabitants are of a dark copper color, well made, tall, and
remarkable for their stately gait. They employ the tattoo in rather a
curious manner, pricking the patterns thickly on their legs from the
ankles to a few inches above the knees, so that they look as if their
legs were darker in color than the rest of their bodies. They are
cleanly in their habits, bathing frequently, and rubbing themselves
with cocoa-nut oil, so as to give a soft and glossy appearance to the
skin.
The hair of the head is fine and black, and is worn long by both sexes,
being rolled up in a peculiar fashion close to the back of the head.
That of the face and chin is mostly removed, being plucked out by
tweezers, only a few men, remarkable for the strength and thickness of
their beards, allowing them to grow. The men wear no clothing, not even
the king himself having the least vestige of raiment, the tattoo being
supposed to answer the purpose of dress.
So unacquainted with real clothing were they when Captain Wilson
visited them, that they were utterly perplexed at the garments of the
white men, lifting up the flaps of the coats, pinching the sleeves, and
then comparing them with their own naked limbs, evidently fancying that
these mysterious objects were the skin peculiar to the white man. They
also took the blue veins on the seamen’s wrists for lines of tattooing,
and asked to be allowed to see the whole of the arm, in order to find
out whether the blue lines were continued beyond the wrist.
In spite, however, of the absence of dress the deportment of the sexes
toward each other is perfectly modest. For example, the men and women
will not bathe at the same spot, nor even go near a bathing-place of
the opposite sex unless it be deserted. If a man is forced to pass
near a women’s bathing-place, he is obliged, when he comes within a
stipulated distance, to give a loud shout; and, if it be answered by a
female voice, he must either pass by a circuitous route, or turn back
and wait until the women have left the spot.
Their features are tolerably good, the nose rather prominent, and the
mouth moderately large. They would look a tolerably handsome people
but for their custom of chewing the betel-nut, which stains the mouth
red and the teeth black. The chiefs and all the principal men are so
devoted to the betel that they always carry with them a little basket
containing the nuts, and a small bamboo vessel in which they keep the
quicklime which is mixed with the betel when chewed.
Although they care nothing for dress, and comparatively little for
ornament, the very great chiefs wear one decoration which is prized by
them much as is the Garter in England, or the Golden Fleece in Spain.
This is a bone bracelet, worn on the left wrist and denoting the very
highest rank next to that of the king himself. Those who are privileged
to wear it are called Rupacks, and, as will presently be seen, the rank
is not necessarily hereditary, but is conferred at the pleasure of the
king.
It seems strange to us that distinctions of rank should be thus sharply
defined among a people like the Pelew Islanders, and that “naked
savages” should have their various gradations of social position. That
a definite scale of rank should exist at all is an evidence of some
civilization, and that so complete a system should be found among these
islanders appears a perfect enigma to those who have been accustomed to
associate clothing and civilization as inseparable conditions. Yet here
we have the singular fact that there is a distinct division of ranks
into king, nobles, gentry, and peasantry; and that, although these
ranks are perfectly well defined and acknowledged, not a man, from the
almost despotic king to the lowest subject, wears the slightest article
of clothing.
Not only are these distinctions jealously observed, but we find also
that the nobles are divided into several ranks, as is the case in
civilized lands, and that the highest rank is denoted by a symbolical
badge. This badge is conferred only by the sovereign himself, and the
investiture with the Rupack’s bone is conducted with a ceremonious
solemnity that denotes the estimation in which it is held. So deeply
are the Rupacks attached to this symbol of their rank, that a rebel
Rupack, who had made war against the king, and was taken alive,
resisted every attempt to deprive him of his bracelet, and did not part
with it until he had sacrificed his life in its defence. In shape the
bone bears a curious resemblance to the open jaws of a skate, and is
probably made on that model.
The mode of investiture is a very ceremonious one, and is illustrated
on the following page. The Rupacks are assembled together in a sort
of chapter of their order, and the Rupack elect is seated at a little
distance from them. The king, or a Rupack appointed by him, then takes
the bracelet, and directs the candidate to throw a stone as far as he
can. This is done in order to ascertain which hand he habitually uses,
so that if he be a right-handed man the bracelet goes on the left
wrist, and if a left-handed man on the right wrist.
[Illustration: (1.) INVESTITURE OF THE RUPACK. (See page 1104.)]
[Illustration: (2.) THE WARRIORS’ DANCE. (See page 1108.)]
A string is then tied to each finger of the hand; the strings are
passed through the bracelet, which, together with the hand, is
plentifully anointed with cocoa-nut oil. The principal Rupack then
places himself behind the candidate, and holds him firmly by the
shoulders, while another hauls at the strings. The king, in the
meantime, squeezes together the fingers of the hand, and by degrees
draws the bracelet firmly on the wrist, he then makes a speech to the
new Rupack, telling him to polish the bracelet daily, and keep it
bright; never to suffer its honor to be tarnished, and never to part
from it but with his life.
Captain Wilson, who was himself invested with the Rupack’s bone, writes
thus of the ceremony and its object:--“This mark of distinction is
given and received in these regions as a reward of valor and fidelity,
and held out as the prize of merit.
“In this light such public honors were originally considered, and
still ought to be so, in every state, from Pelew to Britain. And while
they continue to be thus regarded they will operate on the human
passions--excite emulation, inspire courage, promote virtue, and
challenge respect. The decoration, indeed, derives all its splendor
from the combined ideas of the mind whilst viewing it; and the
imagination is equally impressed with the same sentiment, whether the
badge of honor be a strip of velvet tied round the knee, a tuft of
riband and a cross dangling at the button-hole, a star embroidered on
the coat, or a _bone_ upon the arm.”
He might have added that the intrinsic value of the decoration bears
no comparison with the honor which it denotes, and that the bone of
the naked Pelew Islander, the laurel or parsley crown of the ancient
warrior, or the Victoria Cross of the modern hero, are alike valueless
and priceless. It is remarkable that the king does not wear the bone,
so that he has no external sign to distinguish him from the meanest
peasant.
The Pelew Islanders are not a very warlike people, and their weapons
are, therefore, simple and few. They have two kinds of spears, one used
as a missile, and the other as a pike. The missile spear is thrown by
a very remarkable instrument, reminding the observer of the Australian
wummerah, or throw-stick.
It consists of a piece of wood about two feet in length, and having a
notch at one end. When the warrior wishes to throw his spear, he places
the butt in the notch of the throwing-stick, and with his left hand
bends the elastic bamboo shaft until it is nearly doubled. The hold
of the left hand is then loosed; and the spear projects itself to a
considerable distance by means of its own elasticity. To an European
nothing can be more awkward than this mode of throwing the spear; but
the Pelew Islanders can send the weapon to a considerable distance, and
aim it well besides.
Even without the aid of the throwing-stick, they are no mean adepts at
hurling the spear. When Lee Boo, the son of the king, was at Canton,
some gentlemen who were skilled in spear throwing asked him to exhibit
the manner in which his own people managed the weapon. He took the
spear, and, not thinking that it was to be thrown, merely quivered and
poised it according to the usual preliminaries. He was then requested
to throw it at a gauze cage, with a bird painted on it. The cage was
at such a distance that the gentlemen could seldom strike it. Lee Boo,
however, took up the spear carelessly, poised it for a moment, hurled
it, and not only hit the cage, but struck the bird through the head.
The Rupacks mostly carry swords and daggers. The former are made of
a very heavy wood, and nearly three feet in length. They are inlaid
with pieces of white shell, and are strong and heavy enough to kill a
man with a single blow. The daggers are made of the tail-bone of the
sting-ray, and, when not in use, are carried in a sheath made of a
single joint of bamboo, just as is the case with the small knives of
Borneo.
Land battles are seldom fought in these islands, the natives trusting
chiefly to their canoes, which are of large size and well built. Their
hulls are cut out of tree trunks, and then are carved, painted, and
inlaid with the patient care which distinguishes savage art. When the
king goes out in state, the canoes are further adorned with bunches
of shells, strung on cords and hung to the bows and stern-posts. The
out-rigger is used, and the sails are of the “latine” form. Despite,
however, of the care bestowed upon their vessels, the Pelew Islanders
are not good sailors, and seldom venture outside the chain of reefs
which encircle their group of islands. Even within it when the sea ran
at all high, they would not venture into their canoes.
In consequence of their mode of fighting, the capture of an enemy’s
canoe is thought of much more consequence than the slaughter of his
soldiers, and is looked upon much in the same light as we consider the
capture of an enemy’s gun or flag. Therefore when one party finds that
the battle is going against them, they turn their canoes landward, and
drive them ashore with all their might, and, if possible, drag them
so high on the beach that they cannot be floated without exposing the
invaders to almost certain death.
The principal tool used in making the canoe is the adze, or axe. In
form the weapon is almost identical with the Polynesian adzes which
have been already described in this work. The blade is made of the
thick and strong shell of the giant clam, and the most curious point of
the instrument is that the head revolves in a groove, so that it can
be used as an adze or an axe at pleasure. The Dyak boat builder has a
precisely similar instrument, as will be seen in the course of a few
pages.
Their smaller tools and implements--such as stone knives, comb, and
string--they carry in the basket which holds their betel; and as they
have no dress, and consequently no pockets, a man never walks to any
distance from his home without carrying the basket with him.
The architecture of the Pelew Islanders is very good. The houses are
raised about three feet from the ground by means of stone posts, upon
which are laid the beams which support the flooring and side-posts.
The walls are made of thick matting, which extends from post to post,
and the floors are generally of plank, having an inch or so of space
between the boards. Sometimes they are made of split bamboos, which
become polished and very slippery by the constant tread of naked feet.
Each house has in the centre its fireplace, sunk lower than the
flooring, and formed of stones and earth. The fire is kept burning all
night, not for the purpose of warmth, but that the smoke may fill the
house, and drive away mosquitoes. When the house is a very large one,
and employed for the general use, there are two fireplaces, one at each
end. Along the sides of the house are arranged certain apertures which
answer equally the purposes of windows or doors, and are furnished with
sliding shutters, by which they can be closed at pleasure. Each of
these apertures is furnished with stepping stones, by means of which
the inhabitants can enter or leave the house without having to clamber
from the ground to the raised floor. The large houses are employed for
public uses, the councils being held in front of them, or the people
assembling in them for social talk, in which the women bear their full
share. Some of these houses are from sixty to eighty feet in length.
Being a cleanly people, the Pelew Islanders keep their houses neatly
swept, the broom being a bundle of cocoa-nut husks tied together. The
vessels which contain fresh water are simply joints of the bamboo, the
open ends of which are furnished with a sort of spout or lip, by means
of which the water can be poured without danger of being spilt.
The cooking vessels are made of earthenware, and are mostly of an oval
shape. They are not, however, very good potters, their pots and pans
being rather fragile, and so badly burnt that the natives dare not put
them at once on the fire, but set them first at a little distance, and,
as they become warmer, bring them nearer, turning them continually, so
as to heat each part equally.
When Captain Wilson was at the Pelew Islands, the king had a vessel
of which he was very proud. It was carved out of a block of wood,
plentifully inlaid with pieces of white shell, and, when the cover
was upon it, formed a tolerably fair representation of a bird. This
vessel held about nine gallons, and on occasions of great ceremony, was
brought out and filled with sweet drink for the use of the king and his
Rupacks.
Of the amusements of the Pelew Islanders Captain Wilson says little,
and gives but a brief description of the very odd dance in which they
delight. This description will be better understood by reference to
the illustration on the 1105th page. “In the evening our people were
entertained with a dance of the warriors, who were just then returned,
which was performed in the following manner:--
“The dancers have a quantity of plantain leaves brought to them, which
they split and shiver into the form of ribands. These they twine and
fix round their heads, wrists, waists, ankles, and knees; and the
leaves being of a yellowish hue, so prepared, have not an inelegant
effect when applied to their dark copper skin. They make also bunches
or tassels of the same, which they hold in their hands.
“When drawn out, they form themselves into circles of two or three
deep, one within another. In general, an elderly man amongst
them begins in a very solemn tone something like a song, or long
sentence--for our countrymen could not discriminate which it was--and
when he comes to a pause, or what we should call the end of a stanza,
a chorus is struck up, and the dancers all join in concert, still
continuing their figure.
“Their dancing does not so much consist in capering or agility as
in a particular method they have of balancing themselves, and this
frequently very low sideways, singing together all the while; during
which they will flatten their circles, so as to bring themselves face
to face to each other, lifting up the tassels they hold in their hands,
and giving them a clashing or tremulous motion. After this there will
be a sudden pause, and an exclamation from every one of ‘_Weel!_’ Then
a new sentence or stanza is repeated, and danced to as before, and the
same ceremony continued till every man who is engaged in the dance has
in his turn had his repetition and chorus.”
As far as was ascertained by Captain Wilson, the Pelew Islanders have
some notions of religion, and certainly believed in a life after death.
They had several superstitions, one of which was that the wood of a
certain tree was unlucky, and always brought harm wherever it was
used. When Captain Wilson was building his new vessel, he used some
planks of this tree, much to the dismay of the king, Abba Thulle, who
begged him to remove them. Captain Wilson explained to him that as
in his own country any kind of suitable wood was employed for ship
building without producing disastrous results, the same impunity was
to be expected in the Pelew Islands. As it happened, shortly after the
obnoxious planks had been inserted, one of the carpenters fell from
the side of the vessel, and hurt himself severely, thus confirming the
natives in their belief.
Their funeral ceremonies are very short and simple, and even in one
instance witnessed by Captain Wilson, when the son of the principal
chief was buried, there was scarcely any ceremony. The corpse was
wrapped up in mats, and borne by four men on a bier, no men except
the actual bearers attending. A number of women followed the bier,
and poured out loud lamentations as they walked. When they arrived at
the place of burial, the body was laid in the grave, and the earth
immediately filled in by the four bearers, while the women knelt round,
and renewed their lamentations, marking as if they would tear up the
body from the ground.
Next day, however, Raa Kook, the father of the deceased, went to the
burial-place, and performed a curious ceremony. He took two _old_
cocoa-nuts (young nuts being always gathered for consumption) and some
red ochre, with which he drew transverse stripes across the nuts. He
then laid the painted nuts by his side, and repeated, in an undertone,
some words which were supposed to be an incantation or prayer of
some kind. A bundle of betel leaves was treated in the same way, and
the whole were then delivered to an old woman, who went with them
toward the grave; but the precise termination of the ceremony was not
ascertained.
* * * * *
On page 1107 mention was made of Lee Boo. As this young man was the
first Pelew Islander who ever visited England, and was besides a very
remarkable character, I will conclude this account with a short memoir
of him.
He was the second son of the king, Abba Thulle, who was no common
man, and well deserving of the power which he held. He possessed
great energy, wonderful liberality of mind, and an innate nobility
of disposition. The visit of the white men taught him their infinite
superiority, and when Captain Wilson had built his new ship, and was
about to start, Abba Thulle begged him to take Lee Boo to England,
to have him instructed in the arts of civilization, and to send him
back again so that he might be the teacher of his future people. The
request was granted, and Lee Boo accompanied Captain Wilson to England,
where he lived for five months, winning the esteem and affection of
all whom he met, by his intelligent, modest, and affectionate nature.
Unfortunately for his father’s hopes, he was attacked with small-pox,
of which he died, his last wish being that all presents that been given
him should be sent to his father. He died on Dec. 27, 1784, and was
buried in Rotherhithe Church, where a tomb was erected to his memory by
the India Company.
CHAPTER CXIV.
BORNEO.
THE DYAKS, THEIR APPEARANCE AND DRESS.
SUPPOSED ORIGIN OF THE DYAKS -- NUMBER OF TRIBES -- THE SEA AND
LAND DYAKS -- GENERAL APPEARANCE OF THE NATIVES -- TATTOOING MOST
PREVALENT AMONG THE LEAST CIVILIZED TRIBES -- DRESS AND ORNAMENT
-- EXTRAORDINARY EARRINGS -- FILING AND BLACKENING THE TEETH -- A
DYAK WARRIOR IN FULL DRESS -- A DUSUM WARRIOR IN ORDINARY COSTUME --
THE ILLINOAN PIRATES, THEIR ARMAMENTS AND FEROCITY -- A SAGHAI DYAK
AND HIS STRANGE HEADDRESS -- STRENGTH AND ACTIVITY OF THE DYAKS --
“BATANG” WALKING -- AN OBLIGING DYAK -- THEIR ABILITY TO PENETRATE
JUNGLES -- THE CHAWAT AND SARONG -- A DYAK DANDY -- DRESS OF THE
WOMEN -- THE BEDANG AND SLEEVELESS JACKET -- THE BEAUTIFUL HAIR OF
DYAK WOMEN -- THE METALLIC BODICES -- A SAIBAS GIRL IN FULL DRESS --
DYAK BELLS -- TREATMENT OF THE WOMEN.
With the exception of Australia, which may take rank as a continent,
BORNEO is the largest island in the world. It is situated in the
tropics, the equator passing nearly through the centre of it, and forms
the centre of the Indian Archipelago.
Until late years, scarcely anything was known of Borneo; but since the
late Sir James Brooke accomplished his wonderful series of exploits
against the piratical tribes that infested the coast for more than
a thousand miles, and destroyed all commerce, the country has been
tolerably explored, and the manners and customs of its inhabitants
investigated. Following the plan on which this work has been formed,
we will only concern ourselves about the natives of Borneo who live
to a degree the life of savages, and only possess that amount of
civilization which is compatible with savage existence.
* * * * *
Putting aside the Malay Mahometans who have settled in Borneo, we
may roughly divide the native tribes into the Land and Sea Dyaks.
The former of these divisions seldom go to sea, either for piracy or
trade, and in this respect are very different from the Sea Dyaks, whose
existence is essentially a naval one.
Mr. Brooke believes that the Land Dyaks have emigrated from a country
in which they would be brought in contact with Hindooism, inasmuch as
they possess sundry relics of that religion. “The remains of Hindooism
found among them, such as stone-shaped bulls and other stone utensils,
and the refusal among them to touch the flesh of cattle or deer--and
so particular are they that they will fine a man for even spilling the
blood of these animals on their premises; the name of their deity being
Juwata--these testifying points support a fair conjecture that they
must have gained a fair notion of Hindoo worship from people coming
into the Kapuas River from the island of Java, which is only distant
from some of the outstretching points of Borneo two hundred miles, and
fair winds generally prevail between.”
In confirmation of this opinion, Mr. Brooke mentions that the
expression, “in the days of the Hindoos,” was formerly employed when
any ancient date was signified. There are about nine or ten branches of
the Land Dyaks, each of which branches is divided into a considerable
number of tribes. It is impossible to give the names and description
of the individual tribes on account of their fluctuating character.
The people are continually shifting their place in search of new lands
for cultivation, and the result is that they quarrel with each other,
fight, are dispersed, and thus form new tribes in the spots on which
they settle.
It is thought that their number does not exceed forty thousand, many
tribes of which have never been near the sea.
Next come the Sea Dyaks, a fairer, a finer, and a more interesting
people. They are about three times as numerous as the Land Dyaks,
and are at the present day much what the old sea-kings were in days
gone by. They are essentially a nation of rovers, living by piracy,
and carrying out to the fullest extent the abominable practice of
head-hunting, of which we shall see something in the course of a few
pages.
They are taller than the Land Dyaks, who seldom exceed five feet six
inches in height, and much fairer in complexion. The skin of the Land
Dyak is brown, whereas that of the Sea Dyak is many shades lighter, and
has been compared to the color of a new saddle--a hue which admirably
suits the well-developed forms of these people. They are very proud of
their complexion, and the women are fond of an excuse for throwing off
the jackets which they wear, in order to exhibit their smooth satiny
skins, polished and shining as if of new bronze.
Their various customs in peace and war will be described in their
proper places, and we will content ourselves at present with their
appearance and dress.
The Dyaks, as a rule, are nearly beardless, and have a cast of
countenance which might almost be called effeminate. Occasionally,
however, a man does possess a few hairs on his upper lip, of which he
is inordinately proud, and one or two instances have been known where a
man has possessed a well-developed beard.
Tattooing is practised among many of the tribes, and prevails in
inverse ratio to their civilization, those who are furthest from
civilization being most profusely tattooed, and those who are brought
in contact with it having almost entirely abandoned the practice. The
men of some tribes are nearly covered with tattooed patterns, while
those of other tribes have stars on their breasts and armlets and
bracelets on their legs and arms. The Kanowit Dyaks, who belong to the
great Malanau tribe, are tattooed from the breast to the knees with a
pattern that has the effect of scale armor, and many of them tattoo
their chins and chests so as to look as if they had real beards and
moustaches. The tattoo of the women is often more elaborate than that
of the men, as we shall presently see.
It is worthy of notice that, as a rule, the Sea Dyaks do not use the
tattoo. They have an idea that it is a sign of cowardice, and are
very much surprised that English sailors, whose courage they can but
respect, will allow themselves to be tattooed with the anchors, true
lovers’ knots, ships in full sail, entwined initials, and other figures
with which a British sailor loves to disfigure himself. In consequence
of this feeling many verbal skirmishes have been waged between the Sea
Dyaks and the English seamen. The tribes among whom tattooing reaches
its greatest development are mostly those of the Malaccan division,
such as the Kanowits, who are mightily despised by the regular Land
and Sea Dyaks, and are only tolerated by them as being the means of
affording a constant supply of heads.
The Dyaks are exceedingly fertile in their invention of ear ornaments.
Most savages content themselves with making one hole in the lobe of the
ear, and often enlarge it so that a man’s hand could be passed through
the orifice. But the Dyaks go much further in their ideas of adornment.
In common with other savages, they make an enormous hole in the lobe of
the ear, increase it by inserting a series of gradually enlarged plugs,
and drag it down as far as the shoulder by hanging leaden weights to
it. But they also bore a series of holes all round the edge of the ear,
and fill them with various ornaments. The favorite plan is, to have a
series of brass rings, and to insert them in the holes of the ear, the
smallest being at the top, and the lowest, which is large enough to be
a bracelet, at the bottom. This decoration prevails chiefly among the
Sea Dyaks, and there is a sort of proverb which warns the hearer to
beware of a man who wears many earrings.
Often the Dyaks do not content themselves with wearing rings in their
ears, but fill the apertures with such a miscellany of objects that
they have been described as “châtelaines,” rather than earrings. One
young man, the son of a chief, wore only one large ring in each ear,
but from this ring depended a number of brass chains, to which were
suspended various ornaments. To one ear were thus hung two boar’s
tusks, one alligator’s tooth, part of a hornbill’s beak, three small
brass rings, and two little bells.
Many of the men wear one large earring in the lobe, and bore a hole
in the top of the ear, through which is passed a canine tooth of the
tiger-cat.
These ornaments are only worn when the Dyak puts on his dress of
ceremony, and at other times the holes in the ears are kept from
closing by plugs of wood. And, as the effect of the brass is always to
cause ulcerating sores, the ordinary appearance of a Dyak’s ears is
not very pleasing. Some of them have a curious fashion of boring one
hole at the top of the ear and another at the bottom, and tying to it
a brass plate, to which are suspended the jingling ornaments of which
these savages are so fond.
The Dyaks are so fully impressed with the idea that nature is meant to
be improved by art, that they cannot even allow their teeth to retain
their natural shape and color. As a general rule, the men file their
front teeth into sharp points, while others improve upon nature still
farther by scooping out the front face of each tooth and rendering it
concave.
Having thus rendered the shape of the tooth as unlike its natural
form as possible, the next process is evidently to change the color
as completely as the shape, and to turn them from white to black. The
habit of betel-eating has much to do with the darkening of the teeth,
but besides, there is a mode by which the Dyaks deliberately stain
their teeth black. The method by which the dye is produced and applied
is well told by Mr. Boyle, in his “Adventures among the Dyaks”:--
“We made inquiries about the means employed for blackening the teeth,
a custom which is universal in the far East. The old medicine man was
finally persuaded to show us the process, and very curious it appeared.
“He produced from his stores a piece of dry wood of the kind called
sinka: this was set on fire, and held over the blade of a parang (or
sword), on which a few drops of water had been poured. As the stick
blazed, a black sap oozed from it, and dropped upon the metal, where it
mingled with the water, and in a few moments formed a pool of thick,
jetty liquid. With this the teeth are stained in childhood, and one
application, we are told, will suffice to preserve them black for ever,
nor are there any means of removing the color.
“The process seems peculiar, because the wood from which exuded the sap
appears to be as dry as dust, and because the dye will not affect any
substance except the teeth, not even bone or horn. This is the more
curious since some of the Malays file the enamel carefully from their
teeth before applying the sinka. Many, indeed, file them to a point
as sharp as a needle, as do some of the Dyak tribes.” The reader will
remember that several of the West African tribes file their teeth in
like manner.
Illustration No. 2, on the 1101st page, represents two Dyak warriors,
one in full costume, and the other a Dusum Dyak in ordinary dress. The
former of these men carries in his right hand the sumpitan, with its
spear head, and the other rests on his wooden shield covered with tufts
of human hair. His parang-ihlang or war sword is on his left side, with
its tufts of human hair depending from the handle. His ankles, legs,
and arms are covered with multitudes of brass rings, he wears a sort
of jacket formed from the skin of the orang-outan, and on his head is
a kind of coronal made from the feathers of the Argus pheasant. This
figure is taken from a photograph.
The next figure represents a man in ordinary costume. He belongs to the
tribe of Dusums, who live on the northern coast of Borneo, and who wear
less clothing than any of the tribes of the island, their whole dress
consisting of the chawat and a number of large metal rings round their
necks and hips. The Dusum warriors wear their hair long, merely bound
with a piece of cotton cloth, and their spears are as simple as their
clothing, being nothing more than a metal head lashed to a shaft of
bamboo.
In order to show at a glance the appearance of various tribes of
Borneans, two more Dyaks are represented in the engraving No. 1 on the
following page. The left-hand figure represents an Illinoan pirate.
These men are found at Tampassook or Tampasuk as the name is sometimes
spelt, a place on the north-western coast of Borneo, not very much
above the island of Labuan.
The Illinoans possess many large and formidable war boats, which are
armed in the bows with a very long gun, and have, after the fashion
of Bornean boats, an upper deck, which serves as a platform for the
combatants and a shelter for the rowers, who sit beneath. There is a
small cabin astern for the captain, about the size of a dog kennel, but
the boats have no other sleeping accommodation.
The paddles with which the rowers propel the vessel are shaped rather
curiously, looking at a distance like mere sticks with flat discs of
wood fastened to their ends. The boats are steered by an oar rudder at
the starboard side of the stern, and each is furnished with a mast and
huge sail, which can be raised in a few minutes, and struck in almost
as many seconds. Although the Illinoans are wealthy tribes, and possess
quantities of fire-arms, they are rather afraid to use these weapons,
and trust in preference to the spear and parang.
The Illinoans were instrumental in the murder of two native chiefs who
were friendly to the English, and who had been suspected of aiding the
cession of Labuan. One of them, named Bud-ruddeen, a man of celebrity
as a warrior, did not fall unavenged. When the enemy approached, he
retired to his house, together with his favorite wife and his sister,
neither of whom would leave him. By the aid of his followers, he fought
desperately to the very last, until nearly all his men were killed, and
he himself was dangerously wounded.
He then retired with his wife and sister into an inner chamber, while
the enemy crowded into the house in search of him, and then, firing
his pistol into a barrel of gunpowder which he had placed there in
readiness, blew to pieces himself, his two relatives, and his enemies.
The other figure represents a Saghai Dyak.
This tribe lives on the south-eastern coast of Borneo, and is
remarkable for the superb costumes of the men, who have about them
an air of barbaric splendor, which they are exceedingly fond of
displaying. Wearing, in common with all Dyaks, the chawat or waist
cloth, they take a pride in adorning themselves with short tunics made
of tiger or leopard skin, or rich and embroidered cloth; while on their
heads they wear magnificent caps made of monkey-skin, and decorated
with the beautiful feathers of the Argus pheasant, two of the largest
feathers being placed so that one droops over each ear. All these Dyaks
have a very singular profile, in consequence of their habit of filing
the teeth and so reducing their bulk, those who have concave teeth
presenting the most curious outline.
[Illustration: (1.) ILLINOAN PIRATE AND SAGHAI DYAK. (See page 1112.)]
[Illustration: (2.) DYAK WOMEN. (See page 1118.)]
Comparatively slight and feeble as the Dyaks look by the side of the
stalwart and muscular European, their strength is really wonderful, and
enables them to perform tasks which the powerful white man could not
by any possibility achieve. On a journey, when an European has fallen
from sheer fatigue, a Dyak has taken the burden with which the fallen
man was laden, and added it to his own, without seeming to display
any particular sense of having increased his own labor; and when the
stranger, in spite of the relief, has lain down in absolute inability
to move, a little wiry Dyak has picked him up, put him on his back, and
proceeded on his journey with perfect ease.
The Dyaks are in the habit of crossing the swamps with which Borneo
abounds by means of primitive bridges, called batangs. These are the
very simplest form in which the principle of the bridge can be carried
out. If the reader wishes to obtain a correct idea of a batang, he can
do so easily enough. Two bamboo poles are driven into the ground so as
to cross one another near the top, like an X with the lower limbs much
developed. They are then lashed together at the intersection, just like
the supports between which a modern rope dancer stretches his cord.
At about thirty feet distance, another pair of poles are fixed in a
similar way, and a horizontal bamboo laid upon them.
In fact, the whole apparatus looks just like a rope dancer’s apparatus,
a bamboo taking the place of the rope. Beyond the second supports
others are added and connected by horizontal bamboos as far as the
marsh extends; and so fond are the natives of these very primitive
bridges that they will make them a mile or more in length, and extend
them over gorges of terrible depth.
To tread these extraordinary bridges is a task that would tax the
powers of a professional rope dancer, and yet a Dyak has been known to
take a heavy white man on his back, and carry him a mile or more over
these slippery batangs, when, in many places, a false step would be
certain destruction for both. He does not seem at all fatigued by this
extraordinary feat of muscular power, but rather has a sort of boyish
exultation in his strength, and a decided delight that he is able at
all events in one respect to prove himself the superior of the white
man, whom he regards with the most profound respect as a being of
supernatural wisdom and power.
The Dyaks are able, in some astonishing manner, to penetrate with
comparative ease through jungles which are absolutely impervious to
Europeans. One of these men, while on the march with some English
soldiers, exhibited his strength in a very unexpected manner. The path
was a terrible one, all up and down steep and slippery hills, so that
the Chinese coolies who accompanied the party first threw away their
rice, and lastly sat down and wept like children. The English sergeant,
a veteran, accustomed to hard marching both in China and India, broke
down at the first hill, and declared his inability to move another step
under the load which he carried. Mr. Brooke, who was in command of
the party, asked one of the Dyaks to carry the sergeant’s burden, and
promised him an additional piece of tobacco.
The man was delighted with the proposal, and accepted it. He was
already carrying food for three weeks, his whole store of clothes, one
twelve-pound shot, two twelve-pound cartridges, a double-barrelled gun,
a hundred rounds of ball cartridge, and his own heavy sword and spear.
Such a load as this, which would be almost too great even for a man
walking on good roads, seemed a mere trifle to the agile Dyak, who went
lightly and easily up and down paths which the foreigners could hardly
traverse even without having to carry anything except their own weight.
So little, indeed, was he incommoded, that he strapped the whole of the
sergeant’s kit on his back, and walked off as easily as if the whole
load were but a feather weight. No one who has not actually traversed
those paths can form an idea of the miseries attending the journey.
The paths themselves are bad enough, but, in addition to the terribly
severe labor of walking, the traveller has to endure mosquitoes,
sandflies, intense heat at mid-day, and intense cold at night, thirst,
wet, and every imaginable discomfort.
Yet the native seems quite easy in the journey, and gets over the
ground in a manner that is absolutely exasperating to the Europeans
who accompany him. He is able to push his way through prickly thickets
and morasses in a way which seems almost impenetrable. Indeed, he says
himself that it is impenetrable, and that he achieves these feats
by means of certain charms which he carries about with him. On one
occasion it happened that at the end of a hard five hours’ journey, a
number of sketching materials and other necessaries had been forgotten,
and a Dyak was sent to the boats to fetch them, being promised a
pocket-knife for his trouble. He started about two P. M. and arrived
with the parcels before sunset, having thus, in addition to his first
journey with the travellers, and the heavy parcels which he had to
carry, twice traversed the distance which had occupied them five hours
in the transit.
When questioned about the manner in which he performed the journey, he
said that it was owing to the virtues of a charm which he carried, and
which he produced. It was a small misshapen horn, which he said that
he had cut from the head of an antelope, and that its fellow horn was
brass. He further offered to sell it for fifteen dollars, averring that
its powers were unfailing, and that even any one who borrowed it was
able to traverse the country at the same speed which he had exhibited.
The ordinary dress of the men is simple enough, consisting merely
of the “chawat,” or slight strip of cloth, which is twisted round
the loins in such a manner that one end falls in front and the other
behind. The chawat is often very gaily colored. Sometimes the Dyak
wears a sarong, or short petticoat of cotton cloth, which reaches
from the waist to a little above the knees. It is simply a strip of
cloth, with the two ends sewed together, and is almost large enough to
encircle two ordinary men. When it is put on the wearer steps into it,
draws it up to his waist, pulls it out in front as far as it will go
and then doubles back the fold and turns the edges inward, in such a
manner that it is held tight in its place, while the folds caused by
its large diameter allow the limbs full play.
One of these chawats in my collection is woven in a sort of plaid
pattern, the ground hue being a bright and rather peculiar red, and the
cross-lines being nearly white. The texture is rather coarse, and the
whole fabric has a stiffness which is characteristic of native fabrics
made of this material.
Those young men who are proud of their personal appearance, and are
able to afford the expense do not content themselves with the plain
chawat, but adorn it with all kinds of strange decorations. One of
these young dandies is well described by Mr. Boyle:--“The young man
did not dress in Malay trousers like his father, probably because one
pair alone of such articles existed in the house; but his chawat was
parti-colored, and his ornaments numerous. He was about five feet four
inches in height, very fair complexioned, and his face, though Tartar
like in character, had a pleasant expression. From the elbow to the
knuckles, both his arms were covered with rings of brass, and above
the joint were two broad armlets of snowy shells, which contrasted
admirably with his yellow-brown skin.
“But the marvel and glory of his array hung behind. To the end of his
chawat was attached a long network of agate beads and bugles, which
jingled merrily whenever he moved. Round his neck were strings of
bright beads, and his knees were encircled by brazen wire. A profusion
of dried scalps fluttered from the parang by his side; and in walking
before us through the sunny glades of the jungle, his brazen gauntlet
flashing in the light, and his beads of agate tinkling behind, he
presented the very ideal of a barbaric dandy.”
One chief, desirous of outdoing his fellows, had taken a gong
and beaten it out into a belt of solid metal a foot in width. In
consequence of the extraordinary value which the Dyaks set upon gongs,
this belt was a mark of wealth which no one could venture to challenge.
Beside the chawat, the well-to-do man wears a sort of shawl mantle,
much like a Scotch plaid, and capable of being disposed after as many
different fashions. They display great taste in the graceful folds
which they give to it, and seem to take a pride in the variety which
they can produce by the different modes of folding this simple garment.
* * * * *
The women dress in a manner somewhat like that of the men; but, in
lieu of the sarong, they mostly wear a rather longer petticoat, called
a bedang. When obliged to go out in the sun, they also wear a jacket,
without sleeves and open in front; but as this jacket hides the glossy
brown skin on which they pride themselves, they generally lay it aside
when in the house.
In youth they are remarkable for their slender and graceful forms; but,
unfortunately, after a woman has passed the age of twenty, she begins
to deteriorate, and at thirty is an old woman. The face is pleasing
in expression, despite of the artificial means whereby the women do
their best to make themselves hideous. The eyes are black, clear, and
expressive, and the lashes singularly long. The nose is rather disposed
to turn upward than downward, and the mouth is terribly disfigured with
the continual chewing of betel and the mode in which the teeth are
filed and blackened.
The chief point in a Dyak woman’s beauty is her hair, which is black,
wonderfully thick, and shining, and so long that when allowed to flow
over the back it nearly touches the ground. Of this ornament the women
are inordinately vain, and, when engaged in conversation, are fond of
flinging their shining tresses from side to side by coquettish tossings
of the head. Unfortunately, the fever which is so prevalent in many
parts of Borneo has the effect of bringing off all the hair, so that
many a young girl is thus deprived of her chief ornament.
The women belonging to some of the tribes wear a most singular bodice,
composed of bark and bamboo, and kept together by successive rings of
brass wire, which form a strong and weighty bodice, to the lower part
of which is attached the bedang, or petticoat.
Mr. Boyle seems to have taken a strong aversion to these bodices. “When
a Dyak lover attempts to pass a tender arm round his sweetheart’s
waist, instead of the soft flesh, he finds himself clasping a cuirass
of solid metal. Nor is this all; for fashion ordains that the Dyak
heiress shall invest her available means in the purchase of long
gauntlets of twisted brass wire, reaching from the knuckles to the
elbow; and if, in her turn, she encircles her lover’s neck with a
responsive arm, the wretched man finds himself clasped by a horrible
fetter, which draws a little bit of his flesh between each of its
links, and pinches him fearfully. For these reasons, caresses are not
common among Dyak lovers; after all, perhaps, they are only a habit.
“But, apart from their inconvenience, these brazen ornaments are
decidedly tasteful and pretty. The ordinary color of a Dyak girl, when
she does not stain her body with turmeric, is a dull brownish yellow,
and the sparkling brass rings are a great relief to this complexion.
They are not removed at night, nor, in fact, during the wearer’s
lifetime, unless she outgrow them.”
More than once the possession of these strange ornaments has proved
fatal to the wearer, the woman having fallen overboard from a canoe,
and drowned by the enormous weight of her brass ornaments. In some
parts of Borneo the girls are not content with their brass bodices,
bracelets, and anklets, but must needs encircle their throats with the
same material. They take a long piece of stout brass wire, and twist it
spirally round their necks, so that the lower part of the coil rests on
the shoulders, and the upper part comes just under the chin, causing
the wearer to hold her head upright, and having a most inelegant and
awkward effect.
The Kayan women are exceedingly fond of a peculiar bead which is of
several colors, looking as if it were a black bead into which pieces of
green, yellow, blue, and gray material had been carefully let. A rich
woman will sometimes wear several strings of such beads just above the
hips. The different strings are connected with each other so as to form
a single ornament. For one such hip-lace (as Mr. St. John calls it)
a woman has given property equal to thirty-five pounds of our money;
and the same woman had several others for which she had given scarcely
less, together with a great number of inferior value.
The Kayan women carry the tattoo to a great extent, and follow exactly
the same plan as the Samoan warriors, _i. e._ being completely tattooed
from the waist to the knees. They are very fond of this ornament, and
are apt to wear their dress open at the side so as to exhibit it. When
the women bathe, they think that the tattoo is quite sufficient dress,
and at a little distance they really look as if they were wearing
short trousers.
As has been already mentioned, the Sea Dyaks do not, as a rule, care
for the tattoo, and in this respect the women follow the example of the
men. They are, however, equally fond of ornament with their sisters of
the land, and adorn themselves with most scrupulous care on festive
occasions. Mr. Boyle gives an animated description of the gala-dress
worn by the Saibas Dyak girls and women during a great feast given by
the chief.
“Meanwhile the female portion of the community had been preparing
for their part in the proceedings. At this moment they came from the
interior of the house, and the stately magnificence of their appearance
showed that time and labor had not been spared in arraying themselves
for this great occasion. From the neck to the hips they were covered
over with large agate beads; string of them was heaped on string, till
many of the women were cuirassed an inch thick in solid stone before
and behind.
“Upon their heads was placed a piece of bead-embroidered cloth, in
which were arranged thin skewers of painted wood about five inches
long: there were about twenty of these bits of wood disposed about
their heads, and each was attached to the other by strings of brilliant
glass beads. Five or six of these many-colored loops hung from each
skewer, and they were entwined into a graceful network. The effect was
very pretty, though barbarous, and the solemnity of the ceremonies was
much enhanced by the stately uprightness which the women were compelled
to observe in moving, on peril of disarrangement of this delicate
structure.”
They also wear conical hats, made of split rattan. These hats are very
light, and last for a wonderful time. A specimen was presented to me by
a lady who had worn it for four years, and had certainly not treated
it with any consideration. Yet it is as strong and good as ever, and
the colors are as fresh and bright as when the hat was first made.
The rattan has been split into very narrow strips, and stained red,
yellow, and black, while some of the strips have had the natural color
discharged, so as to make them nearly white.
The hat is fixed on the head by a broad loop of plaited palm leaf,
which is fastened to the side. Hats made on this principle are
prevalent throughout the whole Archipelago.
Among the ornaments which are worn by the Dyaks are the little bells
which have already been mentioned as forming part of the appendages of
an earring. These ornaments called “garunongs,” and mostly worn by the
women on the edges of the bedang or petticoat, are almost exactly like
our hawk-bells, being nothing more than little hollow spheres of brass
or bronze about the size of a boy’s playing marble, with a small metal
ball in the interior by way of a clapper, and a moderately wide slit
at the bottom. To some of the bells the remarkable beads are attached.
These bells keep up a musical chime or jingle as the wearer walks, and
are therefore used in dances and on great occasions.
The general treatment of the Dyak women is good. They certainly have to
work hard, but so have their husbands, and, as we shall presently see,
they are not the abject slaves such as are too often found among savage
nations, but maintain their share of influence in the family, and are
perfectly capable of assisting themselves when the occasion requires
it. They are accustomed to work in the fields, and the universal
chopping-knife or parang is seldom out of their hands. The constant use
of this weapon hardens their hands and often deforms the fingers.
When they come home from their work in the field, they have the
heaviest portion of their work before them, their evening task being
the husking and winnowing of the rice for supper and for the meals of
the following day. The rice is first pounded in large troughs by means
of long and heavy wooden poles, which are held perpendicularly, lifted
up, and then allowed to fall on the grain, and, as a rule each trough
occupies three women, who work for about half an hour. This pounding
separates the husk from the grain, and the next process is to winnow
the rice by means of a shovel and a fan.
The evening meal is then cooked and eaten, the children fed, the bronze
dishes put away, and then the women can sit quietly in the veranda, and
eat their betel in peace. Although this mode of life seems rather hard,
and the husbands appear to be acting harshly toward their partners in
letting them work in this manner while they sit in their houses, chew
betel, and talk over the gossip of the day, there is really a very fair
reciprocity of labor. While the wives have been working in the fields,
the husbands have been fishing, and in so doing have repeatedly exposed
their lives to danger, the rollers being at certain seasons of the year
exceedingly dangerous. At Mukah, as at other places, the wives insist
upon being furnished with fish by their husbands, and, in case the men
should come home unsuccessful, the women fasten their doors and bar
them out. Indeed, so long as the marriage holds good, the relation of
husband and wife seems to be conducted in a manner similar to that
which is so graphically depicted by Scott in his “Antiquary.”
In order to show the appearance of the Dyak women in their ordinary
and gala costumes, two figures are introduced into illustration No.
2 on page 1113. One represents a Dyak girl before arraying herself
in the mass of ornaments with which she loves to decorate herself on
festivals. She wears, as usual, the bedang, or petticoat, which, if she
be of ordinary condition, is made of cotton, but if she be rich, of
silk. It is twisted round the waist in the manner practised by the men,
but, in addition, is fastened to the brass belts which surround her
waist. Her long glossy hair is flowing to the full extent, before the
owner gathers up its massive tresses preparatory to adorning her head
with the complicated decorations, of full dress.
The other figure represents her as she appears in all the glory of full
gala costume. As far as absolute dress goes, she wears no more than
she did before, the only alteration being that her bedang is the best
which she has, and is sometimes beautifully embroidered. On her arms
are several thick rings of brass, and the singularly uncomfortable
brass gauntlet extends from the wrist to the elbow. Her neck and bust
are nearly covered with the heavy agate beads, and on her head is the
complicated cap, with its curious arrangement of wooden spikes and
glass beads.
CHAPTER CXV.
BORNEO--_Continued_.
WAR.
DYAK WEAPONS -- THE SUMPITAN, OR BLOW GUN -- CONSTRUCTION OF THE
WEAPON -- THE INLAID OR METAL BUTT -- THE SPEAR HEAD, OR BAYONET --
THE SUMPIT ARROW -- THE UPAS POISON AND ITS EFFECTS -- DESCRIPTION OF
THE TREE -- THE QUIVER -- THE PARANG, OR SWORD, AND ITS VARIETIES --
THE PARANG-LATOK, AND ITS CURIOUS HANDLE -- POWER OF ITS BLOW -- TWO
BLOWS OF AN EXECUTIONER -- THE PARANG-IHLANG: ITS CURIOUSLY FORMED
BLADE -- AN AWKWARD WEAPON -- POWER OF THE PARANG-IHLANG, AND ITS
VALUE -- THE SHEATH AND ITS ADDITIONAL KNIFE -- DOUBLE-EDGED PARANG,
WITH CHARMS -- A SINGULAR ORNAMENT -- THE KRIS AND ITS VARIETIES --
ITS WAVED AND LAMINATED BLADE -- EFFECT OF THE LIME JUICE -- THE
EXECUTIONER’S KRIS.
We now come to the subject of Warfare, which forms perhaps the most
important branch of Dyak history. Whether the Dyaks belong to the
Land or Sea division, they are always warlike, though the latter are
fiercer, perhaps braver, and certainly more enterprising than the
former. In order to understand the system by which they wage war, we
must first examine their weapons. I will take that which is the most
characteristic; namely, the sumpitan, or blow gun.
We have here a weapon, the like of which we have not seen in any
country that we have hitherto investigated; namely, an instrument by
means of which missiles are projected by means of compressed air. The
principle on which the sumpitan acts is precisely similar to that of
fire-arms, though the propelling power is obtained in a different
and more simple manner. In fact, the sumpitan is nothing but the
“pea-shooter” of boys, very much enlarged, and carrying an arrow
instead of a pea or clay ball.
This curious weapon is about eight feet in length, and not quite an
inch in diameter, and is bored with the greatest accuracy, a task that
occupies a very long time, the wood being very hard, and the interior
of the sumpitan smooth and even polished. It is not always made of
the same wood, the specimens in my own collection being of different
material, one of very dark and the other of very light wood. The
surface is of equal thickness from end to end, and, as it generally
has to enact the part of a spear as well as of a sumpitan, it is very
strong and heavy.
One of these weapons, brought to England by the late Admiral Young,
is of a beautiful colored wood, and is beautifully inlaid, both
at the butt and the point, with metal. The last few inches of the
butt are entirely made of metal, the weight of which causes the
weapon to balance itself easily when held to the lips. The pattern
of the inlaying may be seen in fig. 1, of the illustration entitled
“Sumpitans,” on the 1122nd page.
The other sumpitan, fig. 2, is of a very dark, almost black wood, which
is brightly polished on the exterior as well as in the interior, and is
not inlaid. The butt, however, is encased with brass for five inches,
the brass being very thick and heavy at the end, and deeply ridged,
so as to look at a little distance as if it were a spiral brass wire
coiled round the butt of the sumpitan.
At the tip of this weapon is a spear head, very thick, broad, and
strong, sharply edged and pointed, and decorated with engraved patterns
after the manner employed by Dyak smiths. It is firmly bound to the
sumpitan by brass wire or rattan, and is an exact analogue of the
bayonet, the spear head being fastened to the side of the weapon, and
not interfering with the flight of the missile. The bore of the weapon
is very small, not quite half an inch in diameter, and it is really
wonderful that the maker could contrive to hollow it with the perfect
precision which is necessary for the accurate flight of the arrow.
We next come to the missile which is projected through the sumpitan.
This is a very tiny arrow, made of the thorn of the sago palm, about
seven or eight inches long, equally thick from base to point, and not
thicker than a large steel knitting-needle. In order to make it fit the
bore so that it can be propelled by the breath, it is furnished at the
butt with a conical piece of pith or soft wood, so that it exactly fits
the bore. In some of the arrows, the cone is hollow, and a few of them
are furnished with wing-like appendages along the shaft. As a rule,
however, the solid cone is in most general use.
These arrows are so small that the wound which they inflict is in
itself insignificant, and would not be sufficient to kill any animal
larger than a rat. They are, however, converted into weapons of the
most formidable character by being smeared at the tip with poison
obtained from the upas-tree.
The reader is probably aware of the many tales that are told of this
tree--how that it poisons the country for a mile round, and how that
the deadly juice can only be obtained by means of condemned criminals,
who earn their pardon in case they can bring off a bottle of the juice.
Even in more recent days the upas-tree has not lost all its legends,
and many persons still believe that actual contact with the tree or its
leaves produces a sensation of faintness. This, however, is not the
case; neither is the actual juice of the tree so deadly as is supposed.
A wound made by an arrow poisoned with upas juice is sure to be fatal,
provided that the poison be quite fresh; but it loses its power very
rapidly, and after it has been exposed to the air for two hours it is
useless, and must be renewed. When fresh, it is fatal in a very short
time, as was found by Mr. Johnson, who led an attack on the Kanowit
Dyaks in 1859. He lost thirty men in the attack, every one of them
being killed by the tiny sumpit arrow, and not one having a mark on
him, except the little wound made by the arrow’s point.
Should the poison have been exposed to the air, the wounded man has a
chance of recovery; and it has been found that a large dose of spirits,
sucking the wound, and keeping the sufferer continually in motion will
generally overcome the virulence of the poison. Indeed, the sumpit
arrow seems to have much the same effect as the bite of the cobra, and
the treatment which is efficacious for the snake bite answers equally
well for the arrow wound.
The juice of the upas-tree is procured simply by boring a hole in the
trunk, from which the juice issues in a white, cream-like state. It
is received in little flasks made of bamboo, which are closed in the
most careful manner, in order to exclude the air. One of these flasks
in my possession is five inches in length, and about half an inch in
diameter. One end is naturally closed by a knot, and the other is
sealed with the most scrupulous care. First, a plug of soft wood has
been inserted into the end, after the manner of a cork. Over the plug
a lump of beeswax has been firmly kneaded, and over the wax a piece of
membrane has been tied when wet. Although the upas juice is white when
it first issues from the tree, it speedily becomes black when exposed
to the air.
The upas-tree is called scientifically _Antiaris toxicaria_, and it
belongs to the natural order _Astocarpeæ_, the best known species of
which order is the well-known bread-fruit tree. All the plants of
this order produce a white milky juice, which is always acrid and
deleterious, and in many instances is exceedingly poisonous. Yet those
parts of the plant, such as the fruit, in which the milk is replaced
by sugar in the process of ripening, are not only harmless, but even
nutritious. The tree grows to a considerable size, and the bark of the
trunk has a reddish hue.
The reader will at once understand how formidable is this weapon. It
is greatly to be dreaded even when the Dyak warriors are met in open
battle, and in naval engagements the showers of poisoned arrows that
are continually shot through the port-holes render the gunners’ task
a most unpleasant one. But the sumpitan is much more to be dreaded
by land than by sea; and when it is employed in bush warfare, the
boldest soldier shrinks from the encounter. The Dyak who wields it lies
hidden in the thick foliage, sure that, even in case of discovery, he
can glide through the tangled thickets into a place of security. The
sumpitan makes no report, and gives out no smoke as an indication of
its position, but the deadly arrow flies silently on its errand, and
the only intimation of the presence of an adversary is the slight tap
with which the arrow strikes its mark.
The only disadvantage of the sumpitan is that its range is a short
one, the light arrow being seldom used at a distance exceeding forty
yards, though a man who is accustomed to its use can propel an arrow
for seventy or eighty yards. At this distance, however, it is not to
be dreaded, as its force is so expended that it can scarcely break the
human skin. Some of these arrows have their heads made of the barbed
bone of the sting-ray, which snaps off at a touch, and remains in the
wound if the man tries to draw out the weapon. Others have separate
heads made of wood, which become detached as soon as the shaft is
pulled. The native name of the head is _jowing_.
[Illustration: (3.) PARANG IHLANG. (See page 1124.)]
[Illustration: (1.) PARANG LATOK. (See page 1123.)]
[Illustration: (2.) DYAK SUMPITANS. (See page 1119.)]
The Dyak generally carries thirty or forty of these arrows in a
peculiar-shaped quiver. It is made of the ever useful bamboo, and is
furnished with an appendage by which it can be stuck into the belt and
carried at the side. This appendage is made of hard wood, and is lashed
to the quiver by a broad belt of rattan, most beautifully plaited. The
quiver is closed by a conical wooden cover, which is always secured by
a string so that it shall not be lost. Some of the Dyak quivers are
highly polished, covered with carvings, and are almost to be ranked
with works of art. Many of these quivers have an inner case or lining
of dried skin or membrane, so as to exclude the air, and preserve the
poison of the arrow as long as possible.
When the Dyak uses the sumpitan, he holds the mouthpiece to his lips
between the two first fingers of his left hand, while with his right he
supports and aims the heavy weapon, which requires a strong as well as
a practised man to direct it steadily.
* * * * *
The weapon which comes next in importance to the sumpitan is the
parang or sword, of which there are several varieties. The Dyaks
pride themselves greatly on their swords, and the excellence of their
workmanship is so great that they have good reason for pride. Their
forges are of excellent quality, and some of the tribes are able not
only to forge their own weapons but to smelt their own iron.
The commonest of all the Dyak weapons is the sword called parang-latok,
which is carried by every man and nearly every woman. It is used not
only as a sword, but as an axe, and is indifferently employed for
cutting through the jungle or cutting down the enemy. The shape of this
sword is very peculiar, as may be seen from illustration No. 1, on the
preceding page, which represents a specimen in my collection.
The blade is formed after a very curious pattern. Toward the hilt it
is squared, and is in fact nothing but a square bar of steel nearly
half an inch in thickness, and three quarters of an inch in width. From
the hilt to the point the blade becomes gradually wider and thinner,
so that the broad point, two inches in width, contains just the same
amount of metal as the half-inch square hilt. It is evident that the
sword is first forged into a square bar of equable size, and is then
beaten out flatter and flatter toward the point.
The illustration shows that the blade of the sword is bent at a
considerable angle toward the hilt. This curious shape, awkward as it
is to an unaccustomed hand, forms the principal value of the sword.
When the parang-latok is used for cutting down branches or chopping a
path through the jungle, it is grasped at the squared portion of the
blade, and is used just as we use the common bill-hook in this country.
But when the object which is to be chopped lies on the ground, the
parang is held by the handle, so that the angular shape allows the
blade to be used with full force. It is the habit of holding the parang
by the squared portion of the blade, that disfigures and even deforms
the fingers of the women, as has already been mentioned on page 1118.
The ordinary parangs have no attempt at ornament upon them, but those
of better construction are covered with patterns engraved upon the
blade, of which we shall see some examples.
In war, this sword is a most formidable weapon. It is so heavy,
weighing on an average two pounds, that a blow from it is sufficient
to crush the skull or break the limb of a man, and, even if it had
no edge, it would equal in efficacy the merai of the New Zealander.
But the parang-latok has a very sharp edge, which is kept in the best
order, and, when a blow is delivered with it, the very form of the
weapon causes it to make the terrible “drawing cut,” the blade being
drawn through the wound nearly from hilt to point. In consequence of
this peculiarity, the wounds made by the parang-latok are very severe,
and the natives pride themselves greatly on the depth of the wound
which they can inflict.
One of the modes by which they try their skill is killing a pig with a
single blow of a parang-latok, a good swordsman being able to sever the
animal completely, and to drive the point of his weapon into the earth.
If the reader has been accustomed to use the sword, he will see that to
strike downward at an object so near the ground is by no means an easy
task.
When an English swordsman performs the feat of severing a sheep at a
single blow, he has several advantages which are denied to the Dyak.
In the first place, the sheep is already dead, so that he can take his
aim in quiet, whereas the pig is alive, so that the Dyak must aim his
blow as he can. Then the sheep has been skinned and cleaned, so that
the sword has not so much resistance to overcome. Lastly, the sheep
is suspended, so that the swordsman can use the most effective blow,
namely, “Cut 6,” _i. e._ a sweeping, horizontal cut from left to right,
which can be delivered with the full swing of the arm.
Were it not for the peculiar form of the parang-latok the feat of
severing a pig could not be accomplished, but the angular shape of
the blade and its gradually increasing width combine the power of the
drawing cut with the chopping force gained by the weight of the weapon.
The sheath of this parang is neatly made of two flat pieces of wood,
neatly hollowed inside to receive the blade, and bound together in
the most elaborate manner by a series of belts, twelve or fourteen in
number. These belts are made of very narrow strips of dark rattan, and
are twined into an endless four-plait. In my own specimen, there are
thirteen of these belts. Attached to the upper end of the sheath is the
cord by which the weapon is hung to the side. This cord is doubled, is
made of scarlet and yellow cotton plaited square, and is ornamented at
the ends with two large tassels, the strings of which are yellow tipped
with scarlet tufts.
The parang-latok is more a Malayan than a Dyak weapon, but it is in
favor with the Dyaks, and, as has been mentioned, has come into general
use.
The Malays use it in execution, and are able to decapitate a man at a
single blow, the executioner standing at his side and a little behind
him. On one occasion, an executioner, who was distinguished for the
skill with which he wielded a very heavy parang which he possessed,
stood between two criminals as they knelt on the ground, and with a
right and left hand blow struck off both their heads. The same man, who
was one of the police, being annoyed by the howling of some dogs in the
street, rushed out with his parang, and with one blow cut in two the
first animal which he met.
We now come to another weapon, the parang-ihlang, which is one of the
most extraordinary swords in the world, and more troublesome and even
dangerous to strangers than can well be conceived. This is a smaller,
shorter, and lighter weapon than the parang-latok. From point to hilt
it measures nineteen inches, and in extreme breadth of blade is rather
under an inch and a half. It weighs rather less than one pound six
ounces, and altogether appears to be quite insignificant when compared
with the parang-latok. We shall see, however, that in the hands of an
experienced swordsman it is even superior to that weapon on account of
a strange peculiarity in construction. The general shape of the blade
of the parang-ihlang can be seen in illustration No. 3, on page 1122.
It is very thick and heavy toward the hilt, where it is nearly squared,
like the parang-latok, but becomes gradually thinner toward the point,
which is finished off in a series of scooped patterns that look at a
little distance as if the sword had been broken. The back is quite
straight, and along it and on either side of the blade is a series of
small patterns engraved with much neatness and freedom of execution.
But the most remarkable thing about the blade is, that instead of being
nearly flat as are European sword blades, it is convex on one side, and
concave on the other, as is shown at the section, fig. 5. Owing to this
form, it can only be used for two cuts, one downward and one upward;
and if used in the wrong direction, it flies off at an angle, and is
nearly certain to inflict a wound on the man who wields it. These
swords are made either for the right or left hand, so that a man who is
not acquainted with the peculiarities of any parang is afraid to use
it without a careful trial, lest he should make the wrong cut with it,
and so wound himself.
Small and insignificant as this weapon looks, it is capable of
inflicting the most dreadful wounds, the peculiar concavity of the
blade aiding it in a most remarkable manner. Like the parang-latok, it
is used as a chopper as well as a sword, and in experienced hands is a
most effective tool. One man, described by Mr. Brooke, was a celebrated
swordsman, and has been known to sever at a single blow a log of
tolerably hard wood as thick as a man’s leg.
Even English officers have been so much impressed with the value of
this weapon, that they have only carried the regulation sword for show,
preferring the parang-ihlang for use. The Sea Dyaks, who have been
already mentioned as essentially warriors, prefer this sword to any
other weapon, though the real inventors and principal makers of it are
the Kayans, who belong to the Malanau division of the Land Dyaks. As
a rule, the ordinary Land Dyaks use the parang-ihlang but little, and
when they do use it are apt to hurt themselves. Mr. Boyle mentions an
instance where the eldest son of a chief had cut himself seriously on
both shins through his incautious use of this weapon.
“The finest parangs,” writes Mr. Boyle, “or those esteemed so, are
found in the graves of Kayan warriors, which are consequently rifled by
Dyaks and Malays on every possible occasion. I have one, purchased at
Kennowit, which I was told had been obtained from a sepulchre, three
hundred years old--a rather improbable assertion, though I believe the
weapon was really found in a Kayan grave, for it was strangely stained
and rusted when I bought it.”
The Dyaks are very proud of the quality of their blades, and hold
even the best European steel in utter contempt. It is said that their
swords are made of old files, which are imported in large quantities;
but, whatever may be the material, the temper of their blades is
marvellously excellent. These parangs not only take a razor-like
edge, but are exceedingly tough, and when used for bush-work beat the
very best English implements. Mr. Boyle remarks, that whereas his own
hunting-knives, which professed to be the finest steel possible, broke
and gapped, the Dyak parangs were not in the least injured.
Such a blade as has been described is exceedingly valuable, even in
its own country, and one of the best quality cannot be purchased under
ten pounds sterling. It may be easily imagined that when a Dyak is
fortunate enough to possess one of these valuable blades he will not be
content with an ordinary handle and sheath, but will lavish upon his
weapon all the powers of his native art. The handle, instead of being
of simple wood, is of bone, carved deeply and boldly into patterns, and
is always bent at right angles to the line of the blade. It is further
ornamented by sundry tufts of human hair, dyed of various colors,
of which deep red, yellow, and green are the favorites. The hilt is
generally bound with brass wire, and, for a small-handed race like the
Dyaks, affords an excellent hold. An European generally finds that the
narrow handle is very awkward and cramped, and is not sufficient for
his grasp.
The scabbard of this weapon is covered with ornaments. Instead of being
a plain and simple sheath, like that of the parang-latok, it is made of
a hard wood, of a dark, rich, mahogany color, which takes a very high
polish. This is carved in elaborate and really artistic patterns, the
carving being confined to the front of the scabbard.
In the middle, just under the carved part, is a piece of fur, and below
the fur is a tuft of human hair dyed red. In most cases of swords made
by uncivilized races, there is some danger to the hand in drawing them,
the edge of the sword being apt to project between the two flat pieces
of which the sheath is made. In order, however, to guard against such
an accident, the maker of the parang-ihlang places a piece of rattan
against each edge of the scabbard, so that the blade cannot by any
possibility cut the fingers, even if the hand should grasp the sheath.
The various parts of this sheath are bound together by six belts of
plaited rattan and three belts of brass wire, plaited most beautifully,
in that form which is known to sailors as the Turk’s head.
The belt by which the sword is attached to the wearer is made of
rattan, cut into very narrow strips and plaited into thongs, three
of which thongs are again plaited together to form the belt. On the
opposite side of the scabbard is a second sheath, of the same length as
that to which it is fastened, but small and cylindrical. This sheath is
made of red and yellow cloth, is lined with bark, and is intended for
the reception of a knife which is peculiar to the Dyaks. One of these
knives maybe seen at fig. 3, in the illustration of the parang on page
1129. The handle of this knife is made of the same hard wood as that
of which the sheath is formed. It is nearly cylindrical, about half an
inch in diameter, and fourteen inches in length, the blade being short,
pointed, and barely two inches in length. This curious knife is used by
the Dyaks for splitting rattan, and similar purposes, the long handle
being held under the left arm, while the rattan is drawn with both
hands, across the edge of the blade.
The natives are singularly averse to parting with this knife. They
will sell the sword, if a sufficient price be offered, but will always
endeavor surreptitiously to withdraw the knife, so that, out of many
parangs which have been brought to Europe, comparatively few have the
knife attached to them. In one specimen in my collection, the weapon
appears to be quite perfect, but, on withdrawing the knife from its
sheath, it is seen that the Dyak has cleverly substituted a bladeless
handle for the real knife.
Both the weapons which have been described were presented to me by C.
T. C. Grant, Esq.
There is also in my collection a third kind of parang, which at first
sight looks almost exactly like the old Roman sword. It is thick,
massive, weighty, and at first sight looks more like an ancient than
a modern weapon. On a closer examination, however, the peculiar Dyak
workmanship is evident. Though it is not like the preceding weapon,
convex on one side, and concave on the other, the two sides are
entirely distinct. The blade is double-edged, very thick in the middle,
and sloped off rather abruptly to the edge on either side.
The handle is only made of wood, but is profusely decorated with human
hair of different colors and considerable length, and it is bound with
a broad belt of plaited rattan. The sheath for the knife is entirely
made of bark, and the knife itself is shown at fig. 2. Like the
scabbard of the parang-ihlang already described, that of this weapon is
richly carved, and adorned with fur and long tufts of human hair.
The belt by which it is suspended is made of rattan split very fine,
and plaited so as to form a strap nearly an inch in width, and the
sixth of an inch in thickness. It is rounded at the edges, and at the
upper part it is ingeniously separated into two portions, so as to form
a loop.
The chief peculiarity of this weapon lies in the number of charms
which are attached to it. First come two teeth, and then there is
a beautifully plaited little case, something like the cocoon of an
insect, containing several little pieces of wood. Next comes a small
bag of netted string, about an inch and a half in length, in which is a
stone, and then come three little flattish baskets, with covers, which
are empty. Fastened to the belt by several thongs is a curiously shaped
piece of wood which I believe to be used for sharpening the edges of
the sword, and to the end of the sheath is hung by a string of beads
a feather, the quill of which has been carefully wrapped with red and
black string.
This weapon is in all ways a most formidable one, and to European
travellers is by far the best for practical purposes. The handle is
rather larger than is the case with either of the preceding weapons;
the blade has not that curvature which renders it so perilous a weapon
in unpractised hands; it is double-edged, and either edge can be used
with equal facility; and lastly, it possesses a point, which is not
the case with the other forms of the sword.
One Dyak chief had an ornament attached to his sword of which he was
exceedingly proud. It was an enormous tuft of hair, being nothing more
nor less than the pigtails of ten Chinese whom he had killed, and whose
hair he had fastened to the scabbard of his sword. This ornament must
have been singularly inconvenient to him. There is in my collection an
average specimen of a Chinese pigtail. It weighs nine ounces, so that
the weight of the ten must rather exceed five pounds and a half, while
the length is five feet, so that ten tufts of hair, each five feet in
length, must have given the wearer an infinity of trouble as he walked.
* * * * *
The reader will already have noticed how the various forms of sword
are used alike by the Malays and the Dyak tribes. There is another
weapon, which, though strictly a Malay invention, is used by the Dyaks,
and indeed, with some variations, throughout the whole of the Malay
Archipelago. It is called the kris, sometimes, but wrongly, spelt
_creese_, and is so common that any ordinary collection of weapons is
sure to contain several specimens of the kris. It is remarkable for
three points. In the first place, the handle is not set in a line with
the blade, as in ordinary daggers, but is bent at a right angle; next,
the blade is almost always waved in form, like the flaming sword with
which the old painters armed the angels who kept the gates of Paradise;
and thirdly, the blade is never smooth, but dull, rough, and indented
with curved grooves much resembling in form the marks on a “browned”
gun-barrel. By referring to the illustration “Kris” on page 1129, the
reader will better understand its peculiarities.
There are few weapons which vary more in value, or in which the price
set upon them is so apparently excessive. A first-rate blade, even
without the handle and sheath, will cost from eighteen to twenty
pounds, and an ordinary one can scarcely be purchased under two pounds.
They have by no means the appearance of being valuable weapons, the
steel of the blade being not only rough and corroded, but looking as if
it were composed of successive laminæ which are on the point of being
separated. This effect is produced by steeping the blade in lime juice,
thus causing a partial corrosion of the metal, which is made of small
pieces of steel twisted and welded together in such a manner as to
produce exceeding toughness.
One of these weapons in my collection is worn away almost to a mere
ribbon of steel by the action of the acid, and, strange as it may seem,
weapons of this kind, which look much as if they were mere pieces of
rusty iron-hooping, are the most valued by connoisseurs. The length of
grain in this weapon is wonderful, the corrosion of the lime juice
showing it in the most perfect manner. The long grooves can be traced
from one end of the blade to the other, following the waved form of the
narrower portion, and curling round in the wider part near the hilt,
as if the whole of the blade had been forged out of steel wires laid
parallel to each other and then welded together.
The lime juice takes off from the edge that razor-like smoothness which
is so much admired in European blades, and gives it a ragged, saw-like
appearance that is peculiar to the instrument. This edge, however, is a
terrible one for penetration into human flesh, and answers the purpose
even better than a plain and sharp edge could do.
The form of the kris is sufficient to tell the reader the mode of
handling it, the weapon being thrust forward just as a man points with
his extended forefinger, and not grasped according to the conventional
ideas of painters. Spaniards, who are proverbially expert in the use of
their long knives, hold and use them in nearly the same manner, laying
the extended forefinger along the blade as a guide, and thrusting
forward instead of striking downward. The average length of a kris
blade is about a foot, but some are nearly as long as ordinary swords,
while others are only six or seven inches in length.
Very great pride is taken in an old family kris, the owner regarding
it with a veneration that is almost superstitious. Generally, the
handle is quite plain, but the more wealthy have it made of gold, and
encrusted with precious stones. This weapon is seldom used in war. It
is carried more as the symbol of a gentleman than as a weapon to be
used in actual fight, and plays the part that the sword used to play in
the last century.
The kris is much used in executions, the weapon being one made
expressly for the purpose, quite straight, thin, and narrow. In all
cases it is used in the same manner, though there are some variations
in detail. Generally, the man who is to suffer walks quietly and
unbound to a chair, in which he seats himself, mostly solacing his
last moments by chewing the betel-nut. His arms are then extended, and
held by two men, while the executioner, standing behind him, places
the point of the kris just above the left collar-bone, and strikes it
downward into the heart, so that death is instantaneous.
In some places the execution kris is very narrow, thin, and sharp on
both edges, like a lancet. The executioner takes a small tuft of cotton
wool, and twists it lightly round the blade of the kris, just above
the point. He then holds the cotton wool between the finger and thumb
of his left hand, so as to keep the kris upright. After placing the
point of the weapon on the right spot above the left collar-bone, he
drives it downward into the heart with his right hand, and the man is
dead. Still holding the cotton wool between the finger and thumb, he
draws out the kris, and, as the point is withdrawn, presses the cotton
wool into the small wound which it has made, so that the weapon is
quite clean and bright, and not a drop of blood is allowed to be seen.
There is no doubt that this mode of execution is as certain, swift and
merciful as any that can be devised. It is equal in these respects
to the guillotine, and has the great advantage of being absolutely
bloodless, and requiring no scaffold or visible apparatus. A traveller
might pass within two yards of the fatal spot, and not know that
anything out of the ordinary way was being done.
Some of these weapons have been used for many successive generations,
and are highly prized, some being valued at sums which to Europeans
seem almost fabulous. One of these execution krises was shown at the
Great Exhibition in London, but was lost, together with many other
weapons of great value.
The spear is a weapon much favored by many Dyak tribes, but little
employed by others, the spear head at the end of the sumpitan answering
every practical purpose. In fact it is used, like the club of the Fiji
Islander, as a summons to battle, and serves the same purpose as the
fiery cross of the Scotch Highlands. This symbol is instantaneously
obeyed, and, as it runs through a country with almost magical speed,
a chief can raise a large force within a very short time. On one
occasion, during the rajahship of Sir James Brooke, an incipient
rebellion was ingeniously stopped by finding the “calling-out spear”
as it lay hidden in a canoe, and taking possession of it. The people
strenuously denied that such an article ever existed; but when it was
taken from its hiding-place, the projected rising instantly collapsed.
CHAPTER CXVI.
BORNEO--_Continued_.
WAR--_Concluded_.
THE BORNEAN SHIELD, ITS USUAL SHAPE AND DECORATIONS -- MODE OF USING
IT -- A CURIOUS SHIELD IN MY COLLECTION -- HEAD HUNTING AND ITS
ACCOMPANYING HORRORS -- OBJECTS OF SIR JAMES BROOKE’S MISSION -- HIS
MODE OF SUPPRESSING THE PRACTICE -- “OPENING MOURNING” -- THE FISH
SPEARING AND THE FEAST -- VALUE OF HEADS -- TREACHERY AND CUNNING --
THE BAFFLED HEAD HUNTERS -- DYEING AND PRESERVING THE HEADS -- THE
HEAD HOUSES -- COURAGE IN WAR -- STORMING A NATIVE FORT -- A NAVAL
BATTLE -- TRAPS AND PITFALLS -- MAKING PEACE.
By way of defensive weapons, the Dyaks use the shield, which is made
of wood, and is generally of an oblong form. Like the parang, it is
decorated with various ornaments, the chief of which are hair, beads,
and feathers. The hair is made into flat tufts, and fastened at regular
intervals all over the shield, as is seen in an illustration at the
foot of next page, which represents a fine specimen in the magnificent
collection of the late Mr. Christy. In the centre of this shield there
is a rude and evidently conventional representation of the human face,
the eye being circular, of very great size, and painted white in the
centre. At the top and bottom of the shield are similar figures, but of
smaller size. Some shields, which are now very seldom seen, have the
entire human form painted on them, the legs issuing from the chest,
and the neck being entirely dispensed with. The tufts of hair on this
shield are black.
The mode of using the shield and sword is shown in their sword dances,
and Mr. Brooke, who had great experience in the Dyak weapons, gives
the following opinion of their value:--Sword dances with shields were
going on. Each tribe has a peculiar step and code of its own; but as an
attack and defence in earnest they all seemed to be equally ridiculous.
“However, in the event of an opponent using a shield, I feel convinced
that an European could not stand against them, as they are able to
crouch their bodies entirely behind it, and can spring immediately from
such an attitude behind it without losing their balance. But without a
shield a man with a rapier would be more than a match for any of them,
unless, as is possible, a heavy Dyak weapon were to cut a light sword
in two. This, however, no dexterous fencer would be likely to allow,
and, after the first blow from a heavy weapon had fallen, the opponent
would be at the mercy of a light swordsman.”
With due respect to the opinion of so competent an authority, I cannot
but think that, even when furnished with this shield, the Dyak ought
not to overcome a good fencer. The very fact that he is obliged to hold
his shield before him, and consequently to stand either with his left
side or at least his breast fronting his adversary, shows that he can
have but a very short reach with his weapon, while his opponent, armed
with a small sword, and using only the point, can remain entirely out
of reach of the parang’s edge, while he himself is within easy distance
of the Dyak, and ready to bring in the fatal point of his weapon at the
slightest opening made by his opponent.
The reader may remember that the parang described on page 1125 has
attached to it, among other ornaments, a single feather. This feather
has been taken from the rhinoceros hornbill, a bird which the Dyaks
hold in much respect, and which they will not eat, however hungry they
may be. The quill feathers of the wing and tail are black, with a band
of white, and by both Malays and Dyaks they are thought to possess
certain virtues, and are used as talismans. The bird is considered to
be an emblem of war, and for this reason the sword sheaths, shields,
and cloaks worn in war time are decorated with its feathers; and the
huge horny beak of the bird is scraped thin, polished, and made into
earrings.
[Illustration: (1.) DYAK KRIS (See page 1126.)]
[Illustration: (2.) BORNESE SHIELD. (See page 1131.)]
[Illustration: (3.) PARANG WITH CHARMS. (See page 1125.)]
[Illustration: (4.) SPEAR. (See page 1132.)]
[Illustration: (5.) DYAK SHIELD (See page 1128.)]
I insert also on page 1129, a figure of a shield in my collection,
which I believe to be of Bornean make, the materials and mode of
employing them being evidently Bornean. In shape it exactly resembles
the small shields used by horsemen in the early age of English history,
and, small as it is, it forms a very efficient defence. It is twenty
inches in length, and thirteen inches in width, and it is wielded by
means of a separate handle, firmly lashed to the body of the shield
by strips of rattan. The characteristic feature of the shield is the
manner in which it is built up of a number of pieces, the whole, though
merely bound together by rattan, being as firm as if it were cut out of
one piece of wood.
If the reader will look at figure 2, which shows the back of the
shield, he will see that it is made of four flat pieces of wood, which
are laid side by side. These pieces are of a lightish colored wood,
and are but slightly smoothed. The handle is cut from a separate piece
of wood, which runs the whole length of the shield. As is usual with
Bornean weapons, the handle is much too small for the grasp of an
European.
The front of the shield is made of a single flat piece of wood, to
which the others are lashed, or rather sewed, by means of rattan
passing through holes. In order to hold all these cross-pieces more
firmly together, a deep groove has been cut in a thick rattan, which
has been bound round the shield so as to receive the edges of the
wood in the groove, and has been sewed to them by rattan at regular
intervals.
The shield is further strengthened by an upright piece of wood, which
runs along the front, and to which the handle at the back is lashed
by rattan, so that the handle and the corresponding piece in front
actually strengthen the shield instead of being a strain upon it.
The materials have been chosen with the eye for color which the Dyak
usually possesses. The thin flat wooden plate which forms the front of
the shield is nearly black, the central piece is yellowish white, and
the rattans with which it is edged and sewed are of a bright yellow.
The weight of the shield is exactly a pound and a half. Besides the
centre ornament on the front, a section of the shield is also given,
so as to show the form of the handle, and the slight curvature of the
whole implement.
The perpetual feuds that rage among the Dyak tribes are mostly caused
by the practice of “head hunting,” which is exactly analogous to the
scalp hunting propensities of the North American tribes. Mr. Boyle
has sketched the outlines of this horrid custom in a few nervous
words, which will afterward be examined in detail. “The great tribes
of Sakarrang and Saribas have never been more than nominally subject
to the Malays of Kuching or Bruni, and Sir James Brooke is the first
master whom they have really obeyed. Every year a cloud of murderous
pirates issued from their rivers and swept the adjacent coasts. No man
was safe by reason of his poverty or insignificance, for human heads
were the booty sought by these rovers, and not wealth alone. Villages
were attacked in the dead of the night, and every adult cut off; the
women and grown girls were frequently slaughtered with the men, and
children alone were preserved to be the slaves of the conquerors.
“Never was warfare so terrible as this. Head hunting, a fashion of
comparatively modern growth, became a mania, which spread like a
horrible disease over the whole land. No longer were the trophies
regarded as proofs of individual valor; they became the indiscriminate
property of the clan, and were valued for their number alone. Murder
lurked in the jungle and on the river; the aged of the people were
no longer safe among their own kindred, and corpses were secretly
disinterred to increase the grisly store.
“Superstition soon added its ready impulse to the general movement. The
aged warrior could not rest in his grave till his relations had taken
a head in his name; the maiden disdained the weak-hearted suitor whose
hand was not yet stained with some cowardly murder.
“Bitterly did the Malay Pangerans of Kuching regret the folly which had
disseminated this frenzy. They themselves had fostered the bloodthirsty
superstition in furtherance of their political ends, but it had grown
beyond their control, and the country was one red field of battle
and murder. Pretexts for war were neither sought nor expected; the
possession of a human head, no matter how obtained, was the sole
happiness coveted throughout the land.”
It was in order to stop this terrible custom that Sir James Brooke
undertook his rule. The sultan of Bruni, in despair at the state of
things, and utterly unable to check the increasing rage for head
hunting, ceded the territory to him, hoping that the Englishman,
with his small forces, would succeed where he himself with all
his soldiers had failed. Although these tribes were nominally his
subjects, they never thought of obeying him, and the only sign of
their subjection was a small tribute very irregularly paid. The sultan
was right in his conjecture, and we know how the Englishman, with his
steady, unflinching rule, succeeded in abolishing head hunting as an
acknowledged practice, and, by his system of inflicting heavy fines
on any one who took a head, gradually and steadily put an end to
the practice. For several years the Dyaks could not understand the
prohibition, and the English rajah and his officers were continually
pestered with requests from Dyaks to be allowed to go and take heads.
An old man, for example, had lost his wife, and begged piteously to be
allowed to take just one head, so that she might rest quietly in her
grave. Then a young man would come, who had been rejected by a Dyak
damsel, lay his case before the authorities, and beseech them to permit
him to take a head, and so to win the hand of the disdainful lady. One
man, after meeting with the usual refusal, proposed a compromise, and
asked whether he might not go and take the head of a Pakarran, because
Pakarrans really could not be considered as men. In fact, as Mr.
Brooke well remarks, the Dyaks behaved just like children crying after
sugar-plums. No plan could have been devised which was more effective
than that which was carried out by the English rajah. Whenever a party
of Dyaks started surreptitiously off on a head hunting expedition, a
force was always despatched after them, in order to cut them off and
bring them to justice, when they were fined heavily. If they succeeded
in procuring heads, their trophies were taken away from them, and they
were fined still more heavily. Those who refused to submit to the
punishment were declared to be enemies to the government, and their
houses were burnt down. Dyaks of more peaceful tribes were always
employed in such expeditions, as, owing to the feuds which had existed
for so long, they had been exasperated by the numerous murders which
had been perpetrated by the more warlike tribes. The English rule,
unlike that of the Malay sultan, was irrespective of persons, and the
highest chiefs were punished as swiftly and surely as the lowest of
the people. On one occasion, a quarrel arose between two parties of
Dyaks, one of which, commanded by a chief named Jannah, was entirely
in the wrong, having first trespassed on the property of the other
party, and then got up a quarrel because they had hurt themselves
against the spiked bamboos, which were planted by way of fences. In the
fight that ensued Jannah himself shot the other chief; but he gained
little by his act. As soon as the facts were known, Mr. Brooke sent a
large force against him, and he was fined nearly two hundred pounds.
He and his party took to the bush, but they were soon starved out,
and had to submit. The other chiefs were delighted at the result, and
were accustomed ever afterward to check those who wished to go head
hunting by telling them to remember Jannah and his two hundred pounds.
It is rather curious that this high-handed proceeding inspired Jannah
with the greatest respect and affection for Mr. Brooke, for whom he
afterward entertained a sincere friendship. He asserted that the three
years subsequent to this episode in his life had been marked by very
much better harvests than he had before obtained from his land, and
attributed his prosperity to his friendship for the white man.
One ingenious portion of the system was, that a large share of the
fines was distributed among chiefs who had abstained from head-hunting.
This plan had a double effect; it proved to the Dyaks that they were
not fined for the benefit of the English, and it induced them to be
always on the look-out for those who were going to hunt after heads.
* * * * *
It has been mentioned that the heads are wanted to “open the mourning”
after the death of any person. This phrase requires some little
explanation. When a chief loses a relative, he closes some stream
during the time of mourning. This is done by driving spears into the
bank, on either side, and fastening bamboos to them across the stream.
No one is allowed to pass this obstruction until the mourning is over,
an event which cannot take place, according to Dyak custom, until a
head had been obtained.
When he has brought home the required trophy, he leaves it at the head
house to be prepared, while he makes ready for the feast with which a
new head is received. He takes some plants, the juice of which has a
stupifying quality, pounds them, and throws them into the river. The
fish come floating to the surface, and are then captured by means of
barbed spears, which are flung at them from the bank. The spears are
very light, their shafts being made of bamboo, so that they always
float, and enable the thrower to recover both the spear and the fish
which it has struck. The spears and poles which closed the stream are
removed in order to allow the fishermen to use their weapons, and thus,
by the arrival of the coveted head, the stream is again thrown open.
One of these fish spears is shown on page 1129. It is five feet in
length, and the shaft, which is three-quarters of an inch in diameter,
is made of hollow bamboo, and is exceedingly light. The four prongs
are made of iron, and very slightly barbed. Owing to the manner in
which they are lashed to the shaft, they are very elastic, so that
their slight barbs are perfectly capable of retaining the fish. With
the natural love of ornament which distinguishes the Dyaks, the owner
of this spear has decorated it with several broad belts of split
rattan, plaited in a very artistic manner. One was placed just below
the head of the spear, another was placed at the centre of gravity, so
as to guide the hand at once to the “balance” of the weapon, and the
third was near the butt. Of the three, however, only the central belt
remained when the spear reached me.
Owing to the enormous demand for heads, quantity rather than quality
was the chief requisite, so that at the time when Sir James Brooke
undertook the task of putting down the practice of head hunting, no
practical distinction was made between the head of a stalwart warrior
and that of a tender girl. A head was a head; the body to which it
belonged was of no consequence.
The rage for heads was so great that in one head house an Englishman,
who happened to know something of comparative anatomy, espied a head
which seemed scarcely human, and which, on examination, turned out to
be that of an orang-outan. The proprietors of the head house at first
indignantly denied that any imposture had been practised, and adhered
to the human origin of the head. At last, however, they were obliged to
yield to a certain degree, but they only said that the head in question
was that of an Antu or goblin, which had infested the village for a
considerable time, and had at last been killed.
One exception was made in the value of these trophies, the head of a
white man being beyond all price, and being so valued that a Dyak who
had obtained one would not place it in the common head house, but would
build a special house to contain it. One of these Dyak warriors was
seen exposing himself to great danger in his anxiety to secure a white
man’s head. A boatman had been killed, and one of the Dyak murderers
was observed dragging up the hill the body of the slain man, hacking
with his knife at the neck so as to secure the head, regardless of the
fact that he was likely to be shot in the endeavor.
As the possession of a head is the height of a Dyak’s ambition, it is
not extraordinary that the natives should use all their powers of force
or craft to secure the trophy. One example of treachery is narrated by
Mr. Brooke (the present Rajah).
“Five years ago the Saribas Malays were living at the mouth of their
river, and, with very few exceptions, were hostile to us. Still they
were on friendly terms so far as gaining trade, and making use of
the merchandise they could only get by communication with Sarawak. A
party of five people, three men and two women, left Sakarrang to go to
Saribas for the purpose of meeting some of their relatives. After they
had been absent a considerable time, the news was brought back that
they had been beheaded by Dyaks in the river.
“It happened thus: They met a boat’s crew of Dyaks while in Saribas,
and spoke together, saying they were traders, and were also seeking
for fish. When the Malays were leaving Saribas to return, the Dyak
boat followed in their wake, entered this river together, and on the
following day proceeded to carry out their sly and murderous design.
“In the morning they offered their swords for sale, and sold or
exchanged one, suffering the Malays to make an exceedingly profitable
bargain. They then proposed fishing with a hand net on the mud bank,
and persuaded a Malay named Limin (who was well known, and considered a
brave man) to separate from the others and cast the net. This was done,
and for some time they were successful in bagging fish, and were going
further and further from the boats.
“At length the net fouled on a stump at the bottom, and one of the
Dyaks immediately took off his sword and dived down, as poor Limin
thought, to clear it, but, instead of doing so, the wily rascal twisted
it firmly round and round, came up to take breath, and then again
dived, and again twisted it in various ways round the stumps; he then
rose, and said he could not clear it, but asked Limin to try. Limin
unsuspectingly took off his sword, dived, and, on approaching the
surface breathless, the two Dyaks struck and decapitated him without a
sound. They then took his head and returned to their boat.
“A third Malay was persuaded to administer some cure to a Dyak’s foot,
which was bleeding slightly. While the Malay was leaning over and
looking to the wound, one of them chopped off his head from behind.
After this, the woman was decapitated. They lost one head, which
tumbled into the water, but the other four, with all the property
belonging to the Malay party, were taken and carried away to Sadok.”
On another occasion, a party of Dyaks in a canoe met a boat containing
a man, his wife, and their young daughter. They stopped the boat, and
offered betel-nut for sale. As soon as they came within reach, they
drew their swords, struck off the woman’s head, and took the girl
prisoner, but the father had just time to jump overboard and swim
ashore.
This occurred in the Saribas River, and, strangely enough, the
murderer, whose name was Sadji, nearly came in contact with Mr. Brooke,
who had gone out expressly to check his head hunting propensities. Mr.
Brooke passed him on the river, but, not being acquainted with him,
did not arrest him. This, as was afterward learned, was fortunate for
Sadji sat in the boat with his sword drawn, and if the captive girl had
called for help, or if the English had shown any signs of arresting
him, he would have struck off her head, jumped with it into the river,
swum ashore, and escaped together with his followers through the jungle.
The same author gives another example of head hunting, which is a
curious mixture of the terrible and the ludicrous. A young man named
Achang was brought before Mr. Brooke in irons. He was only nineteen
years of age, and yet he had gray hair, the natural color having
vanished in consequence of his troubles. Some time previously, he had
fallen in love with a young Dyak girl, who spurned all his advances
because he had never taken a head, and so proved himself to be a
warrior. She was evidently a girl of energy, for she proposed that he
should go to the Saribas fort, and take the head of Bakir, the Dyak
chief, or of the Tuan Hassan, _i. e._ Mr. Watson.
Being thus pressed, Achang, with another lad of his own age, set
off for the fort, and on the way suffered the usual drawbacks of
bad birds, bad dreams, and missing the path, so that when they came
within sight of the fort they thought they had better change their
plans. They determined on going to a Chinaman’s house under pretext of
purchasing his goods, and taking his head while he was off his guard.
When well cooked and dried, one head would do as well as another, and
they thought that they would have no difficulty in passing off the
Chinaman’s head for that of the white man.
Accordingly, they went to a Chinaman’s house, had their supper with
him very amicably, and then retired to rest, after agreeing that
at midnight they would strike the fatal blow. Now it happened that
Achang overslept himself, and his friend thought that he might as well
take advantage of his drowsiness, and secure the head for himself.
Accordingly, at midnight, hideous yells were heard from the Chinaman’s
house, and when the people rushed into the room, they found the
unfortunate owner with his face gashed all down one side, the Dyak
youth having missed his blow in his haste. The actual perpetrator
escaped, but Achang was found still fast asleep, and was instantly put
in irons.
Next day he was brought down to Sakarrang, with a chain round his
waist, and on the way he was followed by a body of Dyaks, who were
trying to bribe his keepers to let them take his head. They actually
held an auction for his head as they went along, each bidding higher
than the other, and the horrors of that twelve-mile march were such
that the poor lad became gray before the next morning.
After all, Achang was really a most gentle and innocent lad, and was
only following the habits of his country in obeying the behests of his
mistress. He was kept in irons for about a month, and then released,
after which he attached himself to the service of the white men, worked
in the garden, and, as the saying is, made himself generally useful.
The heads are subjected to a sort of drying process, called “cooking,”
which is tolerably effectual, but is far inferior to that which is
employed by the New Zealanders, and, for a considerable time after the
heads are cooked, they are very offensive to European nostrils, though
Dyaks seem to be quite unconscious of the evil odor. They are always
kept in the pangarangs, or head houses, which are very unlike the
ordinary dwelling-houses of the Dyaks. A very good account of a head
house is given by Mr. F. S. Marryat:--
“We were escorted, through a crowd of wandering Dyaks, to a house in
the centre of the village, which was very different in construction
from the others. It was perfectly round, and well ventilated by
numerous port-holes in the roof, which was pointed. We ascended to the
room above by means of a rough ladder, and when we entered, we were
rather taken aback by finding that we were in the head house, as it is
termed, and that the beams were lined with human heads, all hanging by
a small line passed through the top of the skull.
“They were painted in the most fantastic and hideous manner. Pieces
of wood painted to imitate the eyes were inserted in the sockets, and
added not a little to their ghastly, grinning appearance. The strangest
part of the story, and which added very much to the effect of the
scene, was, that these skulls were perpetually moving to and fro, and
knocking against each other. This, I presume, was occasioned by the
different currents of air blowing in at the port-holes cut in the roof;
but what with their continual motion, their nodding their chins when
they hit each other, and their grinning teeth, they really appeared to
be endowed with new life, and to be a very merry set of fellows.
“However, whatever might be the first impression occasioned by this
very unusual sight, it very soon wore off, and we amused ourselves with
their motions, which were not life, as Byron says; and in the course
of the day we succeeded in making a very excellent dinner in company
with these gentlemen, although we were none of us sufficiently Don
Giovannistic to invite our friends above to supper.”
These head houses are, as we have just seen, the places wherein guests
are received, and we can therefore understand that the natives of any
village would have a pride in showing to their visitors the trophies
won by themselves. One of these houses scantily furnished with heads
would be held as a scandal to the village, so that the three emotions
of pride, love, and sorrow have all their effect in aiding the custom
of head hunting.
In these head houses, the unmarried men of the village sleep. The
reason for this custom is two-fold. In the first place, the bachelors
are kept out of mischief; and in the next, they are always ready with
their arms at hand to turn out in defence of the village should it be
attacked. In such expeditions, the head house is always the central
object of attack, and by having the young warriors at hand the Dyaks
ensure the security of their cherished trophies.
Some of the horrors of the head hunting custom are well described by
Mr. St. John:--“About thirteen years ago, I heard the Natuna people
give an account of a horrible transaction that took place in one of
their islands. A party of Saribas Dyaks were cruising about among the
little isles near, and had destroyed several women and many fishermen,
when they were observed, toward evening, creeping into a deep and
narrow inlet to remain during the night.
“The islanders quietly assembled and surprised their enemies, killing
all but seven, who were taken prisoners--six men and one lad. The
former they roasted over a slow fire, and they declared that the bold
fellows died without uttering a cry of pain, but defying them to the
last; the lad, who stood trembling by, uncertain of his fate, was sent
back to the coast, with a message to his countrymen that, if ever they
came there again, they would all be treated in the same way. This
fearful warning was sufficient to deter their seeking heads again in
that direction.
“Parties of two and three sometimes went away for months on an inland
incursion, taking nothing with them but salt wrapped up in their
waist-cloths, with which they seasoned the young shoots and leaves, and
palm cabbages found in the forests; and when they returned home, they
were as thin as scare-crows.
“It is this kind of cat-like warfare which causes them to be formidable
enemies both to the Chinese and the Malays, who never felt themselves
safe from a Dyak enemy. They have been known to keep watch in a well
up to their chins in water, with a covering of a few leaves over their
heads, to endeavor to cut off the first person who might come to draw
water. At night they would drift down on a log, and cut the rattan
cable of trading prahus, while others of their party would keep watch
on the bank, knowing well where the stream would take the boat ashore;
and when aground they kill the men and plunder the goods.”
In war Dyaks have often proved themselves to be valiant soldiers. Mr.
Brooke relates that when he was attacking the fort of a hostile chief
having with him a mixed force of Malays and Dyaks, the latter were; by
far the better soldiers. The former advanced to thirty or forty yards
of the house, _i. e._ just beyond the range of the Sumpitan arrows,
which were being blown from the fort, and ensconced themselves behind
trees and stumps, where they could fire without exposing themselves
to the deadly darts. The Dyaks, however, dashed boldly at the house,
clambering up the posts on which it was built, carrying their weapons
with them, hacking at the breaches which had previously been made with
shot, and trying to force their way into the fort.
At last, one Dyak succeeded in getting into the house, and remained
there for about five minutes, when he was obliged to retreat and slide
to the ground down the post. After much fighting, the Dyaks managed to
set fire to the building at both ends, thus forcing the inmates to rush
out among their enemies. Scarcely any of them escaped, some perishing
in the flames, others being badly wounded, and the rest being taken
prisoners.
The victorious Dyaks were mad with excitement, and rushed about with
furious shouts, carrying heads in their hands, and insensible to the
wounds which many of them had received. One lad came yelling by, having
a head in one hand, and with the other holding on one side of his face.
An enemy’s sword had nearly sliced off the whole of that side of his
face, but he was almost unconscious of the fact, and his excitement
prevented him from feeling any pain. In a few minutes, however, he
fainted from loss of blood, and, in spite of the terrible wound which
he had received, eventually recovered.
Sometimes the Dyaks are exceedingly cruel to their captives, not being
content with merely taking their heads, but killing them slowly by
torture. Generally, however, the competition for heads is so keen that
a man who has overcome an enemy has no time for torturing him, and is
obliged to content himself with getting off the head as fast as he can.
Some of these forts are most perilous places to attack. The approaches
are guarded with “ranjows,” _i. e._ slips of bamboo sharpened at the
end and stuck in the ground. Ranjows are troublesome enough on open
ground, but when they are stuck among leaves, grass, and herbage, they
become terrible weapons, and impede very effectually the advance of the
attacking force.
Then the Dyaks set various ingenious traps. They place bent bows near
the path, so constructed that as soon as a man comes opposite them, the
string is liberated, and an arrow is tolerably sure to transfix both
his legs. Sometimes they bend a young tree down, and lay a javelin,
so that when the tree is freed, it strikes the end of the javelin and
urges it onward with terrific violence, just like the mangonel of olden
times. They dig numberless pitfalls of no very great size in depth, but
each having a sharp bamboo stuck upright in the centre, so that any on
who falls into the pit must inevitably be impaled.
The forts themselves have been much modified since the introduction of
fire-arms, the stockades which surround them being made of the hardest
wood, about two feet in thickness, and capable of resisting the fire of
any small arms. In fact, nothing but artillery is of much use against
one of these forts. Many of them are furnished with a sally-port
through which, when the place becomes untenable, the defenders quietly
escape, just as is done with the pahs of New Zealand.
The Sea Dyaks, as their name implies, are a maritime set of tribes,
and fight chiefly in canoes. They have some ideas of tactics, and can
arrange their canoes in regular array when they meet with an enemy. One
of their favorite tactics is to conceal some of their larger boats,
and then to send some small and badly-manned canoes forward to attack
the enemy. They are, of course, soon repulsed, and obliged to retreat.
The enemy, thinking himself victorious, follows them exultingly, and,
as soon as he passes the spot where the larger canoes are hidden,
he is attacked by them in the rear, while the smaller canoes, which
have acted as decoys, turn and join in the onslaught. The rivers are
almost invariably chosen for this kind of attack, the overhanging
branches of trees and the dense foliage of the bank affording excellent
hiding-places for the canoes. An illustration of a “Canoe fight” is
given on page 1139.
When peace is declared, or when people desire to renew friendship to
each other, they declare themselves friends by a ceremony which is
identical in principle with that which is practised in many parts of
Africa, each of the contracting parties partaking of the blood of the
other. Sometimes the blood is actually drunk, but generally it is taken
by mixing it with tobacco and smoking it. Mr. St. John, in his “Forests
of the Far East,” describes this ceremony with much force:--
“Siñganding sent on board to request me to become his brother by
going through the sacred custom of imbibing each other’s blood. I say
imbibing, because it is either mixed with water and drunk, or else it
is placed within a native cigar, and drawn in with the smoke. I agreed
to do so, and the following day was fixed for the ceremony, which is
called Berbiang by the Kayans, Bersabibah by the Borneans.
“I landed with our party of Malays, and after a preliminary talk, to
give time for the population to assemble, the affair commenced. We
sat in the broad veranda of a long house, surrounded by hundreds of
men, women, and children, all looking eagerly at the white stranger who
was about to enter their tribe. Stripping my left arm, Kum-Lia took a
small piece of wood shaped like a knife-blade, and, slightly piercing
the skin, brought the blood to the surface; this he carefully scraped
off. Then one of my Malays drew blood in the same way from Siñganding,
and a small cigarette being produced, the blood on the wooden blade was
spread on the tobacco.
“A chief then arose, and, walking to an open place, looked forth
upon the river, and invoked their god and all the spirits of good
and evil to be witness of this tie of brotherhood. The cigarette was
then lighted, and each of us took several puffs, and the ceremony was
concluded. I was glad to find that they had chosen the form of inhaling
the blood in smoke, as to have swallowed even a drop would have been
unpleasant, though the disgust would only arise from the imagination.
“They sometimes vary the custom, though the variation may be confined
to the Kiniahs, who live further up the river, and are intermarried
with the Kayans. There a pig is brought and placed between the two who
are to be joined in brotherhood. A chief offers an invocation to the
gods, and marks with a lighted brand the pig’s shoulder. The beast is
then killed, and, after an exchange of jackets, a sword is thrust into
the wound, and the two are marked with the blood of the pig.”
The stranger thus admitted into membership with the Kayans is called
Niau, or friend, and in some cases the experiment proves to be
successful. Generally, however, the honor, such as it is, is greater
than the profit, the Kayans assuming that their newly-admitted member
ought to make plenty of rich presents to his tribe, in order to show
his sense of the privileges that have been conferred upon him.
CHAPTER CXVII.
BORNEO--_Continued_.
SOCIAL LIFE.
MARRIAGE AMONG THE DYAKS -- COURTSHIP, ACCEPTANCE OR REJECTION -- A
SIBUYAN WEDDING -- CURIOUS DOMESTIC ARRANGEMENTS -- PRIDE OF BIRTH
-- STATE OF MORALITY -- FACILITIES OF DIVORCE -- JEALOUSY, AND ITS
RESULTS -- HOW TO TREAT A RIVAL -- FORBIDDEN DEGREES -- SPORTS AND
GAMES -- BEE HUNTING -- THE BORNEAN SWING -- TRIALS OF STRENGTH AND
EQUILIBRIUM -- TRICKS WITH STRING -- COCK FIGHTING -- THE SWORD DANCE
-- A DYAK WAR DANCE WITH HEADS -- THE CAT-O’-NINE TAILS -- DYAK
FESTIVALS -- STRANGE COOKERY -- THE DURIAN FRUIT -- THE NATIONAL
DRINK, ITS ODOR AND TASTE -- HABIT OF INTOXICATION -- A DYAK CIRCE --
STOUT DRINKERS AND STRONG HEADS -- THE FORCE OF RIDICULE.
Passing from war to peace, we will begin with marriage as practised
among the Dyaks.
In some parts of the country marriage is a very simple business, the
two parties living together as long as they like each other, and
separating if either feels dissatisfied. In any case, as we shall see,
the facilities for divorce are extreme, and the bonds of matrimony are
worn with marvellous looseness.
The reader cannot but have remembered the singular coincidence that
often exists between customs of savage and of civilized life.
Among the Sinambau Dyaks there is a mode of courtship which still
prevails in some parts of Europe, though it is generally falling into
disuse. A young Sinambau Dyak, when struck with the charms of a girl,
shows his preference in various ways, such as helping her in her daily
labor, carrying home her load of wood for her, and making her such
presents as are in his power to give.
After he has carried on these attentions for some time, he thinks
that he may proceed to a more explicit declaration. At night, when
the family is supposed to be asleep, he quietly slides back the bolt
of the door, steals to the spot where his beloved is sleeping under
her mosquito curtains, and gently awakes her. He always brings with
him an abundant supply of betel-nut and sirih leaf, and the two
sit talking together throughout the greater part of the night. It
cannot be expected that the parents of the girl, who sleep in the
same room, should be wholly ignorant of the proceeding, but they are
conventionally supposed to be so, and if they approve of the young man
they take no notice, while if they do not, they use their influence
with the girl to induce her to dismiss him.
The mode of rejection is in keeping with the rest of the proceedings.
Should the girl dislike the too adventurous suitor, she declines
accepting the betel-nut, and merely asks him to blow up the fire or
light the lamp, a request which is tantamount to instant dismissal.
When the marriage takes place a feast is made, and then the parties are
made man and wife without any more ceremony. It is very seldom that the
young couple begin housekeeping on their own account, and, as a general
rule, the bridegroom enters the household of his father-in-law, or, at
all events, of some of his wife’s relations, and so becomes one of the
family, laboring for the common stock, and taking his share when the
head of the household dies. Occasionally this plan is reversed, and
when the bride is one of a large family of brothers and sisters, or if
the bridegroom is the sole support of his parents, she accompanies her
husband, and becomes part of his household.
The ceremony of marriage among the Sibuyan Dyaks of Lundu is worthy
of notice. The artist has given an admirable representation of this
unique ceremony on the following page. Two bars of iron are laid on the
ground in the spot appointed for the ceremony, and the young couple
are brought from opposite ends of the village. The first part of the
ceremony consists in seating them on the bars of iron, as token that
the blessings of their married life are to be as strong as iron. The
priest gives to each of the pair a cigar and some betel-nut and sirih
leaf, which they hold in their hand until the next part of the ceremony
is completed. Taking two fowls in his hands, the priest waves them
over the heads of the couple, and, in the course of a long address,
invokes every blessing upon them. He then solemnly knocks their heads
together three times, after which the bridegroom places the betel-nut
in the mouth of his bride, and inserts the cheroot between her lips,
she afterward doing the same by him, this ceremony being the public
acknowledgment of accepting each other as husband and wife.
After they have thus declared their acceptance of each other, the fowls
are killed, and their blood received in two cups, the color of the
blood being carefully inspected by the priest, and its hue being held
as an omen of the future well-being or misery of the newly married
pair. One of the feasts which will presently be described closes the
ceremonies.
It has already been mentioned that in most cases the bridegroom enters
the family of his wife. But in any case he is bound to honor the father
of his wife even above his own father. The young husband may never even
pronounce the name of his father-in-law, he may not eat from the same
dish, drink from the same cup, or rest on the same mat.
Among another tribe of Dyaks, the Balaus of Lingga, the ceremonies
of marriage are rather different. By way of a propitiatory offering,
the mother of the bridegroom gives to the relatives of the bride some
domestic utensil, such as a plate or a basin, and three days afterward
the very simple ceremony is performed.
The bridegroom’s mother takes a quantity of the areca-nut prepared for
chewing, divides it into three portions, places them in a basket, and
sets them on a sort of altar in front of the bride’s house. The friends
of both parties then assemble, and chew the nuts while they discuss the
future prospects of the young couple, and they decide as to the amount
of fine which the husband shall pay to his wife in case he separates
from her after she is a mother, or when she is likely to be so. In
fact, in their own rough-and-ready way, these Dyaks have contrived to
organize a tolerably complete code of marriage settlements, which,
in consequence of the very easy system of divorce, is absolutely
necessary for the protection of the women.
These Sea Dyaks of Lingga have, in common with all the sea tribes,
the greatest pride of birth; and if a girl were to listen to the
addresses of a man of much inferior rank, her parents would prohibit
the match. In one such case the two lovers fled into the jungle,
poisoned themselves with the juice of the tuba plant, and were found
dead next morning in each other’s arms. So full are they of their
family pride, that they look upon any mixture of their noble blood as a
dire disgrace, and this is carried to so great an extent that, although
within their own degree their morals are of the laxest order, the men
would scorn an intrigue with a woman of low condition.
The Dyaks of Sibuyan are remarkable for the superiority of their morals
when compared with the generality of the Dyak tribes, believing that
immorality is an offence against the higher powers, and that, if a
girl becomes a mother before she is married, she angers the deities
of the tribe, who show their wrath by visitations upon the whole of
the tribe. If, therefore, such a case be discovered, both the erring
lovers are heavily fined, and a pig is sacrificed in order to avert the
anger of the offended deities. Nor do the delinquents always escape
the fine even after the sacrifice of the pig, for every one who was
smitten with sickness, or met with an accident, within a month of the
sacrifice, has a claim on them for damages, as having been the cause
of the misfortune, while, if any one has died, the survivors claim
compensation for the loss of their relative.
The reader will remember that the young people of both sexes live
with their parents, contributing their labor to the common stock, and
being therefore incapable of possessing property of their own. In
consequence of this arrangement, the fines which are levied upon the
lovers practically fall upon the parents, who therefore take care to
look after their daughters, while the young men are partly kept out of
mischief by being obliged to sleep together at the head house.
The Dyaks of the Batang Lupar are more lax in their notion of morality
than the Sibuyans, and it is seldom that a girl is married until she
is likely to become a mother. When this is the case, the lover marries
her as a matter of course, but in those cases where a man denies his
complicity, and the girl is unable to prove it, she is so bitterly
scorned and reproached by her kindred that she generally runs away from
the village. Some such delinquents have been known to take poison in
order to escape the contempt of their relatives and acquaintances. They
are thought to have brought such a disgrace on their family, that the
parents sacrifice a pig to the higher powers, and wash the door of the
house with its blood, in order to propitiate the offended deities.
[Illustration: (1.) A CANOE FIGHT. (See page 1136.)]
[Illustration: (2.) A DYAK WEDDING. (See page 1138.)]
When the pair are married, they almost invariably remain faithful to
each other. There is, however, small credit to them for it, inasmuch
as they can be divorced on the slightest pretext. An evil omen in the
night, such as a “bad bird,” will frighten both parties so much that
they will separate by mutual consent on the next day. Mr. St. John
mentions that many men and women are married seven or eight times
before they finally fix upon a partner with whom they mean to spend the
rest of their lives, and as an example of the exceeding facility for
divorce which exists among the Dyaks, states that he saw a young girl
of seventeen who had already had three husbands.
Still, it is very seldom that married couples part after they are
parents; and if they do so, the family of the women expect a heavy
fine from the fickle husband. Now and then, a married pair are really
so attached to each other that they do not like to part, even when
they hear the voice of a “bad bird.” In such a case they avert the
anger of the superior powers by sacrificing a pig, and are then able
to remain together without fear. It often happens that a man and wife
quarrel, and divorce themselves. After a while, however, they begin to
think that they have made a mistake, and are allowed to renew their
matrimonial relations without any ceremony or fresh rites of marriage.
Mr. St. John mentions a curious case of jealousy after a divorce, and
its consequences.
The Pañgeran Mumein took a Murout girl, and paid her father as a
marriage portion a heavy weight of brass guns--a curious sort of
currency which is much valued by the Dyaks, and perfectly useless for
any practical purposes. He left her for some time, and then, after
she had borne him a child, repudiated her, telling her father that he
did not want her any more, unless she liked to follow him to Brunei.
This, however, the girl refused to do, so the Pañgeran made her father
refund the brass guns, and besides pay a fine of double the amount, as
a penalty for not allowing the girl to go to Brunei, where he meant to
have sold her as a slave. The father paid the fine, and was told that
the girl might then go where she liked, and marry whom she chose, as
was only just after the previous event.
Accordingly, some little time afterward, she did marry one of her
countrymen, whereupon the Pañgeran flew into a fit of jealousy, and
ordered the head man or Orang-Kaya of the village to seize them and
bring them to him. The Orang-Kaya was afraid, and hid himself, so that
the Pañgeran had to employ the Bisayas, who captured the husband and
brought him to their employer. The unfortunate man was then tied up to
the Orang-Kaya’s landing place, and the Pañgeran cut him to pieces with
his own hand, finishing by making a present of his head to the Gadong
Murut Dyaks. Having thus wreaked his vengeance on the man who excited
his jealousy, he allowed the girl and her father to go unharmed. Dyak
history is full of similar tales.
Jealousy is by no means confined to the men, the women being far more
jealous of the men than they of their wives, and with good reason.
There is a tacit law that, whenever a wife detects her husband in
flirting, she may beat her rival to her heart’s content, provided that
she use nothing except a stick, and, if the woman be married, her
husband may beat the disturber of his domestic peace, if he can. The
usual result of discovery in such cases is, that the man goes off into
the bush under the pretext of head hunting, and stays there until he
thinks his wife’s anger has cooled down. If he is fortunate enough to
return with a head, his success as a warrior ensures a condonation for
his shortcomings as a husband.
The Dyaks have a code of forbidden degrees for marriages, differing
slightly in the various tribes, but tolerably uniform on the whole.
Marriage with first cousins is not permitted, they being looked upon as
brother and sister; neither, as a general rule, is an uncle allowed to
marry his niece. To this latter rule, however, there are exceptions.
Marriage with a deceased wife’s sister is almost universally permitted,
and, in fact, encouraged, provided that the parents of the woman
approve of the match, because in that case all the children belong to
one family.
* * * * *
Of sport, as we understand the word, the Dyaks have no idea, though
they possess all the capabilities for it, being active, daring, and
quick sighted. All these characteristics are shown in the mode by which
they supply themselves with honey. They do not keep hives in or near
their houses, but seldom fail to see a bees’ nest in a tree, though the
unaccustomed eyes of an European can see nothing of the bees at the
great height at which the nests are usually found.
Sometimes the stem of the tree rises for a hundred feet without a
branch, and is from fifteen to twenty-five feet in circumference. The
Dyaks, however, ascend such a tree with ease. They bore holes in the
trunk of the tree as high as they can reach, and drive into them wooden
pegs rather more than a foot in length. A stout rattan or a bamboo is
then driven into the ground, and the ends of the wooden pegs are lashed
to it so as to form a sort of ladder, of which the bamboo forms one
side, and the trunk of the tree the other. On this slender ladder they
ascend, drive in more pegs, and lash them to the bamboo, adding one
bamboo after another until the nest is reached.
Nothing looks more insecure than this primitive ladder, which sways
fearfully as the man ascends, the rattan lashings cracking and
creaking as if the whole structure were coming to pieces. It is,
however, perfectly adapted for its purpose, and, armed with a flaming
torch, the almost naked Dyak ascends, and fearlessly takes the nest,
which he lowers down by means of a rattan.
The nest is generally attacked at night, the Dyaks saying the bees
always fly after the sparks that fall from the torch, believing them
to be the enemy that is disturbing the nest, the man himself escaping
unhurt. Some of the tribes have another plan, and before they ascend
the tree light beneath it a large fire in which they throw a quantity
of green branches. The smoke from these branches drives the bees out
of their nest, and stupefies them for a time, so that the combs can be
taken without danger.
Of games which are, in fact, an imitation of war, the Dyaks are equally
ignorant, and, although so warlike a people, they do not wrestle,
nor box, nor race. It would be expected that a people who trust so
much to the sword would exercise with sham weapons, for the purpose
of accustoming themselves to the proper management of the sword and
shield. This, however, they never do, thinking that all such exercises
are unlucky.
They have one game which somewhat resembles our swing, but which
partakes in some degree of the nature of a religious ceremony. A
strong derrick is erected some forty or fifty feet high, and to this
is suspended a stout single rattan, which reaches within a few feet of
the ground. The derrick is strengthened by rattan stays lashed to a
neighboring tree. The end of the rattan is formed into a large loop.
At some distance from the derrick, just where the end of the rattan
describes its circle, a slight bamboo stage is erected. One of the
swingers mounts on the stage, draws the rattan to him by means of
a string, places his foot in the loop, and swings off with as much
impetus as he can give himself. As he returns, another leaps on the
swing, and sometimes two at a time will do so, until ten or twelve are
all swinging away at the same time. Of course, they cannot all put
their feet in the loop, but content themselves with clinging to the
arms and legs of those who have done so. As they swing, they strike up
a monotonous song, which sounds like a dirge. It is, however, merely an
invocation to the deities for a plentiful harvest and a good fishing
season. As may be imagined, they often get bad falls from those swings.
The boys and youths have a game which is familiar to all gymnasts.
The two competitors sit opposite each other on the ground, the soles
of their feet being placed in contact. They then grasp a short stick,
and each tries to pull the other on his face or to raise him off the
ground. There is also a game which bears a close resemblance to our
“prisoners’ base,” twenty or thirty players joining in the game; and
there is another game, which is very much like the “cock fighting” of
English school-boys. The players stand on one foot, holding the other
foot in one hand and try to upset each other, or at least to make their
antagonists put both feet to the ground.
In “cat’s cradle” they are wonderful proficients. Mr. Wallace thought
that he could instruct them in the game but found that they knew much
more about it than he did. They were acquainted with all the mysteries
of the English modification of the game, and produced a vast number of
additional changes from the string. Indeed, the Dyaks can do almost
anything with a piece of string, and they could well instruct our own
conjurors in this branch of legerdemain.
Cock fighting is an amusement of which the Dyaks are very fond, though
they do not indulge in that amusement with the reckless enthusiasm of
the Malays. Mr. St. John writes of the birds used for this purpose:
“We did not see more than a few of these birds in Dyak houses, but
since they are usually kept, when not in training or exercise, closely
wrapped in linen bands and hung on nails in a dry place, they might
easily escape our notice.
“Not having the fear of police magistrates and Humane Society
prosecutions before our eyes, we assisted at one or two brief combats,
evidently mere trial matches to assist the calculations of the
‘bookmakers,’ by testing each bird’s pluck and skill. When this object
was attained by a few minutes’ struggle, held with much secrecy in
the veranda by the gray light of early morning, the cocks were picked
up before any injury was inflicted, and carefully swathed in their
bandages, from the midst of which they soothed their ruffled feelings
with an occasional crow of defiance.”
Allusion has already been made to the feasts held by the Dyaks on
several occasions, and it is only on such festivities that the men
ever use their weapons in sham fight. Even in those cases, they do not
so employ them by way of practising themselves, but merely because
they form part of the movements of the dance. In one of these dances,
described by Mr. Keppel, two swords are laid on a mat in the middle of
the room, and two men advance toward them from opposite sides, waving
their arms, revolving on their toes, and performing various manœuvres
with their legs.
As soon as they come to the mat, they suddenly stoop, seize the swords,
and go through the movements of actual combat, crossing swords,
advancing, retiring, cutting at each other, kneeling at one moment as
if to collect force, and then springing up with renewed energy. Both
dancers have previously studied and practised the various movements,
each of which they make simultaneously.
Sometimes the sword dance is performed with the shield as well as the
sword, and of this dance Mr. Marryat has written so graphic an account
that his own words must be used. The guests were asked if they wished
for a specimen of the war dance.
“Having expressed our wishes in the affirmative, the music struck up;
it consisted of gongs and tom-toms. The Malay gong, which the Dyaks
also make use of, is like the Javanese, thick with a broad rim, and
very different from the gong of the Chinese. Instead of the clanging
noise of the latter, it gives out a muffled sound of a deep tone. The
gong and tom-tom are used by the Dyaks and Malays in war, and for
signals at night, and the Dyaks procure them from the Malays. I said
that the music struck up, for, rude as the instruments were, they
modulate the sound, and keep time so admirably, that it was anything
but inharmonious.
“A space was now cleared in the centre of the house, and two of the
oldest warriors stepped into it. They were dressed in turbans, long
loose jackets, sashes round their waists descending to their feet, and
small bells were attached to their ankles. They commenced by first
shaking hands with the rajah, and then with all the Europeans present,
thereby giving us to understand, as was explained to us, that the dance
was to be considered only as a spectacle, and not to be taken in its
literal sense, as preparatory to an attack upon us, a view of the case
in which we fully coincided with them.
“This ceremony being over, they rushed into the centre and gave a most
unearthly scream, then poising themselves on one foot they described
a circle with the other, at the same time extending their arms like
the wings of a bird, and then meeting their hands, clapping them and
keeping time with the music. After a little while the music became
louder, and suddenly our ears were pierced with the whole of the
natives present joining in the hideous war cry. Then the motions and
the screams of the dancers became more violent, and everything was
working up to a state of excitement by which even we were influenced.
“Suddenly a very unpleasant odor pervaded the room, already too warm
from the numbers it contained. Involuntarily we held our noses,
wondering what might be the cause, when we perceived that one of the
warriors had stepped into the centre, and suspended round the shoulders
of each dancer a human head in a wide-meshed basket of rattan. These
heads had been taken in the late Sakarran business, and were therefore
but a fortnight old. They were encased in a wide network of rattan, and
were ornamented with beads. Their stench was intolerable, although,
as we discovered upon after-examination, when they were suspended
against the wall, they had been partially baked, and were quite black.
The teeth and hair were quite perfect, the features somewhat shrunk,
and they were altogether very fair specimens of pickled heads; but our
worthy friends required a lesson from the New Zealanders in the art of
preserving.
“The appearance of the heads was a sign for the music to play louder,
for the war cry of the natives to be more energetic, and for the
screams of the dancers to be more piercing. Their motions now became
more rapid, and the excitement in proportion. Their eyes glistened
with unwonted brightness, the perspiration dropped down their faces;
and thus did yelling, dancing, gongs, and tom-toms become more rapid
and more violent every minute, till the dancing warriors were ready
to drop. A farewell yell, with emphasis, was given by the surrounding
warriors; immediately the music ceased, the dancers disappeared, and
the tumultuous excitement and noise were succeeded by a dead silence.
“Such was the excitement communicated, that when it was all over we
ourselves remained for some time panting to recover our breath. Again
we lighted our cheroots, and smoked for awhile the pipe of peace.
“A quarter of an hour elapsed, and the preparations were made for
another martial dance. This was performed by two of the Rajah’s sons,
the same young men I have previously made mention of. They came forward
each having on his arm one of the large Dyak shields, and in the
centre of the cleared space were two long swords lying on the floor.
The ceremony of shaking hands, as described, preparatory to the former
dance, was gone through; the music then struck up, and they entered the
arena.
“At first they confined themselves to evolutions of defence, springing
from one side to the other with wonderful quickness, keeping their
shields in front of them, falling on one knee, and performing various
feats of agility. After a short time, they each seized a sword and
then the display was very remarkable, and proved what ugly customers
they must be in single conflict. Blows in every direction, feints of
every description, were made by both, but invariably received upon
the shield. Cumbrous as these shields were, no opening was left;
retreating, pursuing, dodging, and striking, the body was never exposed.
“Occasionally, during this performance, the war cry was given by the
surrounding warriors, but the combatants held their peace; in fact,
they could not afford to open their mouths, lest an opening should be
made. It was a most masterly performance, and we were delighted with
it.”
A rather curious dance was witnessed by Mr. Boyle at a feast of which
an account will presently be given. First two chiefs each took a
sword, and began a maniacal sort of dance, which was intended to be
very imposing, but only succeeded in being very ludicrous, owing to the
fact that both were too much intoxicated to preserve their balance,
and, being of opposite tempers in their cups, one was merry and the
other was sulky.
After this performance was over, a tall chief stepped forward with a
whip, much like a cat-o’-nine-tails, another produced a human head, and
the two began to chase each other round the veranda of the building.
Presently, the chief with the head stopped, and with one foot in the
air began to pirouette slowly, while he swung the head backward and
forward, the chief with the whip lashing vigorously at the spectators,
and laughing derisively at each cut.
After a while these performers became too tired to proceed without
refreshment, and their place was taken by four or five others carrying
blocks of wood having a feather at each end. The foreign guests took
these objects to represent canoes, but were told that they were
rhinoceros hornbills, and were thought by all competent judges to be
fine works of art. Suddenly a number of gongs were beaten, and over the
mass of human beings arose swords, heads, rhinoceros hornbills, and
cat-o’-nine-tails in profusion, the Dyaks being for the time half mad
with excitement.
It was remarkable that in this wild scene no harm was done, no blow
was struck in anger, and no quarrel took place. Decorum was maintained
throughout the whole of the festival, though not one of the revellers
was sober, and then, as Mr. Boyle remarks, “a scene which, according to
all precedent, should have been disgusting, turned out to be pleasantly
amusing.”
This feast was a very good example of a Dyak revel. It was given by the
chief Gasing, who was gorgeously attired for the occasion in an old
consular uniform coat, covered with gold lace, the top of a dragoon’s
helmet tied on his head with a handkerchief, a brass regimental
breastplate on his forehead, and a plated tureen cover on his breast.
This tureen cover, by the way, was the most valued of Gasing’s
possessions, and one which was madly envied by all the neighboring
chiefs. Being a tall, thin man, the effect of his naked, lean, yellow
legs, appearing from beneath all this splendor, was remarkable.
He had prepared his long house carefully for the festival. He had
erected a bamboo railing on the edge of the veranda, as a necessary
precaution against accidents, for the veranda was at a considerable
height from the ground, and the guests are all expected to be very
unsteady on their feet, even if they can stand at all. From the top
of the rail to the eaves of the veranda he had thrown a quantity of
cloths, so as to allow the chiefs who sat under them to be sheltered
from the rays of the sun.
For this festival Gasing had been making preparations for months past,
half-starving himself in order to collect the requisite amount of
provisions, and being likely to find himself rather deeply in debt
before the preparations were completed. Unfortunately for the English
guests, the smell of Dyak cookery is anything but agreeable, and one of
their favorite articles of food, the fruit called the durian, exhales
a most intolerable odor, so that, if they had not been furnished with
plenty of tobacco, they would have been obliged to retire from the
scene.
The Dyaks roast fowls without removing the feathers, tear them joint
from joint, and so eat them. They have a most extraordinary liking for
viands in a nearly putrid state, such as fish or molluscs in a very
advanced state of decomposition, eggs black from age, and rotten fruit,
the chief being the durian, which smells like all the other dishes
put together, but with a sort of peculiar fragrance of its own. Even
foreigners have learned to like the durian, but they have not found
that it acclimatizes them to the bad eggs, burnt feathers, and very
high fish.
This very remarkable fruit is about as large as a cocoa-nut, slightly
oval, and is covered with a thick, tough skin, armed with sharp, short,
and stout spines, the bases of which touch each other. The skin is so
strong, that even when it falls, as it always does when ripe, from a
considerable height, it does not break, and the spines are so sharp
and hard, that, if a durian falls on a man, it inflicts a very severe
wound, and causes great loss of blood.
When possible it is eaten fresh, as it falls ripe from the tree, but
it is often cooked while still green, and, when especially plentiful,
is preserved in jars by means of salt. In this state its natural odor
is very greatly increased, and the very opening of a jar of preserved
durians is enough to drive a stranger to the country out of the room.
Mr. Wallace gives a very interesting account of the durian, mentioning
that, although for some time the odor of the fruit completely deterred
him from tasting it, he once found a ripe durian just fallen from the
tree, overcame his repugnance to the fruit, tried it, ate it, and
became from that moment a confirmed durian eater. The following passage
contains his description of the peculiar flavor of the durian:--
“The five cells are satiny white within, and are each filled with an
oval mass of cream-colored pulp, embedded in which are two or three
seeds about the size of chestnuts. This pulp is the eatable part, and
its consistence and flavor are indescribable. A rich, butter-like
custard, highly flavored with almonds, gives the best general idea of
it, but intermingled with it come wafts of flavor that call to mind
cream cheese, onion sauce, brown sherry, and other incongruities.
“Then there is a rich glutinous smoothness in the pulp which nothing
else possesses, but which adds to its delicacy. It is neither acid, nor
sweet, nor juicy, yet one feels the want of none of these qualities,
for it is perfect as it is. It produces no nausea or other bad effect,
and the more you eat of it the less you feel inclined to stop. In
fact, to eat durians is a new sensation, worth a voyage to the East to
experience.”
Mr. Wallace, in summing up the merits of the various fruits with which
we are acquainted, says that if he had to fix on two only, which would
represent the very perfection of flavor and refreshing qualities, he
would choose the durian and the orange, which he terms the king and
queen of fruits.
Their national drink, called “tuak,” is worthily matched with the
viands. It is in color like thin milk, and its odor has been forcibly
compared to that of five hundred negroes drunk in a slave-pen. The same
traveller, having fortified his palate with the strongest tobacco,
drank some of the liquid in honor of his host, and gives a very vivid
description of its flavor. When first taken into the mouth, it gives
the idea of cocoa-nut milk gone very sour, and holding in solution
a considerable quantity of brown sugar and old cheese. When it is
swallowed, the victim is conscious of a suffocating sensation, as if
the liquid were thickened with starch and a great quantity of the
strongest cayenne pepper, the general effect produced on the novice
being comparable to nothing but a very bad attack of sea sickness.
Strange to say, this abominable liquid retains the strongest hold on
three millions of human beings, who can conceive no greater luxury than
the privilege of drinking it without stint. At their feasts it is kept
in huge bathing jars, and is handed about in all kinds of vessels,
which are continually emptied and sent back to be replenished, so that
a continual stream of full and empty vessels passes from and to the
large jars.
Even if the warriors who are invited to the festival were to feel
inclined to sobriety, they would be forced to drink by the women,
who seem to think themselves bound to make every man completely
intoxicated. “No Delilah of Europe better knows her power to make
a fool of a strong man than one of these Dyak syrens, nor is more
inclined to exert her fascinations.
“The presence of the female element was soon felt in the noise and
confusion, which absolutely seemed to increase. Several of the girls
were so charming as to excuse the infatuation of their victims, and I
need scarcely say that the prettiest were the most culpable. But ugly
or beautiful, old or young, all instantly employed their most cunning
arts in enticing the bravest and most famous warriors to drink and
drink again.
“We saw a little beauty seat herself lovingly beside a tall fellow with
a simple face and honest eyes, whom she coaxed to toast her from a
large jar which she offered to his lips, until he fairly fell backward
upon the floor. This satisfactory conclusion attained, his tormentor,
who, we heard, was affianced to him, ran screaming with laughter to
bring seven other wretches as mischievous as herself to jeer at the
vanquished lover. Raising her hopes to sport of a higher order, she
shortly after brought her jar to the spot where we sat, in the hope, no
doubt, of beguiling the white men into the same condition as her other
admirers; but in Europe we are accustomed to run the gauntlet of more
dangerous fascinations, and she relinquished the attempt in despair.”
Mr. St. John mentions that the men are in no way behind the women in
their efforts to seduce their guests to intoxication, and it is their
greatest pride to have as much tuak drunk as possible, to drink their
own share and remain comparatively sober, while all their guests are
laid prostrate and insensible. In fact, if we substitute punch and port
for tuak, and an open veranda for a closed dining-room, there is little
difference between the hospitality of the present Dyak chief and that
of the average English squire of the last century.
A chief, for example, who prides himself on his strong head, will sit
before a huge jar of tuak, and pledge every one around. For every one
whom he serves he drinks one cup himself, and it is his ambition to
keep his seat after all his companions are insensible. Of course, it is
impossible that any man can drink an equal amount with ten or twelve
others, and it is most likely that he forces the tuak on them so fast
that they are soon rendered incapable of seeing whether their host
drinks or not. They are very proud of being fresh on the following
morning, and boast that although their guests, who belonged to another
tribe, had severe headaches, they themselves suffered nothing at all.
It is partly by means of appealing to this pride that the girls are
able to make the men drink to the extent which has been mentioned,
and they derive so much amusement from exercising their power that
they lose no opportunity that falls in their way, and essay their
blandishments even when there is no definite feast.
Once, when Mr. St. John had travelled from the Sibuyan Dyaks to the
Bukars, he and his guides were received, as usual, in the head house.
While the English guests were making their toilet, two young Dyak girls
came very gently up the ladder and slipped into the chamber. Now the
head house is, as the reader may remember, the bachelors’ hall, and
consequently the girls had no business there. So, pretending not to see
them, the white men proceeded with their toilets, and quietly watched
their proceedings.
The two girls, after glancing cautiously at the strangers, and thinking
themselves unobserved, made their way to the Dyak guides, each having
in her hands a vast bowl of fresh tuak, which they offered to the
visitors. The young men, knowing their object, declined to drink,
and thereby drew on themselves a battery of mixed blandishments and
reproaches. Above all, they were entreated not to inflict on the girls
the shame of refusing their gift, and making them take it back, to be
laughed at by all their friends.
Cajolery, honied words, and caresses having been resisted, they tried
the effect of ridicule, and their taunts succeeded where their coaxings
failed. “What!” said they, “are the Sibuyans so weak-headed as to be
afraid of drinking Bukar tuak?” This touched the visitors on a very
tender point. The Sibuyans specially pride themselves on the strength
of their heads and of their tuak, and a refusal to drink was thus made
tantamount to a confession of inferiority in both respects. So they
raised the huge bowls to their lips, and were allowed no peace until
they had drained the last drops, when their tempters ran away laughing,
knowing that in a very short time their two victims would be senseless.
It is a most extraordinary thing that the Dyak women, most of whom
do not drink at all, and very few drink even moderately, take such a
delight in forcing the men into intoxication. The young girls are the
most successful temptresses. They take advantage of their youth and
beauty, and employ all their fascinations to inveigle the men into
drinking. No man is safe from them.
Their brothers, friends, and even their betrothed, fall, as we have
seen, victims to their blandishments. They will make up to perfect
strangers, get up a flirtation, and lavish all their enchantments upon
them like Circe of old, until they have reduced their helpless admirers
to a state little better than that of the mythological swine. Even
after the men have sunk on the ground, and are incapable of raising
the cup to their lips, the women think their task not quite completed,
and pour the tuak down the throats of the helpless men. In the “Dyak
Feast,” which the artist has so finely drawn on the opposite page, the
appeal and dresses of these Eastern syrens are illustrated.
Yet, although on such occasions they give themselves over to utter
drunkenness, the Dyaks are a sober race, and except at these feasts,
or when beset by women, they are singularly temperate, the betel-nut
supplying the place of all intoxicating liquor.
[Illustration: A DYAK FEAST. (See pages 1145, 1146.)]
CHAPTER CXVIII.
BORNEO--_Continued_.
ARCHITECTURE--MANUFACTURES.
AERIAL HOUSES -- THE LONG HOUSE AND ITS ARRANGEMENTS -- THE
ORANG-KAYA’S ROOM -- STRUCTURE OF THE FLOORING -- REASONS FOR THE
DYAK ARCHITECTURE -- THE NIPA PALM AND ITS USES -- THE ATAPS -- SALT
AND SUGAR MANUFACTURE -- ERECTION OF THE FIRST POST -- VARIOUS MODES
OF PROCURING FIRE -- CONSTRUCTION OF THE DYAK BRIDGE -- A NARROW
ESCAPE -- MANUFACTURES -- THE ADZE AXE OF THE DYAKS -- ITS ANALOGY
WITH THE BANYAI AXE -- SMELTING AND FORGING IRON -- BASKET MAKING --
THE DYAK MAT -- SPLITTING THE RATTAN -- THE BORNEAN KNIFE, AND MODE
OF USING IT -- THE SACRED JARS AND THEIR PROPERTIES.
The architecture of the Dyaks is very peculiar. The reader may find a
Dyak village represented on page 1153.
In the first place, the houses are all built on posts, some of them
twenty feet in height, and the mode of access to them is by climbing
up a notched pole, which answers the purpose of a ladder. The chief
dwelling in every village, and indeed practically the village itself,
is the long house, which is of wonderfully large dimensions. One of
these houses, measured by Mr. St. John, was more than five hundred and
thirty feet long, and was inhabited by nearly five hundred people.
Throughout the entire length of the house runs the broad veranda or
common room, which is open to all the members, and at the side are
rooms partitioned off for the different families, as many as sixty or
seventy such rooms being sometimes seen in one long house. Although the
veranda is common ground to all the tribe, and in it the members go
through their various sedentary occupations, each family occupies by
tacit consent the portion of the veranda opposite their own rooms.
These rooms are strictly private, and none except the members of the
family, or their intimate friends, would think of entering them. The
chief or Orang-kaya of the long house has a much larger room than the
others, and the space in front of his room is considered to be devoted
to the use of the lesser chiefs and councillors, and, although free to
all the inhabitants, is frequented almost entirely by the old men and
warriors of known courage.
One of the rooms inhabited by the Orang-kaya was visited by Mr. Boyle,
and was not an attractive apartment. On each side of the entrance there
was a piece of furniture somewhat resembling an old English plate-rack,
upon the lower shelf of which was placed a flat stone. In spite of the
heat, which was terrific, a large fire was burning on the stone, and on
the range above were wood, rice, pots, and other utensils. There was no
chimney to the house, but a sort of flap in the roof was lifted up, and
kept open by a notched stick. This flap answered both for window and
chimney, and when it was closed the room was in total darkness, beside
being at once filled with smoke.
The height of the chamber was barely seven feet, and the space was
rendered still more limited by the weapons, girdles, mats, mosquito
curtains, strings of boars’ tusks, aprons, and other property, that
hung from the rafters. The sides were adorned with a quantity of
English and Dutch crockery, each piece being in a separate rattan
basket and suspended from the wall. The house being an old one, the
smell was abominable; and the Orang-kaya’s chamber was, on the whole, a
singularly uncomfortable residence.
A number of fire-places, varying according to the population of the
house, are arranged along the veranda, and, as a general rule, one of
the primitive ladders already mentioned is placed at either end, so
that when a visitor enters the house, he sees throughout its entire
length, the range of his eye being only interrupted by the posts, which
after supporting the floor pass upward and serve also to support the
roof. Outside this veranda extends another, called the outer veranda.
It has no roof, and is exposed to the blazing sunbeams. It is used, not
as a habitation, but as a kind of storehouse and drying ground.
As the flooring is made of bamboo, the Dyaks can easily, if they
choose, keep the interior of their rooms clean. This, however, they
seldom choose to do, limiting their cleanliness to the simple process
of sweeping any offal through the floor so as to fall under the house.
They never think of removing it after it has fallen, so that by degrees
the heaps of refuse become higher and higher, and gradually diminish
the distance between the floor of the house and the soil beneath. In
some of the older houses, these heaps of rubbish have increased to such
an extent that when the pigs are grubbing in them their backs touch the
bamboo flooring of the house.
The reason for building the Dyak houses on piles are several, the chief
being that such a house acts as a fort in case of attack. The custom of
building on piles is universal, but only those tribes that are liable
to invasion employ piles of the height which have been mentioned. This
mode of architecture also protects the inhabitants from floods and from
the intrusion of reptiles. The Dyaks do not use the bow and arrow, and
before they learned the use of fire-arms, a house built on piles some
twenty or thirty feet in height made a very secure fort, which could
not be fired, and which exposed the storming party to certain and heavy
loss. Even since the English have taken up their residence in Borneo,
some of these houses, belonging to revolted chiefs, have given great
trouble before they could be taken, artillery appearing to be the only
weapon to which they at once succumb.
The piles are made of the hardest iron-wood, and are very thick, much
thicker than is needed for the support of the house. The reason for
this strength and thickness is, that in case of attack, the assailing
party dash under the house, protecting themselves from missiles by a
canoe which they turn keel upward, and hold over their heads while they
chop at the posts, so as to bring the house and its defenders down
together. If the posts are but moderately stout, they will sometimes
succeed; but if they are very thick and strong, the defenders can
remove part of the floor, and throw on the attacking party weights
sufficiently heavy to break through their roof and kill them.
It is probable that the custom of building houses on piles is partly
derived from the Malay fashion of erecting buildings over the water.
The Dyaks copied this plan, and became so used to it that when they
built inland they still continued the practice. The same theory
accounts for the habit already mentioned of throwing all kinds of offal
through the open bamboo flooring. This custom was cleanly enough when
the houses were built over the water, but became a source of utter
pollution when they were erected on land, and the offal was allowed to
accumulate below, undisturbed except by the dogs and pigs.
Most of these houses are built rather high up the rivers, especially
upon the tributary streams; and booms, composed of bamboos and rattans,
are fastened across the stream below them, so as to hinder the advance
of the enemy’s canoes. The thatch, as well as a considerable portion
of the material, is obtained from the nipa palm, a tree which to the
Borneans is almost a necessity of existence, and supplies a vast number
of their wants. It grows in large numbers at the water’s edge; its huge
leaves, fifteen or twenty feet in length, projecting like the fronds of
vast ferns.
When dried, the leaves are woven into a sort of matted fabric
called “ataps,” which is used sometimes as thatch, sometimes as the
indispensable covering of boats, and sometimes even as walls of houses,
the mats being fastened from post to post. By the use of these ataps
certain portions of the roof can be raised on sticks in trap-door
fashion, so as to answer the double purpose of admitting light and
securing ventilation.
Various other mats are made of the nipa palm leaf, and so are hats
and similar articles. The entire leaf is often used in canoes as an
extemporized sail, the leaf being fastened upright, and driving the
boat onward at a very fair pace. Besides these uses the nipa leaves,
when young, are dressed as vegetables, and are both agreeable and
nutritious, and the fine inner leaves, when dried, are rolled round
tobacco so as to form cigars.
From the root and stem a coarse sugar is made, which is used for all
general purposes; for, although the sugar-cane grows magnificently in
Borneo, the natives only consider it in the light of a sweetmeat. It
seems rather strange that sugar and salt should be extracted from the
same plant, but such is really the case, and salt-making is one of the
principal occupations of some of the tribes.
They gather great quantities of the nipa root, and burn them. The ashes
are then swept together, and thrown into shallow pans half filled
with water, so that the salt is dissolved and remains in the water,
while the charcoal and woody particles float at the surface, and can
be skimmed off. When the water is clear, the pans are placed over the
fire and the water driven off by evaporation, after which the salt,
which remains on the bottom and sides of the pans, is scraped off. It
is of a coarse and decidedly bitter character, but it is much liked by
the natives, and even the European settlers soon become accustomed to
it. Salt is imported largely from Siam, but the Borneans prefer that
of their own manufacture for home use, reserving the Siamese salt for
preserving fish.
The nipa and the mangrove grow in similar localities and on the same
streams, and are useful to those who are engaged in ascending rivers,
as they know that the water is always shallow where the mangrove grows,
and deep near the nipa.
In the olden times, when a long house was projected, the erection of
the first post was always accompanied by a human sacrifice, precisely
as has been mentioned of several other parts of the world. Mr. St. John
saw one of these houses where a human sacrifice had been made. A deep
hole was dug in the ground, and the huge post, which, as the reader may
remember, is cut from the trunk of the hardest and heaviest wood which
can be found, was suspended over it by rattan lashings. A girl was laid
at the bottom of the hole, and at a given signal the lashings were cut,
permitting the post to drop into the hole, and crush the girl to atoms.
The same traveller saw a ceremony among the Quop Dyaks, which showed
that the principle of sacrifice still remained, though the victim was
of a different character. The builder wanted to raise a flag-staff
near his house, and proceeded on exactly the same plan. The excavation
was made, the pole was suspended by a rattan, but, instead of a human
being, a fowl was bound and laid at the bottom of the hole, so as to be
crushed to death when the lashings were cut.
These houses are often approached by bridges, which are very curious
structures, so apparently fragile that they seem unable to sustain the
weight of a human being, and of so slight a character that to traverse
them seems to imply the skill of a rope dancer. As these houses are
often built on the side of a steep hill, a pole is laid from the
platform to the hill, and, if it be a tolerably long one, supported by
several rattan ropes fastened to trees. A very slight bamboo handrail
is fastened a little above it, and the bridge is considered as complete.
One of these simple bridges is shown in illustration No. 2, on the
1153d page, which gives a good idea of the height of the house and its
general style of architecture. Near the foreground is a man engaged
in making fire by means of twirling one stick upon another, precisely
as is done by the Kaffirs and other savage tribes. There is, however,
one improvement on the usual mode. Instead of merely causing a pointed
stick to revolve upon another, the Dyaks use instead of the lower stick
a thick slab of very dry wood, with a deep groove cut on one side of
it, and a small hole on the other, bored down to the groove.
When the Dyak wishes to procure fire, he places the wooden slab on the
ground with the groove undermost, and inserts his pointed stick in the
little hole and twirls it rapidly between his hands. The revolution
of the stick soon causes a current of air to pass through the groove,
and in consequence the fire is rapidly blown up as soon as the wood is
heated to the proper extent. In consequence of this arrangement, much
labor is saved, as the firemaker is not obliged to stop at intervals
to blow upon the just kindled dust which collects in the little hole
around the firestick. Some tribes merely cut two cross grooves on the
lower piece of wood, and insert the point of the firestick at their
intersection.
The Saribas and Sakarrang Dyaks have a very remarkable instrument for
obtaining fire, called by them “besi-api.” It consists of a metal tube,
about three inches in length, with a piston working nearly air-tight in
it. A piece of dry stuff by way of tinder is introduced into the tube,
the piston rod is slapped smartly down and withdrawn with a jerk, when
the tinder is seen to be on fire. Europeans find that to manage the
besi-api is as difficult a task as to procure fire by two sticks. The
reader may remember that a machine of similar construction is sold at
the philosophical instrument makers, and that a piece of German tinder
is lighted by the sudden compression of the air.
Another form of the besi-api is thus described by Mr. Boyle:--“Among
some of the Dyak tribes there is a manner of striking fire much more
extraordinary. The instrument used is a slender cube of lead, which
fits tightly in a case of bamboo. The top of the cube is hollowed
into a cup, and when fire is required this cup is filled with tinder,
the leaden piston is held upright in the left hand, the bamboo case
is thrust sharply down over it, as quickly withdrawn, and the tinder
is found to be lighted. The natives say that no metal but lead will
produce the effect.”
The same traveller gives an account of another mode of obtaining
fire:--“Another interesting phenomenon these natives showed us, which,
though no doubt easily explained on scientific principles, appeared
very remarkable. As we sat in the veranda my cheroot went out, and I
asked one of the Dyaks squatted at our side to give me a light.
“He took from his box of bamboo a piece of pitcher and a little
tinder; put the latter upon the pitcher and held it under his thumb,
struck sharply against the bamboo, and instantly offered me the tinder
lighted. Several times subsequently we watched them obtain fire by this
means, but failed to make out a reasonable theory for the result.”
Even rivers are bridged over in the same simple, but really efficacious
manner, as the approaches to the houses. The mountain streams alternate
greatly in depth and rapidity, and it is no uncommon occurrence for
a heavy rain to raise a river some forty feet in its deep and rocky
channel, and even after a single heavy shower the fords are rendered
impassable. In consequence of this uncertainty, the Dyaks throw across
the chasms such bridges as are described by Mr. St. John:--
“How light and elegant do these suspension-bridges look! One, in
particular, I will attempt to describe. It was a broad part of the
stream, and two fine old trees hung over the water opposite to each
other. Long bamboos lashed together formed the main portion, and were
fastened by smaller ones to the branches above; railings on either side
were added to give greater strength and security, yet the whole affair
appeared so flimsy, and was so far above the stream, that when we saw a
woman and child pass over it we drew our breath until they were safe on
the other side. And yet we knew that they were secure.
“I have often passed over them myself; they are of the width of one
bamboo, but the side railings give one confidence. Accidents do happen
from carelessly allowing the rattan lashings to rot. Once, when pressed
for time, I was passing rapidly across with many men following close
behind me, when it began to sway most unpleasantly, and crack! crack!
was heard as several of the supports gave way. Most of my men were
fortunately not near the centre, and relieved the bridge of their
weight by clinging to the branches, otherwise those who were with me in
the middle would have been precipitated on the rocks below. After that,
we always passed singly over such neglected bridges.”
* * * * *
The domestic manufactures of the Dyaks are of a very high order, and
display a wonderful amount of artistic taste. The mode of building
canoes has already been mentioned, but the principal tool of the
canoe maker is too curious to be passed over. The implement in
question is singularly ingenious, combining within itself a number of
qualifications. The general appearance of it can be seen by reference
to the illustration, which is drawn from a specimen presented to me by
C. T. C. Grant, Esq.
It is apparently a most insignificant tool, hardly worthy the hands
of a child; and yet, when wielded by a Dyak, it produces the most
remarkable results. The handle is only ten inches in length, and the
blade measures barely an inch and a quarter across the widest part. The
handle is made of two portions, united with a strong lashing of rattan,
backed up by cement, The lower portion, which is curved exactly like
the hilts of the Dyak swords, is made of a soft and light wood, while
the upper part, which carries the head, is made of a hard, strong, and
moderately elastic wood.
[Illustration: ADZE-AXE.]
The head is made of iron, mostly imported, and is in all probability
formed on the model of a stone implement that was formerly in use. As
the reader may see, it is fastened to the wood by rattan, exactly as
the stone heads of the Polynesian axes are held in their places by
lashings of plaited sinnet.
But here the resemblance ends. The head of the Polynesian axe is
immovable, whereas the essence of the Bornean axe is that the head can
be shifted at will, by taking it out of the rattan lashing, reversing
and replacing it, so that it forms an axe or an adze, as the user
desires. The reader may remember that the Banyai tribe of Southern
Africa have an axe made on a similar principle, though in their case
the reversal is accomplished by cutting holes at right angles to each
other, through which the shank of the iron head can be passed. (See p.
364, figs. 4, 5.)
With this tiny instrument the Dyaks not only shape their planks, but
cut down the largest trees with a rapidity that an English workman
could scarcely equal, in spite of the superiority of his axe. They have
a very curious method of clearing away timber from a space of ground.
They first cut away all the underwood with their parangs, or choppers,
and then, with their little axes, cut the larger trees rather more
than half through, leaving the largest to the last. This tree is then
felled, and, as all the trees are bound together with rattans and other
creepers, it brings down all the others in its fall.
[Illustration: (1.) A DYAK VILLAGE. (See page 1149.)]
[Illustration: (2.) A DYAK HOUSE. (See page 1151.)]
Although the iron which the Dyaks use is mostly imported, they are
capable of smelting their own metal by a very simple process. By way of
a crucible, they dig a small pit in the ground, and perforate the sides
with holes, through which currents of air can be passed by means of the
native bellows. Charcoal is first placed in the pit, and then the ore,
well broken, is laid on the charcoal; and so the Dyak workmen proceed
to fill the pit with alternate layers of charcoal and ore. A light
is then introduced by means of a hole, the bellows are worked, and
in a short time the metal is smelted. Although each man is generally
capable of making his own tools on a pinch, there is generally a man
in each village who is a professional blacksmith, and makes his living
by forging spear heads and parang blades, as well as by keeping the
weapons of the villagers in repair.
The basket work of the Dyaks is exceedingly good, color as well as form
being studied in the manufacture. The basket called tambok is made of
the nipa palm leaf, cut into strips not quite the twelfth of an inch
wide, and stained alternately yellow and red. These are interwoven so
as to produce a considerable variety of pattern, somewhat resembling
that which is used in the sarongs and other woven fabrics. These
patterns are nearly all combinations of the square, the zigzag, and the
diamond; the last form, however, being nothing more than the square
turned diagonally.
Although made in cylindrical form, the tambok is slightly squared by
means of four strips of hard red wood, which are tightly fastened to
the basket by rattan lashing. The bottom of the basket is squared in
a similar manner, so as to flatten it and enable it to stand upright,
and is defended by thicker strips of wood than those which run up the
sides. The lid is guarded by two cross-strips of wood, and both the lid
and the top of the basket are strengthened by two similar strips bound
firmly round their edges. This basket is exceedingly light, elastic,
strong, easily carried, and fully warrants the estimation in which it
is held. Tamboks are made of almost all sizes, and are extensively used
by the Dyaks, the Malays, and the European colonists.
Mats of various kinds are made by this ingenious people. One of these
mats, which is in my possession, is a wonderful specimen of Dyak work.
It is nine feet long and five wide, and is made of rattan, cut into
very narrow strips--not wider, indeed, than those of the enlarged
patterns of the tambok basket. These strips are interwoven with such
skill as to form an intricate and artistic pattern. The centre of the
mat is occupied by a number of spiral patterns, two inches in diameter,
the spiral being produced by extensions of the zigzag already mentioned.
Around the spirals are three distinct borders, each with a definite
pattern, and the whole is edged by a sort of selvage, which gives
strength to the fabric, and prevents it from being torn. This kind
of mat is exceedingly durable, the specimen in question having been
long used in Borneo, then brought over to England, and employed as a
floor-cloth; and, although cut in one or two places by chair-legs, is
on the whole as firm as when it was made. As the rattan has not been
dyed, the color of the mat is a pale yellow; but the pattern comes out
with wonderful distinctness, just as is the case with good English
table linen.
Like all uncivilized people, the Dyaks never hurry themselves about
their manufactures. Time is no object to them; there is none of the
competition which hurries European workmen through life. The women,
who make these beautiful mats, go about their work in a very leisurely
way, interweaving the slender rattan strips with infinite care, and
certainly producing work that is thorough and sound.
The rattan is split in rather a curious manner. On account of the
direction and length of its fibre, it will split almost _ad infinitum_
into perfectly straight strips of very great length, so that the only
difficulty is to cut the slips of precisely the same width. The knives
with which this task is performed are rather peculiar. One of them has
already been described on page 1125, as an appendage to the Bornean
sword; but there is another which is so remarkable that it deserves a
separate description.
The handle is bent at an angle like that of the parang-latok, described
and figured on the page to which reference was just made. In order to
produce this effect, the handle is made of two pieces of wood, the ends
of which are bevelled off, so that when they are placed together they
produce the angular form which is desired. The two pieces are fitted
very neatly together, and the joint is strengthened by a thick coating
of cement. The handle is further ornamented by having a long piece of
brass wire coiled tightly round it, and is finished off at the end with
the same kind of cement as that which is used at the joint.
Not only does the handle resemble that of the parang, but there is a
great resemblance between the blades of the sword and the knife. The
blade of this knife has been forged out of a square bar of steel, which
has been first flattened, and then beaten out into the slightly curved
form which is so largely used throughout the whole of this part of the
world.
As is the case with the sword knife already described, this implement
is used by putting the handle under the left arm and holding the blade
firmly in front of the body, while both hands are at liberty to press
the end of the rattan against the edge of the knife, and so to split
it into as many strips as are needed. In spite of the comparative
roughness of the manufacture, which dispenses with a finish and
polish, the knife can take a very fine edge; and my own specimen, after
having suffered rather rough usage, is so sharp that I have just mended
a pen with it, and cut a piece of note paper edgewise. The blade of
this knife is eleven inches in length.
In order to preserve the sharpness of the edge, the Dyak carries the
knife in a sheath made simply of a small joint of bamboo, closed at the
lower end of the natural knot, and carefully wrapped at each end with
rattan to prevent it from splitting.
The cotton fabrics are entirely made by the women, from the preparation
of the thread to the weaving of the stuff. They beat out the cotton
with small sticks, and, by means of a rude sort of wheel, spin it
out into thread very rapidly. They cannot compete with the English
manufacturer in fineness of thread, but in durability there is no
comparison between the two, the Dyak thread being stronger than
that made in England, and the dye with which it is stained being so
permanent that no fabric wears so well as that which is of native
manufacture.
Although we can hardly rank the Dyak jars among native manufactures,
they play so important a part in the domestic life of these tribes that
they cannot be passed over without some notice.
The Dyaks have no real currency, and can scarcely be made to understand
it. They perfectly comprehend direct barter, but the secondary barter
by means of a circulating medium is, as a rule, beyond an ordinary
Dyak. He will take some goods to the market for the purpose of
exchanging them for some article which he wants; but he has no idea
of selling his goods for money, and buying with that money the needed
article.
The reader may remember that brass guns have already been mentioned
as a sort of currency. These are nothing more or less than cannon of
various sizes, which are valued by weight, and form a sort of standard
by which prices are measured, like the English pound or the French
franc. They are bored to carry balls from one to two pounds weight,
and, though regarded chiefly in the light of money, are serviceable
weapons, and can throw a ball to a considerable distance. There is an
advantage about this kind of currency. It is not easily stolen, and
outside the chiefs’ houses may be seen rows of brass guns lying on the
ground unmounted and owing their safety to their weight.
There is also a second standard of value among the Dyaks. This is the
Jar, an institution which, I believe, is unique. These jars are of
earthenware, and as far as can be judged by appearance, must have been
of Chinese manufacture. They are of different descriptions, and vary
greatly in value. The commonest jars, called Naga or Dragon jars, are
worth about seven or eight pounds, and derive their name from figures
of dragons rudely scrawled on them. They are about two feet in height.
The Rusa jar, which is next higher in value, is worth from ten to
fifteen pounds, according to its quality, and is known by the figures
of the Rusa deer which are drawn upon it.
But the most costly is the Gusi, which is worth almost any sum that
the owner chooses to demand for it. The Gusi jar is neither large
nor pretty. It is of a dark olive green color, and about two feet in
height. These jars are very scarce, and are considered as being worth
on an average about five hundred pounds. Seven or eight hundred pounds
have been paid for a Gusi jar, and there have been one or two so
valuable that many thousands pounds have been offered and refused for
them.
Mr. St. John mentions a jar of this kind belonging to the Sultan of
Brunei, which derived its chief value from the fact that it spoke on
certain great occasions. For example, the Sultan declared that on the
night before his wife died the jar uttered hollow moaning sounds, and
that it never failed to apprize him of any coming misfortune by wailing
pitifully. This jar is kept in the women’s apartments, and is always
covered with gold brocade, except when wanted for consultation, or
to exhibit its medicinal properties. Water poured into a Gusi jar is
thought by the Dyaks and by the Malays to be the best possible medicine
for all kinds of diseases, and, when sprinkled over the fields, to be
a certain means of procuring a good crop. As the people are willing
to pay highly for this medicated water, there is some reason for the
enormous cost of these jars.
One of them is said to possess a quality which belongs to itself. It
increased everything that was put into it. If, for example, it were
half filled with rice in the evening it would be nearly full in the
morning; and if water was poured into it, a few hours would increase
the depth of water by several inches. It is remarkable that the art of
making these jars is lost. The Chinese, admirable imitators as they
are, have always failed when they have endeavored to palm off upon a
Dyak a jar manufactured by themselves.
CHAPTER CXIX.
BORNEO--_Concluded_.
RELIGION--OMENS--FUNERALS.
THE STATE OF RELIGION AMONG THE DYAKS -- THEIR BELIEF IN A SUPREME
BEING -- THE VARIOUS SUBORDINATE GODS -- THE ANTUS, AND THEIR FORMS
-- CATCHING A RUNAWAY SOUL -- THE BUAU AND HIS NATURE -- ORIGIN OF
LAND LEECHES -- CHARMS, AND THEIR VALUE -- OMENS -- THE GOOD AND
EVIL BIRDS -- A SIMPLE CAUSE OF DIVORCE -- THE ENCHANTED LEAF -- THE
ORDEALS OF DIVING, BOILING WATER, SALT, AND SNAILS -- THE ENCHANTED
WATER -- A CURIOUS CEREMONY -- DYAK FUNERALS -- THE OFFICE OF SEXTON.
The religion of the Dyaks is a very difficult subject, as the people
themselves seem to have an exceedingly vague idea of it, and to be
rather unwilling to impart the little knowledge which they have. It is
tolerably clear that they have an idea of a Supreme Being, whom they
call by different names, according to their tribes; the Sea Dyaks,
for example, calling him Batara, and the land Dyaks Tapa. Next to the
Supreme, by whom mankind was created, were some very powerful though
inferior deities, such as Tenabi, who made the earth and the lower
animals; Iang, who taught religion to the Dyaks, and still inspires
them with holiness; and Jirong, the lord of life and death.
Besides those chief deities there are innumerable Antus or minor
gods, which correspond in some degree to the fauns and satyrs of
the ancients. They are called by many names, and as, according to
Dyak ideas, there is scarcely a square rod of forest that does not
contain its Antu, the people live as it were in a world peopled with
supernatural beings. Some of them even declare that they have seen the
Antus, the chief distinction of whom seems to be that they have no
heads, the neck being terminated in a sharp point. They are capable of
assuming the form of a human being or of any animal at will, but always
without heads, so that they can be at once recognized.
The story of one of these Antu-seers is a very strange one. He declared
that he saw a squirrel in a tree, threw a spear at it, and brought it
to the ground. When he went to pick it up, it suddenly rose, faced him,
and changed itself into a dog. The dog walked a few paces, changed
again into a human being, and sat slowly down on the trunk of a fallen
tree. The body of the spectre was parti-colored, and instead of a head
it had a pointed neck.
The Dyak ran off in terror, and was immediately smitten with a violent
fever, his soul having been drawn from the body by the Antu, and about
to journey toward the spirit world. The doctor, however, went off to
the spot where the Antu appeared, captured the fugitive soul, brought
it back, and restored it to the body by means of the invisible hole in
the head through which the Antu had summoned it. Next morning the fever
was gone, and the man was quite well.
They tell another story of one of these inimical beings, who are
supposed to be ghosts of persons killed in battle, and called Buaus. A
Buau pounced upon a woman named Temunyan during her husband’s absence,
carried her off, and by his magic arts fixed her against a rock from
which she could not move. When the husband returned, he went in search
of his wife, and, having found her, concocted a scheme by which the
Buau was induced to release her. By stratagem the husband contrived to
destroy the Buau, and took his wife home.
She had, however, scarcely reached her home when she gave birth to a
horrible being, of which the Buau was the father. Her husband instantly
chopped it into a thousand pieces with his parang, and flung it into
the jungle, when each fragment took life, and assumed the blood-sucking
character of the demon parent. And thus the Buau was the original
parent of land-leeches.
In order to propitiate these beings, the Dyaks are in the habit of
making offerings of food, drink, and flowers to them before they
undertake any great task, mostly putting the food into dishes or
baskets, and laying it in the jungle for the use of the Antus.
Satisfied apparently with the multitude of their deities, the Dyaks
possess no idols, a fact which is really remarkable, as showing the
character of their minds. Charms, however, they have in plenty, and
place the greatest reliance on them. Some charms are credited as
rendering the wearer invulnerable, and it is likely that those attached
to the parang described on page 1125 are of that character.
Mr. St. John mentions an amusing example of the value set upon
these charms. There was a chief of very high rank, who possessed
some exceedingly potent charms, which had been in his family for
many generations, and had been handed down from father to son. They
consisted of two round pebbles, one flat pebble, a little stone which
had been found in a banana, and some sand. All these valuables were
sewed up together and fastened to a string, by which they could be
attached to the waist in times of peril.
Unfortunately, the chief lent these charms to a man who lost them, and
was sued by the aggrieved owner before the English court. He gained his
case, but was nearly as much dissatisfied with the court as with the
defendant, inasmuch as he estimated the value of the charms at a Rusa
jar, _i. e._ about thirty dollars, or seven pounds, whereas the value
set on them by the court, and paid by the defendant, was fivepence.
Allusion has been already made to the birds on which the Dyaks so much
rely as omens. These are three in number, the Kushah, the Kariak, and
the Katupung. When a Dyak is about to start on an expedition, he goes
to the place near the village where the feasting sheds are built, and
there waits until he hears the cry of one of these birds. Should either
the kushah or the katupung cry in the front, or on either side, and not
be answered, the omen is bad, and the man gives up his expedition. It
is a good sign, however, if the bird should first cry on one side and
then be answered on the other. The most important bird is the kariak.
If the cry of the kariak be heard on the right, the omen is good; if on
the left, it is doubtful. But if the cry be heard behind the diviner,
the omen is as bad as it can be, and portends at least sickness, if not
death.
The Dyaks scarcely engage in any undertaking without consulting the
birds, whom they believe to be half Dyaks, all birds having proceeded
from the union of an Antu with a Dyak woman.
Mr. Brooke, in treating of this subject, has the following forcible
remarks:--“Some of our party of Dyaks had proceeded, but most were yet
behind, and will be sweeping down for the next week or more. Many go
through the forms of their forefathers in listening to the sounds of
omens; but the ceremony is now very curtailed, compared with what it
was a few years ago, when I have known a chief live in a hut for six
weeks, partly waiting for the twittering of birds to be in a proper
direction, and partly detained by his followers. Besides, the whole way
in advancing, their dreams are religiously interpreted and adhered to;
but, as in all such matters, interpretations are liable to a double
construction. The finale is, that inclination, or often fear, is most
powerful. A fearful heart produces a disagreeable dream, or a bad omen
in imagined sounds from birds or deer, and this always makes a force
return. But they often loiter about so long, that the enemy gains
intelligence of their intended attack, and is on the alert.
“However absurdly these omens lead the human race, they steadily
continue to follow and believe in such practices. Faith predominates,
and hugs huge wonders, and tenaciously lives in the minds of the
ignorant. Some of the Dyaks are somewhat shaken in the belief in
hereditary omens, and a few follow the Malay custom of using a
particular day, which has a strange effect on European imaginations.
The white man who commands the force is supposed to have an express
bird and lucky charm to guide him onward; and to these the Dyaks trust
considerably. ‘You are our bird, we follow you.’ I well know the names,
and can distinguish the sounds of their birds, and the different hands
on which the good and bad omens are interpreted.
“The effect of these signs on myself was often very marked, and no Dyak
could feel an adverse omen more than myself when away in the jungle,
surrounded by these superstitious people. Still, I could sympathize
with the multitude, and the difficulty lay in the question, whether any
influence would be sufficient to counteract such phantoms. It must not
be thought I ever attempted to lead the Dyaks to believe that I was the
owner of charms and such absurdities, which could not have lasted above
a season, and could never be successful for a length of time. A maias’
(orang-outan’s) head was hanging in my room, and this they thought to
be my director to successful expeditions.”
The cries of various animals are all interpreted by the Dyaks, those
which have evil significations far outnumbering the good-omened cries.
The worst of all omens is the cry of a deer, which will make a Dyak
abandon any project on which he is engaged, no matter how deeply his
heart may be set on it.
On one occasion, a Dyak had married a young girl for whom he had a
very strong attachment, which was returned. On the third day after
the marriage, the English missionary entered the head house and was
surprised to see the young husband sitting in it hard at work on some
brass wire. This was a very strong circumstance, as the head house is
tenanted only by the bachelors. The missionary naturally asked him
what he was doing there, and what had become of his wife, to which he
answered sorrowfully that he had no wife, a deer having cried on the
preceding night, so that they were obliged to dissolve the marriage at
once.
“But,” said his interrogator, “are you not sorry for this?”
“Very sorry!”
“What are you doing with the wire?”
“Making ornaments for the girl whom I want for my new wife.”
It seems that the belief in the Antus is so ingrained in the minds of
the Dyaks, that whenever any one meets with an accident, some Antu or
other is presumed to have been the author of the injury, and to require
appeasal. Mr. Brooke mentions that he once found the leaf of a palm
tree folded in a peculiar manner, lying near his house. This was an
offering to the Antu, because a man had fallen down there and injured
himself.
The leaf was supposed to be possessed by the Antu, who would avenge
himself if his leaf were disturbed by causing the arm of the offender
to swell. However, Mr. Brooke picked up the leaf and threw it away, and
within two days his arm became swollen and inflamed, and remained in
that state for nearly a fortnight afterward.
In connection with this subject must be mentioned the ordeals by
which disputes are often settled. These are of various kinds, but the
favorite plan is the ordeal of diving. The two disputants are taken to
the river and wade into the water up to the chin. At a given signal
they plunge beneath the surface, and the one who can remain longest
under water wins the case. There was a very curious instance of such
an ordeal where the honor of a family was involved. The daughter of a
chief was found to have disgraced herself, and laid the blame upon a
young man of rank. He, however, utterly contradicted her story, and at
last the dispute was brought to an end by the ordeal of diving. The
young chief won his cause, and the result was that the offending girl
had to leave the village, and her father was deserted by his followers,
so that he was also obliged to seek another home.
Then there is the salt ordeal. Each litigant is provided with a lump
of salt of precisely the same weight, and he whose salt retains its
shape longest in water is held to be the winner. There is also the
boiling-water test, which is exactly the same as that which was
practised in England in former days, the hand being dipped into the hot
liquid, and coming out uninjured if the appellant be innocent. Lastly,
there is the snail ordeal. Each party takes a snail and puts it on a
plate, and lime juice is poured over them, when the snail that first
moves is considered to have indicated that its owner is in the wrong.
The reader may remember that the Dyaks are in the habit of purchasing
water that has been poured into the sacred jars, and sprinkling it over
their fields by way of ensuring fertility. They believe that water
which has touched the person of a white man will have the same effect,
especially if he be a man of some rank. So as soon as English officers
arrive at a Dyak village, the natives have a custom of seizing them,
pulling off their shoes and stockings, and washing their feet, the
water being preserved as an infallible charm for promoting the growth
of their crops.
They carry this principle to an extent which to us seems exceedingly
disgusting. Long bamboos filled with dressed rice are brought to the
visitors, who are requested to spit in them. The rice thus medicated is
distributed among the assembled crowd, who press eagerly round, each
attempting to secure a portion of the health-giving food. Some of the
more cunning among the people try to secure a second and some a third
supply, and Mr. St. John mentions an instance when one horrid old woman
managed to be helped six times.
The same traveller mentions that the blood of fowls is thought to
be a very powerful charm, and the Dyaks have a ceremony connected
with the shedding of blood which is almost identical with the Jewish
Passover. (See Exod. xii. 22.) A festival had been given in honor of
the visitors. Their feet had been washed, and the water put aside.
Their rice had been duly medicated, and the Orang-kaya began some
curious ceremonies, flinging rice out of the windows, and accompanying
the act with a prayer for fertility to the fields and prosperity to
the village. He was evidently repeating a well-learned lesson, and
it was ascertained that the words which he used were not understood
by himself, so that we find among the Dyaks the relics of an expired
language, the few remnants of which are preserved by religion, just as
is the case with the inhabitants of New Zealand and other islands.
This portion of the ceremony being ended a sort of sacred dance was
performed, the Orang-kaya and the elders going successively to the
white visitors, passing their hands over their arms, and going off in a
slow, measured tread, “moving their arms and hands in unison with their
feet until they reached the end of the house, and came back to where
we sat. Then came another pressure of the palm, a few more passes to
draw virtue out of us, another yell, and off they went again--at one
time there were at least a hundred dancing.
“For three nights we had had little sleep, on account of these
ceremonies, but at length, notwithstanding clash of gong and beat of
drum, we sank back in our beds, and were soon fast asleep. In perhaps a
couple of hours I awoke, my companion was still sleeping uneasily, the
din was deafening, and I sat up to look around.
“Unfortunate moment! I was instantly seized by the hands of two
priests, and led up to the Orang-kaya, who was himself cutting a fowl’s
throat. He wanted Captain Brooke to perform the following ceremony, but
I objected to his being awakened, and offered to do it for him. I was
taken to the very end of the house, and the bleeding fowl put in my
hands. Holding him by his legs I had to strike the lintel of the doors,
sprinkling a little blood over each. When this was over, I had to wave
the fowl over the heads of the women and wish them fertility; over the
children, and wish them health; over all the people, and wish them
prosperity; out of the window, and invoke good crops for them.”
* * * * *
Funerals among the Dyaks differ slightly in the various tribes. The
common people are buried or even burned with scarcely any ceremony,
but the bodies of chiefs and their relatives are treated with a whole
series of rites.
As soon as a chief dies, the corpse is dressed in his finest clothes,
every ornament that he possessed is hung upon him, and his favorite
swords and other weapons are laid by his side. The body is then placed
on an elevated platform, and is watched and tended as if the dead man
were still alive, food, drink, tobacco, and sirih being continually
offered him, and the air kept cool by constant fanning. The men
assemble on one side of the corpse, and the women on the other, and
romp with each other as if the occasion were of a joyful rather than a
sorrowful character. These games are continued until the corpse is far
gone in decomposition, when it is placed in a coffin made of a hollowed
tree trunk, and buried in a grave which must not be more than five feet
deep.
Knowing the customs of the people, the Malays are apt to rifle the
graves of dead chiefs, for the sake of obtaining the swords and other
valuables that are buried with them. Formerly, after the body was laid
in the grave, the sword, a jar or two, clothes, ornaments, and a female
slave were placed in a canoe, the woman being firmly chained to it.
When the tide was ebbing the boat was sent adrift, and was supposed
to supply the spirit of the departed with all the goods that were on
board. This custom, however, has been long discontinued, as the Dyaks
found that the canoe and its contents almost invariably fell into the
hands of the Malays, who thus procured slaves without paying for them,
and enriched themselves besides with the swords, gold, and clothing.
The sexton’s office is hereditary, and whenever the line fails the
Dyaks have great difficulty in finding some one who will not only take
the office upon himself, but must also entail it upon his descendants.
The office, however, is a very lucrative one, varying from a rupee
to two dollars, a sum of money which can procure for a Dyak all the
necessaries and most of the luxuries of life for several weeks.
The Kayan Dyaks do not bury their dead, but place the body in a very
stout coffin made of a hollowed tree, and elevate it on two stout
carved posts, with woodwork projecting from each corner, like the roofs
of Siamese houses.
CHAPTER CXX.
TIERRA DEL FUEGO.
APPEARANCE--ARCHITECTURE--MANUFACTURES.
POSITION OF THE COUNTRY AND SIGNIFICATION OF THE NAME -- CONFORMATION
OF THE LAND AND ITS ANIMAL AND VEGETABLE LIFE -- APPEARANCE OF THE
FUEGIANS -- ERRONEOUS IDEAS CONCERNING THEM -- COLOR, COSTUME, AND
MODE OF WEARING THE HAIR -- INDIFFERENCE TO DRESS -- PAINT AND
ORNAMENTS -- FUEGIAN ARCHITECTURE -- THE POINTED AND ROUNDED HUTS
-- THE SPEAR AND ITS HEAD -- BOWS AND ARROWS -- STONE THROWING --
WONDERFUL STRENGTH OF THE FUEGIANS -- SKILL WITH THE SLING -- STUDY
OF PARTICULAR WEAPONS -- FOOD OF THE FUEGIANS -- ANGLING WITHOUT
HOOKS -- THE DOGS, FISHERS AND BIRD CATCHERS -- THE DOG RESPECTED
BY THE FUEGIANS -- CANNIBALISM -- THE TREE FUNGUS -- CANOES -- THE
LARGE AND SMALL CANOES, AND THEIR USES -- SHIFTING QUARTERS AND
TRANSPORTING CANOES -- COOKERY -- GENERAL TEMPERAMENT OF THE FUEGIANS
-- JEMMY BUTTON -- FUEGIAN GOVERNMENT.
At the extreme southern point of America is a large island, or rather
a collection of islands separated by very narrow armlets of the sea.
It is separated from the mainland by the strange tortuous Magellan’s
Strait, which is in no place wide enough to permit a ship to be out of
sight of land, and in some points is exceedingly narrow. As Magellan
sailed through this channel by night, he saw that the southern shore
was studded with innumerable fires, and he therefore called the country
TIERRA DEL FUEGO, or Land of Fire. These fires were probably beacons
lighted by the natives in order to warn each other of the approach of
strangers, to whom the Fuegians have at times evinced the most bitter
hostility, while at others they have been kind and hospitable in their
way.
The country is a singularly unpromising one, and Tierra del Fuego on
the south and the Esquimaux country on the north seem to be exactly the
lands in which human beings could not live. Yet both are populated,
and the natives of both extremities of this vast continent are fully
impressed with the superiority of their country over all others.
Tierra del Fuego is, as its proximity to the South Pole infers, a
miserably cold country, and even in the summer time the place is so
cold that in comparison England would seem to be quite a tropical
island. In consequence of this extreme cold neither animal nor
vegetable life can be luxuriant. The forests are small, and the trees
short, stumpy, and ceasing to exist at all at some fifteen hundred feet
above the level of the sea. There is a sort of evergreen beech (_Fagus
betuloides_).
There is only one redeeming point in the climate of Tierra del Fuego.
The mosquito that haunts alike the hottest and coldest countries, and
equally a terror in tropical and Arctic America, cannot live in Tierra
del Fuego, the damp, as well as the cold, being fatal to it. Indeed,
there are very few insects in this strange land, and reptiles are
altogether absent.
Absence of vegetable life naturally results in absence of animal life,
the herbivorous animals being starved out for want of their proper
food, and the carnivora being equally unable to live, as finding no
animals on which to feed. Man being omnivorous, has a slightly better
chance of living, but even he could not multiply and fill the country
when food is so limited, provided he were limited to the land, but, as
he is master of the waters as well as of the earth, he can draw his
living from the sea and rivers when the land refuses to supply him with
food. Such is the case with the Fuegians, who are essentially people
of the sea and its shore, and who draw nearly the whole of their
subsistence from its waters, as we shall see in a future page.
Perhaps in consequence of the scantiness, the irregularity, and the
quality of their food, the Fuegians are a very short race of men, often
shorter than the average Bosjesman of Southern Africa, and even lower
in the social scale. They ought not to be called dwarfs, as is too
often the case, their bodies being tolerably proportioned, and their
figures not stunted, but simply smaller than the average of Europeans,
while the muscular development of the upper part of the body is really
wonderful. As a rule, the average height of the Fuegian men is about
five feet, and that of the women four feet six inches. In some parts
of the islands there are natives of much larger size, but these are
evidently immigrants from the adjacent country of Patagonia, where
the stature is as much above the average of Europeans as that of the
Fuegians is below it.
The color of the natives is a dark coppery brown, the reddish hue being
only perceptible in spots where they happen accidentally to be clean.
The limbs are generally slight, so that the knees and elbows seem to
be disproportionately large, and their heads are covered with masses
of black hair, that possesses no curl, and falls in long, wild tangled
locks over their shoulders. The men are almost entirely beardless.
An illustration on the opposite page of a Fuegian man and woman gives
a correct representation of the ugliness of feature and want of
intelligence which characterize this people.
Both sexes allow their hair to run to its full length, except over
the forehead, where it is roughly cut with a shell to prevent it
from falling into the eyes. The people have a strange superstitious
reverence for hair, and that portion which is cut off is deposited in a
basket, and afterward carefully disposed of. Once, when the captain had
snipped off a little hair from a Fuegian’s head, he found that he had
given great offence, and was obliged to restore the severed hair and
put away the scissors before the angry feelings of the native could be
smoothed. On another occasion, the only mode of pacifying the offended
native was by restoring the lock of hair, together with a similar lock
from the head of the white man. The cut hair is generally burned.
Captain King’s account of the Fuegian women is not attractive.
“The hair of the women is longer, less coarse, and certainly cleaner
than that of the men. It is combed with the jaw of a porpoise, but
neither plaited nor tied; and none is cut away, except from over their
eyes. They are short, with bodies largely out of proportion to their
height; their features, especially those of the old, are scarcely less
disagreeable than the repulsive ones of the men. About four feet and
some inches is the stature of these she-Fuegians, by courtesy called
women. They never walk upright; a stooping posture and awkward movement
is their natural gait. They may be fit mates for such uncouth men; but
to civilized people their appearance is disgusting. Very few exceptions
were noticed.
“The color of the women is similar to that of the men. As they are just
as much exposed, and do harder work, this is a natural consequence.
Besides, while children they run about quite naked, picking up
shell-fish, carrying wood, or bringing water. In the color of the
older people there is a tinge of yellow, which is not noticed in the
middle-aged or young.”
As is the case with many savage tribes, the teeth of the Fuegians are
ground down to an almost flat surface. This is most conspicuous in the
front teeth. There is little apparent distinction between the canine
and the incisor teeth, both being ground down to such an extent that
the only remains of the enamel are on the sides, and, as Captain King
graphically remarks, “the front teeth are solid, and often flat-topped
like those of a horse eight years old ... the interior substance of
each tooth is then seen as plainly in proportion to its size as that of
a horse.”
The mouth is large, and very coarsely formed, and as there is not a
vestige of beard its full ugliness is shown to the best advantage.
One of the strangest phenomena connected with the Fuegians is their
lack of clothing. In a climate so cold that in the middle of summer
people have been frozen to death at no great elevation above the level
of the sea, it might well be imagined that the natives would follow the
same course as that adopted by the Esquimaux, and make for themselves
garments out of the thickest and warmest furs that can be procured.
They might do so if they chose. In some parts of their country they
have the thick-woolled guanaco (probably an importation from the
mainland), and in others are deer and foxes, not to mention the dogs
which they keep in a domesticated state. Besides, there are few furs
warmer than those of the seal, and seals of various kinds abound on the
Fuegian coasts, some, such as the sea-lion, being of very large size.
Then there are various water birds, whose skins would make dresses
equally light and warm, such as the penguin, the duck, the albatross,
and the like.
[Illustration: (1.) FUEGIANS. (See page 1162.)]
[Illustration: (2.) PATAGONIANS. (See page 1173.)]
It is evident, therefore, that if the Fuegian is not warmly and thickly
clothed, it is not from want of material, and that he is naked not
from necessity but choice. And he chooses nudity, neither sex wearing
any description of clothes except a piece of seal or deer skin about
eighteen inches square hung over one shoulder. No other covering is
worn except this patch of skin, which is shifted about from one side
of the body to the other according to the direction of the wind, the
Fuegian appearing to be perfectly indifferent to frost, rain, or snow.
For example, a Fuegian mother has been seen with her child in her arms,
wearing nothing but the little patch of seal-skin on the windward side,
and yet standing unconcernedly in the snow, which not only fell on
her naked shoulder, but was heaped between her child and her breast,
neither mother nor infant seeming to be more than ordinarily cold.
During mild weather, or when the Fuegian is paddling or otherwise
engaged in work, he thinks that even the piece of seal-skin is too much
for him, and throws it off.
Though careless about clothing, he is not indifferent to ornament, and
decorates his copper-colored body in various ways. He uses paint in
profusion, generally laying on a white ground made of a chalky clay,
and drawing patterns upon it of black or dull brick-red. The black is
simply charcoal reduced to powder. He likes necklaces, which are mostly
white, and are made of the teeth of fishes and seals, or of pieces of
bone. Ornaments of the same character are worn upon the wrists and
ankles, so that, although the Fuegian has no clothes, he has plenty of
savage jewelry.
Both sexes keep their long, straggling locks out of their eyes by
means of a small fillet made of sinews, or the hair of the guanaco,
twined round the forehead. Feathers and similar ornaments are stuck
into this fillet; but if they be white, the spectator must be on his
guard, for white down and feathers on the head are signs of war. Red,
on the contrary, denotes peace; so that these people entirely reverse
the symbolism of color which is accepted almost over the entire world.
Sometimes a native may be seen so covered with black paint that the
coppery color of the skin is entirely lost, and the complexion is as
black as that of a negro. This is a sign of mourning, and is used on
the death of a relation or friend.
The houses of the Fuegians are as simple as their dress, and
practically are little but rude shelters from the wind. Any boy can
make a Fuegian house in half an hour. He has only to cut a number
of long branches, sharpen the thicker ends, and stick them into the
ground, so as to occupy seven-eighths or so of a circle. Let him then
tie the sticks together at the top, and the framework of the house is
completed. The walls and roof are made by twisting smaller boughs among
the uprights and throwing long coarse grass on them, and the entire
furniture of the hut is comprised in a few armfuls of the same grass
thrown on the ground.
The opening at the side is always made in the direction opposite the
wind, and there is no attempt at a door; so that, in fact, as has been
said, the Fuegian’s only idea of a house is a shelter from the wind, so
that the natives have no idea of a home or even of a dwelling-place.
This is the form of hut used by the Tekeenika tribes of south-eastern
Fuegia. A Fuegian settlement, with houses and surrounding scenery, is
well represented on the 1169th page.
That which is generally employed in other parts of Fuegia is even
more simple. It is barely half the height of the Tekeenika hut, and
looks something like a large bee-hive. It seldom, if ever, exceeds
five feet in height, but, as the earth is scraped away within, another
foot in height is given to the interior. It is made simply by digging
a circular hole a foot or so in depth, planting green boughs around
the excavation, bending them over, and tying their tops together. Upon
this rude framework are fastened bunches of grass, sheets of bark, and
skins; so that, on the whole, a habitation is formed which is equal
in point of accommodation to a gipsy’s tent. These huts vary much in
diameter, though not in height; for, while a number of huts are from
four to five feet in height, their diameter will vary from six to
twenty feet.
The Fuegians are a quarrelsome people, and the different tribes are
constantly at war with each other; and, although they can scarcely
be divided into definite tribes, the spirit of local jealousy is
sufficiently strong within them to keep the inhabitants of one
district at perpetual feud with those of another. The conformation of
the country aids this feeling of jealousy, the land being divided by
numerous ravines, armlets of the sea, and precipitous mountains; but,
fortunately for the Fuegians, this very structure prevents destruction
in war, although it encourages the ill-feeling which leads to war; and
the battles of the Fuegians are, at the best, nothing but detached
skirmishes, without producing the least political effect.
Their weapons are the bow and arrow, the spear, and the sling. These
weapons are primarily intended for hunting, and are much more used for
killing seals, guanacos, deer, fish, and birds than in slaying men.
In the use of them the Fuegians are wonderfully expert. Capt. Parker
Snow mentions a case where a number of Fuegians had assembled in their
canoes round his vessel. A large fish happened to pass, whereupon the
natives instantly speared it, and pitched it on board the ship.
The shafts of the spears sometimes reach the length of ten feet, and,
instead of being rounded, as is mostly the case with spear shafts,
are octagonal. The heads are made of bone, about seven inches in
length, and have a single barb about four inches from the point. The
Patagonians use a very similar weapon, as we shall presently see.
There is another kind of spear head, which has a whole row of small
barbs down one side. This weapon is used as a javelin, and is thrown
with great force and accuracy, the native grasping it near the middle,
poising for a moment, so as to look along it, and then hurling it.
The bow and arrow are mostly used for killing birds, the arrows being
made of hard wood, about two feet long. They are headed with pieces of
flint or obsidian, which are merely stuck in a notch at the end of the
arrow, so that, when the shaft is withdrawn, the head remains in the
wound. The bow is strung with twisted sinews. Birds are also killed by
stones, some thrown by hand, and others with the sling, the wonderful
strength of these strange people enabling them to use their missiles
with terrible effect.
Although not tall, the Fuegians are very thick-set and enormously
powerful. One of them, named by the sailors York Minster, was a match
in point of muscular strength for any two of the men belonging to the
ship. The women are as strong as the men. On one occasion, when three
Fuegians, a man and two women, had treacherously attacked a white
sailor, and were trying to beat out his brains with stones, they were
interrupted, and the sailor rescued. The man was shot. One of the women
tried to conceal herself under the bank, and the other was seized
by the captain and his coxswain, who tried to pinion her arms. She
struggled and fought so stoutly that they could scarcely achieve their
object, and had no idea that they were contending with a woman until
they heard some one announce the sex of their captive. As to the other
woman, who was the oldest of the party, she clung so tightly to the
bank that two of the strongest sailors could scarcely remove her.
The fate of the man was very curious, and illustrates the reckless, not
to say senseless, courage of these people. He was mortally wounded,
and fell back for a moment, allowing the maltreated sailor to escape.
However, he instantly recovered himself, and, snatching stones from the
bed of the stream in which he was standing, began to hurl them with
astounding force and quickness. He used both hands, and flung stones
with such truth of aim that the first struck the master, smashed his
powder-horn to pieces, and nearly knocked him down. The two next were
hurled at the heads of the nearest seamen, who just escaped by stooping
as the missiles were thrown. All this passed in a second or two, and
with an attempt to hurl a fourth stone the man fell dead.
Some time before this event the sailors had been astonished at the
stone-throwing powers of the Fuegians, who nearly struck them with
stones thrown by hand when they thought themselves even beyond musket
shot. They generally carry a store of pebbles ready for use in the
corner of their little skin mantles.
The sling is made of a cup of seal or guanaco skin, to which are
attached two cords similar in material to the bow-strings, thus
combining apparent delicacy with great strength. The cords of the
sling are more than three feet in length. The skill which the Fuegians
possess with this weapon is worthy of the reputation attained by
the Balearic islanders. Captain King has seen them strike with a
sling-stone a cap placed on a stump at fifty or sixty yards’ distance,
and on one occasion he witnessed a really wonderful display of
dexterity. He asked a Fuegian to show him the use of the weapon. The
man immediately picked up a stone about as large as a pigeon’s egg,
placed it in the sling, and pointed to a canoe as his mark. He then
turned his back, and flung the stone in exactly the opposite direction,
so that it struck the trunk of a tree, and rebounded to the canoe. The
men seem to think the sling a necessity of life, and it is very seldom
that a Fuegian is seen without it either hung over his neck or tied
round his waist.
It is rather a curious fact that the Fuegians always devote themselves
to one particular weapon. One, for example, will be pre-eminent in the
use of the bow, another will excel in throwing stones with the hand,
and a third will give all his energies to the sling. Yet, although each
man selects some particular arm in the use of which he excels, they all
are tolerable masters of the other weapons, and it sometimes happens
that a Fuegian crosses over to the Patagonian coast, procures the
singular weapon called the “bolas,” of which the reader will learn more
presently, and becomes almost as expert in its use as the man from whom
he obtained it.
* * * * *
As for the food of the Fuegians, it is, as I have already mentioned,
chiefly drawn from the sea. He is an excellent fisherman, and manages
to capture his prey without even a hook. He ties a bait on the end of
the line, dangles it before the fish, and gradually coaxes it toward
the surface of the water. He then allows it to bite, and, before it
can detach its teeth from the bait, jerks it out of the water with
his right hand, while with the left he catches or strikes it into the
canoe. It is evident that by this manner of angling it is impossible to
catch fish of any great size. As soon as he has caught the fish, the
Fuegian opens it by the simple plan of biting a piece out of its under
surface, cleans it, and hangs it on a stick.
Molluscs, especially the mussels and limpets which are found on the
sea-shores, form a very considerable portion of the Fuegian’s diet; and
it is a curious fact that these natives never throw the empty shells
about, but carefully lay them in heaps. They are especially careful
not to throw them back into the sea, thinking that the molluscs would
take warning by seeing the shells of their comrades, and would forsake
the coast. Every woman is furnished with a short pointed stick of hard
wood, with which she knocks the limpets off the rocks.
There is a very large species of mussel found on these shores, which
is particularly useful to the Fuegian, who employs its shell as a
knife. These tools are made in a very simple manner. The Fuegian first
knocks off the original edge of the shell, which is brittle and rather
fragile, and, by grinding it against the rocks, produces a new edge,
which is sharp enough to cut wood and even bone.
By means of the spear and arrows, the Fuegian contrives even to capture
seals and sea-otters, but the pursuit in which he shows his greatest
ingenuity is the capture of fish by means of dogs. These dogs are
little, fox-like looking dogs, which appear utterly incapable of aiding
their masters in hunting. Yet they are singularly intelligent in their
own way, and have learned a most curious fashion of taking fish. When
a shoal of fish approaches the land, the dogs swim out and enclose
them, splashing and diving until they drive the shoal into a net, or
into some creek when the water is sufficiently shallow for the spear
and arrow to be used. The dogs are also taught to catch the birds while
sleeping. They creep up to the birds quietly, pounce upon them, carry
them to their masters, and return for more, and all so silently that
the birds around are not disturbed.
These animals are regarded with very mingled feelings. The Fuegian
neglects them and illtreats them, scarcely ever taking the trouble to
feed them, so that if they depended on the food given them by their
masters they would starve. However, their aquatic training gives them
the power of foraging for themselves, and, when not required by their
masters, they can catch fish on their own account. They are odd, sharp
nosed, bushy tailed animals, with large, pointed, erect ears, and
usually with dark rough hair, though a few among them have the fur
nearly white. They are watchful and faithful to their masters, and the
sight of a stranger, much more of a clothed stranger, sets them barking
furiously.
Although the Fuegian neglects his dog, he has a great respect and
even affection for the animal. It often happens that the mussels and
limpets fail, that the weather is too tempestuous for fishing, and that
in consequence the people are reduced to the brink of starvation. It
might be presumed that, having their dogs at hand, they would avail
themselves of so obvious a source of food. This, however, they never
do, except when reduced to the last extremity, and, instead of eating
their dogs, they eat their old women, who, as they think, are worn out
and can do no good, while the dogs, if suffered to live, will assist in
catching fish and guanacos.
When they have determined on killing an old woman, they put a quantity
of green wood on their fire, so as to cause a thick, suffocating smoke,
and in this smoke they hold the poor creature’s head until she is
stifled. Unless there is very great distress, the women eat the upper
part of the victim and the men the lower, the trunk being thrown into
the sea.
Several species of echinus, or sea urchins, are eaten by the Fuegians,
who dive for them and bring them to the surface, in spite of the sharp
prickles with which the entire surface is beset.
The Fuegian’s great feast, however, takes place when a whale is
stranded on the shore. All the people within reach flock to the spot,
while fleets of canoes surround the stranded monster, and its body
is covered with little copper-colored men carving away the blubber
with their shell knives. Each cuts as much as he can get, and when he
has torn and carved off a large piece of blubber, he makes a hole in
the middle, puts his head through the aperture, and thus leaves his
hands free to carry more of the dainty food. Besides this animal food,
the Fuegian eats a remarkable kind of fungus, which is found on the
antarctic beech, the tree which has already been mentioned. Mr. Webster
gives the following description of it:--
“The antarctic beech is the common and prevailing tree. It is an
elegant evergreen. It grows to the height of thirty or forty feet,
with a girth of from three to five feet, and sometimes, doubling these
dimensions, it forms a majestic tree. In December it puts forth a
profusion of blossoms, with anthers of bright pink, large and pendent.
This evergreen beech frequently has round the upper part of the trunk,
or on some of the larger branches, large clusters of globular fungi of
a bright orange color. Each fungus is about the size of a small apple,
of a soft pulpy nature, with a smooth yellow skin. As it approaches
maturity it becomes cellular and latticed on its surface, and when it
drops from the tree, dries, and shrivels into a brown mass resembling a
morel.
“The Fuegians eat this fungus with avidity. The gelatinous mass is
pale, without taste or odor; at the part in contact with the tree
are two germs or processes. From twenty to thirty of these fungi are
clustered together, and encircle the tree. They form a very conspicuous
object, and wherever they are attached they produce a hard knot, or
woody tumor, of considerable density. I did not observe them on any
other tree than the evergreen beech.”
Passing so much of his time on the sea, the Fuegian needs a boat of
some kind, and, debased as he is in many points, he is capable of
constructing a vessel that answers every purpose he requires. There
are several kinds of Fuegian canoes. The simplest form is made of the
bark of a sort of birch, and is in fact formed much like the primitive
canoes of the Australians. It is a single sheet of bark stripped from
the tree, and tied firmly together at each end. Several sticks placed
crosswise in the middle serve to keep it open; and if any part has a
tendency to bulge in the opposite direction, a skin thong is passed
across the boat and keeps it in shape. The ends of the canoe, as well
as any cracks or holes in the bark, are caulked with dry rushes and a
pitchy resin procured from trees.
Like the Australian, the Fuegian carries fire in these tiny canoes,
placing a lump of clay in the bottom of the boat, building the fire
on it, and so being able to remain at sea for a considerable time,
cooking and eating the fish as fast as he catches them. Such a boat
as this, however, is too frail to be taken far from land, or indeed
to be used at all when the weather is tempestuous. Moreover, it only
holds one or two persons, and is therefore unfitted for many purposes
for which a Fuegian requires a canoe. A much larger and better kind of
canoe is therefore made, which has the useful property of being made
in separate parts so that the canoe can be taken to pieces, and the
various portions carried overland to any spot where the canoe may be
wanted. Such a vessel as this is about fifteen feet in length and a
yard in width, and, being very buoyant, is capable of holding a whole
family, together with their house, and weapons, and utensils. It is
considerably raised both at the bow and the stern, and the various
pieces of which it is made are sewed together with thongs of raw hide.
The very character of a Fuegian’s life shows that he must, to a
certain degree, be a nomad. He never cultivates the soil, he never
builds a real house, he never stores up food for the future, and so it
necessarily follows that when he has eaten all the mussels, limpets,
oysters, and fungi in one spot, he must move to another. And, the
demands of hunger being imperious, he cannot wait, but, even if the
weather be too stormy to allow him to take his canoe from one part of
the coast to another, he is still forced to go, and has therefore hit
upon the ingenious plan of taking his canoe to pieces, and making the
journey by land and not by sea. An illustration on the following page
shows him shifting quarters.
All he has to do in this case is to unlace the hide thongs that lash
the canoe together, take it to pieces, and give each piece to some
member of the family to carry, the strongest taking the most cumbrous
pieces, such as the side and bottom planks, while the smaller portions
are borne by the children. When the snow lies deep, the smaller canoe
is generally used as a sledge, on which the heavier articles are
placed. As to the hut, in some cases the Fuegians carry the upright
rods with them; but they often do not trouble themselves with the
burden, but leave the hut to perish, and cut down fresh sticks when
they arrive at the spot on which they mean to settle for a time.
The Fuegians are good fire makers, and do not go through the
troublesome process of rubbing two sticks upon each other. They have
learned the value of iron pyrites (the same mineral which was used in
the “wheel-lock” fire-arm of Elizabeth’s time), and obtain it from the
mountains of their islands. The tinder is made either of a dried fungus
or moss, and when the pyrites and a pebble are struck together by a
skilful hand, a spark is produced of sufficient intensity to set fire
to the tinder. As soon as the spark has taken hold of the tinder, the
Fuegian blows it until it spreads, and then wraps it up in a ball of
dry grass. He rapidly whirls the grass ball round his head, when the
dry foliage bursts into flames, and the fire is complete.
Still, the process of fire making is not a very easy one, and the
Fuegians never use their pyrites except when forced to do so,
preferring to keep a fire always lighted, and to carry a firestick with
them when they travel. Fire is, indeed, a necessary of life to the
Fuegians, not so much for cooking as for warming purposes. Those who
have visited them say that the natives always look cold and shivering,
as indeed they are likely to do, considering that they wear no clothes,
and that even in their houses they can but obtain a very partial
shelter from the elements.
Their cookery is of the rudest description, and generally consists in
putting the food into the hot ashes, and allowing it to remain there
until it is sufficiently done for their taste--or, in other words,
until it is fairly warmed through. Cooking in vessels of any kind is
unknown to them, and the first lessons given them in cooking mussels in
a tin pan were scarcely more successful than those in sewing, when the
women invariably made a hole in the stuff with the needle, pulled the
thread out of the eye, and then insinuated it through the hole made by
the needle. They were repeatedly taught the use of the eye in carrying
the thread, but to little purpose, as they invariably returned to the
old fashion which they had learned with a fish-bone and fibre of sinew.
[Illustration: (1.) A FUEGIAN SETTLEMENT. (See page 1165.)]
[Illustration: (2.) FUEGIANS SHIFTING QUARTERS. (See page 1168.)]
Though so constantly in the water, the Fuegians have not the most
distant idea of washing themselves. Such a notion never occurs to
them, and when Europeans first came among them, the sight of a man
washing his face seemed to them so irresistibly ludicrous that they
burst into shouts of laughter. In consequence of this utter neglect
of cleanliness, and the habit of bedaubing themselves with grease and
clay, they are very offensive to the nostrils, and any one who wishes
to cultivate an acquaintance with them must make up his mind to a
singular variety of evil odors. Moreover, they swarm with parasites,
and, as they will persist in demonstrating friendly feelings by
embracing their guest with a succession of violently affectionate hugs,
the cautious visitor provides himself either with an oil-skin suit, or
with some very old clothes, which he can give away to the natives as
soon as he regains his vessel.
Although the Fuegians are often ill-disposed toward strangers, and
indeed have murdered many boats’ crews, Captain Parker Snow contrived
to be on very friendly terms with them, going on shore and visiting
them in their huts, so as to place himself entirely in their power,
and allowing them to come on board his ship. He was fortunate in
obtaining the services of a native, called Jemmy Button, who had been
partially educated in England, with the hope that he might civilize
his countrymen. However, as mostly happened in such cases, he was soon
stripped of all his goods; and when Captain Snow visited Tierra del
Fuego, twenty-three years afterward, he found Jemmy Button as naked and
dirty as any of his countrymen, as were his wife and daughter.
The man, however, retained much of his knowledge of English, a few
words of which he had engrafted upon his native language. When first
he arrived on board, the English words came with difficulty; but
he soon recovered his fluency, and had not forgotten his manners,
touching his forehead as he stepped on the quarter-deck, and making
his bow in sailor fashion when he addressed the captain, to the entire
consternation of the sailors, who could not understand an absolutely
naked savage speaking English, and being as well-mannered as themselves.
The faculty of acquiring language is singularly developed in the
Fuegian. Generally, the inhabitants of one country find great
difficulty in mastering the pronunciation, and especially the
intonation, of a foreign land; but a Fuegian can repeat almost any
sentence after hearing it once, though of course he has not the
slightest idea of its meaning.
A very absurd example of this curious facility of tongue occurred to
some sailors who went ashore, and taught the natives to drink coffee.
One of the Fuegians, after drinking his coffee, contrived to conceal
the tin pot, with the intention of stealing it. The sailor demanded the
restoration of his property, and was greatly annoyed that every word
which he uttered was instantly repeated by the Fuegian. Thinking at
last, that the man must be mocking him, and forgetting for the instant
that he did not understand one word of English, the sailor assumed a
menacing attitude, and bawled out, “You copper-colored rascal, where
is my tin pot?” The Fuegian, nowise disconcerted, assumed precisely
the same attitude, and exclaimed in exactly the same manner, “You
copper-colored rascal, where is my tin pot?” As it turned out, “the
copper-colored rascal” had the pot tucked under his arm.
The natives evidently seemed to think that their white visitors were
very foolish for failing to comprehend their language, and tried to
make them understand by bawling at the top of their voice. On one or
two occasions, when a number of them came on board, they much annoyed
Captain Snow by the noise which they made, until a bright thought
struck him. He snatched up a speaking trumpet, and bellowed at his
visitors through it with such a stunning effect that their voices
dropped into respectful silence, and they began to laugh at the manner
in which they had been out-bawled by a single man.
As far as can be ascertained, the Fuegians have no form of government.
They live in small communities, not worthy of the name of tribes, and
having no particular leader, except that the oldest man among them,
so long as he retains his strength, is looked up to as a sort of
authority. Their ideas of religion appear to be as ill-defined as those
of government, the only representative of religion being the conjuror,
who, however, exercises but very slight influence upon his fellow
countrymen.
CHAPTER CXXI.
THE PATAGONIANS.
APPEARANCE--WEAPONS--HORSEMANSHIP.
POSITION OF PATAGONIA -- STATURE OF THE INHABITANTS -- SIGNIFICATION
OF THE NAME -- HORSE FURNITURE -- THE STIRRUP AND BOOT -- AN
INGENIOUS SPUR -- THE GIRTH AND ITS CONSTRUCTION -- PRIMITIVE BUCKLES
-- THE BRIDLE AND ITS ACCOMPANYING WHIP -- THE PATAGONIAN AND SPANISH
BITS -- SIZE AND STRENGTH OF THEIR HORSES -- HORSE-RACING -- THE
BOLAS, THEIR CONSTRUCTION, AND DIFFERENT VARIETIES OF FORM -- WAR IN
PATAGONIA -- THE SPARE HORSES AND THEIR USE -- THE RETURN FROM BATTLE
-- A HUNTING EXPEDITION -- CHASING THE GUANACO -- A TERRIFIED HERD --
THE DISADVANTAGE OF CURIOSITY -- DECOY GUANACOS -- PARTRIDGE CATCHING
-- THE POWER OF FASCINATION.
Separated from Tierra del Fuego by a strait so narrow that in certain
spots human beings might converse across the water, is the land called
Patagonia.
It derives this now familiar title from a nickname given to the
inhabitants by Magellan’s sailors. As we shall presently see when
treating of their costume, the Patagonians wear a sort of gaiter to
protect their ankles against thorns. These gaiters are made of the
furry skin of the guanaco, the long hair spreading out on either side
of the foot. The sailors, ever ready to ridicule any custom new to
them, remarked this conspicuous part of the dress, and nicknamed the
natives Patagones, _i. e._ duck-feet, a name which has ever since
adhered to them, and even been applied to their country.
The narrow armlet of sea, to which reference has been made, divides two
lands utterly opposed to each other, and inhabited by people totally
distinct in appearance and habits. Tierra del Fuego has scarcely
a level spot in it, but is composed of even set ravines clothed
with trees, and precipitous, snow-clad mountains. Patagonia, on the
contrary, abounds in vast level plains, unfertile and without a tree on
them.
The human inhabitants of these countries are as different as the lands
themselves, the Fuegians being below the average height, and the
Patagonians above it. Yet, just as the Fuegian is not such an absolute
dwarf, as has often been stated, the Patagonian is not such an absolute
giant, a regiment of English Lifeguards being as tall as an equal
number of Patagonians. It is true that if a Patagonian regiment of
picked men were raised they would overtop even the Guardsmen, but the
old tales about an average of seven or even eight feet are unworthy of
credit. Some of the older voyagers even attribute to the Patagonians
a much loftier stature, saying that some of them were twelve feet
in height, and that when one of them stood with his legs apart, an
ordinary man could walk between them without stooping.
The color of the Patagonians is somewhat like that of the Fuegians,
being a dark copper brown, the reddish hue coming out well on any
part of the skin that happens to be less dirty than others. The hair
is coarse, long and black, and is allowed to hang loosely about their
faces, being merely kept out of their eyes by a small fillet of guanaco
hair. There is scarcely any eyebrow, a deficiency which always gives an
unpleasant expression to the eyes, and indeed, even in the old men, the
face is almost devoid of hair. The face is roundish, the width being
increased by the great projection of the cheek-bones, and the chin is
rather broad and prominent. The small, restless eyes, are black, as
is the hair, and rather hidden under the prominent brows. The nose is
narrow between the eyes, but the nostrils are broad and fleshy. The
mouth is large, and the lips rather thick, but altogether the face
is not a bad one. The illustration on the 1163d page, of a Patagonian
man and woman furnishes a striking contrast with the Fuegians, their
neighbors.
The dress of the Patagonians is simple, but sufficient, and in this
respect they form a great contrast to the absolutely naked Fuegians
of the opposite shores. The chief part of the costume consists of a
large mantle made of guanaco skins. The guanaco is, as the reader may
possibly be aware, one of the llama tribe, and is about the size of a
deer. It is covered with a thick woolly coat, the long hair of which is
valuable, not only to the Patagonians, but to Europeans, by whom it is
made into various fabrics.
It is very plentiful in this country, fortunately for the Patagonians,
to whom the guanaco is the very staff of life, the creature that
supplies him with food, clothes, and dwelling. Sometimes it is seen in
great droves of several hundreds in number, but it generally associates
in smaller herds of twenty or thirty individuals. It is a shy animal,
as well it may be, considering the many foes that are always ready
to fall upon it; and as it is swift as well as shy, great skill is
required in capturing it, as will presently be seen.
The guanaco-skin mantle is very large, and when folded round the body
and clasped by the arms, falls as low as the feet; and when a tall
Patagonian is seen in this mantle, which adds apparently to his height,
he presents a very imposing appearance. Generally, the mantle is
confined round the waist by a belt, so that when the wearer chooses, he
can throw off the upper part of it, his hands remaining at liberty for
action. Under the mantle he wears a small apron.
Next come the curious gaiters, which have been already mentioned. At
first sight they look like boots reaching from the knee downward, but
when examined more closely, they are seen to be devoid of sole, having
only a strap that passes under the middle of the foot, so that the heel
and toes and great part of the sole are left unprotected. The reason of
this structure is, that the Patagonian is nearly always on horseback,
and the toe is made to project beyond the gaiter in order to be placed
in the stirrup, which is very small and triangular.
As the Patagonians are so devoted to horsemanship no sketch of
this people would be adequate without an account of their horse
accoutrements. I have a complete set in my possession. The saddle is
made of four pieces of wood, firmly lashed together with raw-hide
thongs, and both the front and back of the saddle are alike. From the
sides depend the stirrups, which are appended to leathern thongs, and
are made in a very simple manner. A hole is made at each end of a
stout leathern strap, and a short piece of stick about half an inch
in diameter is thrust through them, being retained in its place by a
groove near each end. The strap being attached by its middle to the
thongs which act as stirrup-leathers, the article is complete.
As the space between the grooves is rather less than three inches, it
necessarily follows that the Patagonian horseman can only insert his
great toe in the stirrup. This, however, is sufficient hold for him, as
he is an admirable though careless looking rider, the greater part of
his life, from childhood upward, having been spent on horseback.
The spur is as primitive as the stirrup, and exactly resembles in
principle the prick-spurs of the ancient knights. It consists of two
pieces of stick, exactly like those employed for the stirrups, and two
short straps of cowhide. A hole is made at each end of the strap, and
the sticks are pushed through them, being held in their places, like
those of the stirrups, by a groove cut half an inch from their ends, so
that the two sticks are held parallel to each other.
To the upper ends of each stick a leathern thong is applied, and these
thongs, being tied over the instep, hold the spur in its place. At
the other ends of the sticks holes are bored, into each of which a
sharp iron spike is inserted. In my own specimen, the maker has been
economical of his iron, and has only inserted spikes in one of the
sticks, so that when the spurs are worn with the spiked stick inward,
they are quite as effective as if both sticks were armed. Still, the
hole for the reception of the spikes has been bored in all the sticks,
and there is no doubt that the Patagonian who made the spurs would have
inserted the spikes at some time or other.
The spur is worn as follows: The armed sticks come on either side of
the foot, the strap which is next to the spiked ends goes round the
heel, the other strap passes under the hollow of the foot, and the
hide thongs are tied over the instep. Such a spur as this is not only
an effective but a cruel instrument, really as bad as the huge metal
spurs, with rowels four inches in diameter, which the Gauchos wear. It
is impossible to see this simple form of spur without recalling the old
story of “Sandford and Merton,” and referring to the adventure of Tommy
Merton, who, on being forbidden to use spurs, stuck pins into the heels
of his boots, and was run away with in consequence.
The girth is a singularly ingenious piece of work. The strength of the
girth itself is prodigious. At first sight it looks as if it were a
single broad belt of leather, but a nearer inspection shows that it is
made of twenty-two separate cords, each about the eighth of an inch in
thickness, laid side by side, and united at intervals by several rows
of similar cords of strings. Each of these cords is made of two strands
of raw hide, probably that of guanaco, and looks as strong as ordinary
catgut. Buckles are unknown to the Patagonian, who has invented in
their stead a mode of tightening the girth by passing straps through
holes, hauling upon them, and fastening off the ends.
The bit and bridle are equally ingenious. It consists of a squared
bar of iron four and a half inches long, the ends of which are passed
through holes in doubled pieces of hide, and hammered when cold into a
sort of rivet-like shape, so as to retain the leather in its place. To
the lower part of the leathers are attached a couple of stout thongs,
which are passed under the lower jaw of the horse, and then tied, so
that they keep the bit in its place, and at the same time act as a sort
of curb.
To the upper part of the leathers are fixed the long plaited thongs
which are used as reins, and which seem strong enough to hold an
elephant, much more a horse. The Patagonian uses no separate whip, but
has a long double strap of stout hide, which is fixed to the junction
of the reins, so that there is no danger of losing it.
This is the ordinary bit of a Patagonian hunter, but those who can
obtain it like to use the cruel Spanish bit, which they fit up in their
own way with thongs of plaited hide. One of these bits is shown in
illustration No. 4 on the following page. The principal distinguishing
point about these bits is the large iron ring, which passes over
the horse’s jaw, and gives to the rider a leverage so powerful that
he could break the jaw of any horse without making any very great
exertion. By the use of this bit, the horse is soon taught to stop
almost suddenly, to wheel in a very limited area, and to perform the
various evolutions which are needed in carrying out the pursuit in
which the Patagonian depends for much of his livelihood.
The reins which are attached to this bit are of enormous strength,
and are plaited in a square form, so that no amount of pulling which
any horse could accomplish would endanger them. The whip is attached
to these reins like that of the last mentioned apparatus, but is more
severe, thicker, and heavier, and is made of a long and broad belt of
hide, cut into four strips, which are plaited together, flat and narrow
strips about four inches long answering as the lash. It will be seen
that the Patagonian is by no means merciful to his beast, but that he
uses a bit, spur, and whip which are, though so simple in appearance,
more severe in practice than those which have a far more formidable
aspect.
The horses which he rides are descended from those which were
introduced by the Spaniards, and which have multiplied so rapidly as
almost to deserve the name of indigenous animals. They are of no great
size, being under fifteen hands high, and belonging to that well-known
mustang breed which is more celebrated for strength and endurance than
for aspect, qualities which are indispensable in an animal that has to
carry so heavy a rider after creatures so fleet as the guanaco or the
rhea.
The Patagonians are fond of racing, but never make their courses longer
than a quarter of a mile. The reason for these short races is, that
their horses are not required to run for any length of time at full
speed, but to make quick and sudden dashes, so as to enable the rider
to reach his prey, and hurl the singular missiles with which he is
armed.
There is yet an article needed to complete the equipment of a
Patagonian. This is the celebrated “bolas,” a weapon which looks almost
contemptible, but in practised hands is exceptionably formidable. It
consists of two or sometimes three balls at the end of hide thongs. The
form most in use is that which is represented in illustration No. 3 on
the next page. The native name for the two-ball bolas is _somai_, and
that for the three-ball weapon is _achico_.
The first point in making the bolas is to procure the proper balls, and
the second to prepare the proper rope to which they are fastened. The
ordinary balls are made of stone, and are nearly as large as cricket
balls. They are made by the women, who pass much of their time in
supplying the men with these necessaries of life. To cut and grind
one of these stones is a good day’s work, even for an accomplished
workwoman.
A still more valuable ball is made of iron, which has the advantage of
being so much heavier than stone that the ball is considerably smaller,
and therefore experiences less resistance from the air, a quality which
is of the first consequence in a missile weapon. The most valuable are
those which are made of copper, as is the case with the specimen from
which the illustration is taken. Each of these balls weighs eighteen
ounces, in spite of its small size, so that the weapon is a very
formidable one.
The thong to which the balls are attached is nine feet in length,
and is made in the following manner: two pairs of thongs of raw
hide are cut, and, while they are still fresh and wet, each pair is
twisted together so as to form a two-stranded rope. These ropes are
again twisted into one, so that the aggregate strength of the four is
enormous.
Round each of the balls is then laid a circular piece of guanaco hide,
with holes bored all round the edge. The ends of the thongs being
passed through the holes and laced tightly, the raw hide is drawn
over the balls, and encloses them in a sort of pocket, as is seen by
the enlarged figure in the illustration. This specimen is one of the
three-ball weapons. In this case a third thong five feet six inches
in length has been twisted, one end fastened to a ball, and the other
interlaced with the strands of the first thong exactly at its centre.
We have now the three-ball bolas, which is made in such a manner that,
when the thongs are grasped at their points of junction, two of the
balls hang at equal depths from the hand, and the third is just a foot
below them.
[Illustration: (1.) STIRRUPS AND SPURS. (See page 1196.)]
[Illustration: (2.) LASSOS. (See page 1197.)]
[Illustration: (3.) PATAGONIAN BOLAS. (See page 1174.)
_leather plait_]
[Illustration: (4.) SPANISH BIT AND PATAGONIAN FITTINGS. (See page
1174.)]
The bolas is to the Patagonian what the kris is to the Malay, the
boomerang to the Australian, the lasso to the Gaucho, the club to the
Fijian, and the bow to the Andamaner. From early childhood upward no
Patagonian is without this weapon, which seems to him an absolute
necessity of existence. Generally he carries it twisted round his
waist, like an officer’s sash of the olden days, the balls dangling at
the side like the tassels of the sash.
It is, however, coiled on the body with such consummate skill that
it can be cast loose with a turn of the hand, the eye being fixed on
the object of attack, and in a moment the Patagonian is fully armed.
Putting aside warfare, which in Patagonia is scarcely known, the
tribes, or rather the families, not being strong enough to wage real
war upon each other, the so-called battles are unworthy of any name
except that of skirmishes, which among themselves seem to do no great
harm, however formidable they may be to opponents who happen to be
unacquainted with the mode of fighting practised by the Patagonians.
For example, a dozen trained riflemen, on foot, who could thoroughly
depend on each other, would overmatch ten times their number of mounted
Patagonians, who, every whit as brave as themselves, are ignorant of
discipline, and fight every man for his own hand.
Let the riflemen once allow the Patagonians to come within thirty
yards, and they would be annihilated; but as long as the foe could be
kept out of throwing distance, they are comparatively harmless.
When a Patagonian intends to attack either a human enemy, or some
animal of chase, or even, as often happens, some wild beast or bird,
he slips the ever-ready bolas from his waist, grasps the thongs at
their point of union, drives his primitive spurs into the flanks of his
rough-coated steed, and dashes off at full gallop, whirling the bolas
round his head by a dexterous movement of his flexible wrist.
As soon as he comes within throwing distance, which materially varies
according to the strength of the thrower and the structure of the
bolas, he hurls his singular weapon with unerring skill. No sooner
does it leave his hand than the centrifugal force causes the balls to
diverge, and they fly round and round in the air with a motion exactly
resembling that which an English street acrobat imparts to a couple
of padded balls at the ends of a string, when he wants to clear the
ground.
Urged by the stalwart arm of the Patagonian, the bolas flies straight
to its mark, and no sooner does it strike it, than the impetus
communicated to the balls causes the thongs to twist round the
unfortunate victim, and bring him at once to a halt. Indeed, should
a man be struck by the bolas, he may congratulate himself if in
three minutes afterwards he finds himself alive, neither having been
strangled by the cords twisting round his neck, nor brained by the
heavy balls coming in contact with his skull.
The skill which the Patagonians attain is really marvellous. At any
distance short of fifty yards a victim marked is a victim slain. So
terrific is the gripe of the bolas thong, that Europeans who have been
struck with it have been found to suffer from weals as well marked as
if they had been made by the stroke of a “cow-hide” whip upon the bare
flesh.
An excellent description of the various kinds of bolas is given by
Captain King:--
“Sometimes two balls, each of which has a cord about a yard in length,
are fastened to the thong of the larger set. This is to entangle
the victim more effectually. They do not try to strike objects with
these balls, but endeavor to throw them so that the thong shall hit a
prominent part; and then, of course, the balls swing round in different
directions, and the thongs become so ‘laid up’ (or twisted), that
struggling only makes the captive more secure.
“They can throw them so dexterously as to fasten a man to his horse, or
catch a horse without harming him. If an animal is to be caught without
being thrown down suddenly--an inevitable consequence of these balls
swinging round his legs while at full speed--a _somai_ is thrown upon
his neck. The two balls hang down, and perplex him so much by dangling
about his fore-legs that his speed is much checked, and another set of
balls or a lasso may be used to secure without throwing him down. The
lasso is not much used, so adroit, are they with the balls.
“A formidable missile weapon is the single ball, called by the
Spaniards ‘bola perdida.’ This is similar to the other in size and
substance, but attached to a slighter rope about a yard long. Whirling
this ball, about a pound in weight, with the utmost swiftness around
their heads, they dash it at their adversary with almost the force of
a shot. At close quarters it is used, with a shorter scope of cord, as
an efficient head-breaker. Several of these original and not trifling
offensive weapons are kept in readiness by each individual, and many
a Spaniard, armed with steel and gunpowder, has acknowledged their
effect.”
The raids which are dignified by the name of warfare are more for
plunder than conquest, inasmuch as the Patagonian cares nothing for
territory, of which he has enough and to spare, and almost nothing for
military fame. Sometimes he wants plunder; sometimes he means to make a
hunting expedition into a district held by another tribe; and sometimes
he prepares a short campaign against an inimical tribe in revenge for a
real or fancied insult.
When preparing for such an excursion, or while expecting the attack of
another tribe, the Patagonians keep themselves in constant preparation
for war. They put on three of their thickest mantles in order to deaden
the blow of the bolas, or withstand the point of the spear and arrow.
These mantles are not wrapped round them in the ordinary fashion of
peace, but are worn like ponchos, the head being thrust through a hole
in the middle. The innermost mantle is of guanaco skin, with the hairy
side inward, while the others are simple leather, without hair, the
place of which is taken by paint. Their heads are guarded by conical
caps, made of hide, and often adorned by a tuft of feathers from the
rhea.
Those who are wealthy enough purchase a sort of armor composed of a
thick hide tunic, with a high collar and short sleeves, and a hat or
helmet made of double bull’s hide. This garment is very heavy and
clumsy, but it will resist every weapon except bullets, and will make
even the blow of the “bola perdida” fall harmless. Those who are too
poor to possess a horse, and are obliged to fight on foot, carry
shields made of several layers of hide sewed together.
Sometimes they come unexpectedly upon enemies, and a skirmish is the
immediate result. In this case they mostly fling aside their cumbrous
mantles, and fight without any clothing except the girdle and their
spurs. When they make expeditions against inimical districts, they
take spare horses with them, one of which is intended to bear the
plunder as they return, and to take its share in carrying the warrior
to battle. As soon as the Patagonian finds that his weight is beginning
to tell upon the horse which he rides, he vaults upon the other without
checking them in their gallop, and thus makes sure of a fresh and
unwearied horse upon going into action. The second horse is afterward
used for the conveyance of slaves, skins, weapons, and other booty.
As they return, they fling off the cumbrous armor of coats and mantles,
and ride, according to their fashion, naked to the waist, the innermost
mantle being retained in its place by a leathern thong, which acts as
a belt. In some of these expeditions a whole troop of loose horses is
driven in front of the warriors, and when a man feels his own horse
becoming wearied, he rides alongside one of the loose horses, shifts
the bit, and leaps on the fresh animal, not troubling himself about the
saddle.
When the Patagonian goes out hunting, he carries no weapon except the
bolas and a knife, the latter being considered rather as a tool than
a weapon. Should he see a herd of guanacos, he makes silently toward
them, imitating the cry of the young one in distress, and doing all
in his power to attract the animals. Anything very strange is sure to
attract them, just as it attracts cows, which are horribly afraid of
the new object, but, victims of a sort of fascination, are led nearer
and nearer by a spirit of curiosity, for which they pay with their
lives. When a small herd--say six or eight--of guanacos is seen, they
can generally be enticed within range of the bolas by a hunter on foot,
who steals as near them as he can manage to do without alarming them,
and then plays various antics, such as lying on his back and kicking
his legs in the air, tying a strip of hide or a bunch of feathers to a
stick, and waving it about. The inquisitive creatures seem unable to
resist the promptings of their curiosity, and, though they are really
afraid of the strange object, come closer and closer, until the hunter
is able to hurl the terrible bolas at them.
When, however, the herd is a large one, the guanacos are much more
timid, and, until the introduction of the horse, the Patagonians could
seldom do much with them. Now, however, the possession of the horse,
together with their knowledge of the guanaco’s disposition, enables
them to capture and kill great numbers of the animals.
In this mode of chase the Patagonians make use of two characteristics
which belong to the guanaco. In the first place, it is a hill-loving
animal, and when pursued, or even afraid of pursuit, leaves the plains
and makes for some eminence. Like all gregarious animals, the guanacos
invariably have sentinels posted on the most elevated points, and trust
their safety to their watchfulness, the squeal of alarm being instantly
followed by the flight of the herd. Knowing this peculiarity, the
hunters are sure that if a herd of guanacos be in the plain, and a hill
be near them, the animals will be almost certain to take to it.
The second characteristic is, that the guanacos, when thrown into
confusion, entirely lose their presence of mind, running a few steps in
one way and then a few steps in another, being quite unable to fix upon
any definite plan of escape.
A large party of hunters, sometimes nearly a hundred in number, arm
themselves with their long, light, cane-shafted spears, called chuzos,
summon their dogs, and set off toward the spot where a herd of guanacos
is known to be. Having fixed upon some grassy hill, half of the hunters
push forward and take up a position on the further side, while the
others drive the guanacos gently toward their well-known grazing
place.
[Illustration: PATAGONIANS HUNTING GAME. (See page 1181.)]
As soon as the animals are fairly on the hill, the hunters spread out
so as to enclose them in a semicircle, and then dash forward, driving
the herd up the hill. The detached band on the other side, as soon as
they hear the shouts, spread themselves out in a similar manner, the
two bodies completely surrounding the hill, so that when the guanacos
reach the summit they find themselves environed by enemies.
After the usual custom in such cases, the guanacos lose all presence
of mind, some running one way, some another, mutually hindering each
other’s escape, so that the hunters are able to pierce with their long
spears the finest animals, and thus secure in a very short space of
time so great a number, that they are amply supplied with skins and
meat.
Although they carry the spear on these occasions, they are not without
the bolas, it being used for capturing the young guanacos, which are
kept in a domesticated state like sheep. Now and then a guanaco, which
possesses more sense than its comrades, takes a line of its own, and
dashes through the circle of its enemies. Still it has but little
chance of escaping, for round the circle of horsemen there is another
circle of men on foot, accompanied by dogs. As soon as a guanaco breaks
through the first circle, it is instantly seized by the dogs, which
terrify it to such an extent that it is unable to move, and neither
tries to escape nor resist.
On the preceding page is a spirited engraving which represents
Patagonian scenery, and the natives in their favorite pursuit of
hunting game. The hot chase, the flying bolas, the bewildered guanacos
are vividly pictured.
The young guanacos which have been mentioned as being domesticated are
not solely intended to furnish food, or even bred merely for the sake
of their skins. They are employed for the sake of decoying the adult
animals. Taking the young guanaco to the feeding grounds, the hunter
ties it to a bush, and then conceals himself behind it. By imitating
the mother’s cry, he induces the captive to utter the plaintive
bleating sound by which a young one calls for its mother. This is a
sound which the adult guanacos cannot resist, and as soon as they come
within twenty yards or so of the bush, the bolas is launched, and the
animal at which it is aimed falls to the ground, enveloped in the fatal
coils.
The power of the bolas is eminently shown in the chase of the rhea, or
American ostrich. This bird is as swift and wary as the true African
ostrich, and, but for the bolas, the hunters would scarcely be able to
secure it. In the chase of this bird the Patagonians employ the same
device which is used in capturing the guanacos. They know that the rhea
shares with the guanaco the tendency to become confused and uncertain
in its movements when it is pressed simultaneously from opposite
directions. They therefore try to surround the herd and converge upon
it, or, at all events, two or three of them attack it from opposite
quarters, driving it first one way and then another, so that the bird
becomes so perplexed that it cannot make up its mind to run in one
direction, and escape its foes by its superior speed, but allows them
to come within range of the bolas, when its fate is sealed.
The hunters also know that, in common with all the ostrich tribe, and,
indeed, with many wild animal of chase, the rhea always runs against
the wind. It is therefore easy for them to ascertain the direction
which the bird will take, and by sending two or three horsemen
several miles windward the retreat of the bird is easily cut off. The
Patagonian can even kill the little cavies with the bolas, so accurate
is his aim.
The reader may easily imagine that such a weapon as this would be
serviceable in warfare. When the Patagonian uses it in battle, he does
not always fling it, apparently because he does not like to deprive
himself of his weapon. Sometimes he dashes alongside of a foe, and
throws one of the balls at him, just as if he were throwing a stone,
retaining the other ball in his hand, so as to recover the weapon after
the blow has sped. When the Patagonian carries the three-ball bolas,
which has already been described, he uses the third ball, which, as may
be remembered, is attached to the longest thong, as an English robber
uses his “life-preserver,” or an American his “slung-shot.”
Another mode of procuring game is practised by the Patagonians, and is
identical with that which is used by the North Africans in taking the
partridge, the South Africans in killing the bustard, as well as by the
inhabitants of other parts of the earth. There is a sort of partridge
which is common on the plains, and is called the Pampas partridge. Its
scientific name is _Nothuria major_. The weapon, or rather implement,
required for this sport is a very simple one. It is nothing more than a
light reed, some eight feet in length, at the end of which is a noose
composed of a strip cut from the side of a long feather. This noose
has sufficient pliability to be drawn tight when pulled and sufficient
elasticity to keep itself open.
Furnished with this implement, the Patagonian looks out for a partridge
on the ground and, when he finds one, begins riding round and round
it in an ever decreasing circle. The bird is much perplexed by this
conduct, and, instead of flying away, it simply crouches closely to the
ground. By degrees, the young hunter--this sport being only practised
by boys--comes so close to the bird that he slips the noose over its
neck, and, before it can spread its wings for flight, jerks it into the
air.
An expert bird catcher will secure three or four birds in an hour by
this curious mode of hunting, which may be pursued on foot as well as
on horseback. The only drawback to it lies in the very limited time
during which it can be attempted. It has been found that, if the shadow
of the hunter should fall upon the partridge, the bird seems to shake
off the strange feeling which paralyzes its energies, and flies away
before it can be captured. Consequently, the sport can only be pursued
so long as the sun is toward the meridian; and as soon as the shadows
lengthen sufficiently to throw them on the bird, the young hunter
abandons his sport. All practical naturalists are aware of the alarm
caused by a shadow falling on some animal which they are watching or
trying to capture; and entomologists in particular have learned that,
to approach most insects, it is necessary to keep the insect between
themselves and the sun.
As to the strange sort of fascination which forces the bird to crouch
instead of flying away, it exists in very many birds, of which the
domestic poultry or any of the common cage-birds are familiar examples.
Any one who is accustomed to deal with these birds can take one, stand
it or lay it on a table, go away, and return after an absence of hours,
knowing that the bird will not dare to move. During the time that I
kept and bred canaries, I used to free them from the dreaded red mite
by sprinkling insect powder under their feathers, laying them on a
piece of paper covered with insect powder, and leaving them there for
an hour or two, until the powder had destroyed all the parasites.
CHAPTER CXXIII.
THE PATAGONIANS--_Concluded_.
DOMESTIC LIFE.
PATAGONIAN MARRIAGE -- APPEAL OF A SUITOR -- REJECTION OF THE
OFFER, AND RESULT OF THE NEGOTIATION -- CURIOUS MODE OF SMOKING
-- PRESCRIPTION FOR A SICK CHILD -- PATAGONIANS AT HOME -- NATIVE
COOKERY -- PATAGONIAN ARCHITECTURE -- TREATMENT OF WOMEN, CHILDREN,
AND SLAVES -- MODE OF GOVERNMENT -- POWER OF THE CACIQUE -- NOTIONS
OF RELIGION -- OFFERINGS AND LIBATIONS -- FUNERALS IN PATAGONIA --
SECLUSION OF WIDOWS -- VISITS OF CONDOLENCE.
We will now glance at the domestic life of the Patagonians, if the word
“domestic” can be rightly applied to people who have no settled home or
_domus_.
How marriage is conducted among them is described by Captain Bourne,
who was kept a prisoner for a considerable time, and had every
opportunity of studying their manners and customs. It appeared that
in the house of the chief to whom he belonged there was a daughter--a
widow, with a young child. One evening, the tramp of many feet was
heard on the outside of the hut, together with the mutterings of
voices. Presently, one voice was heard louder than the rest, evidently
addressed to some one within the hut. It was the voice of a suitor
come to ask the hand of the young widow. The chief scornfully refused
the offer, saying that he was not worthy to be her husband, having no
horses or other property. The man admitted that at the present time he
did not happen to have any horses, but that he was a remarkably good
thief, and that, if the lady would only accept him, he would steal
horses, catch guanacos, and give her plenty of grease.
These overtures being rejected as contemptuously as the last, the
suitor addressed himself to the lady, who was very willing to accept
him, and entirely yielded when he repeatedly promised to bring home
plenty of grease for her. She then besought her father to listen to the
suitor’s application, but was angrily refused. Her mother then tried
to pacify the angry father, saying that the young man might fulfil his
promises, catch plenty of horses, and become a great chief.
This was too much for the old man. He jumped up in a towering passion,
seized the cradle in which his little grandchild was lying, flung it
out of the hut, snatched up every article which his daughter possessed,
threw them after the cradle, and then ordered her to follow her goods.
This was exactly what she wanted; so, accompanied by her mother, she
left the hut, and was joined by her intended husband.
A curious mode of smoking is practised among the Patagonians, which
somewhat resembles that which is used by the Damaras, as recorded on a
preceding page.
When one of these smoking parties is organized, the guests
assemble together, sometimes in a hut, and sometimes in the open
air. They gravely seat themselves in a circle, round a vessel of
water,--sometimes an ox-horn stuck in the ground, and sometimes a sort
of basin made of raw hide. All being assembled, one of them takes a
stone pipe, and fills it with a mixture of tobacco and the shavings of
some yellow wood.
The pipe being prepared, all the company lie flat on their faces, with
their mantles drawn up to the top of their heads. The pipe is then
lighted and passed round, each drawing into his lungs as much smoke
as he can swallow, and retains it as long as he can exist without
breathing. As soon as the smoke is expelled, the men begin a series of
groanings and gruntings, which become louder and louder, until they
are absolutely deafening. By degrees they die away; and when quiet
has been restored, each takes a draught of water, sits silently for a
space, and then slowly rises and moves away.
Captain Bourne is of opinion that this ceremony has in it something
of a religious element. The groaning and grunting might be due to
the tobacco, or the substance which is mixed with it, but the sounds
seemed to him to be louder and more emphatic than they would have been
if entirely involuntary; and the breathings, writhings, and other
accompaniments, the profound gravity, and the abstinence from speech,
all appeared to have some religious signification.
The same traveller gives a very amusing account of a visit paid by
a Patagonian physician to the hut of a chief. The party were just
preparing to shift their quarters, after the Patagonian fashion, when
one of the daughters came in, carrying a child who was crying loudly,
and who was supposed in consequence to be very ill. The journey was
stopped, and a messenger despatched for the wise man, who soon came,
and brought with him his magic medicines, rolled up in two pieces of
skin.
These were laid on the ground, and the doctor squatted by the side of
them, fixing a steady gaze on the child, who presently ceased crying.
Encouraged by this success, the wise man ordered a clay plaster to be
applied. This was done. Some yellow clay was brought, moistened until
it was like paint, and with this substance the child was anointed from
head to foot. The clay seemed to have but little good effect, for the
child began to cry as badly as ever.
The two mysterious packages were now untied, and out of one the doctor
took a bunch of rhea sinews, and from the other a rattle. The doctor
then fingered all the sinews successively, muttering something in a
very low tone of voice, and after he had muttered for some five minutes
or so, he seized his rattle and shook it violently. He next sat in
front of the patient, and stared at him as he had done before. After an
interval of silent staring, he turned to the chief and asked whether he
did not think that the child was better. A nod and a grunt expressed
assent, and the mother on being asked the same question gave a similar
response.
The same process was then repeated--the silent stare, the painting with
clay, the lingering of the sinews, the muttering of inaudible words,
the shaking of the rattle, and the concluding stare. The treatment
of the patient was then considered to be complete. The chief gave
the doctor two pipefuls of tobacco by way of fee. This was received
gratefully by the man of skill, who gave his rattle a final shake by
way of expressing his appreciation of the chief’s liberality, and went
his way. As soon as he had gone, the child resumed its crying, but
the parents were satisfied that it was better, and, as Captain Bourne
testifies, it soon became quite composed, and throve well afterward.
The general mode of life among the Patagonians is not particularly
alluring to persons of civilized habits, if we may judge from the
graphic picture drawn by Captain Bourne:--
“A few dry sticks and a bunch of dry grass were brought; mine host drew
from a convenient repository a brass tinder-box with a stone and a
piece of steel, and soon produced a blaze that brilliantly illuminated
the scene. By its light I was enabled to survey the first specimen of
Patagonian architecture that had blessed my vision. It was constructed
in a ‘pointed’ style, though not very aspiring, consisting of a row of
stakes about eight feet high, each terminating in a crutch or fork,
with a pole laid across them; two parallel rows of stakes on either
side about two feet high, with similar terminations and a similar
horizontal fixture; and a covering composed of skins of the guanaco
sewed together with the sinews of the ostrich, the only thread used by
the people. This covering is thrown over the framework and fastened by
stakes driven through it into the ground. For purposes of ventilation,
some interstices are left; but these again are half closed by skins
attached to the outside, so that the air from without and the smoke
from within (in default of a chimney) must insinuate themselves through
these apertures in great quantities.
“In truth, my first survey was rather hurried; the first cheerful gleam
had scarcely set my eyes on the look-out, when I was fain to shut
them against an intolerable smoke. In no long time I felt as bacon,
if conscious, might be supposed to feel in the process of curing. No
lapse of time was sufficient to reconcile the eyes, nostrils, and lungs
to the nuisance. Often have I been more than half strangled by it,
and compelled to lie with my face to the ground as the only endurable
position. ‘Talk that is worse than a smoky house’ must be something out
of date, or Shakespeare’s imagination never comprehended anything so
detestable as a Patagonian hut. The chief and his numerous household,
however, seemed to enjoy immense satisfaction, and jabbered and grunted
and played their antics and exchanged grimaces as complacently as if
they breathed a highly exhilarating atmosphere.
“My meditations and observations were shortly interrupted by
preparations for a meal. The chiefs better-half--or rather fifth-part,
for he had four wives--superintended the culinary operations, which
were as rude and simple as the hut where they were carried on. And now
my fancy began to conjure up visions of the beef, fowls, and eggs, the
promise of which had lured my men from the boat, had proved stronger
than suggestions of prudence, and had made me a prisoner. But these
dainties, if they existed anywhere within the chief’s jurisdiction,
were just at present reserved.
“The old hag threw down from the top of one of the stakes that
supported the tent the quarter of some animal, whether dog or guanaco
was past imagining. She slashed right and left with an old copper
knife with might and main, till it was divided into several pieces.
Then taking a number of crotched sticks about two feet long, and
sharpened at the points, she inserted the forked ends into pieces
of the meat, and drove the opposite points into the ground near the
fire, which, though sufficient to smoke and comfortably warm the mess,
was too feeble to roast it. At all events, time was too precious, or
their unsophisticated appetites were too craving, to wait for such an
operation, and the raw morsels were quickly snatched from the smoke,
torn into bits by their dirty hands, and thrown upon the ground before
us.
“The Indians seized them with avidity, and tossed a bit to me; but what
could I do with it? I should have no appetite for the dinner of an
alderman at such a time and place, but as for tasting meat that came in
such a questionable shape, there was no bringing my teeth or resolution
to it. While eyeing it with ill-suppressed disgust, I observed the
savages, like a horde of half-starved dogs, devouring their portions
with the greatest relish, seizing the fragment with their fine white
teeth, giving every sign of enjoyment, except what one is accustomed to
see in human beings.
“The old chief remarked the slight I was putting upon his hospitality.
‘Why don’t you eat, man? This meat very good to eat--very good to eat.
Eat, man, eat.’
“Seeing him so much excited, and not knowing what deeds might follow
his words if I refused, I thought it expedient to try to ‘eat what
was set before me, asking no questions,’--thinking, moreover, that if
there were any evil spirit in it that the fire had failed to expel, it
could not possibly have resisted the smoke. So, being sorely divided
between aversion to the strange flesh and fear of showing it, I forced
a morsel into my mouth. Its taste was by no means as offensive as its
appearance, and I swallowed it with less disgust than I had feared.
This was my first meal with the savages, and a sample of many others,
though better viands afterward varied their monotony now and then.”
It is most probable that the meat which was so rapidly cooked and eaten
was that of the guanaco. The Patagonians are in no way fastidious as to
their diet, and eat almost every animal which they kill, whether it be
guanaco, rhea, or cavy. They have a repugnance to the flesh of dogs,
though they cannot, like the Fuegians, be accused of eating the flesh
of human beings rather than that of dogs.
Their chief dainty is the flesh of a young mare, and it is rather
curious that these strange people will not, if they can help
themselves, eat that of a horse, unless it be disabled by an accident.
They are fond of the fat of mares and rheas, separating it from the
flesh by boiling, and pouring it into bladders, much as lard is treated
in this country. Yet the fat obtained from the guanaco is not stored
like that of the mare and rhea, but is eaten raw. As is the case with
the Fuegians, the Patagonians obtain a considerable amount of food
from the seashore, great quantities of limpets, mussels, and similar
creatures being gathered by the women and children.
Besides animal food, vegetables are consumed, though rather sparingly,
by the Patagonians. Two roots form part of their ordinary diet. One is
called “tus,” and looks something like a yam or potato. It is bulbous,
and when cleaned and properly cooked bears a strong resemblance to
a baked potato. The second root is called “chalas,” and is a long,
slender root, scarcely so thick as an ordinary pencil.
It is rather remarkable that the Patagonians do not seem to have
invented any intoxicating drink. They soon learn to appreciate rum and
other spirits, and will intoxicate themselves whenever they can procure
the means, but they obtain all fermented and distilled liquors from the
white traders, and not from their own manufacture. They have a sort of
cooling drink made of the juice of barberries mixed with water, but it
is drunk in its natural state, and is not fermented.
The dwellings of the Patagonians are worthy of a brief description,
inasmuch as they show the distinction between the Patagonian and
Fuegian ideas of architecture. The reader will remember that the
principal portion of the Fuegian hut consists of sticks and branches,
whereas the Patagonian only uses the sticks and poles by way of a
framework whereupon he can spread his tent of skins.
These huts, called by the Spanish “toldos,” and by the Patagonians
“cows,” are of variable dimensions. Generally they are little more
than sloping sheds, six or seven feet high in front, and only two
feet high at the back. The length of each toldo is about twelve feet,
and its width about nine feet. As east winds are hardly ever known
in Patagonia, the opening of the hut is always to the east, the skin
covering of this simple tent being impervious to wind and rain. A
Patagonian village, showing the form of these huts, is represented on
the 1187th page.
This is the ordinary kind of dwelling, but in some places a much
larger description of hut is erected for the chief or the medicine
man. These houses are gabled, being eight feet or so in height in the
middle, and sloping on either side to the wall, which is five feet or
so in height. Huts of this kind are nearly square, their depth rather
exceeding their length.
The sleeping accommodation of these habitations is very simple, and
consists of skins, which are spread on the floor. Other skins rolled up
are laid along the side of the hut, and serve as pillows, the children
lying in a corner by themselves, and the dogs sleeping at the feet of
their owners. Those children who are unable to walk are laid in simple
cradles made of square pieces of guanaco skin, hung hammockwise by four
ends to the rafters of the hut.
During the daytime the infants are kept, or rather packed, in cradles
made of flat pieces of board, over which some pliable sticks are
bent in a semicircular form. The child is placed between two pieces
of guanaco skin, fastened in the cradle, and can then be carried
about without trouble. Even when the family is shifting quarters, the
cradle can be hung on the saddle-bow of the mother’s horse, the little
occupant being perfectly contented with its situation.
It might seem from this statement that children are treated with
neglect. Such, however, is not the case, the Patagonians being
remarkable for their parental affection, and being much more inclined
to spoil their children by over-indulgence than to behave unkindly
toward them. Indeed, when a Patagonian chief wishes to change his
quarters, and the people do not wish to part with him, they take one of
his children, indulge it in every way, and declare that he must leave
it behind him. The affectionate parent cannot bring himself either to
leave his child, or to deprive it of the society of those who are kind
to it, and in consequence he remains with his people.
The condition of the women is a very tolerable one. They certainly have
to work hard all their lives unless their husband be rich enough to
purchase slaves, or be fortunate enough to procure them by a raid on
some other tribe. Many such slaves are obtained from the Fuegians, who
do not scruple even to sell their own relatives when they can procure
a good price for them. Even the wives of the chief men are not exempt
from labor unless their husbands happen to possess slaves.
Generally the wives are faithful to their husbands, but there are
cases where the woman has thought herself ill-treated, and has betaken
herself to another protector. Should he be an inferior, the aggrieved
husband makes him pay for his offence; but if a superior, he is obliged
to put up with his loss. Generally, however, the husband and wife live
happily together, and the husband thinks it a point of honor to take
his wife’s part if she should fall into a dispute, no matter whether
she be right or wrong. He will scold her severely in private, and
even inflict corporal punishment on her, for involving him in such a
dispute, but he will make a point of upholding her in public.
The mode of punishment of the Patagonians is rather variable, but
is generally a modification of the patriarchal system. The heads of
families or tribes possess hereditary rank, and take the lead in all
important events of peace or war. Their power is, however, not very
great, and they are not able to raise taxes, nor enforce compulsory
labor without payment. These chiefs, or caciques, as they are termed,
can, if they choose, refuse the rank, and many do so, preferring to
become subjects of some other cacique to the trouble and responsibility
which accompany the post.
According to Falkner, “the cacique has the power of protecting as
many as apply to him; of composing or silencing any difference; or
delivering over the offending party to be punished with death, without
being accountable for it. In these respects his will is the law. He is
generally too apt to take bribes, delivering up his vassals, and even
his relations, when well paid for it.
“According to his orders the Indians encamp, march, or travel from one
place to another to hunt or to make war. He frequently summons them to
his tent, and harangues them upon their behavior, the exigencies of the
time, the injuries they have received, the measures to be taken, &c. In
these harangues he always extols his own prowess and personal merit.
When eloquent he is greatly esteemed; and when a cacique is not endowed
with that accomplishment, he generally has an orator who supplies his
place.”
The religion of the Patagonian is a polytheism, the natives believing
that there are great numbers of deities, some good and some evil. Each
family is under the guardianship of one of the good deities, and all
the members of that family join him when they die. Beside these gods
there are subordinate demons, good to their own friends, but bad toward
all others, so that on the whole the bad predominates in them. They are
called by the name of Valichu.
Yet among some of the Patagonian tribes there is even an approach to
personal religion. It has been thought that the Patagonians are totally
destitute of such religion. This, however, is certainly not the case,
as even our limited knowledge of these people, their language, and
their habits shows that, even though they may not possess any definite
system of religion, they are still impressed with the idea of some
Being infinitely greater than themselves, who knows everything that
they do. Thus they believe in an omniscient Being; and such a belief as
this, limited and imperfect though it may be, is yet a step toward true
religion.
[Illustration: (1.) PATAGONIAN VILLAGE. (See page 1185.)]
[Illustration: (2.) PATAGONIAN BURIAL GROUND. (See page 1189.)]
To this unknown Being they return thanks when they have obtained a
supply of food after long famine, so that we find them acknowledging
that the great Being, who knows all their deeds, watches over them, and
is the Giver of all good things. When, for example, they have procured
a seal after having been half-starved for months, they assemble round
a fire, and the oldest man present cuts for each person a piece of
the seal, uttering over each portion a sort of prayer, and looking
upward in devotion to the unseen God, who had sent them meat in their
need. Undisciplined as are the Patagonians, totally unaccustomed to
self-denial, and mad with hunger, not one of them will touch the food
until this invocation has been repeated.
The mode of burial among the Patagonians varies in detail according
to the particular tribe, but there is a general resemblance in the
ceremonies throughout the country. When a man dies, his body is wrapped
in his best mantle, placed on his favorite horse, and conveyed to the
place of burial, where a square pit has already been dug, some six feet
in depth and two or three feet in width. In this pit the body of the
deceased is placed in a sitting position, his bolas, spears, and other
property laid beside him, and the pit is then covered with branches,
on which a quantity of earth is thrown. The horse is next sacrificed.
It is held at the grave by one man, while another kills it by a blow
on the head from the bolas, and the skin is then removed, stuffed,
and supported at the grave on four posts. At the grave of a cacique
four horses are sacrificed. The clothing which is not buried with
the deceased is burned, and a feast on the body of the horse closes
the proceedings. On page 1187 the reader may find an engraving of a
Patagonian burial ground.
The widows are obliged to remain in a state of the strictest privacy
for an entire year, keeping themselves within their huts, never mixing
in society, and not even showing themselves unless absolutely obliged
to do so. They must blacken themselves with soot, and not eat the flesh
of the guanaco, the mare, or the rhea. Should a woman break the rule of
seclusion, and be detected in an intrigue, she would at once lose her
life at the hands of her dead husband’s relations.
Among some of the tribes the tomb is periodically opened, and the
skeleton of the deceased, which has been prepared with the greatest
care, is washed and clothed in new robes. This office belongs to an
old matron, who is specially selected for the task, which becomes in
process of time a long and tedious one, as the warriors are placed side
by side in the grave, each year gradually adding to the number of those
who have to be washed and clothed annually.
Among some of the tribes the skeletons are prepared by laying the
bodies on platforms woven from canes and twigs, and during the time
that is occupied in cleaning and bleaching the skeleton the platform
is guarded by the friends of the dead man, draped in long mantles, and
bearing spears or staves with which they strike the ground, while they
sing mournful strains in order to drive away the Valichus or spirits,
who may possibly be well disposed toward the dead man, but are more
likely to be unfriendly.
Should the deceased have been a wealthy man, many visits of condolence
are paid to the relatives, the mourners weeping loudly, and pricking
their arms and legs with thorns in order to prove their affection by
the effusion of their blood. For these tokens of respect they are
rewarded with beads, brass ornaments, and other presents; and it need
scarcely be said that the sorrow felt for the deceased and the sympathy
excited for his friends depend very much on the amount of property at
the disposal of the relatives.
CHAPTER CXXIV.
THE ARAUCANIANS.
DRESS--ETIQUETTE--GOVERNMENT.
DIVISION OF THE NATION INTO TRIBES -- THE MAPUCHÉS -- PECULIAR
STRUCTURE OF THE HEAD -- THE CHERIPA, PONCHO, AND BOOTS -- MODE OF
SHAVING -- DRESSING THE HAIR -- THE “PULLING HAIR” FIGHT -- DRESS OF
THE WOMEN -- THE ENORMOUS BREASTPIN -- SINGULAR USE OF THIMBLES --
ELABORATE HEADDRESS -- PAINT -- EXHIBITION OF FEMALE VANITY -- DRESS
OF THE CHILDREN -- ARCHITECTURE OF THE ARAUCANIANS -- THE CHIEF’S
HOUSE AND ITS FURNITURE -- LONG HOUSE OF THE MAPUCHÉS -- NUMBER OF
FIRES -- CODE OF ETIQUETTE -- THE SPEECH OF CEREMONY -- VALUE OF
ORATORY -- DEMAND OF TRIBUTE -- MODE OF GOVERNMENT -- THE GRAND TOQUI
-- THE COUNCILS OF PEACE AND WAR.
Passing northward from Patagonia, and taking a westerly direction,
we come to the ARAUCANIAN nation. This title was given to them by
the Spaniards, just as was the name of Patagonians to their southern
neighbors, and, although it is an incorrect one, it has been accepted
for so many years that it cannot be conveniently exchanged for the more
correct designation.
The aborigines of Chili and a part of the territory now occupied by
the Argentine Republic were formerly one great people, extending over
a very considerable portion of the land, and necessarily modified
in manners and customs by the influence of climate and geographical
position. Their general title was Alapu-ché, or People of the Land, but
they were separated into three great divisions, namely, Pehuen-ché, or
People of the East; Mara-ché, or People of the West; and Huili-ché, or
Far-off People, being those nearest to the Patagonians. Passing over
the wars with the Spaniards, as foreign to the object of this work,
we will describe the Mapuchés, or People of the Country, as they call
themselves.
* * * * *
These people are rather below the middle height, strong, thick-set,
broad-chested, and much inferior in point of form to the North American
tribes. The head is narrow, and low in front, broad and high behind,
and the back of the head falls in almost a direct line with the nape of
the neck, a peculiarity by which an Araucanian may almost invariably be
distinguished. The foot is as remarkable as the head. It is very short
and broad, and rises straight from the toes to the ankle with scarcely
any curve, so as to produce a very high but very clumsy looking instep.
The ordinary dress of the Mapuché men is mostly composed of two
garments, namely, the “cheripa” (pronounced _chĕreepah_) and the
poncho. The cheripa is a sort of compromise between a kilt and
trousers. It is a piece of stuff, mostly cotton, which is fastened
to the back of a girdle, passed between the legs, drawn up in front
there, and tucked then into the girdle. The poncho is nothing but a
large circular piece of stuff, with a hole in the centre, through which
the head passes. It is exactly similar in principle to the cloak of
Polynesia, and is at once a primitive, efficient, and graceful robe,
assuming with every change of attitude folds which delight the eye of
an artist.
Beside the poncho and cheripa, the Mapuché generally wears a pair
of boots, similar to those of the Patagonians, and made of similar
materials, the skin from the hind legs of a horse being drawn over the
foot while still fresh, so that it moulds itself to the leg of the
wearer. As with the Patagonians, it is open in front, so as to allow
the two first toes to pass through and grasp the small triangular
stirrup. The elaborate horse-accoutrements in which the Mapuchés
delight will be described when we come to the manners and customs of
the people. Men of rank wear woollen bracelets and anklets as marks of
their superior position.
Like most of the Araucanian tribes, the Mapuchés have but little beard,
and what they have they eradicate after the usual fashion of savages,
plucking out the individual hairs instead of shaving. Mr. R. E. Smith
had the opportunity of seeing the operation performed:--“At one house
where we stopped I saw an Indian, who at first sight seemed to be a
white man, from the fact that his beard was grown as though unshaven
for a week. He looked red and blotched, and was continually raising
his hand to some part of his face, wearing all the while an expression
of patient endurance. A close scrutiny showed that he was engaged in
shaving.
“These Indians pull out or nip off the beard with small steel tweezers.
This instrument was originally, as the Mapuché name signifies, a
clam shell, but, by intercourse with the whites, they have been able
to procure a more elegant article. Every dandy carries his tweezers
hanging from his neck, and at leisure moments amuses himself by
smoothing his face to the taste of his painted mistress. The arguments
they use in defence of their treatment of the beard are precisely those
used by shavelings the world over.”
They do not content themselves with merely removing the hair from the
chin, cheeks, and upper lip, but pull out the eyelashes and eyebrows,
substituting instead of the latter a slender curved line of black
paint. They say that the presence of the eyelashes hinders them in the
pursuit of bee hunting, a sport of which they are very fond, and on
which they pride themselves greatly. Some of the younger warriors have
allowed a very slight fringe of hair to remain on the upper lip, but
the older chiefs think that it is an innovation on the ancient customs,
and discountenance it as far as they can.
The hair of the head is cut short at the top, but is allowed to grow
long at the sides, in order that it may be easily grasped, just as the
North American tribes leave one long lock on the crown of the head so
as to assist the enemy who slays them in getting off the scalp.
When two lads quarrel, they settle the dispute with a fight, which is
conducted, not by blows with the fist or with a weapon, but by pulling
the hair. “Let us pull hair, if you are not afraid,” cries one of the
disputants to the other. The challenge is never refused. Off goes the
poncho, if they happen to be wearing it, the cheripa is tucked tightly
into the belt, the combatants allow each other to take a fair grasp of
the long locks, and the struggle begins. Each tries to twist the head
of his opponent so as to bring him to the ground, and when he has once
fallen, they loosen their grasp, rub the backs of their heads, take
a fresh grasp, and repeat the struggle until one of them yields. The
combat over, all animosity vanishes, and they are good friends again.
The dress of the women is, like that of the men, composed of two
garments, though they are differently put on. One is an enlarged
cheripa, and made of the same material. It is first wrapped round
the body close under the arms, and then pinned together over each
shoulder, so that the arms are left bare. It is confined at the waist
by a very broad belt, and falls nearly to the ankle. This alone is a
very sufficient dress, but over it is thrown a second piece of stuff
which acts as a shawl or mantle, being fastened in front with a pin
having a most enormously flat head, about the size of a cheese plate.
Sometimes the head is globular, but the flat form is the favorite, and
it is adorned with engraved figures. The cloth is mostly of native
manufacture, and is either black or a very dark indigo blue.
Like that of the men, the hair of the women is divided into two long
tails, one of which hangs over each shoulder. The tails are wound round
with spiral strings of blue beads, and their ends are connected by a
string of twelve or fourteen brass thimbles, which hang side by side,
like a peal of bells. Besides these ornaments, the women wear a sort of
cap, made entirely of beads, and falling over the back of the head as
far as the shoulders. Its lower edge is decorated with a row of brass
thimbles, like that which connects the two queues of the hair. This
elaborate headdress is only worn on great occasions, while ordinarily
the queues are wound round the head, the two ends projecting in front
like horns, a fillet, usually studded with beads, being employed to
keep the hair in its place. These peculiarities of dress are shown in
the illustration of a Mapuché family on page 1201.
Ornaments are worn according to the wealth of the owners. Strings of
beads, silver dollars, and brass thimbles are hung in profusion round
the neck, which is further decorated with a collar made of leather and
inlaid with silver. Wide bracelets and anklets are also worn, similar
to those of the men, but made of variously colored beads instead of
wool.
Paint is worn by both sexes, but chiefly by the women, and is anything
but ornamental. It is invariably of two colors, red and black, which
are mixed with grease, so that they can be applied and removed at
pleasure. The usual plan is to have a broad red belt from ear to
ear, taking in the cheeks, eyelids, and nose, the lower edge of the
belt being sometimes edged and scalloped with black. The eyelids and
lashes are also edged with black, and a thin line of the same hue
takes the place of the eyebrows, which are all removed except a very
fine row of hairs in the centre. Some of the women further decorate
their faces by spots of black paint. The women are exceedingly proud of
these ornaments; and an amusing instance of their vanity is related by
Mr. Smith:--“Our conversation turned upon female dress; and, without
intending any disparagement to our fair entertainers, we compared them
to the women whom we had seen at the house of Chancay. The women, who
were at work near by, did not understand half-a-dozen words of Spanish;
but, with that intuitive perception which belongs to the sex, they were
not long in discovering that our conversation related to themselves and
their dresses.
“Immediately they held a council of war; and, entering the house,
they presently returned, each with a bag of trinkets. There were
coverings for the head and breast, composed of strings of beads of all
colors and designs, with brass thimbles and silver coins. There were
rings and pendants for ears and nose; bracelets and anklets, collars
and breastpins of colossal proportions. These were held up for our
admiration; and that we might more fully realize their wealth, the
ladies proceeded to deck themselves with all their finery. They were at
the same time jabbering at the top of their lungs, praising their own
superiority to all other women, and appealing to us for a confirmation
of their own good opinions.
“Finally, the belle of the lot, having ornamented her head, breast, and
arms to their fullest capacity, stepped in advance of the others, and,
raising her dress as high as the knee, displayed to our astonished gaze
a remarkably well-rounded piece of flesh and blood. Patting the calf
with honest pride, and turning it about for our inspection, she hung it
round with beads, adjusted the many-colored anklets, and, snapping her
fingers contemptuously, poured out a perfect torrent of Mapuché.
“Unfortunately, there was no one near to interpret this language; but
from her action, and the frequent repetition of the name ‘Chancay,’ we
gathered her meaning to be pretty much that, in whatever else the wives
of Chancay might excel, she would defy them or any one else to produce
a finer leg than the one in question.”
The dress of the children is simple enough. As long as they are
infants, and not able to walk, they are tightly rolled up in bandages,
so as to be unable to move. In this helpless condition they are put
into bamboo cradles, and hung up on pegs driven into the walls of the
house, or laid in baskets suspended from the roof, so that they can
be swung about by a cord tied to the cradle. The infants are perfect
models of behavior, never crying, and allowing themselves to be hung
on pegs without betraying any signs of life, except the movement of the
eyes. As soon as they can walk, they are allowed to run about without
the incumbrance of any clothing, which is not worn until they become
boys and girls of seven or eight years old.
The architecture of the Araucanians is very simple, but differs
slightly according to the district, and the position of the owner of
the house. The ordinary house of a common man is a mere hut, built
of wicker-work, about twelve feet by ten, carelessly made, and ill
calculated to withstand the elements. On a wet day the rain pours
into the hut on all sides, a circumstance which has its advantages to
counterbalance its discomforts. On rainy days all cooking has to be
done within the house, which would be absolutely unbearable if the
apertures which let the rain in did not let the smoke out. At night,
moreover, these huts are overcrowded with sleepers.
In one of these huts there were three rude bedsteads, for the
accommodation of two married couples and a pair of grown-up girls,
while on the ground lay sixteen or seventeen young men and children,
packed together like herrings in a barrel. Moreover, a whole troop of
dogs came sneaking into the house as soon as the inmates closed their
eyes; so that within this limited space some thirty living beings were
contained during the night. It is evident that, if the hut had been
weather-proof, the whole party would have been suffocated before the
morning.
A better kind of habitation, visited by Mr. Smith, deserved the name
of house. It was rectangular instead of rounded, and measured thirty
feet in length by fifteen in breadth. In the middle of the roof was a
hole, by way of chimney, the fire being made directly beneath it. There
was no window, the hole and the door being the only apertures for the
admission of light and air.
There was only one room, though a sort of loft was made in the roof.
This was used as a storehouse, where sacks of beans and similar
luxuries were kept. As might be supposed, the whole upper part of
the house was thickly encrusted with soot. One of the corners was
partitioned off with a sort of wicker-work wall, and served as a
granary, in which the wheat was stored.
From the sooty, cobwebbed rafters hung bunches of maize, pumpkins,
joints of meat, nets full of potatoes, strings of capsicum pods, and
similar articles; while earthenware pots, dishes, and spears were
scattered in profusion over the floor. In the middle of all these
articles hung two long lances, with their points toward the door; but,
although their heads were protected by being stuck into lumps of fat,
they were rusty, and had evidently been long out of use.
Two of the corners were occupied with the ordinary bedstead of the
country, _i. e._ a framework of cane, with a bull’s hide stretched
tightly over it; and near the beds hung the stock of finery belonging
to the owner, namely, spurs, stirrups, and bits, all of solid silver,
belonging to the men, and breastpins, necklaces, earrings, strings of
thimbles, and other adornments of the women. The usual basket cradle,
containing a swathed baby, was suspended from one of the rafters.
The house of a cacique, or chief, is very much larger than either of
those which have been described, and somewhat resembles the “long
house” of Borneo. One of these houses, belonging to a cacique named
Ayllal, looked at a distance something between a very long boat and a
haystack. Its height was about fifteen feet, its width thirty, and its
length about one hundred and forty.
The middle of the house was common to all the inhabitants, but the
sides were partitioned off so as to form a series of chambers, each of
which belonged to a married son of the proprietor, or to one of his own
wives. In cases where the family is not a very large one, each wife has
her own fireplace; but when the number of families under one roof is
considerable, one fire is common to two or three of them. In Ayllal’s
house there were six fireplaces, and over each was a hole in the roof.
The fireplaces are nothing more than a few stones, so arranged that
the pots can be kept clear of the burning wood; and, as the ashes are
allowed to accumulate where they fall, or to be blown about by every
current of air, it is evident that the interior of such a house is not
a model of cleanliness.
In consequence of the custom of appropriating a separate fire to each
wife, the one is conventionally accepted as a metaphor for the other.
It is not considered polite to ask a man how many wives he has, but
etiquette permits any one to ask another how many fires he burns. In
front of the door hangs a cross-bar, beyond which no one ventures to
pass without a special invitation, unless he be an inmate of the house,
or an intimate friend of the family.
The Mapuchés exhibit in perfection that curious mixture of the savage
and the gentleman that is so often found among uncivilized people. They
have a most elaborate code of etiquette, which to a stranger is often
irksome, on account of the time which is consumed in going through the
requisite formalities. When two persons meet, it is necessary that they
should go through a set course of complimentary remarks, the omission
of which, except between relatives or very intimate friends, would be
held as an unpardonable offence. Let us take Mr. E. R. Smith’s account
of the ceremonial:--
“If the guest be a stranger, the host begins by addressing him with
‘I do not know you, brother,’ or ‘I have never seen you before.’
Thereupon the stranger mentions his own name and residence, and goes
on to ask the host about himself, his health, and that of his father,
mother, wives, and children; about his lands, crops, cattle, and
flocks: the chiefs of the district, the neighbors, _their_ wives,
children, crops, &c., are next inquired about; and whether there have
been any disturbances, diseases, deaths, or accidents.
“If the responses given are favorable, the questioner goes on to
express his happiness, and moralizes to the effect that health, wealth,
and friendship are great blessings, for which God should be thanked.
If, on the contrary, the answers should convey bad news, he condoles
with the afflicted, and philosophizes that misfortunes should be borne
with equanimity, since men cannot always avoid evil. The guest having
finished, the host commences in turn to ask all the same questions,
making such comments as the answers received may demand.
“This formality occupies ten or fifteen minutes. The questions and
answers are recited (by rote) in a low monotonous voice, with a
sing-song tone, not unlike the saying of the rosary or the chanting
of friars. At the end of each sentence, if the last word end with a
vowel, the voice is raised to a shout; but should the final letter be a
consonant, it is rounded off with a nasal grunt. The listener expresses
his satisfaction occasionally by a sound between a grunt and a groan,
or indicates surprise by a long-drawn “_Hué!_” With these exceptions,
he never interrupts until the speaker has given notice, by a peculiar
cadence of the voice, that he has said his say. During this palaver,
the speakers often do not look at each other, and frequently even sit
with their backs turned to one another.”
As soon as etiquette has been satisfied by these formalities, the
speakers assume their ordinary tone of voice, and converse freely on
subjects respecting which they really take an interest.
Oratory is highly valued by the Mapuchés, and should a young man have
some power of speech, and train it into eloquence, he is on the high
road to distinction, and will probably end by becoming a chief, though
originally of inferior rank. Such young men are always eagerly sought
by the chiefs as their messengers, inasmuch as etiquette requires that
such messengers should not only possess a retentive memory, so as to
insure, the transmission of the message correctly, but should also be
fluent of speech and choice of diction, the latter being a point in
which the Mapuchés are exceedingly fastidious.
A young man who shows himself to be a proficient in these three
requisites is sure to be taken into the service of an important chief,
and indeed he knows his own value too well to damage his prospects by
serving any except a man of very high rank. Acting as messenger, he
practically becomes a sort of ambassador, on whom the reputation of
his principal is reflected, and by associating with the chief men, and
speaking at their assemblies, he soon gains for himself that importance
which was formerly only accorded to his official capacity. Men of this
stamp have frequently become the masters of those whom they formerly
served, their abilities having raised them to their appropriate station.
To a stranger the eloquence of these men is utterly unintelligible.
They deliver their message in a sort of monotone, varied with
inflections, but without the least spirit or action. In fact, they very
much resemble schoolboys reciting a piece of poetry which they have
learned by rote without taking the trouble to understand it. Yet the
Mapuchés are held entranced during the delivery of such a discourse
by an accomplished orator, the purity of whose diction excites the
respectful admiration of his hearers.
Etiquette is so highly valued among the Araucanians that on one
occasion an English gentleman nearly lost his life by neglecting a
ceremonial. It seems that every chief, no matter how petty may be his
domain, expects that every stranger who passes through his territory
shall pay him a tribute. The amount of the tribute is of little
consequence, so that something is given as an acknowledgment of rank.
Being new to the country, the gentleman in question was passing through
the territory of a chief, when he was stopped and asked for tribute,
a demand which he refused to pay, on the ground that he was only a
traveller and not a trader. Thereupon a young man leaped into a cabin,
brought out a trumpet made of a horn, and blew a blast upon it. The
signal was answered in all directions, and from every side there poured
in a number of mounted and armed warriors. The traveller was not
daunted, in spite of the martial array, cocked his pistols, and awaited
the attack, when his guide ran up to him, and begged him to give them
something, _if it were only a pocket-handkerchief_.
The traveller saw at once, from the smallness of the suggested present,
that it was a mere question of etiquette, and munificently presented
the chief with a jack-knife. Enmity at once gave way to enthusiastic
friendship. The old chief was quite overcome by the splendor of the
gift, swore eternal friendship with the traveller, and sent a guard of
honor to accompany him for several miles on his way.
* * * * *
We naturally come to the mode of government employed by the Araucanians.
The four great divisions are subdivided into provinces, and these into
smaller districts, each of which is presided over by a chief, who
exercises a kind of patriarchal authority over his clansmen. He is
the judge and arbiter of the clan, and there is no appeal from his
decision. Yet he levies no taxes, and cannot force even the lowest of
his people to work for him. He can require the services of the men for
war or for business of state, but there his authority ends. No land can
be sold except by the chief, to whom it is by a sort of legal fiction
supposed to belong, and even he cannot sell it to any except a native
Araucanian, under penalty of death.
All these chiefs, or caciques, as they are often called, are considered
to be equals in point of rank, and independent of each other, though
one is chosen on account of his personal abilities to be the head chief
of the district, but merely as _primus inter pares_. The office of
chief is generally but not always hereditary. It mostly descends to
the eldest son, but the actual holder of the office may bequeath it
even to one who belongs to another family. Should a chief die without
sons, brother, or a recognized successor, the people have the power of
electing a chief for themselves, and it is on such occasions as these
that the eloquent messengers lately described find their opportunity of
being raised to the rank of cacique.
Up to this point the details of the government are simple enough. We
now have to consider a most singular arrangement, unlike that of any
other known nation. From the head chiefs of the various districts one
is chosen as the Toqui, or head of the province, and these Toquis form
the supreme council by whom the affairs of the nation are managed. From
among them one is selected as president of the council, and is called
by a title which signifies the Grand Toqui. He is the highest personage
in the state. He can summon councils whenever he sees occasion, he
watches over the welfare of the state, lays before his colleagues any
information that he considers important, and on special occasions he
can act on his own authority.
When Mr. E. R. Smith travelled in Araucania, the Grand Toqui was an old
chief named Mañin, who seems to have been worthy of the position which
he held. Mañin Hueno (“the Grass of Heaven”), as he was called by his
compatriots, or Mañin Bueno (“Mañin the Good”), as the Chilenos termed
him, was a very old man, his age being estimated as falling little
short of a century, though his general bearing was such that he might
have been taken for little more than sixty. His long black hair was but
slightly sprinkled with silver, his eye retained its brightness, and
his mien its uprightness; and though his many years had diminished his
strength, they had not affected his intellect.
He was held in the very highest respect, as indeed was due to his
acknowledged wisdom, by means of which war had many a time been
averted. Yet he was not a rich man, and in point of wealth the greater
number of the lesser chiefs were far richer than Mañin Hueno. His only
marks of wealth were the solid silver horse accoutrements--but even
these were not worth fifty pounds of our money; while his apparel was
of the simplest kind, a red and yellow handkerchief tied round his head
being the most costly article of his apparel.
When a council of Toquis is assembled, the members generally endeavor
to outshine each other in the magnificence of their appointments;
and after the day’s labor is over, they join in a general debauch,
which sometimes lasts for the whole of the next day, and prevents
the councillors from resuming their business until they have become
sufficiently sober.
Now comes the curious part of Araucanian government. The Supreme
Council treats only of the internal management of the nation, and is
technically called the Council of Peace. As soon as war is declared,
the Council of Peace falls into abeyance, and its place is taken by
the Council of War. This is headed by the Toqui of War, who, as long
as the war lasts, has unlimited power, except over life. He appoints
the officers, settles the number of warriors required, orders a
conscription to be set in operation in each district, and lays upon
each cacique the duty of levying a certain number of men, and raising a
certain amount of supplies. As soon as peace is concluded, he and all
his council retire from office, and the Council of Peace reassumes its
sway.
CHAPTER CXXV.
THE ARAUCANIANS--_Continued_.
DOMESTIC LIFE.
LOVE OF THE HORSE -- THE STIRRUP, BIT, AND SPUR OF THE ARAUCANIANS
-- MODE OF FASTENING THE SPUR ON THE HEEL -- TRAINING OF THE HORSES
-- VALUE OF THE HORSE ACCOUTREMENTS -- HATRED OF SHAMS -- LOVE FOR
SILVER AND CARELESSNESS OF GOLD -- HOW THE ARAUCANIANS RIDE -- THE
BOLAS OR LAQUI, AND THE LASSO -- MODE OF MAKING AND THROWING THE
LASSO -- CAPTURE OF A SAVAGE BULL -- COURAGE OF THE ARAUCANIANS --
THEIR SUCCESSFUL STRUGGLE FOR LIBERTY -- CAREER OF A YOUNG HERO
-- MARRIAGE AMONG THE ARAUCANIANS -- ABDUCTION OF THE BRIDE --
RECONCILIATION WITH THE PARENTS -- ARAUCANIAN COOKERY -- PREPARING
NACHI, CHICA, AND MUDAI -- THRESHING CORN.
We now come to the ordinary life of the Araucanians.
Like the American tribes in general, they have become wonderful adepts
in the use of the horse, the climate, the natives, and the horse
seeming to agree with each other in a way which is really remarkable,
considering that the animal is of comparatively late introduction into
America. Unlike the Patagonians, they pride themselves on the massive
solidity of the accoutrements with which they bedizen their horses;
and, although they care little about the individual animals, and are
rather hard masters to them, they bedeck the horses in the most lavish
manner.
Their saddles are made very much after the fashion employed by the
Patagonians, being little more than rude wooden frames. A few skins are
laid on the back of the horse, the saddle is placed on them, a saddle
cloth of thick leather is thrown over it, and the whole apparatus
is complete. The bridle is made, like that of the Patagonians, of
twisted hide, or sometimes of a number of strips of horse-skin plaited
together, a few threads of silver being mingled with them. The bit
is generally the ordinary Spanish bit, with its cruelly powerful
arrangement of curb and ring.
The stirrups are generally nothing more than a piece of cane twisted
into a triangular form, and hung to the saddle by leathern cords; but
the wealthy Araucanians pride themselves in having these articles of
solid silver. The shape of these stirrups varies in some degree, the
usual form resembling that of the English stirrup, but very much larger
and heavier, the sides being from one to two inches wide, and pierced
in ornamental patterns, while the cross-bar on which the foot rests is
fully two inches in width.
The form of stirrup to which they are most partial resembles the
other, as far as the side pieces are concerned; but the foot-bar is
developed into a large plate of silver, which comes over the front of
the stirrup, and protects the toes and instep from the thorns which are
plentiful in the country. The back of this plate projects behind in a
sharp point, which is used as a spur.
About the spurs themselves the Araucanian is very fastidious. They are
of enormous size, and armed with rowels measuring from two to three
inches in diameter, and sometimes even exceeding that measurement. It
may be imagined that spurs of this size, which are exceedingly weighty,
must be buckled on the feet very tightly, so as to keep them in their
places.
This, however, is not the case. On the contrary, the strap by which
they are fastened is quite loose, so that when the wearer walks the
rowels trail on the ground, and when he is mounted they hang nearly
perpendicularly from his heels. The Araucanian cares little for the
impediment in walking, as he never walks twenty yards if he can help
himself; while the position of the spurs when he is mounted is a real
necessity. An illustration of stirrups and spurs is given on the 1175th
page.
The horses are never more than half trained. They are taught to wheel
within a very small circle, to stop suddenly and throw themselves on
their haunches, and to dash off at full gallop; but that is the extent
of their accomplishments. Many of them are young, spirited, and nervous
steeds, and if, in the course of the struggles for victory which they
occasionally attempt, the spurs were to come against their sides, they
would be greatly alarmed, and their struggles would only be increased.
But as the spurs hang down almost below the rider’s feet, they swing
clear of the horse’s flanks, while at any time, if they are needed
for use, the wearer has only to bend his feet, which brings them into
position.
The Araucanians have a very wholesome contempt for shams, and will
have nothing that has any pretence about it. The poorest peasant, who
can only afford an iron spur, or possibly not even a spur of any kind,
would scorn to wear either spur or stirrups of plated metal, or of any
imitation of silver, however good.
They are so fastidious in this matter that they will not use articles
that have been made abroad; and even if a spur is made of solid silver
in imitation of their own patterns, they will be nearly certain to
reject it, the workmanship being sure to betray itself to their
experienced eyes. A high polish always excites their suspicions,
inasmuch as the native artificers are incapable of imparting it. All
these articles are made from the silver currency of the country, and
the wealthy Araucanian always carries with him a pair of balances, and
a number of dollars which serve as standard weights.
It may be imagined that the purchase of a pair of spurs or stirrups is
a matter of importance with these people. The buyer sits in silence on
the ground, takes the spurs, and examines every part with the minutest
attention, scrutinizing every joint, smelling the metal, tasting it,
and ringing it, in order to judge whether it has been debased by the
mixture of any inferior material. Not only spurs and stirrups, but
pendants for the bridle, and ornaments for the headstalls and saddles,
are made of silver; so that the accoutrements of a wealthy Araucanian
will sometimes be worth a hundred and fifty pounds, merely as silver,
without regard to the value of the workmanship.
The men who make these highly prized ornaments use the very rudest of
tools, and their workshops are but rough hovels, quite out of keeping
with the barbaric magnificence of their wares. Sometimes the artificer
makes the ornaments for sale; but in the case of large articles, such
as spurs or stirrups, which weigh several pounds, and consume a great
number of dollars, he prefers to wait for the order, and make the
required article out of the bag of dollars with which it is accompanied.
It is remarkable that the Araucanians, fond as they are of silver, will
have nothing to do with gold. Besides these horse accoutrements, they
wear earrings, breastpins, and other ornaments of silver, but none of
gold. Some travellers think that their reason for the rejection of gold
is their wish to conceal its presence in the country from the knowledge
of the foreigner, remembering that it was the cause of the disastrous
war with the Spanish invader. The real cause is, probably, that it
cannot be procured in sufficient quantities without more labor than
they choose to bestow, and that they have not learned to work gold as
they do silver.
The Araucanians are admirable riders, though their seat would not
please an European riding master. They depend entirely on balance
for retaining their seat, and seem rather to hang on the horse’s
back than to hold by any grip of the knee. Indeed, a stranger to the
country always thinks that an Araucanian rider is on the point of
being thrown, so loose is his seat, whereas the very idea that he can
by any possibility be thrown never enters his mind. He and his horse
seem one being, actuated by one mind. A traveller once saw a horse take
fright, and leap sideways from the object of terror. He thought that
the rider must be flung by the suddenness of the movement; but, to all
appearance, the man took fright and shied at the same moment with his
horse.
The Araucanians use the bolas in common with their southern neighbors,
the Patagonians, and are never seen without the “laqui,” as they term
the weapon, hanging at their waists. Some of them have a way of leaving
one of the balls without its covering of leather, saying that the
covered bolas is used when they fight with friends, but the bare bolas
when they fight with an enemy.
They also use the lasso, that terrible weapon which extends over
so vast a territory, and which supersedes the bolas as it proceeds
northward.
This terrible weapon is simple enough in principle, being nothing more
than a leathern rope, forty feet in length, with a noose at the end.
As, however, the construction is rather ingenious, I have given an
illustration on the 1175th page, taken from specimens in my possession.
Fig. 1 shows the lasso coiled through the strap by which it is attached
to the saddle of the rider. It is made of a number of thongs of raw
hide, plaited into a round rope, about three-eighths of an inch
in diameter; so that, although it appears very slender, it really
possesses enormous strength, and an elephant could scarcely break it.
This part of the rope is shown at fig. 5.
For the last ten feet of its length the rope is much thicker, is
composed of more strips of hide, and is plaited into a square form. At
the extreme end the various strands are plaited round an iron ring, as
seen at fig. 4. Through this ring the lasso passes, so as to form a
running noose. The change from the round to the square plait is seen at
fig. 3, and fig. 2 shows the peculiar knot which keeps the lasso from
slipping from the saddle.
Fig. 6 shows the end of another sort of lasso, made of the silk-grass
fibre, _i. e._ the long fibres from the leaves of a species of agave.
These fibres are wonderfully strong, and the lasso is remarkable,
not only for its strength, but its elasticity. Instead of an iron
ring being placed at the end, the rope is brought round so as to form
a loop, the interior of which is lined with stout leather, and the
exterior adorned with colored wools.
When the lasso is to be used, the thrower takes the ring in his left
hand, and the lasso in the right, and separates his arms so as to make
a running noose nearly six feet in length. Grasping the ring and the
cord with his left hand, he slips his right hand along the rope so as
to double it, and there holds it. When he throws it, he whirls it round
his head until the noose becomes quite circular, and then hurls it at
the object, throwing after it the remainder of the rope, which has
hung in coils on his left arm. As it passes through the air, the noose
becomes gradually smaller, so that the thrower can always graduate the
diameter of the noose to the object which it is intended to secure.
The skill with which they fling this noose is wonderful, as may be seen
from Mr. Smith’s account of a struggle with an infuriated bull:--
“The capture of a particular animal from a herd, within a range of
pasture utterly unbounded except by mountains and rivers, is often
difficult, and gives rise to many exciting cases and ludicrous scenes.
Even when taken, the captives are not easy of management, their
attachment for old associates manifesting itself in frequent attempts
to return.
“One particular bull gave great trouble. He was a noble fellow, of
spotless white,--such an one as bore the beautiful Europa through the
waters of the Phœnician deep, or such an one as might be worshipped on
the shores of the Ganges.
“After a long time he was lassoed, and the horseman, who had literally
taken the bull by the horns, started off complacently to lead him
to the place of gathering. But his bullship did not take the going
as a matter of course; for, with a mad bellow, he charged upon his
captor, who, seeing a very formidable pair of horns dashing toward
him, started at full gallop, still holding fast the lasso, which he in
vain tried to keep taut. The horse was jaded, and old Whitey was fast
gaining. Another Indian bounded forward, and, dexterously throwing his
lasso, caught the unoccupied horn, bringing up the prisoner with a
round turn.
“The bull was not yet conquered. After plunging, pawing, bellowing,
and tossing for a while, he changed his tactics. Making a rush and a
feint at one of his annoyers, he wheeled about suddenly, and nearly
succeeded in catching the other on his horns. Things were becoming
more complicated than ever, when, as the infuriated animal stood head
down, with his tail stuck out at an angle of fifty-five degrees, a
third horseman came to the attack, and, whirling his lasso with a jerk,
caught the caudal extremity in a running knot.
“Thus the two men at the sides were safe, provided that the man behind
kept his lasso strained. But a question in the rule of three now arose.
If three men catch a bull, one by each horn, and one by the tail, and
all pull in different directions, which way can the bull go?
“No one seemed able to work out the answer; but Katrilas was a man
ready for all emergencies, and, dismounting, he started to the
assistance of his companions, armed with a long lance and an old
poncho. Running before the bull, he threw the poncho on the ground,
a few paces in front, the man behind slackened a little, and the
bellowing captive made a desperate plunge at the red cloth. A jerk on
the tail stopped further progress, till Katrilas, picking up the poncho
on the tip of the lance, tossed it several yards in advance. There was
another slackening, another plunge, another jerk, and so on, until the
‘critter’ was brought to the desired spot.
“The next trouble was to loose the captive. Sundry scientific pulls
brought him to the ground, and Katrilas, springing forward, stripped
the lassos from his horns. But another remained on the tail. That no
one would venture to untie, for the bull had risen, and stood glaring
frantically around. An Indian, unsheathing his long knife, ran full
tilt at the extended tail, and with one blow severed the greater part
of that useful member from the body.
“The last was literally the ‘unkindest cut of all.’ The poor brute was
fairly conquered. He stood with head hanging, eyes glaring, the tongue
lolling from his frothing mouth, his once spotless coat defiled with
foam and dirt, while the drip, drip, drip, of the warm blood upon his
heels rendered the abjectness of his misery complete.”
That the Araucanians are a courageous race is evident from their
struggles with the Spaniards. Though vanquished again and again by
the superior arms and discipline of the Spaniards, they were never
conquered, and when repulsed, only retired to gather fresh forces.
Toqui after Toqui fell in the struggle, the most remarkable of these
warriors being a mere youth named Lautaro, who was unanimously elected
to the post in consequence of his conduct when the Araucanians attacked
the Spaniards at Tucapel. He was a captive and a servant in the family
of Valdivia, when the place was attacked. The Spanish musketry told
so terribly upon the Araucanians, that they were on the point of
retreating, when Lautaro dashed forward, rallied his countrymen, and
led them to the attack with such spirit that the whole Spanish force
was destroyed with the exception of two, who escaped to Concepcion with
the news of the defeat. Valdivia himself was captured, and it is said
that Lautaro desired to save the life of his former master, when an old
chief seized an axe and dashed out the brains of the captive general.
Foreseeing that General F. de Villa Gran, who was at Concepcion, would
march at once to avenge the destruction of Tucapel, Lautaro assembled
the troops, pushed forward, and concealed half of them in the sides
of a defile through which the road led, while the other half were
also concealed at the summit of the mountain. The battle began in the
defile, and, after causing great destruction among the enemy, the
Araucanians had to retire.
Fancying that the enemy were beaten, the Spaniards pressed on, and
arriving wearied at the summit, found a second and fresh army opposed
to them. They fought with the utmost courage, and their artillery
nearly turned the day in their favor, when Lautaro told off one of his
bravest officers with orders to capture the cannon, while he attacked
Villa Gran on the flank. So furiously was the charge made, that the
guns were taken, and the Spaniards had to retreat, Villa Gran barely
escaping with his life.
When they entered the pass through which they had come, they found the
outlet blocked with fallen trees, and the sides filled with warriors,
whom the far-seeing Lautaro had despatched for that purpose at the
beginning of the conflict. The slaughter was terrific, and only a few
of the Spaniards escaped, led by Villa Gran, who at last forced his way
through the barriers.
Lautaro showed his splendid generalship, by pushing on at once to the
headquarters at Concepcion, which he took, pillaged, and burned. Orders
were received from Lima to rebuild Concepcion, and no sooner was it
done than Lautaro captured and burned it again. He then conceived the
bold project of attacking Santiago itself, and in a wonderfully short
time appeared before the place.
Here he committed his only error in generalship. He had to pass
through the territory of the Purumancians, who had become allies
of the Spaniards, thinking them invincible. Lautaro should have
remembered that the late defeats must have altered the opinions of the
Purumancians, who could have been easily induced to act against their
former allies. But his indignation at their treachery was so great,
that he stopped to ravage their territory and destroy their crops.
Villa Gran, who was then the governor of Santiago, knew his enemy
well, and employed the time in fortifying the city, which would have
fallen at once had Lautaro pushed on without stopping to punish his
traitorous countrymen. Three times Villa Gran sent a force against the
Araucanians, the last being commanded by his own son, but all were
routed and driven back.
At last Villa Gran, stung by these repeated defeats, determined himself
to conduct an expedition against his foes, and with a mixed force of
Spaniards and Purumancians came stealthily upon the Araucanian camp.
Born general though he was, Lautaro did not know the use of outposts,
and the consequence was, that Villa Gran surprised his camp, and as he
rushed to the front to rally his followers, he was pierced by a dart
flung by one of the Purumancians, and fell dead on the spot.
Thus fell Lautaro, a youth worthy to be named with the greatest heroes
of antiquity. Chosen commander at the age of seventeen, he opposed for
two years the best soldiers of Europe, armed with infinitely superior
weapons, and accustomed to military discipline. Though a mere boy, he
displayed a military skill and a fertility of resource worthy of the
most accomplished generals, and by sheer force of intellect and courage
won every battle except that in which he fell.
A nation which could produce men such as Lautaro, or the troops who
fought and conquered under his command, is evidently capable of great
things, and, at all events, worthy of the liberty which it won from the
Spaniards, and which has never again been threatened.
* * * * *
Marriage among the Araucanians is an odd mixture of ceremonies.
Theoretically, the bridegroom is supposed to steal his wife against her
own will and in opposition to the wishes of her parents; practically,
he buys her from her parents, who have long looked upon their daughter
as a valuable article, to be sold to the first purchaser who will give
a sufficient price.
Sometimes the match is one of affection, the two young people
understanding each other perfectly well. Music is the usual mode by
which an Araucanian expresses his feelings, and the usual instrument is
the jews-harp. The Mapuché lover is never seen without his jews-harp
hanging from his neck, tied upon a little block of wood to prevent it
from being injured, and decorated with strings of many-colored beads.
Furnished with this indispensable instrument, the lover seats himself
at a little distance from the object of his choice, and produces a
series of most dolorous sounds, his glances and gestures denoting the
individual for whom they are meant.
After a little while, the lover thinks that he had better proceed to
the marriage. Should he be a wealthy man, he has no trouble in the
matter; but if not, he goes among his friends and asks contributions
from them. One gives an ox, another a horse, another a pair of silver
spurs, and so on. It is a point of honor to make these contributions,
and equally so to return them at some time or other, even if the
intending bridegroom has to wait until in his turn he can sell his
eldest girl.
The next process is, that the friends of the young man assemble, all
mounted on their best horses, and proceed in a body to the house of
the girl’s father. Five or six of the best speakers dismount and ask
permission for the marriage, extolling to the utmost the merits of the
bridegroom, and expatiating on the happiness of his daughter in being
married to such a man. The father, treating the matter as gravely as if
he had not done exactly the same thing himself, makes a speech in his
turn.
All this ceremony is intended to give time to the young man to hunt
for his intended bride, and, until he has found her, they will go on
with their speeches. As soon as the young man discovers the girl, he
seizes her and drags her to the door, while on her part she screams and
shrieks for protection. At the sound of her voice all the women turn
out, armed with sticks, stones, and any other weapons which come to
hand, and rush to her help. The friends of the bridegroom in their turn
run to help their friend, and for some time there is a furious combat,
none of the men escaping without some sharp bruises, and the girl
screaming at the top of her voice.
At last the bridegroom dashes at the girl, seizes her as he can, by
the hand, the hair, or the heels, as the case may be, drags her to
his horse, leaps on its back, pulls her up after him, and dashes off
at full speed, followed by his friends. The relatives of the girl
go off in pursuit, but are constantly checked by the friends of the
bridegroom, who keep them back until he has dashed into the forest with
his bride. They halt at the skirts of the forest, wait until the sounds
of the girl’s screams and the galloping of the horse have died away,
and then disperse. This Araucanian ceremony of marriage is represented
on the following page.
The young couple are now left alone until they emerge from the wood
on the second day after the abduction, when they are supposed to be
man and wife. That all the fighting and screaming are a mere farce is
evident from the fact that, if a man should offer himself who is not
acceptable to the parents of the girl, and should proceed to carry her
off, one of her relatives blows the horn of alarm, as has already been
mentioned, and all the _male_ relations turn out and drive off the
intruder. Sometimes, however, he succeeds in gaining the bush before he
is caught, and in that case the marriage holds good.
Some few days after the marriage, the friends call on the newly-married
couple, and bring the contributions which they had promised. The
whole party then proceed to the house of the girl’s father, and offer
him these goods, which are taken as if they were merely offerings,
and not the price for which the girl was sold. Being satisfied with
the presents, he expresses himself pleased with the marriage, and
congratulates the young couple and their friends.
But the mother is not so easily to be satisfied. With her it is a point
of honor that she is _not_ satisfied, but, on the contrary, is highly
outraged at the abduction of her child. So she will neither speak to
nor look at the bridegroom, but sits down with her back turned to him.
Now comes a difficult point. She is bound, in accordance with the
laws of hospitality, to entertain the guests, and as the offending
son-in-law is the most important person, he must be consulted first.
So she addresses the bride, “My daughter, ask your husband if he
is hungry.” The conversation thus begun is carried on in a similar
manner, and ends with an entertainment on which the mother of the
bride exhausts all her culinary knowledge. Sometimes the husband never
addresses his mother-in-law for years, except with her back turned to
him, or with a fence intervening between them. The reader may remember
that a similar custom is followed by the Kaffir tribes of Southern
Africa. See page 88.
* * * * *
The cookery of the Araucanians is at first anything but agreeable to
European taste.
Mutton is largely consumed in the country, and is killed, dressed, and
cooked in a speedy and simple manner. The sheep being hung by its hind
legs to a tree, its throat is cut, and the blood is received into a
bowl and mixed with salt, in which state it is thought to be a very
great delicacy. The sheep is then opened, and the whole of the interior
removed to be cleaned and cooked, this being held as the best part of
the animal. The skin is then removed, the body is split along the spine
from head to tail, and each half is transfixed with a stick, and set
over the fire.
The greatest delicacy, however, that can be placed before a guest is
called “nachi.” The mode of preparing this dish is a good example
of the total disregard of inflicting pain which is common to all
uncivilized people.
[Illustration: (1.) ARAUCANIAN MARRIAGE. (See page 1200.)]
[Illustration: (2.) MAPUCHÉ FAMILY. (See page 1191.)]
A sheep is hung up by the fore-legs, a quantity of cayenne pepper and
salt is mixed in a bowl, and the throat of the sheep is cut so as to
open the windpipe, down which the operator stuffs the salt and pepper
as fast as he can. He then draws out the jugular vein, cuts it, and
turns the end into the severed windpipe, down which the blood flows,
so as to mix with the pepper and salt, and carry them into the lungs.
The unfortunate sheep swells up and dies in horrible agony, which is
totally disregarded by the spectators, not from intentional cruelty,
but utter want of thought. The sheep is then opened, and the lungs are
found distended with a mixture of salt, pepper, and blood. This is the
nachi, which is served up by being cut in slices and handed to the
guests while still warm.
There are two national drinks, namely, chica and mudai. The former is
a sort of cider, and prepared as follows. A sheepskin is laid on the
ground, with the woolly side downward, and a ponchoful of green apples
is emptied on it. Two or three men sit round it armed with switches,
with which they beat the apples, and in a short time convert them into
a pulp. Water is next poured upon them, and the chica is ready for use.
The men take up large handfuls of the pulp, and squeeze them into jars,
this being all the preparation which the chica receives.
This drink is at first hated by foreigners, and afterward liked by
them. See, for example, two extracts from the journal of the same
traveller. “After riding for a long time in the hot sun without meeting
any running stream, we spied a farmhouse in the distance, and, going to
it asked for a glass of water.
“‘There is not a drop of water within a mile of the house,’ said an
old woman who came to the door, ‘but we can give you some _chica de
manzanos_ (cider) that is very nice,’ producing at the word a huge
glass of a green, muddy liquid. To call it vinegar would be too high
a compliment, and to add that it was flavored with gall would convey
no adequate idea of this abominable stuff, which had been made from
the very greenest of green apples. One mouthful sufficed for me, and
my first impressions of chica de manzanos were not favorable; but our
guide tossed it off with infinite relish.”
This description was written immediately after entering the country for
the first time. Here is another description of the same liquid. After
describing the mode of its manufacture, he proceeds to say: “Such cider
is somewhat coffee colored, and rather sour, but I soon became fond of
it, especially with the addition of a little toasted meal, which makes
it much more palatable.”
Mudai is a drink which resembles almost exactly the kava of Polynesia,
and is prepared in the same manner, meal being substituted for the kava
root. A bushel or so of wheat is slowly boiled for several hours, after
which the decoction is strained off and set to cool. In order to hasten
fermentation, a quantity of meal is masticated and added to the liquid.
The effect is very rapid, and when fermentation has fairly begun, the
mudai is fit for use, and is strained off into jars. It has a muddy
look, but possesses a pleasant and slightly acid flavor, which is very
agreeable in a hot country if the mode of preparation be not known.
Wheat is prepared in a rather peculiar, not to say poetical and
romantic, manner. The sickle is not employed, but the ears are plucked
by hand. The wheat gatherers separate themselves into pairs, a young
man and a girl taking a basket between them, and walking slowly through
the cornfield. As they pass along, they gather the ears, rubbing them
on the back of their companion’s hand, so that the ripe grains fall
into the basket. They accompany the light toil with songs, which mostly
treat of love, and as the tendency of each pair is naturally to diverge
from the others, it happens that in this way is originated many a
love-match, which afterward finds its issue in the marriage ceremonies
above described.
This plan is, however, only employed when corn has to be gathered and
threshed on a small scale. When a large quantity is prepared the horse
is brought into requisition, the ears being thrown into a circular
shallow pit, round and round which six or seven horsemen urge their
steeds, shouting and yelling as if mad. When they think that the grain
is sufficiently released from the ears, they leap out of the ring, and
a number of women and children enter, who sweep up the corn and chaff
to the edge of the ring with bunches of twigs which serve as brooms.
This operation, however, is a very imperfect one, and before the corn
can be taken to the mill a further husking has to be performed. This is
done by placing the wheat in shallow wooden dishes, getting into them
barefooted, and keeping up a sort of shuffling dance, throwing up the
grain with each foot alternately, and rubbing it with the other.
The winnowing is simply accomplished by flinging the wheat into the
air, so that the chaff is blown away by the wind. As to the grinding,
it is exactly similar to that mode which is practised by the Kaffirs,
the women placing the corn on the top of a flat, sloping stone, and
rubbing it with another stone shaped like a rolling-pin. The mill being
placed on a sheepskin, the meal falls upon the skin as it is ground.
This is very hard work indeed, and even the skilled Araucanians are
bathed in perspiration before they have ground enough corn for a meal.
CHAPTER CXXVI.
THE ARAUCANIANS--_Concluded_.
GAMES AND SOCIAL CUSTOMS.
THE GAME OF PELICAN, AND ITS CLOSE RESEMBLANCE TO HOCKEY -- AVAS,
OR THE EIGHT BEANS GAME -- MANUFACTURES -- MAKING BROTHERHOOD, AND
EXCHANGING NAMES -- AN IRRUPTION OF NEW RELATIVES -- STATE OF THE
HEALING ART -- THE MACHIS OR DOCTORS -- THEIR MODE OF WORKING CURES
-- A WEIRD-LIKE SCENE -- THE FEMALE DOCTOR AT HER INCANTATION -- FEAR
OF ALLOWING THE NAME TO BE KNOWN -- BELIEF IN OMENS -- THE LUCKY
BIRDS -- HUMAN SACRIFICE -- FUNERAL OF A CHIEF.
The games of the Araucanians are tolerably numerous, and one or two of
them resemble some of our own games. There is one, for example, called
Pelican, which is almost identical with the well-known game of hockey.
An animated description of this game is given by Mr. E. R. Smith:--
“Early in the morning we saw a number of boys engaged upon the fine
lawn in front of the house in planting out twigs at short intervals,
thus forming an alley about forty feet wide, and some three hundred
long. They were preparing for a game of Pelican. Others were blowing a
long horn (formed by the insertion of a cow’s horn in a hollow cane),
to the tones of which came back answering notes, as though a rival band
were approaching over the hills. The night before, we had heard the
same challenge to the neighboring youths, and the same echoing reply,
but more faint and distant. At last the enemy were seen emerging from
the woods; a shout of welcome arose; there were many salutations, a
‘big talk,’ and all put themselves in readiness for the great trial of
skill.
“The game of Pelican ... is played with a small wooden ball, propelled
along the ground by sticks curved at the lower end. The two sides have
their bases at opposite extremities of the alley. The ball is placed in
a hole half-way between the bases, and over it two boys are stationed,
while the other players are scattered along the alley, each armed with
a stick. When all is ready, the two boys strike their sticks together
in the air, and commence a struggle for the ball, each striving to
knock it toward the opposite party.
“The object of every one is to drive the ball through his opponent’s
base, or, in defence of his own, to knock it sideways beyond the
bordering line of twigs, in which case the trial is put down as drawn,
and recommences. Each game is duly notched on a stick, and the party
first tallying a certain number gains the victory.
“There was much shouting and shuffling, many a cracked shin and an
occasional tumble, but the greatest goodwill reigned throughout.
Some thirty players were engaged in the game, mostly naked, with the
exception of a poncho about the loins. I was much disappointed with
their physical development, which was not as I expected to see. They
struck me as inferior to the laboring classes in Chili, both in muscle
and symmetry, though possessing the same general features. Neither was
their playing remarkable either for skill or activity; and if they
were a fair sample, it would be an easy matter to select from many of
our schools or colleges a party of young men more than a match for the
same number of picked Araucanians, even at their own national game of
Pelican.”
When the sun is too high to allow this game to proceed, the players
generally abandon it in favor of another game called Avas. This is
purely a game of chance. It is played with eight beans, each having a
mark on one side, and ten sticks, which are used in reckoning the game.
Spreading a poncho on the ground, the players sit at opposite sides,
and each in turn takes the beans, shakes them in his hands, and flings
them on the poncho. For each bean that falls with the marked side
upward one point is scored, a hundred completing the game.
The interest displayed in this game is extraordinary. The players shout
to the beans, talk to them, kiss them, press them to their breasts,
and rub them on the ground, imploring them to send good luck to
themselves, and evil fortune to their antagonists, and treating them
exactly as if they were living creatures. At this game they stake all
the property that they can muster, and ponchos, bolas, lassos, knives,
ornaments, and dollars when they can be got, change hands with great
rapidity amid the excited yells of the players and spectators. At this
game the Araucanians frequently lose every article of property which
they possess, and it is not at all uncommon to see a well-dressed and
well-armed player go disconsolately home without his weapons, his
ornaments, and his clothes, except a ragged cheripa.
The fate of prisoners of war often depends on the turn of a bean, and
sometimes, when the national council have been unable to decide on a
subject, they have settled the point by the result of a game at avas.
Even the pelican game has sometimes been entrusted with the decision of
a knotty point of policy.
The manufactures of the Araucanians are but few. The art of the
silversmith has already been described, as has also that of the bolas
maker, while the manufacture of the lasso will be described in another
place. The native cloths are made of cotton or wool, and are woven
in very rude looms. The principal dye employed by the Araucanians is
indigo, and the bright scarlet patterns which are introduced into
the best cloths are obtained by interweaving threads unravelled from
European manufactures.
Among their social customs, the mode of making brotherhood ought to be
mentioned, inasmuch as it resembles in some respects that which has
already been described as practised in the Malay Archipelago and in
Africa, and in others. The ceremony is called Lacu, and is performed
after the following manner.
One individual is selected from the family into which the honored
guest is to be received, and to him a present is made. He then fetches
a lamb, kills it, cuts it into two pieces, and boils one-half of the
animal. The meat is then placed in a huge wooden bowl, and brought to
the new brother in Lacu, who is supposed to eat the whole of it, and if
he should leave a single mouthful would grievously insult the family
into which he was to be received.
Fortunately, he is allowed by the laws of etiquette to take advantage
of the adage, _qui facit per alium facit per se_; and though he cannot
by any possibility consume half a lamb, he is allowed to eat as much
as he can manage and to distribute the remainder among the family,
who are only too happy to take their share in fulfilling the required
conditions. From that time the two Lacus exchange names.
Mr. E. R. Smith went through the ceremony of Lacu, and became a member
of the Mapuché tribe, under the name of Nam-culan, an abbreviation of
Namcu-Lanquen, _i. e._ Eaglet of the Sea. Sometime afterward he found
that his relations were strangely numerous.
“After the usual meal, the usual distribution of presents was made,
and as the family was small we were just congratulating ourselves on
escaping cheaply, when in sauntered a neighbor, who was presented as my
brother. He had hardly settled down to the enjoyment of his share of
the booty, when in dropped a blear-eyed old woman, who proved to be my
aunt. Next followed a stately dowager, fair, fat, and forty, radiant
with paint and silver ornaments, looking as innocent as though she had
dropped in by the merest accident in the world. She was my sister, and
so it went on until we began to think that our host’s relations were
innumerable.”
* * * * *
The Araucanians know a little about medicine, and much more about
surgery, though the mixture of superstition with practice lessens the
former, and the absence of a written language hinders the latter.
Their medicines are almost entirely vegetable, the chief of which is
the well-known sarsaparilla root. Bleeding is performed by means of
sharp flakes of obsidian, which are sharper than any knife of native
manufacture, and blisters are in great favor.
The Mapuché mode of blistering is the very simple one of the actual
cautery, and is performed by means of a moxa made of dried pith. This
material is rolled up in little balls and applied to the skin, where it
is allowed to remain until entirely consumed, being pressed down so as
to ensure its full effect. This is horribly painful, but in spite of
that drawback--perhaps in consequence of it--is very much in favor with
the people.
Beside these material medicines they have others of a different
character, which are employed when the disease is beyond the reach of
their simple medicines. The wise men who practise this advanced system
of healing are but few in number, and are called by the title of Machi,
their mode of practice receiving the name of _machilun_.
Going on the principle that a disease which cannot be expelled by
medicine must be caused by an evil spirit, the Machi proceeds to drive
it out after his own fashion. The hut is cleared of inhabitants, and
the patient laid on his back in the middle of the floor. The Machi,
having in the meanwhile removed nearly the whole of his clothes, and
made himself as horrible as he can by paint, enters the dwelling,
taking with him his magic drum, _i. e._ a wooden bowl with a cover
of sheepskin strained tightly over it. After examining the patient,
the Machi begins a long-drawn monotonous incantation, accompanied by
continual beating of the drum, until he has worked himself up to a
pitch of frenzy, and falls backward on the ground, with breast jerking
convulsively, eyes rolling, and mouth foaming.
As soon as he falls, a number of young men, who have been waiting close
to the hut, leap on their horses, and dash at full speed round the
house, yelling defiantly, waving lighted torches over their heads, and
brandishing their long lances by way of frightening the evil spirit,
and warning him not to come near the place again. Like the Machi, they
are all nearly naked, and painted in the most hideous fashion, so as
to strike terror, not only into the spirit that has possession of the
man, but into those who are hovering round the house, and trying to
gain admission. In the first engraving on the next page the artist has
furnished a strange, weird scene, illustrating the Mapuché mode of
healing the sick.
After a while the Machi recovers from his trance, and then announces
the seat and immediate cause of the malady. For the latter he carefully
searches the patient, and after a time produces it in the shape of a
spider, a toad, a stone, an arrow head, or similar object. Were he to
do more than this, no harm would accrue, and if the patient should
recover no harm is done.
But, should he die, the Machi is forced by public opinion to declare
that the evil spirit has been sent to the dead man by means of
witchcraft.
The body is opened, the gall removed, and placed in the wooden bowl of
the magic drum, where it undergoes a series of incantations. After they
are over, it is put into a closely covered pot and placed on the fire
until it is dried up. The sign of witchcraft is a stone found at the
bottom of the pot, and it is needless to say that such a stone is never
wanting. By means of this proof of witchcraft, the Machi again throws
himself into a trance, in the course of which he designates the culprit
who has caused the illness of the deceased.
No one ever disbelieves a Machi, and the relatives of the dead man
seek out the accused and murder him. It naturally follows that the
Machis are too prone to abuse this terrible power of their position
by accusing persons against whom they have enmity, or whom they have
been bribed to condemn. No counter proof is admitted in the face of a
Machi’s accusation; and if the alleged culprit should be in another
district, the cacique is requested to deliver him up to justice.
The unfortunate wretch is sure to suffer torture for the sake of
extracting a confession of his guilt, and, whether he confess or not,
he is sure to be killed; so that a wise man admits his guilt at once,
and thereby escapes the tortures which he would otherwise have suffered.
Sometimes, though rarely, the Machi is a woman. In this case she
assumes the male dress, mimics as far as she can the masculine tone
of voice and mode of walking, and is always a very disagreeable
individual, being mostly crabbed, ill-tempered, petulant, and irritable.
As the Machi always operates at night, the scene is most wild and
picturesque, as may be seen from the account of Mr. E. R. Smith, who
witnessed (at a distance) the operations of a female Machi.
“One of the neighbors was dangerously ill, and during the night there
was a grand _machilun_ performed by the grand exorcist, the medicine
woman of Boroa herself. I wished to be present, but Sancho would not
listen to the proposal, insisting that we might expose ourselves to
violence by appearing to interfere with this witch, whose hatred of the
whites and influence over the natives were alike unbounded.
“The night was black and threatening, well suited to her machinations.
We could plainly hear the monotonous tap of the Indian drum, and the
discordant song occasionally rising with the frenzy of the moment into
a shrill scream, then sinking to a low, guttural cadence, while all
else was hushed for very dread of the unhallowed rites. Suddenly the
singing stopped, and there was a long silence, broken by the eruption
of a troop of naked savages rushing round the house on horse and
afoot, brandishing fiercely lance, and sword, and burning fagot and
blazing torch, and making night hideous with their demoniac cries. The
frightened dogs howled in dismal concert, and again all was still. The
evil spirit had been cast out and driven away. It only remained for the
sick man to recover or die.”
The witch who presided over this extraordinary scene was a _mestizo_,
_i. e._ a half-breed between the negro and the native. She was a
singularly unprepossessing personage, hideously ugly, and turning
her ugliness of features to account by her shrewdness of intellect.
Ugliness is not, however, a necessary accompaniment of this particular
caste. There is now before me a photograph of a young mestizo woman,
whose features, although they partake somewhat of the negro character,
are good and intelligent, her color is comparatively pale, and her hair
retains the length and thickness of the Araucanian, together with a
crispness which has been inherited from the negro race.
[Illustration: (1.) MAPUCHÉ MEDICINE. (See page 1206.)]
[Illustration: (2.) MAPUCHÉ FUNERAL. (See page 1210.)]
Like many other uncivilized nations, the Araucanians have a great
objection to allow a stranger to learn their names, thinking that by
means of such knowledge the wizards may be able to practise upon them.
When they are brought into contact with the white man, and are asked
their names, the Araucanians flatly deny that they have any. They will
take service under him, and allow him to call them by any name that he
likes, but their own name they will never tell, nor do they like even
to invent one on the spur of the moment. The reader will doubtless
recall many similar instances that have been recorded in the course
of this work. They have a similar objection to their portraits being
taken, thinking that the possessor will be able to exercise magical
influence upon them by means of the simulated features.
This terror has been increased by the use of books by the white
travellers. Nothing is more inexplicable to an Araucanian than to see
a white man, evidently ignorant of the language, refer to a book and
then say the word which he wants. How such a mystery can be achieved
is beyond his comprehension, and he regards the book and its owner as
equally supernatural beings.
In one case, an Indian of more than usually inquisitive mind pointed to
various objects, in order to see whether his white visitor could find
out their names by looking at a book. Being convinced that the feat
really was performed, he peered into the book, vainly trying to detect
some resemblance between the word and the object which it signified.
As he did not gain much information from his eyes, his white friend
pointed out the word, on which he laid his hand as if to feel it. Just
at that moment, a slight breeze ruffled the leaves of the book. The man
drew back as if a snake had bitten him. The mysterious voice of the
white man’s oracle had spoken to him, and, what was worse, upon his
left hand. He said nothing, but silently withdrew, and, wrapping his
poncho round his head, sat for several hours without speaking a word.
In consequence of this superstition, a traveller dares not use his note
book openly. He is obliged to write his remarks surreptitiously, and,
so great is the fear inspired by the very fact of writing, that even if
the traveller be out of sight for any lengthened time, the people are
nervous and suspicious.
The Araucanians have a firm belief in omens, and will address prayers
after their own fashion to any of the creatures that are supposed
to have supernatural power. On one occasion, when Mr. E. R. Smith
was travelling with his native friends, one of the mules fell and
broke its back. This was a sinister omen, and the Araucanians were
correspondingly depressed at it. Fortunately, an omen so good followed
it that their fears were dispelled and confidence restored.
The reader may remember that Mr. Smith had just exchanged names with
a Mapuché lad, and was called Namcu-lanquen, _i. e._ Eaglet of the
Sea. Just after the unlucky mule had injured itself, a sea eagle rose
suddenly from its perch, circled around the party, and sailed off
southward. This was indeed a fortunate omen. In the first place, the
bird was the emblem of the white man who had recently become a Mapuché,
and in the next, the eagle was on the right hand of the travellers.
The native guide Trauque put spurs to his horse, dashed forward at
full gallop, shouting and yelling with excitement at the piece of good
fortune that had befallen them. Presently he halted, and addressed a
prayer to the eagle: “O Namcu! Great being! Look not upon us with thy
left but with thy right eye, for thou knowest that we are poor! Watch
over our children and brothers; and grant us happiness, and allow us to
return in safety from our journey.”
Every circumstance combined to make the omen propitious. The Namcu is
the being most venerated by the Araucanians, who think that it is a
sort of heavenly messenger in direct communication with the Superior
Being. The reader will doubtless be struck with the coincidence between
the bird divinations of the Araucanians and those of the Dyaks of
Borneo, as well as by their identity with the auguries of ancient
Greece and Rome.
With the exception of the wise men above mentioned, the Araucanians
have no priests, and as a necessary consequence they have no temples
and no religious ceremonies. There is a general though vague belief
in a good and evil principle, which may be manifested by a host of
inferior deities or demons. They have not even an idol, nor is there
any definite system of worship, the only prayers which a native makes
being invocations such as that which has just been described as made to
the eagle.
Sacrifices are made at their great national councils. An animal is
killed, its blood is poured on the ground as a libation, and the heart,
laid on a green branch, is borne round the assembly, accompanied with
dances and songs. The flesh is then cooked and eaten, and the bones
collected and thrown into the nearest river, so that they shall not be
polluted by being eaten by the dogs.
Sometimes in war time, a prisoner is sacrificed. He is placed on a
horse whose tail and ears have been cropped by way of deriding the
rider, and is thus taken to the place of execution. Here he dismounts,
and is forced to dig a hole, into which he throws a number of sticks,
calling each after the name of some celebrated warrior of his tribe.
He is then made to fill up the hole, thus symbolically burying the
fame of his countrymen, and as soon as he has done so, his brains are
dashed out with a club, care being taken to inflict as little damage as
possible on the skull.
As soon as he falls, the heart is torn from the breast and handed to
the Toqui, who sucks a few drops of the blood, and passes it to his
officers, who follow his example. The large bones of the arms and legs
are made into flutes, the head is placed on a spear and carried round
in triumph, and the skull is made into a drinking-cup to be used at the
principal feasts. Such a sacrifice, however, is not to be considered as
an act of worship, but merely as a mode of propitiating the manes of
deceased warriors.
The similitude between the bird omens of the ancient Greeks and Romans
and those of modern Araucanians has already been mentioned. There is
another semi-religious practice which also recalls the customs of
classic times, namely, the making of libations and offerings of food
at every meal. When the Araucanian takes his broth or wine, he pours a
few drops upon the ground as a thank offering to the higher powers, and
with the same motive he scatters around a few morsels of food.
* * * * *
The mode of burial differs slightly according to the locality and the
tribe.
When a Mapuché chief dies, the body is exposed on an open bier for
several days, during which time the friends and neighbors pay their
respects and offer their condolence to the family. On the day of the
funeral a procession is formed, led by a company of young men on
horseback, who dash forward at full speed to the place of interment.
After them the body, borne by the principal relatives, and behind them
come the women, who wail aloud and fill the air with their cries of
sorrow. Last of all comes a woman who scatters ashes on the ground, so
that the deceased may not return by the path along which he was borne.
The illustration No. 2, on page 1207, represents this part of a Mapuché
funeral.
The body is then bound with the knees to the breast, and lowered into
the grave, with the face toward the west, the direction of the Mapuché
spirit-land. The saddle, bit, spurs, and stirrups of the deceased
are laid by his side, together with some provisions for the journey,
a few beads, and a piece of money, and the grave is then filled up.
As, however, the horse accoutrements of a chief are of silver, and
exceedingly valuable, they are represented by wooden copies, which are
supposed to serve the purposes of the deceased as well as the more
costly articles, which become the property of his successors.
At the head of the grave is planted the dead man’s lance, the steel
head of which is replaced by a wooden imitation. It is also necessary
that a horse should be provided for the dead chief, and this is done
by sacrificing his favorite steed, and hanging its skin over the grave
by means of a pole placed across two forked props. Mr. E. R. Smith
shrewdly remarks that in all probability the deceased would be put
off with a wooden horse to ride, were it not that the Mapuchés are
exceedingly fond of horseflesh, and take the opportunity of holding
a great banquet on the flesh of the slaughtered animal, the skin and
spirit going to the share of the dead man.
Such ceremonies as these are only for a chief, a common man not being
supposed to need a horse, and consequently being buried with slight and
simple ceremonies. For the funerals of women the rites are of a similar
character, the chief distinction being that, instead of the saddle and
weapons, some cooking vessels, a distaff, and similar objects are laid
in the grave.
Some travellers have asserted that when a powerful chief dies, his
favorite wife is also killed and placed in the tomb with him. This
statement is, however, very doubtful, and was flatly contradicted by
every one of whom Mr. Smith inquired. The Mapuchés seem to have a
vague notion that the dead are able to return to earth and watch over
the living; and when the dark thunder-clouds lower over the distant
Cordilleras, they imagine that the deceased warriors of their tribe are
chasing away the invisible foes of their country, and utter loud shouts
of encouragement to the supernatural warriors.
In some parts of the Mapuché territory the graves are surrounded with
a rude fence of upright boards, from the midst of which rises the long
quivering lance with its slight pennon fluttering in the wind. (See
background of illustration).
The Huilyichés, however, have a much more elaborate mode of decorating
the graves of their chiefs, resembling in some degree that which is
employed by the New Zealanders. Figures supposed to represent the
deceased chief and his wives are set round the grave, just as the New
Zealanders plant their “tikis” round the graves of their friends. (See
page 861.)
One such memorial, seen by Mr. Smith, had a very singular, not to
say ludicrous, appearance. Each figure was cut out of a huge log of
wood, some ten or twelve feet in height. In the middle stood the chief
himself, wearing no clothing, but having a hat on his head and a sword
in his hand. Round him were stationed his wives, equally without
clothing, the great object of the artist being to leave no doubt which
is the chief and which are his wives, without troubling himself as to
details of drapery. Rude as these figures are, only very few natives
can carve them, and these sculptors make a large income by the exercise
of their skill. Each figure is purchased with a fat ox, or even at a
higher price, according to its size and the amount of labor bestowed
upon it, and no grandee can be considered as buried respectably unless
the grave be decorated with a figure of the deceased.
CHAPTER CXXVII.
THE GRAN CHACO.
APPEARANCE--WEAPONS--CHARACTER.
THE GRAN CHACO AND ITS INHABITANTS -- THEIR LOVE OF FREEDOM --
CONTRAST OF THE TWO RACES IN SOUTH AMERICA -- THE VARIOUS TRIBES IN
THE COUNTRY -- APPEARANCE OF THE INHABITANTS -- ERADICATION OF THE
EYEBROWS AND EYELASHES -- HAIR DRESSING -- COSTUME OF THE SEXES --
EQUESTRIAN HABITS -- THE NAKED MAN ON THE NAKED HORSE -- WEAPONS --
THE MACANA CLUB, AND MODE OF USING IT -- THE LONG SPEAR -- CURIOUS
ARMOR -- THE FOOT-BOW -- ATTACKING A VILLAGE -- HUTS OF THE GRAN
CHACO INDIANS -- CROSSING A RIVER -- CHARACTER OF THE PEOPLE.
To the east of the Araucanian territory, and extending to the Paraguay
and Panama rivers, lies a tract of mountain country, of indeterminate
northern and southern boundaries, called the Gran Chaco. This great
district is inhabited by a series of tribes who deserve a short notice.
Not the least remarkable point in their history is the manner in which
they have preserved the freedom of their own land, despite the attacks
of various white nations. Both the Spaniards and the Portuguese have,
at different times, seized on a few positions in the Gran Chaco, but
have not been able to retain them except on the indefinite western
frontier line. On the east, where the great Paraguay River forms the
natural boundary, the native is left unmolested in his freedom.
In the eloquent words of Captain Mayne Reid: “On its eastern side,
coinciding almost with a meridian of longitude, the Indian of the Gran
Chaco does not roam; the well-settled provinces of Corrientes, and
the dictatorial government of Paraguay, presenting a firmer front of
resistance. But neither does the colonist of these countries think
of crossing to the western bank of the boundary river to form an
establishment there.
“He dares not even set his foot upon the Chaco. For a thousand miles,
up and down, the two races, European and American, hold the opposite
banks of this great stream. They gaze across at each other--the one
from the portico of his-well-built mansion, or perhaps from the street
of his town--the other standing by his humble ‘toldo,’ or mat-covered
tent, more probably on the back of his half-wild horse, reined up for a
moment on some projecting promontory that commands a view of the river.
And thus have these two races gazed at each other for three centuries,
with little other intercourse passing between them than that of a
deadly hostility.”
As the territory of the Gran Chaco is very extensive, being about
three times as large as that of Great Britain, and extends north and
south through eleven degrees of latitude, it naturally follows that
the tribes which inhabit it differ from each other in many details,
those of the warm north and cold south being in many points strongly
contrasted with each other. Still, there are many points of similarity,
and these we will select in the following brief account of the Gran
Chaco tribe, omitting, from want of space, those wherein they differ
from each other.
In the first place, the aborigines of the Gran Chaco are of a much
paler complexion than those of the more northern tribes, known from
their color by the name of Red Men, and more nearly resemble the
rich olive of the inhabitants of Southern Europe. The nose is rather
aquiline, the mouth well formed, the cheek-bones high, and the eyes and
hair jetty black. The latter is singularly abundant, and though coarse
and without curl is smooth and glossy when properly dressed.
The men have but little beard, and the scanty hairs which grow upon
the chin and face they completely eradicate, using for that purpose a
pair of shells until they are rich enough to purchase iron tweezers.
Even the eyebrows and lashes are pulled out, the natives saying that
they only hinder the sight, and comparing those who wear them to the
ostrich--_i. e._ the rhea, or American ostrich, which is plentiful in
their country.
To an European, the loss of these appendages to the eyes has a very
unsightly effect; but the native takes a very different view of the
case, and looks upon a countenance wherein the eyebrows and lashes are
permitted to grow much as a gentleman of George the Second’s time would
have regarded a head which was decorated by its own hair, and a face
from which the beard and moustache had not been removed.
The masculine mode of dressing the hair has some resemblance to that
which is practised by the warlike tribes of Northern America. The hair
is shaved from the forehead, as well as from a band extending behind
the head from one ear to the other. The remainder is allowed to grow to
its full length, and carefully cherished and tended.
The Gran Chaco Indians only use paint upon great occasions, when they
decorate themselves as fantastically as any savage tribe can do; but,
as a rule, their faces and bodies are allowed to retain their normal
olive hue. Neither do the men use the tattoo, this being restricted to
the women, who mark themselves with a variety of patterns upon their
arms, cheeks, and breasts, each having a line of blue dots extending
from the corner of each eye to the ears, and a pattern of some kind
upon her forehead.
The dress of these people is very simple. In warm and fine weather, it
consists merely of a piece of cotton or woollen fabric, woven in the
brightest hues of red, white, and blue. It is little more than a mere
strip of cloth, and in this respect the dress of the women scarcely
differs from that of the men. In cold and stormy weather, both sexes
wear a warm cloak made of the skin of the jaguar, or, if so valuable a
material cannot be obtained, of that of the nutria, or South American
otter. Earrings are worn by both sexes; but the hideous ornaments which
so many savage tribes wear in their lips and noses are utterly unknown
to them.
The Gran Chaco Indian is essentially a horseman, and no inhabitants
of America have made more use of the horse than he has. He differs,
however, from those which have been already mentioned in one important
particular. He utterly despises the costly spurs, stirrups, and
headstalls which have been described in the account of the Araucanians,
and, almost naked himself, he rides upon an entirely naked horse. He
uses no saddle, no stirrups, and no bit, guiding his steed by voice and
touch, and not by the power of the iron curb. The only representative
of a bridle is a slight rope of plaited hide passed round the lower jaw
of the horse.
The weapons of the Gran Chaco Indian are very few. He carries the
bolas and lasso, but cares little for them in war, preferring, as
his most efficient weapon, his spear. This instrument is sometimes
fifteen feet in length, and in the hands of a skilful rider, mounted
upon a perfectly trained steed, is a most formidable instrument of
war. The warrior uses his spear, not only for battle, but as a means
for mounting his horse. He stands on the right hand of the animal,
places the butt of the spear upon the ground, and, using the shaft as a
leaping pole, swings himself upon the back of the horse with scarcely
an effort.
A rather peculiar club is also used by these people. This weapon
is called “macana,” and exists throughout a very large portion of
Southern America. It seldom exceeds two feet in length, and in form
somewhat resembles a square dice box, being smaller in the middle,
and increasing in diameter to each end. It is used both as a missile,
and as a hand weapon, and when used is held by the middle. The young
warriors pride themselves on the force and accuracy with which they
hurl this instrument, and during their leisure time vie with each
other in throwing it at a mark. The specimen which is shown in the
illustration was presented to me by H. Bernau, Esq., together with
several other weapons and implements of South America.
[Illustration: THE MACANA.]
Sometimes the macana is armed with a cylindrical piece of hard stone,
which projects from one end like the blade of an axe. It is fastened
into the wood by a very ingenious process. Having fixed upon a young
branch which he thinks will make a good club, the Indian bores a hole
in it, and hammers into the hole the stone cylinder which has been
previously prepared. He then allows it to remain for two or three
years, by which time the wood has grown over the stone, and become so
firmly imbedded that it will break to pieces rather than be loosened by
any amount of violence.
Another of these weapons in my collection is remarkable for the slight
but elaborate carvings with which it is covered, leaving only a small
space in the centre devoid of ornament. The patterns are scratched
rather than cut, so that they cannot properly be seen unless the weapon
is turned from side to side, so as to ensure the light falling properly
upon it; but the extreme hardness of the wood makes them retain their
integrity in spite of rough usage. The tree from which these clubs are
made is one of those which are popularly called iron-wood, on account
of the hardness and weight of the timber. It belongs to the guaiacums.
The Spaniards call the tree by a name which signifies “axe-breaker.”
The strangest part of war as waged by these natives is, that when they
fight with each other they adopt an elaborate system of defensive
armor, while they discard everything of the kind when they match
themselves against the fire-arms of the whites, knowing that the shield
and costume which will guard them against the club and the spear are
useless against a bullet.
The armor is of a most cumbersome description, and looks nearly as
awkward as that which is worn by the soldiers of Begharmi. (See page
638.)
First of all, the warrior puts on a coat made from the skin of the
jaguar, dressed so as to remain soft even after being wetted. Over this
dress he wears a complete suit of armor, made from the thick and hard
hide of the tapir. Not only the body armor, but the helmet and shield
are made of this material, which is capable of resisting the stroke
of the lance or the point of the arrow. It interferes, however, with
the right management of the horse, and it is very doubtful whether its
defensive powers compensate for its exceeding clumsiness. Still, it may
have a moral effect upon the enemy; and there is no denying that it
gives the warrior a more formidable appearance than he would possess if
he rode without armor. To add to the ferocity of his aspect, he employs
paint on these occasions, and with scarlet and black pigment makes
himself absolutely hideous.
When he goes to attack a village inhabited by white men, he does so in
a very ingenious manner. Usually he fights exclusively on horseback,
being so admirable a rider that he can even stand on the withers of
his horse when at full speed, and feeling himself out of his element
when dismounted. But when he has to attack so formidable an enemy as
the white man, he begins after a different fashion. He takes with him
an enormous bow, far too strong to be drawn in the usual manner, and a
number of long arrows. Dismounting at some distance from the village,
he creeps to some spot within range of his arrows, and then prepares
for action.
He begins by wrapping a quantity of cotton wool round the arrows just
behind the head, and when he has treated them all in this way, he
strikes a light and sets fire to the cotton wool on one of the arrows.
Lying on his back, he holds the bow with the toes of both feet, and,
laying the blazing arrow in its place, he is able to use both his hands
to draw the powerful weapon. He shoots with a wonderfully good aim and
great rapidity, so that when a number of Indians surround a village,
and pour their fiery missiles into it from all directions, the houses
are sure to take fire.
In the midst of the confusion caused by the flames that arise on all
sides, the warriors leap on their horses, dash at the village, kill all
whom they can reach, carry off as much plunder as possible, and then
gallop back to their own districts, where no one dares to follow.
Retaliation is never feared, as the Gran Chaco Indians have no fixed
habitation, and nothing that can be called even a village. The hut or
rather tent of these people is a very simple affair. Two upright posts
are driven firmly into the earth, and another is laid horizontally
across them. Over the horizontal pole is hung a large mat, the ends
of which are pegged to the ground, and the tent is then complete. The
mat is made of the epidermis of young palm leaves. In order to prevent
water from flooding the tent in rainy weather, a trench is dug around
it. The only furniture is the hammock in which the inhabitant sleeps,
and in fine weather, this is much more often slung between two palm
trees than between the upright posts of the tent. In fact, the only use
of the tent is as a shelter in rainy weather, the whole of the life
being passed in the open air.
As may be imagined from this mode of life, the Gran Chaco Indian is
essentially a rover, passing from one part of the country to another
when game begins to be scarce in that district which he temporarily
inhabits. Illustration No. 1, on the 1218th page shows the manner in
which a community of these natives cross rivers. Swimming with perfect
ease themselves, they merely with one hand guide their horses in the
water without caring to get on their backs, while with the other hand
they paddle themselves across the stream, or hold the spear with its
light burden of ornaments.
[Illustration: ARROWS AND ARROW-CAP. (See page 1229.)]
The children and household goods are conveyed easily enough. Square
boats or tubs made of bull’s hide are launched, and in them are placed
the children, the puppies, of which there are always plenty, and the
heavier goods, such as the kettles and cooking vessels. A rope is
tied to the “pelota,” as this primitive boat is called, and the cargo
is towed across the stream either by being attached to the tail of a
horse, or held in the mouth of a good swimmer. The lighter articles,
such as dress and ornaments, are fastened to the head of the spear,
which is held upright, so as to keep them out of the water.
The dogs which have just been mentioned are extremely useful to the
Gran Chaco Indians, who employ them in the chase. They give but little
trouble to their masters, living for the most part in holes which
they scratch in the ground, and feeding contentedly on the offal and
scraps of food, which in an uncivilized community are more than scanty.
Without the dogs the hunter could scarcely bring to bay the jaguar, the
peccary, and similar animals, which are so annoyed by the perpetual
and noisy attacks of the little curs that they stop in their flight in
order to revenge themselves, and so give the hunter time to come up
with them.
Although so essentially a warrior, and living much upon the proceeds of
his plunder, the Gran Chaco Indian is in one respect far superior to
the North American tribes. He does not torture the prisoners whom he
takes in war, and the women and children he treats kindly, and adopts
into his own tribe.
CHAPTER CXXVIII.
THE MUNDURUCÚS.
MANUFACTURES--SOCIAL CUSTOMS.
POSITION AND NUMBER OF THE MUNDURUCÚ TRIBE -- THEIR GENERAL
APPEARANCE -- MODE OF TATTOOING -- SKILL IN FEATHER WORKING --
FEATHER SCEPTRES AND APRONS -- HEAD PRESERVING -- THE TRIUMPHAL FEAST
AND WARRIOR’S PRIDE -- TRAINING OF THE WARRIOR -- THE ORDEAL OF THE
“GLOVES” -- INTELLIGENCE OF THE MUNDURUCÚS -- THE HEALING ART --
ENCHANTED CIGARS -- COLLECTING SARSAPARILLA -- THE GUARANA TEA -- THE
PARICA SNUFF AND ITS OPERATION -- THE SNUFF TUBE -- COOKERY AMONG THE
MUNDURUCÚS.
The largest, most warlike, and most powerful of the Amazonian tribes is
that which is known by the name of MUNDURUCÚ.
Formerly, they used to inhabit the country on the southern bank of the
great Amazon River; but since their long and valiant struggle with the
Portuguese, they have moved considerably southward, having conceded
to their new allies the more northern portion of their territory.
Since that time, they have been on very good terms with Europeans,
and a white man of any nation is sure to find a welcome when he comes
among the Mundurucús. This feeling does not extend to the negroes and
mulattoes, the dark skin arousing the anger of the Mundurucú as a white
skin excites his friendship.
The color of the Mundurucús is warm coppery brown; their hair is thick,
black, and straight, and with the men is cut short, except a long
fringe, which is allowed to hang over the forehead. Their features are
good, the lips being thin, the forehead tolerably high and arched, and
the general contour of the face oval. Unfortunately, they disfigure
themselves by a tattoo which is just as elaborate as that of the
Marquesans, but without its elegance.
The Mundurucú seems to have no idea of a curved or scroll-like pattern,
and contents himself with tracing straight lines and angles. One
favorite plan is, to cover the whole body with a sort of trellis-like
pattern, the lines crossing each other diagonally in some, and at right
angles in others. One man, seen by Mr. Bates, had a large black patch
on the centre of his face, covering the bottom of the nose and mouth,
while his body was decorated with a blue checkered pattern, and his
arms and legs with stripes.
At first it seems strange how the people can draw the lines with such
regularity. It is managed, however, easily enough by means of the
peculiar form of the tattooing instrument. This, instead of being very
small and made of bone, is of considerable size, and is in fact a comb
made of the sharp thorns of the pupunha palm set side by side. With
this instrument there is no difficulty in producing straight lines, as
all that the operator has to do is to lay the points of the comb on the
skin, tap it sharply until a row of little holes is made, and then rub
into the wounds the charcoal pigment.
Besides the tattoo, they use paint in profusion, and adorn themselves
with lovely ornaments made of the feathers of the macaw, the toucan,
and other native birds. There are other tribes which use similar
decorations, specimens of which we shall presently see. They are
perhaps the best savage feather workers in the world, displaying an
amount of artistic taste which is really astonishing. Their feather
sceptres are beautiful specimens of native art. They are about three
feet in length and three inches in diameter, and are made by fastening
on a wooden rod the beautiful white and yellow feathers from the breast
of the toucan. At the top, the sceptre expands into a wide plume,
composed of the long tail-feathers of the trogons, macaws, and other
birds. In order to preserve these sceptres in their full beauty, they
are kept in cylindrical bamboo cases until they are wanted. These
decorations are only used on festival days, which are determined by
the will of the Tushaúa or chief of the tribe. On these occasions the
women prepare great quantities of “tarobá,” which is exactly the same
as the mudai of the Araucanians, and they go on drinking, singing, and
dancing until all the liquor is exhausted.
The illustration No. 7 on page 1231, gives some idea of the mode of
feather working, and the kind of pattern employed by the Amazonian
aborigines, though the plain black and white can give no idea of the
gorgeous coloring and artistic arrangement of the hues. For this
reason, I have been obliged to limit the illustrations of the elaborate
feather work of these natives, and only to give a few examples, where
form, as well as color, is exemplified.
The body of this apron is made of cotton strings, plaited into a
netting, so close that it resembles a woven fabric, while they are
allowed at the upper part to be loose, and parallel to each other.
Beginning at the bottom of the apron, we have first a row of jetty
black feathers, upon which is a tolerably broad band of bright yellow.
The ground-work of the rest of the apron as far as the base strings is
made of scarlet feathers, crossed by two narrow yellow bands, and the
curious double pattern in the middle is yellow above and blue below.
The sides and top are edged by a belt of black monkey fur.
Among the upper edge of the base strings are a number of the elytra or
wing cases of the gorgeous Buprestis beetle. They are loosely strung in
a row by their bases, and not only look splendid when the light of the
sun shines on them, but rattle at every movement, so as to keep time
to the steps of the dancers, for whom such ornaments are chiefly made.
These wing cases are used also for children’s rattles.
* * * * *
Like many other warlike savages, the Mundurucús perpetuate the memory
of valiant deeds by preserving a trophy of the slain enemy. Indeed,
this is the only way in which it is possible to preserve the accounts
of their valor, and the Mundurucús follow in this respect the example
of the Dyaks, by cutting off and preserving the head of the dead man.
When a Mundurucú has been fortunate enough to kill an enemy, he cuts
off the head with his bamboo knife, removes the brain, soaks the whole
head in a bitter vegetable oil, called “andiroba,” and dries it over
a fire or in the sun. When it is quite dry, he puts false eyes into
the empty orbits, combs, parts, and plaits the hair, and decorates it
with brilliant feathers, and lastly passes a string through the tongue,
by means of which it can be suspended to the beams of the malocca or
council-house, where it remains except on festival days. When, however,
the chief gives orders for a feast, the proud owner of the head arrays
himself in his most magnificent suit of feathers, fetches his prize
from the malocca, fixes it upon the point of his spear, and parades
himself before his companions in all the glory of an acknowledged brave.
One of these preserved heads is shown on page 203, drawn from a
specimen in the possession of A. Franks, Esq., of the British Museum.
In order to show the ordinary kind of feather headdress which is worn
by the Mundurucús, a portrait of a chief is also given on the same
page, so that the contrast between the living and preserved head is
well marked.
The value which a Mundurucú attaches to this trophy is simply
inestimable. As none except acknowledged warriors are allowed to
contend against the enemy, the fact of possessing a head proves that
the owner has passed triumphantly through the dreadful ordeal of the
gloves. It is very remarkable that we find two totally distinct races
of men, the Malay and the Mongol, possessing exactly the same custom,
and reckoning the possession of a head as the chief object in life.
It is quite impossible that the Dyak of Borneo and the Mundurucú of
Central Southern America could have been geographically connected,
and we must infer that the custom took its rise from the love of
approbation inherent in human nature. In all countries, whether
civilized or not, renown as a warrior is one of the chief objects of
ambition. In civilized countries, where a literature exists, this
renown is spread and conserved by means of the pen; but in uncivilized
lands, some tangible proof of success in war must be required. In this
head the necessary proof is obtained, for its existence shows that the
owner has killed some man or other, and the form or absence of the
tattoo is a proof that the slain man was an enemy and not a friend.
The successful warriors are so proud of their heads that they will
often remove them temporarily from the malocca, and place them on the
fence which surrounds their crops, so that the women, who are working
in the field, may be cheered by the sight of their relative’s trophies.
Of late years, either this custom has fallen into abeyance, or the
people are unwilling to exhibit their trophies to a white man, for Mr.
Bates, who spent so much time with them, never even saw a preserved
head, or could hear of one being used.
Like many other natives, the Mundurucús have to pass through a horribly
painful ordeal before they can be admitted into the rank of men. There
is a strange, weird-like character about the whole proceeding.
The reader must know that South America possesses a great number of
ants, many of which sting most horribly. There is, for example, the
muniri ant, a great black insect, as large as a wasp and with as
venomous a sting. Then there is the fire ant, whose bite is just like a
redhot needle piercing the flesh, together with many others. These ants
are made the instruments by which the courage of the lad is tested.
[Illustration: (1.) GRAN CHACO INDIANS ON THE MOVE. (See page 1213.)]
[Illustration: (2.) THE GLOVE DANCE OF THE MUNDURUCÚS. (See page
1219.)]
On the appointed day, the candidate for manhood and the privilege of
a warrior, goes to the council-house, accompanied by his friends, who
sing and beat drums to encourage him. The old men then proceed to the
test. They take two bamboo tubes, closed at one end and open at the
other, and place in each tube or “glove” a number of the fiercest ants
of the country. Into these tubes the wretched lad thrusts his arms, and
has them tied, so that they cannot fall off. The drummers and singers
then strike up, and the candidate joins in the song.
Accompanied by the band and his friends, he is taken round the village,
and made to execute a dance and a song in front of every house, the
least symptom of suffering being fatal to his admission among the
men. In spite of the agony which he endures--an agony which increases
continually as the venom from the stings circulates through his
frame--the lad sings and dances as if he were doing so from sheer joy,
and so makes the round of the village. At last he comes in front of
the chief’s tent, where he sings his song for the last time, and is
admitted by acclamation to be a man. His friends crowd round to offer
their congratulations, but he dashes through them all, tears off the
gloves of torture, and plunges into the nearest stream, to cool his
throbbing arms.
This fearful test of manhood, called “The glove dance,” is represented
on page 1218.
The Mundurucús seem to be an intelligent race of savages, as may be
seen from Mr. Bates’s account of the interest which they displayed in a
book of illustrations.
“To amuse the Tushaúa, I fetched from the canoe the two volumes of
Knight’s ‘Pictorial Museum of Animated Nature.’ The engravings quite
took his fancy, and he called his wives, of whom, as I afterward heard
from Aracú, he had three or four, to look at them: one of them was a
handsome girl, decorated with necklace and bracelets of blue beads. In
a short time others left their work, and I then had a crowd of women
and children around me, who all displayed unusual curiosity for Indians.
“It was no light task to go through the whole of the illustrations,
but they would not allow me to miss a page, making me turn back when I
tried to skip. The pictures of the elephants, camels, orang-outangs,
and tigers seemed most to astonish them, but they were interested in
almost everything, down even to the shells and insects. They recognized
the portraits of the most striking birds and mammals which are found in
their own country; the jaguar, howling monkey, parrots, trogons, and
toucans.
“The elephant was settled to be a large kind of tapir; but they made
but few remarks, and those in the Mundurucú language, of which I
understood only two or three words. Their way of expressing surprise
was a clicking sound made with the teeth, similar to the one we
ourselves use, or a subdued exclamation, Hm! Hm!
“Before I finished, from fifty to sixty had assembled; there was no
pushing, or rudeness, the grown-up women letting the young girls and
children stand before them, and all behaved in the most quiet and
orderly manner possible.”
* * * * *
Like other savage tribes the Mundurucús place great faith in their
medicine men, or “pajes,” as they are termed. These men are supposed
to exercise a power over evil spirits, especially those which cause
sickness, and which take the visible form of a worm or some such
creature.
When a Mundurucú is ill, he sends for the paje, who goes through the
gesticulations common to all the tribe of medicine men, until he has
fixed upon some spot wherein the evil spirit has located itself. He
then makes a huge cigar, by wrapping tobacco in folds of tanari, _i.
e._ the inner bark of a tree, which is separated into layers and then
beaten out like the bark cloth of Polynesia. Several trees, especially
the monkey-root tree (_Lecythis ollaria_), furnish the tanari, the best
being able to furnish a hundred layers from one piece of bark.
The smoke from the cigar is blown for some time upon the seat of the
malady, and after a while the paje applies his lips to the spot, and
sucks violently, producing out of his mouth the worm which has done the
mischief. On one occasion, when a paje had operated on a child for a
headache, a white man contrived to get possession of the “worm,” which
turned out to be nothing but a long white air-root of some plant.
These people have, however, some genuine medicines. In the first
place, they know the use of sarsaparilla root, and gather it in large
quantities for the market. The root, or rather the rhizome, of a
species of Smilax is the well-known sarsaparilla of commerce.
The natives collect it during the rainy season, when the roots can be
easily torn out of the wet earth. After washing the roots carefully,
the gatherers store them under shelter until they are quite dry, and
then make them up into bundles of uniform size, for the convenience of
packing. These bundles are rather more than three feet in length, and
about five inches in diameter. They are tied up very tightly with the
sipo, a kind of creeper, and sold to the traders.
Another medicine known to them is the guarana. It is made from the
seeds of a climbing plant belonging to the genus Paullinia. The seeds
are roasted in their envelopes, and then taken out and pounded between
two stones. The powder is mixed with water so as to form a stiff
paste, which is moulded into squares and left to dry. When used, the
vegetable brick is scraped into water, about a teaspoonful going to the
pint, and the medicine is complete. It has a stimulating effect on the
system. Like strong tea, it repels sleep, but is so valuable in the
intermittent fever of the country that in the Brazilian settlements it
obtains a very high price.
There is another very remarkable medicine, which, though not used
by the pure Mundurucú tribe, is in great favor with the Cuparis, a
sub-tribe of the same nation. This is a sort of snuff, called paricá,
which is prepared and used after the following manner. The seeds of a
species of ingá (a plant belonging to the Leguminous Order) are dried
in the sun, pounded in wooden mortars, and the dust put into bamboo
tubes.
When the people determine to have a bout of snuff taking, they assemble
together and drink various fermented liquors until they are half
intoxicated. They then separate into pairs, each having a hollow reed
filled with the paricá snuff. After dancing about for some time, they
blow the snuff into the nostrils of their partners so as to make it
produce its full effect.
The action of the paricá is very singular. Sometimes it is so violent,
that the taker drops on the ground as if shot, and lies insensible for
some time. On those who are more used to it the effect is different. It
causes for a time the highest excitement, driving off the heaviness of
intoxication, and imparting a lightness and exhilaration of spirits,
causing the taker to dance and sing as if mad, which indeed he is for a
time. The effect soon subsides, and the men drink themselves anew into
intoxication.
The Muras, a quarrelsome and savage tribe, with whom the Mundurucús are
at perpetual feud, are the most confirmed paricá takers. The Mauhés, a
neighboring tribe, use it as a means of repelling ague in the months
between the wet and dry seasons, when miasma always abounds.
They keep the powder in the state of dried paste, and when they wish to
use it, scrape it into a flat shell, spreading it very carefully with
a little brush made from the hair of the great ant-eater. They then
produce the snuff-taking apparatus. This is made of two eagle quills
tied side by side for part of their length, and diverging at one end
to such a distance from each other that the extremities will go easily
into the possessor’s nostrils. The shape of the instrument is very much
like that of the letter Y.
Inserting the diverging ends into his nostrils, the Mauhé places the
other end on the powder, and draws it through the quills, the end
travelling over the shell until every particle of the powder has been
taken. Sometimes the snuff taker employs, instead of the quills, the
bone of a plover’s leg. This instrument, however, is very rare, and
cannot easily be procured, the possessor esteeming it to be a most
valuable piece of property. It is remarkable that the paricá, under
different names, is used in places a thousand miles apart.
The cookery of the Mundurucús is very simple. They make cassava bread
and tapioca, after a fashion which will be presently described, and
feed on yams, plantains, and similar vegetables. Animal food is
obtained by hunting, and chiefly consists of the monkeys with which
the South American forests abound. When a monkey is to be eaten, it is
cooked in one of two ways. Should there be time, a large fire is made
and allowed to burn nearly down, so that there is little or no smoke.
Over the red embers a number of green sticks are laid parallel to each
other, just like the bars of a gridiron, and on these bars the monkey
is placed just as it is killed, the skin never being removed, and the
interior seldom cleaned.
There is even a simpler plan than this, which is employed when the
Mundurucú has no time to build a large fire. He makes up as large a
fire as he can manage, impales the monkey on a stick sharpened at each
end, and fixes the stick diagonally in the ground, so that the body of
the monkey hangs over the fire, just as a soldier cooks or rather burns
his rations by impaling the piece of meat on his ramrod. Very little
cooking is required by these people, who are content if the skin is
well calcined and the flesh not quite raw.
The Mundurucú can also procure fruits that are capable of preservation,
so that he need be in no fear as to suffering from lack of provisions.
The chief fruits are the “nuts” of the Lecythis and the Bertholetia.
The fruit of the former tree is popularly known as “monkey-cup,”
because the hard envelope which encloses the seeds has a movable lid,
that falls off when the fruit is ripe, and enables the monkeys to draw
the seeds out of their case.
The fruit of the Bertholetia is familiarly known as the Brazil nut.
A number of these nuts are enclosed within a very thick and hard
pericarp, which has no lid, though there is a little hole at the top
through which the seeds can be seen. When the fruit is ripe, it falls
to the ground with such force that if it were to strike a man on the
head it would instantly kill him. One of these fruits in my collection
measures exactly a foot in circumference, and, though very dry, weighs
nine ounces. The reader may imagine the force with which such a fruit
would fall from the height of a hundred feet or so.
To guard themselves against accidents, the Mundurucús always wear thick
wooden caps when they go after the Brazil nuts, and are careful to walk
very upright, so as not to be struck on the back or the nape of the
neck.
CHAPTER CXXIX.
THE TRIBES OF GUIANA.
WEAPONS.
CHANGES OF LANGUAGE -- INVERSION OF WORDS AND SENTENCES -- THE
TALKING PARROT -- THE FIVE CHIEF TRIBES OF GUIANA -- PECULIARITY
OF CLIMATE, AND CONSEQUENT EFFECT ON VEGETABLE AND ANIMAL LIFE --
THE HAMMOCK OF GUIANA -- THE WEAPONS PECULIAR TO THE COUNTRY -- THE
TWO KINDS OF BLOW GUN -- THE ZARABATANA, AND MODE OF CONSTRUCTION
-- WEIGHT OF THE WEAPON -- THE PUCUNA -- ITS DOUBLE TUBE -- THE
OURAH AND SAMOURAH -- THE KURUMANNI WAX -- THE INGENIOUS FORE AND
BACK SIGHTS -- THE BLOW GUN ARROWS -- THEIR CONSTRUCTION -- MODE OF
SHARPENING -- THE PIRAI FISH -- INGENIOUS MODE OF PACKING THE ARROWS
-- MODE OF PROPELLING THE ARROWS -- THE WINGED ARROW -- THE QUIVER
AND COTTON BASKET.
It is evident that the innumerable tribes which inhabit the
neighborhood of the great Amazon River are members of the same family,
differing more in language than in appearance or habits. It is natural
that families when they become large should separate themselves, and
so become founders of fresh tribes, which spread themselves over the
country, settling down in those spots which suit them best. They retain
the general character of their manners and customs, but, owing to the
total want of a literature, their language is continually changing.
This alteration in their language is also due to the native fondness
for inverting words and sentences during their conversation with each
other, a custom which bears some resemblance to that of punning among
ourselves. When these inverted words happen to please the people’s
fancy, they are retained in the language, so that in a few years after
a family has separated itself from the parent tribe the two dialects
will have receded so far from each other that the people can hardly
understand each other.
To the philologist this fluctuation of language would be exceedingly
interesting, but, as we are concerned with manners and customs rather
than with language, we will pass northward and eastward to Guiana.
Sir R. Schomburgk mentions a fact which is a singular corroboration
of the rapidity with which language changes among these tribes. There
was a parrot living in 1800, which spoke well, but many of whose words
could not be understood, because it spoke the language of the Atures, a
tribe which had passed entirely out of recollection after it had been
mastered by the warlike Caribs.
This comparatively small country is especially interesting to
ethnologists, in consequence of the perfect manner in which the natives
have guarded their individuality. Evidently sprung from one source,
they have settled down in different districts and, though alike in
color and general conformation, are as widely different in language,
and often in manners, as if they belonged to separate quarters of the
world.
Five principal nations inhabit Guiana, and are subdivided into a vast
number of small tribes. These are the Macoushies, the Arawâks, the
Accawaios, the Caribs, and the Waraus. The two first of these will be
taken as representatives of the tribes in Guiana, though the others
will be mentioned in cases where they present any marks of difference.
Taking broadly the chief points of distinction between these tribes, we
may simply define them as follows.
The Macoushies are the largest and most ingenious tribe. They excel in
the manufacture of the terrible wourali poison, which they exchange
for canoes and other necessaries from other tribes. They also make the
best blow guns. Their huts are closed, and conical like sugar loaves.
Their number is somewhere about three thousand.
The Arawâks are rather taller than the Macoushies, being, on an
average, five feet six inches in height. Their faces are marked with
the tattoo, and, as they are much brought into contact with white men,
they approach civilization nearer than do the other tribes.
The Accawaios and Caribs wear no clothing except on occasions of
ceremony. The former are distinguished by a wooden ornament in the
cartilage of the nose, and the latter by wearing ornaments in the under
lip, and by a lump of annatto fastened to the hair of the forehead.
The Waraus are darker than the others, and are acknowledged to be the
best canoe makers in Guiana. Some of their vessels will carry ninety
or a hundred men, and they sell these canoes to the Macoushies for the
excellent wourali poison for which that tribe is celebrated.
* * * * *
Owing to the peculiarities of the climate, all these tribes have
many customs in common. The climate is a very remarkable one, being
exceedingly hot and exceedingly wet. The heat is owing to the
geographical position of Guiana, which is close to the equator, and the
wet is due to the trade winds and the configuration of the country.
Blowing across the Atlantic they absorb a vast quantity of moisture
from the ocean, and discharge the greater portion of it before they
can reach any distance inland, the moisture being condensed by the
secondary mountain chains, which are from five to seven thousand feet
in height.
In consequence of this perpetual heat acting on perpetual moisture,
vegetation flourishes with a luxuriousness scarcely to be seen in any
other part of the world; and so completely is the ground covered with
tree and bush, that many trees are unable to find a habitation upon
the ground, and are forced to live upon each other. Thus, upon a lofty
mora tree a fig tree will grow, and upon the fig an enormous creeper
will fasten itself, its long shoots dangling loosely from the enormous
height at which they grow, or drooping in graceful and flower-clad
festoons from one tree to another. Such a forest as this is often
ankle-deep in water for miles together, and the vegetation is so thick
that the only way of passing through the tangled mass of vegetation
is to cut a path with the axe. And even then, after a week or two
has elapsed, the path will have vanished, so rapid is the growth of
vegetable life.
It follows from this description that the animals which inhabit Guiana
must be chiefly of two kinds, those which inhabit the trees and those
which live in the water. Accordingly, we find that the country is
tenanted by a great variety of the monkey tribe, that the arboreal puma
and jaguar take the place of the terrestrial lion and tiger, and that
the aquatic capybara and tapir flourish where beasts of equal size
would perish if they had to live on the land. Birds of the most lovely
plumage abound in Guiana, which is also a very paradise of insects.
It is evident that any human beings that live in such a country as
this must have many characteristics in common. They need no clothes,
no houses, and the woods supply them with food without the trouble of
cultivation, so that their chief incentives to labor are taken away.
Consequently, they may be called an idle people, though the indolence
is rather apparent than real. They will work as long as there is a
necessity for it; but, as a man can support existence without doing a
real day’s work in his life, it is evident that the necessity for work
does not often arise.
One habit which they have in common is that of sleeping in the hammock.
This article is made by the natives from various vegetable fibres, and
is woven in different ways, according to the character of the tribe
which makes it. Some of these are made simply by laying a number of
strings parallel to each other, and knotting others across at right
angles; but the best have no knots at all, the strings interlacing with
each other diagonally, so as to yield in every direction to the body of
the occupier. When a native has made a particularly fine specimen, he
adorns it with feathers, and other brilliantly colored objects.
These hammocks are of various sizes, some being small and used for
children, and others large enough to contain an entire family. The
specimen in my collection will hold two Guianan natives, but not two
Englishmen. It is rather more than sixteen feet in length, and six feet
in width.
The hammock is exactly adapted to the wants of the native. It is so
light that he can roll it up and tie it round his body, so as to carry
it on a journey; so slight in texture as to keep him cool when lying in
it; and so yielding in its structure that the bare cords do not hurt
his naked skin. On a journey he always carries his hammock with him,
and if he wants to rest, he does not sit down, but slings the hammock
between two trees and lies in it. Several purposes are fulfilled by
this arrangement. In the first place, the ground is usually wet, so
that the man is kept dry in the hammock; in the next place, he is
safe from the snakes and other unpleasant reptiles that swarm in the
forests; and lastly, he would always rather lie down than sit.
Another point which they have in common is the mode in which they
destroy the animals on which they live. The reader will remember that
the density of the jungle is so great, that if an animal were able,
after it was wounded, to run for a hundred yards or so, or a bird to
fly the same distance, it would be lost in the bush without the chance
of recovery. It is evident, therefore, that the successful hunter
must possess some means of destroying motion, if not life, almost
instantaneously, and this he finds in the terrible wourali poison,
which has the effect of causing instant stupor when it mixes with
the blood. The mode of manufacturing this poison will presently be
described, and at present it is sufficient to say that nearly all the
missiles used by the Guianan aborigines, whether propelled by the bow
or by the breath, are armed with this poison.
* * * * *
We will first take those missiles which are propelled by the breath,
and examine the instrument through which they are sent. In principle
this is exactly like the sumpitan of Borneo, described on page 1119,
but the mode of construction is different, and in the best specimens
the Guianan work is far superior to that of Borneo.
Of this singular weapon there are several varieties, the two principal
of which are shown over the title “Blow guns” on the 1225th page,
both being taken from specimens in my possession. On the right is the
zarabatana. This is found throughout a very large tract of country
southward of Guiana, when it takes a somewhat modified and improved
form.
It is made of two separate pieces of wood, in each of which is cut a
semicircular groove, so that when they are placed in contact with each
other they form a long wooden rod, pierced with a circular bore. As the
natives use nothing but the incisor teeth of rodent animals by way of
tools, it may be seen that the labor of making one of these instruments
is very great. The bore being carefully smoothed, the two halves are
laid together, and bound by means of long, flat strips of jacitara wood
wound spirally round them.
To the lower end of the weapon is fastened a large mouthpiece, with a
conical opening like the mouthpiece of a trumpet, so as to collect the
breath for the propulsion of the arrow. A quantity of cement, composed
of a black wax made by a wild bee mixed with a pitchy substance
obtained from several trees, is then rubbed over the whole weapon,
which is considered complete. The zarabatana is exceedingly heavy, and
requires not only a strong but a practised arm to hold it steady. The
specimen in my collection, which is several feet in length, weighs
three pounds twelve ounces.
A far superior weapon, called the “pucuna,” larger, lighter, and more
easily handled, is made by the natives of many parts of Guiana, that
used by the Macoushie tribe being the best. The specimen which is shown
on the left of the zarabatana was brought from Guiana by the late Mr.
Waterton, who presented it to me shortly before the accident which
caused his death.
The weapon in question (called pucuna) is double, being made of two
portions, called ourah and samourah. The essential portion of the blow
gun is the ourah. This is a singular reed (_Arundinaria Schomburgkii_),
which, as far as is known, only grows on the sandstone ridge of the
Upper Orinoco between the rivers Ventuari, Paramu, and Mavaca. Like the
bamboo, it grows in clusters, and, though not exceeding half an inch in
diameter, the first fourteen or sixteen feet are without a knot. From
this point spread the long, slender branches, measuring from thirty to
forty feet in length, and waving in graceful curves when moved by the
wind.
The portion used for the blowpipe is the first joint, which is uniform
in diameter throughout, and is naturally polished within. But it is
so thin, the walls being not twice the thickness of a playing card,
that it would be too fragile to be used without some protection.
Accordingly, the native has recourse to a sort of palm, called by him
samourah, its scientific title being _Ireartia setigera_.
This is chosen of a proper size, cut down, and steeped in water, for
the purpose of extracting the pulp which fills the interior. When it
is quite dry, the reed is inserted into this tube, the native gunmaker
having a wonderful talent in getting the slender reed exactly in the
centre of the palm-stem, and fixing it in its place with the black wax
already mentioned. This wax is called kurumanni by the Macoushies, and
is used by them as freely as is the “black-boy” wax by the Australian
aborigines. The samourah is then scraped down to the proper thickness,
well polished, and the weapon is ready for the accessories which
complete it.
One end is chosen to serve as a mouthpiece, and is bound with a string
made of silk-grass and the other is tipped with the half of the acuero
nut, which is very hard and prevents the end of the weapon from being
injured by accidental blows against a tree or the ground. This acuero
seed acts as a fore-sight, by which the native hunter can direct
his weapon; but, in order to secure a more certain aim, he adds a
singularly ingenious back-sight. Taking a lump of kurumanni wax, he
presses it on the blowpipe about eighteen inches from the mouthpiece,
and by means of the wax fixes upon the tube the two lower incisor teeth
of the acouchi, one of the cavies.
Figure 1 shows the weapon itself, and fig. 2 the front view of the tip,
guarded with its ring of acuero seed, which forms the fore-sight. Fig.
3 gives an enlarged representation of the back-sight, made of the teeth
of the acouchi (_Dasyprocta Acouchi_) fixed in their place by the black
kurumanni wax. Fig. 4 is a section taken through the middle of the
back-sight, so as to show the way in which the teeth project from the
shaft. Fig. 5 is a front view of the butt, showing the way in which the
ourah reed is enclosed within the samourah palm.
Such a weapon as this is exceedingly light and easy to handle,
presenting a strong contrast to the heavy and cumbrous zarabatana.
The weight of the one in my collection barely exceeds a pound and a
half, although it is eleven feet in length. It is held in rather a
curious manner. The left hand is turned with the palm upward, and the
elbow against the hip. The hand then grasps the blow gun within a
hands-breadth of the mouthpiece, and the right hand seizes it, palm
downward, in the space left by the other hand. In fact, this mode of
holding the weapon is exactly similar in principle to that which is
employed by riflemen. The blowpipe is then raised, not by the arms,
but by bending back the body; and it is astonishing to see how steady
it can be held for a lengthened time--a steadiness which can never be
gained if it be held by stretching out the right arm and grasping it at
some distance from the mouth.
The natives are most careful respecting the straightness of their blow
guns, and never allow them to lean against anything lest they should be
warped. When they go hunting, they carry the blow gun upright, like a
soldier, “shouldering arms,” and when they return to their huts, they
suspend the weapon by a loop to the top of the house. Mr. Waterton
repeatedly draws attention to this point in his “Wanderings,” and when
he presented me with the pucuna which he brought from Guiana, the gift
was accompanied by a condition that it should never be allowed to lean
against a wall, but should be either laid on the ground or suspended by
its loop.
* * * * *
We now come to the arrows which are propelled through the pucuna. They
very much resemble in shape and size those which are employed by the
Dyaks, but, instead of being made to fit the bore of the pucuna by
a piece of pith or soft wood at the butt, a small quantity of wild
cotton, taken from the _Bombax ceiba_, is wound upon it, and fastened
with a fibre of silk grass. Cultivated cotton is too heavy to serve
the purpose, and nothing answers so well as the yellow, stout-fibred
cotton of the Bombax. Very great art is required in putting on the
cotton properly. It must exactly fit the bore, be perfectly regular, so
as not to disturb the accuracy of the flight, and must taper gradually
in front, so as to offer the least possible resistance to the air. See
illustration No. 1, on the next page.
The shaft of the arrow is made of the leaf ribs of the coucourite palm,
a species of areca. It is about ten inches in length, no thicker than a
crow quill, and at one end is brought to a point as sharp as a needle
by scraping it between the teeth of the pirai fish (_Serrasalmus
piraya_). The teeth of this fish are flat, pointed, and double-edged,
much like those of the shark--and, indeed, the pirai is a veritable
fresh-water shark, biting whole mouthfuls from the bodies of animals
that enter the water, and even attacking the alligator itself--and when
the arrow is drawn between them, delicate shavings are taken off, just
as is the case with the double knife-sharpeners of the present day. One
half of a pirai jaw is always suspended to the quiver of a Macoushie.
Of the poison with which the arrow is armed we will presently treat:
we are now only concerned with the manufacture of the weapon. In order
to save space, the cotton is not put upon the arrows until just before
they are wanted, six or seven finished arrows being left in the quiver
for immediate use, and the rest tied in a bundle until needed. The
formation of this bundle is singularly ingenious, the native being able
to remove any of the arrows without untying it, and to add as many as
he likes without disturbing those which already are tied together.
The native takes a rod of hard wood, a little longer than the arrows,
and at one end he fixes a little wheel, rather more than two inches in
diameter. At two inches from the wheel, and the same distance from the
end of the rod, two holes are bored, through each of which are passed
two strings made of cotton. When the man wishes to tie up a number of
arrows, he lays them successively between the strings, which he twists
between each arrow. When the last arrow is laid in its place, the whole
are kept firm by a couple of sliding knots, which can be slipped along
the strings.
Illustration No. 7 on the following page, will explain the method of
stringing the arrows better than can be done by words alone. Two of the
arrows are shown as prepared for use, the cotton being on their butts
and the poison on their tips. A number more are shown as they appear
on the double strings, poisoned, but without the cotton. A hunter will
sometimes have as many as five hundred arrows at once upon a string.
In order to keep the weapons compact, so that they can be easily
slipped into the quiver, they are rolled round the little rod, and
bound firmly together in a cylindrical form, the poisoned points being
directed to the wheel, of which the reader will now see the use. It
serves as a sort of shield to the hand, so that when the hunter wishes
to take the arrows out of the quiver, he can do so without the least
danger; and when he desires to remove some arrows to be mounted with
cotton, he can push them through the spokes of the wheel, and take them
out without having to untie the bundle. See illustration No. 6.
[Illustration: (1.) BLOW GUN ARROWS. (See page 1224.)]
[Illustration: (2.) WINGED ARROW. (See page 1227.)]
[Illustration: (3.) COTTON BASKET. (See page 1227.)]
[Illustration: SHARPENER ENLARGED
(4.) QUIVER AND SHARPENER. (See page 1227.)]
[Illustration: (5.) BLOW GUNS. (See page 1223.)]
[Illustration: (6.) ARROWS ROUND STICK. (See page 1224.)]
[Illustration: (7.) ARROWS STRUNG. (See page 1224.)]
When properly made and mounted, these arrows can be propelled with
wonderful force. I have sent one for a distance of a hundred yards,
and the natives can propel them to a still greater distance. There
is a certain art in using the pucuna, the arrow not being urged by a
lengthened breath, but by collecting all the air that the lungs will
hold, and giving a short expiration, as if the object were to empty the
lungs at one puff. The force comes entirely from the lungs, the cheeks
having nothing to do with it. When an arrow is rightly propelled, it
flies from the tube with a slight pop, like that which is produced by
quickly drawing the cork of a small bottle. It is quite invisible for
some little time, so rapid is the motion; and even when fitted with
white instead of yellow cotton the eye can scarcely follow its course.
Such an instrument as this is simply invaluable for the purposes to
which it is devoted. It is intended to be used almost exclusively for
killing birds and small monkeys, both of which creatures live on trees.
Now, as the trees of Guiana run to an enormous height, some of them
attaining at least a hundred feet before they throw out a branch, it
will be seen that the birds are beyond the reach of shot-guns. The
foliage is so thick that it does not permit more than one or two shots
to reach the bird, and the height is so great that, even if they did
strike, they would produce but little effect. But the pucuna can throw
an arrow higher than a gun can propel a shot, and if the needle-like
point enters any part of the bird the effect is fatal.
There is another advantage which the pucuna possesses over fire-arms.
The report of the gun frightens away every bird within sound, whereas
the pucuna is practically noiseless. The slight “pop” with which the
arrow is expelled does not alarm the birds, and an expert hunter can
kill twenty or thirty birds from one tree without alarming the others.
The pucuna is particularly useful in the chase of the toucan. The
feathers of this bird are much used in the manufacture of the beautiful
gala dresses which the natives wear on grand occasions, and are much
prized by them. Now, the toucan has a way of sitting on the topmost
boughs of the tallest trees, and were it not for the deadly arrow of
his pucuna, the native could seldom obtain a specimen.
Just before the arrow is put into the blowgun, the hunter places it
between two of the pirai-teeth already mentioned, and turns it round
between his fingers. He thus cuts it through just above the poisoned
portion, so as to leave a mere thread of wood attaching the head to the
shaft. If, therefore, the bird or monkey, on feeling the smart, should
seize the arrow and withdraw it, the poisoned head snaps off and is
left in the wound.
In some parts of the country a very ingenious form of arrow is used.
Instead of being made to fit the bore by means of cotton tied on the
butt, a flat piece of bark is twisted round the arrow so as to cause
it to terminate in a hollow cone. A larger piece of the same material
is fixed along the shaft of the arrow, and slightly twisted so as to
cause it to revolve when projected through the air. The arrow is tipped
with a slight iron blade, instead of being merely sharpened wood. (See
illustration No. 2.) This form of hollow base is admirably adapted
for its purpose, and has been copied by Messrs. Lang, the well-known
gunmakers of Cockspur Street, in their blow gun darts for killing small
birds and animals without noise.
Next comes the quiver in which the arrows are kept. This is shown in
illustration No. 4, on page 1225. The framework of the quiver is made
of the ittiritti-reed, and the bottom is closed by a circular plate of
wood. In order to keep the poisoned arrows from the damp, which would
effectually spoil them, the whole of the quiver is covered with a thick
coat of kurumanni wax, which is pressed firmly into the interstices of
the wicker-work, and into the junction between the bottom and the sides
of the quiver.
Lest the rough basketwork should injure the delicate arrows, the quiver
is lined with beautifully made mat-work, of much finer material,
and quite smooth to the hand. The cover is made of a piece of skin,
sometimes of the tapir, but mostly of the peccary. While fresh and wet
it is moulded over a wooden block of the proper size, just as hatters
mould their felt into its form. The hairy side is kept inward, and when
it is pressed on the top of the quiver, and twisted with a turn of the
hand, it holds itself firmly in its place. When the cover is on the
quiver, no water can enter, and even if the hunter were to drop it into
the river, the arrows would be preserved quite dry in their floating
receptacle.
Before the kurumanni wax which covers the quiver is quite dry, a flat
plaited belt made of silk grass is secured to it by means of a long
string, which encircles the quiver several times. In this cincture is
also secured by strings a coil of silk-grass, from, which can be drawn
the fibres by which the cotton is attached to the arrow, together with
the half jaw-bone of the pirai, with which the arrows are sharpened. In
my specimen this jaw-bone is two inches in length.
The last article which completes the equipment of the bird hunter is
the basket of wild cotton. This, as may be seen from illustration No.
3, has a narrow neck, and bulging body; so that the cotton does not
fall out of the basket, though carried with the opening downward.
The quantity which it will hold is astonishing. From one of them Mr.
Waterton took handful after handful until a large heap was on the
table, just as a conjuror takes vast quantities of feathers out of an
apparently empty hat.
CHAPTER CXXX.
THE TRIBES OF GUIANA--_Continued_.
WEAPONS--_Concluded_.
EFFECT OF THE WOURALI -- DEATH OF THE AI -- THE LARGER ARROWS --
TUFTED ARROWS -- A SINGULAR QUIVER -- ARRANGEMENT OF THE MOVABLE
HEAD -- QUIVER FOR THE HEADS -- FATE OF THE WOUNDED INDIAN -- HOW
THE ARROWS ARE FEATHERED -- THE NATIVE BOW -- TURTLE ARROWS --
MANUFACTURE OF THE WOURALI -- THE QUAKE AND ITS USES -- THE WOURALI
VINE, AND OTHER VEGETABLE CONSTITUENTS -- THE HYARRI POISON, AND ITS
USES -- ANTS AND SNAKE FANGS -- BOILING THE WOURALI -- EFFECTS OF THE
PROCESS ON THE MAKER -- SELF-POISONED ARROWS -- VARIOUS ARROW HEADS
OF GUIANA -- THE WHISTLING ARROW.
The effect of the poison is instantaneous, provided that it be of good
quality and kept dry. There are many varieties of the wourali, but the
best, which is made by the Macoushies, is so powerful that one of the
tiny arrows brought by Mr. Waterton from Guiana killed a hedgehog at
once, though fifty years had elapsed since the poison was made. Death
was not instantaneous, for the animal, which was very slightly wounded
in the hind leg, breathed for some seconds; but the hedgehog was quite
insensible, and, as soon as it had been pricked by the dart, it allowed
me to lay it on its back, and place my finger on the ball of its eye,
without shrinking.
Many experiments have been made in England with the wourali poison,
most of which have tended to prove that its power has been exaggerated,
and that a man could not be killed by the small quantity that could
be conveyed into a wound on the point of an arrow. I feel certain,
however, that in such cases either the poison has not been of good
quality, or that it has been carelessly kept, and allowed to become
damp, in which case it loses the greater part of its strength. It
is very difficult to procure the strongest wourali poison from the
natives, who are very unwilling to part with it, and will always try
to substitute an inferior kind. The only mode of procuring the best
wourali is to do as Mr. Waterton did, _i. e._ live among them, and
induce them to part with the little wourali-pots from which they have
poisoned their own arrows. Moreover, he must imitate their example in
keeping the poison in a perfectly dry place. The natives are so careful
on this point that they frequently remove the covers of their poison
pots and put them near the fire.
There is no mistake about the potency of such poison as this. Its
effect upon a hedgehog has already been mentioned, but Mr. Waterton
tried it on several animals. For example, he had an Ai sloth that he
wanted to kill painlessly, and without damaging the skin. How he did it
is best told in his own words:--
“Of all animals, not even the toad and the tortoise excepted, this
poor animal is the most tenacious of life. It exists long after it has
received wounds which would have destroyed any other animal, and it may
be said, on seeing a mortally wounded sloth, that life disputes with
death every inch of flesh in its body.
“The Ai was wounded in the leg, and put down upon the floor, almost
two feet from the table. It contrived to reach the leg of the table,
and fastened itself upon it as if wishful to ascend. But this was its
last advancing step; life was ebbing fast, though imperceptibly; nor
could this singular production of nature, which has been formed of a
texture to resist death in a thousand shapes, make any stand against
the wourali.
“First one fore-leg let go its hold, and dropped down motionless by
its side; the other gradually did the same. The fore-legs having now
lost their strength, the sloth slowly doubled its body, and placed its
head betwixt its hind-legs, which still adhered to the table; but when
the poison had affected these also, it sank to the ground, but sank so
gently that you could not distinguish the movement from an ordinary
motion; and had you been ignorant that it was wounded with a poisoned
arrow, you would never have suspected that it was dying. Its mouth was
shut, nor had any froth or saliva collected there.
“There was no _subsultus tendinum_, nor any visible alteration in
its breathing. During the tenth minute from the time it was wounded
it stirred, and that was all; and the minute after life’s last spark
went out. From the time the poison began to operate, you would have
conjectured that sleep was overpowering it, and you would have
exclaimed--
‘Pressitque jacentem
Dulcis et alta quies, placidæque simillima morti.’”
The reader will see that this account agrees exactly with my own
experiment. In neither case was death instantaneous, but in both cases
the power or wish to move seemed to be immediately taken from the
animal, though wounded in a limb and not in a mortal spot.
Of course the quantity of poison must be proportioned to the size
of the animal. The tales that are told of a mere scratch producing
death are manifest exaggerations. It has been mentioned that in
Guiana no very large animals are found, the tapir and the jaguar
being the largest of the mammalia. For the purpose of killing these,
or going to battle where man is to be destroyed, the natives employ
a very different weapon, and use a bow and arrow of rather peculiar
construction.
They are extremely long, some of them being six feet in total length.
The shaft is made of a cylindrical, hollow, and very strong reed
(_Gynecium saccharinum_) which runs to some length without a knot
or joint. In one end is fixed a long spike of a very hard and heavy
wood, called letter wood, because it is covered with red marks like
rude attempts at writing, very much like the scribbled marks on a
yellow-hammer’s egg. In order to guard it from splitting, the shaft of
the arrow is bound for some inches with cotton thread. The commoner
kinds of arrow are merely wrapped with this thread, but in the better
sorts the thread is woven in patterns almost as neat as those employed
by the Polynesian islanders. When the native wants to make a peculiarly
beautiful arrow, he ornaments it in a most singular manner. Into the
thread which wraps the shaft are inserted a quantity of brilliantly
colored feathers, mostly those of the various parrots which are so
plentiful in Southern America. Only the smallest and softest feathers
are used, and they are worked into the wrapping in a manner which
produces the most artistic combinations of color.
The natives have a marvellous eye for color, most likely from having
continually before their eyes the gorgeous insects and birds of their
luxuriant country, and it is wonderful to see the boldness with which
they achieve harmony from a number of hues that scarcely any one would
dare to place in opposition with each other. Scarlet, yellow, pink,
blue, green, and snowy white are all used in these arrows, and are
arranged in a way that would do honor to the best European artist.
Sometimes a cap is made for the arrows, and decorated with feathers in
the same brilliant style. Such arrows as these require much care on the
part of the owner, who is not content with an ordinary quiver, wherein
they might be jolted about and their lovely feathers spoiled, but
constructs a special and peculiar quiver for their reception. He takes
a number of bamboos, about the thickness of a man’s finger, and cuts
them into pieces some eighteen inches in length. These he lashes firmly
together, and then ties over them a bark cover, neatly wrapped with
cotton string.
Each of these tubes contains one arrow, which fits with moderate
tightness, the downy feathers keeping it in its place. They are fixed
so perfectly, that when the arrow is pushed into its tube the feathers
are pressed tightly against the shaft, and when it is withdrawn, they
spring out by their own elasticity, and form an elegant colored tuft.
As the long arrow shafts are apt to vibrate by their own weight, and
might damage the feather tufts in the tubes, a cap is usually slipped
over them--in some cases plain, like the covering of the quiver, but in
others gorgeously made of feathers. These arrows are tipped with the
barbed tail-bone of the sting-ray or are pointed with iron, and not
with bone. These arrows and one of the tubes are illustrated on p. 1214.
The heads of the arrows are made in various ways. Sometimes they are
simply covered with a series of rather blunt barbs, but the generality
of them are constructed after a very elaborate fashion.
The barb of one kind of arrow reminds the observer of the weapon of the
Bosjesman, though the arrow is almost a spear in comparison with the
tiny weapon of the African savage. The point is tipped with a piece of
iron cut into a single barb, and projecting from it and pointing in the
opposite direction a curved iron spike is slightly lashed to the shaft
with cotton.
A thick layer of wourali poison is laid on the arrow for about three
inches, aiding to fasten the iron spike to the shaft. Now, the wourali
poison mixes instantaneously with the blood, so that when the arrow
penetrates an animal, the poison dissolves, and allows the spike to
escape into the wound, carrying with it a sufficient amount of the
poison to cause death, even if in its struggles the animal should
succeed in shaking out the arrow itself. If the reader will refer to
illustration No. 4, on page 247, he will see in the illustration (fig.
4) the Bosjesman arrow, which is made on the same principle.
Some of these arrows appear to have been much prized by the owners who
have covered them with an elaborate ornamentation of cotton thread for
a considerable portion of their length--an example of which, drawn from
one of my own specimens, may be seen in the illustration. Some of the
arrows have long ends of cotton strings hanging from them in lieu of
the feather tufts. These dangling cords are often used as ornaments
by the natives, who decorate with them their clubs in such a manner
that two or three blows must destroy the whole of the work. We shall
presently see examples of these clubs.
The arrow head which is most in vogue among the Macoushies, whom we
take as the typical tribe of this part of the world, is made in a
different fashion. A square groove, about an inch in depth, is cut in
the extremity of the letter wood spike which terminates the arrow, and
a slight sliver of bamboo is lashed so as to press against the opening
along the side. A barbed spike of coucourite wood is then cut. It is
about three inches in length, flat toward the point, and squared at the
base, so as to slip easily into the groove at the head of the arrow,
where it is slightly held by means of the little bamboo spring. This
spring enables the head to remain in its place while the archer is
fitting the arrow to his bow and taking aim; but as soon as the missile
has struck its object, and the animal bounds forward, the poisoned head
remains in the wound, and the shaft falls on the ground.
There is considerable art in putting the wourali on this kind of arrow
head. It is done in several layers, one being allowed to dry before
the other is applied, and being managed so as to cause an edge of the
pitch-like wourali to run along each side of the head. In consequence
of the movability of the head the native archer does not trouble
himself to carry more than one or two shafts, though he has by him a
store of ready-poisoned heads. These are kept in a little quiver made
of a joint of bamboo fitted with a cover, in order to keep the poison
from moisture, and with a cotton belt by which it can be slung over the
shoulders.
One of these quivers in my collection, (see illustration No. 6, page
1231,) brought from Guiana by Sir. R. Schomburgk, is only seven inches
long by an inch and a half wide, and is capable of containing twelve
to fourteen poisoned heads. The native hunter does not require more
than this number, as he rarely shoots without hitting, and when he
has struck one animal large enough to require this kind of arrow, he
seldom wants more than one specimen. In the course of this account
of the Guiana natives the reader will notice the many trouble saving
expedients employed by them.
Owing to the generous nature of the country, which supplies food
without requiring labor, and the warm, moist character of the climate,
the natives are very apathetic, and have the strongest objection to
carrying one ounce more weight, or doing one stroke more work, than is
absolutely needful. So, instead of carrying a large bundle of arrows,
the hunter has one, or at the most two arrows, and a quantity of small
poisoned heads, the whole equipment being so light that a child just
able to walk could carry the bow, arrows, and quiver without being much
inconvenienced.
Knowing the power of this poison, the natives are exceedingly cautious
in handling it, and never carry the arrow with its head bare. They
always slip over the head a small tube of bamboo, just large enough
to be held in its place by the cotton wrapping that passes round the
junction of the head and the shaft. This is never removed except when
the arrow is to be used, and it is scarcely possible to frighten a
native more than by taking off the guard of an arrow and holding the
point to him. It is of this kind of arrow that the following story is
told in Mr. Waterton’s “Wanderings.”
“One day ... an Arawâk Indian told an affecting story of what happened
to a comrade of his. He was present at his death. As it did not
interest the Indian in any point to tell a falsehood, it is very
probable that his account was a true one. If so, it appears that there
is no certain antidote, or at least an antidote that could be resorted
to in a case of urgent need; for the Indian gave up all thoughts of
life as soon as he was wounded.
“The Arawâk Indian said it was but four years ago that he and his
companion were ranging in the forest in quest of game. His companion
took a poisoned arrow, and sent it at a red monkey in a tree above
him. It was nearly a perpendicular shot. The arrow missed the monkey,
and in the descent struck him in the arm, a little above the elbow.
He was convinced it was all over with him. ‘I shall never,’ said he
to his companion, in a faltering voice, ‘bend this bow again.’ And
having said that, he took off his little bamboo poison box which hung
across his shoulder, and putting it, together with his bow and arrows,
on the ground, he laid himself down close by them, bade his companion
farewell, and never spoke more.”
Mr. Waterton then proceeds to mention the different antidotes, in none
of which does he place the least reliance, and in another place remarks
that if the natives knew of any remedy for the poison, they would never
be without it.
[Illustration: (1.) WINGED ARROWS. (See page 1233.)]
[Illustration: (2.) CASSAVA DISH. (See page 1248.)]
[Illustration: (3.) QUAKE. (See page 1234.)]
[Illustration: (4.) ARROW HEADS. (See page 1235.)
_From Christy Collection._ _From my Collection._]
[Illustration: (6.) QUIVER.
(See p. 1230.)]
[Illustration: (5.) TURTLE ARROW. (See page 1233.)]
[Illustration: (7.) FEATHER APRON. (See page 1216.)]
Before passing to the manufacture of this dreaded poison, we will
finish the description of the arrows.
The very long arrows, with their plumed shafts, need no feathers, their
great length sufficing to keep them straight during their flight. Were
the Guianan native to attempt a “long shot,” he would fail. He is not
used to long ranges, which for the most part are rendered needless by
the conformation of the country and the density of the foliage. He does
not expect to shoot at an object distant more than thirty or forty
yards, and likes to get much closer if possible. At these short ranges,
the great length of the arrow keeps it straight, and is effectual in
enabling the hunter to strike an animal, such as a tapir, a capybara,
or a monkey, through the masses of vegetation by which it is concealed
from most eyes except those of a native.
Most of the arrows, however, are feathered, and there is such ingenuity
in the way of putting on the feathers that it deserves mention. In
the arrows to which we are accustomed there are three feathers, but
in the Guianan arrow there are only two. These are taken from the
corresponding feathers of the opposite wings of the bird, so that
when they are fixed on the end of the shaft they curve in different
directions, like two blades of a steamer’s screw, and so communicate
a revolving motion to the arrow as it flies through the air. So, if a
native has two or three arrows before him to which he wishes to add
the feathers, he procures a bird, and for the first arrow takes, we
will say, the second primary feather from the right and left wings of
the bird, cuts off a portion of the upper part, about three inches in
length, strips away the inner half of the feather, and fastens the
remainder on the weapon. The next arrow is feathered from the third
primary of each wing, and so on. See illustration No. 1, page 1231.
The feathers are lashed to the arrow with cotton thread, and so rudely
put on, that they would sadly cut an English archer’s hand when the
arrow was shot. In order to preserve the nock of the arrow from being
split by the bow-string, it is not made in the reed shaft of the arrow
itself, but in a piece of letter wood, which is lashed to the butt of
the arrow.
The bow is often shorter than the arrows, and is of no great strength,
a long range being, as has already been stated, not required. Many
kinds of wood furnish the Guianan bow, but those weapons which are most
in favor are made of a species of Lecythis. They are strung with the
silk grass which has been already mentioned.
Besides the ordinary mode of using their bows and arrows, the Guianan
natives have another, which exactly resembles that sport of the old
English archers, when a garland was laid on the ground, and the
archers, standing in a circle round it, shot their arrows high into
the air, so that they should fall into the garland. It sometimes
happens that a turtle is lying in the water in such a manner that an
arrow, shot at it in the usual manner, would only glance off its hard
coat without doing any injury. The hunter, therefore, shoots upward,
calculating the course of the descending missile so accurately that it
falls upon the turtle’s back, and penetrates the shell.
These arrows are heavier than the ordinary kinds, and are furnished
with a sharp iron point, made in a very ingenious manner. As may be
seen by reference to illustration No. 5, page 1231, the iron point
is doubly barbed. Its neck, at first flat, is soon divided into two
portions, which diverge from each other, and have their ends sharply
pointed, so as to constitute a secondary pair of barbs. A stout
double string of silk grass is then fixed to the neck, and cotton
cord, strengthened with kurumanni wax, is coiled round the diverging
points, so as to form a tube. The end of the piece of hard wood which
terminates the arrow is scraped down to a conical point, so that it can
easily be slipped into the tube. Lastly, the double cord fastened to
the head is carried for a foot or so along the arrow, and made fast by
a couple of belts of silk grass.
As soon as this arrow strikes the turtle, it dashes off, shaking the
shaft out of the tube, and so preventing the arrow from being worked
out of the wound by dragging the upright shaft through the water.
Whenever the reptile comes near the surface, the light reed shaft of
the arrow rises so as to indicate its presence, and, aided by this
mark, the hunter is soon able to secure the reptile. The arrow, a part
of which is shown in the illustration, is rather more than five feet in
length. It is represented with the shaft separated from the tube. The
iron point is thick and solid, and as the hard-wood spike is fourteen
inches in length, the front part of the missile is comparatively heavy,
causing it to descend with great force.
* * * * *
We now come to the manufacture of the dreaded poison which produces
such fatal effects. The natives are very chary of giving information on
the subject, and it is very difficult to learn the precise ingredients,
the proportionate quantities, or the mode of preparing them. The
following account is obtained partly from Mr. Waterton’s book, partly
from information given by himself, and partly from the words and works
of other travellers in the country.
A good many articles are employed, or said to be employed, but I
believe that only two are really needed. The native who is about to
make wourali sets about his task in a very deliberate manner. He sets
off into the woods alone, taking on his back a peculiar kind of basket
called a “quake” or “habbah.” This is a very ingenious kind of basket,
combining the two requisites of lightness and strength. It is generally
used when the native wants to carry objects that are not very heavy,
and are large enough not to slip through the interstices.
It is made from the ittiritti reed, split into slips about the third of
an inch in width. As when tilled it swells out toward the bottom and is
narrow at the mouth, the objects that are placed in it have no tendency
to fall out, which might easily be the case with an ordinary basket, as
the bearer is obliged to clamber over fallen trees, to force his way
through the dense underwood of a tropical forest, and to subject the
quake to such rough treatment that its qualities of form and elasticity
are continually brought into operation.
The quake will hold a wonderful amount of goods, being as dilatable
as an English carpet-bag. My own specimen (see illustration No. 3, p.
1231,) measures twenty inches in width, and this is the usual average.
The first thing to be sought is the wourali vine (_strychnos
toxifera_). It is closely allied to the tree which furnishes the
well-known strychnine, in its coarser stages of preparation called _nux
vomica_, or ratsbane. The upas tree, which furnishes the poison for the
Dyak sumpitan arrows, belongs to the same genus. The wourali (spelt
sometimes “oorara” or “curari”), though not very rare, is very local,
and not easily discovered. It has a vine-like appearance, with a woody
stem about three inches in diameter, covered with rough gray bark. The
leaves are dark green, placed opposite each other, and of an oval form.
The fruit is nearly as large as an apple, round, and smooth, with seeds
imbedded in a bitter gummy pulp.
When the poison maker has found the wourali, he looks after two bulbous
plants, containing a green and glutinous juice, and puts some of their
stems into the quake. The third vegetable is a bitter root, which I
believe to be the hyarri, a papilionaceous plant, which is largely used
by the natives in poisoning the water when catching fish on a large
scale. All parts of the hyarri are poisonous, but the root is the most
powerful part of it. The natives take some of the root in their canoes,
bale water over it, and pound it with their clubs. After allowing
the water time to mix with the expressed juice, the fisherman throws
it overboard, and in a few minutes every fish within a considerable
distance comes floating to the surface perfectly helpless. One cubic
foot of the hyarri will poison an acre of water, even among rapids,
while a much less quantity is needed for creeks and still water. The
poison has no effect on the flesh of the fish, which is perfectly
wholesome.
The wourali and the hyarri are, in my opinion, the essential parts of
the poison, the bulbous plants probably supplying the glutinous matter
needed to make it adhere to the point of the weapon. But the poison
maker is not content with vegetable substances, but presses the animal
kingdom into his service.
He procures two kinds of ant, one the muniri (_Ponera grandis_), a
huge, black creature, sometimes an inch in length, with a sting so
venomous that it often produces a fever. One of these ants is in my
collection, and its very look is venomous enough to warn any one
against it. The other is the fire-ant (_Myrmica sævissima_), a tiny red
insect, whose sting is just like the thrust of a redhot needle. Besides
these he takes the poison fangs of the labarri and counacouchi snakes,
two of the most venomous serpents of the country. These fangs are kept
in store, as the native always kills these reptiles whenever he sees
them, and extracts their poison fangs.
That these latter ingredients can have no effect in increasing the
power of the poison I never doubted, and some years ago I expressed
my opinion that they were not used at all, but merely collected as a
blind, to prevent the secret of the poison being known. This opinion
is corroborated by the researches of Dr. Herman Beigel, who analyzed
some wourali poison taken from the same arrow with which the hedgehog
was killed, and who ascertained that there was not a particle of bony
or animal matter in the poison, but that it was wholly of a vegetable
character. Moreover, there was no trace of red pepper, which is said to
be one of the ingredients.
As far as the sense of taste goes, my own experience coincides with
that of Dr. Beigel. I have tasted the poison, which is innocuous unless
mixed directly with the blood, and found it to be intensely bitter,
and rather aromatic. These two qualities are doubtless due to the
strychnine of the wourali and to the hyarri. There was not the least
flavor of red pepper.
All these ingredients being procured, the poison maker sets to work in
a very systematic manner. He will not prepare the wourali in, or even
near, his own house, but makes his preparations in the depth of the
forest, where he builds a little hut especially for the purpose. His
first care is to build a fire, and while it is burning up, he scrapes
into a perfectly new pot a sufficient quantity of the wourali wood,
adding to it the hyarri in proper proportion, and placing them in a
sort of colander. Holding the colander and its contents over the pot,
the Indian pours boiling water over them, and allows the decoction to
drain into the vessel, when it looks something like coffee. When a
sufficient quantity has been obtained, the bulbous roots are bruised
and their juice squeezed into the pot, and, lastly, the snakes’ fangs
and ants are pounded and thrown into the pot.
The vessel is now placed on the fire, which is kept up very gently, so
as to allow the contents to simmer, rather than boil, and more wourali
juice is added to supply the waste by evaporation. A scum is thrown
up during the process, and carefully skimmed with a leaf, the boiling
being continued until the poison is reduced to a thick dark brown
syrup, about the consistence of treacle. According to some accounts,
the seeds of the red pepper are used, not as adding to the strength
of the poison, but as a test of its preparation being complete. When
the native thinks that the poison is nearly ready, he throws into it a
single seed of red pepper, which immediately begins to revolve. He then
allows the boiling to proceed a little longer, and throws in another
seed, which perhaps revolves, but more slowly; and he repeats this
experiment until the seed remains stationary, which is accepted as a
proof that the preparation is complete.
The Indian then takes a few arrows, dips them in the poison, and tries
their effect upon some animal or bird, and, if satisfied with the
effect, pours the poison into a new earthenware pot, ties a couple of
leaves over the mouth, and a piece of wet hide over the leaves, so as
to exclude both air and moisture, especially the latter. The little
pots which are used for holding the wourali are nearly spherical, and
about as large as an ordinary orange.
The above account of preparing the wourali poison is that which is
furnished by the natives, but, as they have a definite object in
keeping the mode of preparation secret, it cannot be absolutely relied
upon. That there is a secret connected with its manufacture is evident
from the fact that the Macoushie poison is acknowledged to be better
and stronger than that which is manufactured by any other tribe, and
that all the Guianan tribes are glad to purchase wourali from the
Macoushies.
It is not every native who knows how to make this wonderful poison. The
knowledge is restricted to the conjurers, who keep it in their families
and hand it down from father to son. They are so careful to preserve
their secret, that not only do they make the wourali at a distance from
their houses, but when they have completed the manufacture they burn
down the huts, so as to obliterate every trace of the means which have
been employed.
They have a sort of superstitious reverence for the wourali. The
ostensible reason which is given for burning down the hut is, that
it is polluted by the fumes of the poison, and may never again
be inhabited, so that it is better to burn it down at once. They
allege that during its preparation the Yabahou, or evil spirit, is
hovering over, ready to seize upon those who are uninitiated in the
mysteries, and so by the aid of superstition effectually prevent their
proceedings from being watched.
In order to carry out this fear of the wourali to its full extent, the
professors of poison-manufacture will refuse to make it except when
they please, alleging any excuse that may suggest itself. Mr. Waterton
narrates an instance where a man who had promised to make some wourali
poison declined to do so at the last moment, on the ground that he
expected an increase to his family. The maker is always pleased to
consider himself ill after he has completed his work, which, in spite
of the repeated washing of his face and hands, renders him sufficiently
liable to the attacks of the invisible Yabahou to cause indisposition.
The manufacturer is not altogether an impostor in this case, but acts
from a sort of belief in the mysterious gloom which always surrounds
the wourali. Nothing, for example, would induce him to eat while the
poison is being prepared, and, however hungry he may be, he will fast
until the completed wourali has been poured into its receptacle.
Although the chief poison in Guiana, the wourali is not the only one,
the natives having discovered a sort of wood which is sufficiently
poisonous in itself to need no other appliance. The wood is that of
some endogenous tree, of a pale yellow color. From this wood the
natives cut long blade-shaped heads, much resembling those of the
Kaffir assagais in form. The peculiar shape of the head may be seen in
figures 4 and 5 of illustration No. 4, on page 1231, which represents
two views of the same arrow head. Sometimes the head is left quite
plain, but in some specimens a pattern is rudely scribbled on the outer
surface of the blade. Annatto is the coloring matter used, leaving a
dusky red dye behind it. I possess specimens of these arrows, both
plain and colored.
These flat heads are lashed to the hard-wood spike that terminates the
arrow by a complicated arrangement of cotton threads, which, though
they do not possess the artistic elegance of the Polynesian wrapping,
yet are crossed and recrossed so as to produce a series of diamond
shaped patterns. Mr. Waterton first called my attention to the venomous
properties of this arrow head.
The young men practise diligently with these weapons. The largest,
which are intended for the slaughter of tapirs, jaguars, and such like
animals, are tested by being shot perpendicularly into the air, each
archer trying to send his arrow above that of his competitor.
Mr. Brett, in his “Indian Tribes of Guiana,” gives an interesting
account of the skill of the natives as marksmen, and relates one
little episode of the shooting, which shows that the “inevitable dog”
accompanies sports in Guiana, just as he does in England.
“After several rounds from each man and boy, the archery contest
closed by a simultaneous discharge of arrows from every bow. More than
two hundred shafts flying through the air together presented a novel
spectacle, and in an instant demolished the target amid loud shouts
from all. A dog which, unheeded, had wandered behind it, was surrounded
by the crop of arrows which suddenly stuck in the sand, some even
beneath him. He was a lucky dog, however, for with marvellous fortune
he escaped unhurt, though bewildered by the adventure and the roar of
applause which followed his somewhat hasty retirement, with deprecating
look and drooping tail.”
Spears are also used by some of the tribes. The same writer describes
the mode in which a Warau had practised with the spear. His weapon
was made of the same material as the arrow, but of greater size, the
shaft being of reed, and the head of hard wood. The young spearman had
fixed a mark on the soft stem of a plantain tree. As the missile struck
the mark, the hard-wood head remained sticking in the tree, while the
elastic shaft bounded back toward the thrower.
The lad said that this javelin was used for killing sundry large
fishes, which are induced to rise to the surface of the water by means
of scattering seeds and other food of which they are fond, and are then
killed by means of this weapon.
Some of the arrows are unpoisoned, and, as an example of the great
variety assumed, of the arrow heads of the different tribes three more
specimens are given in the three left-hand figures of illustration No.
4, on page 1231, taken from the “Christy” collection. These heads are
something of the same form as those which have just been described,
but, instead of being flat, they are curved. The reader may remember
that a similar form of arrow prevails in New Guinea. The reason is
simple enough. The bamboo is covered with a coating of pure flint,
which forms a natural edge so sharp, that when the bamboo is split, it
can be used as a knife.
Indeed, until the introduction of iron, the bamboo furnished the knife
in ordinary use throughout all Polynesia and many other countries where
it grew. It is evident, therefore, that an arrow head merely made from
a hollow bamboo stem, and retaining the hollow shape, must be a most
formidable weapon, and inflict a very dangerous wound. It is brittle,
fragile, and would shiver to pieces against a shield or defensive armor
of even moderate strength, but against the naked bodies of the Indians
it is a most effective weapon.
Great pains have been taken with these arrows, all of which have
been ornamented in some peculiar manner. One of them is covered on
the convex side with colored patterns, just as is the case with the
poison-wood arrow just described. Another is not only ornamented, but
cut into barbs. The third, which is plain, is distinguished by a hollow
ball, placed just below the head. The ball is pierced with a hole, so
that when the arrow is sent from the bow a whistling sound will be
produced. The Chinese use whistling arrows at the present time, and so
did our archers in the days when the long-bow was the pride of England.
In all these cases, the whistle could be used for amusement in time of
peace, but for signals in time of war.
As the thoughtful reader might gather from the elaborate care exercised
in ornamenting these weapons, the natives would rather exhibit than
use them. It is almost invariably found to be the case, that really
warlike people keep their weapons in the highest state of efficiency,
but trouble themselves comparatively little about ornamenting them,
whereas those who want a reputation for valor, without the trouble and
danger of earning it, try to gain their end by having their weapons
covered with ornament, and themselves assuming as martial an aspect as
possible. If the reader will remember the various peoples that have
been described in the course of this work, he will see how completely
this rule holds good.
Take, by way of example, the Fijian and the Tongan. The one is
celebrated throughout the world for the variety, the beauty, the
finish, and the artistic ornamentation of his weapons. He always moves
armed, feeling himself at a loss without his club on his shoulder; he
bedizens himself in the most extravagant manner for the war dance, and
before joining in actual battle he consumes a vast amount of time in
boasting of his prowess, and of the use to which he will put the body
of his foe.
But the Tongan, who never thinks of boasting before or after battle,
whose weapons are simple and unadorned, is so completely the superior
of the Fijian that he could, if he chose, make himself the master of
the whole Fiji territory. We see the same characteristic in several
Eastern lands, in which the men are walking arsenals of weapons inlaid
with gold, silver, and precious stones, and yet will take the first
opportunity of running away when there is a probability that their
ornamental weapons will be used in earnest.
So the experienced anthropologist, as soon as he sees these beautifully
carved arms, decorated with the most delicate plumage, and painted with
all the colors which native art can supply, at once makes up his mind
that such weapons are more for show than use, and that the makers would
not have expended such time and trouble upon them, if they had intended
them to undergo the rough usage of actual warfare.
[Illustration: (1.) HEADDRESS (See page 1255.)]
[Illustration: (2.) HEADDRESS. (See page 1255.)]
[Illustration: (3.) GUIANAN CLUBS. (See page 1239.)]
[Illustration: (4.) GUIANAN CRADLE. (See page 1247.)]
CHAPTER CXXXI.
THE TRIBES OF GUIANA--_Continued_.
WAR--SUPERSTITION.
GUIANAN CLUBS -- THE SAPAKANA AND POTU -- WARFARE -- CANNIBALISM
-- THE SHELL MOUND AND ITS CONTENTS -- RISE AND FALL OF THE CARIB
TRIBE -- BLOOD FEUDS -- THE KANAIMA AND ITS RESULTS -- A STRANGE
SUPERSTITION -- THE GUIANAN VAMPIRE -- WAR WITH THE ARAWÂKS --
INGENIOUS STRATEGY -- THE AMBUSH -- THE FORT AND THE BOOM -- CAPTURE
OF THE CHIEF AND END OF THE WAR.
We will now pass to their clubs, in which, as well as in the arrows,
can be read the characteristics of their makers: some of them are
wonderful examples of savage art. The specimens which are shown in an
illustration on the preceding page are all drawn from examples in the
“Christy” collection.
Those on the right are examples of the kind of club which is called
Sapakana. They are made of the heaviest and hardest wood which the
native can find, and some of them are so large and heavy that they
require a strong man to wield them. The blade is formed something like
that of the New Zealand merai, being slightly convex in the middle, and
coming to an edge on either side, so that it is as formidable a weapon
as can well be imagined.
In order to give a firm grasp, the handle is covered with cotton string
wound upon it very neatly, afterward being ornamented with feathers and
similar decorations. As the heads of these clubs are very much alike, I
have only given one entire, and the handles of two others. The central
is the most highly ornamented, having tufts of brilliant green feathers
just at the junction of the head and the handle, and below the feathers
a series of white balls made of cotton-wool. The reader will doubtless
admire the elaborate pattern in which the cotton string is wound
upon the handle. One of these weapons in my own collection very much
resembles that which has been already described, except that, instead
of the feathers and cotton-wool balls, it is ornamented with a series
of long trailing tufts made of cotton fibre.
At the present time the use of these beautiful clubs is practically
abandoned, the musket having superseded the native weapons, so that the
clubs, although they are still manufactured, are made for sale, and not
for use.
Next comes a club which is used by the Caribs. It carries out fully the
principle which has just been mentioned respecting the ratio between
the ornament of the weapon and the warlike spirit of the user. This
club is comparatively plain, being meant for use and not for show. The
makers call it by the name of Potu, and it is evidently a modification
of the “macana” club of the Gran Chaco Indians. To the eye it seems
no very powerful weapon, but its weight, form, and balance render it
capable of dashing out the brains of a man with a single blow. There
is generally a wrapping of cotton string round the middle, so as to
afford a firm grip, and a loop made of the same material, which passes
over the wrist. A modification of the potu is shown in the left-hand
specimen.
The very shape of the potus proves that they are meant to be used by
a courageous and warlike people. As a rule the instinct of a really
courageous people is to “get at” the adversary, while that of an
unwarlike people is to keep the foe at a distance.
As to warfare and the mode of conducting it, there is considerable
variation in the different tribes, some being peaceable and quiet,
while others are just the reverse. The most warlike tribe among them is
undoubtedly the Carib, of which Raleigh wrote that they were a naked
people, but as valiant as any under the sky.
The Caribs were at that time the most important of the Guianan tribes,
having earned their prominence by their weapons. If they quarrelled
with another tribe, they were accustomed to make an expedition into the
enemy’s land by night, surround in succession their scattered villages,
kill all the men, and take the women and children prisoners. Some of
these captives were employed as slaves among themselves, and by degrees
became incorporated with the tribe of their captors, while others were
reserved for sale. They did not, however, restrict themselves to this
kind of secret expedition, but openly made war with other tribes, and
boasted that they would paddle their canoes against the stream, so that
the enemy might hear them coming and not be taken by surprise.
There seems to be little doubt that the Caribs were at one time
cannibals, though at the present day there is great difficulty in
getting them to acknowledge the fact. The former cannibalism of these
tribes was easily continued by some discoveries which were made in a
large mound situated on a sand reef, some ten or twelve miles from the
sea.
Thinking that this mound might be a kitchen midden similar to those
which are found in many parts of the Old World, Mr. Brett instituted
a search, and found that, like these mounds, the heap consisted
chiefly of shells, mostly those of mussels and periwinkles, together
with the claws and shells of crabs, and some bones of fishes and land
vertebrates. At no very great depth from the surface, the excavators
came upon a vast quantity of human bones, the skulls shattered to
pieces, and the bones of the arms and legs split longitudinally.
To an experienced eye this state of the bones told its own story. The
bones were not laid regularly, as they would have been if they had
been the remains of bodies regularly interred, but were tossed about
in confusion, the fragments of skulls, vertebrae, and limbs being
scattered here and there without the least order. The story which these
remains tell is simple enough. They are the bones of human beings who
have been eaten by their fellow-men, which, after being cracked for the
sake of the marrow, have been flung aside, together with the shells of
molluscs and other refuse. That this horrid custom was common to all
the tribes at one time seems very probable, but the Caribs are the last
to whom cannibalism has been attributed.
Like the Mundurucús, the Caribs had an ordeal consisting in enduring
the bites of ants. They had no hereditary chief, though the son of
a chief would succeed his father if he were considered to possess
sufficient ability and courage. Even in such a case, the candidate for
chieftainship had to prove his superiority over his fellows by his
capability of bearing privations as well as torture. He was required
to show that he was acquainted with all the stratagems of war, that he
could endure long fasting, that he was of unflinching courage, and that
he could resist even the terrible ordeal of the ants, and not until he
had satisfactorily passed through all those trials did the tribe lay
their weapons at his feet in token of their submission to him.
We may naturally feel some surprise that a people who exhibit such an
indomitable spirit, and such a love of freedom, who have overrun vast
tracts of territory and successfully resisted even the well-armed and
disciplined troops of Europe, should not have advanced in the scale of
civilization, but have remained as savage at the present day as we know
them to have been three hundred years ago. Mr. Brett, whose personal
knowledge of them enables him to speak with authority, gives his
solution of the question as follows:--
“There arose among them no master spirit, who, combining the wisdom of
the legislator with the bravery of the warrior, might have established
humane and civilizing institutions among his people, and permanently
united their scattered hordes. In great emergencies the necessity for
united action led them accordingly to follow, and implicitly obey, some
one of their chiefs, invested by themselves with superior authority,
like a dictator of ancient Rome. But at other times each petty head
of a clan or family moved and acted in a great measure as he pleased,
there being no actual power nor hereditary authority sufficiently
respected to command the obedience of all.
“Having thus no permanent band of cohesion, their wild hordes could
only fight, overrun, oppress, and destroy, and in their highest
prosperity were incapable of accomplishing any great and useful work
which might have remained as their memorial to future ages.”
In consequence of the want of leadership, the Carib tribe, once the
greatest, and perhaps the origin of all the Guianan tribes, is steadily
decreasing, and, valiant as they may be, they are no longer the terror
of the other tribes, as they used to be. Indeed, during their feud with
the Acawaios, in which they have been engaged for a long time, the
Caribs have by no means been the winners. They have even been obliged
to quit their own district, and settle themselves near the missionary
stations for protection.
The same author who has just been quoted mentions several instances
which show the failing power of the Caribs. On one occasion a Carib
chief came to live at the mission station because he had found that a
party of Acawaios, painted and equipped for war, were lurking near his
home in the forest. Even in his place of refuge he was not safe from
his enemies. One evening the village was disturbed by loud outcries,
and it was found that a son-in-law of the chief had been seriously
hurt, and was lying in his hammock, writhing with the pain of a blow
which he had received. He had wandered to some little distance from the
house, when he caught sight of an Acawaio behind him. He turned round,
sprang upon the enemy, and threw his arms round him; but the man was
too strong, hurled him to the ground, and, as he fell, struck the blow
which had caused him to take to his hammock.
The whole Carib party was in great confusion and terror for some time,
but at last it turned out that the attack was in consequence of a
personal feud with the wounded man. Two years before, his father had
been assassinated by the Acawaios, and he very naturally used his
bow and arrows in a vain attempt to save his father’s life. This act
drew upon him the vengeance of the Acawaios, who marked him for death
whenever they could find an opportunity of killing him. He had fled
from the Essequibo to Pomeroon, but uselessly, and was advised by the
missionary to go to the coast and procure employment on one of the
sugar estates, where his enemies would not be likely to follow.
Sometimes a blood feud is caused by a superstitious practice called
Kanaima. A person dies, and the medicine man decides that the death
has been caused by some one who has used sorcery for the purpose of
taking away his life. The supposed wizard is then doomed to die, and a
near relative of the deceased is set apart for the purpose of carrying
out the sentence. He is supposed to be possessed by a wandering spirit
called Kanaima, and is called by that name until the deed of vengeance
is accomplished. During the time of possession, the Kanaima has to
suffer many privations, so that the mere wish to be restored to his
ordinary life acts as an incentive to the fulfilment of his office.
The mode of killing a victim according to the Kanaima superstition is
a very cruel one. He is approached from behind (as was the case with
the young Carib above-mentioned); and if the slayer can come within
reach, the victim is struck down with a blow on the back of his neck.
This blow is not meant to be fatal, and is only hard enough to cause
insensibility for a time. The Kanaima then forces open his victim’s
mouth, and presses through his tongue the fangs of a venomous serpent.
The tongue immediately swells to such an extent as to prevent the
unfortunate wretch from speaking, and in the course of a day or two
to end his life. Sometimes the Kanaima is said to substitute for the
serpent’s fangs a poisonous powder, made for the express purpose, and
kept in a little tube made of the wing-bone of a bird. The preparation
of this powder is a secret, handed down from father to son.
The task of the Kanaima is not yet ended. Three days after the burial
of the victim, the murderer must visit the grave and go through some
ceremony, before the Kanaima spirit departs and allows the man to
return to his friends. The natives are very chary of their knowledge on
this subject, but, as far as can be ascertained, the Kanaima presses a
pointed stick through the body, tastes the blood, and by that act is
relieved from the spirit of murder.
The friends of the victim, therefore, always endeavor to conceal the
place of burial, and it is the duty of the murderer to hover about the
place so that they shall not be able to inter the body without his
knowledge. Should the friends be successful, the vengeance is reversed,
for the unfortunate Kanaima is obliged to wander through the woods
until he is afflicted with madness, or some other form of vengeance
whereby the spirit of murder punishes those who have not carried out
his wishes.
Mr. Brett witnessed several instances of this dreadful mode of
punishment, and in one case had little doubt that he had come upon a
Kanaima who had been unable to find the body of his victim. “An Indian,
reduced almost to a skeleton, and in a dreadful state of exhaustion,
was picked up in the forest by some Arawâk, and brought to the Pomeroon
mission. He had lost a portion of his scalp, and had his lower lip torn
down at each corner. This he said had been done by a small ‘tiger,’
which had sprung on him while lying in the forest....
“The Acawaios at the mission, whose language he spoke, took much care
of him at first, but afterward judged, from his refusing certain kinds
of food and other signs, that he was a devotee and victim of unappeased
Kanaima, and the murderer of a man killed some time before. From this,
and his savage, ungrateful demeanor (though Mr. M’Clintock aided by
myself, cleansed and dressed his sores to encourage them), we had some
difficulty in getting him nursed till his strength had returned, as
they feared lest they should become his future victims.”
If the friends of the murdered man fear that they will not be able to
conceal the body effectually, they remove the liver, and put in its
place a redhot axe-head, under the belief that when the Kanaima tastes
the blood of his victim, the heat which was in the axe-head will pass
into his body and consume him.
Putting aside private feud, the Caribs have of late been beaten by the
other tribes in open war. They had been partially successful against
the Arawâks, who had been driven into the swampy district near the
Waini. Here, however, the fugitives made a stand, and placed themselves
under the supreme command of a well-known and tried warrior. Expecting
that the Caribs would soon follow them into their place of refuge,
their leader placed his men in ambush among the islands, and awaited
the coming of the enemy.
On came the Caribs in their great war canoes, following each other in
single file through the narrow creeks which separate the “wet savannah”
into islands. They were allowed to pass unhurt, until they rounded one
of the islands, when a deadly shower of arrows from both banks disabled
or killed every man on board. The second canoe pushed on, only to meet
the same fate, while the others, not being able to see the carnage
that was taking place, hurried onward toward the spot whence the cries
proceeded, and were in their turn overwhelmed with the deadly shower.
The victorious Arawâks then jumped into the water, seized the canoes,
and killed every one of the warriors with the exception of two. These
were sent home by the victors on the promise of a large ransom, to be
paid in the cotton hammocks for the manufacture of which the Caribs are
so famous; and an insulting message was also sent by them, requesting
the Caribs to send another expedition.
On land the Caribs fared as badly against the same foes as they had
done by sea. Being determined to resist the continual attacks of the
Caribs, the Arawâks made up their minds to fly no more to the swamps
for safety, but to boldly face their enemies. They therefore built
a large house on the banks of a rivulet, surrounded it with trees
laid with their branches outward--in fact, the _abattis_ of modern
engineering--and stored the house with as many arrows as they could
make. Moreover, they made broad wooden shields, which were used on this
occasion for the first and probably for the last time.
As had been anticipated, the Caribs were not very long in making their
attack. Seeing a small party of men among the trees, they gave chase
and pursued them as far as the house, which they immediately attacked.
The defenders did not return the fire of the Caribs, but contented
themselves with receiving on their shields the arrows of the enemy.
When they judged that the arrows of the foe were nearly exhausted, they
made use of their own stores, and poured volley after volley on the
invaders, being supplied by the women and boys with arrows as fast as
they could shoot. The Caribs were unable to withstand such an attack,
and were obliged to beat a retreat, during which they lost many more of
their number by the pursuing Arawâks.
The two last decisive battles between these great tribes ended again in
favor of the Arawâks. The latter established themselves on the banks of
a branch of the river Moruca, a stream which is thickly wooded on both
sides. The name of this branch is Haimara-Cabura. Across this stream
the Arawâks sank a tree trunk at such a depth that it would allow small
canoes to pass over it, while the large and heavily-laden war-canoes
must inevitably strike upon it.
The invaders came, as had been expected, but found nothing except empty
houses. They then descended the Moruca, looking about for their prey,
and at last caught sight of several canoes and gave chase. The fugitive
canoes, on reaching the mouth of the Haimara-Cabura, darted into it as
if for shelter, and were followed by the invaders, yelling and shouting
with excitement. Suddenly, their canoes struck violently against the
sunken boom, jerked the paddles from their places, became entangled
with each other, and caused inextricable confusion. In the midst of
their perplexity, showers of arrows were hurled upon them, and very few
of the invading force escaped.
Among them, however, was the Carib chief Manarrawa, who was incensed at
the repulse with which he had met, returned to the Orinoco, organized
another force, and again attacked the Arawâks. This time he was less
fortunate, being wounded and taken prisoner. On being brought before
the council of chiefs, Manarrawa promised that, if his life was spared,
he would cause his people to cease from further attacks. The Arawâks,
more lenient than the Caribs, granted his request, gave him a canoe,
and sent him home. He, on his part, performed his promise, and from
that time there has been no regular war between the Caribs and Arawâks,
although there have been private blood feuds of the kind described.
[Illustration: (1.) LAKE DWELLERS OF THE ORINOCO. (See page 1269.)]
[Illustration: (2.) A WARAU HOUSE. (See pages 1245, 1251, 1268.)]
CHAPTER CXXXII.
THE TRIBES OF GUIANA--_Continued_.
ARCHITECTURE AND SOCIAL CUSTOMS.
ARCHITECTURE -- THE ORDINARY GUIANAN HOUSE -- THE MACOUSHIE AND
INLAND HUTS -- CHOICE OF THE SITE -- MATRIMONIAL ARRANGEMENTS --
POLYGAMY AND ITS RESULTS -- A BREACH OF PROMISE CASE -- JEALOUSY AND
ITS RESULTS -- FORBIDDEN DEGREES AMONG THE ARAWÂKS -- THE GUIANAN
MOTHER AND CHILD -- A SINGULAR CUSTOM -- POLYANDRY -- MAKING CASSAVA
-- THE MANIOC TREE AND ITS ALLIES -- THE GRATER, THE BOWL, AND
THE COLANDER -- THE PRESS, OR TIPITI -- USE MADE OF THE POISONOUS
JUICE -- MAKING SUGAR -- PIWARRI DRINKING -- THE MAQUARRI DANCE --
CONSTRUCTION OF THE WHIPS -- ENDURANCE OF PAIN.
We will now examine the domestic life of the Guianan natives.
Their architecture differs considerably according to the district.
As a rule, the climate is so warm that houses are but little needed,
all that is required being a simple roof above the head. The ordinary
kind of hut is nothing more than a mere shed, a sort of barn without
the walls, supported on posts and thatched with leaves. From the posts
and rafters are hung the personal goods of the natives, such as fans,
paddles, clubs, blow guns, bows and arrows, and similar articles, while
from one or two of the cross-beams is sure to be hanging the singular
cassava press, which will be presently described. Such a house is
represented on the preceding page.
Between the upright posts, and sometimes from the transverse beams, are
suspended the hammocks, some of which are almost invariably occupied,
as the master has a natural genius for lying in his hammock when he is
not absolutely obliged to be on his feet. The number of hammocks under
a single roof is almost incredible. They are hung in tiers, one above
another, like the berths on board a passenger ship, and when thirty or
forty of them are occupied at once, it seems rather wonderful that the
building should be able to withstand such a strain.
As the inhabitants move about, or get into and out of their hammocks
while replenishing the nightly fires, whose smoke is the only defence
against the mosquitoes and other winged pests, the whole building
rocks, the joints creak, and the house seems on the point of coming
down. But the junctions of the beams and posts are so firmly tied that
they are far stronger than they look, and however fragile the shed may
seem, it is quite equal to any strain they may have to endure.
In the interior, however, the huts are more of a complicated character,
and have walls as well as a roof. Their form is invariably round, and
their roofs pointed in the centre. Some are shaped almost exactly
like single-poled tents, having a circular upright wall, some five or
six feet in height, and from that wall a tolerably high conical roof
ending in a sharp point. Their general shape much resembles that of the
Makololo house, seen on page 329. The roof, however, is neater, and the
central pole, by which it is supported, rises to some height above the
top, looking like the ornamental spikes with which English builders are
fond of decorating some of their villas.
Other houses, though built on the same principle, are not quite
conical. They have no distinction between the wall and roof, and,
instead of being circular, are octagonal. They may be very well
imitated by cutting out eight isosceles triangles from cardboard, the
larger sides being about four times the length of the shortest, and
sewing them together. A knitting needle through the centre will act as
a support, and look very much like the centre pole of the edifice.
These huts are used by the Macoushies, the makers of the very long
blow guns which have already been described, and from projections in
the upright poles the weapons are suspended when not in use. It need
scarcely be said that the task of house building belongs to the women,
inasmuch as it pertains to the category of heavy work, which is beneath
the character of a man to undertake. Indeed, with these people, as with
many other uncivilized nations, the rooted disinclination of the men to
labor, and the consequent falling of all the work upon the women, is
one of the most serious obstacles to their progress in civilization;
and even polygamy is not so much a drawback as the inferior condition
of the women.
Treating of the native houses, Mr. Brett remarks that the builders,
simple as may be the house itself, carefully select a site which must
combine several requirements. In the first place, it must be near a
stream, so that the women may not have more trouble than needful in
fetching water for the use of the household, and that the canoe may be
within easy reach of the house when the owner wishes to set out upon
one of the frequent migrations which take place among these tribes.
It must be a spot which is rather out of the way. The native Guianan
likes peace and quietness, and has a strong objection to being
disturbed, the apathy of his nature being supplemented by an inveterate
shyness, which makes him keep aloof from strangers. It must also be a
spot where the ground is light and sandy, and where the very slight
cultivation needed in this land can be easily carried on.
The house being built, the next business is to prepare a field for
the cultivation of yams and cassava, and this is the only hard work
which the men will condescend to do. The ground is already occupied
by trees, but this is of no consequence to the native agriculturist.
Having selected a convenient spot, he cuts down the trees, ingeniously
contriving that the fall of one shall bring down several others. This
is done at the beginning of the hot season, _i. e._ somewhere in
August. The tropical sun soon dries the fallen trees, and when they are
sufficiently parched for the purpose, the Indian sets them on fire,
a process which rapidly consumes all but the trunks and the largest
branches. He has now done his share of the work, and leaves the rest to
the women, who have to clear away the débris as far as they can, and to
do all the digging, planting, and weeding that is needed.
Among these people polygamy, though not always the rule, is often the
case, and a man’s greatness is partly estimated by the number of his
wives. It is not, however, carried out to such an excess as is the
case with many other peoples, inasmuch as one chief was looked upon
with the greatest respect because he had the unusual number of nine
wives. This chief, a Warau, was very jealous of his establishment, and
was said to have shot one of his wives, and severely wounded another
with his cutlass. As a rule, however, a man has one wife only, the
exceptions being rarer in proportion to the number of wives.
The Caribs appear to carry out the principle of proprietorship in their
women to the fullest degree, as is exemplified by an amusing anecdote
related by Mr. Brett. It must be premised that, as is usual among
nearly all uncivilized natives, the wife is purchased from her father
or oldest male relative, who has absolute power over and can sell her
as he would sell his bow, and with as much regard for the feelings of
one article of property as the other.
“A high-spirited Caribi girl, indignant at being given in marriage to
an elderly man, who had already other wives (one being her own sister),
ran away from him, and bestowed her hand on one of the Essequibo
Caribs, a younger man whom she liked better. After a while, the old man
visited that quarter--not, however, to exercise his undoubted right
to bring her back and beat her, but to claim compensation for her
services. It was willingly allowed, and for a gun, a barrel of salt,
or some article of like value, the woman was left with the man of her
choice, who perhaps thought himself secure, and the business ended.
“But the next year the old man, who well knew what he was doing, paid
them another visit, still, as he said, in quest of compensation. On
being reminded by the husband that he had already been paid for the
woman, he replied, ‘Yes--for the woman; but she has since borne you a
child--you must now pay me for that.’ The unwritten law of Caribi usage
was decidedly in the old man’s favor, and he received compensation for
that child. For each succeeding birth he could, if he chose, reappear,
like an unquiet spirit, make a similar demand, and be supported therein
by the custom of his nation.”
Sometimes the second wife is purchased while still a child, and brought
up together with the family of the first wife, and a prudent chief
will thus provide himself with a succession of wives, each attaining
marriageable years as her predecessors become too old to suit the taste
of their proprietor. Now and then, the first wife successfully resists
the introduction of a sharer of her household. In one such case, the
first wife, after trying to commit suicide, and being prevented, took
a more sensible course. She was an Arawâk, one of three sisters, all
living with their respective husbands at one settlement. One day, the
husband of the eldest sister, having been on a visit to some friends,
brought home another wife, a full-grown young woman. The first wife,
after her unavailing attempt at suicide, made an onslaught upon the
intruder, aided by her two sisters, whose husbands stood quietly
looking on. The end of the business was, that the woman was sent back
to her friends, and the first wife was left in the undisturbed rule of
her household.
The Arawâks have a curious and praiseworthy regulation concerning
marriage. Their tribe is divided into a number of families, each
descending in the female line, and being known by its own name. No one
is allowed to marry into the family bearing the same name as himself or
herself, and this principle is carried out in a rather curious manner.
As the succession falls in the woman’s line, her sons and daughters,
and the children of her daughters, bear the same name as herself, but
not so the children of her sons, who will take the names of their
respective mothers. The Arawâks are very tenacious of this rule, and
think an infraction of it to be a great crime.
As is the case with most uncivilized nations, the Guianan mothers think
but little of the event which lays a civilized European woman on the
bed of sickness for weeks. Mr. Brett saw one Warau woman, only two
hours after the birth of her child, tie up her hammock, and carry it,
together with her newly born infant, from one house to another. When
the child is very young, it is laid in a small hammock, but when it
gains a little strength, a rather curious cradle is provided for it.
The body of the cradle is made of the ever-useful itirritti reed, which
is split into slips about the tenth of an inch in width, and then woven
so as to make a kind of basket, open at one end and down one side. The
edges are strengthened by a rod of flexible wood lashed firmly to them,
and the cradle is brought into shape by means of a framework consisting
of tolerably strong sticks. The opening in front is much narrower than
the body of the cradle, so that the child can be easily secured in
it. The length of my specimen, drawn on page 1238, is exactly twenty
inches, and width at the back thirteen inches, while that of the
opening is only seven inches. This cradle is very strong, very elastic,
and very light--three great requisites in such an article. When the
mother wishes to carry her child, she only takes a broad plaited belt,
the two ends of which are united, passes it over the crossbars at the
top of the cradle, and then brings the belt across her forehead.
The parents are very kind to their children, and can seldom bring
themselves to chastise them, except in a sudden fit of anger. The
natural consequence of this treatment is, that they have scarcely any
control over the children, though, when they grow up, the respect shown
by sons and daughters to their parents of either sex is worthy of all
praise.
Connected with this subject, the Guianan natives have a very singular
custom, which, according to our ideas at the present day, entirely
reverses the order of things. With us, when a wife expects to be a
mother, she often thinks it necessary to abstain from certain articles
of food, and from too much exertion. With the Guianan Indians, the
wife eats exactly what she chooses, and works as hard as ever, while
the husband thinks himself bound to abstain and to rest. For example,
the Acawaios and Caribs will not eat the flesh of the agouti, lest the
future offspring should be thin and meagre; the haimara fish, lest it
should be dim-sighted; or the maroudi, lest it should be still-born,
the cry of this bird being held as an omen of death. The reader may
remember that a Macoushie excused himself from making wourali by
reference to this custom. This custom does not stop with the child’s
birth, but extends to several weeks afterward.
As soon as her child is born, the Indian wife washes the baby, rolls it
in the cradle hammock, and goes about her business as usual. But the
Indian husband is pleased to consider himself very ill, and straightway
takes to his hammock, where he is waited upon by the women with the
most solicitous attention. In some districts the sick husband has not a
very pleasant part to play, being obliged to take nauseous drinks, and
to go through a course of very unpleasant medicine. Generally, however,
he does nothing but lie in his hammock for a week or two, during which
time he is kept amply supplied with the daintiest food, and petted as
if he were recovering from a dangerous sickness.
This custom has gradually expired in the vicinity of the mission
stations, but it occasionally revives. Mr. Brett mentions an instance
where a large influx of strangers reintroduced it into the station. It
so happened that a young Christian Indian had become a father, and was
violently importuned by his female relatives to take to his hammock
according to ancient custom. He resisted for some time, but was so
persecuted that he fairly ran away, and went to work at a distance for
three weeks, at the expiration of which time he thought he might be
considered as convalescent. Strange as this custom may seem to be, it
is one which has prevailed through a very considerable portion of the
globe, and even in Europe has not been extinct until comparatively late
years.
Not only is polygamy practised among these tribes, but the strange
custom of polyandry exists. On one occasion, when a missionary was
arguing with a native against the practice of polygamy, he used an
_argumentum ad hominem_, and with the bad results that usually follow
such an argument. Finding that he could not prove to his interlocutor
that a man ought not to have two wives, the missionary asked how it
would be liked by the men if one wife were to have two husbands. To his
astonishment, the man replied that the plan answered very well, and
that he knew a woman who at that time had three husbands.
* * * * *
It has been already mentioned that the natives of Guiana depend chiefly
for their food upon the beasts, birds, and fishes which they capture.
Vegetable food is not so important to them as it is generally to
inhabitants of warmer climates, probably because the almost perpetual
moisture of the country forces the inhabitants to partake of a
comparatively generous diet.
The staple vegetable food is the cassava, which is prepared in rather a
curious manner. Strange to say, it is obtained from a plant belonging
to the natural order Euphorbiaceæ, plants which are celebrated for
containing most poisonous juices.
Some of them are trees of the largest size, while others are little
herbs that only exist for a few weeks. All of them, however, secrete
an acrid juice, more or less poisonous. A familiar example of these
plants may be found in the common spurge, or wart-wort of our gardens
(_Euphorbia helioscopa_), the white, acrid, milky juice of which is
employed in destroying warts. Several of these Euphorbiaceæ produce,
beside the poisonous juice, a farinaceous substance, from which the
poison can be separated, and which is then useful as human food.
The chief plant which produces the cassava is the _Jatropha manihot_,
though there are others from which the farina can be obtained. The
juice of this plant is so poisonous that a very small dose will produce
death. Fortunately, the venomous principle is exceedingly volatile, and
can be driven off by heat, so that the very substance which in its raw
state is a deadly poison becomes, when cooked, a wholesome article of
food.
The mode of preparing the cassava is as follows: Taking on her back the
quake, which has already been described, the Guianan woman digs up a
quantity of the cassava root, puts it into the quake, and brings it to
her hut. She next peels it by tearing off the outer covering with her
teeth, and then proceeds to scrape it into very fine shavings. This is
done by means of the native grater, which, rude as it looks, is a very
effective machine. It consists of a thick board about a yard in length
and half as much in width. Into the upper surface of this board are
driven in regular rows a number of fragments of sharp stones, which are
further secured in their places by a sort of vegetable glue obtained
from the juice of a tree.
By being drawn over this surface, the cassava roots are soon reduced to
thin shavings, much like those of the horse radish, which are collected
into a basket. One of these baskets is shown in fig. 2, on page 1231.
It is made much like the cradle already mentioned, but is of closer
texture, and the strips of cane are wider. It is about two feet in
diameter, and is capable of containing a considerable quantity of the
grated root.
When the native cassava maker does not possess one of these graters,
she uses as a substitute the acrid root of a species of Ireartia palm,
which is covered with hard protuberances, and answers the purpose
tolerably well, though it does not work so smoothly or neatly as the
regular grater.
Sometimes a further process of grinding is employed, though not always.
In such cases, the grated root is placed on a flat, sloping stone, and
rubbed with another, just as is done by the Araucanians. See page 1203.
The next process is to rid it of its poisonous juices, and in this
part of the operation there is also considerable variation. Among
some tribes, the scraped cassava is taken out of the dish and pressed
tightly into a sieve or colander. This instrument is very ingeniously
made. It is of basket work, but instead of being made of flat strips of
cane or reed, round twigs are used, about as thick as ordinary drawing
pencils. The natives have an ingenious mode in which the shape of the
vessel is preserved while the interstices are not allowed to diminish
or increase in size. This is done by beginning with a comparatively few
twigs at the apex of the colander, and inserting fresh twigs at regular
intervals as the vessel increases in size.
Into this colander the cassava is pressed and kneaded with water, until
a considerable amount of the juice is expressed. It is then left in
the sieve to undergo a partial drying, and is soon ready for another
process, that of the press; and it is remarkable that, though presses
of various descriptions have been sent from Europe, none of them seem
to answer so well as the native Guianan press called the “tipiti.” This
press is a long, cylindrical basket, from six to seven feet in length,
and about four inches in diameter, made of the bark of the Jacitara
palm, a species of _Desmoncus_. The lower part of the tipiti is closed,
and brought nearly to a point, while the upper part is left open, each
end terminating in a very strong loop. Owing to the mode in which the
tipiti is made, the central portion is highly elastic, while the mouth
and tip are comparatively stiff. One of these is represented on the
following page.
[Illustration: (1.) TIPITI AND BOWL. (See pages 1248, 1251.)]
[Illustration: STOPPER OUT
(2.) TWIN BOTTLE. (See page 1251.)]
[Illustration: (3.) SPATHE. (See page 1258.)]
[Illustration: (4.) FEATHER APRON. (See page 1255.)]
[Illustration: BEAD APRON. (See page 1256.)]
Several of these tipities generally hang to the roof or the cross-beam
of the hut, so as to be ready for use when wanted. One of them is then
filled with grated cassava, which is thrust into the elastic tube as
tightly as possible, so as to cause it to become very much shorter,
and very much thicker in the middle. Underneath the tipiti is placed
an earthenware bowl to receive the juice. Vessels such as these are
made by the natives, and although they are very fragile, as the clay
is never thoroughly kneaded, and the baking is insufficient, they can
endure the fire well enough for cooking purposes. The vessel which is
represented in the illustration is of a deep brown color, striped and
spotted with black.
Besides these soft and fragile bowls, the natives make bottles for
the purpose of carrying water. Some of these clay bottles are really
elegant in form, and show evidences of artistic feeling on the part of
the potter. A figure of a double water bottle, with its earthenware
stoppers, is given on page 1249.
A heavy weight is then fastened to the bottom of the tipiti, which is
consequently elongated and narrowed, so as to compress the contents
forcibly, and squeeze out the juice that remains in the cassava. After
a while a still stronger pressure is obtained by means of the lever. A
pole is passed through the loop at the bottom of the tipiti, and the
shorter end of it is lashed to one of the upright posts of the house.
The heavy weight--usually a large stone--is then hung to the longer end
of the pole, so as to produce a powerful leverage on the tipiti, and
compress the cassava still further.
When the process has arrived at this state, the cassava maker often
adds her own weight to that of the stone, by sitting on the end of the
lever, and with her baby slung in its cradle on her back, occupies
herself in some of the lighter feminine occupations.
The cassava is now fit for baking, for which purpose it is placed on
circular iron plates, which are laid over the fire like the “girdles”
on which oat cakes are baked. Although little known in this country
under its proper name, cassava is largely used under the name of
semolina, which is nothing more than the cassava roughly ground to a
coarse sort of grain.
Nothing of this useful plant is thrown away. We have seen that the
farinaceous matter can be rendered wholesome by being deprived of its
poisonous juice, and we shall now see that even this juice itself can
be rendered useful. If man or beast were to drink it as it pours from
between the interstices of the tipiti, they would swell, and die in
great agony. But by means of boiling the poisonous principle is driven
off and the juice changes to a deep brown liquid, which is well known
under the name of cassareep, and extensively used as a sauce. It is
the foundation of the “pepper-pot” of the West Indies, and when used
by natives is so highly impregnated with red pepper, that when they
hospitably serve a white stranger with cassava bread and cassareep
sauce, the mouth of the stranger is excoriated by the quantity of
capsicum.
If the reader will refer to the illustration representing a
Warau house, on page 1244. he will see the various processes of
cassava-making. On the right hand is seen a woman kneeling before the
grater, and scraping the cassava into the dish or basket. Hanging to
the cross-beams of the hut are two of the tipiti presses, one filled
ready for the weight and the lever, and the other stretched nearly to
its full extent. A woman is sitting on the lever, and so expressing the
last drops from the cassava into the bowl. The baking of the cassava
cake is shown in the background on the right hand.
A few little episodes of Guianan life are shown in the same
illustration. On the left hand is seen a man armed with his bow and
long arrows, and having slung on his shoulders the little bag which
serves as a pocket. Another man is lying asleep in his hammock, and
nearly in the middle is shown a mother with her two children, one
of them dragging a huge spider tied to a string. The spiders of
this country are sometimes as large as a man’s outspread hand, and,
unpleasant playfellows as they appear to us, they are used in this
light by the children, as was seen by Mr. Bates.
The natives can also make sugar, though of a rather coarse character.
Some of the tribes employ a machine with small wooden rollers, for the
purpose of crushing the sugar-cane and expressing the juice, but the
plan followed by the Caribs is the most simple, and at the same time
the most remarkable. They carve the upper part of a stout post into the
rude semblance of a human bust, the post being as nearly as possible
as large as a man. The part that answers to the collar-bone projects
considerably, and a hole is bored through the middle of the neck under
the chin.
When the Caribs wish to make their sugar, they put one end of a
long and stout lever, into the hole in the neck, and lay the cane
horizontally upon the collar-bones. One man then takes the end of the
lever, and by pressing it down crushes the cane so that the juice flows
down the breast of the image into the vessel, while another man shifts
the cane so as to bring every portion successively under the lever.
As for drink, the Guianan natives have from time immemorial made an
intoxicating liquor called piwarri, which is almost exactly like the
mudai of the Araucanians. A number of cakes of cassava bread are
toasted brown, thrown into a large vessel, and boiling water poured
over them. The remainder of the cakes are masticated and mixed with
the others in the vessel. Fermentation then takes place very rapidly,
and in a short time the liquor is fit to drink. The natives are
immoderately fond of this disgusting preparation, and often brew and
drink great quantities at a time. A canoe is no uncommon vessel to be
filled with piwarri, and every one who joins in the revel is presumed
to become intoxicated as soon as possible. Mr. Brett mentions an
amusing instance of native feeling on this subject.
The Arawâks of the Mahaiconi district having begged that a missionary
might be sent to them, the bishop determined on visiting them
personally. In honor of his arrival, the Arawâks had got up a
great festival, including a canoe full of piwarri, and the curious
Maquarri dance, of which we shall presently learn. Most of them were
intoxicated, but they apologized to the bishop for their shortcomings
in politeness, and said that if they had known sooner of his visit,
they would have had two canoes full of piwarri instead of one.
Piwarri feasts vary in detail according to the tribe which holds
them. They are, however, always accompanied by a dance, and by some
ceremonies practised by the piaman or conjurer. An interesting account
of a piwarri feast is given by Messrs. Spix and Martius, in their
“Travels in Brazil:”--
“By degrees, those residing at a greater distance arrived in single
troops, each with his whole family, and with bag and baggage, as if
they were going to migrate; the men who had not yet secreted their bows
and arrows in the neighboring woods hid them here; the women put down
their baskets, took the children on their shoulders, and looked for the
drinking-cup (_cuja_). Without conversing with each other, each member
of the family examined the surrounding company with an unsteady look;
the men approached each other, and saluted their neighbors, at most, by
pouting out their lips, and a scarcely audible nasal tone.
“In the middle of the assembly, and nearest to the pot, stood the
chief, who, by his strength, cunning, and courage, had obtained some
command over them, and had received the title of captain. In his right
hand he held the maracá, the above-mentioned castanet, which they call
_gringcrina_, and rattled with it, beating time with his right foot. We
did not find any traces among the Indians of the oracles of the maracá,
mentioned in the accounts of earlier travellers. Rather walking than
dancing, he advanced slowly, with his body bent forward, round the pot,
toward which his eyes were constantly turned. The dance, the measure of
which was in triple time, was accompanied by him with a low monotonous
singing, which was more strongly marked when he stamped with his foot.
The oftener the song was repeated, the more solemn and animated was the
expression of his voice and features. All the rest stood motionless
round the pot, stared at him without speaking, and only now and then,
when the words of the dancer, which seemed to be extempore, moved
them, they broke out into immoderate cries.
“After this measured circular dance, by which, probably, it was
intended to conjure and keep off evil spirits, the leader approached
the pot, took from the hand of his neighbor the drinking-vessel which
he held ready, gravely dipped it into the pot, and took a sip. The
rattling of the gringerina and the monotonous music became general, and
more and more noisy the longer the cup went round. We, too, had a full
cuja presented to us, and though filled with disgust, we were obliged
to follow the advice of our guide to empty it, in order not to give the
Indians any reasons for distrust.
“The beverage resembles in taste our malt liquor, and when taken in a
large quantity is intoxicating, an effect which was but too manifest
toward the end of the feast, by their leaping and noisy singing of,
‘_Hi! ha! ha!_’ Hopes had been given us that we should see on this
occasion the dances of the Coroados; but toward evening, after their
stomachs and heads were full, one party slipped away after the other,
as if by previous agreement.”
The same authors give an account of a melancholy sort of dance
performed by another tribe of natives, the Puris:--
“When they had been made familiar, and treated with plentiful draughts
of brandy, of which, like all Indians, they are passionately fond,
they began their dance by night, on an open spot not far from the
fazenda of Guidowald. If the compact low stature, the brown-red color,
the jet-black hair hanging down in disorder, the disagreeable form
of their broad angular countenances, the small, oblique, unsteady,
blinking eyes, and, lastly, the tripping, short, light step of these
savages had excited in us the most sorrowful feelings at the debasement
of humanity in them, these were further increased by the melancholy
expression of their festivity in the darkness of the night. The men
placed themselves close together in a line, and behind them the women,
also in a line. The male children, sometimes two or three, took hold of
each other and of the fathers round the waist, as the female children
did their mothers. In this position they begin their melancholy
‘_Háu--jo--há--ha--há_.’ It is remarkable that the melodies which Lery
noted above two hundred years ago among the Indians in the neighborhood
of Rio Janeiro very much resemble those observed by us.
“The song and the dance were repeated several times, and the two rows
moved slowly forward in a measured triple time. In the first three
steps they put the left foot forward, and bent the left side; at the
first and third step they stamped with the left foot, and at the second
with the right; in the following three steps they advanced the right
foot at the first and last, bending on the right side. In this manner
they advanced a little alternately, in short steps. As soon as the song
was concluded, they ran back in disorder, as if in flight--first the
women with their daughters, and then the men with their sons. After
this they placed themselves in the same order as before, and the scene
was repeated. A negro, who had lived a long time among the Puris,
explained to us the words sung to this dance as a lamentation, the
subject of which was, that they had attempted to pluck a flower from a
tree, but had fallen down. Ho interpretation of this melancholy scene
could have appeared to us more appropriate than that of the loss of
Paradise.”
The most curious of all the Guianan dances is that which is called the
Maquarri dance, from the implement which forms its principal element.
The Maquarri is a whip, and the object of the dance is giving and
receiving blows from the maquarri. The form of this whip varies in
different districts. The form usually employed, is made of silk grass
fibre, bound together so as to form a stiff and elastic whip. The
handle is strengthened by being bound strongly with a strip of dark
cane wound spirally around it, and is ornamented by a tuft of fibres,
which hang from the butt. Several tufts of white cotton wool adorn the
transition between the handle and the lash, the latter of which tapers
gradually to a point. The whole whip including the lash, is nearly five
feet in length, and is a most formidable instrument of torture, capable
of cutting into the bare skin like a knife, and causing the blood to
spirt from the wound which it makes. The other form is scarcely so
terrible a whip to the eye, though it may inflict quite as much pain
when skilfully handled. It is entirely covered with cane, and, as it is
swung about, it gives a crackling sound with every curve. The length of
this whip is three feet four inches.
The maquarri dance is conducted in the following manner. The young men
and boys, decorated with all the fantastic feather work which native
art can supply, range themselves in two rows opposite each other, the
dancers being all armed with their maquarri whips, which they wave in
the air, uttering at the same time cries which are intended to imitate
the notes of birds.
Presently two of the dancers from opposite sides challenge each other,
leave the ranks, and dance opposite each other in the open space
between the ranks. After dancing for a while, one of them stops, and
stands firmly on one leg, thrusting the other forward, and remaining
perfectly firm and steady. See illustration on page 1260.
His opponent, or partner, whichever he may be called, stoops down,
takes deliberate aim at some part of the projecting leg, and then
leaping into the air, in order to give force to his stroke, delivers
a blow with all his strength. A practised maquarri dancer is sure
to cut deeply into the skin and to draw blood by the stroke; but the
receiver does not shrink from the blow, gives no sign of pain, and only
smiles contemptuously as he executes the dance. Presently his opponent
holds out his leg in turn to be struck, and after a few lashes have
been exchanged, they retire to the piwarri vessel, drink some of its
contents, and return to their places in the ranks.
The greatest good humor prevails during this strange contest, though
when a couple of powerful and experienced dancers have met, they have
often scarcely been able to walk from the severity of the blows which
they have received. Sometimes, after a hard day’s dancing and drinking,
when their legs are stiff and sore from the blows which they have
received, and their heads are aching from the liquid they have drunk,
they declare that they will abandon the dance for ever. But, as soon as
their legs get well and their heads are clear again, they forget all
their promises, and join in the next maquarri dance with unabated zest.
During one of these dances, which was performed in Mr. Brett’s
presence, a stout little Warau came to the encampment, when the dance
was nearly over, evidently with the idea of getting some piwarri
without undergoing the previous salutation of the maquarri whip.
The young men at once divined his intention, and quietly passed the
word among themselves to frustrate his design. Accordingly, he was
challenged in rapid succession by the young men, and subjected to more
than ordinary castigation before he obtained any piwarri. However,
he bore his punishment manfully, and did his best to look pleasant,
although he soon perceived the trap into which he had fallen.
On that occasion the dance was given in honor of a woman who had been
buried in the house. A broad plank lay upon her grave, and on it, among
other articles, was a bundle of silk grass being the remainder of the
material from which the maquarri whips had been made, these articles
having somewhat of the sacred character about them. After going through
a few ceremonies, two or three men, armed with long knives, dashed in
among the dancers, snatched the whips from them, cut off the lashes,
and flung them into the grave. The owners of the whips pretended to be
very savage at surrendering the whips, leaping, throwing somersaults,
and going through all kinds of evolutions, so that it was great matter
of surprise that any of them escaped injury.
On another occasion, when the maquarri dance had been got up in honor
of the bishop, all the dancers, before they went into the large house,
laid their whips on a board which had been placed there expressly for
their reception.
With regard to this dance, Mr. Brett was much struck with the apparent
indifference to pain manifested by the natives, and asked them how they
could endure such tortures without seeming to feel them. The Indians
replied that their insensibility to pain was partly produced by the
piwarri, and was partly owing to the presence of the women, who would
scoff at any one who showed the least symptom of suffering.
Giving both these reasons their full value, there are two others of
much greater importance. One is the natural apathy of the native, who
requires a very strong stimulus for exertion. This apathy extends to
the nerves of sensation as well as to those of volition, and the real
fact is, that a blow which would cause the most horrible agony to a
white man is scarcely felt by the native Guianan. The other is the
effect of exposure and perfect health of body. All those who have gone
into training for any athletic contest will remember how different is
the pain-bearing capacity of the trained and untrained man, the former
scarcely seeming to be aware of an injury which would have prostrated
him for weeks had he been untrained. Now these natives are always in
the state of body to which the civilized athlete occasionally brings
himself, and the result is, that external injuries have but little
effect on them.
Another and a rather picturesque dance is described by Mr. Brett. This
is an Arawâk dance, and is performed in the following manner:--Twelve
young men step forward, and arrange themselves in parallel rows; but
instead of carrying maquarri whips, they bear slender rods, about
twelve feet in length, decorated with strips of silk grass stained
red, and having at the tips little gourds with stones in them. They
dance backward and forward, striking the ends of their rods against the
ground, and keeping time with the measure. From time to time the young
women go up to the dancers, seize their arms, and dance with them, and
then, as the men clash the rattling ornaments of beetles’ wing cases
with which their wrists and legs are decorated, the women loose their
hold, and run back to their companions like frightened deer.
A Warau dance is described by the same missionary who witnessed the
maquarri dance. “It was little more than a measured series of steps,
accompanied with stamping, while the persons advanced or receded,
sometimes in single rank, sometimes in two ranks facing each other,
throwing their right arms over their right-hand neighbor’s shoulders,
and their left arms round their left-hand neighbor’s waist, swaying
their bodies to and fro. Occasionally the women would run, and,
inserting themselves between the men, join in the dance.
“The effect was somewhat heightened by a monotonous chant sung in
unison, and by the clatter of beads and anklets made of hard seeds and
the wings of beetles. The dance was intended to represent the antics of
a herd of kairounies, or bush hogs, and the chant was a succession of
mocking or jeering expressions.”
CHAPTER CXXXIII.
THE TRIBES OF GUIANA--_Continued_.
DRESS--AMUSEMENTS.
FEATHER HEADDRESSES AND THEIR STRUCTURE -- THE FEATHER APRON --
DRESS OF THE WOMEN -- THE KIMISA AND QUEYU -- MODE OF MANUFACTURE --
HARMONY OF COLOR -- MR. BAINES’ THEORY -- A SINGULAR PURCHASE -- THE
SAPURU OR GARTER OF THE CARIBS -- PAINT AND TATTOO -- THE SPATHE CAP
AND APRON -- PETS AMONG THE NATIVES -- SKILL IN FISHING AND CAYMAN
CATCHING -- MR. WATERTON’S ADVENTURE -- THE INGENIOUS HOOK -- GAMES
AND SPORTS -- SHIELD WRESTLING -- CANOE SLAKING -- NAVIGATING THE
FALLS.
During their dances the natives display all their best feather
ornaments. Two of their headdresses are shown on page 1238. The
foundation of these is a circlet made of thin dark cane, cut into
strips. One of them (fig. 2) is made of parrots’ feathers, beautifully
shaded from dark blue to brilliant green, and being topped with three
long straight scarlet feathers from the tail of the macaw. The general
effect of this beautiful headdress is heightened by a row of white
downy feathers by which it is surrounded. This specimen was made by the
Macoushie tribe.
The other headdress (fig. 1) is called Arok, and, though very
handsome in point of color, does not possess the beauty of form which
characterizes the other. The greater part of the headdress is bright
yellow, but just on either side of the top are two broad bands of
scarlet. The feathers in this specimen are arranged four deep.
The reader may remember that, in many portions of the uncivilized
world, aprons are made of thongs depending from the waist. This
principle is carried out by many of the African tribes, who use
thongs or strips of leather, as well as in several of the islands of
Polynesia, where vegetable materials are used. We have at fig. 4, on
page 1249, an example of the same principle carried out in Tropical
America, feathers being employed instead of skin, grass, or bark. The
length of this apron is one foot nine inches, and its depth one foot
three inches. It is made of feathers, blue at the base and tip, and
scarlet in the middle. As may be seen by the smaller figure at the
side, the feathers are fastened on the string that binds the apron on
the waist by doubling over the quill, and tying the doubled end over
the string.
It is on such occasions as the Arawâk and Warau dances, of which a
description was given in the last chapter, that the women produce their
best apparel. Generally, as long as none but their own people are in
sight, they are not particular about wearing clothes of any kind, but
since they have mixed with the white people they have learned to be
more fastidious. When a white stranger comes to a native settlement,
the men and women are mostly independent of clothing, but the latter,
as soon as they distinguish the color of their visitor, run off to
their homes to put on their dresses.
Those settlements that are tolerably near civilization usually employ
the “kimisa,” _i. e._ a sort of petticoat passing round the waist, and
suspended by a string over one shoulder. These dresses are considered
merely a concession to the peculiar notions of the white man, and,
though worn while he is present, are taken off as soon as he departs,
and carefully put away until the next white visitor comes.
The native dress of ceremony is, however, the little apron called the
queyu, or keu. At the present time it is made of beads, but before
beads were procurable it was simply of cotton, decorated with shells,
beetles’ wings, and similar ornaments. Several of these odd little
aprons are in my collection. The best and most elaborate of them is
that which is represented at fig. 5, on page 1249, and was presented
to me by H. Bernau, Esq.
This beautiful specimen of native art is eight inches in length and
four in depth, including the large beads that serve as a fringe. It is
made entirely of “seed” beads, threaded on silk grass in such a manner
that the thread is scarcely visible. The principle on which the maker
has gone is, that she has woven a sort of framework of perpendicular
threads or strings, set exactly wide enough apart to allow two beads to
be placed between them. By this plan she has regulated the arrangement
of the beads requisite to form the pattern, while the beads themselves
are strung upon fine silk-grass threads that run at right angles to the
others.
The colors are blue, yellow, green, and carmine, in transparent beads,
and chalk-white and vermilion in opaque beads, not counting the larger
beads used to form the fringe. The principle of the pattern is that
of the square standing on an angle, or the “diamond,” as it is more
familiarly termed. First, three diamonds have been worked in yellow
beads, a line of green beads running down the centre of the yellow, and
a rather broad line of carmine beads passing along the inner and outer
edge of each diamond.
The dark pattern in the centre of each diamond is made of blue beads,
and the square patterns in each angle of the diamond are made of
chalk-white beads with a centre of vermilion. The entire apron is
edged with the chalk-white beads. The fringe at the bottom is made of
a treble row of much larger beads, one of which is represented of the
full size, and at either end of each bead is a small scarlet cylinder,
like coral.
On looking at the form of the apron, the reader will notice that it
is much wider at the bottom than at the top. This is intentional. The
thick perpendicular strings only extend as far as the upper corners,
the others being thin threads. The consequence of this structure is,
that when the apron is held up by two loops, the middle of it is nearly
flat, while the two ends fall into heavy folds.
There is a positively startling boldness about the coloring of this
apron; such, for example, as the placing green beads next to the
yellow. Still, the whole arrangement of the colors is so admirable,
that in spite of the brilliant hues of the beads, which are of the
brightest possible blue, yellow, carmine, and vermilion, they are so
well harmonized, that in no case does one hue seem to predominate over
another, or to interfere with another.
Some few years ago, I was discussing the coloring of this very apron
with Mr. T. Baines, the celebrated traveller, and asking if he had any
theory by which he could account for the artistic harmony of color
which is invariably displayed in the aprons. He said that he had long
thought that the natives unconsciously imitated the coloring on the
wings of the gorgeous butterflies which are so plentiful in that land,
and, from specimens in his collection, showed that the very collocation
of hues which produced harmony of coloring in the bead apron was also
to be found in the wings of Guianan butterflies. Perhaps the splendid
plumage of many Guianan birds may also afford hints for the native
artist.
Another queyu in my collection is made of similar materials, and on the
same principle, but is of a totally different pattern. In this case,
the maker has evidently possessed a preponderance of the chalk-white
beads, and comparatively few of the red, blue, and yellow beads. She
has accordingly made the body of the apron of the white beads, and
enlivened it by two patterns, of red, blue, and yellow, formed much
like those which occupy the centre of the diamond in the apron which
has been just described. In shape the two aprons are identical, but the
latter is very much smaller in size, being only four inches in length
and two in depth.
The third specimen of the queyu in my collection is much larger, being
made of large beads, and really may take rank as an article of dress
and not a mere ornament. It is thirteen inches in length by nine in
depth, and, though not possessing the brilliant colors of the two
queyus which have been described, is yet a handsome article of costume.
The white beads of which the groundwork of this apron is made are as
large as ordinary peas, so that the whole work is of a much coarser
character than that which distinguishes the two other aprons. Those
which form the pattern are deep garnet color, so dark that except in
particular lights it looks black. The woman who made this apron has
ingeniously selected the beads of such a size that two of the garnet
beads occupy exactly the same space as one white bead, and exactly fill
the interval between the perpendicular strings of the framework.
The most remarkable point in this apron is the pattern, which is
exactly like that which is found on old patterns, and which has come
into modern use under the name of the Greek fret. I have seen several
queyus of different sizes and colors made with this pattern. The lower
edge of the apron is made of six rows of topaz colored beads, as large
as the white beads, and it is further decorated with a fringe made of
tufts of cotton strings, one such tuft being fixed to every alternate
bead.
As may be imagined from the description, the beads employed in making
the apron are very heavy, the whole article weighing nearly a pound
and a half, so that in this case the owner has good reason for not
wearing it except on occasions of ceremony. Owing to the material of
which these aprons are made, none of them put forth their full beauties
unless they are held between the spectator and the light.
One of these aprons was procured by a friend of mine in a manner which
shows that they are considered rather as ornaments than dress. He
happened to be in one of the civilized coast towns, and met a woman
wearing a queyu of remarkable beauty. He stopped her and tried to
induce her to sell the apron; but all his exertions were in vain,
and for no amount of money could he purchase it. At last a brilliant
thought struck him. He had in his pocket one of the common printed
handkerchiefs containing the flags of all nations, and, as a last
resource, he offered the kerchief in exchange for the queyu.
The woman could not withstand such a temptation. The gorgeous patterns
on the handkerchief were far superior to the best examples of native
art, and might afford new ideas for the future. Accordingly, she then
and there took off the queyu, handed it to the purchaser, and received
in exchange the kerchief, which she tied round her head, and then
pursued her walk in all the dignity of the best-dressed woman in Guiana.
The strangest article of dress to be found in Guiana is undoubtedly
the Carib sapuru, or garter, an ornament which can compete with the
compressed foot of a Chinese beauty, or the wasp-like waist of an
European belle, both for inconvenience and ugliness. While the Carib
girl is young a band of rattan is bound tightly under the knee and
another above the ankle. To give them an ornamental appearance they are
stained with a red dye, but in fact they are instruments of torture,
which entirely alter the form of the human limb and convert it into a
mere spindle thicker in the middle than at each end.
There are now before me a number of photographic portraits of Carib
women, and it is scarcely possible to imagine anything more hideously
ludicrous than the effect of the sapuru. Deprived of its natural
powers of extension, the limb has to expand itself as it can, and
the consequence is, that it is obliged to develop itself in the
comparatively narrow space between the two bandages.
If the reader should wish to obtain an accurate idea of a Carib belle’s
leg from the ankle to the knee, he can easily do so. Let him take an
ordinary broomstick, eighteen inches in length, and push it through
the middle of a rather small Stilton cheese; then let him wrap the
stick above and below the cheese with a red bandage, adorn the cheese
with a number of blue spots, and he will have a very good idea of the
extraordinary shape which is assumed by the leg of a Carib female.
The women are inordinately fond of the sapuru, and are as scornful
respecting those of their own sex who do not wear it as are the Chinese
women respecting those who do not wear the “golden lilies.”
These women have a variety of ornaments, but little clothes. Necklaces
of various kinds are highly esteemed among them, especially when they
are made of the teeth of the jaguar and alligator, inasmuch as such
ornaments indicate the prowess of their admirers. The appearance of
a Carib woman in full dress is not very attractive. These people are
short, thick necked, and awkward looking, and in those respects the
women are much worse than the men. Of the ten portraits there is not
one that can bear comparison with the female inhabitants of Southern
Africa, such as have been figured in the first part of this work. Their
short necks are cumbered with row upon row of necklaces, their only
dress is a narrow strip of blue cloth, and they have done their best to
make themselves entirely hideous by the abominable sapuru.
Then, by way of adding to their attractions, they perforate the under
lip, and wear in it one or several pins, the heads being within the
mouth and the points projecting outward. Some of the women smear their
whole bodies and limbs with the annatto dye, which gives them the
appearance as if blood were exuding from every pore; and the reader may
well imagine the appearance of such women, with pins sticking through
their lips, their bosoms covered with row upon row of necklaces, their
reddened limbs variegated with blue spots, and their legs swollen and
distorted by the effects of the sapuru.
The Carib men wear an article of dress which is almost exactly like
that which is worn by the inhabitants of the Nicobar Islands. It is
a narrow but very long scarf, woven from cotton fibre. After passing
round the waist and between the legs, it is tucked into the girdle,
and then is so long that it can be hung over the shoulder like a
Highlander’s plaid. The men are very proud of a good girdle, and
adorn it plentifully with cotton tassels, beetles’ wings, and similar
ornaments.
Of all the Guianan tribes, the Waraus are least careful respecting
dress. Even the women wear nothing but a triangular piece of bark, or
a similarly shaped article of apparel formed from the spathe of the
young palm leaf. This spathe is also used for a head dress by several
tribes. In order to understand the structure of this article the
reader must remember that the palm tree is an endogenous plant, and
that all the leaves spring from a central shoot. From this same spot
there also starts a conical shoot, which contains the flowers. In its
earlier stages of development this shoot is covered with a membranous
envelope, called a spathe, which bursts in order to allow the enclosed
flower-stalk to develop itself. Before it has attained its full
development, the spathe is drawn off the flower-stalk and soaked in
water for a time, until all the green substance becomes decomposed, and
can be washed away from the fibrous framework. The well-known skeleton
leaves are prepared in exactly the same manner.
When decomposition is complete, the spathe is carefully washed in
running water, so that the whole of the green matter is removed and
nothing is left but the tougher fibres. These are tangled together in
a very remarkable manner, so as to be very elastic, and to allow the
fabric to be stretched in different directions without causing any
interstices to appear between them.
In this state the spathe is conical, of a yellow-brown color, and
extraordinarily light. A specimen in my possession, though measuring
twenty-seven inches in length, weighs barely half an ounce.
When the native wishes to convert the spathe into a cap, he doubles the
open end twice, and then makes a deep fold within eight or nine inches
of the tip, thus causing it to assume the shape which is seen in the
illustration on page 1249. Slight as is the texture of this odd cap, it
forms an excellent defence against the rays of the sun, which is the
only object of the headdress in such a climate.
The reader will see that the shape, as well as the lightness of the
spathe, conduces to its usefulness as an apron as well as a headdress.
Such at all events is the only dress for which the Waraus care; and
whether on account of the perpetual exposure of their skins, or whether
from other causes, the short, stout, sturdy Waraus are much darker than
the other tribes--so dark, indeed, that they have been said to approach
the blackness of the negro. Mr. Brett thinks their want of cleanliness
is one cause of this deeper hue. They are the best native laborers
that can be found, and, when they can be induced to shake off their
national apathy and fairly begin work, they will do more than any other
tribe. Neither do they want so much wages as are required by the other
natives, preferring liberal rations of rum to actual wages.
Living as do the Guianan natives in the forests, amid all the
wealth of animal life which is found in them, and depending chiefly
for their subsistence on their success in hunting, they attain an
intimate knowledge of the habits of the various animals, and display
considerable skill in taking them. They capture birds, monkeys, and
other creatures, not for the sake of killing them, but of domesticating
them as pets, and almost every hut has a parrot or two, a monkey, or
some such pet attached to it.
The women are especially fond of the little monkeys, and generally
carry them on their heads, so that at a little distance they look
as if they were wearing a red or a black headdress, according to the
species and color of the monkey. They carry their fondness for their
animals to such an extent that they treat them in every respect as if
they were their children, even allowing them to suck at their breasts
in turn with their own offspring.
Dreading the venomous snakes most thoroughly, they have no fear of the
non-poisonous kinds, and capture them without difficulty. Mr. Brett
saw one of them catch a young coulacanara snake by dropping a noose
over its head by means of a forked stick, and then hauling it out and
allowing it to coil round his arm. Although a very young specimen, only
five feet or so in length, the reptile was so strong that the man was
soon obliged to ask some one to release his arm.
Sometimes this snake grows to a great length, and, as it is extremely
thick-bodied, is a very dangerous reptile to deal with. Mr. Waterton
succeeded in taking a coulacanara fourteen feet long, after a fierce
struggle, which is amusingly told in his “Wanderings.” I have seen the
skin of this snake in the collection which then adorned Walton Hall.
The skill of these natives is well shown by their success in capturing
a cayman with a hook. Mr. Waterton had tried to catch the reptile with
a shark hook, but his efforts were unavailing, the reptile declining to
swallow the bait, and at last contriving to get it off the hook, though
it was tied on with string. After more than one failure, he showed the
hook to a native, who shook his head at it, and said that it would not
answer the purpose, but that he would make a hook that would hold the
cayman.
Accordingly, on the following day he returned with a very remarkable
hook. It consisted of four pieces of hard wood about a foot in length,
curved, and sharpened at the ends, which were slightly barbed. These
barbs, if we may so call them, were tied back to back round the lower
end of a rope, a knot in the rope preventing it from dropping through
the barbs, which were forced to diverge from each other by four pegs
driven between them and the rope. The so-called hook, indeed, was very
like a four-pronged Fijian spear, supposing the shaft to be cut off
below the prongs, a hole bored through the centre of the cut shaft,
and a rope passed through the hole and knotted below the prongs. It is
evident that if such an instrument as this were taken into a cayman’s
throat, the diverging prongs would prevent it from coming out again,
and as long as they remained unbroken, so long would the cayman be
held.
[Illustration: (1.) THE MAQUARRI DANCE. (See page 1253.)]
[Illustration: (2.) SHIELD WRESTLING OF THE WARAUS. (See page 1261.)]
This curious hook was then taken to the river side, and baited with
an agouti. The end of the rope was made fast to a tree, and the
barbed hook suspended about a foot from the water by means of a short
stick driven into the bank. The native then took the empty shell of a
tortoise, and struck it several blows with an axe, by way of telling
the cayman that its meal was ready. The result of the operation
justified the Indian’s promise. The cayman could not get at the bait
without lifting itself well out of the water, and securing it by a
sudden snap; while the resistance offered by the stick caused the
projecting barbs to be driven into the reptile’s throat as it fell back
into the water.
How the cayman was dragged out of the water, and how Mr. Waterton
jumped upon its shoulders, and disabled it by seizing its fore-paws and
twisting them on its back, is matter of history. The tale was generally
disbelieved at the time, and gave rise to no small amount of banter;
but it is a perfectly true one, and the objections to it have long died
away. Indeed, one of Mr. Waterton’s men, who was then little more than
a mere lad, was, as an old man, in the service of one of my friends,
and corroborated every word of the story.
* * * * *
As might be inferred from the natural apathy and indolence of the
natives, they have but few games. They only work by fits and starts,
and spend a very large proportion of their time in their hammocks,
caring little for those contests of skill and strength which are so
absorbingly interesting to the inhabitants of cooler and more bracing
climates. There is, however, one such game which is played by the
Waraus, who have already been mentioned as the stoutest and strongest
of the tribes. This game is well described by Mr. Brett:--
“There is also a kind of wrestling, or trial of strength, practised by
the Waraus at their drinking-bouts, in which each of the antagonists is
furnished with a sort of shield, (see illustration on page 1260), made
of the light branches of the itá, cut into equal lengths, and firmly
lashed across a frame three or four feet in height, somewhat less in
width, and slightly bending outward.
“The front of each shield is painted in various colors, and with
some peculiar device, according to the fancy of the owner. From its
upper edge arise elastic stems, generally three in number, adorned
with colored tassels, and surmounted with streamers made of the same
material as the maquarri whips, and not much unlike them. It has
altogether a picturesque appearance.
“Each champion grasps the edges of his shield firmly with both hands,
and, after various feints and grimaces to throw his opponent off his
guard, a clash is heard, as one springs forward, and his shield strikes
that of his adversary. The contest is generally one of mere strength,
the shield being pushed forward by the whole force of the body,
and supported by one knee, while the other leg is extended behind.
Sometimes one of the players is able to push the other off the ground,
or, by a dexterous slip and thrust on the flank, to send him rolling
on the ground. More frequently they remain pressing, panting, and
struggling, till exhausted, when the contest ceases by mutual consent.
“It is then a point of Warau etiquette to shake the shields at each
other in a jeering manner, with a tremulous motion of their elastic
ornaments, and to utter a very peculiar and ridiculously defying sound,
something like the whinnying of a young horse. This is generally
followed by a hearty, good-humored laugh, in which the bystanders join.
Another couple then step forward to engage.”
The itá palm, of which the Warau shields are made, will be briefly
described when we come to that singular branch of the Warau tribe
which lives in dwellings raised above the surface of the water. It
has already been mentioned that the Waraus are celebrated for the
excellence of their canoes. They are universally recognized as the
chief canoe builders of the whole country, and to them the other tribes
resort from considerable distances. Some of these canoes are large
enough to hold fifty men, so that very considerable skill is needed in
building them without the instruments and measures by which our own
boat builders ensure the regularity of their craft.
There are several forms of these canoes. The most important is that
which has just been mentioned. It is hollowed out of the trunk of a
tree, and is forced into the proper shape partly by means of fire, and
partly by wedges and cross planks. The largest of the canoes have the
sides made higher by a narrow plank of soft wood, which is laced upon
the gunwale, and the seam well caulked. The canoe is alike at both
ends, the stem and stern being pointed, curved, and rising well out of
the water. There is no keel, and it draws but a few inches of water.
This formation would be very awkward in our own rivers; but in those of
Guiana, such as the Essequibo, there are so many falls and rapids, that
the canoe must be especially adapted for them. This kind of canoe is
called a curial, or corial.
The perils of the rapids have been well told by Mr. Brett:--“Advantage
is taken of the eddies which are found at the base of the huge rocks
that interrupt the stream. The Indians pass from rock to rock by
wading, leaping, or swimming, and by means of a hawser haul the boat
through the rushing water from one resting point to another, the
steersman meantime keeping his seat, and sometimes lashed to it,
striving with his large paddle to guide in some degree her course.
The waters dashing and foaming amidst the surrounding rocks render
this operation as exciting as it is difficult. Still more exciting and
dangerous is the task of _descending_ these rapids. The safety of all
then depends on the perfect steadiness of those in the canoe, and on
the bowman and steersman acting in concert and with instant decision.
“The canoe is kept in the very centre of the current, one of her best
hands kneeling, with quick eye and ready paddle, in the bow, and the
rest of the men exerting their strength to give her headway. Darting
swiftly along, she arrives at the edge of the fall, and, pointing
downward, shoots into the surf below it, dashing it up on either side,
and leaving her crew alone visible. If all be well, rising above the
fall, she obeys the guiding paddles in stem and stern, and dances over
the tumbling waves, while her excited crew with a triumphant cry exult
at their success.”
Sometimes even the skill of the natives fails to overcome all the
difficulties, and the canoe is upset, the crew barely escaping
with their lives. It was in descending one of these falls that Mr.
Waterton’s canoe was upset, and flung into the Essequibo the precious
store of materials from which the wourali is made.
The simplest kind of boat, called by the colonists a “woodskin,” is
nothing more than the flexible bark of the purple-heart trees stripped
off in one piece, forced open in the middle, tied together at the ends,
and so left until dry. In order to prevent these bark canoes from
taking in water at the ends, a large lump of clay is pressed firmly
into the end, so as to make a barrier against the water. This mode of
caulking is necessarily but temporary, and the “back-dam,” as it is
called by the colonists, is sure to be washed away sooner or later,
according to the state of the river. The reader will remember that a
similar appliance of clay is found among the Australian savages.
CHAPTER CXXXIV.
THE TRIBES OF GUIANA--_Concluded_.
RELIGION--BURIAL.
BELIEF IN ONE CHIEF DEITY AND MANY DEMI-GODS -- THE SORCERER OR
PIAI-MAN, AND HIS TRAINING -- THE SACRED RATTLE -- DUTIES AND
PRIVILEGES OF THE PIAI-MAN -- CURING DISEASE AND DRIVING OUT THE
EVIL SPIRIT -- MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS -- THE WATER-MAMMA -- THE ORIGIN
OF THE CARIB RACE -- A WILD LEGEND -- DISPOSAL OF THE DEAD -- THE
LAKE-DWELLING WARAUS -- THE ITÁ PALM AND ITS USES -- AN AËRIAL HOUSE
-- THE LAKE-DWELLERS OF MARACAIBO.
We will conclude this history of the Guianan tribes with a few remarks
on their religion.
As far as is known of their religious ideas as they were before they
became intermixed with those taught to them by the white man, the
Guianan natives believe in one supreme Deity, and a vast number of
inferior divinities, mostly of the evil kind. All pain is said to
be caused by an evil spirit called Yauhahu, and is said to be the
Yauhahu’s arrow.
As it is necessary that these evil beings should be propitiated when
any calamity is feared, a body of sorcerers, called piai men, are set
apart in order to communicate between their fellow men and the unseen
world. In order to qualify themselves for the task, the piai men are
obliged to go through sundry strange ceremonies, under the charge
of some venerable professor of the art. The neophyte is taken to a
solitary hut, and there compelled to fast for several days before his
spirit is fit to leave his body and receive the commands of the Yauhahu.
For this purpose a quantity of tobacco is boiled, and the infusion
drunk by the aspirant to priestly honors. The natural effect of
this dose is to exhaust the already weakened body, and to throw the
recipient into a state of fainting, during which his spirit is supposed
to leave his body, and receive a commission from the Yauhahu. Indeed,
he undergoes a civil death, he is proclaimed as dead, and his corpse is
exposed to public view.
He recovers very slowly from the terrible state of prostration into
which he has been thrown, and when at last he leaves his hut, he
is worn almost to a skeleton. As a mark of office, he is solemnly
presented with the marakka, or sacred rattle. This is nothing more than
a hollow calabash, some eight inches in diameter, having a stick run
through it, and a few white stones within it, so as to make a rattling
sound when shaken. The calabash is painted red, and a few feathers are
generally hung to the sticks. It is two feet in length, and adorned
with scarlet and blue feathers. These rattles are held in the greatest
veneration by the uninitiated, who will not venture to touch them,
and are chary even of entering a house in which a marakka is hung. In
consequence of the value set upon these instruments, the natives can
scarcely be induced to part with them, and the few which have been
sent to England have in nearly every case been procured from sorcerers
who have been converted to Christianity, and, as a proof of their
sincerity, have given up the emblems of their order.
The piai man is called in on almost every occasion of life, so that his
magic rattle has but little rest. He is present at every piwarri feast,
when he decorates himself with feather plumes, the skins of snakes,
and similar ornaments, and shakes his rattle over the bowl before the
contents are drunk.
Chiefly is he needed in times of sickness, when, by virtue of his
rattle, he is supposed to be capable of driving away the evil spirit
whose curse has caused the malady. When a piai man is called to a
case of sickness, he sends all the women away, and even keeps the men
at a respectful distance. His exercises then begin, and are continued
for hours, chants to the evil spirit being accompanied with sundry
rattlings, until in the depth of night the Yauhahu manifests himself
to the sorcerer, and tells him how to extract the “arrow” which he has
aimed at the sick man. Of course it is incumbent on the sorcerer to
produce the arrow in question, which is done by sucking the affected
part, and producing from the mouth a little pebble, a bird’s claw, a
snake’s fang, or something of the kind.
If the reader will refer to illustration No. 5, on page 1265, he will
see a very complicated and rather elegantly formed rattle. The hollow
gourd forms part of the rattle, but it is very small, and depends
from a series of three hoops, which are strung with beetle wings. The
noise which this simple instrument makes is really wonderful, and the
slightest movement of the string by which it is held sets all the wings
clattering against each other. This interesting object was brought from
Guiana by H. Bernau, Esq.
Even accepting the marakka and the beetle wing rattle as musical
instruments, we find that the Guiana natives have but little variety
in music. The only instruments which are really worthy of the name are
pipes or flutes made of different materials. One of these instruments
is in my collection. It is made of the ever-useful bamboo, and includes
one internode, _i. e._ the space between two knots.
The mouthpiece is narrow and oblong, and the maker has possessed
sufficient knowledge of sound to cut out a large scooped piece from the
middle of the instrument. The owner seems to have prized this flute
exceedingly, as he has covered it with elaborate patterns. It is blown
like our own flute, and the sound which it produces is loud, full, but,
if musical, is melancholy also, and much resembles the wailing sound
produced by blowing into the mouth of a soda-water bottle. The length
of this flute is fourteen inches.
The natives also make a flute of the leg bone of the jaguar, which is
very much prized, the spoils of the jaguar having a very high value
among them. One of these is shown on the next page. The Caribs once
used human bones for this purpose, but at the present time are content
with jaguar bones, as equally indicative of courage and skill.
To return to the superstition of the Guianan natives. One of the
beings which they most dread is the water mamma, or Orehu. This is
an unfortunate being who inhabits the water, and occasionally shows
herself, though in different forms, sometimes even assuming that of
the horse, but often taking that of the manati. The Orehu is a female
spirit, and is generally, though not always, malicious, and, when she
is in a bad temper, is apt to rise close to the canoes, and drag them
and their crews under water.
The legends told by the various tribes respecting their origin are very
curious, as showing a great similarity with those of other parts of the
world with whom there could have been no geographical connexion. For
example, the legend of the earth submerged under water, through the
disobedience of some of its inhabitants, and repeopled by a few who
were placed in a safe spot until the waters subsided.
One of the strangest of their legends is told by Mr. Brett. It concerns
the origin of the Warau and Carib tribes.
Originally the Waraus lived in a country above the sky, where they had
all they could desire. One day a young hunter shot an arrow into the
air, and when he came to search for it, found a deep hole through which
it had fallen. Looking down through the aperture, he saw another world
opened out beneath him, and was seized with curiosity to visit it.
Accordingly, he made himself a sort of ladder of rattan, which grows
abundantly in the upper world where he lived, and descended to the
world below.
Here he remained for some time, revelling on the flesh of animals
hitherto unknown to him. After a while, he climbed up the ladder with
great trouble, and told his friends the wonders which he had seen.
Struck with surprise at his narrative, and eager to partake of the
luxuries which he described, the whole of his friends determined on
paying a visit to these wondrous regions. Accordingly, they descended
the ladder in safety, except the last of their number, a very fat man,
who, in trying to squeeze himself through the aperture, became fixed in
it, and could not escape, thus shutting off all communication between
the two worlds.
Nothing was left for them but to make the best of a bad business, and
first of all to beseech the Great Spirit to send them some water. He
listened to their entreaties, created the Essequibo, the Demerara, and
other rivers, and made for the special use of the Waraus a small lake
of the purest water, of which they were to drink, but in which they
were forbidden to bathe.
Now it happened that there was a Warau family of four brothers and
two sisters, the latter beautiful, but wilful maidens. They rebelled
against the prohibition, plunged into the lake, swam to a pole that
was planted in its midst, and shook it. The presiding genius of the
lake was a male spirit, who was kept prisoner as long as the pole was
untouched, but as soon as it was shaken the spell was broken, and the
spirit of the lake pounced on the offending maiden and carried her off.
After a while he allowed her to rejoin her friends, but the indignation
of her brothers was very great when they found that their sister was
about to become a mother, and they determined to kill the child when it
was born. However, it was exactly like any other Warau child, and so
they allowed it to live.
[Illustration: (1.) MEXICAN STIRRUPS. (See page 1272.)]
[Illustration: (2.) IRON AND STONE TOMAHAWKS. (See page 1285.)]
[Illustration: ANOTHER KIND OF ORNAMENT
(3.) JAGUAR BONE FLUTE. (See page 1264.)]
[Illustration: (4.) SHIELD AND CLUBS. (See page 1282.)]
[Illustration: (5.) RATTLE. (See page 1264.)]
Though living among her own friends, the girl could not forget her
strange lover, and went off again to him. A second child was born,
but this time the upper parts of the body were those of a child, and
the lower parts were developed into a water snake. The mother, though
terrified at the appearance of her offspring, carried it off into the
woods and cherished it, but it was discovered by her brothers, who
pierced it with their arrows, and left it for dead. Her attention,
however, restored it to life, and it grew to a formidable size. The
brothers held a consultation, and at last surrounded it, transfixed it
with showers of arrows, and, to make sure of its death cut it to pieces.
“The unhappy Korobona carefully collected the remains into a heap,
which she kept continually covered with fresh leaves, and guarded with
tender assiduity. After long watching, her patience was rewarded. The
vegetable covering began to heave and show signs of life. From it there
slowly arose an Indian warrior of majestic and terrible appearance. His
color was of a brilliant red, he held bow and arrows in his hand, and
was otherwise equipped for instant battle.
“That warrior was the first CARIB, the great father of a powerful race.
He forthwith commenced the task of revenge for the wrongs suffered in
his former existence. Neither his uncles, nor the whole Warau race whom
they summoned, could stand before him. He drove them hither and thither
like deer, took possession of such of their women as pleased him, and
by them became the father of brave and terrible warriors like himself.
From their presence the unhappy Waraus retired, till they reached the
swampy shores of the Atlantic, forsaking those pleasant hunting grounds
which they had occupied on their first descent from heaven.”
The Waraus are wonderfully inventive with regard to legends; and have
one which is worthy of notice, if only for the fact that it attributes
all the learning of the white men to a Warau origin. This is the legend
of Aboré. “Once upon a time,” there was a very ill-conditioned female
spirit, named Wowtá, who usually preferred the form of a frog, but
who changed herself into a woman for the purpose of stealing a very
beautiful little boy called Aboré. In the form of a woman she obtained
access to the house of Aboré’s mother, whom she induced to leave the
child under her care. No sooner was she alone with Aboré than she
pulled and stretched him to such a degree that in a few hours he grew
as much as he would have done in several years, so that his mother
repudiated him on her return.
As he grew to manhood, Aboré became the slave of his captor, whom he
thought to be his mother, until he was undeceived by a friendly spirit
who met him in the forest. After trying several plans for escape, and
failing in them all, he hit upon the design of making a canoe of wax.
He was aided in this task by the fondness of Wowtá for honey, in search
of which the unfortunate Aboré passed nearly the whole of his time.
Wowtá received the combs with croaks of delight, and as she threw them
away after eating the honey, Aboré laid the wax aside, until he had
enough for a canoe.
As soon as he had collected a sufficiency of wax, Aboré called his
mistress to look at a hollow tree filled with bee-comb. She crept into
the tree to regale herself on the honey, and was imprisoned by the
crafty Aboré, who fastened up the aperture so that the sorceress could
not escape, loaded his canoe with provisions, and set off for a land of
refuge. He sailed far away until he came to a strange country where the
people were white, naked, uneducated, and utterly barbarous. He taught
them the elements of civilization, showed them how to forge iron, and
initiated them into the arts and sciences, for which the white man was
now so distinguished.
In that far land he still lives, and, remembering the wants of his
fellow countrymen, he continually sends them shiploads of the things
which they most need. But in consequence of the bad faith of those
to whom they are delivered, the poor Waraus are obliged to pay for
everything that he sends. The moral which is derived from this legend
is, that all the white men who visit the Waraus ought to make up for
the dishonesty of their countrymen, and give them as many beads,
knives, and guns as they can procure.
When Mr. Brett first heard this tale, he thought that it was simply
an ingenious invention framed for the purpose of unlimited begging,
especially as the narrator asked for a shirt as soon as he had finished
the story, and then proceeded to request a whole series of other
articles. He found, however, by questioning different natives, that
the legend was really a national one, and not a mere invention of an
ingenious native.
There is evidently a distinction to be drawn between the two portions
of the legend. The first part, containing the adventures of Aboré, is
evidently ancient, while the second part is as evidently modern, and
has been introduced since the coming of white men into Guiana.
In the disposal of the dead there is some little variation. The mode
which was most prevalent before the missionaries introduced Christian
burial among them was as follows: The body was placed in a net and sunk
in the river, where the whole of the flesh was quickly eaten from the
bones by the pirai and other voracious fish. If the dead man were a
person of distinction, the skeleton was then removed from the water,
dried, painted red, and suspended under the roof of the house.
* * * * *
In the fifth book of Herodotus, chap, xv., occurs the following
passage, which was long thought to be a mere invention on the part of
the historian. After enumeration of the various nations that Megabazes
subdued, he mentions that the Persian monarch also endeavored to
conquer “those who live upon the Lake Prasias in dwellings contrived
after this manner.
“Planks fitted on lofty piles are placed in the middle of the lake,
with a narrow entrance from the mainland by a single bridge. These
piles that support the planks all the citizens anciently placed there
at the common charge; but afterward they established a law to the
following effect: ‘Whenever a man marries, for each wife he sinks three
piles, bringing wood from a mountain called Orbelus,’ but every man has
several wives.
“They live in the following manner. Every man has a hut on the planks,
in which he dwells, with a trap-door closely fitted in the planks,
and leading down to the lake. They tie the young children with a cord
round the feet, fearing lest they should fall into the lake beneath. To
their horses and beasts of burden they give fish for fodder, of which
there is such abundance, that when a man has opened his trap-door, he
lets down an empty basket by a cord into the lake, and, after waiting a
short time, draws it up full of fish.”
In these words the old historian describes with curious exactitude
the mode of life adopted by some branches of the Waraus and Caribs.
These have been described at some length by Humboldt, in his “Personal
Narrative.” The large tract of land which forms the delta of the
Orinoco possesses some very remarkable characteristics. It is always
wet, but during several months in the year it is completely inundated,
the river rising to an astonishing height, and covering with water a
tract nearly half as large as England. This seems to be as unpropitious
a spot as could be adopted for human habitations, and yet the Waraus
(or Guarános, as Humboldt spells the word) have established themselves
there, and prefer it to any other locality, probably because their
strange mode of life enables them to pass an existence of freedom.
Varying much in the height to which it rises, in some places exceeding
fifty feet, the Orinoco has the quality of rising year after year
to the same height in the same place, so that when a mark is made
to designate the height to which the water rose in one year, the
same mark will answer year after year with scarcely the slightest
deviation. It is evident that in such a spot, where the soil is in the
dry season nothing but mud, and in the wet season is forty or fifty
feet under water, only a very peculiar vegetation can live. This is
the Itá (pronounced Eetáh) palm, belonging to the genus _Mauritia_, a
plant which, like the mangrove of Africa, requires plenty of heat and
moisture to enable it to develop itself fully. The native name for this
tree is Murichi.
A brief description of the itá palm must be given before we proceed
further, or the reader will not understand the peculiar conditions
under which these water dwellers live. When full grown, it resembles
a tall, cylindrical pillar, with a fan of ten or twelve vast leaves
spreading from its extreme top. Each leaf is some ten feet in width,
and is supported upon a huge stem about twelve feet in length, looking
more like a branch than a leaf-stem. Indeed, a complete leaf is a heavy
load for a man. At regular intervals the whole fan of leaves falls off,
and is replaced by another, the tree adding to its height at every
change of leaf, until the stem is nearly a hundred feet high, and
fifteen in circumference.
Myriads upon myriads of these marvellous trees rise amid the waters of
the Orinoco delta, sometimes clustered into solid masses of vegetation,
sometimes scattered, and sometimes drawn up in devious avenues,
according to the windings of the muddy channels that even in the dry
seasons traverse the country. Whether grouped or scattered, the itá
flourishes in this delta to such an extent that only the experienced
canoe men of the place can navigate their barks among the tall stems,
the narrow and winding channels which form the natural paths being
completely obliterated by the waste of water. Any stranger who tried
to thread this aquatic forest without the aid of a native guide would
soon lose himself among the armies of itá palm, and perish miserably of
hunger. Yet this very tree supplies to the Waraus of the Orinoco not
only all the necessaries, but the luxuries of life, and were the whole
tribe to be cut off from the mainland, they could support themselves
without the least difficulty, the itá palm supplying house, food,
drink, clothing, and furniture.
First, as to the house. The Warau requires for a house nothing but
a floor and a roof. In the example seen on page 1244, the floor is
supplied by the earth, but it is evident that in a house built in a
locality where the ground is for many months together thirty or forty
feet beneath the surface of the water, an artificial flooring is
needed. The Warau architect, therefore, proceeds to construct his house
in the following manner.
Selecting four itá trees that grow near each other in the form of a
square, and, cutting away any of the intervening trees, he makes use
of these four as the corner posts of his house. He knows by marks left
on the trunks the precise height to which the water will rise, and
some three feet or so above this mark he builds his floor, cutting deep
notches in the trunk. In these notches are laid beams made from the
stems of the felled itá palms, and lashed tightly in their places by
ropes made of itá fibre.
On these beams are laid a number of cross-pieces, sometimes made from
the split trunks, but usually being nothing more than the gigantic
leaf-stems which have been already mentioned, and which are when dry
very light, very tough, and very elastic. These cross-pieces are tied
firmly together, and constitute the essential part of the floor. On
them is placed a layer of palm leaves, and upon the leaves is a thick
coating of mud, which soon dries under the tropical sun, and forms a
smooth, hard, and firm flooring, which will bear a fire without risk
of damage to the wooden structure below. Ten or twelve feet above the
floor the Warau constructs a roof of palm leaves, the corners of which
are supported by the same trees which uphold the house, and then the
chief labors of the native architect are over. An illustration on page
1244 shows the scenery of the Orinoco delta and the architecture of
these lake dwellers. So much for the house furnished by the itá palm.
Food is supplied by it in various forms. First, there is the fruit,
which, when ripe, is as large as an ordinary apple, many hundreds
of which are developed on the single branch produced by this tree.
Next, there is the trunk of the tree and its contents. If it be split
longitudinally at the time when the flower branch is just about to
burst from the enveloping spathe, a large quantity of soft, pith-like
substance is found within it. This is treated like the cassava, and
furnishes a sort of bread called yuruma.
Drink is also obtained from the itá palm. From the trunk is drawn a
sap, which, like that of the maguey or great American aloe, can be
fermented, and then it becomes intoxicating in quality. Another kind of
drink is procured from the fruit of the itá, which is bruised, thrown
into water, and allowed to ferment for a while. When fermentation has
proceeded to a sufficient extent, the liquor is strained through a
sieve made of itá fibre, and is thus ready for consumption.
The small amount of clothing required by the Warau is also obtained
from the itá, the membrane of the young leaf being stripped off and
woven into a simple fabric.
From the same tree the Warau obtains all his furniture. Bows, arrows,
and spears are made from its leaf-stems, the canoe in which he goes
fishing is made from a hollow itá trunk, and the lines and nets are
both furnished from the same tree, as is also the string of which his
hammock is made. That the one single tree should be able to supply all
the wants of an entire population is the more extraordinary, because
in former days the Warau had no iron tools, and it is not easy to find
a tree that will at the same time furnish all the necessaries of his
life, and be of such a character that it can be worked by the rude
stone implements which the Warau had to use before he obtained iron
from the white men.
It may readily be imagined that the Waraus who inhabit this strange
region are lower in the scale of civilization than those who live on
dry land, and, to use the words of Humboldt, “in the lowest grades of
man’s development we find the existence of an entire race dependent
upon almost a single tree, like certain insects which are confined to
particular portions of a flower.”
* * * * *
The Waraus are not the only lake dwellers of Southern America. At the
extreme north of this half of the continent there is a province which
derives its name from the mode of life adopted by the savage tribe
which dwells upon the waters of a lake. On the north-western coast of
Venezuela there is a large gulf, called the Gulf of Maracaibo, the
name having been given to it by the Spanish discoverers in honor of a
native chief whom they met on its shores. Close to the gulf, and only
separated from it by a narrow, is a vast fresh-water lake, fed by the
streams that pour from the mountains which surround it. The shape of
this lake has been well compared to that of a jews-harp, with a rather
elongated neck, and the depth of its water varies in a most remarkable
manner.
From the sides the bottom of the lake shelves almost imperceptibly for
a great distance, so that at a distance of two or three miles from the
shore, a man would be able to walk with his head above the surface.
Suddenly, and without the least warning, the bed of the lake dips into
almost unfathomable depths, so that, though a man might be barely
submerged above his waist, a single step will plunge him into water so
deep that the tallest spire ever built would be plunged far below the
surface.
Over the surface of this lake dwell numerous human beings, and, even
at the present day, when the number of the inhabitants has been much
decreased, upon its waters are no less than four large villages, beside
numerous detached dwellings formed in the various bays which indent its
shores.
The reason for thus abandoning the dry land and taking to the water is
a very curious one, and may be summed up in a single word--mosquitoes.
These tiny but most annoying insects are found in clouds around the
edge of the lake, some species flying by night and others by day,
so that at no hour is there the least respite from their attacks.
Fortunately, they need the protection of the luxuriant vegetation that
fringes the shore of the lake, and not being very enduring of wing,
are obliged to rest at intervals in their flight. They therefore keep
to the shore, and do not venture to any great distance over the water.
Knowing this characteristic of the insect, the natives manage to evade
them by making their dwellings behind the range of the mosquito’s
flight.
In building these curious habitations, the lake dweller of Maracaibo
is forced to employ a greater skill in architecture than is needed by
the Waraus of the Orinoco delta. In that muddy delta, formed by the
alluvium washed down by the river, the itá palm abounds, and forms
natural pillars for the house; but the Lake Maracaibo furnishes no such
assistance, and the native architect is therefore obliged to drive
piles into the bed of the lake in order to raise his floor above the
level of the water.
It is evidently needful that these piles should be made of wood which
will not perish by the action of the water, and upon the shores of the
lake grows a tree which supplies precisely the kind of timber that is
required. It is one of the numerous iron-wood trees, and its scientific
name is _Guiacum arboreum_. It is a splendid tree, rising to the height
of a hundred feet or so, and having wood so hard that it will turn the
edge of an axe. The natives, however, manage to fell these trees, to
cut them into proper lengths, and to drive them firmly into the bed of
the lake, where they become even stronger by submersion, being covered
in course of years with an incrustation of lime, which makes them look
as if they had been actually converted into stone.
On these piles are laid cross-beams and planks of lighter wood, and
when a strong roof and light walls have been added, the house is
complete. All the parts of the house are lashed together with green
sipo, which contracts when dry, and binds the various portions as with
bands of iron.
As has been already mentioned, numbers of these houses are gathered
together into villages. When the Spaniards first entered the Gulf of
Maracaibo, and came within view of the lake, they were struck with
amazement, at these habitations, and called the place Venezuela--_i.
e._ Little Venice--a name which has since been extended to the whole of
the large province which is now known by that title.
It is on this lake that the gourd system of duck catching is carried to
the greatest perfection. Great quantities of ducks frequent its waters,
but they are shy of man, and will not allow him to come near them. The
natives, however, manage to catch them by hand, without even employing
a snare. They take a number of large gourds, scrape out the inside, and
set them floating on the lake. At first the timid birds are afraid of
the gourds and avoid them, but after a while they become accustomed to
them, and allow them to float freely among their ranks.
The Indian then takes a similar gourd and puts it over his head, having
previously cut a couple of holes through which he can see. He slips
quietly into the water, and makes his way toward the duck, taking care
to keep the whole of his body submerged. As soon as he gets among them,
he grasps the nearest duck by the legs, jerks it under water, and ties
it to his girdle, where it is soon drowned. He then makes his way to
another duck, and, if an experienced hand, will capture as many as he
can carry, and yet not alarm the survivors.
CHAPTER CXXXV.
MEXICO.
HISTORY--RELIGION--ART.
MEXICO AS IT IS, AND WAS BEFORE THE SPANISH CONQUEST -- WHY THE
EMPIRE FAILED -- CONTRADICTORY ACCOUNTS OF THE ANCIENT MEXICANS --
THE RUINS OF THEIR BUILDINGS -- HUMAN SACRIFICES -- THE SACRIFICIAL
KNIFE -- MEXICAN ART -- MOSAIC WORK AND FEATHER PICTURES --
CAPABILITIES OF THE COUNTRY.
Before passing to the North American tribes, a brief notice must be
taken of MEXICO.
At the present day this land is possessed of a sort of civilization
which presents no features of interest. It is inhabited chiefly by
a mixed people, the descendants of the Spanish conquerors having
contracted alliances with the natives, and so produced a hybrid race,
which is continually retrograding from the white parentage, and
assuming more of the aboriginal type.
The failure in establishing a Mexican empire was entirely due to the
question of race. Those inhabitants who were either pure whites, or in
whom the white blood predominated, were naturally desirous to have a
ruler of their own kind, thinking that an empire was the only mode of
civilizing the land, and of putting an end to the constant civil wars
and repeated changes of dynasty which kept back their most prolific and
fertile land from developing its full capabilities. But in the great
bulk of the people the Indian blood predominated, and in consequence
an empire founded on the principles of European civilization was as
irreconcilable to them as would be the rule of an Indian cacique in
Europe. Such an empire could only be held by force of arms, and as soon
as the bayonet was withdrawn the empire fell. We must, however, confine
ourselves to Mexico as it was before the Spaniard crushed out her
civilization and destroyed her history.
* * * * *
The accounts of ancient Mexico are most perplexing. If the narratives
of the Spanish conquerors could be implicitly trusted, nothing would
be simpler than to condense them into a consecutive history. But it is
quite certain that these accounts were very much exaggerated, and that
the reality fell very far short of the romantic tales of the Spanish
conquerors.
The following is an abstract of the narratives put forth by the
Spaniards. The capital was situated on an island in the midst of a
large lake. It contained twenty thousand houses, which were of great
magnificence. In the midst was the emperor’s palace, built of marble
and jasper, and of prodigious extent. It was adorned with fountains,
baths, and statues, and the walls were covered with pictures made
of feathers. Not only the palace, but the houses of the caciques,
possessed menageries filled with all the animals of the country,
together with museums of various natural curiosities.
One of the greatest beauties of Mexico was a large square, daily filled
with merchants, who came to buy and sell the various works of art in
gold, silver, and feathers for which the Mexicans were famous. Between
the city and the borders of the lake a hundred thousand canoes were
continually passing; besides which mode of transit three vast causeways
were built on the lake. The capital was not the only city of the
waters, for more than fifty large cities and a multitude of villages
were built on the same lake.
The dress of the nobles was most gorgeous, and their persons were
adorned with gold and jewels in profusion. Their treasuries were filled
with the precious metals, and gold was as plentiful in Mexico as copper
in Europe.
That these statements were much exaggerated is not to be doubted,
but they were not pure inventions, and had all some foundation in
fact. For example, the architecture of the ancient Mexicans was of a
Cyclopean vastness, as is proved by the ruins which are now almost the
sole memorials of a vanished system of civilization. There is a strong
resemblance between the architecture of Mexico and that of Egypt, not
only in its massiveness, but in the frequent use of the pyramid.
One of these pyramids has the sides exactly twice as long as those of
the large pyramid of Egypt. This is the great pyramid tower of Cholula,
which had eight stories, each forming a platform on which rested the
one above it, so that it closely resembled the Temple of Belus as
described by Herodotus. The interior of these pyramidal structures was
pierced with chambers, galleries, and flights of stairs, probably the
habitations of the priests who served the temples and performed those
terrible human sacrifices which formed an important part of their
religious system. Viaducts which crossed deep valleys, bridges, and
roads, remains of which are still in existence, testify to the vanished
civilization of the Mexicans, or, as some ethnologists think, of a race
that preceded them.
Specimens of the artistic skill of the ancient Mexicans may be seen
in the magnificent Christy Collection. There is, for example, one of
the sacrificial knives with which the priests laid open the breast
of the human victim in order to tear out the heart and offer it to
the blood-loving deity of the temple. The blade of this instrument is
obsidian, and its handle is a marvellous piece of mosaic work, made of
lapis lazuli, ruby, and other precious stones. Then there are masks
made of similar materials, one being a most ghastly imitation of a
human skull.
The skill in feather working still survives, and even at the present
day pictures are made so exquisitely from humming-birds’ feathers that
they seem, at a little distance, to be admirable specimens of enamel.
The courage of the ancient Mexicans was very great. They opposed their
naked breasts to the mail-clad invaders, and their comparatively feeble
weapons to the dreaded fire-arms. Even the horse, which at first struck
terror into them as a supernatural being, soon ceased to be an object
of dread, and there is a story that they captured a horse in battle,
stabled it in a temple, and treated it as a god, feeding it with
daintily dressed chickens and similar dishes, until the poor beast was
starved in the midst of plenty.
The conduct of the Aztecs in destroying their once venerated Emperor
Montezuma, because he yielded to the Spaniards, and the calm endurance
of his warlike successor Guatemozin, when stretched on the fiery rack,
are sufficient instances of the courage possessed by the Mexicans when
Cortez came into the country.
The real prosperity of Mexico is to come. There is every capability in
the country, which is fertile in many valuable productions,--cattle
and horses, for example, both of which, importations from Europe, have
multiplied in an astonishing manner, and may at some time supply half
Europe with cheap food, hides, and beasts of burden.
Insect life is almost as valuable as that of the higher and larger
animals. The cochineal insect reproduces itself in vast numbers, and,
large as is the trade in this valuable insect, it could be extended
almost indefinitely. There is no trouble in breeding the insect, no
risk, and scarcely any capital required. It feeds upon the prickly
pear, a plant which springs up luxuriantly if but a leaf be stuck in
the ground.
It is indeed so luxuriant, that riders are forced to employ a peculiar
kind of stirrup, in order to prevent their feet from being riddled with
the needle-like thorns with which the plant, the leaf, and fruit are
covered. One of these curious stirrups is shown in illustration, No. 1,
page 1265, drawn from my own specimens, which was brought from Mexico
by Sir F. Wetherell.
It is cut from a solid block of wood, and is therefore exceedingly
heavy. A hole is cut in the back of the stirrup, into which the foot
can be thrust nearly half way. Owing to the size and weight of this
curious implement, the prickly pears are pushed aside as the rider
passes among them, and thus the foot and ankle are protected from the
slender but formidable thorns with which they are armed. The stirrup
is sometimes put to another use, and employed as a rough and ready
drinking cup. The front of the implement is covered with bold and
graceful patterns, the effect of which is often heightened by means
of color. In my own specimen they are colored with blue, scarlet, and
black.
As to the vegetable products of Mexico, they are too numerous to
mention, but the principal are the indigo, the chocolate, and the
vanilla.
Then it is as prolific in mineral as in animal wealth, and in the hands
of an energetic and industrious people, the yield of copper, iron,
gold, silver, and other metals might be almost indefinitely extended.
In all these productions comparatively little labor is required. Nature
gives almost gratuitously those privileges which in other lands cannot
be obtained without the expenditure of time, labor, and money.
The past civilization of Mexico has vanished never to return. Its
present is a comparative failure. The future is yet to be seen, but it
may even eclipse the vanished glories of the past if guided by those
who understand the epoch, the country, and the race.
CHAPTER CXXXVI.
THE NORTH AMERICAN INDIANS.
GOVERNMENT--CUSTOMS.
GENERAL NOTICE OF THE TRIBES -- THEIR COLOR AND FEATURES -- CATLIN’S
DESCRIPTION OF A CROW CHIEF -- LONG HAIR OF THE MEN -- SILVER HAIR OF
THE MANDAN TRIBE -- GOVERNMENT OF THE TRIBES -- THE HEREDITARY AND
ELECTED CHIEFS -- THEIR LIMITED POWERS -- THEIR DISTINCTIVE DRESS --
COSTUME THE RECORD OF DEEDS -- THE SCALP-LOCKS, PAINTED ROBES, AND
CLAW COLLAR -- PRESERVATION OF SKINS -- THE FEATHER PLUMES -- THE
HORNS, AND THEIR SIGNIFICATION -- INDIAN DANDIES -- ESTIMATION IN
WHICH THEY ARE HELD -- THE PORTRAIT PAINTER BAFFLED -- DRESS OF THE
WOMEN -- BISON SKIN ROBES -- WAMPUM, AND ITS SIGNIFICATION.
It has already been mentioned that, with the exception of the shore
districts, America is inhabited from the extreme south to extreme north
by the same race.
The various tribes into which that race is divided are naturally varied
according to the locality and climate of the spot which they inhabit.
Those, for example, who live in the perpetual snow and ice of either
the extreme north or south are naturally different in manners and
customs from those who inhabit the tropical centre of America. Then,
even in similar climate, there is very definite modification according
to locality. The inhabitants of the mountains, for example, differ
materially from the dwellers of the plain, while those tribes who live
in the forests differ from both.
Yet they are all members of one and the same great race, and whether
in the Esquimaux of the north, the Amazonian of the tropics, or
the Patagonian of the extreme south, all display the same race
characteristics.
The color of the skin is deep copper red, the cheek-bones are
prominent, the nose mostly aquiline, the forehead rather receding, and
the eyes apparently small, this latter characteristic being due to the
continual exposure to the sun, and to the smoky atmosphere of the huts.
The beard is very deficient, and even those few hairs that make their
appearance are carefully eradicated with tweezers. Sometimes an old man
who is careless about his personal appearance allows his beard to grow,
but in that case it is very scanty, thin, and never reaches any great
length.
The hair of the head contrasts strongly with that of the face,
being very long and fine, in some of the tribes attaining an almost
incredible length. The Crow tribe are remarkable for the extraordinary
development of their hair, which in some of the warriors actually
trails on the ground as they walk. They pride themselves so much on
this peculiarity, that in 1833 their chief received both his name of
Longhair and his office from his wonderful tresses. The hair of this
man was carefully measured by some white travellers, who had lived
in his lodge for months together, and was found to be ten feet seven
inches in length.
He did not allow it to hang at its full length except on occasions of
ceremony, but kept it carefully wound with a broad leather strap, and
made up into a bundle weighing several pounds. Usually this bundle
was carried under his arm or in the bosom of his robe, but on great
occasions the hair was let down to its full length, and carefully
smoothed with bear’s grease, and allowed to trail on the ground several
feet behind the owner as he proudly stalked along.
Several other tribes, such as the Blackfeet (so called from the dark
moccasins which they wear), have very long hair, of which they are
exceedingly proud, and those individuals whose locks do not reach the
standard of beauty are in the habit of splicing false hair to their own
tresses.
The Mandans, of whom we shall hear much in the course of this
narrative, the Sioux, and the Minatarees, are all distinguished by this
peculiarity, though none of them possess it so abundantly as the Crows.
When Mr. Catlin was staying among the Minatarees, a party of Crows
came to visit them, and excited the admiration of their hosts by their
magnificent hair. One of them possessed so picturesque an appearance
that the artist traveller transferred him at once to canvas, and the
engraver has reproduced the sketch for the reader on the 1284th page.
The following is Mr. Catlin’s account of this splendid specimen of the
North American Indian:--
“I think I have said that no part of the human race could present a
more picturesque and thrilling appearance on horseback than a party of
Crows rigged out in all their plumes and trappings--galloping about and
yelling in what they call a war parade, _i. e._ in a sort of tournament
or sham fight, passing rapidly through the evolutions of battle, and
vaunting forth the wonderful character of their military exploits.
This is an amusement of which they are excessively fond; and great
preparations are invariably made for these occasional shows.
“No tribe of Indians on the continent are better able to produce a
pleasing and thrilling effect in these scenes, not any more vain,
and consequently better prepared to draw pleasure and satisfaction
from them, than the Crows. They may be justly said to be the most
beautifully clad of all the Indians in these regions, and, bringing
from the base of the Rocky Mountains a fine and spirited breed of the
wild horses, have been able to create a great sensation among the
Minatarees, who have been paying them all attention and all honors for
some days past.
“From amongst these showy fellows who have been entertaining us, and
pleasing themselves with their extraordinary feats of horsemanship, I
have selected one of the most conspicuous, and transferred him and his
horse, with arms and trappings, as faithfully as I could to the canvas,
for the information of the world, who will learn vastly more from lines
and colors than they could from oral or written delineations.
“I have painted him as he sat for me, balanced on his leaping wild
horse, with his shield and quiver slung on his back, and his long
lance, decorated with the eagle’s quills, trained in his right hand.
His shirt and his leggings, and moccasins were of the mountain-goat
skins, beautifully dressed; and their seams everywhere fringed with a
profusion of scalp-locks taken from the heads of his enemies slain in
battle. His long hair, which reached almost to the ground while he was
standing on his feet, was now lifted in the air, and floating in black
waves over the hips of his leaping charger. On his head, and over his
shining black locks, he wore a magnificent crest, or headdress, made
of the quills of the war eagle and ermine skins, and on his horse’s
head was another of equal beauty, and precisely the same in pattern and
material.
“Added to these ornaments there were yet many others which contributed
to his picturesque appearance, and amongst them a beautiful netting of
various colors, that completely covered and almost obscured the horse’s
head and neck, and extended over its back and its hips, terminating in
a most extravagant and magnificent crupper, embossed and fringed with
rows of beautiful shells and porcupine quills of various colors.
“With all these picturesque ornaments and trappings upon and about
him, with a noble figure, and the bold stamp of a wild _gentleman_
on his face, added to the rage and spirit of his wild horse, in time
with whose leaps he issued his startling though smothered yelps, as
he gracefully leaned to and fro, leaving his plume and his plumage,
his long locks and his fringes, to float in the wind, he galloped
about; and felt exceeding pleasure in displaying the extraordinary
skill which a lifetime of practice and experiment had furnished him
in the beautiful art of riding and managing his horse, as well as in
displaying to advantage his weapons and ornaments of dress, by giving
them the grace of motion, as they were brandished in the air and
floating in the wind.”
Although the hair is generally black, it sometimes takes various
colors, the Mandan tribe being the most remarkable for this
peculiarity. Some of them, even though quite young, have the hair of a
bright silver gray, or even white. The men dislike this kind of hair
in their own sex, and when it occurs try to disguise it by a plentiful
use of red or black earth mixed with glue. The women, on the contrary,
are very proud of such hair, and take every opportunity of displaying
its beauties. Generally a woman wears the hair in two plaits, which are
allowed to fall down the back over on each side of the head; but when
they wish to appear to the best advantage, they rapidly unplait it,
pass their fingers through it in the manner of a comb, and spread it
as widely as possible over the shoulders. They always part it in the
middle and fill the line of parting with red paint.
The silver gray hair is remarkable for its coarseness, in which respect
it seems like a horse’s mane, while the dark colored hair is quite
soft. Among the Mandans almost every shade of hair is found between
white, brown, and black, but there is never the least tinge of red in
it.
The Mandan men have a curious habit of dividing their long hair into
flat tresses, two inches or so in width, and filling each tress at
intervals of an inch with vermilion and glue, so as to keep them
separate. These patches of glue and earth become very hard, and are
never removed. The hair thus treated is drawn tightly over the top of
the head, and allowed to fall down the back in parallel tresses, which
mostly reach to the knee, and in some cases to the ground.
* * * * *
The government of these tribes is of a similar character throughout.
Each tribe has at its head a chief, whose office is usually, but not
always, hereditary. Provided the eldest son of a chief be tolerably
well qualified for the post, he is suffered to assume the leadership
when his father dies, or becomes too old for work. Should the tribe be
dissatisfied with him, they elect a leader from among the sub-chiefs.
There is often a double system of government, two chiefs of equal power
being appointed, one of whom manages all matters of war, and the other
effects the administration of domestic policy.
It often happens that, although the head chief of the tribe is
nominally the ruler, and holds the first place, the real power lies in
the second or third chief, who pays to his superior every deference
which is due to his position, but is practically the leader and
commander of the tribe. This was the case among the Mandans when Mr.
Catlin visited them. The head chief, though a man of abilities and
courage, and therefore respected and feared by the people, was by
no means loved by them, on account of his haughty and overbearing
demeanor. The real leader of the tribe was the second chief, named
Mah-to-toh-pa, _i. e._ the Four Bears, a name which he got from an
exclamation of the enemy, who said that he came at them “like four
bears.” Some of the adventures of this extraordinary man will be
mentioned in the course of the following pages.
Great as is the power of the chief, it is much more limited than that
which is enjoyed by the chiefs of the African tribes. The American
chief has no control over life, or limb, or liberty. He takes the lead
in council, and if an offender be cited before the councillors, his
voice carries great weight with it, but nothing more. Should he be
the war chief, he cannot compel a single man to follow him to battle,
nor can he punish one of his followers for deserting him. Any of the
warriors, even the very youngest, may follow or desert his chief as
he pleases, the principal check against desertion being the contempt
with which a warrior is sure to be regarded if he leaves a chief who is
worthy of his office.
The chiefs have, as a rule, no advantage over the other members of the
tribe in point of wealth. A chief would soon lose the popularity on
which his influence depends if he were to amass wealth for himself. By
virtue of his office, he has a larger house or tent than the rest of
the tribe, and he generally possesses a few more wives. But he is often
actually poorer than most of the warriors, thinking himself bound in
honor to distribute among the tribe the spoils that he takes in war.
Many chiefs even dress worse than the warriors under their command, so
as not to excite envy, and only assume their splendid dress of office
on great occasions.
The question of dress is really an important one. Varying as it does
among the different tribes, there is a general character which runs
through the whole.
Every man without distinction wears a scanty dress much like the
“cheripa” which has already been described, but is very much smaller.
In battle or hunting, and in all cases in which exertion is required,
he contents himself with this single garment; but when he is enjoying
himself at home, he assumes his full costume. He wears a pair of
leggings reaching to the hips, and falling as low as the ankles,
sometimes spreading well over them. These leggings are mostly adorned
with little bells, bits of fur, or similar decorations; and if the
wearer be a successful warrior, he fringes them along the sides with
tufts of hair taken from the head of a slain enemy.
He has also a loose coat descending to the knees, and ornamented in a
similar manner with feathers or scalp-locks, and, when the owner has
performed any conspicuous feat of valor, he makes a rude painting of
the event. This answers the same purpose as the Victoria Cross among
ourselves. Although it is conferred by the man himself, it is equally
valuable. No man would dare to depict on his robe any deed of valor
which he had not performed, as he would be challenged by the other
warriors to prove his right to the decoration, and, if he failed to
do so, would be utterly scorned by them. The chief Mah-to-toh-pa
represented on his robe a series of events in which he had killed no
less than fourteen of the enemy with his own hand. Sometimes, when
the tribe uses skin huts or wigwams, the warriors also paint their
adventures upon the walls of their dwellings.
From a similar spirit the scars and wounds received in war are kept
covered with scarlet paint, and when a man has succeeded in killing
a grizzly bear he is entitled to wear its skin, claws, and teeth.
The usual mode of so doing is to string the claws into necklaces and
bracelets, and to make the skin into robes. Sometimes they dress the
skin without removing the claws, and wear it in such a fashion that the
claws are conspicuously seen. Owing to the extreme ferocity, strength,
and cunning of the bear, to kill one of these animals is considered
equivalent to killing a warrior, and the claw necklace is as honorable
an ornament as the much prized scalp. Some of the most valiant hunters
have killed several of these animals, and it is a point of honor with
them to appear on great occasions with all their spoils, so that they
have to exercise considerable ingenuity, and display some forty huge
claws about their persons in a sufficiently conspicuous manner.
All the dress of a North American Indian is made of skin, mostly that
of the deer, and in dressing it the natives are unrivalled, contriving
to make a leather which is as soft as silk, is nearly white, and which
may be wetted and dried any number of times without becoming harsh.
The skin is first washed in strong lye, made of wood-ashes and water,
so as to loosen the hair, which is then scraped off. The hide is next
stretched tightly upon the ground upon a frame, or by means of a number
of wooden pegs driven firmly into the ground. In this position it
remains for several days, the brains of the animal being spread thickly
upon it, and rubbed into it. The next process is to scrape it carefully
with a blunt knife made of the shoulder-blade of the bison, the native
tanner pressing heavily upon it, and scraping every portion of the hide.
The process by which it is made capable of resisting the effects of
water has yet to be undergone. A hole is made in the ground, and a
quantity of rotten wood is piled in it, so that when lighted it will
continue to smoulder for a long time, and produce smoke, but no flame.
Around the hole are stuck a number of sticks, which are then tied
together at the top, so as to make the framework of a sort of tent. The
wood is then set on fire, the hides are placed within the tent, and
over the sticks are wrapped other hides carefully fastened together,
so as to prevent the smoke from escaping. For several days the hides
are left in the smoke, and at the expiration of that time they have
assumed the peculiar quality which has been described. The whole of
the processes are conducted by women, manual labor being beneath the
dignity of a man and a warrior.
The headdress of a North American Indian deserves some attention.
Variable as are the modes of dressing the hair, no warrior ever wears
his hair short. By so doing he would be taking an unfair advantage of
an adversary. When a warrior is killed, or even totally disabled, the
successful adversary has a right to take his scalp, in which he would
be much impeded if the hair was short. Moreover, he would lose the
honorable trophy with which he is entitled to fringe his garments. So
for a warrior to wear his hair short would be a tacit acknowledgment
that he was afraid of losing his scalp, and all the men therefore
always leave at least one lock of hair attached to the crown of the
head.
The process of scalping will be presently described, when we treat of
war.
A great chief always wears, in addition to the ordinary headdress
of the warrior, a plume of eagle feathers, by which he is made as
conspicuous as possible, so that the enemy shall have no difficulty in
recognising him. The form of plume varies according to the different
tribes. That of the Crows may be seen in an illustration on page 1284.
That of the Mandans is represented on the following page. It is made
of a long strip of ermine, to which are fastened the quill feathers of
the war eagle, so as to form a crest beginning at the back of the head
and descending to the feet. These quills are so valuable that a perfect
tail of the war eagle is considered to be worth a first-rate horse.
In the present instance two horns may be seen projecting from the
headdress. This is a decoration very rarely seen, and only conferred by
the chief and council upon the most distinguished warriors. Even the
head chief will not be able to assume them unless by the general vote
of the council, and in the case of the Mandans the second chief wore
them, while the head chief was not privileged to do so.
Even a brave may wear them, though he be below the rank of chief.
They are made from the horns of the bison bull, divided longitudinally,
scraped nearly as thin as paper, and highly polished. They are loosely
attached at the base, so that they can be flung backward or forward by
the movement of the head, and give a wonderful animation to the action
of the wearer when he is speaking.
This elaborate headdress is very seldom worn, and is only assumed on
occasions of special state, such as public festivals, war parades, or
the visits of other chiefs. In battle the wearer always assumes the
headdress by way of challenge to the enemy. There is good reason for
not always wearing this dress. I have worn the dress formerly used by
Mah-to-toh-pa, and found it to be hot, heavy, and inconvenient.
As a contrast to the dress of a noted warrior, we may take that of a
mere dandy, a few of whom are sure to be found in every tribe. They
are always remarkable for elegance of person and effeminacy of nature,
having the greatest horror of exposing themselves to danger, and
avoiding equally the bear, the bison, and the armed enemy. Consequently
they may not deck themselves with the plumage of the war eagle, every
feather of which signifies a warrior slain by the warrior’s own hand.
Neither may they adorn their necks with the claws of the grizzly bear,
their robes with scalp-locks and paintings, nor their bodies with the
scarlet streaks that tell of honorable wounds received in battle.
[Illustration: THE MANDAN CHIEF MAH-TO-TOH-PA AND WIFE. (See pages
1276, 1286, 1287.)]
Such ornaments would at once be torn from them by the indignant
warriors of the tribe, and they are forced to content themselves with
mountain goat, doe, and ermine skins, swans’ down, porcupine quills,
and similar articles--all more beautiful than the sombre eagle quills,
bears’ claws, and scalp-locks that mark the brave.
They spend their whole lives in idleness, and do not even join the
athletic games of which the Americans are exceedingly fond, but devote
their whole energies to the adornment of their persons. They will
occupy four of five hours in making their toilets, being fastidious as
to the arrangement of every hair of their eyebrows, and trying by the
mirror the effect of various expressions of countenance.
Having spent the whole morning in this occupation, they sally out on
their horses, seated on white and soft saddles, beautifully ornamented
with porcupine quills and ermine, and lounge about the village for an
hour or two, displaying their handsome persons to the best advantage.
They then saunter, still on horseback, to the place where the young
warriors are practising athletic exercises, and watch them for an hour
or two, plying all the while their turkey-tail fans. Fatigued with the
effort, they lounge home again, turn their horses loose, take some
refreshment, smoke a pipe, and fan themselves to sleep.
These men are utterly despised by the warriors, as Mr. Catlin found. He
was anxious to procure a portrait of one of these men:--
“Whilst I have been painting, day by day, there have been two or three
of these fops continually strutting and taking their attitudes in front
of my door, decked out in all their finery, without receiving other
information than such as they could discover through the seams and
cracks of my cabin. The chiefs, I observed, passed them without notice,
and, of course, without inviting them in; and they seemed to figure
about my door from day to day in their best dresses and best attitudes,
as if in hopes that I would select them as models for my canvas. It was
natural that I should do so, for their costume and personal appearance
were entirely more beautiful than anything else to be seen in the
village.
“My plans were laid, and one day, when I had got through with all of
the head men who were willing to sit to be painted, and there were two
or three of the chiefs lounging in my room, I stepped to the door,
and tapped one of these fellows on the shoulder, who took the hint,
evidently well pleased and delighted with the signal and honorable
notice I had at length taken of him and his beautiful dress. Readers,
you cannot imagine what was the expression of gratitude which beamed
forth in this poor fellow’s face, and how high his heart beat with joy
and pride at the idea of my selecting him to be immortal alongside
of the chiefs and worthies whose portraits he saw ranged around the
room; and by which honor he undoubtedly considered himself well paid
for two or three weeks of regular painting, and greasing, and dressing,
and standing alternately on one leg and the other at the door of my
premises.
“Well, I placed him before me, and a canvas on my easel, and chalked
him out at full length. He was truly a beautiful subject for the brush,
and I was filled with enthusiasm.
“His dress from head to foot was made of the skins of the mountain
goat, dressed so neatly that they were almost as soft and white as
Canton crape. Around the bottom and the sides it was trimmed with
ermine, and porcupine quills of beautiful dyes garnished it in a
hundred parts. His hair, which was long and spread over his back and
shoulders, extending nearly to the ground, was all combed back, and
parted on his forehead like that of a woman. He was a tall and fine
figure, with ease and grace in his movements that were worthy of better
caste. In his left hand he held a beautiful pipe, in his right hand he
plied his fan, and on his wrist was attached his whip of elk-horn and
his fly-brush, made of the buffalo’s tail. There was nought about him
of the terrible, and nought to shock the finest and chastest intellect.”
Unfortunately, the portrait was never taken, for the chiefs were so
exceedingly offended that so contemptible a being should be put on
the same level as themselves by being painted, that they left the
hut in angry silence, and sent a message to the effect that, if Mr.
Catlin painted the portrait of so worthless a man, he must destroy all
the portraits of the chiefs and warriors. The message was also given
to the obnoxious individual, who at once yielded the point, walked
consequentially out of the hut, and took up his old station at the door
as if nothing had happened to disturb his equanimity.
On their feet the American Indians wear moccasins, _i. e._ shoes made
of soft leather, the sole of which is no thicker than the upper part.
To an European walking in moccasins is at first very fatiguing, on
account of the habit of turning out the toes. When, however, the white
man learns to walk as the natives do, with his toes rather turned in,
he soon finds that the moccasin is a better preservative of the feet
than the European shoe, with its thick and almost inflexible sole.
The dress of the women is made of the same materials as that of the
men, and differs chiefly in its greater length, reaching nearly to the
ankle. It is generally embroidered in various patterns with colored
porcupine quills, as are the leggings and moccasins. The women are fond
of tattooing themselves, and produce blue and red patterns by the use
of charcoal and vermilion rubbed into the punctures. Both sexes are
furnished with large robes made of bison skins, and the inner side of
these robes is often painted in curious patterns. One of these robes
in Mr. Catlin’s collection, had a most elaborate figure of the sun in
the centre, around which were figures of men and animals, showing the
prowess of the owner both in war and hunting.
Beads and such like ornaments, obtained from the white men, are much in
fashion; but, long before a glass or porcelain bead was introduced into
America, the natives had an ornament of their own manufacture. This is
the celebrated wampum, an article which is now almost extinct. It is
made of fresh water shells, which are found on the borders of the lakes
and streams. The thick part of the shell is cut into cylinders an inch
or so in length, and then bored longitudinally, like the “bugles” that
are worn by European ladies. Indeed, when the shell is, as is mostly
the case, a white one, the piece of wampum looks almost exactly like a
fragment of clay tobacco-pipe stem.
The wampum is either strung like beads and worn round the neck, or is
formed into war belts for the waist. It answers several purposes. In
the first place, it acts, like the cowries of Africa, as a substitute
for money, a certain number of hand breadths being the fixed value of a
horse, a gun, or a robe. It is also the emblem of peace when presented
by one chief to another, and, when war has ceased between two hostile
tribes, a wampum belt is presented as a token that the two tribes are
at peace.
There is no particular beauty about the wampum. If the reader will
break a tobacco-pipe stem into pieces an inch in length and string
them on a thread, he will produce a very good imitation of a wampum
necklace. Its only value lies in the labor represented by it; and,
as the white men have introduced tons of imitation wampum made of
porcelain, which looks rather better than the real article, and is
scarcely one-hundredth part of the value, the veritable wampum is so
completely extinct among many of the tribes that, if one of the natives
should wish to see a string of wampum, he must go to a museum for that
purpose.
CHAPTER CXXXVII.
THE NORTH AMERICAN INDIANS--_Continued_.
WAR--WEAPONS.
MARTIAL CHARACTER OF THE TRIBES -- THEIR MODE OF FIGHTING --
DECLARATION OF WAR, AND APPLICATION FOR VOLUNTEERS -- WEAPONS -- THE
PLAIN AND THE SPIKED CLUB -- THE SHIELD, AND THE INGENIOUS MODE OF
MAKING IT -- THE LONG SPEAR -- THE BOW AND ITS CONSTRUCTION -- MODE
OF SHOOTING -- THE STONE AND IRON TOMAHAWKS -- THE SCALPING-KNIFE --
MODE OF SCALPING -- USE MADE OF THE LOCKS -- THE SCALP DANCE -- THE
EXPLOITS OF MAH-TO-TOH-PA -- SHAM BATTLES OF THE BOYS -- THE TORTURE
OF PRISONERS -- TWO WONDERFUL ESCAPES -- HOW THE CAMANCHEES FIGHT --
SMOKING HORSES.
The North American Indians are essentially a warlike people, measuring
their respect for a man almost entirely by his conduct in battle and
the number of enemies which he has slain.
The very constitution of the tribes, which prevents any leader from
enforcing obedience upon his followers, as is done with civilized
armies, entirely precludes the possibility of such military manœuvres
as those which are employed in civilized countries, where bodies of
men are wielded by the order of one individual. The leader can only
give general orders, and leave his followers to carry them out in the
way that best suits each individual. Consequently, war among these
tribes is much of the guerilla kind, where each combatant fights almost
independently of the other, and the moral effect of mutual defence and
support is therefore wanting.
A few very simple manœuvres are known to them, and practised by them
from infancy, but they lead to nothing more than skirmishing, the chief
being merely the leader of his men, and expected to be in the post of
danger. The idea of a general directing the battle from a place of
comparative safety is unknown to them.
Declaration of war is made in the full council of chiefs and doctors,
the majority deciding the question. The chief who is to lead the
expedition then asks for volunteers by sending his reddened war pipe
through the tribe by means of his messengers, and each warrior who
draws a puff of smoke through its stem by that act enlists himself.
After the pipe has gone its round and a sufficient number of men have
volunteered, a grand war dance is got up in front of the chief’s house,
where has been set up a post covered with red paint, the sign of war.
The newly enlisted warriors make their appearance with all their
weapons, and execute a solemn dance, each man in succession dancing
up to the reddened post and striking his axe into it as a public
ratification of his promise. As has been mentioned, the leader always
wears every decoration to which he is entitled, so as to make himself
as conspicuous a mark as possible, while the braves and warriors wear
scarcely any clothing, and have their faces so disguised with black and
red paint that even their most intimate friends can scarcely recognize
them.
As among us, white and red are the signs of peace and war, and each
leader carries with him two small flags, one of white bison’s hide, and
the other of reddened leather. These are kept rolled round the staff
like a railway flag-signal, and only produced when required.
At the present day fire-arms have superseded the original weapons of
the American Indians, and much changed the mode of warfare. We will,
however, contemplate the warfare of these tribes as it was conducted
before the introduction of these weapons, when the bow, the club, the
axe, the spear, and in some districts the lasso, were the only weapons
employed.
In illustration No. 4, on page 1265, are seen examples of the clubs
and shield, drawn from specimens in the Christy Collection. The clubs
are short, seldom exceeding a yard in length, and mostly eight or nine
inches shorter. They are almost invariably made upon one or other
of two models, examples of which are seen in the illustration. The
primitive idea of a club is evidently derived from a stick with a
knob at the end, and that is the form which is most in vogue. In the
common kind of club the whole of the weapon is quite plain, but in many
specimens the native has imbedded a piece of bone or spike of iron in
the ball or bulb at the end of the club, and has decorated the handle
with feathers, bits of cloth, scalps, and similar ornaments.
The second kind of club is shaped something like the stock of a gun,
and has always a spike projecting from the angle. In most cases this
spike is nothing more than a pointed piece of iron or the head of a
spear, but in some highly valued weapons a very broad steel blade is
employed, its edges lying parallel with the length of the weapon. Such
a club as this is often decorated with some hundreds of brass headed
nails driven into it so as to form patterns, and is besides ornamented
so profusely with strings and feathers, and long trailing scalp-locks
five or six feet in length, that the efficacy of the weapon must be
seriously impeded by them.
I have handled both kinds of clubs, and found this latter weapon to be
most awkward and unwieldy, its thick, squared, sloping handle giving
scarcely any power to the grasp, while the abundant ornaments are
liable to entanglement in the other weapons that are carried about the
person.
The shield is made by a very ingenious process from the thick hide
which covers the shoulders of the bull bison. Making a shield is a
very serious, not to say solemn, business, and is conducted after the
following manner.
The warrior selects a piece of hide at least twice as large as the
intended shield, and from the hoof and joints of the bison prepares a
strong glue. He then digs in the ground a hole the exact size of the
shield, and almost two feet in diameter, and makes in it a smouldering
fire of decayed wood. These arrangements being completed, his
particular friends assemble for the purpose of dancing, singing, and
smoking round the shield maker, and invoking the Great Spirit to render
the weapon proof against spears and arrows.
The fire being lighted and the glue heated, the skin is stretched above
the hole by means of numerous pegs round the edge, which keep it a few
inches above the ground. As soon as the skin is thoroughly heated,
the glue is spread over it and rubbed carefully into the fibres. This
operation causes the skin to contract forcibly, and at the same time to
become thicker. As it contracts, the family of the shield maker busy
themselves in loosening the pegs, and shifting them inward, so as to
yield with the contraction of the skin, and at the same time to keep it
on the full stretch. This goes on until the skin has absorbed all the
glue which it is capable of receiving, and has contracted to the very
utmost. By this time it is only half as wide, though twice as thick, as
it was when first placed on the fire, and is allowed to cool slowly,
after which it is carefully trimmed into shape, furnished with a strap,
painted with the “totem” or symbol of the owner, and decorated with the
usual ornaments.
The completed shield is rather flexible, but is so strong that it will
resist the direct blow of a spear or arrow, and if turned a little
obliquely will throw off even a pistol bullet. The specimen shown in
the illustration is painted light green with a white pattern. Above it
is a cover made of very thin and soft leather, which is thrown over
it in case of rain. The long strap is for the purpose of throwing the
shield when not in use over the shoulders, where it hangs, together
with the bow and quiver.
The spear presents nothing especially worthy of remark, except that
the blade is leaf-shaped, long, and narrow, and the shaft is often so
covered with feathers and scalp-locks that there is barely enough space
for the hand of the wielder. It sometimes measures fourteen or fifteen
feet in length.
Next come the bows and arrows. The bow is always a very short and
apparently insignificant weapon, being mostly used on horseback. It
scarcely ever exceeds three feet in length, and is mostly six inches
shorter, so that it looks more like a child’s toy than a weapon fit for
a warrior’s hand. Yet, with this apparently feeble bow, the American
Indian can drive an arrow completely through a man, and some of their
best hunters are known to have sent their arrows fairly through the
body of a bison, so that the missile fell on the ground after passing
through the huge animal.
These bows are made of wood, horn, or bone. Ash is considered the best
wood for bows, and it is strengthened enormously by having the wet
sinews of the bison or deer fastened along the back, and so worked and
kneaded into it that they appear to be of one substance with the wood.
Several layers of sinews are often used, so that, in spite of its small
size, the bow is a very powerful one. Some of them are made of the
horn of the mountain or big horn sheep, and a few which are the most
valuable are made of bone, probably obtained on the Pacific coast from
the spermaceti whale, and sent inland by the traders. The owners of
these bows do not like to have the material questioned, and check the
interrogation with a remark of “Hush! that is medicine.” One of these
bows is in the Christy Collection. I have tried several of the bows in
Mr. Catlin’s collection, and found them to be very elastic, and, in
spite of their small size, very stiff.
[Illustration: (1.) CROW CHIEF. (See page 1274.)]
[Illustration: (2.) AMERICAN INDIANS SCALPING. (See page 1285.)]
The arrow is headed with flint or bone, and when used against the
enemy is usually poisoned. The feathers are taken from the wing of the
wild turkey. (See page 1290.) When a warrior is fully armed, he has a
hundred or so of these arrows in a neat quiver made of deer or cougar
skin, and tastefully decorated with patterns woven in stained porcupine
quills.
In an illustration on page 1318, the reader may see the usual
costume of the Indian when equipped for battle. The portrait is that
of Ee-a-chin-che-a (the red thunder) son of Black Moccasin of the
Minatarees. He was at this time one of the bravest and most desperate
warriors of this tribe. He has on his war-dress, with quiver slung,
and shield upon his arm. “In this plight,” says Mr. Catlin, “_sans_
headdress, _sans_ robe, and _sans_ everything that might be a useless
encumbrance,--with the body chiefly naked, and profusely bedaubed with
red and black paint, so as to form an almost perfect disguise, the
Indian warriors sally forth to war.” The chief only plumes himself, and
loaded with his ornaments and trophies renders himself a conspicuous
target for the enemy.
The Indians are not celebrated for their skill in marksmanship, which
indeed is scarcely required, as they never shoot at long ranges, like
the old English bowmen. But they are wonderfully skilled in discharging
a number of arrows in rapid succession, a practised archer being able
to throw twenty or more in a minute while galloping at full speed.
There is a game much practised by the various tribes, by means of which
this peculiar modification of skill in archery is kept at the highest
pitch. The young men assemble with their bows and arrows, and each
brings several articles of property which he is willing to stake on his
skill, and throws one of them on the ground. When every one has thrown
down his stake, the first archer advances with his bow and ten arrows
clenched in his left hand. He then draws the arrows and shoots them
upward as rapidly as he can, the object being to throw as many arrows
as possible into the air before the first arrow has reached the ground.
He who gets the greatest number simultaneously in the air wins the
stakes. Some archers are so skilful that they will discharge the eighth
arrow before the first has touched the ground.
We now come to the axe or tomahawk. The two figures in illustration
No. 2, page 1265, afford excellent examples of the principal forms of
this weapon; namely, that which is made entirely by themselves, and
that which is partly made in Europe and finished by themselves. The
most primitive tomahawk is that which is made of a stone fixed to a
wooden handle. Fig. 2, on the above mentioned page, shows how the head
is fixed to the handle, exactly as a blacksmith fixes his punches. The
stone axe-heads which are found so abundantly as relics of a bygone
age, were fastened on their handles in precisely the same manner. This
kind of weapon is now so rare that it is scarcely possible to procure a
specimen.
The steel-headed tomahawk has in most tribes superseded that which
is made of stone. Vast numbers of these steel axe-heads are made in
Birmingham, and sold at a very high price to the Indians.
The form which is most valued is that which is shown in fig. 1, page
1265. It is a “pipe-tomahawk,” the upper part of the head being formed
into a pipe-bowl, and the smoke drawn through the handle, which is
plentifully decorated with porcupine quills and feathers. This is
specially valued by the American Indians, because it saves them the
trouble of carrying a separate pipe, and is most formidable as a
weapon, and in time of peace is an efficient axe for chopping firewood
and similar purposes. The tomahawk is used both in close combat and as
a missile, in which latter capacity it is hurled with wonderful force
and accuracy of aim.
Beside these weapons, every warrior carries the scalping knife, which,
with the poniard of early English times, is equally useful for war and
domestic purposes. Almost without an exception every scalping knife
used in North America is nothing more than a common butcher’s knife,
made in Sheffield for sixpence, and sold to the Indians at the price
of a horse. After all, it is perhaps the very best instrument that
they could use. One of my friends, an experienced hunter, said that he
discarded all his elaborate and costly hunting knives, and preferred
the Sheffield butcher’s knife, which combines the advantages of
strength, lightness, and the capability of taking an edge like a razor.
Every one has heard of the custom of scalping as practised by these
tribes, a custom which takes the place of the preserved heads of the
Dyak, and Mundurucú. When an American Indian slays an enemy, he removes
the scalp as a proof of his victory. The scalp is a piece of skin,
with the hair attached to it, taken from the very crown of the head,
so as to exhibit that portion of the skin where the hair radiates from
a centre. The size of the scalp is of no importance, provided that it
only contain this indispensable mark.
Generally, the piece of skin secured is almost as large as the palm of
the hand, and it is taken in the following manner. The enemy being
fallen, the victor sits behind him on the ground, seizes the scalp-lock
with his left hand, and with the knife makes two semicircular incisions
in the skin, cutting it completely down to the bone. He then twists
the scalp-lock round both his hands, puts his feet on the victim’s
shoulders, and with a violent pull drags off the circular piece of skin
with the hair adhering to it.
This whole scene (illustrated on page 1284) is enacted in much less
time than it has taken to write, the Indians being well practised in
their sham fights before they come to taking scalps in actual battle.
Brandishing the scalp in one hand and the knife in the other, the
exultant conqueror utters the terrible “scalping yell,” which even when
given in a mock battle seems as if it were uttered by a demon rather
than a man.
The scalped man is always supposed to be dead or dying, and, as the
scalp is always accepted as a proof of death, the native warrior would
never scalp a man whom he thought likely to recover. There have,
however, been many instances, where in the heat of battle a man has
been scalped while stunned, though without a mortal wound, and has
afterward recovered and lived for many years.
When the battle is over and the warrior returns to his home, he dresses
the scalp for preservation. This is usually done by stretching it in a
sort of battledore, made by bending a flexible stick and lashing the
ends together, and it is then solemnly “danced” before it takes its
place with the other valuables of the owner. Some of the scalps are
quite small, not larger than a penny, and are hung on the bridles of
the horses, or the handles of clubs.
Generally, however, they are, when quite dry, painted on the inside
so as to resemble a human face, and hung to the end of a long, slight
pole. On a fine day, the head chief of an encampment mostly orders that
the scalps should be hung out, and sets the example, by protruding from
the top of his own hut the pole on which are hung the scalps which he
has taken. All the warriors at once follow his example, so that by
walking round the village and counting the scalps, a stranger can learn
the standing of every warrior.
It has been mentioned that many of the scalps are very small. Their
limited size is thus accounted for. If a warrior be hurried, as is
mostly the case when scalping a fallen man in the heat of battle,
he contents himself with the scalp alone. But, if he should have
leisure, he removes the whole of the hair-bearing portion of the skin,
and treats it as follows. He first cuts out a small circular piece
containing the crown of the head, this being the actual scalp. The
remainder of the hair he divides into little locks, and with them he
fringes the seams of his leggings, the arms and edges of his coat, the
shaft of his spear, the handle of his club, etc., etc. The whole of
Mah-to-toh-pa’s dress was covered with fringes made from the hair of
those whom he slew in battle.
A dress thus ornamented is valued beyond all price, and there is
scarcely any price sufficiently high to tempt a warrior to part with
these trophies of his valor.
The “scalp dance” is a ceremony quite in keeping with the custom of
securing the trophy. A scalp dance of the Sioux is thus described by
Mr. Catlin:--“Among this tribe, as I learned whilst residing with them,
it is danced in the night by the light of their torches, just before
going to bed. When a war party returns from a war excursion, bringing
home with them the scalps of their enemies, they generally dance them
for fifteen nights in succession, vaunting forth the most extravagant
boasts of their wonderful prowess in war, whilst they brandish their
war weapons in their hands.
“A number of young women are selected to aid (though they do not
actually join in) the dance, by stepping into the centre of the ring
and holding up the scalps that have been recently taken, while the
warriors dance, or rather jump, around in a circle, brandishing their
weapons, and barking and yelping in the most frightful manner, all
jumping on both feet at a time, with a simultaneous stamp, and blow,
and thrust of their weapons, with which it would seem as if they were
actually cutting and carving each other to pieces. During these frantic
leaps and yells, every man distorts his face to the utmost power of his
muscles, darting about his glaring eyeballs, and snapping his teeth as
if he were in the heat--and actually breathing through his nostrils the
very hissing death--of battle.
“No description that can be written could ever convey more than a
feeble outline of the frightful effects of these scenes enacted in the
dead and darkness of night, under the glaring light of their blazing
flambeaux; nor could all the years allotted to mortal man in the least
obliterate or deface the vivid impression that one scene of this kind
would leave upon his memory.”
Mr. Catlin suggests, with much reason, that these dances are
propitiatory of the spirits of the slain men, showing how highly
their valor was prized by the conquerors, and the great respect and
estimation in which they were held, though the fortune of war had gone
against them.
A good example of the war career of an American Indian chief may be
gained by the exploits of Mah-to-toh-pa, as displayed on his robe, and
explained by him to Mr. Catlin. It was covered with twelve groups of
figures, which will be briefly described.
His first exploit was killing a Sioux chief, who had already killed
three Riccarees. This feat entitled him to wear eagles’ quills on his
lance, and in the second group he is shown as killing with this lance
a Shienne chief, who challenged him to single combat. The third scene
represents a combat in which Mah-to-toh-pa was forsaken by his party,
and yet, though badly wounded, killed a Shienne warrior in the presence
of some thirty of his fellows.
The fourth scene shows a great chief of the Shiennes killed by this
warrior, whose splendid headdress was assumed by his slayer. The fifth
picture represents a strange episode in a battle. Mah-to-toh-pa was
travelling with a party of Riccarees, when they were fired upon by a
war party of Sioux. The Riccarees fled, leaving Mah-to-toh-pa, who
sprang from his horse, faced the Sioux on foot, killed one of them, and
secured his scalp.
The sixth drawing illustrates a most remarkable piece of personal
history. A Riccaree brave, named Won-ga-tap, shot the brother of
Mah-to-toh-pa with an arrow, drove his well-known spear into the body
of the fallen man, and left it there, as a challenge to the surviving
brother. The challenge was accepted. Mah-to-toh-pa found the body,
recognized the spear, and vowed that he would slay the murderer of his
brother with the same weapon. Four years passed without an opportunity
to fulfil the vow, when he could no longer brook delay, but dashed out
of his house with the fatal spear in his hand, and a small wallet of
parched corn at his belt. He told the Mandans to mention his name no
more unless he returned victorious with the scalp of Won-ga-tap.
Amid the awe-struck silence of his people he left the village, and
disappeared over the grassy bluffs. For two hundred miles he travelled
alone and by night, always concealing himself by day, until he reached
the Riccaree village, which he boldly entered, mixing with the
inhabitants as if he were a friendly stranger. He knew the position
of Won-ga-tap’s hut, and after having seen that the intended victim
and his wife had smoked the evening pipe and were in bed, he walked
gently into the hut, sat down by the fire, took some meat out of the
cooking-pot, and began to eat in order to strengthen himself for the
fulfilment of his task. This was according to the hospitable custom of
the American Indians. If a man be hungry, he need not ask for food, but
has only to go to the nearest hut and help himself.
The repast being ended, Mah-to-toh-pa took the still warm pipe, filled
it with tobacco, and began to smoke it, breathing, with every curl of
smoke, a prayer for success in his undertaking. Once or twice the wife
of Won-ga-tap asked her husband who was eating in their hut, but he
replied that some one must be hungry, and was helping himself.
When the last smoke-wreath had ascended, Mah-to-toh-pa turned toward
the bed, and with his foot pushed an ember on the fire, so as to make
a blaze by which he might see the exact position of his victim. In an
instant he leaped toward the bed, drove the spear through the heart of
Won-ga-tap, tore off his scalp, snatched the spear from his heart, and
darted out of the hut with the scalp of his victim in one hand, and in
the other the fatal spear, with the blood of Won-ga-tap already drying
over that of the man he had killed four years before. The whole village
was in an uproar, but Mah-to-toh-pa succeeded in making his escape,
and on the sixth day after leaving the Mandan village, he re-entered
it with the scalp of his enemy. A portrait of this celebrated chief is
given on the 1277th page.
Another of these pictures records a single combat fought with a Shienne
chief in presence of both war parties. They fought on horseback, until
Mah-to-toh-pa’s powder-horn was shattered by a bullet. The Shienne
chief flung away his gun, horn, and bullet pouch, and challenged the
foe with bow and arrow. Both parties were wounded in the limbs, but
kept their bodies covered with their shields.
Presently Mah-to-toh-pa’s horse fell with an arrow in its heart. The
Shienne chief immediately dismounted, and proceeded with the fight
until he had exhausted his arrows, when he flung the empty quiver on
the ground, challenging with his knife, the only weapon which he had
left. The challenge was accepted, and they rushed on each other, but
Mah-to-toh-pa had left his knife at home, and was unarmed. He closed
with his antagonist, and a struggle ensued for the knife. Mah-to-toh-pa
was dreadfully wounded in the hands, but at last wrested the knife from
his adversary, drove it into his heart, and in silence claimed the
scalp of his fallen foe.
On another occasion he alone faced sixty Assineboins, drove them back,
and killed one of them. It was in this battle that he earned the name
of “Four Bears,” by which must be understood the grizzly bear, the most
terrible quadruped of North America. This is a sample of the mode in
which warfare is conducted by the North American Indians--a strange
mixture of lofty and chivalrous nobility with cunning and deceit. In
fact, in contemplating these interesting tribes, we are thrown back
to the time of Ulysses, whose great fame was equally derived from his
prowess in battle and his skill in deceiving his foes, or, in other
words, of being a most accomplished liar.
The men are taught the operations of war from a very early age. Every
morning, all the lads who are above seven years old and upward, and
have not been admitted among the men, are taken to some distance from
the village, where they are divided into two opposing bodies, each
under the command of an experienced warrior. They are armed with
little bows, arrows made of grass stems, and wooden knives stuck in
their belts. In their heads they slightly weave a plaited tuft of grass
to represent the scalp-lock.
The two parties then join in sham combat, which is made to resemble a
real fight as much as possible. When any of the combatants is struck
in a vital part, he is obliged to fall as if dead, when his antagonist
goes through the operation of scalping with his wooden knife, places
the scalp in his belt, utters the wild yell, and again joins in the
battle. As no one may fight without a scalp-lock, the fallen adversary
is obliged to withdraw from the fight. This goes on for an hour or so,
when the mock fight is stopped, and the lads are praised or rebuked
according to the skill and courage which they have shown, the number of
scalps at the belt being the surest criterion of merit.
It is well known that after a battle the American Indians torture
their prisoners, and that they display the most diabolical ingenuity
in devising the most excruciating torments. Still, there has been much
exaggeration in the accounts of this custom. They do not torture all
their prisoners, selecting only a few for this purpose, the others
being absorbed into the tribe by marriage with the widows whose
husbands have been killed in battle, and enjoying equal rights with the
original members of the tribe.
Neither is the torture practised with the idea of revenge, though it
is likely that vengeful feelings will arise when the victim is bound
to the stake. Superstition seems to be at the root of the torture,
which is intended to propitiate the spirit of those members of their
own tribe who have suffered the like treatment at the hands of their
adversaries. The doomed warrior accepts his fate with the imperturbable
demeanor which is an essential part of a North American Indian’s
character, and, for the honor of his tribe, matches his endurance
against the pain which his enemies can inflict.
Tortures too terrible even to be mentioned are tried in succession; for
when the victim is once bound to the stake, the Indian never has been
known to relent in his purpose, which is to extort acknowledgments of
suffering from the captured warrior, and thereby to disgrace not only
himself but the tribe to which he belongs. He, in the meanwhile, prides
himself on showing his enemies how a warrior can die. He chants the
praises of his tribe and their deeds, boasts of all the harm that he
has done to the tribe into whose power he has fallen, ridicules their
best warriors, and endeavors to anger them to such an extent that they
may dash out his brains, and so spare him further torture. He will even
laugh at their attempts to extort cries of pain from a warrior, and
tell them that they do not know how to torture.
One remarkable instance of endurance in a captured Creek warrior is
told by Mr. Adair. The man had been captured by the Shawnees, and
forced to run the gauntlet naked through all the tribe; he had been
tied to the stake, and was horribly tortured with gun-barrels heated
redhot. All the efforts of his enemies only drew from him taunts and
jeers, to the effect that the Shawnees were so ignorant that they did
not even know how to torture a bound prisoner. Great warrior though he
was, he had fallen into their hands through some fault in addressing
the Great Spirit, but that he had enough virtue left to show them the
difference between a Creek and a Shawnee. Let them only unbind him, and
allow him to take a redhot gun-barrel out of the fire, and he would
show them a much better way of torturing than any which they knew.
His demeanor had excited the respect of the Shawnees, and they unbound
him and took him to the fire, in which were lying the redhot tubes.
Unhesitatingly, he picked up one of them with his bare hands, sprang
at the surrounding crowd, striking right and left with this fearful
weapon, cleared a passage through the astonished warriors, and leaped
down a precipice into the river. He swam the river amid a shower of
bullets, gained a little island in its midst, and, though instantly
followed by numbers of his disconcerted enemies, actually succeeded in
getting away. In spite of the injuries which he had suffered, and which
would have killed an ordinary European, he recovered, and lived for
many years, the implacable foe of the Shawnees.
A somewhat similar adventure occurred to a Katahba warrior, who was
pursued by a band of Senecas, and at last captured, though not until
he had contrived to kill seven of them. A warrior of such prowess was
guarded with double vigilance, and he was brought to the Seneca village
for the torture, after having been beaten at every encampment through
which the party had passed.
As the torturers were taking him to the stake, he, like the Creek
warrior, burst from his captors, and flung himself into the river,
swimming across in safety. He paused for a moment on the opposite bank
to express emphatically his contempt for the pursuers who were crowding
down the bank and into the river, and then dashed forward so fast that
he gained nearly a day’s journey upon the foremost of the pursuers.
Five of the enemy pressed upon him, and, though naked and unarmed, he
deliberately waited for them. At night, when they were all asleep, not
having thought a sentry needful, he crept up to the party, snatched
one of their tomahawks, and killed them all before they could wake.
He scalped them, clothed and armed himself, invigorated his wasted
frame with food, and set off to the spot where he had slain the seven
foes as he was first pursued. They had been buried for the sake of
preserving their scalps, but he found the place of burial, scalped them
all, and not until then did he make for his home, which he reached in
safety.
When the rest of the pursuers came to the place where the five had been
killed, they held a council, and determined that a man who could do
such deeds unarmed must be a wizard whom they could not hope to resist,
and that the best course that they could pursue was to go home again.
The reader will not fail to notice the great stress that is here
laid on the possession of the scalp. A war party of Indians care
comparatively little for the loss of one of their number, provided
that they conceal his body so that the enemy shall not take his scalp.
Here we have an instance of a man pursued by numbers of infuriated
and relentless foes deliberately going back to the spot where he
thought his slain enemies might be buried, and a second time risking
his life in order to secure the trophies of victory. He knew that his
intention would be foreseen, and yet the value set upon the scalp was
so incalculable that even the risk of undergoing the torture was as
nothing in comparison.
On more than one occasion, a warrior who has been struck down, and
felt himself unable to rise, has saved his life by feigning death, and
permitting his victorious foe to tear off his scalp without giving the
least sign of suffering. He must lose his scalp at any rate, and he
might possibly contrive to save his life.
Several of the tribes are remarkable for the use which they make of
the horse in war, and their marvellous skill in riding. The most
celebrated tribe in this respect are the Camanchees, the greater part
of whose life is spent on horseback. As is often the case with those
who spend much of their time on horseback, the Camanchees are but poor
walkers, and have a slouching and awkward gait. No sooner, however, is
a Camanchee on the back of a horse, than his whole demeanor alters,
and he and the animal which he bestrides seem one and the same being,
actuated with the same spirit. “A Camanchee on his feet,” writes Mr.
Catlin, “is out of his element, and comparatively almost as awkward as
a monkey on the ground without a limb or branch to cling to. But the
moment he lays his hand upon his horse, his face becomes handsome, and
he gracefully flies away like a different being.”
There is one feat in which all the Camanchee warriors are trained
from their infancy. As the man is dashing along at full gallop, he
will suddenly drop over the side of his horse, leaving no part of
him visible except the sole of one foot, which is hitched over the
horse’s back as a purchase by which he can pull himself to an upright
position. In this attitude he can ride for any distance, and moreover
can use with deadly effect either his bow or his fourteen-foot lance.
One of their favorite modes of attack is to gallop toward the enemy at
full speed, and then, just before they come within range, they drop
upon the opposite side of their horses, dash past the foe, and pour
upon him a shower of arrows directed under their horses’ necks, and
sometimes even thrown under their bellies. All the time it is nearly
useless for the enemy to return the shots, as the whole body of the
Camanchee is hidden behind the horse, and there is nothing to aim at
save the foot just projecting over the animal’s back.
To enable them to perform this curious manœuvre, (illustrated on the
1291st page) the Camanchees plait a short and strong halter of horse
hair. This halter is passed under the horse’s neck, and the ends are
firmly plaited into the mane, just above the withers, so as to leave a
loop hanging under the animal’s neck. Into this loop the warrior drops
with accurate precision, sustaining the weight of his body on the upper
part of the bent arm, and allowing the spear to fall into the bend of
the elbow. Thus both his arms are at liberty to draw the bow or wield
the spear; and as in such cases he always grasps a dozen arrows in his
left hand, together with the bow, he can discharge them without having
recourse to his quiver.
Sometimes the Camanchees try to steal upon their enemies by leaving
their lances behind them, slinging themselves along the sides of their
steeds, and approaching carelessly, as though they were nothing but
a troop of wild horses without riders. A very quick eye is needed to
detect this guise, which is generally betrayed by the fact that the
horses always keep the same side toward the spectator, which would very
seldom be the case were they wild and unrestrained in their movements.
Every Camanchee has one favorite horse, which he never mounts except
for war or the chase, using an inferior animal on ordinary occasions.
Swiftness is the chief quality for which the charger is selected, and
for no price would the owner part with his steed. Like all uncivilized
people, he treats his horse with a strange mixture of cruelty and
kindness. While engaged in the chase, for example, he spurs and whips
the animal most ruthlessly; but as soon as he returns, he carefully
hands over his valued animal to his women, who are waiting to receive
it, and who treat it as if it were a cherished member of the family.
It need scarcely be added that the Camanchees are most accomplished
horse stealers, and that they seize every opportunity of robbing other
tribes of their animals. When a band of Camanchees sets out on a horse
stealing expedition, the warriors who compose it are bound in honor not
to return until they have achieved their object. Sometimes they are
absent for more than two years before they can succeed in surprising
the settlement which contains the horses on which they have set their
hearts, and they will lie in ambush for months, awaiting a favorable
opportunity.
The value set upon horses by the equestrian tribes cannot be better
illustrated than by the singular custom of “smoking horses,” which
prevails in some parts of the country. The reader will find this
illustrated on the following page.
When one of these tribes determine on making war, and find on mustering
their forces that they have not sufficient horses, they send a
messenger to a friendly tribe to say that on a certain day they will
come to “smoke” a certain number of horses, and expect the animals
to be ready for them. This is a challenge which is never refused,
involving as it does the honor of the tribe.
On the appointed day, the young warriors who have no horses go to
the friendly village, stripped and painted as if for war, and seat
themselves in a circle, all facing inward. They light their pipes and
smoke in silence, the people of the village forming a large circle
around them, leaving a wide space between themselves and their visitors.
Presently in the distance there appears an equal number of young
warriors on horseback, dashing along at full gallop, and in “Indian
file,” according to their custom. They gallop round the ring, and the
foremost rider, selecting one of the seated young men, stoops from
his saddle as he passes, and delivers a terrible blow at his naked
shoulders with his cruel whip. Each of his followers does the same,
and they gallop round and round the smokers, at each circuit repeating
the blow until the shoulders of the men are covered with blood. It
is incumbent upon the sufferers to smoke on in perfect calmness, and
not to give the slightest intimation that they are aware of the blows
which are inflicted on them. When the requisite number of circuits have
been made, the leader springs off his horse, and places the bridle and
whip in the hands of the young man whom he has selected, saying at the
same time, “You are a beggar; I present you with a horse: but you will
always carry my mark on your back.” The rest follow his example.
Every one is pleased with this remarkable custom. The young men are
pleased because they get a horse apiece; and as to the flogging, in
the first place they really care very little for pain, and in the
next place they have enjoyed an opportunity of showing publicly their
capability of endurance.
Those who give the horses are pleased because they have been able to
show their liberality, a trait which is held in great estimation by
these people, and they have also the peculiar satisfaction of flogging
a warrior with impunity. Both tribes are also pleased, the one because
they have gained the horses without which they could not have made
up their forces, and the other because they have shown themselves
possessed of superior wealth.
[Illustration: FLINT-HEADED ARROW. (See page 1285.)]
[Illustration: (1.) CAMANCHEES RIDING. (See page 1289.)]
[Illustration: (2.) SMOKING HORSES. (See page 1290.)]
CHAPTER CXXXVII.
THE NORTH AMERICAN INDIANS--_Continued_.
HUNTING--AMUSEMENTS.
NORTH AMERICAN HUNTERS -- BISON OR BUFFALO HUNTING -- THE CHASE ON
HORSEBACK -- USE OF THE GUN -- BISON DRIVING -- THE SNOW SHOE, AND
ITS USE IN BISON HUNTING -- THE DISGUISE IN WOLF SKINS -- HORSE
CATCHING -- MODES OF USING THE LASSO -- HOW HORSES ARE TAMED --
“CREASING” HORSES -- THE BUFFALO DANCE -- CREDIT OF THE BUFFALO DANCE
RESTORED -- A SINGULAR MASK -- INVARIABLE SUCCESS OF THE DANCE -- HOW
THE DANCERS ARE RELIEVED -- AN INGENIOUS DECEPTION.
As might be expected from a migratory people like the North American
Indians, all the tribes excel in hunting, though some are notable above
the others. Next to Africa, this country presents the finest hunting
grounds in the world, the game varying according to the locality, and
giving the hunter an almost unrivalled scope of action.
First and most important of the North American game is the bison,
popularly but erroneously called the buffalo. This animal exists in
countless myriads, and in spite of the continual persecutions to which
it has been subjected, and the utterly reckless manner in which it has
been destroyed, it still blackens the plains with its multitudes.
Before the horse came into use, the North American Indians were obliged
to chase the bison on foot, and even at the present day there are many
celebrated hunters who are able to run down a bison on foot and kill it
with the lance. The mode, however, which is generally adopted is the
chase by mounted hunters, a chase which offers the greatest results,
and exhibits the wildest enthusiasm and excitement. Armed merely with
his tiny bow and flint-headed arrows, the native hunter mounts his
horse, and goes off in chase of the bison.
When he comes up with the animals, he selects one, usually a fat and
well-conditioned cow, presses his horse to her and prepares his bow and
arrow. The well-trained horse needs no guiding, but keeps close to the
right shoulder of the bison, and a little behind it, so that it may not
run upon the horns of the animal if it should happen to stop suddenly
and turn its head. This plan, moreover, just brings the rider into the
proper position to deliver his arrow in the most deadly manner, _i.
e._ directing it just behind the shoulder. When an arrow is discharged
by a practised hand, the bison falls mortally wounded, and, tenacious
of life as the animal is, soon breathes its last. Leaving the arrow in
the wound in order to mark the owner of the dead animal, the successful
archer dashes on in pursuit of another animal, and does not cease until
he has expended all his store of arrows. An illustration on page 1299
shows a herd of bisons, and the Indians on horseback engaged in the
exciting sport.
It is the pride of the native hunter to kill a bison with every arrow,
and not to shoot twice at the same animal. The younger hunters are
fierce and anxious rivals in this sport, knowing that the result of the
day’s hunt will be the talk of the whole village, and that on their
success or failure will much depend the estimation in which they are
held. So each successive hunt produces its eager competitors for honor,
some being desirous of wiping off past disgrace by present success,
and others equally anxious to maintain the reputation which they have
gained on former occasions.
Even in those parts of the country where the bow has been almost
entirely superseded by fire-arms, it is equally a point of honor to
kill the bison with a single shot, and to claim a slain bison for every
bullet. In such cases, the hunter takes little pains in loading his
gun. He carries the powder loose in his pocket or bag, scoops hastily
a random quantity into the gun, drops upon it, without any wadding, a
bullet wetted in the mouth, and the loading is complete. The muzzle of
the gun is kept uppermost until the moment for firing, when the gun is
dropped, aimed, and fired simultaneously, without being brought to the
shoulder.
The skill displayed in managing the horse is the more remarkable, as
these Indians use no bit by which the animal can be guided. They have
nothing but a slight hide halter tied round the lower jaw of the horse,
the only use of which is to cause it to halt when required. This is
popularly called the “lariat,” a corruption from the French word,
_l’arêt_.
The excitement caused by this chase is indescribable, though Mr.
Catlin gives a very graphic idea in a few words:--“I have always
counted myself a prudent man, yet I have often waked, as it were,
out of the delirium of the chase, into which I had fallen as into an
agitated sleep, and through which I had passed as through a delightful
dream--where to have died would have been to have remained, riding on,
without a struggle or a pang.”
Sometimes the bison is destroyed in a much less sporting manner, the
precipice and the pound being the two modes which are usually followed.
The reader may probably be aware that, in those parts of North America
inhabited by the bison, the surface of the plain is frequently
interrupted by ravines with precipitous sides and of tremendous depth.
When a hunting party see a herd of bisons within several miles of one
of these ravines, they quietly separate, and steal round the herd, so
as to place the bisons between themselves and the ravine.
They then gently move forward, and the bisons, retreating from them,
draw nearer and nearer to the ravine, at the same time becoming packed
closer and closer together. Suddenly the hunters raise a shout, and
dash forward at the bisons. The affrighted animals take to flight at
their best speed, and run on until they reach the edge of the ravine.
Here the foremost bisons try to check themselves, but to no avail, as
they are pressed forward by their companions behind, and thus almost
the whole of the herd are forced over the precipice, and killed by the
fall. Even those in the rear, which at last see their danger, and try
to escape, have to run the gauntlet of their enemies, who allow but
very few of them to escape.
A somewhat similar plan is adopted with the pound, into which the
bisons are driven by the hunters. The pound is an enclosure made of
felled trees and branches, with an opening which gradually widens. The
bisons are driven toward the enclosure, a task which often occupies
several weeks, and, when they arrive within the fatal arms of the
entrance, are urged forward by means of little fires, which are lighted
on either side. Instinct urges the animals to escape from an element
which sweeps over vast districts of country, and kills every living
thing in it, and in their haste they run toward the pound, in which
they are at once shut up. It is fortunate for the hunters that the
bisons do not know their own strength. They could easily break through
the walls of the pound, but they mostly content themselves with turning
round and round, and passively await the arrival of the destroyer. So
foolish are they in this respect, and in such numbers are they killed,
that pounds have been built of the bones of slaughtered bisons.
In the winter another plan of hunting the bison is followed. At this
time of the year the fur or “pelt” of the bison is the thickest and
warmest, and the skin is of the most value. It is from these skins that
the “buffalo” rugs and robes are made, without which out-of-door life
would be scarcely endurable in the more northern parts of this vast
continent.
During the winter months the prairies assume a new aspect. They are not
only covered with snow, so that the ordinary landmarks are obliterated,
but the snow is blown by the wind into the most fantastic shapes,
raised in some places into long and sharply scarped hills where no
hills were, forming level plains where the ground is really cut up
by hollows, and leaving only the tops of eminences bare, whence the
snow is blown away by the tempestuous winds that sweep across the
vast expanse. On these hills the bison congregate for the purpose of
grazing, shovelling away with their broad noses the snow which still
clings to the herbage.
The animals instinctively keep clear of the small but treacherous
plains and valleys, knowing that the hidden crevices may at any time
swallow them up. Into these valleys the hunters try to drive them,
so that they may be helplessly entangled in the snow, and fall easy
victims to the spear. Were it not for some invention whereby the
hunters are enabled to skim over the surface of the snow, the bisons
would be in perfect safety, but the snow shoe lays the poor animals at
the mercy of their pursuers. It is necessary first to describe this
ingenious implement.
The best form of snow shoe is seen on the next page. The shape is that
of a fish, and its framework is made of ash-wood, kept in form by two
cross-bars, one in front and one behind. It is slightly turned up in
front. The whole of the space within the framework is filled in with
a close and strongly made netting of hide thongs, much like those of
a racquet--indeed, the French Canadians use the word “_raquet_” to
represent the snow shoe. As the snow shoe is about five feet in length
and eighteen inches or more in breadth, it is evident that the weight
of the wearer is distributed over a large surface, and that a heavy man
wearing these shoes can pass with impunity over snow in which a child
would sink if only supported on its feet.
[Illustration: SNOW SHOE.
(From my collection.)]
Just behind the opening is a triangular space crossed by parallel
thongs. When the shoe is to be worn, the foot is placed on it so that
the heel rests on the parallel thongs, and the centre of the foot is
supported by the thick cross-thong, called the “bimikibison,” the toes
passing into the square opening, which is called the eye of the shoe.
In order to keep the foot in its place, two leathern loops (not shown
in the figure) are attached to the bimikibison, one of which passes
over the instep and the other comes round the heel.
As, therefore, the wearer moves along, the feet play freely on the
bimikibison, the heels coming down at each step on the parallel thongs,
while the toes move up and down through the “eye” of the shoe, which is
dragged over the snow by the instep thong, the heel strap being only
useful in keeping the foot from slipping out backward.
After some practice, the wearer is able to skim over the snow with
astonishing speed, but to a novice the first attempt is not only
awkward, but causes excruciating pain. The unaccustomed movement of the
foot, together with the pressure of the instep strap, produces a pain
peculiar to the snow shoe called by the Canadians “_mal du raquet_.”
Not only does blood stain the snow as the excoriated foot drags the
heavy shoe over the surface, but a pain pervades the whole foot, as if
all the little bones were dislocated, and rubbing against each other.
Perseverance is the only cure for the “_mal du raquet_,” and after a
few days the wearer is able to proceed with perfect comfort.
The most ingenious part of the snow shoe is the mode by which it is
fitted to the foot. It is evident that if it were fastened firmly to
the foot, like the sole of a shoe, the wearer would be unable to stir
a step. The movement of a snow-shoe wearer is somewhat analogous to
that of a skater, the shoe being slid over the snow, and not raised
and depressed like shoes in ordinary walking. If the reader will refer
to the illustration, he will see that in the middle and toward the
forepart of the shoe there is a square opening, edged by thongs, very
much stronger than the others.
It often happens that heavy snow storms fall before the people are
able to replace the shoes, which are generally damaged in the course
of the summer months, and in this case they are obliged to extemporize
snow shoes out of flat boards. These are shorter and wider than the
regular snow shoes, but are used in much the same manner, the “eye”
being cut out of the board, and the necessary thongs being fixed across
the opening. These simple instruments are called by a name which
signifies “bear’s-paw” shoes. Some of the prairie tribes use very long
and comparatively narrow skates, turned up in front, and precisely
resembling the “skidor” of Northern Europe.
Upborne on the snow shoe, the American Indian has the bison at his
mercy. He drives the herd from the eminences into the valleys, and
while the poor animals are floundering about in the deep snow, he
deliberately selects those which have the largest and softest “robes,”
and kills them with his spears. Thousands are annually slain in this
manner, their skin removed, and with the exception of the tongue and
the hump, which are the best parts of the bison, the whole of the
carcass is left to the prairie wolves and birds of prey.
On these shoes the native hunters capture the huge moose. They select a
time when there has been a partial thaw followed by a frost, so as to
leave a thin crust of ice upon a substratum of soft snow. As the moose
plunges through the snow, it breaks through this icy crust at every
step, cutting its legs frightfully with the broken edges, and so falls
an easy victim.
Another mode of bison hunting presents a curious analogy with the
ingenious method of ostrich hunting which is practised by the
Bosjesmans of Southern Africa.
Upon the vast plains of North America the so-called wolves prowl in
numbers. They will follow the hunter for weeks together for the sake of
the offal of the beasts which he kills. They will not venture to harm
him, but follow him by day at a distance of half a mile or so, and at
night, when he lies down to sleep, they will couch also at a respectful
distance.
Should he wound a bison and not be able to secure it, the wolves are
sure to have that animal sooner or later, and if they manage to detach
a single bison from the herd, they will fairly persecute the wretched
animal to death. But they will never venture to attack a herd of
bisons, and, being instinctively aware of the protection afforded by
mutual support, the bisons allow the wolves to approach quite close to
them, and, indeed, to wander freely among the herd. Of this fact the
hunters take advantage in the following manner. They remove the skin
of a large wolf, and put it upon themselves, so that when they go on
all fours the head of the wolf projects just above their own head, and
their arms and legs are partly covered by the skin belonging to the
corresponding members of the wolf.
Thus disguised, they creep slowly and cautiously toward the herd,
bearing their bow and arrows in their left hands. The bisons, whose
eyes are none of the best, being overshadowed by the masses of black
hair that overlap them, think nothing of the supposed wolves, and
allow them to come quite close. Even if an animal more wary than his
comrades does suspect the ruse, the disguised hunter has merely to turn
in another direction, as if the creature he represents has no business
with the herd. By degrees, he contrives to creep close to the bison
which he prefers, and drives the flint-headed arrow to its heart. No
report attending the discharge of the arrow, the wounded bison runs
for a few paces, and sinks on the ground, mostly without alarming any
of its companions. The hunter leaves his dying prey, goes off after
another victim, and slays it in a similar fashion. Thus a skilful
hunter will manage to exhaust the whole of his stock of arrows, killing
a bison with each arrow, and yet not alarm the rest of the herd.
Both in hunting and in warfare the equestrian warriors always carry the
lasso attached to the saddles of their horses. It is not, however, kept
coiled, as is the case in Mexico, but is allowed to trail on the ground
behind their horse. The object of this custom is easily understood. It
often happens that, whether in the hunt or warfare, the rider is thrown
from his horse. In such a case, as soon as he touches the ground, he
seizes the lasso, stops his well-trained horse with a jerk, leaps on
its back, and is at once ready to renew the combat or the chase.
The mode in which the natives supply themselves with horses is worth
a brief description. In various parts of the country the horses have
completely acclimatized themselves, and have run free for many years,
so that they have lost all traces of domestication, and have become as
truly wild as the bison and the antelope, assembling in large herds,
headed by the strongest and swiftest animals. It is from these herds
that the natives supply themselves with the horses which of late years
have become absolutely necessary to them; and in most cases the animals
are captured in fair chase after the following manner:--
When an American Indian--say a Camanchee--wishes to catch a fresh
horse, he mounts his best steed, and goes in search of the nearest
herd. When he has come as near as he can without being discovered, he
dashes at the herd at full speed, and, singling out one of the horses,
as it gallops along, hampered by the multitude of its companions,
flings his lasso over its neck.
As soon as the noose has firmly settled, the hunter leaps off his own
steed (which is trained to remain standing on the same spot until it
is wanted), and allows himself to be dragged along by the affrighted
animal, which soon falls, in consequence of being choked by the
leathern cord.
When the horse has fallen, the hunter comes cautiously up, keeping the
lasso tight enough to prevent the animal from fairly recovering its
breath, and loose enough to guard against its entire strangulation, and
at last is able to place one hand over its eyes and the other on its
nostrils.
The animal is now at his mercy. He breathes strongly into its nostrils,
and from that moment the hitherto wild horse is his slave. In order to
impress upon the animal the fact of his servitude, he hobbles together
its fore-feet for a time, and casts a noose over its lower jaw; but
within a wonderfully short period he is able to remove the hobbles, and
to ride the conquered animal into camp. During the time occupied in
taming the horse, it plunges and struggles in the wildest manner; but
after this one struggle it yields the point, and becomes the willing
slave of its conqueror. Those who have seen the late Mr. Rarey operate
on a savage horse can easily imagine the scene that takes place on the
prairie.
The rapidity with which this operation is completed is really
wonderful. An experienced hunter is able to chase, capture, and break
a wild horse within an hour, and to do his work so effectually that
almost before its companions are out of sight the hitherto wild animal
is being ridden as if it had been born in servitude.
The native hunter, cruel master though he generally is, takes special
care not to damp the spirit of his horse, and prides himself on the
bounds and curvets which the creature makes when it receives its master
upon its back.
There is only one drawback to this mode of hunting. It is impossible to
capture with the lasso the best and swiftest specimens. These animals
always take command of the herd, and place themselves at its head. They
seem to assume the responsibility as well as the position of leaders,
and, as soon as they fear danger, dart off at full speed, knowing that
the herd will follow them. Consequently, they are often half a mile or
more in advance of their followers, so that the hunter has no chance of
overtaking them on a horse impeded by the weight of a rider.
A rather strange method of horse taking has been invented since the
introduction of fire-arms. This is technically named “creasing,” and
is done in the following manner. Taking his rifle with him, the hunter
creeps as near the herd as he can, and watches until he fixes on a
horse that he thinks will suit him. Waiting till the animal is standing
with its side toward him, he aims carefully at the top of the neck,
and fires. If the aim be correct, the bullet just grazes the neck, and
the horse falls as if dead, stunned for the moment by the shock. It
recovers within a very short time; but before it has regained its feet
the hunter is able to come up to the prostrate animal, place his hands
over its eyes, breathe into its nostrils, and thus to subdue it.
This is a very effectual mode of horse catching; but it is not in favor
with those who want horses for their own riding, because it always
breaks the spirit of the animal, and deprives it of that fire and
animation which the native warrior prizes so highly. Indeed, so careful
is the Camanchee of his steed, that he will not mount his favorite war
horse except in actual warfare, or in the hunt. When he is summoned by
his chief, he attends muster, mounted on a second horse, or hack, and
leading his war horse by the bridle.
The wild horses of North America are a small and neat-limbed, though
powerful, breed of animal. Mr. Catlin says that their value has been
much overrated, as even those which belong to the Camanchees, and are
thought to be equal to the best Arab horses, are on the average worth
some twenty pounds each. The chiefs have generally one or two horses of
very superior quality; but as far as the average goes, the Camanchee
horse is not worth more than the above mentioned sum.
The horses that are generally brought into the market are those that
are obtained by “creasing.” Experienced purchasers, however, do not
care much about such animals. Creasing is, moreover, liable to two
disadvantages. The hunter is equally in danger of missing his mark
altogether, in which case the whole herd dashes off, and gives no more
chances to the hunter; or of striking too low, in which case the horse
is killed on the spot.
In accordance with their usual custom, some of the tribes perform a
sacred dance as a means of bringing the bison within their reach. The
most characteristic of these performances is the Buffalo Dance as
practised by the Mandans.
Sometimes it happens that the supplies of fresh meat fail. During
the greater part of the year the bisons are scattered with tolerable
evenness throughout the land, so that the hunters are able to find a
sufficiency of game within a few miles of their village, to supply
them with food. Indeed, large herds of bisons can often be seen from
the village itself, their black masses being conspicuous against the
verdure of the ground over which they range.
At certain seasons of the year, however, the animals are sure to
withdraw themselves further and further from the villages, so that the
hunters, in order to procure meat, are obliged to venture so far from
their own ground that they are in danger of meeting with war parties
of an inimical tribe. At last the hunters report to the council of
chiefs and medicine men that they can no longer find game. A solemn
conclave is at once held, and if, after a few days of patient waiting,
during which every adult throughout the community is reduced to a
state of semi-starvation, no bisons are found, the buffalo dance is
ordered. This remarkable dance is a sort of homage to the Great Spirit,
acknowledging that He can send the animals to them, and praying that He
will do so; and, as we shall presently see, it is a remedy that never
fails.
Among the Mandans every man is obliged by law to have a buffalo mask,
_i. e._ the skin of the head, with the horns added to it. Usually
to the head is added a strip of skin some four or five inches wide,
extending along the whole length of the animal, and including the tail.
When the wearer puts on his mask, the strip of skin extends down his
back, and the tufted tail drags on the ground behind him.
I have worn one of these strange masks, and found it much less
inconvenient than might have been supposed. It is not nearly so
cumbrous as the chief’s dress of state, described on page 1276. The
buffalo mask is kept by each man at the head of his bed, a circumstance
which gives a strange wildness to the interior of the hut, or lodge, as
it is called, especially if several young warriors sleep in the same
lodge.
As soon as the mandate for the buffalo dance is given, the men repair
to their lodges and bring out their masks, together with the weapons
which they are accustomed to use in the hunt. Ten or fifteen of them
arrange themselves in a circle, while the medicine men seat themselves
on the ground, beating their sacred drums and shaking their rattles to
a rhythmical sort of movement which guides the steps of the dancers.
These move continually in a circle, stamping, yelping, grunting,
bellowing, and imitating in various ways the movements of the bison.
The dance goes on day and night without cessation, and as it never
ceases until bisons are seen, the reader will understand that it is
absolutely effective in bringing them. A spirited sketch of such a
dance is given on the following page.
The mode in which it is kept up is rather amusing. The medicine men
who beat the drums and encourage the dancers are relieved from time
to time by their companions. But for the dancers there is supposed to
be no relief but death. This difficulty, however, is surmounted by a
sort of legal fiction. When one of the performers has yelped, stamped,
bellowed, and leaped until he can dance no longer, he stoops down and
places his hands on the ground. Another dancer, who is armed with a
very weak bow and arrows with large blunt heads, fits an arrow to his
bow, and shoots him. The wounded dancer falls to the ground, and is
seized by the bystanders, who drag him out of the ring, go through the
movements of skinning him and cutting him up, when he is allowed to
retire and rest from his labors. As soon as he is dragged out of the
ring, another dancer leaps into his place, and in this way the dance
may go on for weeks without cessation.
Meanwhile scouts are posted on all the hills within range, and as soon
as one of them sees the bisons, he gives the signal by tossing his
rope in the air in the direction of the game. Mr. Catlin relates a
remarkable instance of the buffalo dance and its sequel.
Game had been scarce, the dance had been going on for days, and the
village was in a state of increasing distress, when the welcome signal
was seen from the hills. The dance ceased, the young men flew to their
arms, sprang on their horses, and dashed off into the prairie toward
the signal.
“In the village, where hunger reigned and starvation was almost ready
to look them in the face, all was instantly turned to joy and gladness.
The chief and doctors, who had been for seven days dealing out minimum
rations to the community from the public crib, now spread before their
subjects the contents of their own private _caches_ (_i. e._ hidden
stores), and the last of everything that could be mustered, that they
might eat a thanksgiving to the Great Spirit for His goodness in
sending them a supply of buffalo meat.
“A general carouse of banqueting ensued, which occupied the greater
part of the day, and their hidden stores, which might have fed them
on an emergency for several weeks, were pretty nearly used up on the
occasion. Bones were half picked, dishes half emptied, and then handed
to the dogs. I was not forgotten in the general surfeit. Several large
and generous wooden bowls of pemmican and other palatable food were
sent to my painting room, and I received them in this time of scarcity
with great pleasure.”
When the feast was over, songs and dances set in, and the whole village
was filled with sounds of revelry. Suddenly, in the midst of their
mirth, two or three of the hunters dashed in among the feasters, one
having in his hands a still bleeding scalp, another sitting wounded on
his horse, whose white coat was crimsoned with the fast-flowing blood
of the rider, while another was, though unwounded, totally unarmed,
having flung away his weapons in the hurry of flight.
Their fatal story was soon told. The bisons, after whom the hunters had
gone were nothing more than empty skins, within which a party of Sioux
warriors had hidden themselves, and were imitating the action of the
animals which they personated. Inveterate enemies of the Mandans, they
had reconnoitred their village by night, and ascertained that they were
executing the buffalo dance. Several of them procured bison skins, and
enacted the part of the animals, while their comrades were concealed
behind the bluffs.
Fortunately for the Mandans, their leader became suspicious of the
supposed bisons, and halted his troop before they had quite fallen into
the trap, and, when some eighty or ninety mounted Sioux dashed at them
from behind the bluff, they were just starting homeward. As it was,
however, eight of them fell, a loss which was but ill compensated by
one or two Sioux scalps secured by the Mandans in the hurry of flight.
Even under such untoward circumstances, the buffalo dance did not lose
its reputation, for within two days a large herd of bisons passed near
the village, and afforded an abundant supply of meat.
[Illustration: (1.) BISON HUNTING. (See page 1293.)]
[Illustration: (2.) BUFFALO DANCE. (See page 1298.)]
CHAPTER CXXXVIII.
THE NORTH AMERICAN INDIANS--_Continued_.
RELIGION--SUPERSTITION.
THE TERRIBLE ORDEAL OF THE MANDANS -- LEGEND OF THE FLOOD -- APPROACH
OF THE FIRST MAN -- THE GREAT MEDICINE LODGE, AND ITS CONTENTS
-- APPROACH OF THE CANDIDATES, AND DEPARTURE OF THE FIRST MAN --
BUFFALO DANCE, AND THE BIG CANOE -- APPROACH OF THE EVIL SPIRIT --
POWER OF THE MEDICINE PIPE -- COMMENCEMENT OF INITIATION -- TRIAL BY
SUSPENSION -- SWOON AND RECOVERY -- THE LAST RACE -- TWO COURAGEOUS
INITIATES -- LOOKING AT THE SUN -- RAIN MAKING -- THE WHITE BUFFALO
HAIR, AND HIS PROWESS -- THE MEDICINE BAGS AND THE TOTEMS -- THE
MEDICINE MAN AT WORK -- THE WOUNDED MAN AND SICK GIRL -- INITIATION
OF THE MIDÉ ORDER -- THE PIPES OF PEACE AND WAR -- SACRIFICES.
We now come to the religious ceremonies of these remarkable tribes,
and will begin with the terrible ordeal through which the youths have
to pass before they can be acknowledged as men. Among the Mandans,
this ordeal, for length and for severity, throws into the shade all
the various ordeals of which we have read. Even the terrible gloves of
the Mundurucú are mild when compared with the horrors of the Mandan
initiation.
Until late years this ceremony was quite unknown. Every one who knew
the people was aware that the Mandan youths had to pass through
some terrible scenes of torture before they could take their place,
among the warriors, but the details of the whole ceremony were kept
a profound secret, and were never betrayed until Mr. Catlin, in
his character of medicine man (which he had gained by his skill in
painting), was permitted to be present. It is most fortunate that he
did so, for the Mandan tribe has utterly perished, and thus the records
of a most extraordinary superstition would have vanished. The ceremony
is a very long and complicated one, and the following is a condensed
account of it.
The ceremony has a religious aspect, and is, in fact, performed for the
sake of propitiating the Great Spirit in favor of the young men who
undergo it, so that he may make them valiant warriors and successful
hunters. It has also another important object. Being conducted in the
presence of the great chief and medicine man, it enables the leader
of the tribe to watch the behavior of the young men who pass through
the ordeal, and to decide upon their ability to sustain the various
privations of Indian warfare.
The reader must first be told that among the Mandans there survived
the legend of a flood which covered the earth, and from which only one
man escaped in a large canoe. In the centre of the village there is a
large open space, in which is a conventional representation of the “big
canoe,” in which the First or Only Man escaped. It is not the least
like a canoe, and in fact is nothing more than a sort of tub standing
on one end. It is bound with wooden hoops, and is religiously preserved
from injury, not the least scratch being allowed to defile its smooth
surface.
The ceremony only takes place once in the year, the time being
designated by the full expansion of the willow leaves under the banks
of the river. The Mandans possess the legend of the bird flying to the
big canoe with a leaf in its mouth, only with them the leaf is that of
the willow, and not of the olive. The bird itself is held sacred, and,
as it may not be injured, it may often be seen feeding on the tops of
the Mandan huts.
Early on the morning of the appointed day, a figure is seen on a
distant bluff, approaching with slow and stately steps. As soon as
he is seen, the whole village becomes a scene of confusion, as if the
enemy were attacking it. The dogs are caught and muzzled, the horses
that are feeding on the surrounding pastures are driven into the
village, the warriors paint their faces for battle, seize their spears,
string their bows, and prepare their arrows.
In the midst of the confusion the First Man, or Nu-mohk-muck-a-nah,
as he is called in the Mandan tongue, stalks into the central space,
where the chief and principal warriors receive him and shake hands.
He is a strange object to the eye. His nearly naked body is painted
white, a white wolf-skin mantle is thrown over his shoulders, his head
is decorated with plumes of ravens’ feathers, and in his left hand he
bears his mystery pipe, which he treats with the greatest veneration.
After greeting the chief, he proceeds to the great medicine lodge,
which is kept closed during the year, and has it swept and the floor
strewn with fresh green boughs and aromatic herbs. Several skulls of
men and bisons are laid on the floor, a number of new ropes are thrown
over the beams, a quantity of strong wooden skewers are placed under
them, and in the centre is built a slight platform, on the top of which
is laid the chief medicine or mystery of the tribe. This is so sacred
that no one is allowed to approach it except the conductor of the
ceremony, and none but he ever knows what it is.
He next goes to every hut in succession, stands before the gate, and
weeps loudly. When the owner comes out, the First Man narrates the
circumstances of the flood and of his own escape, and demands an axe
or a knife as a sacrifice to the Great Spirit. Every hut furnishes
an edged tool of some kind; and when the tale is completed, they are
carried into the medicine lodge. There they rest until the last day of
the ceremonies when they are thrown into a deep pool in the river. No
one is allowed to touch them, and there they lie until at some future
day they will be discovered, to the great bewilderment of antiquarians.
From the moment that the First Man enters the village a dead silence
reigns, a circumstance quite in opposition to the usual noisy habits
of a native village. Where he sleeps no one knows, but at dawn of
the following morning he again enters the village, as he had done
before, and walks to the medicine lodge, whither he is followed
by the candidates for initiation walking in Indian file, and each
painted fantastically, and carrying his bow and arrows, his shield,
and “medicine bag.” Of this article we shall learn more in a future
page. In silence they seat themselves round the lodge, each having his
weapons hung over his head.
Here they have to sit for four days, during which time they may not
communicate with those on the outside of the hut, and are not allowed
to eat, drink, or sleep. When they have taken their places, the First
Man lights his pipe from the fire that is kept burning in the centre of
the lodge, and makes an oration to the candidates, exhorting them to
be courageous and enduring, and praying that the Great Spirit may give
them strength to pass satisfactorily through the ordeal.
He then calls to him an old medicine man, and appoints him to be master
of the ceremonies, handing him the mystery pipe as a symbol of office.
Addressing the assembled company, he takes leave of the chiefs, saying
that he will return in another year to re-open the lodge, and stalks
slowly out of the village, disappearing over the bluffs whence he came.
The master of the ceremonies then takes his place in the centre of
the lodge, and relights the pipe, uttering with every whiff of smoke
a petition to the Great Spirit in behalf of the candidates. For three
full days they sit silently round the lodge, but outside it a strange
series of ceremonies takes place.
Chief among them is the buffalo dance, in which the eight actors wear
the entire skins of bisons, and carry on their backs a large bundle
of slight twigs. They also carry a mystery rattle in one hand, and
a slender staff in the other. They arrange themselves in four pairs
round the Big Canoe, each pair corresponding with one of the cardinal
points of the compass. Between each group dances a young man, two of
them painted black and covered with white stars, so as to represent the
night, and the other two painted red, to represent the day.
Beside the Big Canoe sit two medicine men, wearing the skins of grizzly
bears, and threatening to devour the whole village. In order to appease
their hunger, the women bring continual relays of meat in dishes, which
are at once carried off to the prairie by men painted entirely black,
except their heads, which are white. They are thus colored in imitation
of the bald-headed eagle. As they run to the prairie they are pursued
by a host of little boys painted yellow, with white heads, and called
antelopes. After a severe chase they catch the eagle-men, seize the
food, and devour it.
These dances occur several times daily, the performers being summoned
by the master of the ceremonies, who comes out of the medicine lodge,
followed by his immediate assistants, and proceeds to the Big Canoe,
against which he leans, and weeps aloud as if in dire distress. The
dance takes place four times on the first day, eight times on the
second, twelve times on the third, and sixteen times on the fourth; the
sound of the old man’s wailing cry being the signal for the dancers to
issue from the hut in which they dress.
During each performance, the old medicine men who are beating their
drums address the bystanders, telling them that the Great Spirit is
pleased with their invocations, and that he has given them peace; that
even their women and children can hold the mouths of grizzly bears; and
that the evil spirit who is challenged by these rites has not dared to
make his appearance. Thirty-two times during the four days this vaunt
is made, and no evil spirit appears; but after the last day he comes,
and a horrible-looking object he is.
On a distant bluff the evil spirit makes his appearance, rushing toward
the village in a wild and devious course. Presently he enters the
circle, perfectly naked, with his body painted black and covered with
white rings, his mouth decorated with white indentations like great
teeth, and holding in his hand a long magic staff tipped with a red
ball. As he runs along, he slides this ball before him on the ground,
and suddenly makes a rush at the groups of women who are witnessing the
ceremony.
They fall back on each other in terror, and shriek for aid, which is
given by the master of the ceremonies. As soon as he hears their cries,
he runs from the Big Canoe, where he has been weeping, and holds his
magic pipe in front of the intruder. The demon is instantly checked
by its wondrous influence, and he stands as if petrified, each limb
remaining in the attitude which it had taken when the pipe was held
before him.
“This check gave the females an opportunity to get out of reach, and
when they were free from their danger, though all hearts beat yet with
the intensest excitement, their alarm was cooled down into the most
exorbitant laughter and shouts of applause at his sudden defeat, and
the awkward and ridiculous posture in which he was stopped and held.
The old man was braced stiff by his side, with his eyeballs glaring
him in the face, whilst the medicine pipe held in its mystic chain his
satanic majesty, annulling all the powers of his magical wand, and also
depriving him of the power of locomotion.
“Surely, no two human beings ever presented a more striking group
than these two individuals did for a few moments, with their eyeballs
set in direst mutual hatred upon each other; both struggling for the
supremacy, relying on the potency of their medicine or mystery; the one
held in check, with his body painted black, representing, or rather
assuming to be, O-kee-hee-de (the Evil Spirit), frowning everlasting
vengeance on the other, who sternly gazed him back with a look of
exultation and contempt, as he held him in check and disarmed under the
charm of his sacred mystery-pipe.”
This scene is repeatedly enacted, until the powers of the magic pipe
are proved against the assaults of the evil one, and the people have
gained confidence in its protection. The women then begin in their
turn to assail their persecutor with jeers and laughter, until at last
one of them snatches up a handful of mud and dashes it in his face. He
is at once vanquished by this attack, and begins to weep piteously.
Emboldened by this confession of weakness, another woman snatches away
his magic staff, and breaks it across her knee. The fragments are
seized by the surrounding women, who break them to pieces and fling
them at the head of the demon. Being now deprived of all his power,
he runs off across the prairie, followed for half a mile or so by
the women, who pelt him with sticks, stones, and mud, until at last
he effects his escape, and the village is rid of the evil spirit for
another year.
Now the remainder of the initiation may proceed.
The little scaffold with its mystic burden is removed from the centre
of the great medicine lodge, the hide ropes are passed through
apertures in the roof to men who stand outside, and the master of the
ceremonies, and his assistants, together with the chiefs and braves of
the tribe, re-enter the lodge, and take up their positions.
The first candidate is now called, and, wasted by four days of
abstinence from food, drink, or sleep, places himself in front of two
of the operators. One of these, who is armed with a double edged knife,
purposely blunted and notched, pinches up an inch or so of flesh of the
shoulder or breast, and pushes the knife through it, between his finger
and thumb and the body of the candidate. The knife is then withdrawn,
and one of the wooden skewers forced through the aperture. This
operation is repeated on the other shoulder or breast, on each arm just
below the shoulder and below the elbow, upon each thigh, and upon each
leg just below the knee.
While this operation is being performed, the candidates do not allow
the slightest symptom of pain to escape them, and they even invite the
spectators to watch their countenances, so as to ascertain that they
betray no signs of suffering. They may well do so, for upon the verdict
of these chiefs depends the consideration in which they will be held in
after life, and no man has a chance of being appointed the leader of a
war party if he has been seen to flinch during the ordeal.
As soon as these preparations are completed, two of the hide ropes are
lowered from the roof, and hitched round the skewers on the breast or
shoulders. To the others are hung the weapons of the candidate, while
to those of the lower arm and leg are suspended the skulls of bisons.
A signal is then given, and the poor wretch is hauled up into the air,
when he swings suspended only by the two skewers, and sustaining not
only his own weight but that of the heavy skulls, his feet being some
six or eight feet from the ground. In this terrible position he has to
remain until nature finally gives way, and he faints. The artist has
represented this stage of the fearful ordeal on the following page.
“Surrounded,” writes Mr. Catlin, “by imps and demons, as they appear,
a dozen or more, who seem to be concocting and devising means for his
exquisite agony, gather around him, when one of the number advances
toward him in a sneering manner, and commences turning him round with
a pole which he brings in his hand for that purpose. This is done in a
gentle manner at first, but gradually increased, until the poor fellow,
whose proud spirit can control its agony no longer, bursts out in the
most lamentable and heart-rending cries that the human voice is capable
of producing, crying forth a prayer to the Great Spirit to support
and protect him in this dreadful trial, and continually repeating his
confidence in his protection.
“In this condition he is continued to be turned faster and faster, and
there is no hope of escape for him, nor the chance for the slightest
relief, until, by fainting, his voice falters, and his strugglings
cease, and he hangs a still and apparently lifeless corpse. When he is
by turning gradually brought to this condition, which is generally done
within ten or fifteen minutes, there is a close scrutiny passed upon
him among his tormentors, who are checking and holding each other back
as long as the least struggling or tremor can be discovered; lest he
should be removed before he is, as they term it, entirely dead.”
When they are satisfied, a signal is given to the rope-holders, and
the senseless man is lowered to the ground, the skewers which passed
through his breast are removed, and the ropes attached to another
candidate. Just as he falls, he is allowed to lie, no one daring to
touch him, for he has put himself under the protection of the Great
Spirit, and to help him would be a sacrilege.
When he recovers a little strength, he crawls to another part of the
lodge, where sits a medicine man with a bison skull before him, and
an axe in his hand. Holding up the little finger of his left hand as
a sacrifice to the Great Spirit, the initiate lays it upon the skull,
when it is severed by a blow from the axe. Sometimes the fore-finger of
the same hand is also offered, so that there are only left the thumb
and the two middle fingers, which are all that are needed to hold the
bow.
It is a point of honor with the initiates to recover as quickly as
possible from their swoon, and the chief warriors all watch them
narrowly on this point, inasmuch as rapidity of recovery is a proof
that the individual is strong, and capable of enduring the hardships
which every war party is nearly certain to undergo before their return.
The final scene of the initiation is called the Last Race, and is, if
possible, even a more dreadful trial than any which the candidates have
yet undergone. An illustration of it is also given the reader on the
next page.
The reader will remember that, although the skewers by which the
young men were suspended are removed as soon as they are lowered to
the ground, there yet remain eight more, two in each arm, and two in
each leg. To each of these is attached a heavy weight, such as the
bison skull, and none of them may be drawn out. They must absolutely
be torn out through the flesh by main force, and that this object may
be accomplished the Last Race is run. Hitherto the ordeal has been
confined to the interior of the medicine lodge, but the Last Race is
run in the open air, and the whole of the inhabitants are spectators.
The master of the ceremonies leaves the medicine lodge, goes to the Big
Canoe, leans his head against it, and sets up his wailing cry. At the
sound of his voice twenty young men issue from the dressing hut, all of
the same height, and all wearing beautiful war dresses of eagle quills.
Each carries in one hand a wreath of willow boughs, and on reaching the
Big Canoe they arrange themselves round it in a circle, holding the
wreaths as connecting links. They then run round the canoe, from left
to right, screaming and yelping at the top of their voices, and going
as fast as their legs can carry them.
The candidates are now brought out of the medicine lodge, each trailing
the heavy weights attached to his limbs, and are placed at equal
intervals outside the ring of runners. As each takes his place, he is
given into the charge of two powerful young men, who pass round each
of his wrists a broad leathern strap, which they grasp firmly without
tying.
As soon as all are ready, a signal is given, and the candidates are set
running round the Big Canoe, outside the inner circle, each man being
dragged along by his supporters, until the skulls and other weights
tear out the skewers to which they are fastened. The bystanders yell
and applaud at the tops of their voices, so as to drown the groans of
the sufferers, should the force of nature extract a sound from them,
and to encourage them to endure this last trial. It often happens that
the flesh is so tough that the skewers cannot be dragged out, and in
such cases the friends of the sufferers jump on the skulls as they
trail along the ground so as to add their weight to them.
The candidates mostly faint before they have run very far, but they
are still dragged round the circle, and not released until the last
weight has been torn away. As soon as this occurs, the two men who have
dragged their senseless charge loosen their holds, and run away as fast
as they can, leaving the body lying on the ground. No one may touch the
poor wretch; and there he lies, a second time in the keeping of the
Great Spirit. After a few minutes he recovers his senses, rises, and
staggers through the crowd to his own hut, where his friends meet him,
and do their best to succor him.
[Illustration: (1.) MANDAN ORDEAL OF SUSPENSION. (See page 1304.)]
[Illustration: (2.) THE LAST RACE. (See page 1304.)]
The rule is absolute that the man may not be released until the
skewers have been fairly torn through the flesh. Mr. Catlin relates
two remarkable anecdotes illustrative of this fact. In the one case
the skewer had been unfortunately passed under a sinew. The poor
lad was in vain dragged round the ring, and in vain did his friends
throw themselves on the elk skull that was hung to him. At last the
spectators set up a cry of distress, and the master of the ceremonies
stopped the runners, leaving the senseless body lying on the ground.
Presently the lad recovered himself, looked at the cause of his
torment, and with a pleasant smile crawled on his hands and knees to
the prairie, where he remained for three days longer without food or
drink, until suppuration took place, and enabled him to release himself
from his encumbrance. He crawled on his hands and knees to his home,
and, in spite of his sufferings, recovered in a few days.
In the other case, two of the weights attached to the arms could not
be removed. The unfortunate wretch crawled to the precipitous bank of
the river, and drove a stake into the ground. To this stake he fastened
the weights by two ropes, and let himself down half-way to the water.
In this terrible position he hung for more than two days, until the too
stubborn flesh at last gave way, and let him fall into the water. He
swam to the side, made his way up the steep bank, and recovered.
Such instances as these, terrible as they are at the time, are never
regretted by those to whom they occur, as they offer means of proving
their valor and endurance, and any one who has overcome them is held in
much consideration by the rest of the tribe.
Dreadful as is the whole scene of suffering, and sufficient to kill
an ordinary white man, several of the warriors have undergone it more
than once, and Mr. Catlin saw by the scars left on the body and limbs
that some of the chief Mandan braves had submitted to the torture no
less than five times. Some part of the estimation in which such men are
held is owing to the belief of the Mandans that the annual supply of
bisons depends on the proper fulfilling of these ceremonies, and that
the Great Spirit is gratified in proportion to the number of times that
the rites are performed. Thus those who have undergone them repeatedly
are benefactors to the tribe in general, and as such receive their
gratitude.
A somewhat similar system prevails among the Dacotah or Sioux Indians,
as they are generally called. This, however, is a voluntary proceeding
very rarely seen, and one which is intended simply to raise the
candidate to the rank of medicine man. A tall and slender pole is set
firmly in the ground, and to the top of it is fastened one end of a
rope, the other being made into a loop. The candidate for mystic honors
takes his place at the pole before dawn, painted gaily, and holding his
medicine bag in his hand. Just before the sun rises, two skewers are
passed through his breast, as is done by the Mandans, and the loop of
the rope is passed over them.
The man now stands opposite the spot where the sun will rise, fixes his
eyes upon it, and leans backward so as to throw the whole weight of his
body on the rope, his feet serving more to balance than sustain him.
As the sun passes over the heavens, he moves gradually round, never
speaking nor taking his eyes from it; and if he can endure this torture
from sunrise to sunset without fainting, he earns the rank to which he
aspires, together with all the valuable presents which are laid at the
foot of the pole by his admirers.
There is great risk attending this practice. Should the man faint in
spite of the shouts and cheering cries of his friends, and the prayers
and songs of the medicine men who sit around the pole, chanting and
beating their magic drums, his reputation is lost, and he will ever
afterward be held up to ridicule as one who had the presumption to set
up for a medicine man, and had no power to sustain the character.
The Mandans have a curious mode of obtaining the rank of medicine man,
resembling in many points the rain making ceremonies of Africa. As
they depend much for their subsistence on the maize which they grow, a
drought is always a great calamity, and must be averted if possible.
When such an event occurs, the women, whose business it is to till the
ground, come to the chiefs and doctors, and beg them to make rain,
lest the corn should die. A council is then held, and the medicine
men assemble in the council-house, and go through their preliminary
ceremonies. No one is allowed to enter the house except the medicine
men and those candidates who aspire to that rank.
There are generally ten or fifteen young men who prize that rank so
highly that they are willing to run the risk of failure, and to lose
all reputation in their tribe if they fail in drawing down the rain
from the sky. They are called one by one out of the lodge, and take
their position on the roof, when they go through the ceremonies which
they think will produce the desired rain. They stand there from sunrise
to sunset, and if no rain falls, they go to their houses disgraced,
and debarred from all hope of being admitted into the Council of the
tribe. Should, however, the rain descend, the reputation of the rain
maker is assured, and he is at once admitted into the council among the
chiefs and greatest braves.
Mr. Catlin relates a curious account of rain making of which he was
a witness. There had been a drought for some time in the land, and
the rain makers had been at work for three days. On the first day a
man named Wah-kee, or the Shield, essayed his fortune, and failed.
The same fate befell Om-pah, or the Elk, in spite of his headdress
made of the skin of the raven, the bird that soars amid the storm.
Wa-rah-pa, or the Beaver, also tried and failed; and on the fourth day
Wak-a-dah-ha-hee, the White Buffalo Hair, took his stand on the lodge.
He placed his chief reliance on the red lightnings with which he had
painted his shield, and the single arrow which he carried in his hand.
He made an oration to the people, saying that he was willing to
sacrifice himself for the good of the tribe, and either to bring rain
or live with the dogs and old women all his life. He explained that one
candidate had failed because the shield warded off the rain clouds;
that the second failed because the raven was a bird that soared above
the storm, and so did not care whether it rained or not; and the third
failed because the beaver was always wet, and did not require rain. But
as for himself, the red lightnings on his shield should bring the black
thunder-cloud, and his arrow should pierce the cloud and pour the water
on the fields.
Now it happened that just at that time a steamboat, the first that
had ever been up the Missouri, fired a salute from a twelve-pounder
gun, as she came in sight of the Mandan village. The sound of the gun
was naturally taken for thunder, and the village was filled with joy.
Valuable gifts were presented on all sides to the successful candidate,
mothers were bringing their daughters to offer them as his wives, and
the medicine men were issuing from their lodge in order to admit him
formally among themselves.
Suddenly, from his elevated post, Wak-a-dah-ha-hee saw the steamboat
ploughing her way up the river, and emitting the thunder from her
sides. He turned to the chiefs and the assembled multitude, and told
them that, though the sounds were not those of thunder, his medicine
was strong, and had brought a thunder-boat to the village. The whole
population thronged to the bank in silent wonder, and in the excitement
of the time even the rain maker was forgotten. The passengers landed
among the Mandans, and for the rest of the day all was turmoil and
confusion. Just before sunset the White Buffalo Hair spied a black
cloud creeping up from the horizon, unnoticed by the excited crowd.
In a moment he was on the roof of the council-house again, his bow
strung and the arrow brandished in his hand. He renewed his boastings
and adjurations, and as the cloud came over the village, he bent his
bow and shot his arrow into the sky. Down came the rain in torrents,
drenching the fortunate rain maker as he stood on the roof, still
brandishing his thunder shield and vaunting its power.
The storm continued during the night, but unfortunately a flash of
lightning entered a lodge, and killed a young girl. Consternation
reigned throughout the village, and no one was more frightened than
the newly-made medicine man, who feared that the Council would hold
him responsible for the girl’s fate, and condemn him to a cruel death.
Moreover, he really considered that he was in some way responsible, as
he had left the top of the council-house before he had brought rain.
So, early in the morning, he sent his friends to bring him his three
horses, and, as the sun rose, he again mounted the lodge and addressed
the people. His medicine was _too_ strong, he said. “I am young, and
I was too fast. I knew not where to stop. The wigwam of Mah-sish is
laid low, and many are the eyes that weep for Ko-ka (the Antelope).
Wak-a-dah-ha-hee gives three horses to gladden the hearts of those that
weep for Ko-ka. His medicine is great. His arrow pierced the black
cloud, and the lightning came, and the thunder boat also. Who says that
the medicine of Wak-a-dah-ha-hee is not strong?” This ingenious address
was received with shouts of applause, and from that time to his death
Wak-a-dah-ha-hee was known by the honorable title of the “Big Double
Medicine.”
We will now glance at the medicine bag, which plays so important a part
among all the tribes of North America.
When a boy is fourteen or fifteen years old, he is sent into the woods
to find his medicine. He makes a couch of boughs, and then lies without
food or drink for several days, the power of his medicine being in
proportion to the length of his fast. So severe is this discipline
that instances have been known when the lad has died from the long
abstinence to which he subjected himself. When he has endured to the
utmost, he yields himself to sleep, and the first beast, bird, or
reptile of which he dreams becomes his “medicine.”
He then returns home, and as soon as he has recovered a little
strength, he goes out in search of his medicine, and, having killed
it, preserves the skin in any shape which his fancy may dictate. It is
mostly sewed up in the form of a bag, and contains one or two other
charms. The reader will see that the size of the medicine bag is
exceedingly variable, according to the size of the creature from whose
skin it is formed. Sometimes it is three feet or more in length, and
often it is so small that it can be concealed under the garments of the
owner.
From the medicine bag the Indian never parts. He considers its presence
absolutely indispensable to ensure success in any undertaking, and even
carries it into battle, where he trusts to it for protection. Should
he lose it in battle, he is utterly disgraced, and there is only one
way of restoring himself to reputation. An Indian can only “make his
medicine” once, so that he may not restore it by another probation
of fasting and dreaming. But if he can slay an enemy in open battle,
and take his medicine bag, his status in the tribe is restored, and
he thenceforth assumes the medicine of the slain man in exchange
for his own. If a man who has not lost his own medicine succeeds in
capturing one from an enemy in fair battle, he is entitled to assume a
“double-medicine,” and never loses an opportunity of displaying both
the medicine bags as trophies of his prowess. Taking a medicine bag
is as honorable as taking a scalp, and the successful warrior has the
further advantage of being doubly protected by the two charms.
Very few instances have been known where an Indian has voluntarily
parted with his medicine bag, and in such cases scarcely any display of
valor will reinstate him in the opinion of his tribe. Sometimes he can
be induced by the solicitation of white men to bury it, but he treats
the grave as if it were that of a revered relation, hovering about it
as much as possible, lying over the sacred spot, and talking to the bag
as if it were alive. Sometimes he offers sacrifices to it; and, if he
be a wealthy man, he will offer a horse.
Such a sacrifice as this takes rank as a public ceremony. A long
procession goes to the prairie, the lead being taken by the owner of
the medicine bag, driving before him the horse, which must always be
the best he possesses. The animal is curiously painted and branded, and
is held by a long lasso. When the procession arrives at the appointed
spot, the sacrificer makes a long prayer to the Great Spirit, and then
slips the lasso from the animal, which from that time takes its place
among the wild horses of the prairie, and if at any time caught by the
lasso, is at once recognized by the brand, and set free again. Such a
sacrifice as this is appreciated very highly by the tribe, and gives
the man the privilege of recording the circumstance on his mantle and
tent. One Mandan chief sacrificed in this way no less than seventeen
horses.
In connection with the medicine bag may be mentioned the “totem,” or
mark by which each family is known. This is mostly an animal, such as a
wolf, a bear, a dog, a tortoise, &c. If a chief wishes to show that he
and his party have passed a given spot, he strikes with his axe a chip
off a tree and draws on the white surface his totem. Or, if he sends an
order to a distance, he draws his totem on a piece of bark, and gives
it to his messenger as a token.
To return to the medicine man. He is best seen to advantage when
exercising his art upon a sick person. He wears for this purpose one of
the most extraordinary dresses which the mind of man ever conceived. No
two medicine men wear a similar costume, but in all it is absolutely
essential that every article shall be abnormal. Mr. Catlin saw one of
these men called in to practise on a Blackfoot Indian, who had been
shot through the body with two bullets. There was not the least chance
of his recovery, but still the medicine man must be summoned. His
strange, grotesque appearance, and the wild ceremony over the sick man
are vividly represented on page 1311.
A ring was formed round the dying man, and a lane was preserved through
them, by which the mystery man would make his appearance. In a few
minutes a general hush-h-h ran through the assembly as the tinkling and
rattling of his ornaments heralded the approach of the wise man. As
he entered the ring, nothing could surpass the wild grotesqueness of
his costume. By way of a coat, he wore the skin of a yellow bear--an
article exceedingly rare in North America, and therefore in itself a
powerful medicine. The skin of the head was formed into a mask, which
entirely hid the features of the enchanter. The skins of various
animals dangled from his dress, and in one hand he held his magic wand,
and in the other the mystery drum, which contained the arcana of his
order.
His actions were worthy of his appearance. He came in with a series of
wild jumps and yells, accompanied with the rattling and beating of his
magic drum as he approached the dying man. Having reached his patient,
he began to dance round him to the accompaniment of his drum, to leap
over him, to roll him from side to side, and in every imaginable way
to render his last hours unendurable. In fact, the man might well die,
if only to be rid of his physician. In a short time he did die; but
the man, not in the least disconcerted at the failure of his efforts,
danced out of the circle as he had entered it, and went off to his
lodge to take off and pack up his official dress.
A somewhat similar scene was witnessed by Mr. P. Kane, in which the
mode of manipulation was almost identical, though the medicine man,
instead of disguising himself in a strange dress, went just to the
opposite extreme. The story is narrated in Mr. Kane’s “Wanderings of an
Artist,” being as follows:--
“About ten o’clock at night I strolled into the village, and on
hearing a great noise in one of the lodges, I entered it, and found
an old woman supporting one of the handsomest Indian girls I had ever
seen. She was in a state of nudity. Cross-legged and naked, in the
middle of the room, sat the medicine man, with a wooden dish of water
before him; twelve or fifteen other men were sitting round the lodge.
The object in view was to cure the girl of a disease affecting her
side. As soon as my presence was noticed, a space was cleared for me to
sit down.
“The officiating medicine man appeared in a state of profuse
perspiration, from the exertions he had used, and soon took his seat
among the rest, as if quite exhausted; a younger medicine man then
took his place in front of the bowl, and close beside the patient.
Throwing off his blanket, he commenced singing and gesticulating in
the most violent manner, whilst the others kept time by beating with
little sticks on hollow wooden bowls and drums, singing continually.
After exercising himself in this manner for about half an hour, until
the perspiration ran down his body, he darted suddenly upon the young
woman, catching hold of her side with his teeth, and shaking her for a
few minutes, while the patient seemed to suffer great agony. He then
relinquished his hold, and cried out he had got it, at the same time
holding his hands to his mouth; after which he plunged them in the
water, and pretended to hold down with great difficulty the disease
which he had extracted, lest it might spring out and return to its
victim.
“At length, having obtained the mastery over it, he turned round to me
in an exulting manner, and held something up between the finger and
thumb of each hand, which had the appearance of a piece of cartilage;
whereupon one of the Indians sharpened his knife, and divided it in
two, leaving one in each hand. One of the pieces he threw into the
water and the other into the fire, accompanying the action with a
diabolical noise, which none but a medicine man can make. After which
he got up perfectly satisfied with himself, although the poor patient
seemed to me anything but relieved by the violent treatment she had
undergone.”
Mr. Mulhausen relates an amusing anecdote of a native doctor’s practice
upon himself. He had suffered so much in a long march that he was
at last compelled to ask for a day’s rest. One of his companions, a
medicine man, immediately tried the effect of his art. First he kneaded
the body, and especially the stomach, of the prostrated traveller with
all his force. This was to drive out the evil spirit; and, in order to
effectually exorcise him, he procured his drum, and seated himself on
the ground.
Placing the drum close to the ear of his patient, he kept up a
continual rub-a-dub for two whole hours, singing the magic chant the
while, until, in spite of his wounded feet, Mr. Mulhausen crawled out
of the tent in sheer despair. The triumphant doctor wiped his streaming
brows, and, declaring that no evil spirit could withstand such a
medicine as that, gave the signal for resuming the march.
Among the Ojibbeways there is a remarkable ceremony by which an infant
is received into the order of the Midés, a society in some degree
resembling the Freemasons, the members of which consider themselves as
related to each other, and addressing each other by the names of uncle,
aunt, brother, sister, cousin, &c.
A temple, forty feet in length, was constructed for the express
purpose, and built of boughs, like the bowers of the Feast of
Tabernacles. It was built east and west, and had the entrance door at
the eastern end, and the exit door at the western. In the middle sit
the great Midés, each with his mystery bag, and opposite them sits the
father of the child, dressed in his full paraphernalia of feathers,
furs, and scalp-locks, and holding in his arms the child, lying tied on
its board after the manner of Indian babies. On either side of him are
the witnesses of the reception, and eastward of the chief Midés lies a
large rough stone, which prevents the evil spirit.
The ceremony begins with an address of the principal Midé, and then
the chiefs rise, and after walking in procession, each of them runs
at one of the guests, presenting his medicine bag at him, and yelling
in quickening accents, “Ho! ho! hohohoho! O! O! O! O! O!” As he
presents the bag, the breath proceeding from it is supposed to overcome
the person to whom it is presented, who falls down and lies there
motionless. Having struck one person down, the Midé runs round the
temple, to allow the medicine bag to recover its strength, and then
presents it to another victim. This process is repeated until all the
inmates of the hut, with the exception of the officiating Midés, are
lying prostrate on the ground, where they lie until a touch from the
same bag restores them to life and activity. This ceremony is repeated
several times during the day, and is intended to show the virtue of the
medicine bag.
The father then presents his child to the Midés, after which there is
another speech from the chief Midé, and then follows a curious dance,
consisting of two leaps to the right and two to the left alternately.
After this, every one produces his medicine bag, and tries to blow down
everybody else. And, as the bags are covered with tinkling bells, bits
of metal, and shells, and the principal Midés are beating their drums
and shaking their rattles with all their might, it may be imagined that
the noise is deafening.
[Illustration: (1.) THE INDIAN BALL PLAY. (See page 1324.)]
[Illustration: (2.) THE MEDICINE MAN AT WORK. (See page 1309.)]
This completed the first part of the ceremony. In the next act, a pile
of boughs covered with a cloth lay in front of the evil stone, and the
chief Midé summoned all the initiated. They formed a procession of men,
women, and children, and walked round the lodge, each stooping over the
cloth as he passed, and looking at it. The second time they stooped
closer, and the third time they were seized with convulsive movements
as they approached the cloth, and each ejected from the mouth a little
yellow shell upon the cloth. By the ejection of the shell (which
typifies the sinful nature of man) the convulsions are healed, and,
after going once more round the lodge, each performer takes one of the
shells and places it in the medicine bag.
The last scene was a general feast, and gifts of amulets and charms
presented by the chief Midés to the child.
One of the most pleasing traits in the character of these tribes is
the strong religious feeling which pervades the general tenor of their
lives, and which has raised them above the rank of mere savages.
However imperfect may be their ideas on this subject, they are not
idolaters, and give all their worship, either directly or indirectly,
to one Great Spirit, whose aid and protection they continually invoke.
They believe in future existence and a future recompense according
to their character in this life. Whatever their superstitions and
ignorance, the mysteries enveloping their belief, there is running
clearly through them all, these great doctrines accepted by the
civilized Christian races.
To the Great Spirit they ascribe the possession of all the necessaries
and pleasures of life, and to him they offer their prayers and return
their thanks on almost every occasion. For example, the bisons, on
which many of the tribes depend for food, clothing, and lodging, are
held to be direct gifts of the Great Spirit to the red men, and asked
for accordingly. The same is the case with the maize, or Indian corn,
and religious ceremonies are held both at the planting and at the
harvest time.
Tobacco is placed in the same category, and the smoke of the plant
is considered to be a sort of incense, which is offered to the Great
Spirit whenever a pipe is lighted, one wreath of smoke being blown
silently to each quarter of the heavens, and to the sun, as an
acknowledgment that the tobacco is a gift of the Great Spirit. Indeed,
to the Indian mind there is something peculiarly sacred about tobacco
smoke, probably on account of the soothing, and at the same time
exhilarating, properties which have caused its use to extend to every
portion of the globe.
Every religious ceremony is begun and ended with the pipe; war is
declared, volunteers enlisted, negotiations conducted, and peace
concluded, by its means. The character of the pipe varies with the
occasion, the most valued being the sacred calumet, or medicine pipe,
by which are settled the great questions of war and peace.
Among the Cree Indians the calumet is borne by a man who is solemnly
elected to the office, and who has to pay rather dearly for the honor,
from fifteen to twenty horses being the usual fee which each pipe
bearer presents to his predecessor on receiving the insignia of office.
These, however, are of considerable intrinsic value. They include a
bear skin, on which he lays the pipe-stem when uncovered, a beautifully
painted skin tent, in which he is expected to reside, a medicine rattle
of singular virtue, a food bowl, and other articles so numerous that
two horses are needed to carry them.
During his term of office, the pipe bearer is as sacred as the calumet
itself. He always sits on the right side of the lodge, and no one
may pass between him and the fire. He is not even allowed to cut
his own food, but this is done by his wives, and the food placed in
the official bowl which has just been mentioned. The pipe, with its
innumerable wrappers, hangs outside the lodge, and is finally enclosed
in a large bag, embroidered with the most brilliant colors which native
art can furnish.
When it is uncovered, great ceremony is shown. No matter how severe
may be the weather,--sometimes far below zero,--the bearer begins his
operations by removing all his garments with the exception of his
cloth, and then pours upon a burning coal some fragrant gum, which
fills the place with smoke. He then carefully removes the different
wrappers, fills the bowl with tobacco, and blows the smoke to the four
points of the compass, to the sky, and to the earth, at each puff
uttering a prayer to the Great Spirit for assistance in war against all
enemies, and for bison and corn from all quarters. The pipe is replaced
with similar ceremonies. No woman is allowed to see it, and if during
the beginning of the ceremony a single word is spoken, it is looked
upon as a very bad omen, and all the ceremony has to be begun again.
The bowl of the calumet is made of a peculiar stone, found, I believe,
only in one place in the world, namely, in the Great Pipe-stone Quarry.
This is situated in the Côteau des Prairies, about three hundred
miles west of the Falls of St. Anthony, on the southern summit of the
dividing ridge between the Minnesota and Missouri rivers, in the very
middle of the Sioux territory. On this sacred spot the Great Spirit is
said to have stood in the ancient times, and to have called together
all the Indian nations. He broke from the rock a piece of stone,
moulded it in his hands into a huge pipe bowl, and smoked it toward the
four quarters of the compass. Then he told them that the ground was
sacred, and that no weapon of war should be raised in it, for the red
stone was their flesh, and belonged equally to them all. At the last
whiff of the pipe the Great Spirit disappeared in the cloud, and the
whole ground was melted, and became polished as at the present time.
In consequence of this legend, the Indians have the greatest reverence
for this place. They will not allow any white man to touch the stone,
or even to approach the place, if they can keep him away, saying that
the stone is their flesh, and that if a white man takes the red men’s
flesh, “a hole will be made in their flesh, and the blood will never
stop running.”
Even the natives themselves never take a piece without asking
permission of the Great Spirit, depositing tobacco in the hole whence
they dug it, and promising that it shall be made into a pipe. When
Mr. Catlin succeeded in reaching this sacred spot, one of the chief
obstacles lay in the fact that a native had once given a piece of the
red stone to a white man in order to be made into a pipe, and he had
made it into a dish, thereby offending the Great Spirit, and “making
the heart of the Indians sick.”
Mr. Catlin’s opinion is, that the red pipes, found among almost every
tribe of Indians on the continent, were obtained at this place. His
reasons are that every tribe he visited alleged this as their source;
and furthermore, the stone from which they are made is different from
any mineral yet discovered in America or Europe. He expresses the
conviction substantiated by striking proof that the various tribes
had for centuries visited this quarry, laying aside the war club and
scalping knife, and smoking together in amity upon this neutral ground
by command, as they thought, of the Great Spirit.
This stone is of a soft, creamy red color, rather variable in point of
tint, and taking a peculiar polish. It has been analyzed, and is said
to be a kind of steatite. It is cut into various fanciful shapes, those
shown in the illustration on the next page being ordinary examples,
though in some cases the bowls are adorned with figures of men and
various animals. Some of these pipe heads have two bowls, one in front
of the other.
These bowls are fitted with stems worthy of their sacred character.
They are generally made of the stalk of the young ash, and are often
adorned in the most elaborate manner. They are mostly flat, and
sometimes are twisted spirally and perforated with open patterns in
such a way that the observer cannot but marvel how the aperture for the
smoke is made. After all, the mode of boring is simple enough. As every
one knows who has cut a young ash sapling, the centre is occupied with
pith. This is easily burned out with a hot wire, or bored out with a
piece of hard wood, and the aperture is completed.
Afterward the wood is cut away on two sides, so as to leave only a flat
stem, with the bore occupying the centre. The perforated patterns are
next cut at either side of the bore, being carefully kept clear of it;
and if the stem be then softened in boiling water, it can be made to
assume almost any shape. One valued but rather rare form is a screw, or
spiral, and several of the pipes in Mr. Catlin’s collection have this
form.
The stems are very seldom left bare, but are almost invariably
decorated with colored porcupine quills, woven into various patterns,
sometimes representing the forms of men and animals. The calumet is
always decorated with a row of eagle feathers, sometimes stained
scarlet, and being tufted at their ends with slight plumes of hair.
Indeed, this portion of the calumet is formed on exactly the same
principle as the headdress of the chief, of which a drawing is given
on page 1277. An example of this kind of pipe is shown in the upper
figure, on page 1315. Many pipes, instead of feathers, have long tufts
of hair dyed scarlet. This hair is taken either from the tail of a
white horse or that of a white bison, as in the lower figure of the
same illustration. The woodpecker furnishes many ornaments for these
pipes, and sometimes the stem passes through the preserved skin of a
bird, or through that of a particularly beautiful ermine. But whatever
may be the ornament of a medicine pipe, it is always the very best and
most valuable that can be procured. The stem of the pipe varies from
two to four feet.
The natives do not restrict themselves to tobacco, but smoke
many narcotic vegetables, whether leaves, roots, or bark. These
are generally mixed with tobacco, and go by the general name of
_k’neck-k’neck_.
The custom of sacrifice obtains among all Indian tribes and is
performed in various ways and upon many occasions. Cruel as the Indian
is reputed to be, none of the tribes, except the Pawnees, have ever
made human sacrifices; and these many years since abandoned the inhuman
custom.
Their offerings to the Great Spirit must consist of the best of their
possessions: the choicest piece of buffalo meat, the finest arrow, the
most costly piece of cloth, the favorite horse or dog, and sometimes
their own fingers. Such offerings are erected over the great medicine
lodge in the centre of the village. When Mr. Catlin was among the
Mandans there was placed there beside other gifts a beautiful skin of a
buffalo, the history of which he gives as follows:--“A few weeks since
a party of Mandans returned from the mouth of the Yellow Stone with
information that a party of Blackfeet were there on business with the
American Fur Company, and that they had with them a white buffalo robe.
Such a robe is a great curiosity, even in the country of buffaloes,
and will always command an incredible price. Being the most costly
article in the region it is usually converted into a sacrifice, being
offered to the Great Spirit as the rarest and most acceptable gift that
can be procured. Among the vast herds of buffaloes there is not one in
a hundred thousand, perhaps, that is white; and when such is obtained
it is considered a great medicine or mystery.
“Receiving the intelligence above mentioned the chiefs convened in
council and deliberated on the propriety of procuring this valuable
robe. At the close of their deliberation eight men were fitted out on
eight of their best horses, who took from the Fur Company’s store, on
the credit of the chief, goods exceeding the value of the horses. They
arrived in due time, made the purchase, and leaving their horses and
all the goods carried, returned on foot, bringing the coveted robe,
which was regarded as vastly curious and containing (as they express
it) something of the Great Spirit. This wonderful anomaly lay several
days in the chief’s lodge, till public curiosity was gratified; then
it was taken by the high priests, and with a great deal of ceremony
consecrated and raised on the top of a long pole over the medicine
lodge, where it stands and will stand as an offering to the Great
Spirit, until it decays and falls to the ground.”
[Illustration: INDIAN PIPES. (From my collection.)
(_See pages 1313, 1314._)]
CHAPTER CXXXIX.
THE NORTH AMERICAN INDIANS--_Continued_.
SOCIAL LIFE.
MARRIAGE -- AN ENTERPRISING BRIDEGROOM, AND HIS SUDDEN ELEVATION TO
RANK -- TREATMENT OF WOMEN -- TREATMENT OF CHILDREN -- PORTRAIT OF
PSHAN-SHAW -- OF INDIAN BOY -- THE CRADLE -- THE FLAT-HEADED TRIBES
-- AFFECTION OF THE MOTHERS -- THE COUCH OF MOURNING -- ABANDONING
THE SICK AND OLD -- DANCES OF THE TRIBES -- GAMES -- THE SPEAR AND
RING GAME -- PAGESSAN, OR THE BOWL GAME -- THE BALL PLAY -- THE
BALL DANCE -- STARTING THE GAME, AND EXCITING SCENES -- THE WOMEN’S
BALL PLAY -- HORSE-RACING -- CANOE-MAKING -- THE CANOE RACE --
PRIMITIVE SAILS -- SWIMMING -- THE LEAPING ROCK -- QUILL ORNAMENTS
-- BARK-BITING -- WIGWAMS -- MUSIC -- PLEDGE OF FIDELITY -- DISPOSAL
OF THE DEAD -- BURIAL OF BLACKBIRD -- REFLECTIONS UPON CHARACTER AND
DESTINY OF THE INDIANS.
The ordinary social life of these interesting tribes now comes before
us. As to marriage, there is little to distinguish it from the same
ceremony among other uncivilized tribes, the girl being in fact
purchased from her father, and her affections not necessarily, though
generally, considered. A man may have as many wives as he can afford to
keep, and when he can purchase four or five, their labor in the field
is worth even more to the household than his exertions in the hunting
field.
Mr. Catlin relates one rather amusing wedding.
There was a young lad, the son of a chief, whom his father started
in life with a handsome wigwam, or tent, nine horses, and many
other valuable presents. On receiving these presents, the young man
immediately conceived a plan by which he could perform an act which
would be unique. He went to one of the chiefs, and asked for the hand
of his daughter, promising in return two horses, a gun, and several
pounds of tobacco. The marriage was fixed for a certain day, but the
transaction was to be kept a profound secret until the proper time.
Having settled the business, he went to three other chiefs, and made
exactly the same bargain with each of them, and imposed silence equally
upon all.
On the appointed day, he announced to the tribe that he was to be
married at a certain hour. The people assembled, but no one knew who
was to be the bride, while each of the four fathers stood proudly
by his daughter, inwardly exulting that he alone was in the secret.
Presently the young bridegroom advanced to the chief to whom he had
made the first offer, and gave him, according to his promise, the two
horses, the gun, and the tobacco. The other three fathers immediately
sprang forward, each denouncing the whole affair, and saying that
the offer was made to his daughter, and to his alone. In the midst
of great confusion, which was partially quelled by the chiefs and
doctors, the young bridegroom addressed the assembly, saying that he
had promised each of the claimants two horses, a gun, and a certain
amount of tobacco in exchange for his daughter, and that he expected
them to fulfil their part of the contract. There was no gainsaying the
argument, and in the sight of the admiring spectators, he delivered the
stipulated price into the hands of the parents, and led off his four
brides, two in each hand, to his wigwam.
The action was so bold, and so perfectly unique, that the doctors
immediately determined that a lad of nineteen who could act in this
manner must have a very strong medicine, and was worthy to be ranked
among themselves. So they at once installed him a member of their
mystery, thereby placing him on a level with the greatest of the
tribe, and by that bold _coup_ the lad raised himself from a mere
untried warrior to the height of native ambition, namely, a seat in the
Council, and a voice in the policy of the tribe.
[Illustration: (1.) EE-A-CHIN-CHE-A. (See page 1285.)]
[Illustration: (2.) A BLACKFOOT BOY. (See page 1319.)]
[Illustration: (3.) PSHAN-SHAW. (See page 1319.)]
The Indian women are the slaves of their husbands. They have to perform
all the domestic duties and drudgeries of the tribe, and are never
allowed to unite in their religious ceremonies or amusements.
That the reader may form a better idea of the appearance and dress
of the women, I have given on the preceding page the portrait of a
beautiful girl of the Riccarees (a part of the Pawnee tribe), whose
name is Pshan-shaw (the Sweet-scented Grass). “The inner garment, which
is like a frock, is entire in one piece, and tastefully ornamented
with embroidery and beads. A row of elk’s teeth passes across the
breast, and a robe of young buffalo’s skin, elaborately embroidered,
is gracefully thrown over her shoulders, and hangs down to the ground
behind her.”
On the same page the reader may find, as illustrative of Indian
childhood, a portrait of the grandson of a chief of the Blackfeet, a
boy of six years of age. He is represented at full length, with bow and
quiver slung, and his robe of raccoon skin thrown over his shoulder.
This young chief, his father dying, was twice stolen by the Crows, and
twice recaptured by the Blackfeet, and then placed in the care of a Mr.
M’Kenzie until he should be old enough to assume the chieftainship of
his tribe, or be able to defend himself against his foes.
The Indian mothers do not have many children, possibly owing to the
early age at which they marry. For example, the ages of the four brides
just mentioned ranged from twelve to fifteen. Two or three is the
average, and a family of five is considered quite a large one.
The children are carried about much in the same way as those of the
Araucanians. A sort of cradle is made by bandaging the infant to a flat
board, the feet resting on a broad hoop that passes over the end of the
cradle. Another hoop passes over the face of the child, and to it are
hung sundry little toys and charms; the one for the amusement of the
infant, and the other for its preservation through the many perils of
infantile life. When the mother carries the child, she hangs the cradle
on her back by means of a broad strap that passes over her forehead.
Both the cradle and band are ornamented with the most brilliant colors
which native art can furnish, and are embroidered in various patterns
with dyed porcupine quills.
Among the tribes which inhabit the banks of the Columbia River, and a
considerable tract that lies contiguous to it, the cradle is put to
a singular use, which has earned for the tribes the general title of
Flat-heads. To the upper part of the cradle is fastened a piece of
board, which lies on the child’s forehead. To the other end of the
board are fastened two strings, which pass round the foot or sides of
the cradle. As soon as the infant is laid on its back, the upper board
is brought over its forehead, and fastened down by the strings. Every
day the pressure is increased, until at last the head is so flattened
that a straight line can be drawn from the crown of the head to the
nose. One of these cradles with a child undergoing this process of head
flattening, is illustrated below. The mother’s head is a type of its
permanent effect.
[Illustration: THE FLAT-HEADED WOMAN.]
This is perhaps the most extraordinary of all the fashionable
distortions of the human body, and the wasp waist of an European belle,
the distorted leg of the female Carib, and even the cramped foot of the
Chinese beauty, appear insignificant when compared with the flattened
head of a Chinnook or Klick-a-tack Indian. Mr. Catlin states that this
custom was one far more extended than is the case at present, and
that even the Choctaw and Chickasaw tribes of Mississippi and Alabama
were accustomed to flatten their heads, their burial-places affording
incontrovertible evidence that such must have been the case, and at no
very distant date.
The reader, especially if he dabble in phrenology, might well imagine
that such a practice must act injuriously upon the mental capacities
of those who are subjected to it. Let us, for example, fancy a skull
which has been so ruthlessly compressed that it only measures an inch
and a half, or at the most two inches, in depth, at the back; that it
is in consequence much elongated, and forced outward at the sides,
so that it is nearly half as wide again as it would have been if it
had been permitted to assume its normal form. The hair, combed down
in one place, and expanding in others, would seem to have its natural
capabilities much altered, even if not in many cases destroyed. Yet
those who have mixed with the Flat-headed tribes say that the intellect
is in no way disturbed, much less injured, and that those members
of the tribe who have escaped the flattening process are in no way
intellectually superior to those who have undergone it. Indeed, as
Mr. P. Kane observes, in his “Wanderings of an Artist,” the Chinnooks
despise those who retain the original shape of their heads. They always
select their slaves from the round-headed tribes, the flattened head
being the sign of freedom.
There is another point about the head flattening which deserves
attention. Seeing that it is begun almost in the same hour that the
infant is born, and is continued for eight months to a year or more, it
might naturally be imagined that it would cause considerable pain to
the child, and in many cases be dangerous to life. This, however, is
not the case; and that it should not be so is one of the many proofs of
the extent to which the human frame may be distorted without permanent
injury. Mr. Kane’s remarks are as follows:--
“It might be supposed, from the extent to which this is carried, that
the operation would be attended with great suffering to the infant, but
I have never heard the infants crying or moaning, although I have seen
the eyes seemingly starting out of the sockets from the great pressure.
But on the contrary, when the lashings were removed, I have noticed
them cry until they were replaced. From the apparent dulness of the
children while under pressure, I should imagine that a state of torpor
or insensibility is induced, and that the return to consciousness
occasioned by its removal must be naturally followed by the sense of
pain.”
Should a child die before it is old enough to be released from the
cradle, the mother is not released from her maternal duties, but, on
the contrary, continues to perform them as assiduously as if the little
creature were living.
After the child is buried, she makes a “mourning-cradle,” _i. e._ in
the place which the child had formerly occupied she places a large
bundle of black feathers, by way of representative of the deceased
infant, and treats it in all respects as if the little one still
occupied the cradle. She carries it on her back wherever she goes, and
when she rests, stands it upright against a tree or the side of the
hut, and talks to it as if to a living child. This custom is continued
for at least a year, and in many cases is extended even beyond that
period. And, though a bereaved mother may be so poor as scarcely to
have sufficient clothing for herself, she will contrive to decorate the
cradle of her lost child with the appropriate ornaments.
As a rule, the North American Indians are affectionate parents. Mr.
Catlin mentions an instance where he had painted a portrait of a
married woman, the daughter of a chief. Some time afterward she died,
and the father, happening to see and recognize the portrait of his lost
daughter, offered ten horses--an enormous price for an American Indian
to pay. Of course the portrait was presented to him at once.
Parental affection is fully reciprocated by the children, and the
greatest respect paid by the younger to the elder men. Yet we find even
among them, as among so many tribes which lead a semi-nomad existence,
the custom of abandoning the sick and aged when they are obliged to
make a forced march of any distance.
This is generally done at the instance of the victims themselves, who
say that they are old and useless, and can be only an encumbrance to
the rest of the tribe. Accordingly, a rude shelter is formed of a bison
hide stretched over four upright rods, under which the sick man is
laid; a basin of water and some food are placed by his side; and he is
left to perish, if not by privation or disease, by the ranging flocks
of wolves that roam the prairies.
* * * * *
We will now pass to a more agreeable phase in the life of these tribes,
and take a glance at their dances and games.
It has been the prevalent impression that the Indian is taciturn,
unsocial, and morose. Mr. Catlin, whose testimony cannot be impeached,
takes considerable pains to correct this opinion; and states as the
result of his travels among the Indian tribes, that “they are a far
more talkative and conversational race than can easily be seen in the
civilized world. No one can look into the wigwams of these people, or
into any little momentary group of them, without being at once struck
with the conviction that small talk, garrulity, story-telling and
amusements, are leading passions with them.” To watch their games,
and hear their shouts of exultation, in any of their villages, to sit
down in their lodges and listen to their jokes, repartee, anecdote and
laughter, would effectually banish this erroneous opinion so generally
held in regard to the Red Men. With no anxieties for the future--no
necessities goading them, it is natural that they should be a merry
people, and most of their life be spent in sports and games.
[Illustration: (1.) BIRCH BARK CANOE. (See page 1326.)]
[Illustration: (2.) DANCE TO THE MEDICINE OF THE BRAVE. (See page
1323.)]
[Illustration: (3.) THE SNOW SHOE DANCE. (See page 1323.)]
The Indian fondness for amusement is shown in the great variety of
their dances, most of which are very fanciful and picturesque, though
some of them have a religious significance. There are the ball-play
dance, pipe dance, buffalo and scalp dances (already described),
beggar’s, bear, and dog dances. But the most pleasing of all are the
eagle dance, dance of the braves which is peculiarly attractive,
and the green corn and snow-shoe dances. The latter is exceedingly
picturesque, and the artist has represented it on the preceding page.
Before the first snow shoe hunt, the Indians always perform a dance
by way of thanksgiving to the Great Spirit for sending the snow which
will enable them to live in plenty so long as it lasts. Several spears
are stuck upright in the snow covered ground, on one of which are
tied a pair of snow shoes, and on the others sundry sacred feathers
and similar objects. The dancers, clad in hunting dress, and wearing
snow shoes, go round and round the spears, imitating the while all the
movements of the chase, and singing a song of thanksgiving.
Nearly all the tribes, however remote from each other, have a season
of festivity annually, when the ears of corn are large enough for
eating. Green corn is regarded a great luxury, and is dealt out with
most improvident profusion--the festivities lasting eight or ten
days. The whole tribe feast and surfeit upon it so long as it lasts,
making sacrifices, singing songs of thanksgiving to the Great Spirit,
and celebrating the green corn dance. Every occupation is suspended
during these festivities, and all unite in the carnival of gluttony
and merriment. Mr. Catlin thus describes this dance:--“At the time
when the corn is thought to be nearly ready for use, several of
the old women, who have fields or patches of corn (the men disdain
such degrading occupations as cultivating the field or garden), are
appointed by the medicine men to examine the cornfields at sunrise
every day, and bring to the council house several ears of corn, which
they must on no account break open or look into. When the doctors,
from their examination, decide that the corn is suitable, they send
criers to proclaim to every part of the village or tribe that the Great
Spirit has been kind, and they must meet next day to return thanks to
Him. In the midst of the assembled tribe, a kettle filled with corn is
hung over a fire. While this corn is being boiled, four medicine men,
each with a stalk of corn in one hand and a rattle in the other, their
bodies painted with white clay, dance around it chanting a thanksgiving
to the Great Spirit, to whom the corn is to be offered. In a more
extended circle around them, a number of warriors dance, joining in the
same song. During this scene, wooden bowls are laid upon the ground, in
which the feast is to be dealt out.”
When the doctors decide that the corn is sufficiently boiled, the
dance assumes a different form, and a new song is sung, the doctors
in the meantime placing the corn on a scaffold of sticks built over
the fire, where it is consumed. This fire is then removed, the ashes
are all buried, and a new fire is originated on the same spot, and in
the same way as by the Hottentots, described on page 100. Then corn is
boiled for the feast, at which the doctors and warriors are seated. An
unlimited license is given to the whole tribe, who mingle excess and
amusement until the fields of corn are stripped, or it has become too
hard for eating.
The dance of the braves is beautiful and exciting in the highest
degree:--“At intervals the dancers stop, and one of them steps into
the ring and vociferates as loudly as possible the feats of bravery
which he has performed during his life.... He boasts of the scalps he
has taken, and reproduces the motions and actions of the scenes in
which his exploits were performed. When his boasting is concluded,
all assent to the truth of his story, and express their approval by
the guttural ‘_waugh!_’ Then the dance commences again. At the next
interval another makes his boast, and so another and another, till all
have given a narrative of their heroic deeds, and proved their right to
be associated with the braves of the nation.”
The dog dance, though a favorite with the Sioux, is not an attractive
one.
The hearts and livers of two or more slain dogs are placed entire and
uncooked upon two crotches, about as high as a man’s head, and are
cut into strips so as to hang down. The dance then commences, which
consists in each one proclaiming his exploits in loud, almost deafening
gutturals and yells. At the same time the dancers, two at a time, move
up to the stake, and bite off a piece of the heart and swallow it. All
this is done without losing step or interrupting the harmony of their
voices. The significance of the dance is that none can share in it but
the braves who can boast that they have killed their foe in battle and
swallowed a piece of his heart.
Among the Sacs and Foxes there are several singular dances, besides
some already mentioned, viz: the slave dance (a very curious one),
dance to the Berdashe, which is an amusing scene, and dance to the
medicine of the brave. There is a tender and beautiful lesson conveyed
in this latter dance. In the illustration of it on page 1322, a party
of Sac warriors are represented as returned victorious from battle,
with the scalps they have taken as trophies. Having lost one of their
party, they appear and dance in front of his wigwam fifteen days in
succession, about an hour each day, the widow having hung his medicine
bag on a green bush, which she erects before her door, and under which
she sits and cries whilst the warriors dance and brandish the scalps
they have taken. At the same time they recount the heroic exploits
of their fallen comrade, to solace the grief of his widow, and they
throw her presents as they dance before her, that she may be kept from
poverty and suffering.
There is little in these dances that resembles the “light fantastic
toe” and giddy maze of the dance among the civilized. The former
consist very much of jumps and starts--oftentimes the most grotesque,
and even violent exertions--united with songs and yells, sometimes
deafening by their sound or fearful by the wildness and intense
excitement that are manifested.
To a looker on not familiar with the peculiar significance of these
displays, they seem only a series of uncouth and meaningless motions
and distortions, accompanied with harsh sounds, all forming a strange,
almost frightful medley. Yet Mr. Catlin says “every dance has its
peculiar step and every step has its meaning. Every dance has also its
peculiar song, which is so intricate and mysterious oftentimes, that
not one in ten of the young men who are singing know the meaning of the
songs. None but medicine men are allowed to understand them.” There are
dances and songs, however, not so intricate, which are understood and
participated in by all the tribe.
The beating of drums, the yells, stamping, and bellowing, the noisy
demonstrations forming so great a part of Indian amusements, will
remind the reader of similar manifestations among some of the African
tribes, recorded in the first part of this work.
The game which is perhaps the most popular and widely spread is almost
unintelligible to an uninstructed bystander. Its title is Tchung-chee,
that being the name of the spear which will be presently described. It
is played with a ring about three inches in diameter, made of bone or
wood wrapped with cord, and a slight spear, on which are several little
projections of leather. The players roll the ring along the ground, and
as it is about to fall, project the spear so that, as the ring falls,
it may receive within it one of the pieces of leather. If it does so,
the player scores one or more points, according to the particular
projection which is caught in the ring, and the mode in which it flies.
Another variation of this game, called Al-kol-lock, has the spear
without the leathern projections, but in their stead six colored beads
are fixed inside the ring. At each end of the smooth clay course, which
is about fifty feet in length, a slight barrier is erected. The players
bowl the ring from one end of the course, run after it, and as it falls
after striking the barrier, throw their spears as described above, the
points being reckoned according to the color of the bead which lies on
them.
The absorption of the players in this game is beyond description.
They will play at it all day, gamble away their horses, their tents,
their clothes, and, when they have lost all their property, will stake
themselves, the loser becoming the slave of the winner.
Another game, called Pagessan, or the bowl game, is very popular,
though it is a sedentary one, and lacks the graceful action that gives
so great a charm to the preceding game. It is played with a wooden
bowl, containing a number of pieces of wood carved into various forms;
some, which we may call the pieces, having round pedestals on which
to stand, and others, which we will term the pawns, being round, and
painted on one side and plain on the other. The players take the bowl
alternately, give it a shake, and set it in a hole in the ground. The
contents are then examined, and the points are scored according to the
number of pieces which stand on their pedestals. If the pawn has its
colored side upward, the player scores one point; if it has the plain
side uppermost, he deducts a point from his score. The position of
the pawns is entirely a question of chance, but considerable skill is
exerted in getting the pieces to stand on their pedestals.
The game which is most characteristic of the American Indians is the
celebrated ball game, a modification of which has been introduced into
England under the name of La Crosse. The principle on which it is
played is exactly that of foot-ball and hockey, namely, the driving of
a ball through a goal defended by the opposite party. We will first
take the game as it is played by the Choctaws. The reader will find it
illustrated on page 1311.
A ball is carefully made of white willow wood, and ornamented with
curious designs drawn upon it with a hot iron. The ball-sticks, or
racquets, are much like our own racquets, but with larger and more
slender handles, and with a very much smaller hoop. Each player carries
two of these sticks, one in each hand. The dress of the players is
very simple, being reduced to the waist-cloth, a tail made of white
horsehair or quills, and a mane of dyed horsehair round the neck. The
belt by which the tail is sustained may be as highly ornamented as
possible, and the player may paint himself as brilliantly as he likes,
but no other article of clothing is allowed, not even moccasins on the
feet.
On the evening of the appointed day, the two parties repair to the
ground where the goals have been already set up, some two hundred yards
apart, and there perform the ball-play dance by torchlight. Exactly in
the middle between the goals, where the ball is to be started, sit four
old medicine men, singing and beating their drums, while the players
are clustered round their respective goals, singing at the top of their
voices, and rattling their ball-sticks together. This dance goes on
during the whole of the night, so that the players are totally deprived
of rest--a very bad preparation, as one would think, for the severe
exertion of the ensuing day. All the bets are made on this night,
the article staked, such as knives, blankets, guns, cooking utensils,
tobacco, and even horses and dogs, being placed in the custody of the
stakeholders, who sit by them and watch them all night.
About nine o’clock on the next morning the play begins. The four
medicine men, with the ball in their custody, seat themselves as
before, midway between the goals, while the players arrange themselves
for the attack and defence. At a given signal, the ball is flung high
in the air, and as it falls, the two opposing sets of players converge
upon it. As there are often several hundred players on each side, it
may be imagined that the scene is a most animated one.
“In these desperate struggles for the ball,” writes Mr. Catlin “where
hundreds are running together, and leaping actually over each other’s
heads, and darting between their adversaries’ legs, tripping, and
throwing, and foiling each other in every possible manner, and every
voice raised to its highest key, in shrill yelps and barks, there are
rapid successions of feats and incidents that astonish and amuse far
beyond the conception of any one who has not had the singular good luck
to witness them.
“In these struggles, every mode is used that can be devised to oppose
the progress of the foremost, who is likely to get the ball; and
these obstructions often meet desperate individual resistance, which
terminates in a violent scuffle, and sometimes in fisticuffs. Then
their sticks are dropped, and the parties are unmolested, whilst they
are settling it between themselves, except by a general _stampedo_, to
which those are subject who are down, if the ball happen to pass in
their direction. Every weapon, by a rule of all ball players, is laid
by in the respective encampments, and no man is allowed to go for one;
so that the sudden broils that take place on the ground are presumed to
be as suddenly settled without any probability of much personal injury,
and no one is allowed to interfere in any way with the contentious
individuals.
“There are times when the ball gets to the ground, and such a confused
mass is rushing together around it, and knocking their sticks together,
without a possibility of any one getting or seeing it for the dust
that they raise, that the spectator loses his strength, and everything
but his senses; when the condensed mass of ball sticks and shins and
bloody noses is carried around the different parts of the ground, for a
quarter of an hour at a time, without any one of the masses being able
to see the ball, which they are often scuffling for several minutes
after it has been thrown off and played over another part of the ground.
“For each time that the ball was passed between the goals of either
party, one was counted for their game, and they halted for about one
minute; when the ball was again started by the judges of the play, and
a similar struggle ensued; and so on until the successful party arrived
at 100, which was the limit of the play, and accomplished at an hour’s
sun, when they took the stakes.”
In this game the players are not allowed to strike the ball with their
sticks, or catch it in their hands; though to do so between the netted
ends of the sticks, and then to run away with it, is a feat which each
player tries his best to accomplish. Ball-play among the Sioux is
exactly the same in principle as that of the Choctaws, but the players
only carry one stick, which is wielded with both hands.
Sometimes the men are kind enough to indulge the women with a
ball-play, and to present a quantity of goods as prizes, hanging them
across a horizontal pole, in order to stimulate the players by the
sight. Such inferior beings as women are not, however, allowed to use
the ball and racquet of their superiors, the men, but play with a
couple of small bags filled with sand, and attached to each other by
means of a string about eighteen inches in length. Each of the players
is furnished with two slight sticks, about two feet in length, and
with these sticks they dexterously catch the sand bags, and fling them
toward the goals. The women play with quite as much enthusiasm as the
men, and the game often assumes the appearance of a general battle
rather than of a pastime.
Since the introduction of horses, the American Indians have become
very fond of horse racing, and bet so recklessly on the speed of their
animals that they often lose everything which they possess. In these
races neither the horse nor the rider are allowed to be costumed in
any way, not even a saddle or a girth being allowed. They also have
boat races, in which the spectators take as much interest as those who
witness the Oxford and Cambridge races. The canoes are mostly propelled
by one man only.
The canoes are of various forms and materials, according to the tribe
to which they belong. For example, the Mandans have an odd, circular
vessel, made from a bison hide, stretched over a wooden framework. This
is called a “bull boat,” and is propelled in a very singular manner.
A woman is the usual paddler, and she stands or kneels with her face
toward the direction in which she intends to proceed, and, thrusting
the paddle into the water as far forward as she can reach, draws it
smartly toward her, and thus propels the boat with considerable speed.
On one occasion, Mr. Catlin and two companions were desirous of
crossing the river, and were packed into one of these bull boats by the
wife of a chief. She then went into the water, and swam across the
river, towing the boat after her. As, however, she neared the opposite
bank, a number of young girls surrounded the canoe, took it into their
own management, and kept it in mid-stream, until the passengers,
utterly powerless in such a craft, ransomed themselves with bead
necklaces and other decorations. Then there is another kind of canoe,
which is simply a hollowed tree-trunk, and which is graphically called
a “dug-out.” No very particular care is taken about the shaping of this
simple boat, which is more like a punt than a canoe.
The best and most characteristic form of native canoe is that which is
made of the bark of the birch tree. The mode of making these canoes is
briefly as follows. Canoe building is a work in which both sexes take a
part. The men first select the largest and finest birch trees, with the
smoothest skins, and strip off large pieces of the bark. The women then
take charge of the bark, and, while it is still fresh and moist, clean
and scrape it as if it were leather, and then sew the pieces together,
so as to make the “cloak” of the future canoe.
While the women are at this work, the men are busily preparing the
skeleton of the canoe. This is made of the white cedar, the ribs being
cut and scraped until they are quite thin and light, and held in their
places by smaller cross-pieces, and a long thin piece of wood, which
runs round the entire edge of the boat, and is, in fact, the chief
support of the canoe. This is technically called the “maître.” No nails
are used, the whole of the junctions being effected by means of thongs
of bass, obtained from the inner bark of the white cedar.
The skeleton being completed, it is laid upon the cloak, which is
brought over the ribs, firmly lashed to the “maître,” and then by
degrees brought into its proper shape. A strengthening piece, called
the “faux maître,” is next tied along the whole of the gunwale in order
to protect it from injury, and the interior is lined with cedar boards,
scarcely thicker than pasteboard. When the canoe is finished and dry,
the holes through which the lashings have passed, as well as all the
junctions of the bark, are carefully stopped with pitch obtained
from the pine or fir-tree, and the weaker parts of the bark are also
strengthened with a coat of pitch.
The bark canoe of the Chippeways is, unquestionably, the most beautiful
model of all the water crafts ever invented. It is usually made
complete, from the rind of one birch tree, and so ingeniously formed
and put together, that it is water-tight, and will ride upon the water
with singular grace and swiftness.
These canoes are wonderfully light, as indeed is necessary for the
navigation of the rivers. The many rapids would effectually prevent
a boat from passing up the river, were it not for the plan called
“portage.” When the canoe arrives at the foot of a rapid, it is taken
ashore, the crew land, take all the goods out of the canoe, and carry
them to the opposite side of the rapid. They then go back for the canoe
itself, launch it in the smooth water above the rapid, and load it, and
proceed on their journey. The figure at the head of page 1322 will give
the reader a good idea of the form of the birch bark canoe.
These vessels can be propelled with wonderful speed, as they sit on
the surface like ducks, and, when empty, scarcely draw two inches of
water. The number of paddlers varies according to the size of the boat,
but the course is regulated by the two who sit respectively in the bow
and stern, whom we may for convenience call the “bow” and “stroke.” It
is the duty of the “bow” to look carefully ahead for any rocks or any
other obstacles, and, by movements well understood, to indicate their
presence to the “stroke,” who, with a sweep of the paddle, brings the
canoe round in the direction indicated by the “bow.”
The canoes which are used in races are made of birch bark, and are
almost always of small size--so small, indeed, that a man can easily
carry his canoe on his head from his house to the water’s edge, and
then launch it without assistance. Mr. Catlin gives a very animated
description of a canoe race, the competitors being accompanied by large
canoes, full of their respective friends, who yell encouragements
to the antagonists, fire guns in the air, and render the scene a
singularly exciting one, even to a stranger.
Toward the right hand of the illustration which depicts the canoe race,
on the following page, the reader may see a curious mode of propelling
canoes, which is often adopted when there is no necessity for speed
and the wind is favorable. The man who acts as “bow” stands up in the
front of the canoe, extends a robe or a blanket in his two hands, and
then he presses the two other corners at the bottom of the boat with
his feet. The robe thus becomes an extemporized sail, of which the man
is the mast. In this manner a canoe is often carried for a considerable
distance, to the great relief of the paddlers.
An European would instantly upset the fragile canoe if he tried to
stand erect in it; but the natives are absolutely perfect masters of
their little vessels, and seem to move about in them as easily and
firmly as if on dry land. They will load a canoe within an inch and
a half of the water’s edge, and paddle it for a whole day, without
dreaming of danger. And an accomplished canoe man will take a fish
spear in his hand, place a foot on each gunwale of the boat, and,
propelled by a friend in the stern of the boat, dart down rapids,
spearing fish as he shoots along, hauling the struggling fish out of
the water, and shaking them into the boat behind him.
[Illustration: (1.) CANOE RACE. (See page 1326.)]
[Illustration: (2.) ESQUIMAUX DWELLINGS. (See page 1335.)]
Among most Indian tribes, when mourning for the death of relatives, the
women are required to cut their hair entirely off, and the period of
mourning is until it has grown to its former length. As long tresses
are so highly valued by most of the tribes this is no small sacrifice.
But long hair being of much more importance to the men they cut off
only a lock or two, to indicate grief or affliction for their departed
kindred.
There is a game which has in it somewhat of a religious aspect. On the
border of the Great Pipe-stone Quarry a solitary rock rises from the
plain. It resembles a large pillar, being only a few feet in diameter,
though more than thirty feet in height. It is situated within a short
distance from the edge of the precipice, and the Indians who come to
procure red stone for their pipes often try to leap upon it and back
again. The mere leap to the rock is comparatively easy, but there are
two terrible dangers which threaten the leaper. In the first place, the
small, flat surface of the rock is so polished and smooth, that if the
leaper should exert too much power, he must slip off, and be killed
on the sharp rocks below. Should he retain his foot-hold he has still
a difficult task in regaining the spot whence he sprang, as he can
take no run, and the slippery surface of the rock affords but a slight
fulcrum from which he can take his spring.
Before an Indian essays this terrible leap, he offers up many prayers
to the Great Spirit for help and protection, and he has at all events
the satisfaction of knowing that, if he should fail, his body will be
buried in the sacred ground of the nation. Those who succeed leave an
arrow sticking in the rock, and have a right to boast of it at every
public meeting when they are called upon to speak. No man would dare to
boast of this feat without having performed it, as he would at once be
challenged to visit the Leaping Rock and to point out his arrow.
If the reader will refer to the figure of the canoe on page 1322, he
will see that its sides are decorated with a pattern. This is made by
fastening dyed porcupine quills to the sides of the little vessel.
Porcupine quills are used very largely for ornaments, and, even though
they have been partly superseded by beads, are still in use for
decorating the dresses and utensils of the natives.
These quills are never so long or thick as those of the porcupine of
the Old World, and are naturally white or gray, so that they can easily
take any desired dye. They are first sorted very carefully into their
different sizes, the largest rarely exceeding three inches in length,
while the smaller are quite thread-like, and can be passed through the
eye of an ordinary needle. Both ends are sharp. When the native artist
desires to produce a pattern, the design is first drawn on the right
side of the bark or leather; the two ends of the quill are then pushed
through the fabric, and fastened on the wrong side, the quill acting
both as needle and thread.
Perhaps the most ingenious mode of making ornaments is that which
is practised by the Ojibbeway women, and called Bark-biting. The
following description of this curious art is given by Mr. Kohl in his
“Kitchi-Gami:”--
“This is an art which the squaws chiefly practise in spring, in their
sugar plantations. Still, they do not all understand it, and only a few
are really talented. I heard that a very celebrated bark-biter resided
at the other side of St. Mary’s River, in Canada, and that another, of
the name of Angélique Marte, lived in our cataract village. Naturally,
I set out at once to visit the latter.
“Extraordinary geniuses must usually be sought here, as in Paris, on
the fifth floor, or in some remote faubourg. Our road to Angélique
Marte led us past the little cluster of houses representing our village
far into the desert. We came to morasses, and had to leap from stone
to stone. Between large masses of scattered granite block, the remains
of the missiles which the Indians say Menaboju and his father hurled
at each other in the battle they fought here, we at length found the
half-decayed birch-hut of our pagan artiste, who herself was living in
it like a hermit.
“The surrounding landscape seemed better adapted for a _renversi_ than
for an _atélier_. When we preferred our request for some specimen of
her tooth carving, she told us that all her hopes as regarded her art
were concentrated in one tooth. At least she had only one in her upper
jaw properly useful for this operation. She began, however, immediately
selecting proper pieces of bark, peeling off the thin skin, and
doubling up the pieces, which she thrust between her teeth.
“As she took up one piece after the other, and went through the
operation very rapidly, one artistic production after the other fell
from her lips. We unfolded the bark, and found on one the figure of a
young girl, on another a bouquet of flowers, on a third a tomahawk,
with all its accessories, very correctly designed, as well as several
other objects. The bark is not bitten into holes, but only pressed
with the teeth, so that, when the designs are held up, they resemble,
to some extent, those pretty porcelain transparencies made as
light-screens.”
The mode of constructing the wigwam is very much the same among the
various tribes. Generally it is made of dressed buffalo skins sewed
together and arranged in the form of a tent, with a score or more of
poles about twenty-five feet in height, as a support, and with an
opening at the apex for the escape of smoke or the admission of light.
The Crows, however, excel all others in the style of their lodge. They
dress the skins almost as white as linen, embellish them with porcupine
quills, and paint them in various ways so as to make their tents
exceedingly beautiful and picturesque.
The Indian lodges may be removed in a few minutes. The taking down and
the transportation is the work of the squaws. A tribe will generally
remove six or eight times in a summer in order to find good hunting
grounds among the herds of buffaloes.
The Indian tribes judging from their musical instruments, have little
taste or skill in music. These are very rude, and consist of rattles,
drums, the mystery whistle, war whistle and deer skin flute. The war
whistle is from six to nine inches in length, made of the bone of the
deer’s or turkey’s leg, with porcupine quills wound around it. The
chief wears this to battle under his dress. It has only two notes--one,
produced by blowing into one end of it, is shrill, and is the summons
to battle; and the other sounds a retreat. Even in the noise of battle
and amid the cries and yells of their fierce conflicts, this little
instrument can be distinctly heard.
The chief pledge of friendship among these tribes, is a dog feast.
If we consider that the dog is an object of special affection with
the Indians; that he is more valued by them than anywhere else on
the globe;--we can understand the significance of this feast. This
sacrifice of what is dearest to them is therefore the very strongest
evidence of friendship. On their coats of arms, on the rocks, they
carve the image of the dog, and everywhere and always, he is the
emblem of fidelity. Accordingly, to ratify friendship, to give the
most unquestionable proof of honor and devotion, the Indian will take
his beloved companion of the chase and wigwam, and offer it as the
sacrifice to hospitality and affection.
These feasts are conducted in the most solemn and impressive manner,
as if with the conviction that the pledge of friendship is a sacred
thing. Those were tender words which Catlin gives at the conclusion of
an Indian chief’s address to him and other white guests, to whom such
a feast had been given: “we offer you to-day not the best we have got,
for we have plenty of good buffalo hump and marrow--but we give you our
hearts in this feast--we have killed our faithful dogs to feed you, and
the Great Spirit will seal our friendship. I have no more to say.”
* * * * *
We come now to consider the customs of the Indians in regard to death
and the disposal of the dead.
The Mandans take the body of the deceased, clothe it in his best robes
and ornaments, furnish it with food, pipes, tobacco, and arrows, and
wrap it up in skins previously soaked in water, so as to render them
pliant, and cause them to exclude the air as much as possible. The body
is then placed upon a slight scaffold, some seven feet in height, and
left to decay. In process of time, the scaffold gives way and falls,
when the relations of the deceased bury the whole of the remains, with
the exception of the skull, which they place on the ground, forming
circles of a hundred or more, all with the faces looking inward, and
all resting on fresh bunches of herbs. In the centre of each circle is
a little mound, on which are placed the skulls of a male and female
bison, and on the mound is planted a long pole, on which hang sundry
“medicine” articles, which are supposed to aid in guarding the remains
of the dead.
No people are more fond of swimming than the Indians, the youth of
both sexes learning the art at a very early age. Such knowledge is
indispensable to them, especially liable as they are to accidents with
their light canoes, and in their marches compelled to cross the widest
rivers. The squaws will fasten their children to their backs, and
easily cross any river that lies in their way.
The Indian mode of swimming, however, is quite different from ours.
They do not make a horizontal stroke outward from the chin, but throw
the body alternately from one side to the other, and raising one arm
out of the water, reach as far forward as possible, while the other arm
having made the same motion, goes down and becomes a propelling power.
And this, though an apparently awkward, is yet a most effective mode of
swimming, and less likely to be attended with injury to the chest, or
with fatigue.
* * * * *
The relatives constantly visit the skull circles, and the women may
often be seen sitting by the skulls of their dead children for hours
together, going on with their work, and talking to the dead skull as
if it were a living child. And, when tired, they will lie down with
their arms encircling the skull, and sleep there as if in company with
the child itself. The Sioux and many other tribes lodge their dead in
the branches or crotches of trees, enveloped in skins, and always with
a wooden dish hanging near the head of the corpse, for the purpose,
doubtless, to enable it to quench its thirst on the long journey they
suppose awaits it after death. The Chinnooks place them in canoes,
which, together with the warrior’s utensils accompanying the dead, are
so shattered as to be useless.
The most singular funeral of which a record has been preserved was that
of Blackbird, an Omaha chief. The artist has reproduced the strange
scene on page 1341.
Upon the bank of the Missouri, and in the district over which he
ruled, there is a lofty bluff, the top of which can be seen for a vast
distance on every side. When the chief found that he was dying, he
ordered that he should be placed on the back of his favorite war horse,
and buried on the top of the bluff.
The request was carried out to the letter. On the appointed day, the
whole tribe, together with a vast concourse of spectators, repaired to
the bluff, leaving an open space in the middle, where the chief was to
be buried.
Presently, the body of the dead chief was borne up the sides of the
bluff, and after him was led his war horse, a noble milk-white steed
which he had valued exceedingly. When the funeral procession reached
the top of the bluff, the dead chief was clothed in full panoply of
war, the feather plumes on his head, the strung bow, quiver, arrows,
shield, and medicine bag slung on his back, his scalps, which no other
man might take, hung to his horse’s bridle and to his weapons, and his
favorite spear in his hand. He was also furnished with food and drink,
to sustain him in his passage to the spirit land, and with his pipe and
filled tobacco pouch, flint, and steel, so that he might solace himself
with the luxury of smoking.
This done, he was mounted on the back of his horse, and all the chiefs
advanced in their turn to make their farewell speeches to their dead
leader. Each, after delivering his address, rubbed his right hand with
vermilion, pressed it against the white coat of the horse, and left
there the scarlet imprint of his hand. Then began the burial. The
warriors brought in their hands pieces of turf, and with them began to
raise a huge mound, in the middle of which the chief and his horse were
to be enclosed. One by one they placed their turves around the feet of
the devoted horse, and so, by degrees, they built the mound over the
animal while yet alive.
The mound, when completed, rose high above the head of the chief thus
strangely buried in its centre, and there he and his horse were left
to decay together. On the top of the mound a cedar post was erected;
and this mound has been, ever since it was built, a familiar landmark
to all the surrounding country. This green, flower spotted mound is
visited by great numbers of travellers, both white and red. The former
ascend the bluff partly out of curiosity to see so strange a tomb, and
partly for the sake of the magnificent view from its summit, while
the latter visit it for the sake of paying their respects at the
burial-place of one of their most renowned chiefs and greatest medicine
men.
The custom of burying wives and other victims with the deceased husband
seems now to be extinct among the North American tribes, but such an
event has happened within comparatively late years. There was a Nachez
chief, called the Stung Serpent, who died; and as he was the head
chief of the tribe, a considerable number of victims were devoted for
sacrifice. The French, however, remonstrated, and induced the friends
of the dead chief to limit the number to eight or ten. Among them was
a beautiful girl, who, though not his wife, had loved him greatly, and
desired to share his grave.
On the day appointed a procession was formed, in which the victims were
led in great state, accompanied by eight relatives of the deceased, who
were to act as executioners, and who bore the fatal cord, the deer-skin
which was thrown over the head of the victim, the tobacco pills
which were to be taken before the ceremony, and the other implements
required. When they were all placed at the grave, the chief wife made a
speech, in which she took leave of her children; and the victims, after
being strangled, were deposited in the grave.
* * * * *
As the object of this work is to present the manners and customs
of tribes and races in their primitive state, and not those
semi-civilized, it will be enough to merely introduce the names of
the Cherokees, Choctaws, Creeks, Chickasaws, Senecas, Delawares, etc.
Nor is it necessary to consider those, now extinct, that occupied
the country when first settled by white men. For the same general
characteristics, now presented, pertain to all the North American
races. The Indian tribes are rapidly retreating or vanishing before the
steady, irresistible march of civilization, and the growing grandeur
of the great Republic in North America. The line, where the echoes
of the Indian’s yell blends with the shout of advancing pioneers and
the sound of the wood-chopper’s axe, is continually moving westward.
In a few years we have seen it pass from the Mississippi River, to
the base of the Rocky Mountains. The settler’s cabin is unceasingly
encroaching upon the wigwams of the Red Men. With sadness, having
smoothed the graves of their fathers, and taken a last look of their
hunting grounds, they retreat before a power which they vainly strive
to resist. Pressed backward in two centuries and a half, across
three-quarters of the continent, from Massachusetts Bay almost to the
Pacific, except a few decaying remnants of tribes, their history and
doom cannot but awaken sympathy for an unfortunate and overpowered race.
Even though we do not form our estimate of the Indian from the romantic
creations of Cooper, every right-thinking person will accord them the
tribute of many qualities that constitute a real grandeur of character.
Their marvellous bravery, their ardent rage, their steadfast, fiery
enthusiasm in the fight or in the chase, their manly sports, their
grave, philosophic demeanor in the council, their stern, stoical
endurance in misfortune, their disdain of death, are traits that have
given to the Indian a character unique and noble, a character and
history that the annalist, poet, and novelist, have transferred to
their immortal pages, and over which multitudes of old and young alike
have bent with eager, breathless interest. As Mr. Mangin in his “Desert
World” says:--“There was poetry in their faith, in their customs, in
their language, at once laconic and picturesque--and even in the names
they bestowed on each tribe, each chief and warrior, on mountain and
river. One can hardly suppress a feeling of regret that so much of wild
romance and valor should have been swept from the face of the earth,
unless we call to mind the shadow of the picture--the Indian’s cruelty,
perfidiousness and savage lust. Even then, our humanity revolts from
the treatment to which he has been subjected by the white man.” Tracked
and hunted like wild beasts, driven from their hunting grounds and the
territory of their ancestors, imbruted by drink, decimated and dying by
epidemics and vices contracted from white men, the poor Indians vainly
struggling to avert their doom of extermination have elicited the
sympathy and commiseration of the civilized world. The theory advocated
in the preceding part of this work, (see page 790), in regard to the
decay and extinction of savage races, does not forbid regrets that such
a people should have suffered so grievously at the hands of the United
States Government, by the greed of its agents, the frauds of traders
and the fatal contagion of the vices of a civilized people. What with
American rifles and American whiskey, their extinction has been rapid,
and their doom certain.
These tribes, contending in a most unequal strife with the forces
of modern civilization, more readily falling victims to the vices
of white men than accepting their virtues, are entitled to the just
consideration and protection of the government, as its wards, from
whom, or their ancestors, have been taken their soil and their homes.
It is gratifying to know that a more humane policy is about being
inaugurated, and though the wrongs of the past may not be redressed,
that their rights in future may be recognized and maintained.
Major-General Thomas, of the U. S. army, whose name and history are
the guarantee of candid and wise judgment, says, in respect to an
instance of cold-blooded, unprovoked, unpunished outrage upon an
Indian boy (it is given only as a representative fact of many more and
bitter wrongs):--“I see no better way than to extend civil authority
over the Indians and enable them to appear as witnesses in all cases
affecting their own status and that of the whites toward them. This is
a fair instance of the cause of the Indian troubles; and until white
murderers and robbers of the Indians are punished, a large force of
troops will be necessary to protect peaceful white settlers from Indian
avengers.” And Gen. Sherman, in whose opinion the utmost confidence
can be reposed, makes the following indorsement to General Thomas’
view:--“This case illustrates the origin of most of the Indian wars
on the frontier. A citizen may murder an Indian with impunity, but if
the Indian retaliate, war results, and the United States must bear the
expense.”
Here we have the secret of many of the barbarities of the Indian
tribes. Inflamed and imbruted by the whiskey sold them, their ignorance
imposed upon by the greed of traders and even government agents, having
little or no chance for securing justice in their real or imagined
injuries, there is certainly some extenuation if this wild son of the
forest go forth with tomahawk and scalping knife, as the self-appointed
avenger of his own and his people’s wrongs. This is not the place, if
there were room, for a thorough discussion of the wrongs of the Red
Men, but I cannot forego the duty, in treating of the manners, customs
and character of tribes so interesting, so noble and superior, by many
traits, to most savage races, of recording at the same time, this
tribute and testimony. It will unquestionably be the verdict of the
future, as coming generations shall study the memorials and character
of the North American Indians.[1]
[1] These reflections, with much relating to the customs of the
Indians, have been introduced into the work by the American editor.
CHAPTER CXL.
THE ESQUIMAUX.
APPEARANCE--DRESS--DWELLINGS.
APPEARANCE OF THE PEOPLE -- THEIR COMPLEXION, AND DIFFICULTY OF
SEEING IT -- AN ESQUIMAUX CHILD WASHED AND COMBED -- BODILY STRENGTH
-- DRESS OF THE MEN -- THE TAILED COAT -- “MILLING” BOOTS -- DRESS
OF THE WOMEN -- THE LARGE HOOD AND BOOTS -- THE TATTOO, AND MODE OF
PERFORMING IT -- HAIR-DRESSING -- PREPARING SKINS -- THE SNOW HOUSES,
AND MODE OF BUILDING THEM -- CAPTAIN LYON’S DESCRIPTION -- INTERNAL
ARRANGEMENTS OF THE HUT -- ICE AND BONE HOUSES -- THE TUPIC, OR
SUMMER DWELLING -- FOOD OF THE ESQUIMAUX -- A WISE TRAVELLER.
We now come to those extraordinary people, called by Europeans the
ESQUIMAUX (their own name being Innuit), who, placed amid perpetual
ice and snow, have bent those elements to their own purposes, and
pass as happy lives in their inclement country as do the apparently
more favored inhabitants of the tropics amid their perpetual verdure.
Indeed, the Esquimaux has a perfect yearning for his beloved country,
should he be away from it. Captain Hall relates the circumstances
attendant upon the “death of Kudlago, a singularly intelligent man,
who had visited the United States, and fully learned to appreciate
the advantages of the high civilization which he saw there. But all
his wishes were for home, and he was taken back. As the ship neared
his native land, he fell ill and died, his last words being the eager
inquiry, ‘Do you see ice? Do you see ice?’”
* * * * *
In appearance, the Esquimaux are a peculiar people. Their stature is
short, when compared to that of an ordinary European, the average being
about five feet three inches for the men, and two or three inches less
for the women.
The complexion is in some cases rather dark, but, as a rule, is not
much darker than that of the inhabitants of Southern Europe. It looks,
however, many shades darker, in consequence of the habits of the
Esquimaux, who never wash from their birth to their death. It is not
that they neglect their ablutions, but the very idea of washing never
enters the mind of an Esquimaux, who, unless he has met with white men,
has not even heard of such an operation. When, however, an Esquimaux
has been induced to allow his skin to be cleansed, he is found to lose
many shades of his original darkness. There is an amusing passage in
the journal of Captain Hall, given in his “Life with the Esquimaux,” a
work to which frequent reference will be made in the next few pages.
“Kimnaloo has just been Americanized. Captain B----’s good wife had
made and sent to her a pretty red dress, a necktie, mittens, belt, &c.
“Mr. Rogers and I, at a suggestion from me, thought it best to commence
the change of nationality with soap and water. The process was slow,
that of arriving at the beautiful little girl, whom we at length found,
though deeply imbedded layer after layer in dirt. Then came the task of
making her toilet. With a very coarse comb I commenced to disentangle
her hair. She had but little, the back part from behind her ears
having been cut short off on account of severe pains in her head. How
patiently she submitted to the worse than curry-comb process I had to
use! This was the first time in her life that a comb had been put to
her head. Her hair was filled with moss, seal and reindeer hairs, and
many other things, too numerous to call them all by name. Poor little
thing! Yet she was fat and beautiful, the very picture of health. Her
cheeks were as red as the blown rose; Nature’s vermilion was upon
them.”
The skin is smooth, soft, and yet wonderfully tough, with a sort of
unctuous surface, probably occasioned by the enormous amount of oil
and fat which forms the principal part of their diet. The features are
not very pleasing, the face being broad, and the cheek-bones so high
that in many cases, if a flat ruler were laid from cheek to cheek, it
would not touch the nose. As is the case with the Chinese section of
this vast race, the eyes slope rather downward, and the face is often
covered with wrinkles to a wonderful extent, extending from the eyes
down each cheek.
In bodily strength, the Esquimaux present a great contrast to the
Andamaners, who, though short, are possessed of gigantic muscular
powers. Captain Lyon found that the natives could not raise burdens
that were easily lifted by his sailors, whereas an ordinary Andamaner
is often a match for two powerful sailors. The neck is strangely thin
and feeble, however well-proportioned the chest may be, and it is a
curious fact that the Esquimaux are almost wholly ignorant of running
and jumping. There is but little beard, and the hair is black, coarse,
straight, and lanky.
The general character of the dress is alike in both sexes, so that
at a little distance it is not easy to tell whether the spectator be
looking at a man or a woman, both sexes wearing trousers, and jackets
with a large hood, which can either be drawn over the head or allowed
to fall on the shoulders. The jacket of the man is made something like
a broad-tailed dress coat, hanging behind as far as the middle of the
calf, and cut away in front just below the waist. It is mostly made of
deer-hide, and the hood is lined and turned up with white fur, which
forms a curious contrast to the dark, broad face within it. The edge of
the coat is generally bordered with a lighter-colored fur, and is often
decorated with little strips of fur hanging like tassels.
Under this coat is another of similar shape, but of lighter material,
and having the furry side turned inward. The legs are clothed in
two pairs of trousers, the outer pair being often made of strips of
differently colored deer-skins arranged in parallel stripes, and having
the fur outward, while the other has the fur inward, as is the case
with the coats. They only come as low as the knee, so that the joint
is often frost-bitten; but nothing can induce the Esquimaux to outrage
fashion by adding a couple of inches to the garment.
The boots are made of the same materials as the other parts of the
dress. In winter time the Esquimaux wear first a pair of boots with
the fur inward, then slippers of soft seal-skin so prepared as to be
waterproof, then another pair of boots, and, lastly, strong seal-skin
shoes. In the summer time one pair of boots is sufficient protection.
The soles are made of thicker material than the rest of the garment,
and it is the duty of the women to keep the soles flexible by chewing
or “milling” them, an operation which consumes a considerable part of
their time.
Mittens are made of various skins, the hairy side being inward; and if
the wearer be engaged in fishing, he uses mittens made of watertight
seal-skin. During the summer, light dresses are worn, made of the skins
of ducks, with the feathers inward. Over all there is sometimes a very
thin and light waterproof garment made of the intestines of the walrus.
The jackets worn by the women have a much longer and narrower tail
than those of the men, and a tolerably deep flap in front. The hood is
of enormous size, being used as a cradle as well as a hood, in which
a child of nearly three years old is carried. The trousers, or rather
leggings, are tied to a girdle that passes round the waist, and are
so cut away at the top, that they allow a portion of the skin to be
visible between them and the sides of the jacket, an exposure from
which the wearers do not seem to suffer. The oddest article of the
female apparel is, however, the boots, which more resemble sacks or
buckets than boots, and are simply tied to the girdle by a broad strap
that passes up the front of the leg. The boots are used as receptacles
for all kinds of portable property, food included, and in consequence
impart a most singular walk, or rather waddle, to the wearers, who are
obliged to keep their feet widely apart, and, as they walk, to swing
one foot round the other, rather than to use the ordinary mode of
walking.
The Esquimaux women use the tattoo, called by them the kakeen, and
in some places cover their limbs and a considerable portion of their
persons with various patterns. There are some who mark the forehead,
cheeks, and chin, these being mostly proof that the woman is married,
though they are sometimes worn by unmarried females. The mode in
which the kakeen is performed is amusingly told by Captain Lyon, who
courageously submitted to the operation.
“My curiosity determined me on seeing how the kakeen was performed,
and I accordingly put myself into the hands of Mrs. Kettle, whom I had
adopted as my amama, or mother.
“Having furnished her with a fine needle, she tore with her teeth a
thread off a deer’s sinew, and thus prepared the sewing apparatus.
She then, without a possibility of darkening her hands beyond their
standard color, passed her fingers under the bottom of the stove pot,
from whence she collected a quantity of soot. With this, together with
a little oil and much saliva, she soon made a good mixture, and taking
a small piece of whalebone well blackened, she then drew a variety of
figures about my arm, differing, as I easily saw, from those with which
she herself was marked; and, calling her housemates, they all enjoyed a
good laugh at the figures, which perhaps conveyed some meaning that I
could not fathom.
“I had, however, only determined on a few strokes, so that her trouble
was in some measure thrown away. She commenced her work by blackening
the thread with soot, and taking a pretty deep but short stitch in my
skin, carefully pressing her thumb on the wound as the thread passed
through it, and beginning each stitch at the place where the last had
ceased. My flesh being tough, she got on but slowly, and, having broken
one needle in trying to force it through, I thought fit, when she had
completed forty stitches, or about two inches, to allow her to desist;
then, rubbing the part with oil in order to stanch the little blood
which appeared, she finished the operation. I could now form an idea of
the price paid by the Esquimaux females for their embellishments, which
for a time occasion a slight inflammation and some degree of pain. The
color which the kakeen assumes when the skin heals is of the same light
blue as we see on the marked arms of seamen.”
The dress of the children is alike in both sexes. None at all is worn
until the infant is nearly three years old, up to which age it is
kept naked in its mother’s hood. A dress is then made of fawn skin,
having the jacket, trousers, boots, and hood in one piece, the only
opening being at the back. Into this odd dress the child is put, and
the opening being tied up with a string, the operation of dressing
is completed. The hood or cap is generally made in the shape of the
fawn’s head, so that the little Esquimaux has the strangest appearance
imaginable, and scarcely looks like a human being.
As to the hair, the men cut it short over the forehead, and allow the
side locks to grow to their full length, tying them, when very long,
over the top of the head in a large knot projecting over the forehead.
The women part the hair in the middle, and make it into two large
tails. A piece of bone or wood is introduced into each of the tails
by way of a stiffener, and they are then bound spirally with a narrow
strip of deer-hide, with the fur outward. Those women who can afford
such a luxury pass the hair through two brass rings, which are then
pressed as closely as possible to the head.
The whole of the operations of preparing the skin and making the
clothes are done by the women, the men having completed their task when
they have killed the animals. The fat, blood, and oil are first sucked
from the skins, and the women then scrape the inner surface with an
ingenious instrument, sometimes furnished with teeth, and at other
times plain, like blunt knives. The skins are then rubbed and kneaded,
and are dried by being stretched by pegs to the ground in summer, and
laced over a hoop in winter and exposed to the heat of the lamp, which
constitutes the only fire of the Esquimaux.
Bird skins are prepared in a somewhat similar fashion, and are stripped
from the bodies of the birds in a marvellously expeditious manner.
With their knife, which exactly resembles a cheese cutter, they make
an incision round the head and round the outer joint of each wing. The
cut part is then seized between the teeth, and with a pull and a jerk
the skin comes off in one piece, and turned inside out. These skins are
considered a great luxury by the Esquimaux, who bite and suck off the
fat which adheres liberally to them.
* * * * *
In a country where the thermometer remains many degrees below zero for
many months together, and in which ice and snow are the prevailing
features, it is evident that houses cannot be built after the fashion
of those in most countries. No trees can grow there, so that wooden
houses are out of the question, and in a land where ice has been known
to choke up the iron flue of a stove always kept burning neither clay
could be made into bricks, nor stones cemented with mortar. There is
only one substance of which houses can be made, and this is frozen
water, either in the form of snow or ice, the former being the usual
material. These snow houses, called igloos, are made in a dome-like
shape, and are built with a rapidity that is perfectly astonishing. The
reader will find the form and mode of building these houses illustrated
on page 1327.
The general appearance of these strange houses is thus described
by Captain Lyon, in his “Private Journal.” “Our astonishment was
unbounded, when, after creeping through some long passages of snow, to
enter the different dwellings, we found ourselves in a cluster of dome
shaped edifices, entirely constructed of snow, which, from their recent
erection, had not been sullied by the smoke of the numerous lamps that
were burning, but admitted the light in most delicate hues of verdigris
green and blue, according to the thickness of the slab through which
it passed.... There were five clusters of huts, some having one, some
two, and others three domes, in which thirteen families lived, each
occupying a dome or one side of it, according to their strength. The
whole number of people were twenty-one men, twenty-five women, and
eighteen children, making a total of sixty-four.
“The entrance to the building was by a hole about a yard in diameter,
which led through a low arched passage of sufficient breadth for two to
pass in a stooping posture, and about sixteen feet in length; another
hole then presented itself, and led through a similarly shaped but
shorter passage, having at its termination a round opening about two
feet across. Up this hole we crept one step, and found ourselves in a
dome about seven feet in height, and as many in diameter, from whence
the three dwelling-places with arched roofs were entered. It must be
observed that this is the description of a large hut; the smaller ones,
containing one or two families, have the domes somewhat differently
arranged.
“Each dwelling might be averaged at fourteen or sixteen feet in
diameter, by six or seven in height; but as snow alone was used in
their construction, and was always at hand, it might be supposed that
there was no particular size, that being of course at the option of the
builder. The laying of the arch was performed in such a manner as would
have satisfied the most regular artist, the key piece on the top being
a large square slab. The blocks of snow used in the buildings were from
four to six inches in thickness, and about a couple of feet in length,
carefully pared with a large knife. Where two families occupied a dome,
a seat was raised either side two feet in height. These raised places
were used as beds, and covered, in the first place, with whalebone,
sprigs of Andromeda, or pieces of seal-skin; over these were spread
deer-pelts and deer-skin clothes, which had a very warm appearance. The
pelts were used as blankets, and many of them had ornamental fringes of
leather sewed round their edges.
“Each dwelling-place was illuminated by a broad piece of transparent
fresh-water ice, of about two feet in diameter, which formed part of
the roof, and was placed over the door. These windows gave a most
pleasing light, free from glare, and something like that which is
thrown through ground glass. We soon learned that the building of a
house was but the work of an hour or two, and that a couple of men--one
to cut the slabs and another to lay them--were sufficient laborers.
“For the support of the lamps and cooking apparatus a mound of snow is
erected for each family; and when the master has two wives or a mother,
both have an independent place, one at each end of the bench.”
In the middle of the hut is erected a slight scaffold, which supports
a rudely made net, and under the net is placed the one essential piece
of furniture of the house, namely, the lamp. This is a very simple
contrivance. It is merely an oval shaped dish of stone, round the edge
of which is arranged a long wick made of moss. Oil is poured into it,
and a quantity of blubber is heaped in the centre of the lamp, so as
to keep up the supply. Over the lamp is hung the cooking pot, the size
of each being proportioned to the rank of the possessor. It sometimes
happens that two wives occupy the same hut. In this case, the chief or
“igloo-wife” has the large lamp and the supporting scaffold, while the
other has to content herself with a little lamp and a small pot, which
she must support as she can.
The value of the lamp is simply incalculable, not so much for its use
in cooking, as the Esquimaux like meat raw quite as well as cooked, but
for its supply of warmth, for the water which is obtained by melting
snow over it, and for its use in drying clothes. All garments, the snow
being first beaten off them, are placed on the “dry-net” over the lamp,
where they are gradually dried, and, after being chewed by the women,
are fit for wear again: otherwise they become frozen quite hard, and
are of no more use than if they were made of ice. Oil is supplied by
chewing blubber, and the women, who always perform the task, have the
curious knack of expressing the oil without allowing a drop of moisture
to mix with it. In one minute a woman can obtain enough oil to fill a
lamp two feet in length.
Sometimes, when snow is scarce, the igloo is made of ice. The walls
are formed of this material, and are generally of an octagonal form,
the ice slabs being cemented together with snow. The domed roof is
usually made of snow, but the tunnel, or passage to the interior, is
of ice. Such a house is, when first made, so transparent that, even at
the distance of some paces, those who are within it can be recognized
through its walls.
It may seem strange that such materials as snow and ice should be
employed in the construction of man’s dwelling-place, as nothing seems
more opposed to comfort; yet these houses, instead of being cold, are
so warm that the inhabitants throw off the greater part, and sometimes
the whole, of their clothes when within them; and the bed of snow on
which they recline is, when covered with the proper amount of skins,
even warmer than an European feather bed. In the summer time the
Esquimaux prefer the skin hut, or “tupic.” This is a mere tent made of
deer-skins thrown over a few sticks, though the supports are sometimes
formed from the bones of whales.
* * * * *
The food of the Esquimaux is almost wholly of an animal character. In
the first place, the country supplies scarcely any vegetation; and, in
the next place, an abundant supply of animal food is required in order
to enable the inhabitants to withstand the intense cold. The seal and
the reindeer form their favorite food, and in both cases the fat is the
part that is most highly valued.
In the reindeer, the fat of the hinder quarters, called by the
Esquimaux “toodnoo,” is the portion that is most valued. Captain Hall,
who very wisely lived as the Esquimaux while staying with them, says
that it is as much superior to butter as is the best butter to lard;
and when the deer is in good condition, the meat is so tender that a
steak almost falls to pieces if lifted by its edge. Another part of the
reindeer is almost as valuable as the fat. This is the contents of the
deer’s paunch, eaten raw with slices of raw venison. It has a slightly
acid flavor, like that of sorrel, and if the consumer were not to know
what he was eating, he would be delighted with it.
This was the case with Captain Hall, while partaking of a deer feast
in an igloo. He tried the deer flesh, and found it excellent; he then
took a morsel of the unknown substance, and describes it as ambrosial.
After eating the greater part of it, he took it to the light, and was
horrified to find the nature of the feast. However, he soon came to the
wise conclusion that epicurism of any kind was nothing but the effect
of education, and that, in consequence, he would ignore his previous
prejudices on the subject, and eat whatever the Esquimaux ate, and as
they ate it. As to the quantity consumed, neither he nor any other
white man would be a match for an Esquimaux, who will consume nine or
ten pounds of meat at a sitting, and lie leisurely on his back, being
fed by his wife with pieces of blubber when he is utterly unable to
help himself. An Esquimaux finds a sort of intoxicating effect in utter
repletion, which stands him in the stead of fermented liquors.
Putting aside the gourmandizing propensity of the Esquimaux, Captain
Hall found that if he were to live with them, as he intended to do, he
must sooner or later come to the same diet. He determined in making
a bold plunge, and eating whatever he saw them eat. At first it was
rather repugnant to his feelings to eat a piece of raw meat that had
been carefully licked by a woman, in order to free it from hairs and
other extraneous matters. But he reflected that, if he had not known
of the licking, he would not have discovered it from the flavor of the
meat, and he very wisely ignored the mode in which it had been cleaned.
Similarly, fresh seal’s blood just drawn from the animal seemed rather
a strange kind of soup, and the still warm entrails a remarkable sort
of after-dinner delicacy. But finding that the Esquimaux considered
them both as very great dainties, he tried them, and pronounced that
the Esquimaux were perfectly right, and that his preconceived ideas
were entirely wrong.
[Illustration: 1 2 4
3 FRONT OF HEAD LARGER
LOOSE
FAST
HARPOON HEAD. (From my collection.) (See page 1340)]
CHAPTER CXLI.
THE ESQUIMAUX--_Continued_.
HUNTING--RELIGION--BURIAL.
MODES OF HUNTING -- SEAL HUNTING IN THE SNOW -- THE INFANT DECOY --
THE SEAL’S IGLOO -- AN IVORY FLOAT -- SEAL “TALK” -- THE HARPOONS AND
SPEARS -- SPEARING THE WALRUS -- THE ICE RAFT -- THE BOW AND ARROWS
AND WRIST GUARD -- DEER HUNTING -- GROUSE SHOOTING -- THE WOLF AND
FOX TRAPS -- THE BIRD SLING -- BEAR HUNTING -- THE MEN’S AND WOMEN’S
BOATS -- CONSTRUCTION OF THE KIA, AND MODE OF USING IT -- AQUATIC
FEATS -- THE WOMEN’S BOAT AND ITS USES -- THE SLEDGE -- THE VARIOUS
RUNNERS -- SLEDGE DOGS AND THEIR TRAINING -- EXAMPLES OF THEIR
CLEVERNESS -- BARBEKARK AND THE CAPELINS -- MARRIAGE AND EDUCATION
OF CHILDREN -- GAMES AND DANCING -- RELIGION -- THE ANGEKO AND HIS
MYSTERIES -- “IN VINO VERITAS” -- HONESTY -- HOSPITALITY -- DISPOSAL
OF THE DEAD.
Depending wholly upon the products of the chase for their food, the
Esquimaux are most accomplished hunters, and in their peculiar way are
simply unequalled by any other people on earth. Take, for example,
their mode of seal catching. The reader is doubtless aware that the
seal, being a mammal, breathes atmospheric air, and that in consequence
it cannot remain very long under water, but is obliged to come up at
certain intervals for the purpose of breathing. When it dives under the
ice, it would therefore be drowned did it not form for itself certain
breathing holes in the ice. These are very small, not more than an
inch and a half, or at the most two inches, in diameter, and do not
penetrate through the coating of snow that lies on the ice.
The hunter’s dog, which is specially trained for this purpose, detects
the breathing hole, and the master then reverses his harpoon, which has
a long, spindle shaped butt, and thrusts it through the snow in search
of the concealed hole, which often lies under some two feet of snow.
When he has found it, he seats himself by the hole, with his harpoon
ready; and there he will sit until he hears the blowing sound of the
seal, when he drives the harpoon into the hole, and invariably secures
his prey. This is the more difficult, as, if the stroke be wrong by
even a quarter of an inch, the seal will not be struck, and the man is
often wearied with waiting and need of sleep.
The patience with which the Esquimaux hunter will watch a seal hole
far surpasses that of a cat at a mouse hole. Captain Hall mentions one
case, where an Esquimaux, a notable seal hunter, actually sat watching
a seal hole for two and a half days and two nights without either sleep
or food. Considering the nature of the climate, such a feat as this
is almost incredible. The poor man, after all his trouble, failed to
secure the seal, but was not disheartened, and, after taking some food,
went off again to the seal hole to renew his watch.
Some of the Esquimaux seal hunters use a singularly ingenious
instrument for enabling them to detect the approach of the animal. It
consists of a very slender ivory rod, about twelve inches in length,
pointed at one end, and having a round knob at the other. It is about
as thick as a crow quill. When the hunter has found a seal hole, he
ties to the upper end a very fine thread made of sinew, and lowers it
into the seal hole, where it is allowed to dangle by the thread. When
the seal comes to breathe, it takes no notice of so small an object,
but rises as usual for air, pushing the little rod before it. As soon
as the hunter sees the rod rise, he knows that the seal is there, and
drives his spear down the hole. Even a larger float--if we may so
call it--might be unseen by the seal, but it would interfere with the
passage of the spear.
There is another mode of catching seals, in which the young acts as
a decoy for its mother. The seal, when she is about to produce her
young, scratches away the ice until she comes to the snow, which lies
deep upon it. She then scratches away a quantity of the snow until
she has made a dome-like chamber, in form exactly like the snow hut
of the Esquimaux. The tunnel through the ice is just large enough to
allow the passage of the seal, while the chamber is about five feet in
diameter, so that a tolerably large platform of ice is left, on which
the creature can rest. Here its young is produced, and here it remains
until the sun melts away the snow covering of the chamber, or igloo, as
it is called, by which time the young animal is able to take care of
itself.
At the proper season, the Esquimaux set off in search of these seal
igloos, and when they are detected by the dogs, the hunter flings
himself on the snow, thus beating down the roof of the igloo. He then
thrusts his sealing hook into the igloo, and drags out the young seal.
It is remarkable, by the way, that the polar bear acts in precisely the
same manner, crushing down the walls of the igloo, and dragging out the
young one with its paws.
When the Esquimaux has secured the young seal, he ties a long line to
one of the hind flippers, and allows it to slip into the sea through
the tunnel, while he creeps into the igloo with his hook, in hopes of
catching the mother as she comes to help her young one. The Esquimaux
always kill young seals by putting the foot on their shoulders, and
pressing firmly down, so as to suffocate it. This is done for the
purpose of preserving the blood.
Sometimes the seal hunter actually stalks the wary animal on the ice.
The seal has a strange way of sleeping when lying on the ice. It takes
short naps of only a few seconds’ duration, and between them raises its
head and looks round to see if any enemy be approaching. The Esquimaux
takes advantage of this habit, and, lying down on the ice, he waits for
these short naps, and hitches himself along the ice toward the animal,
looking himself very much like a seal as he lies on the ice, covered
with seal skin garments. Whenever the seal raises its head, the hunter
stops, begins to paw with his hands, and utters a curious droning
monologue, which is called “seal talk,” and is supposed to act as a
charm. Certain it is, that the seal appears to be quite gratified by
the talk, is put off its guard, and allows the hunter to approach near
enough to make the fatal stroke.
The same kind of “talk” is used when the sealer goes out in his boat,
and some of the hunters are celebrated for the magical power of their
song. In seal hunting from a boat, a different kind of harpoon is
employed. It is longer and slighter than that which is used for ice
hunting, and is furnished with a float made of a leathern bag inflated
with air. This is fastened to the shaft, and just below it one end of
the harpoon line is secured, the other end being made fast to the head
of the weapon.
When the seal is struck, the shaft is shaken from the head, so that
there is no danger of its working the weapon out of the seal by its
leverage, and it acts as a drag, impeding the movements of the animal,
so that the hunter is able to overtake it in his boat, and to pierce it
with another harpoon. When the seal is dead, the float serves another
purpose. Seals, when killed in the water, almost invariably sink so
rapidly that they cannot be secured. The float, however, remains at the
surface, so that the successful hunter has only to paddle to it, take
it into the canoe, and haul the seal on board. Perhaps the most curious
part of the business lies in the skill with which the hunter carries
the seal home. The boat in which he sits is entirely covered with skin,
except a small aperture which admits his body, and yet he lays the body
of the seal upon this slight platform, and manages to balance it as he
paddles homeward, regardless of the waves upon which his light little
canoe trembles like a cork.
Of these boats we shall presently see something, and will now merely
look at the weapons which are employed by the Esquimaux in hunting.
It is worthy of remark that war is totally unknown among the Esquimaux,
who are perhaps the only people in the world who possess no war
weapons, and have no desire to do so. Generally, when a savage obtains
for the first time possession of fire-arms, he uses them in warfare,
and by the superiority of his weapons raises himself to eminence. The
Esquimaux cares for none of these things. He is essentially a family
man, and when he is fortunate enough to procure a musket, he simply
uses it for hunting purposes, never wasting the precious powder and
lead upon the bodies of his fellow-men. Of fame he is totally ignorant,
except that sort of local fame which is earned by skill in hunting. He
finds that all his energies are required to procure food and clothing
for his household, and therefore he does not expend them upon any other
object.
The weapon which is to the Esquimaux what the rifle is to the
backwoodsman, the boomerang to the Australian, the sword to the
Agageer, the lasso to the South American, and the sumpitan to the
Dyak, is the harpoon, a weapon which undergoes various modifications,
according to the use to which it is put, but is essentially the same in
principle throughout.
The first example is the typical harpoon. It consists of a long wooden
shaft, with a float attached to it, as has already been described on
page 1339. Owing to the great scarcity of wood in Esquimaux land, the
greater part being obtained from the casual drift-wood that floats
ashore from wrecks, such a weapon is exceedingly valuable. The shaft is
generally made of a number of pieces of wood lashed together in a most
ingenious fashion.
The barbed head is but loosely fitted to the shaft, a hole in the base
of the head receiving a point at the end of the shaft. It is held in
its place by leathern thongs, so arranged that, as soon as the wounded
animal darts away, the shaft is shaken from the head. The arrangement
of the leathern thongs varies according to the kind of weapon. The
illustration on page 1337, shows the head of the harpoon which is used
for spearing the walrus.
It is about nine inches in length, and is made of ivory, either that of
the walrus or the narwhal, probably the former, as it partakes of the
curve of the walrus tooth. It consists of two pieces, which we call,
for convenience’ sake the body and the head. The upper part of the
body is slightly pointed and rounded, and is meant to be fixed to the
shaft of the harpoon. About an inch and a half from the end two holes
are bored, through which is passed a double thong of leather about as
thick as a goose quill. Next comes the head, which is a triangular and
deeply barbed piece of ivory, armed with a thin, flat plate of iron,
almost exactly like the armature of the Bosjesman’s war arrow. Through
this head is bored a hole, and through the hole passes the loop of the
double thong already mentioned. At the butt of the head there is a
hole, into which is fitted the conical termination of the body.
By reference to the illustration, the reader will easily comprehend the
arrangement. Fig. 1 shows the entire instrument, the head fitted on the
body, and held in its place by the double thong. Fig. 2 shows the head
disjointed from the body. The reader will now see what a perfect barb
this instrument forms. When the harpoon is hurled at the walrus, the
head penetrates through the tough skin, and, becoming disjointed from
the body, sets at right angles across the little wound which it made
on entering, and effectually prevents the weapon from being withdrawn.
Fig. 3 shows the upper view of the head, and fig. 4 shows the hole at
its base, into which the conical end of the body is loosely fitted.
The line attached to the shaft of this harpoon is very long and of
great strength, and, when the hunter goes out to catch walrus, is
coiled round and round his neck in many folds, very slightly tied
together so as to prevent the successive coils from being entangled
with one another. When the hunter launches his harpoon with the right
hand, he with the left hand simultaneously jerks the coils of rope off
his neck, and throws them after the harpoon. The jerk snaps the slight
ligatures, and the animal is “played” like a salmon by an angler, until
it is utterly wearied with pain, loss of blood, and its struggles to
escape, and can be brought near enough to receive the fatal wound from
a spear.
Casting off the rope in exact time is a most important business, as
several hunters who have failed to do so have been caught in the coils
of the rope, dragged under the ice, and there drowned. On the end
of the harpoon line is worked a loop, and, as soon as the weapon is
hurled, the hunter drives a spear deeply into the ice, slips the loop
over it, and allows the walrus to struggle against the elastic rope
until it is quite tired. He then hauls up the line until he has brought
the animal to the ice, snatches up his spear, and with it inflicts a
mortal wound. On the next page the reader may find an illustration
showing the Esquimaux in his usual dress, and engaged in walrus hunting.
One mode of employing this harpoon against the walrus is singularly
ingenious. When the Esquimaux hunters see a number of the animals
sleeping on a sheet of ice, they look out for an ice fragment small
enough to be moved, and yet large enough to support several men.
Paddling to the ice, they lift their canoes upon it, bore holes in it,
and make their harpoon lines fast to the holes. They then gently paddle
the whole piece of ice, men, canoes, and all, to the spot where are
lying the drowsy animals, who do not suspect any danger from a piece of
ice floating by.
Having made their selection, the hunters tell off two men to each
walrus, and, at a given signal, all the harpoons are hurled. The whole
herd instantly roll themselves into the sea, the wounded animals being
attached to the piece of ice by the harpoon lines. The hunters allow
them to tow their ice craft about until they are exhausted, when they
launch their canoes, and kill the animals with their spears. As soon
as the walrus is dead, the hunters plug up the holes with little pegs
of ivory, for the purpose of preserving the blood, which is so highly
valued by the Esquimaux.
The Esquimaux have another kind of spear. The shaft is made of wood,
but the point and the barbed projections are of ivory. This spear is
chiefly used for catching fish, and is flung by means of a throwing
stick, almost in the same manner as the spears of the Australians. The
throwing stick is made of wood, flattish, and near one end has a hole,
into which the butt of the spear is passed. This is altogether a much
slighter and lighter weapon than that which has been described.
[Illustration: (1.) BURIAL OF BLACKBIRD. (See page 1330.)]
[Illustration: (2.) SPEARING THE WALRUS. (See page 1340.)]
Bows and arrows are also employed by the Esquimaux. The former are
made of horn, bone, or wood, and are almost always composed of several
pieces lashed firmly together. As is the case with the bows of the
North American tribes, the chief strength is obtained, not so much from
the material of the bow, as from a vast number of sinew strings which
run down its back. There are often a hundred or more of these sinews,
which are put on sufficiently tight to give the bow a slight curvature
against the string. The shape of the bow is rather peculiar. And though
the weapon is so powerful, it is seldom used at a greater distance than
twelve, or at most twenty yards. The length of the bow is on an average
three feet six inches.
The arrows are extremely variable. Some have wooden shafts tipped with
bone, but the shafts of the best specimens are half bone and half wood,
and the points are armed with a little piece of iron. The arrows are
contained in a quiver, and the bow is kept in a case. This quiver and
bow-case are generally made of seal skin, as being impervious to wet,
though they are frequently made of other materials. My own specimen
is formed from the hide of the reindeer. When the Esquimaux shoots,
he always holds his bow horizontally. The bow-string is made of some
fifteen or twenty sinew strings, which are loosely twisted, but not
made into a cord.
The bow and arrows are chiefly used in the capture of the reindeer and
in shooting rabbits, birds, and other small game. The mode of deer
hunting is very ingenious. When the hunter sees some deer feeding on
the level plain, he takes his bow and arrows, draws his hood well over
his head, and creeps as close as he can to the spot where the deer are
reposing. Here he begins to bellow in imitation of the cry with which
the deer call each other, and thus attracts the animals within the
short distance at which an Esquimaux archer shoots.
Even if he should not use the bellowing call, he has only to lie
patiently on the ground to be sure that, sooner or later, some of the
deer will come and look at him. They are most inquisitive animals, and
when they see any strange object, they cannot resist satisfying their
curiosity by inspecting it. Providing the object of their curiosity
does not move after them, they approach in a series of circles which
they gradually narrow, capering and tossing their heads capriciously,
and at last will come within a yard or two of the motionless hunter,
and so fall a victim to the arrow which he has already fitted to his
bow.
Sometimes the deer hunters adopt an ingenious ruse. Two of them walk
near the deer, and purposely show themselves. When the animals’
attention is fixed upon them, they walk slowly away, knowing that the
innate curiosity of the deer will induce them to follow. They direct
their course past some stone or similar object, when one of them
quickly steps behind it, while the other walks onward as before. The
deer do not notice that one of the men has disappeared, and so follow
the other, thus coming within a yard or two of the deadly arrow.
The arrow is also used for shooting birds, which are always killed when
sitting. The arctic grouse are killed in great numbers by the arrow.
They pack closely together, so that an arrow shot at random among them
can scarcely avoid hitting one of them; and the birds are so apathetic
that, when the missile falls among them, they only fly a few yards
further and then settle, so that the hunter can pick up his arrow and
shoot it at them again, until he has shot the greater number of the
covey.
In order to save the wrist from the recoil of the bow-string, the
Esquimaux wears a very ingenious guard, composed of several pieces
of bone tied together and fastened on the wrist by a bone button and
loop. The pieces of bone are about four inches in length. Below the
wrist-guard, which is shown on the 1353d page, some curiously formed
hooks are represented. No bait is required with them. They are simply
moved up and down in the water so as to attract the attention of the
fish, and then are jerked sharply upward, so as to catch the fish on
one of the projecting points. There are many varieties of this curious
hook, but those which are illustrated are the most characteristic.
There is also an instrument called the kakeeway, or little nippers,
which is used in a similar manner by the Esquimaux boys. They take a
model of a fish made of ivory, tie a string to it, and troll it about
in the water in order to attract the fish, when they are struck with
the kakeeway, and hauled out of the water. The artificial fish are
about three inches long, and are very neatly made, with eyes of iron
pyrites. This is a very slow process of fish catching, but the boys, to
whom time is of no object, are very fond of it, and will sit on their
heels all day for the chance of catching two or three little fish.
The foxes and wolves are generally taken in traps. There are several
kinds of traps, but they are mostly made on one or the other of two
principles. The usual trap is very like a common mouse trap, except
that it is made of ice instead of wood. It is so long and narrow that a
wolf cannot turn himself in it, but, if he wishes to retreat, must do
so backward. The door is a heavy slab of ice, which moves up and down
in two grooves. The door being raised, it is held in position by a line
which passes over the top of the trap, through a hole at the end, and
is then slightly hitched over a peg. A bait is then attached to the
end of the line, and when the wolf pulls it, the door is released, and
effectually secures the animal in the icy prison. A hole is then made
in the side of the trap, and the wolf is speared where he lies.
Foxes are also taken in these traps, but the usual kind of fox trap is
made on a different plan. It is built in a form somewhat resembling
a lime-kiln, and the aperture is covered with a piece of whalebone,
along which the animal must walk to get at the bait. As it steps on the
whalebone, the elastic material gives way, lets the fox into the trap,
and then resumes its former position, ready for another victim.
It has already been mentioned that birds are often shot with arrows as
they are sitting. The Esquimaux have a singular instrument by which
they can capture birds on the wing, provided that they do not fly at
any great height from the ground. It consists of seven or eight pieces
of bone or ivory, or stone, the latter being preferred on account of
its weight. To each of the weights is attached a sinew cord about
two feet six inches in length, and all the ends of the cords are
tied together, their junction being usually ornamented by a tuft of
feathers. When the Esquimaux sees a bird flying so that it will pass
tolerably near him, he whirls the sling round his head and flings it
at the bird. As it leaves his hand, all the weights fly apart, on
account of the rotatory motion which has been communicated to them,
so that the weapon covers a space of five feet. Should one of the
weights or strings strike the bird, the whole of the sling becomes
wrapped round it, and the bird falls helpless to the ground. The reader
will doubtless see that this sling is in fact a modification of the
Patagonian bolas.
In bear hunting the Esquimaux use either the walrus harpoon or the
spear, and often both. They set their dogs at the bear, and while he
is engaged in repelling their attacks, which are always made at his
back and hind-quarters, the hunter drives the harpoon at him, and
fastens the end of the line to the ice, so as to prevent the bear from
escaping. He then attacks the animal with another harpoon and with his
lance, and, avoiding skilfully the repeated attacks which the bear
makes upon him, drives the sharp weapon into the animal’s heart.
The Esquimaux are always very careful not to kill a young bear without
previously killing its mother. Should one of them, pressed by hunger,
commit so rash an act, the whole party to which he belongs are obliged
to take the strictest precautions lest they should be assailed by
the mother, who will assuredly follow on their track. They therefore
proceed for some five or six miles in a straight line, and then
suddenly turn off at right angles, so that the bear may overrun their
track as she presses eagerly forward. This manœuvre is several times
repeated. When the houses are reached, the weapons are laid ready for
use by the bedside, and the sledges are stuck upright outside the
house. This is intended by way of a warning to the sleepers. The bear
is suspicious about the erect sledge, and always knocks it down before
attacking the house, so that the noise of the falling sledge awakens
the sleepers, and puts them on their guard.
* * * * *
The two means of transport used by the Esquimaux are the boat and the
sledge, both of which deserve description.
There are two kinds of boats, those of the men and those used by women.
The man’s boat is called kajak or kia, according to the dialect of the
people, and is a very remarkable piece of workmanship. It is shuttle
shaped, both ends being sharply pointed. It is made of a very slight
framework of wood and whalebone, over which is stretched a covering of
skin. In the middle there is a hole just large enough to admit the body
of the rower, and when he takes his seat, he gathers his skin together
and ties it round his waist, so that the boat is absolutely impervious
to water. The average length is twenty-five feet, and so light are the
materials of which it is made, that a man can carry his kia on his head
from the house to the water.
These slight canoes have no keel, and sit so lightly on the water that
they can be propelled over, rather than through, it with wonderful
speed. The paddle is a double one, held in the middle, and used in a
manner which is now rendered familiar to us by the canoes which have so
largely taken the place of skiffs. It is between nine and ten feet in
length, small in the middle, which serves as a handle, and gradually
widening to the blades, which are about four inches in width, and edged
with ivory, not only for ornament but for strength.
The paddle acts much the same part as the balance pole to the
rope-dancer, and by its aid the Esquimaux canoe man can perform really
astonishing feats. For example, if two kias are out together, one of
them will remain still, the canoe man keeping his boat exactly in the
same place, by delicate management of his paddle. The other goes to a
distance at right angles to him, and then, urging his kia to the utmost
speed, drives it fairly over that of his friend. In performing this
remarkable feat, the skill of both is equally tried, for it is quite as
difficult to preserve the balance of the stationary kia as to drive the
other over it.
There is one feat which is sometimes performed in order to show the
wonderful command which an Esquimaux has over his little vessel. He
does not, however, attempt it unless another kia is close at hand.
After seeing that the skin cover is firmly tied round his waist, and
that his neck and wrists are well secured, the man suddenly flings
himself violently to one side, thus capsizing the kia, and burying
himself under water. With a powerful stroke of his paddle he turns
himself and canoe completely over, and brings himself upright again. A
skilful canoe man will thus turn over and over some twenty times or so,
almost as fast as the eye can follow him, and yet only his face will be
in the least wet.
In the illustration on page 1347 both these feats are shown.
The paddler is so tightly tied to the kia, that he is unable to change
his position without assistance, or even to lift a heavy weight, such
as a seal. In such a case, he asks assistance from a companion. The
two kias are placed near each other, and paddles are laid from one to
the other, so that for the time they are formed into a double canoe,
which cannot be upset. Small lines of whalebone are stretched across
the end of the kia, and under them are thrust the points of the spears
and harpoons, so that they cannot roll off the boat, and yet are always
ready to hand. An inflated seal’s bladder is always attached to the
canoe. When the kia is not in use, it is taken out of the water, and
rested in a reversed position upon the snow houses, as is seen on page
1327.
The second kind of boat is that which is called the oomiak, and is used
by the women. It is evident that the slight and fragile kia, useful
as it is for hunting purposes, cannot be employed for the conveyance
of baggage, or for the transport of more persons than one, and that
therefore some other kind of boat must be made. This is a large,
clumsy, straight sided, square ended, flat bottomed vessel, more like a
skin trough than a canoe, to which it bears about the same analogy as
a punt does to a racing skiff. The framework of the oomiak is made of
wood and whalebone, and the covering is of seal skin, from which the
hair has been removed. When wet, these skins are nearly transparent, so
that the forms of the persons sitting in the boat can be indistinctly
seen.
The sides of the boat are about three feet in height, and the weight
which a well-made oomiak will carry is really wonderful. Captain Lyon
mentions that in one of these boats, measuring twenty-five feet in
length by eight in width and three in depth, more than twenty human
beings were conveyed. There are two very clumsy paddles by which the
boat is slowly propelled, and it is steered by another paddle in the
stern. The post of steerer is usually occupied by an old man, who is
unable any more to manage the kia, but is still capable of guiding the
oomiak, and of flinging a knife, a harpoon, a seal hook, or anything
that may come to hand, at the women, if they neglect their paddling.
To each oomiak there can be attached a very primitive mast, with its
sail. The mast is but a short one, and is stepped in the fore-part of
the boat. Toward the top it is pierced, and in the hollow is placed a
sheave, or deeply grooved wheel of ivory, on which the halyards run.
The sail is that simplest of all sails, the lug, and is made of the
intestines of the walrus, split open so as to form strips of some four
inches in width. These strips are sewed together, and produce a sail
which is remarkable both for its strength and its extreme lightness.
The reader will doubtless have noticed the singular contrast between
the canoes of the hot and cold parts of the world. In the former, the
canoe and sails are entirely of vegetable materials, without a particle
of hide, sinew, or any animal product; while, in the latter, the animal
world furnishes almost the whole of the materials.
We now come to the sledge, which is quite as important to the Esquimaux
as the canoe. The materials and form of the sledge differ exceedingly,
so that in these respects no two sledges are alike, while the principle
is identical in all. A sledge is nothing more than two runners,
connected with each other by a number of cross-pieces, on which the
driver can sit and the goods be packed.
The best sledges are those in which the runners are made from the
jaw-bone of a whale, sawn into narrow planks and cut into the proper
shape. They are always shod with a strip of the same material. Others
are made of wood, shod with bone, and in these cases the wooden part is
usually in several pieces, which are lashed together with hide thongs.
In the winter, the hide of the walrus is often used for runners. It is
fully an inch in thickness, and, when frozen, is very much stronger
than a board of the same thickness.
When neither wood, bone, nor walrus skin can be procured, the Esquimaux
is still at no loss for runners. He cuts long strips of seal skin, and
sews the edges of each strip together, so as to make two long tubes.
The tubes are next filled with moss and earth, and water is then poured
into them. In a minute or two they are frozen as hard as stone, and
are then ready to form the runners of a sledge. The lower edge of the
runner, whether it be of bone, wood, or skin, is always shod with a
coating of ice, which is renewed as soon as it is worn off by friction,
which not only causes the sledge to glide faster over the frozen
surface, but preserves the valuable material of the runners from being
rubbed to pieces.
The cross-bars of the sledge are generally of bone. They project a
little beyond the runners on either side, and are so arranged that
the sledge is narrower in front than behind. They are not lashed too
tightly, as they are required to yield to the jerks and continual
strain which the sledge undergoes in its travels.
The sledge is drawn by a team of dogs, varying from seven to ten, or
even more, according to the weight to be carried. They are very simply
harnessed to it by a strong cord, or trace, made of seal hide, the
trace of the leading dog being considerably longer than that of any
of the others. Being accustomed to the work of the sledge, as soon as
they can walk, their training is very complete, and a good team will do
almost anything but speak.
A team of seven dogs drew a heavy sledge, full of men, a mile in four
minutes and a half; and Captain Lyon mentions that three dogs drew
him the same distance in six minutes, the weight of the sledge being
one hundred pounds. Several times, when returning to the ships, the
sagacious animals brought him and his companions safely to the vessels,
though the night was pitchy dark and the snow-drift blowing about in
clouds. They kept their noses to the ground, and galloped on at full
speed, in absolute certainty of their proper line.
The dogs are guided, not by reins, but by a whip, the lash of which is
from eighteen to thirty feet in length, and the handle only one foot in
length, much like the stock-whip of Australia. A skilful driver makes
but little use of the whip when he has a good team of dogs, but guides
the animals partly by his voice, and partly by flinging the lash of
the whip on one side or other of the leader, who perfectly understands
the signal. When they are required to stop, the driver gives a cry
almost exactly like the “Woa!” of our own country. He then throws the
lash gently over their backs, when they all lie down, and will remain
couched in the snow for hours even, during their master’s absence.
The worst of these dogs is that they are very quarrelsome, and are apt
to snap and snarl at each other as they gallop along. Sometimes a dog
will be exasperated with a bite, and turn furiously on his assailant,
when a general fight takes place, the whole of the dogs tumbling over
each other, and entangling the traces in a manner that none but an
Esquimaux could hope to disentangle. A plentiful application of whip
is then made, which is always resented by the dog that receives the
stroke. He chooses to think that his next neighbor has hurt him, and so
bites his ear. Sometimes a dog is so unruly that the driver is obliged
to use his last argument. Making a little hole in the snow with the toe
of his boot, he presses the dog’s snout into it, and pounds away at it
with the ivory handle of his whip. The dog never howls, nor tries to
release himself, but only utters a low whine. Such a punishment never
has to be repeated, and the dog always goes quietly for the rest of the
day.
The endurance of these animals is wonderful. They are kept in the open
air when the temperature is from thirty to forty degrees below zero.
They are very ill fed, being forced to content themselves with the
bones of fish and seals, scraps of hide, and such very few fragments as
their masters cannot devour. Consequently they are always hungry, and
can eat almost anything. Captain Hall mentions that in one night they
ate a whiplash thirty feet long, and that on one occasion a single dog
ate in seven seconds a piece of walrus hide and blubber six feet long
and an inch and a half square.
Yet, in spite of all the hardships which they undergo, they can endure
almost any amount of fatigue without appearing to be the worse for
it, and a team has been known to eat nothing for at least forty-eight
hours, to traverse some seventy miles of ground, and yet to return to
their homes apparently as fresh as when they set out.
Many of them are possessed of singular intelligence, especially those
which are trained to chase the seal, the bear, or the deer. One of
these dogs, named Barbekark, belonging to Captain Hall, actually killed
a deer himself, took one morsel from the neck, and then went home and
fetched his master to the spot where he had left the dead deer. He
had a brother that equally distinguished himself in seal catching. He
was the leading dog in the team, and once, while drawing a sledge, he
caught sight of a seal on the ice. He immediately dashed forward at
full speed, and just as the seal was plunging into the water, caught
it by the hind flippers. The seal struggled frantically to escape, but
the dog retained his hold, and, aided by his fellows, dragged the seal
firmly on the ice, when it was secured by his master.
A very amusing example of the intelligence of these dogs is related by
Captain Hall. He fed the dogs on “capelins,” a small dried fish, and
used to make them stand in a circle round him, so that each received
a capelin in turn. “Now Barbekark, a young and shrewd dog, took it
into his head that he would play a white man’s trick. So every time he
received his fish he would back square out, move a distance of three
or four dogs, and force himself in line again, thus receiving double
the share of any other dog. But this joke of Barbekark’s bespoke too
much of the game many men play upon their fellow-beings, and, as I
noticed it, I determined to check his doggish propensities. Still, the
amusing and the singular way in which he evidently watched me induced a
moment’s pause in my intention.
“Each dog thankfully took his capelin as his turn came round, but
Barbekark, finding his share came twice as often as his companions,
appeared to shake his tail twice as thankfully as the others. A twinkle
in his eyes as they caught mine seemed to say, ‘Keep dark; these
ignorant fellows don’t know the game I’m playing. I am confoundedly
hungry.’ Seeing my face smiling at his trick, he now commenced making
another change, thus getting _three_ portions to each of the others’
_one_. This was enough, and it was now time for me to reverse the order
of Barbekark’s game by playing a trick upon him.
[Illustration: (1.) THE KAJAK AND ITS MANAGEMENT. (See page 1344.)]
[Illustration: (2.) ESQUIMAUX SLEDGE DRIVING. (See pages 1345, 1346.)]
“Accordingly, every time I came to him he got no fish, and though he
changed his position three times, yet he got nothing. Now, if ever
there was a picture of disappointed plans--of envy at others’ fortunes,
and sorrow at a sad misfortune--it was to be found in that dog’s
countenance as he watched his companions receiving their allowance.
Finding that he could not succeed by any change of his position, he
withdrew from the circle to where I was, and came to me, crowding his
way between my legs, and looked up in my face as if to say, ‘I have
been a very bad dog. Forgive me, and Barbekark will cheat his brother
dogs no more. Please, sir, give me my share of capelins.’ I went the
rounds three times more, and let him have the fish, as he had shown
himself so sagacious, and so much like a repentant prodigal dog.”
* * * * *
Marriage among the Esquimaux is of the very simplest description, and
is generally arranged by the parents of the bride and bridegroom, the
latter having nothing to do with the affair. There is no marriage
ceremony, the parties merely going to live in the same igloo. A man
may, and often does, have several wives, and in this case one of them
takes the position of the chief, or igloo wife, and is supreme under
her husband. She has the largest lamp, the best bed, and the best
provision. But she also has the entire management of the household,
such as cooking the food, and drying the clothes on the “dry-net.” This
is by no means a sinecure, as it forces her to rise many times in the
night for the purpose of turning the clothes and drying them equally.
She also has to see that the boots are properly “milled.”
After a child is born, the mother is obliged to confine herself to her
own igloo for some months, and when the allotted time has expired, she
throws off all the clothing which she has worn, and never wears it
again. She then dresses herself in a totally new suit of clothes, and
visits in succession the inhabitants of every igloo. If a second or
third child be born, a separate igloo is always built for the mother,
to which she repairs before the birth of the child, and in which she
remains until the customary time has elapsed and she is able to call
upon her neighbors.
The children begin their education at a very early age; the boys being
taught to paddle the kia, to hunt and to fish, and to build igloos;
while the girls learn to row the women’s boat, to dress skins, to
manage the lamp, to cook, and perform the multitudinous tasks that
fall to their lot. The carving of the Esquimaux women is wonderfully
good. They make spirited, though conventional, imitations of fish,
ducks, dogs, and various animals, from ivory, using in the manufacture
nothing but a knife. In the earlier days, before white men visited
them, the Esquimaux were obliged to rely entirely upon flint as a
material for their knives, which were exactly like those of the
ancient and perished races. In chopping the flakes off the flint, the
Esquimaux employed a very simple instrument, the use of which showed
an exact knowledge of the fracture-line of flint. It is made of bone
and ivory, and is about six inches in length. Iron, indeed, is of so
late introduction, that when Captain Lyon visited the natives, in 1821,
he could purchase a complete harpoon, with its ivory head, float,
and line, for a nail; while a knife would purchase a kia, or indeed
anything that was asked in exchange for it.
As may be inferred from the climate, the games of the Esquimaux are but
few. They are wonderful experts at a sort of “cat’s-cradle,” producing
with a piece of string imitations of seals, reindeer, ducks, canoes,
and other objects. The little ivory models of ducks and other animals,
which have already been mentioned, are used in several of the native
games.
Their dances are remarkable for their simplicity, the dancer inventing
the steps according to his own taste. There is a dance in which a
number of women stand in a ring, with their hands under the front flaps
of their jackets, and sing, with half-closed eyes, the inevitable
Amna-aya song: these are the band. The dancers are represented by one
man, who takes his place in the middle of the ring, swings his head and
arms from side to side, his long, lank hair flapping in the wind, while
he utters sharp yells at intervals, and occasionally flings one leg as
high as his thick garments permit.
The women have a special dance of their own, which consists in kneeling
on the ground, leaping to their feet as fast as they can. This is
really a difficult task when the heavy and clumsy boots are taken into
consideration. Sometimes the men challenge each other to dance, and
in that case the challenge is accepted by employing the “koonik,” or
national salutation, which is given by rubbing the noses together, and
inhaling strongly through the nostrils.
With regard to religion, the Esquimaux seem to have no very definite
idea of the subject, except that they believe in a future existence,
in a heaven and a hell--the latter being, according to their ideas,
dark, full of ice, with snow-storms always blowing, and no seals. They
have also a hazy description of a Supreme Being, and a secondary female
divinity, the special protector of the Esquimaux.
By way of worship, they have sundry medicine men, or “angekos,” as they
are called, who go through a series of strange ceremonies on various
occasions, such as illness, or when a party is setting out on a hunting
expedition. They make the people pay heavily for their services, and
rule with a rod of iron, so that no Esquimaux is likely to retain
possession of any valuable piece of property if an angeko should happen
to be in the neighborhood. They act upon a very simple and intelligent
principle, namely, that the amount of success in “ankooting,” or
divining, is in exact ratio with the amount of pay.
Sometimes, in order to impress awe upon their victims, the angekos
go through a series of imposing ceremonies, the performance of which
infers a vast amount of practice. By the present of a knife and some
beads, Captain Lyon induced a celebrated angeko, named Toolemak, to
have an interview with a Tornga, or familiar spirit, in the cabin of
the ship.
“All light excluded, our sorcerer began by chanting to his wife with
great vehemence, and she, in return, answered by singing the Amna-aya
(the favorite song of the Esquimaux), which was not discontinued during
the whole ceremony. As far as I could learn, he afterward began turning
himself rapidly round, and, in a loud, powerful voice, vociferated for
Tornga with great impatience, at the same time blowing and snorting
like a walrus. His noise, impatience, and agitation increased every
moment, and he at length seated himself on the deck, varying his tones,
and making a rustling with his clothes.
“Suddenly the voice seemed smothered, and was so managed as to sound as
if retreating beneath the deck, each moment becoming more distant, and
ultimately giving the idea of being many feet below the cabin, where it
ceased entirely. His wife, now, in answer to my queries, informed me
very seriously that he had dived, and that he would send up Tornga.
“Accordingly, in about half a minute, a distant blowing was heard very
slowly approaching, and a voice which differed from that which we at
first had heard was at times mixed with blowing, until at length both
sounds became distinct, and the old woman informed me that Tornga was
come to answer my questions. I accordingly asked several questions of
the sagacious spirit, to each of which inquiries I received an answer
by two loud slaps on the deck, which I was given to understand was
favorable.
“A very hollow yet powerful voice, certainly much different from the
tones of Toolemak, now chanted for some time, and a strange jumble of
hisses, groans, shouts, and gabblings like a turkey succeeded in rapid
succession. The old woman sang with increased energy, and, as I took
it for granted that this was all intended to astonish the Kabloona,
I cried repeatedly that I was very much afraid. This, as I expected,
added fuel to the fire, until the form immortal, exhausted by its
own might, asked leave to retire. The voice gradually sank from our
hearing, as at first, and a very indistinct hissing succeeded. In
its advance, it sounded like the tone produced by the wind upon the
bass-cord of an Æolian harp; this was soon changed to a rapid hiss,
like that of a rocket, and Toolemak, with a yell, announced his return.
I held my breath at the first distant hissing, and twice exhausted
myself; yet our conjuror did not once respire, and even his returning
and powerful yell was uttered without a previous stop or inspiration of
air.
“Light being admitted, our wizard, as might be expected, was in a
profuse perspiration, and certainly much exhausted by his exertions,
which had continued for at least half an hour. We now observed a couple
of bunches, each consisting of two strips of white deer-skin and a long
piece of sinew, attached to the back of his coat. These we had not
seen before, and were informed that they had been sewed on by Tornga
while he was below.” A similar exhibition has been seen by several
travellers, and they have expressed their astonishment at the length of
time during which an angeko can howl, hiss, and gabble without taking
breath.
While he is below the earth, the angeko is supposed to visit the
habitation of the particular spirit whom he is addressing, and
sometimes gives a detailed account of the places in which he has been,
and of their inhabitants. One female spirit, for example, is called
Aywilliayoo. She commands all the bears, whales, seals, and walruses by
means of her right hand. So, when there is a scarcety of provisions,
the angeko makes a visit to Aywilliayoo and attacks her hand. If he
can cut off her nails, the bears immediately are set free, the loss of
one finger joint liberates the small seals, the second joint sends the
large seals, the knuckles free the whole herds of walrus, while the
entire hand liberates the whale.
In figure this spirit is very tall, and has only one eye and one
pigtail, but this is as large as a man’s leg, and descends to her knee.
Her house is a very fine one, but Toolemak did not venture to enter it,
because it was guarded by a huge dog with black hind-quarters and no
tail. Her father is no larger than a boy of ten years old, and he has
but one arm, which is always covered with a large bear’s-skin mitten.
His house is also handsome, but its entrance is guarded by troops of
bears and walruses, who keep up a continual growling.
Unfortunately for his own credit, Toolemak got drunk one evening, as he
might well be, having consumed in succession nearly ten glasses of rum,
or “hot water,” as he was pleased to call it. During his intoxication
he became very good-natured, and betrayed the secrets of his magic
art, showing how he altered his voice by covering his face with his
hands and then with his jacket, so as to make the voice appear as if
it came from a continually increasing depth. He finished this singular
exhibition by drinking in succession eleven pints and one gill of
water, and within a few minutes became sober enough to leave the ship
and walk to his sledge.
Sometimes the Esquimaux say that they are annoyed by spirits. On
one occasion when a man nicknamed Kettle was eating in Captain
Lyon’s cabin, he became uneasy, and frequently ceased eating, a very
remarkable circumstance in a hungry Esquimaux. Presently he said that
there was a spirit sitting on the opposite side of the cabin, making
grimaces at him, and preventing him from eating. He asked leave to
drive his tormenter away, which he did by raising a long, bellowing
sound, and then blowing sharply on the ends of his fingers. He resumed
his meal quietly, and nothing would induce him to blow on his fingers
or raise the exorcising yell again, on the ground that the spirit was
no longer to be seen.
* * * * *
The Esquimaux possess wonderful powers of drawing. They know scarcely
anything of perspective, but they can make their sketches tell their
own tale; while in drawing from memory a chart of a coast, their skill
is really admirable. In Captain Hall’s book there are fac-similes
of several native charts and sketches, the most curious of which
is one which was not only drawn but engraved on wood by the native
draughtsman. It represents a woman with a child nestling in the hood
behind her back, and is quite equal in execution to wood-cutting in
the earlier stages of the art. The point about it which most strikes
a practised eye is the force and fidelity with which the artist has
marked the texture of the different parts of the dress; the fur coat
and trowsers edged with leather, and the white-edged, fur-lined hood,
are most admirably managed.
Of music and musical instruments the Esquimaux know little. They
have the Amna-aya song, which has already been mentioned, and they
possess one national musical instrument, called the “keeloun.” This is
something like a tambourine, being formed of a very thin deer skin, or
the envelope of the whale’s liver, stretched over one side of a wooden
hoop. A handle is attached to the hoop, and the instrument is struck,
not upon the membrane, but upon the hoop.
As a nation they are remarkable for two good qualities, honesty and
hospitality. There are, of course, exceptions to every rule, and such
is the case with the Esquimaux. But the early voyagers found that they
might leave their knives and axes on shore, and that not one of them
would be touched. Now, to an Esquimaux a steel knife or axe is more
valuable than a box full of sovereigns would be to us, and the honesty
of the Esquimaux was as much tried by the sight of these articles as
would be that of our London poor if a heap of sovereigns were left
lying on the pavement.
As to hospitality, their food is considered to be merely common
property, so that if one of the Esquimaux should kill a seal, all his
friends and neighbors assemble as a matter of course to assist in
eating it; and even though the family of the successful hunter should
be starving, he will nevertheless invite all his friends to partake
of the food. In this way, it often happens that an entire seal barely
affords a single meal to all who come to share it.
* * * * *
Funerals among the Esquimaux are rather variable in their forms.
Generally, when a sick person is on the point of death, a new igloo is
built, and carefully fitted with lamp, provisions, and other furniture.
The dying person is carried in--not through the regular doorway, but
through a breach in the wall--placed on the couch, the lamp lighted,
and the provisions laid ready to hand. The attendants then leave the
igloo, build up the openings, and never trouble themselves again about
the sick person. The principal reason why the dying are left alone is,
that if the relatives are in the igloo at the moment of death, they are
obliged to throw away the dresses which they were wearing, and never
to wear them again. None of them can tell the reason for this strange
belief, but it is so strongly ingrained that no argument can induce
them to abandon it.
Sometimes the body of a dead person is simply buried in a hole scooped
in the snow, and sometimes it is laid upon a ledge of rock, accompanied
by the lamp, kettle, knives, spears, and dresses which the deceased
used while in life. When a child dies, all its toys are placed with it
in the grave, that it may be supplied with them in the next world.
The demeanor of the Esquimaux with regard to their dead is a most
extraordinary mixture of affection and unconcern. After having buried
the body, whether alive or dead does not matter, they care nothing
about it, and this strange insensibility is even displayed before the
burial. For example, a man’s wife had died, leaving a child of a few
weeks old, which in a short time followed its mother. The father was
very sorrowful for his dying child, and was seen in the night lifting
the curtains of its bed as it lay ill on board ship, and sighing
deeply. But, on the next day, when he came to the ship, he made no
scruple of laying his meat on the body of the child, and using it as a
table at breakfast.
Once, when Captain Lyon visited the grave where an Esquimaux named
Pekooya had been laid, he found that the wolves and dogs had uncovered
the body, and had eaten a considerable portion of it. He was naturally
shocked at the scene, but the natives treated it with absolute
indifference, and though the father and a brother of Pekooya were
witnesses of the desecration, they would not cover up the mangled body,
and only laughed when Captain Lyon remonstrated with them. Moreover,
when the body was buried, it was covered so slightly with snow that the
first day’s thaw would melt off all the snow, and leave it to the mercy
of the dogs.
Judging from such a fact as this, it might be thought that the
Esquimaux have but little natural affection, and that they are
indifferent to the loss of their nearest relatives. Such, however, is
not the case. An Esquimaux never passes the grave of an acquaintance
without depositing a piece of meat as an offering, and the surviving
relatives often visit the burying-place of their dead, and sit there
for hours, talking to them as if they were still alive. On comparing
all the conflicting accounts respecting the Esquimaux and their dead,
it seems likely that they consider the dead body as something that the
deceased once possessed, but cast away at death, and that, as their
departed friend abandoned the body, they need take no trouble about so
worthless an article.
* * * * *
If the reader will refer to the illustration on page 1347, he will
see that the horizon is illuminated by strange and wild-looking
dashes of light. These represent the Aurora Borealis, as it often
appears in those parts,--not pale and flickering as we see it in these
comparatively southern regions, but blazing with all imaginable hues,
and giving out a light that stands the natives in stead of the sun,
which in those latitudes is absent for months at a time. The glory and
magnificence of these displays can only be described by those who have
seen them, and very inadequately even by such.
There is an account given by Captain Hall of one of these marvellous
exhibitions:--“I had gone on deck several times to look at the
beauteous scene, and at nine o’clock was below in my cabin, when the
captain hailed me with these words, ‘_Come above, Hall, come at once!_
THE WORLD IS ON FIRE.’
“I knew his meaning, and quick as thought I re-dressed myself,
scrambled over several sleeping Innuits close to my berth, and rushed
to the companion stairs. In another moment I reached the deck, and as
the cabin door swung open, a dazzling and overpowering light, as if the
world were really ablaze under the agency of some gorgeously colored
fires, burst upon my startled senses. How can I describe it? Again I
say, _No mortal hand can truthfully do so_. Let me however, in feeble,
broken words, put down my thoughts at the time, and try to give some
faint idea of what I saw.
“My first thought was, ‘Among the gods there is none like unto Thee,
O Lord; neither are any works like unto Thy works!’ Then I tried to
picture the scene before me. Piles of golden light and rainbow light,
scattered along the azure vault, extended from behind the western
horizon to the zenith; thence down to the eastern, within a belt of
space, 20° in width, were the fountains of _beams_, like fire-threads,
that shot with the rapidity of lightning hither and thither, upward and
athwart the great pathway indicated. No sun, no moon, yet the heavens
were a glorious sight, flooded with light. Even ordinary print could
easily have been read on deck.
“_Flooded_ with rivers of light! Yes, flooded with light; and such
light! Light all but inconceivable. The golden hues predominated, but
in rapid succession _prismatic colors leaped forth_. We looked, we
saw, and trembled; for as we gazed, the whole belt of aurora began to
be alive with flashes. Then each pile or bank of light became myriads;
some were dropping down the great pathway or belt; others springing
up, others leaping with lightning flash from one side, while more as
quickly passed into the vacated space; some twisting themselves into
folds, entwining with others like enormous serpents, and all these
movements as quick as the eye could follow.
“It seemed as if there were a struggle with these blazing lights to
reach and occupy the dome above our heads. Then the whole arch above
became crowded. Down, down it came; nearer and nearer it approached
us. Sheets of golden flame, coruscating while leaping from the auroral
belt, seemed as if met in their course by some mighty agency that
turned them into the colors of the rainbow, each of the seven primary
colors 3° in width, sheeted out to 21°.
“While the auroral fires seemed to be descending upon us, one of our
number could not help exclaiming,--
“‘Hark! hark! such a display! almost as if a warfare were going on
among the beauteous lights above--so palpable--so near--it seems
impossible without noise.’
“But no noise accompanied this wondrous display. All was silence....
“I would here make the remark that the finest displays of the aurora
only last a few moments. Though it may be playing all night, yet
it is only now and then that its grandest displays are made. As
if marshalling forces, gaining strength, compounding material, it
continues on its silent workings. At length it begins its trembling
throes; beauty anon shoots out here and there, when all at once the
aurora flashes into living hosts of _powdered_ coruscating rainbows,
belting to the heavenly dome with such gorgeous grandeur that mortals
sometimes tremble to behold.”
These wonderful aërial phenomena are characteristic of the Arctic
regions. One of the most extraordinary appearances in the sky is called
the Parhelion, or Mock Sun. It assumes various and most astounding
forms, the sun appearing in the middle, and being surrounded with
dimmer imitations of itself, round which run circular bands of light.
There seems, indeed, to be no end to the extraordinary modifications
of aërial effects which take place in these regions. Captain Hall
described many of them, among which may be mentioned a moon distorted
beyond all recognition, its lower limb all crushed and shapeless,
and the whole appearance of the planet like that of a man under the
influence of liquor.
Then the refractive powers of the atmosphere produce most wonderful
effects, destroying all perspective, and bringing into sight all kinds
of objects which, by the ordinary laws of optics, are far out of sight.
All sailors are familiar with the appearance of a vessel high in the
air, sailing, as it were, through the sky with her keel in the clouds,
and the tops of her masts pointing downward. In these regions the
refractive powers are even terrible to accustomed eyes, so wonderful
are the sights presented to them.
In one of these strange exhibitions, witnessed by Captain Hall, a
vast white inverted pyramid seemed to form in the sky, and at every
roll of the vessel to dip into the sea. Presently “some land that was
seventy-five miles distant, and the top of it only barely seen in an
ordinary way, had its rocky base brought full in view. The whole length
of this land in sight was the very symbol of distortion.
“Pendant from an even line that stretched across the heavens was _a
ridge of mountains_. Life hangs upon a little thread, but what think
you of mountains hanging upon a thread? In my fancy I said, ‘If Fate
had decreed one of the Sisters to cut that thread while I witnessed
the singular spectacle, what convulsions upon the land and sea about
us might not have followed!’ But Nature had an admirable way of taking
down these rock-giants, hanging between the heavens and the earth. Arch
after arch was at length made in wondrous grandeur from the rugged and
distorted atmospheric land; and, if ever man’s eye rested upon the
sublime, in an act of God’s creative power, it was when He arcuated the
heavens with such a line of stupendous mountains.
“Between those several mountain arches in the sky were hung icebergs,
also inverted, moving silently and majestically about as the
sea-currents shifted those along of which they were the images. In
addition to all this there was a _wall of water_, so it appeared, far
beyond the apparent horizon. This wall seemed alive with merry dancers
of the most fantastic figures that the imagination could conceive,
and its perpendicular columns were ever playfully changing. Oh, how
exquisitely beautiful was this God-made, living wall! A thousand
youthful forms of the fairest outline seemed to be dancing to and fro,
their white arms intertwined, bodies incessantly varying, intermixing,
falling, rising, jumping, skipping, hopping, whirling, waltzing,
resting, and again rushing to the mazy dance--never tired--ever
playful--ever light and airy, graceful, and soft to the eye.”
[Illustration: WRIST-GUARD AND HOOKS. (See page 1343.)]
Such, then, is a brief account of the remarkable and interesting Innuit
people--a people which, according to the observation of Captain Hall,
are gradually dying out, and in a few more years will cease to exist.
CHAPTER CXLII.
VANCOUVER’S ISLAND.
THE AHTS AND NEIGHBORING TRIBES.
DEFINITION OF THE AHT TRIBES -- APPEARANCE OF THE NATIVES -- STRENGTH
OF GRASP -- PECULIARITY OF THE LEGS -- GAIT OF THE WOMEN -- SPEED
OF THE MEN -- DANCE -- THE LIP ORNAMENT OF THE WOMEN -- CLOTHING --
THE BOAT CLOAK AND HAT -- WEAPONS -- THE BOW AND ARROW -- INGENIOUS
CONSTRUCTION OF THE BOW -- ITS BACKING OF ELASTIC STRINGS -- THE
ARROWS AND THEIR SPIRAL FEATHERING -- THE FISH SPEAR AND HARPOON
ARROWS -- THE HALIBUT HOOK -- VARIOUS MODES OF HUNTING -- SALMON
SPEARING BY TORCHLIGHT -- THE HERRING RAKE -- HOW TO KEEP THE BOAT
FROM SINKING -- THE WHALE FISHERY.
Before leaving this part of the world, we will cast a brief glance
at the tribes which inhabit Vancouver’s Island. They are singularly
interesting, inasmuch as they combine some of the habits which
distinguish the Esquimaux with others of the North American tribes,
and add to them several of the customs which have been already noticed
among the Polynesians, their insular position and peculiar climate no
doubt affording the cause for this curious mixture.
* * * * *
As a type of these tribes, we will take the AHTS, though other tribes
will be casually mentioned. The Ahts may rather be called a nation than
a tribe, being divided into some twenty tribes, the names of which
all end in “aht,” as, for example, Ohyaht, Muchlaht, Ayhuttisaht,
Toquaht, etc. Altogether they number about seventeen hundred. They do
not, however, act together as a nation, and each tribe is perfectly
distinct, and often at war with another.
They are not a tall people, the men averaging a little less than five
feet six inches, and the women being just above five feet. Possibly,
from the continual paddling which they practise almost from childhood,
the upper limbs of an Aht are exceedingly strong, so strong, indeed,
that a slight-looking native can carry with ease on his extended
fingers a weight which a white man can scarcely lift. Their power of
grasp, probably from the same cause, is more like the grip of a machine
than the grasp of a man; and those who have had to fight with them have
found that if once an Aht be allowed to seize either the clothing or
the hair, the only way to loosen his grasp is to knock him down with a
blow in the throat or in the ribs--he cares nothing for a blow on the
head.
When he comes to such close quarters in a quarrel, he has an awkward
habit of grasping the enemy with one hand, and using with the other a
knife which he has kept concealed in his long hair. Fortunately for his
white opponent, so extraordinary a proceeding as a blow from the fist,
which deprives him for a time of breath, bewilders and alarms him to
such an extent that he seldom risks its repetition.
The legs of the Aht tribes are, as a rule, short, ill-made, bowed,
and apparently deficient in power. This peculiarity is especially
noticeable in the women, whose legs are so bowed, and whose toes are
so turned inward, that they waddle rather than walk, and at every step
they are obliged to cross their feet as a parrot does. The legs of
the inland tribes are, as a rule, better developed than those of the
inhabitants of the coast. Yet these unsightly limbs are by no means
deficient in power. An Aht, powerfully built above, will step out of
his canoe, and exhibit a pair of legs scarcely as thick as his arms,
and yet he will walk in the woods for a whole day without showing any
signs of fatigue.
Owing to this form of limb, the natives, though enduring enough, are
not swift of foot, and can be easily overtaken by a white man on
the open ground, notwithstanding the impediments of clothing, and
especially of shoes, which hinder the progress of the pursuer, the
pursued usually throwing off the only garment that he wears. Should he
once reach the woods, pursuit is useless, as no white man can follow a
naked native in them.
The color of the Ahts is a dull, but not dark, brown. Their face is
broad and flat, the nose tolerably well formed when it is not dragged
out of shape by rings and other ornaments, and the cheek-bones are
strongly marked and broad, but not high. There is very little hair on
the faces of the men, but that of the head is long, straight, and is
generally allowed to hang loosely over the shoulders, though it is
sometimes gathered into a knot at the back of the head, merely covered
by a cap or a wreath of grass. They are very proud of their hair, so
that when an Aht has been guilty of some offence which is not very
serious, the best punishment is to cut off his hair, inasmuch as he
will be an object of constant ridicule until it has grown again. The
women divide their hair in the middle, and tie it in two plaits, one
of which hangs at each side of the face, and often has a piece of lead
suspended to the end to keep it straight. Mr. Sproat thinks that the
physical characteristics of the Ahts have been modified by means of a
large importation of Chinese, which took place about the end of the
last century, and remarks that the peculiar Chinese eye is sometimes
seen among these natives. Still, even if this be the fact, the
modification can be but slight, as both people are undoubtedly members
of the same great race, though altered by the conditions in which they
have respectively been placed.
Some of the women have a hideously ugly ornament which they wear in
their under lip, just as do the Botocudos of Tropical America. This
practice exists only among the northern tribes, where it is carried
out to an enormous extent. As the size of the ornament is gradually
increased from childhood, the lip of an old woman will contain an oval
ornament three inches long by two wide. There is a shallow groove round
the edge so as to keep it in its place, and both sides are slightly
concave. Sometimes it is used as a spoon, the woman putting on it a
piece of meat that is too hot, and, when it is cool, turning it into
her mouth by a contraction of the lip.
The value that is set upon this horrible disfigurement is almost
ludicrous, a woman’s rank being due to the size of her lip ornament.
Possibly, on account of the long time which must be occupied in
stretching the orifice in the lip to the required size, the opinion
of a woman with a large lip is always held in respect; and, if she
should be opposed by a younger person of her own sex, she will
contemptuously decline to enter into argument with a woman who has so
small a lip. Some of them wear a shell ornament, like the stem of a
clay tobacco-pipe, one or two inches long, stuck through the lip and
projecting forward at a considerable angle with the chin. This ornament
is called the hai-qua.
As for clothing, the men wear a sort of robe made by themselves, for
which they have in later days substituted an European blanket. They
are not at all particular as to the disposal of this robe, and even
if it should fall off do not trouble themselves. The women also wear
the blanket, but always have a small apron in addition to it. In their
canoes they wear a cape. It is made of cedar-bark string, and is woven
in nearly the same manner as the mat of the New Zealander, which has
already been described; namely, by stretching the warp threads parallel
to each other on a frame, and tying them together at intervals with a
cross-thread which represents the woof. A specimen in my collection has
the cross-threads at intervals of half an inch.
It is shaped exactly like the cross section of a boat, straight above,
and rounded below. It measures five feet three inches in width, and
three feet six inches in depth in the centre. As is usual with such
robes, the upper edge is adorned with a strip of marten fur a quarter
of an inch wide, wound spirally round the selvage so as to form quite
a thick rope of fur. These capes are the work of the women, who have
the manufacture of all the clothing. Fur bags are made by the simple
process of skinning the marten, the body being then extricated through
a cut made across the abdomen just below the tail. As the skin comes
off it is reversed, and when dry and properly dressed it is turned with
the fur outward, and the bag is complete, the tail serving as a handle.
One of these bags in my collection was presented to me by Lieut. Pusey.
The woof thread is also made of the white pine bark, and the needle is
nothing more than a sharpened twig. The same useful materials are also
employed for the curious hats which the natives wear in their canoes.
These hats are made on the principle of the sailors’ “sou’-westers,”
and are fashioned so as to shoot rain off the shoulders. The outside of
the hat is made of cedar bark, and the inside of white pine bark.
* * * * *
Depending largely upon animal food for their nourishment, the Aht
tribes are expert hunters, and make very ingenious weapons, some of
which are shown in the illustrations on page 1357, drawn from my own
specimens.
The bow and arrows used by these people are worthy of a brief
description. The bow is an admirable specimen of savage art, and must
be the result of long experience. It is four feet three inches in
length, and made of one piece of wood. In general shape it resembles
the bow of the Andamans, though it is not of such gigantic dimensions.
In the middle the wood is rounded, so as to form a handle which is
nearly four inches in circumference. From the handle to the tips, the
wood is gradually flattened and widened for about fourteen inches,
where it is just two inches wide. From this point it gradually lessens
again to the tip, which is rounded and thickened, so as to receive the
notch for the string.
Were no addition made to the bow it would still be a very powerful
weapon, but the maker has not been satisfied with the simple wood, and
has strengthened it with a wonderfully complex arrangement of strings
made of twisted sinews. In my specimen there are rather more than fifty
of these strings, which are laid on the bow and interwoven with each
other in a manner so strong and neat, that the most skilful sailor
might be envious of such a piece of handiwork. Each of these strings is
double, the two strands being about as large as thin whipcord, and when
seen against the light they are quite translucent.
They are put on in the following manner. Two deep notches, parallel to
the line of the bow, are made at each lip, these notches serving two
purposes: first, the reception of the bow-strings, and next the support
of the strengthening strings. Eight of the strings, measuring about
eleven feet in length, have been doubled, the loop passed over the tip
of the bow, and the strings led along the back over the corresponding
notch at the other tip, and brought back to the middle. These strings
lie parallel to each other, and form a flat belt from one end of
the bow to the other. About an inch below the tip, three other sets
of strings are fastened in a somewhat similar manner, so that four
distinct layers of strings run throughout the length of the weapon.
[Illustration: ARROWS.]
Even these have not sufficed the maker, who has added six more layers
starting from the widest and flattest part of the bow, so that nearly
three feet of the centre of the weapon are strengthened by no less than
twelve layers of sinew strings. By referring to the illustration, the
reader will perceive the extreme ingenuity with which the strings are
laid on the bow, so that whether the weapon be bent or unstrung, they
all keep their places. So firmly are they lashed to the bow, that even
when it is unstrung they are all as tight as harp strings.
The string of the bow is made of the same material as those which
strengthen the back, and in consequence of the very great strength
of the material, it is much thinner than the string of an ordinary
archer’s bow. It is made of two strands, each strand being about as
large as the back strings.
By referring to illustration No. 3, on the next page, a good idea can
be gained of this singularly ingenious weapon. At first the bow is seen
as it appears when strung, fig. 3 giving a section of the wood. At fig.
2 is an enlarged representation of one end of the bow, so as to show
the manner in which the various sets of strings are fastened. At the
upper part are seen the strings which form the first layer, passing
over the end of the bow, and filling up the notch in which they lie.
Just below the tip come the second and third sets, which pass down the
bow, where they are met by, and interwoven with, the remainder of the
strings, the whole of them being gathered in the rope with its spiral
building. This beautiful weapon was added to my collection by Lieut.
Pusey, R. N.
The arrows are of various kinds, according to the object for which they
are intended. That which is used for ordinary occasions is shown in the
uppermost figure of the illustration. It is two feet three inches in
length, and is headed with bone.
There is a peculiarity about these arrows which is worthy of notice.
Some time ago an arrow was patented in England, which had the feathers
placed spirally upon the end of the shaft, so as to give it a rapidly
revolving movement when discharged from the bow. The principle was
exactly that of the screw which is applied to steam vessels; and those
who used the arrow acknowledged that the spiral setting of the feathers
not only increased the power of flight, but enabled the archer to drive
his arrow through the wind with greater ease and certainty than could
be obtained with the ordinarily feathered arrow. There is a very old
saying that there is nothing new under the sun, and this is the case
with the arrow in question, the savages of Northern America having
adopted the same principle long ago. In their arrows the feathers are
set spirally, with a bold curve, and there is really no difference
between the weapon of the savage and the toy of civilization, than the
greater neatness and higher finish of the latter.
[Illustration: (1.) AHT FISH-HOOK. (See page 1359.)]
[Illustration: (2.) PIPES. (See page 1370.)]
[Illustration: SECTION
BACK ENLARGED
(3.) BOW OF THE AHTS. (See page 1356.)]
[Illustration: (4.) BEAVER MASK OF AHT TRIBE. (See page 1365.)]
[Illustration: (5.) HEADDRESS. (See page 1365.)]
[Illustration: SIDE VIEW
(6.) PADDLES. (See page 1363.)]
The lower figure represents the arrow which is used for killing fish.
In this weapon the point is also of bone, but is very much longer, and
is double, the two halves diverging considerably from each other, and
being barbed on the inner surface. It is firmly lashed to the shaft,
and their divergence is given by means of two pegs, which are driven
between the shaft and the two portions of the point. If a fish be
struck by this ingenious weapon, it cannot possibly escape, the elastic
points contracting violently and holding the fish between them.
It is worthy of notice that a police spear made exactly on the same
principle is used by the Malays. It consists of a handle some seven
feet long, from the end of which project two diverging points. The
inner side of each point is armed with a row of very sharp barbs, all
directed backward. Thorns are often used for this purpose. Should a
criminal try to escape, the police officer has only to thrust his spear
against the back of the man’s neck, when he is at once a prisoner, the
barbed points effectually preventing him from escaping, even should the
officer drop his weapon. The zoölogical reader will remember that the
teeth of the snake and of many fish--the pike, for example--are set on
exactly the same principle.
In some specimens the head is fitted loosely on the shaft, and
connected with it by means of a string, which is wound spirally round
it, and when the fish is struck the head is shaken off the shaft, which
serves both as a drag to aid in tiring the fish, and as a float by
which its presence may be indicated.
The most ingenious of these arrows is used for shooting seals and the
larger fish, and is very elaborately constructed. It measures about
four feet in length, and is almost deserving of the name of harpoon
rather than arrow.
The shaft is made of very light wood, and is about as thick as a man’s
finger. At the butt-end it is feathered in the usual manner, and at
the other it is terminated by a pear-shaped piece of bone an inch in
diameter at the thickest part. Into the end of this bone is bored a
small conical hole, which receives the head. This is also made of bone,
and is very small in comparison with the arrow, and is furnished with
two deeply cut barbs. As is the case with all harpoon weapons, the head
is connected with the shaft by a line, but in this case there is a
peculiarity about the line and its mode of attachment.
Instead of being a mere double-strand string, it is made of a number of
fibres arranged in three strands, and plaited, not twisted together,
so as to form a flat line, which possesses enormous strength combined
with great elasticity and small size. The mode of attachment is as
ingenious as the method of manufacture. The line is a double one,
measuring twelve feet in length. The line is first doubled, the loop
is put through a hole in the point and over the head, so as to secure
it, and the two halves of the line are then lashed together about
eighteen inches from the point. One end is then fastened to the arrow
just below the feathers, and the other to the shaft just above the bone
tip. The object of this arrangement is evident. As soon as a seal is
struck, it dashes off, shaking the shaft from the barbed head, which
remains in its body. Were the line simply tied to the end of the shaft,
the wounded creature would easily drag it through the water. But, as
the line is fastened to each end of the shaft and to the head besides,
when the latter transfixes a seal it is separated from the shaft, and
the shaft is drawn crosswise through the water, presenting so great
a resistance that the seal becomes exhausted with its unavailing
struggles, and comes to the surface, where it is despatched with a
second or third weapon.
Besides the harpoon and fish arrow, these people also use the hook (see
page 1357), which is quite as ingenious in its way as the implements
which have been described. The body of the hook is of wood, and is
exactly in the shape of the capital letter U. The point bends slightly
outward, and is charred at the tip to render it harder. It is also
defended and strengthened by a band of very tough vegetable fibre,
which covers it for about three inches. The barb is a piece of bone,
about five inches in length, sharpened like a needle at the point. This
barb is not attached to the point, as is the case with the generality
of hooks, but is fastened to the shank, and is so long that its tip
reaches to the middle of the hook.
At first sight this seems a very inadequate arrangement for securing
fish, and looks as if the creature could easily slip off the unguarded
point. If, however, the hook, which is a very large one, be tested,
it will be found astonishingly efficacious. If the point be inserted
between the fingers, as it would be inserted into the jaws of a
fish, and then brought upward, it will be found that the sharp barb
effectually prevents the hook from being withdrawn.
There is one effect of this mode of fixing the barb which may or may
not have been intended. Should, by any accident, the line become
entangled with the hook, and reverse it, the fish is quite as secure,
the long, straight barb forming a second hook, to which it is
transferred. The body of this hook is made of the Douglas pine, and
it is brought into shape by steaming. The hook is chiefly used for
catching the halibut, as, for some reason, the Ahts will not use a
steel hook in the capture of this fish.
There is plenty of game, both large and small, in these regions, though
the chase is in all cases a severe one, and tests not only the skill
but the endurance of the hunter. There is, for example, the black
bear, which is a most valuable animal, its fur being used for clothing,
and its flesh for food. Bear hunting is not carried on at all times of
the year, but is generally followed toward the end of autumn, when the
bears are fat, and about to enter their winter quarters. Sometimes the
Ahts wait until the bear has gone into retirement, and then spear it in
its winter home. Traps are in great favor, because they do not spoil
the skin. They are very simple; the trap consisting of a tree trunk
heavily loaded with stones, and suspended at one end over the animal’s
track. It is kept in position by a trigger, to which is attached a
slight rope crossing the track. It is always placed in some spot where
a large stump or the root of a fallen tree allows the trap to be set
without disturbing the appearance of the track.
Then there are one or two deer, the largest of which is the wapiti,
commonly but erroneously called the elk. The hunter generally takes it
by following its track, and stalking it as it feeds, when the powerful
bow drives an arrow to its heart. The skill of the hunter is shown as
much after the deer is dead as during the actual chase. Captain Mayne
mentions that he has seen a wapiti killed, and in a quarter of an hour
it has been skinned, the whole of the flesh removed from the bones, and
the skin converted into moccasins. The natives have rather a strange
way of carrying the meat. At their first halt after killing a deer,
they cut the meat into pieces two or three inches square, transfix them
with a long stick, and carry the stick upon their shoulder, every now
and then pulling off a piece and eating it as they go along. In this
manner the flesh of a deer vanishes in a wonderfully short time. Very
little meat is preserved, the Ahts generally eating it as soon as the
animal is killed.
As to the fish, there are so many that only one or two can be
mentioned. The salmon is the fish that seems to be the most valued by
these fish-eating tribes, and it is caught, as with us, in a variety
of ways. Sometimes the natives use a rather curious fish spear, about
fifteen feet long in the shaft, and with a double head, made of wapiti
bone. The head is only slightly fixed in the shaft, to which it is
attached by a line, as in the harpoon arrow already described. Should
the fish be a very heavy one, the hunter merely ties to the line a
number of inflated bladders, and causes it to tire itself by useless
struggles before he risks the fracture of the line or loss of the
barbed head, one or both of which events would probably happen if he
were to try to secure a fresh and powerful fish.
Sometimes, when the fish are plentiful, they are caught by dropping
among them a stick armed with barbed points, and jerking it upward
sharply, until it impales a fish on one or other of these points.
“Burning the water” is employed in catching salmon, and is carried on
by two natives, one of whom paddles the canoe, while the other stands
in the bow, where a torch is kept burning, and strikes the fish as they
glide through the water. Mr. Sproat mentions that a single canoe has
been known to bring back forty fine salmon as the result of a day’s
fishing. Salmon traps are also employed. These are made after a fashion
closely resembling that of the eel-traps used in this country. They are
double baskets, externally cylindrical, and are set with their mouths
directed down the stream. When the fish try to pass up the stream they
enter the basket, and, as the inner basket is very much shorter than
the other, shaped like a sugar-loaf, the salmon finds itself imprisoned
between them. Some of these baskets measure as much as twenty feet
in length, and five feet in diameter, so that they will contain a
considerable number of fish.
One of the oddest fishing instruments is that by which the herring is
caught. This is a pole about ten feet in length, flattened at one end
like the blade of an oar, and armed along the edge with projecting
spikes. When the fisherman gets among a shoal of herrings, he plunges
his pole into the mass of fish, draws it through them with a peculiar
movement of the arms, so as to transfix the herrings on the spikes,
and then shakes them into his boat. By this mode of fishing, which is
called “herring-raking,” great numbers of fish are taken, as well as by
the net, which is ingeniously made from fibre obtained from a native
nettle, which reaches eight or ten feet in height.
The Ahts are such keen fishermen that they will often endanger the
safety of their canoes by the quantity of fish with which they will
heap them, so that the gunwales are sunk within an inch or so of the
water’s edge. In calm weather they can manage well enough, even with
such a burden as this; but if the wind should get up before they can
reach the shore, the danger is very great. Should such an event happen,
these enterprising fishermen will not throw their cargo overboard to
save the boat, but will fasten all the spare floats round the canoe, so
as to keep it from sinking even if it be filled with water.
There is scarcely any end to the use which is made by the Ahts of
these floats, and with their aid they will attack and conquer even the
gigantic whale. The following account of their mode of whale fishing
is written by Mr. G. M. Sproat:--“A whale-chase is an affair of some
moment. The kind of whale commonly seen on the coast was described by
an old whaling skipper as ‘finner,’ in which there is not much oil.
The season for fishing whales commences about the end of May or in
June. Many whales are killed every season by the Nitinahts, who live
principally on the seaboard near Barclay or Nitinaht’s Sound. This
tribe has a custom, which I have not observed elsewhere, of separating
during spring and summer into small parties, each under a separate
head, but all still continuing under the chieftaincy of the principal
chief of the tribe.
“Months beforehand preparations are made for the whale fishing, which
is considered almost a sacred season. I particularly noticed this
circumstance from having, in my boyhood, heard of the Manx custom,
in which all the crews of the herring fleet invoke a blessing before
‘shooting’ their herring-nets. The honor of using the harpoon in an Aht
tribe is enjoyed but by few,--about a dozen in the tribe,--who inherit
the privilege. Instances, however, are known of the privilege having
been acquired by merit.
“Eight or nine men, selected by the harpooner, form the crew of his
canoe. For several moons before the fishing begins, these men are
compelled to abstain from their usual food; they live away from their
wives, wash their bodies morning, noon, and night, and rub their skins
with twigs or a rough stone. If a canoe is damaged or capsized by a
whale, or any accident happens during the fishing season, it is assumed
that some of the crew have failed in their preparatory offices, and
a very strict inquiry is instituted by the chief men of the tribe.
Witnesses are examined, and an investigation made into the domestic
affairs of the accused persons. Should any inculpatory circumstance
appear, the delinquent is severely dealt with, and is often deprived of
his rank and placed under a ban for months.
“When the whales approach the coast, the fishermen are out all day,
let the wind blow high or not. The canoes have different cruising
grounds, some little distance apart. The Indian whaling gear consists
of harpoons, lines, inflated seal-skins, and wooden or bone spears. The
harpoon is often made of a piece of the iron hoop of an ale cask, cut
with a chisel into the shape of a harpoon blade, two barbs fashioned
from the tips of deer-horns being affixed to this blade with gum. Close
to the harpoon the line is of deer sinews. To this the main line is
attached, which is generally made of cedar twigs laid together as thick
as a three-inch rope. Large inflated skins are fastened to this line
about twelve feet from the harpoon. The weapon itself is then tied
slightly to a yew handle ten feet long.
“On getting close, the harpooner, from the bow of his canoe, throws his
harpoon at the whale with full force. As soon as the barb enters, the
fastening of the wooden handle, being but slight, breaks, and becomes
detached from the line. The natives raise a yell, and the whale dives
quickly, but the seal-skins impede his movements. Very long lengths
of line are kept in the canoes, and sometimes the lines from several
canoes are joined. On the re-appearance of the whale on the surface, he
is attacked from the nearest canoe; and thus, finally, forty or fifty
large buoys are attached to his body. He struggles violently for a
time, and beats and lashes the water in all directions, until, weakened
by loss of blood, and fatigued by his exertions, he ceases to struggle,
and the natives despatch him with their short spears. The whale is
then taken in tow by the whole fleet of canoes, the crews yelling and
singing, and keeping time with their paddles.
“Sometimes, after being harpooned, the whale escapes, and takes ropes,
harpoons, seal-skins, and everything with him. Should he die from his
wounds, and be found by another tribe at sea, or on shore within the
territorial limits of the finders, the instruments are returned to the
losers, with a large piece of the fish as a present. Many disputes
arise between tribes on the finding of dead whales near the undefined
boundaries of the tribal territories. If the quarrel is serious, all
intercourse ceases, trade is forbidden, and war is threatened. By and
by, when the loss of trade is felt, negotiation is tried. An envoy
is selected who is of high rank in his own tribe, and, if possible,
connected with the other tribe by marriage. He is usually a quiet man
of fluent speech. Wearing white eagle feathers in his headdress as a
mark of peace, he departs in a small canoe. Only one female attendant,
generally an old slave, accompanies him, to assist in paddling, as
the natives never risk two men on such occasions. The envoy’s return
is anxiously awaited. As a general rule, the first proposition is
rejected. Objections, references, counter proposals, frequently make
three or four embassies necessary before the question can be settled.
By that time the blubber must be very rancid.”
[Illustration: CANOE OF THE AHTS. (See page 1362.)]
CHAPTER CXLIII.
VANCOUVER’S ISLAND--_Continued_.
THE AHTS AND NEIGHBORING TRIBES--_Continued_.
MANUFACTURE OF CANOES -- CORRECT EYE OF THE NATIVE BUILDERS --
MATERIAL AND SHAPE OF THE PADDLE -- MODE OF USING IT -- PATTERN WITH
WHICH IT IS DECORATED -- “CUTTING” THE WAVES -- SKILL AND ENDURANCE
OF THE PADDLERS -- ESCAPE OF A NATIVE -- FEASTS AMONG THE AHT TRIBES
-- METHOD OF COOKING -- THE WOODEN POTS AND HEATED STONES -- HOW
“THE INDIANS DIED” -- DISTRIBUTION OF PROPERTY, AND ITS CONSEQUENT
DESTRUCTION -- SACRED CHARACTER OF A FEAST -- THE SACRED MARKS -- THE
ARTIFICIAL SNOW-STORM -- THE DOCTOR’S DANCE -- ADMIRABLE ACTING --
SIMULATED MURDER AND RECOVERY OF THE CORPSE -- THE ROOF DANCE.
The canoes in which the Aht tribes make their expeditions are carved
out of solid wood. The tree which is employed for this purpose is a
kind of cedar (_Thuja gigantea_), which flourishes by the sea. When a
native wishes to make a canoe, he looks out for a good tree as near
as possible to the water, and, with the assistance of a comrade, cuts
it down. Now that he has European tools, he can fell a tree with some
rapidity, but in the olden times, when his sole tool was a sort of
chisel made of wapiti horn, it was a very slow process indeed. The
only way of using this primitive instrument was by placing the edge of
the chisel against the tree, and striking the butt with a heavy stone,
shaped something like a dumb-bell.
The tree being felled, the bark is stripped off, and the trunk split
lengthwise by wedges. The next process is to hollow out the inside,
which is done entirely by hand, fire not being employed, as is the case
with many savage tribes. The outside is then dubbed down to the proper
thickness by means of an adze formed of a large mussel-shell fixed in
a handle. In this work the natives use no measuring tools, but trust
entirely to the eye; yet their work is so true that, when the boat is
completed, it sits lightly on the water, and is well balanced. Any of
my readers who have made even a toy boat will appreciate the difficulty
of this task.
In about three weeks or so the canoe is roughly hewn and hollowed,
and then comes a more difficult business, namely, the bringing it
into the peculiar shape which the Ahts think to be the best. This is
done by filling the canoe with water, and throwing redhot stones into
it till the water boils. This part of the process is continued for a
considerable time, until the wood is quite soft, and then a number of
crosspieces are driven into the interior, so as to force the canoe into
its proper shape, which it retains ever afterward.
While the canoe is still soft and comparatively pliant, several slight
crosspieces are inserted, so as to counteract any tendency toward
warping. The outside of the vessel is next hardened by fire, so as to
enable it to resist the attacks of insects, and also to prevent it
from cracking when exposed to the sun. Lastly, the bow and stem pieces
are fixed to the canoe, and the interior is painted of some brilliant
color, usually red. The outside is generally quite black and highly
polished, this effect being produced by rubbing it plentifully with oil
after the fire has done its work. Lastly, a pattern of some kind is
generally painted on the bow and stern.
The figure on page 1361 will give the reader a good idea of the form
of this canoe. It is drawn from a large model brought from Vancouver’s
Island by Lieut. Pusey, and added by him to my collection. In this
specimen the patterns at the bow and stem are red and blue. As is
mostly the case with canoes made by savages, there is no keel to the
boat.
The paddle by which the canoe is propelled is a singularly ingenious
one, combining the three qualities of lightness, elasticity, and
strength to a really remarkable extent. The paddle represented in
fig. 1 of illustration No. 6, on page 1357, is one of the specimens
in my collection. It is four feet six inches in length, and the blade
is about six inches wide at the broadest part. It is shaped with the
greatest accuracy, the part where it is grasped by the left hand being
nearly cylindrical, and then widening gradually until it forms the
blade. At this part it is very thin--so thin, in fact, that it seems
scarcely able to bear the strain that is put upon it when the paddler
urges his canoe swiftly over the water.
The lightness of such a paddle is wonderful. The specimen which is
figured in the illustration only weighs eighteen ounces, being hardly
half the weight of a similarly sized New Zealand paddle. The reader
will notice the peculiar handle. This is made in order to suit the mode
of paddling. When the Aht gets into his canoe, he grasps the paddle
with his left hand about eighteen inches from the end, and places his
right hand upon the crosspiece that serves as a handle. The left hand
thus acts as a fulcrum; upon the right hand works the leverage of the
paddle. Beside this paddle is figured another from the Solomon Islands,
in order to show how two totally distinct races of mankind have hit
upon the same invention. There is even a similarity in the form of
their canoes, as well as in the shape of their paddles.
The reader will observe that the blade of the paddle is covered with a
pattern which extends some way up the handle. This is the work of the
women, who take upon themselves the decoration of the paddles after
their husbands have shaped them. The colors employed are generally
black and red, the latter hue being obtained by a preparation of
annatto. In this particular specimen, red is the chief color, the large
oval marks on the side of the blade and on the handle being red, while
the more intricate pattern on the blade is drawn in black.
No matter what may be the color of the paddle, the pattern is always
of the same character. I have no doubt in my mind that it is really a
conventional mode of depicting the human face, such as is seen upon the
work of many extinct races of mankind; and although at a first glance
the semblance may not be seen, it is evident to a practised observer,
and is, moreover, quite in character with other works of art found of
these people.
The broad, flat, sharp-edged blade of the paddle is often used for
other purposes besides propelling the canoe. It has already been
mentioned that the Ahts will not throw overboard their cargo of fish,
no matter how high the waves may roll, or how deeply the canoe may be
loaded. They watch carefully for the waves, and if one of them comes in
such a manner that it would dash inboard, they have the art of cutting
it in two with a blow from the edge of the paddle, and causing it to
fly harmlessly over the little vessel.
Both in making canoes and in other work where holes have to be bored,
the Ahts make use of a simple drill, formed from the bone of a bird,
fixed in a wooden handle. When it is used, the shaft is taken between
the two hands, the point placed on the object to be bored, and the
hands moved swiftly backward and forward until the hole is made. In the
same manner, by using a stick instead of a drill, fire is produced,
precisely as is done by the Kaffirs.
The skill of the paddlers is wonderful. Mr. Sproat mentions the escape
of an Aht Indian who had committed several murders, and had contrived
to escape from custody. Finding the place where he had concealed
himself, a party set out to recapture him, and discovered him running
across the snow to gain the shelter of a wood. Had he reached it
he would have been safe, so one of the pursuers chased him, and,
notwithstanding the disadvantage of wearing shoes, which soon became
clogged by the snow, succeeded in gaining on him, the Ahts being, as
has already been remarked, very poor runners.
The man soon perceived that he was no match for his pursuer in running,
and so, abandoning his intention of reaching the wood, he turned
sharply off toward the river, flung off his blanket, and leaped into
the stream. Presently he was seen making his way toward a canoe which
was made fast to a drift tree in the river, and in a short time he
reached it, looked eagerly into it to see if there were a paddle,
scrambled into the boat, cast it off, and paddled away. Meanwhile two
of his pursuers had got into a canoe, and were paddling after him, so
that when he cast the boat loose they were not more than twenty yards
from him. It was, however, quite enough for the fugitive, who forced
his canoe up the stream with a power and rapidity which soon increased
the distance between the two boats, and, in spite of all the efforts of
his pursuers, he made his way to the bank nearly fifty yards ahead of
them. As soon as he reached the shore, he jumped out of the canoe, and
dashed into the wood, where it was useless to follow him.
Several times during the struggle Mr. Sproat had the man covered with
his revolver, but the skill, grace, and strength of the fugitive were
so admirable, that, much to the discontent of his companions, he would
not fire. He remarks that in such a chase as this a white man has no
chance with an Aht, but that in a long race on the sea the white man
will win, his powers of endurance exceeding those of the savage.
The possession of a canoe is an object of much ambition among the
Ahts, as it confers upon them a sort of distinction, and is looked
upon much as is the possession of a carriage among ourselves. Each
canoe is furnished with a baling instrument, which is always made of
wood. It is, in fact, a large spoon, the bowl being angular, and shaped
something like the gable of a house.
* * * * *
The domestic manners of the Ahts are, from Mr. Sproat’s account,
very interesting, and, as he remarks, if any one only knew their
strange language well, and had the stomach and the nose to live among
them during the winter months, he would obtain copious information
respecting them.
Winter is the time mentioned, because during the summer the men are
generally dispersed in their pursuit of game, especially of salmon,
which they dry and preserve for winter use. But about November they
return to their homes, and a time of general feasting and enjoyment
sets in. Cooking goes on all day, and the revellers are perpetually
feasting, while during times of work they only eat twice in the day,
namely, in the morning and evening, and even then do not eat much at
each meal. Fish is the principal article of their diet, and dried
salmon is the food which is most plentiful, though they also eat the
flesh of the seal and the whale when they can get it. Of late years the
Ahts have obtained rice and molasses, and apparently with a bad effect
upon their health.
The pots in which the food is cooked are made of wood, the water being
boiled, not by placing the pots on the fire, but by heating stones
red hot and throwing them into it. Rude as this mode of boiling water
may seem, it is much more rapid and effectual than might be imagined,
which will account for the wide spreading of the custom. In more than
one place, when the white man visited the natives for the first time,
nothing impressed them so strongly as the fact that, when he boiled
water, he put the vessel on the fire. The capability of making a vessel
that would endure such treatment had, in their eyes, something of the
supernatural.
An old native illustrated well the astonishment which they themselves
felt when they saw a kettle placed on the fire for the first time. He
narrated the story to Mr. Duncan in the following quaint but forcible
language:--“The strangers landed, and beckoned the Indians to come to
them and bring them some fish. One of them had over his shoulder what
was supposed to be only a stick. Presently he pointed it at a bird that
was flying past--a violent ‘poo’ went forth--down came the bird to the
ground. The Indians died! As they revived, they questioned each other
as to their state, whether any were dead, and what each had felt.
“The whites then made signs for a fire to be lighted. The Indians
proceeded at once according to their tedious practice of rubbing two
sticks together. The strangers laughed, and one of them, snatching up a
handful of dry grass, struck a spark into a little powder placed under
it. Instantly, another ‘poo’ and a blaze! The Indians died! After this,
the new-comers wanted some fish boiled. The Indians therefore put the
fish and some water into one of their square wooden buckets, and set
some stones in the fire, intending, when they were hot, to cast them
into the vessel, and thus boil the food. The whites were not satisfied
with this way. One of them fetched a tin kettle out of the boat, put
the fish and some water into it, and then, strange to say, set it on
the fire. The Indians looked on with astonishment. However, the kettle
did not consume, the water did not run into the fire. Then again the
Indians died!”
Sometimes a man of consequence issues invitations for a solemn feast,
and on such an occasion he seizes the opportunity of showing his wealth
by the liberal distribution of presents, every individual present
receiving a share of the property. Consequently, a feast always affords
a scene of destruction. For example, Captain Mayne mentions that at one
feast which he witnessed, he recognized three sea-otter skins, for one
of which thirty blankets had been offered and refused. Yet, valuable
as they were, they were cut up into little pieces about three inches
by one, so that every guest might have a piece. As each blanket is to
the Aht the equivalent of a sovereign among ourselves, the amount of
waste may be imagined. Mr. Duncan, the successful missionary among
these people, relates several instances of the waste of property which
takes place both on these and other occasions. For example, a chief had
just built a house, and issued invitations for a great feast. “After
feasting, I heard he was to give away property to the amount of four
hundred and eighty blankets, of which one hundred and eighty were his
own property, and the three hundred were to be subscribed by his people.
“On the first day of the feast, as much as possible of the property to
be given to him was exhibited in the camp. Hundreds of yards of cotton
were flapping in the breeze, hung from house to house, or on lines put
up for the occasion. Furs, too, were nailed up on the fronts of houses.
Those who were going to give away blankets or elk-skins managed to
get a bearer for every one, and exhibited them by making the persons
walk in single file to the house of the chief. On the next day, the
cotton which had been hung out was now brought on the beach, at a good
distance from the chief’s house, and there run out at full length, and
a number of bearers, about three yards apart, bore it triumphantly
away from the giver to the receivers. I suppose that about six to eight
hundred yards were thus disposed of.
“After all the property the chief is to receive has been thus openly
handed to him, a day or two is taken up in apportioning it for fresh
owners. When this is done, all the chiefs and their families are called
together, and each receives according to his or her position. If,
however, a chief’s wife is not descended from a chief, she has no share
in this distribution, nor is she ever invited to the same feasts as her
husband. Thus do the chiefs and their people go on reducing themselves
to poverty. In the case of the chiefs, however, this poverty lasts but
a short time; they are soon replenished from the next giving away, but
the people only grow rich again according to their industry. One cannot
but pity them, while one laments their folly.
“All the pleasure these poor Indians seem to have in their property is
in hoarding it up for such an occasion as I have described. They never
think of appropriating what they can gather to enhance their comforts,
but are satisfied if they can make a display like this now and then; so
that the man possessing but one blanket seems to be as well off as the
one who possesses twenty; and thus it is that there is a vast amount of
dead stock accumulated in the camp, doomed never to be used, but only
now and then to be transferred from hand to hand for the mere vanity of
the thing.
“There is another way, however, in which property is disposed of even
more foolishly. If a person be insulted, or meet with an accident, or
in any way suffers an injury, real or supposed, either of mind or body,
property must at once be sacrificed to avoid disgrace. A number of
blankets, shirts, or cotton, according to the rank of the person, is
torn into small pieces, and carried off.”
Sometimes a feast assumes a sacred character, and such festivals are
held during the latter half of the last month in the year, their object
being to induce the demons who have charge of the weather to give them
rain instead of snow. In one of these feasts, witnessed by Mr. Garrett,
the principal part was performed by a female chief, who lay on her back
in the middle of the house as if dead, while all the people assembled
were making a hideous noise, howling, wailing, and beating with sticks
the bench on which they sat, while a young man added to the hubbub by
drumming upon a wooden box. After a while the prostrate woman began
to show signs of life, and gradually assumed a sitting posture. In
this attitude she contrived to jump round the room, and exhibited some
extraordinary vagaries, the other occupants of the room alternating
dead silence with deafening uproar at signals from her hand.
The costumes that are worn at such feasts are very remarkable articles,
especially the head-dresses that are worn by the chiefs. They take the
form of masks, and are cut out of solid wood, generally imitating the
heads of various birds and beasts, though they sometimes are carved
in the semblance of a grotesque human face. The specimens which are
shown in the illustrations on page 1357 will give a good idea of these
strange headdresses. One of them, which was presented to me by Lieut.
Pusey, is carved in imitation of a beaver’s head, and is tied on the
wearer’s head with strings. There are holes bored through the eyes,
by means of which the wearer is enabled to see, and these holes are
cleverly bored in a slanting direction, so as to coincide with the
pupil of the eye. Some of these masks are made with great goggle eyes
and large jaws. Both the eyes and the jaws are movable, and are worked
by strings that pass down the back, so that the wearer can make the
eyes roll and the jaws open and close without any apparent cause.
Sometimes the masks are made in the form of birds, and by a similar
arrangement of cords, the birds can be made to turn their heads from
side to side, and to flap their wings while the wearer speaks. There is
a very remarkable specimen of these masks in the museum at Maidstone.
It is double, one mask within another. The outer mask is divided by
lines drawn from forehead to chin, down the centre of the nose, and
across the face, so that it is in four distinct pieces. The pieces all
work on hinges, and are so well fitted to each other that a spectator
could not suspect that they were not one solid piece. Suddenly, while
the wearer is dancing, he will fling all the pieces open, and discover
a second and more hideous mask beneath.
When the chief wishes to pay an extraordinary compliment to a visitor,
he puts on a mask that is fitted with a number of porcupine quills.
Upon this head-dress he heaps a vast quantity of swan’s down, which
is retained in its position by the quills. He then dances up to the
visitor, and, as he retreats backward in the dance, gives a jerk with
his head, and sends the down flying over him. It is a point of honor
that the visitor should be kept enveloped in a shower of down, as if
he were in a snow-storm, and this can only be done by perpetually
dancing and nodding the head, which is kept well supplied with down by
attendants.
White feathers and down always signify peace, and hence, when a man
sets off on a mission of peace to a neighboring tribe with whom there
has been a quarrel, he puts white down on his head, and knows that his
person will be as sacred as that of the bearer of a flag of truce in
civilized warfare.
One of the dances practised by the Ahts displays a really wonderful
amount of ingenuity, and must take no little time to practise. It was
witnessed by Mr. Sproat, who describes it in the following terms. The
different dances are called Nooks in Aht language. This might be called
the “Doctor’s (Ooshtukyu) Nook.” A fine representation of it by the
artist is given on the following page.
“During the song and dance, which at first seemed to present nothing
peculiar, a well-known slave (one, however, who was in a comparatively
independent position, being employed as a sailor on board the steamer
_Thames_), suddenly ceased dancing, and fell down on the ground
apparently in a dying state, and having his face covered with blood. He
did not move or speak, his head fell on one side, his limbs were drawn
up, and he certainly presented a ghastly spectacle. While the dance
raged furiously around the fallen man, the doctor, with some others,
seized and dragged him to the other side of the fire round which they
were dancing, placing his naked feet very near the flames.
“After this a pail of water was brought in, and the doctor, who
supported the dying man on his arm, washed the blood from his face; the
people beat drums, danced, and sang, and suddenly the patient sprang
to his feet and joined in the dance, none the worse for the apparently
hopeless condition of the moment before. While all this was going on, I
asked the giver of the feast whether it was real blood upon the man’s
face, and if he were really wounded. He told me so seriously that it
was, that I was at first inclined to believe him, until he began to
explain that the blood which came from the nose and mouth was owing to
the incantations of the medicine man, and that all the people would be
very angry if he did not afterward restore him.
“I then recalled to mind that in the early part of the day, before
the feast, I had seen the doctor and the slave holding very friendly
conferences; and the former had used his influence to get a pass for
the latter to be present at the entertainment, to which, probably,
he had no right to come. I feel sure that many of the Indians really
believed in this exhibition of the doctor’s power. When the affair
was over, many of the natives asked me what I thought of it, and
referred to it as if it must set at rest for ever any possible doubts
with regard to the abilities of their native doctors. The Indian, who
explained this and other performances to me, said that the cure was
not entirely owing to the doctor, but to the large body of dancers and
singers, who all ‘exerted their hearts’ to desire the recovery of the
sick man, and so procured the desired effect.”
This simulated production of blood forms an element in several of the
Aht dances. In one of them a man, stripped even of his blanket, is
bound with his hands behind him, and driven about at the end of long
cords, while the spectators yell, shout, and hammer with sticks upon
wooden dishes and drums made of bear-skin.
Suddenly the chief dashes among the people, brandishing a knife, and,
on seeing the bound man, gives chase to him, and to all appearance
drives the knife deeply into his back. Blood pours abundantly from the
wound, and the man rushes wildly about in search of shelter, followed
by the chief, who plunges his bloody weapon repeatedly into the man’s
back. Exhausted by his wounds and loss of blood, the victim staggers,
falls, and dies. His friends gather round the dead body, and carry it
outside the house, when it washes itself, and puts on its blanket.
Mr. Sproat remarks of this dance that the illusion is absolutely
perfect, and the acting so lifelike, that the performers would make the
fortune of a minor theatre in London. The red liquid which simulates
blood is a mixture of red gum, resin, oil, and water; and is, indeed,
the material which is used for painting the inside of the canoes.
Another of these “nooks” is called the seal dance. The performers take
off their blankets, and, though in the depth of winter, go into the
sea, and crawl upon the shore, imitating the movements of the seals as
they flounder along the ground. They proceed in the same manner until
they reach the houses, which they enter, and crawl about the fires,
which are purposely kept brightly blazing by being fed with oil. The
dance is finished by jumping up and dancing round the house until the
performers are tired.
There is one dance which belongs specially to the Sesaht tribe, and,
absurd as it may seem, appears to have in it something of a religious
nature. It is peculiar to that tribe, and may not be omitted. While
the people are singing and dancing within the house, a number of the
performers clamber up the posts, push some of the roof-boards aside,
get on the roof, and dance there, making a noise like thunder. As the
dancers become fatigued, they descend from the roof and others take
their places, so that there is a constant stream of men ascending and
descending the roof.
After the dance is over, an old man makes a speech to the owner of the
house, saying that he is aware that the roof-boards are damaged by the
dance, but at the same time the ceremony may not be omitted. A number
of men then come forward, and each presents the owner of the house with
a small stick, which is a token that the owner will redeem it with a
new roof-board as soon as possible.
[Illustration: (1.) AN AHT DANCE. (See page 1366.)]
[Illustration: (2.) INITIATION OF A DOG EATER. (See page 1371.)]
CHAPTER CXLIV.
VANCOUVER’S ISLAND--_Concluded_.
THE AHTS AND NEIGHBORING TRIBES--_Concluded_.
ARCHITECTURE OF THE AHTS -- SEMI-NOMADIC CHARACTER OF THE PEOPLE --
THE PERMANENT FRAMEWORK, AND MOVABLE WALLS AND ROOF -- DIVISION OF
THE HOUSE -- RANK OF THE OCCUPANTS -- OBJECT AND MODE OF MIGRATION
-- PIPES OF THE AHT TRIBES -- LABOR EXPENDED IN THEIR MANUFACTURE --
RELIGIOUS SYSTEM OF THE TRIBES -- AN AHT PROMETHEUS -- SOCIETY OF THE
“ALLIED” -- THE MEDICINE MEN AND THEIR EDUCATION -- THE CANNIBALS AND
DOG-EATERS -- REVOLTING SCENES -- THE TWO CANNIBALS -- SACRED RATTLES
-- TERROR INSPIRED BY THE MEDICINE MEN -- DISPOSAL OF THE DEAD --
RESPECT FOR THE CEMETERY.
From the account of the Roof-dance in the preceding chapter, it is
evident that the houses are built very strongly, or they would not be
able to endure the violent stamping and jumping which constitute the
principal charms of the dance. The houses of the Ahts are constructed
after a very peculiar manner, the posts and framework being stationary,
and the roof and sides movable. The effect of this arrangement is to
enable the people to shift from one place to another. At each of the
spots to which they migrate they find the framework of their houses
ready for them, and all that they have to do is to carry with them the
roofs and walls. The mode of migrating will be presently described.
The framework of the houses consists of stout posts about twelve feet
in diameter, and twelve feet or so in height, placed at distances of
twenty feet from each other. The top of the post is hollowed so as to
receive the cross pieces which connect them. A house is some eighty
feet in length, and the ridgepole which supports the roof is made of a
single tree trunk. The roof, which is gabled-shaped, but slopes gently
from the back to the front of the house, so as to throw off the rain,
is made of cedar boards, about five feet long and nearly two inches
thick. The walls are made of similar boards lashed to small upright
posts driven into the ground.
Just below the roof a rude framework is extended, on which the
inhabitants keep their stores of food, their weapons, and similar
articles. About six feet from the walls, a strong stockade is erected,
so that each house becomes a sort of fortress. There are no windows,
and the only chimney is formed by removing one of the roof-boards above
the fireplace. In many of these houses, the large inside posts are
ornamented by having great faces carved upon them, face-carving being
an art in which these tribes excel, just as is the case with the New
Zealanders. Mr. Sproat mentions, that he has seen a row of such houses
extending for the third of a mile along a river’s bank, and that the
depth of the houses varied from twenty-five to forty feet.
Inside the house, the earth is dug away for a foot or so in depth,
in order to give additional height to the interior. Every house is
partitioned off into several divisions, each of which is occupied by a
family, which is thus separated from the other inhabitants by a sort of
bulkhead about four feet high. These partitions are movable, so that on
occasion of a great festival they can be taken away, and the whole of
the space kept clear. There is a fire in the middle of each division,
and around it are placed wooden couches, about nine inches from the
floor, and covered with a whole series of mats by way of bedding.
There is to each building one main entrance, and other small doors,
which are always in a corner of one of the divisions. The rank of the
different occupants is marked by the position which they occupy in the
house. For example, the chief of the house occupies the extreme end on
the left of the building, the next in rank lives in the corresponding
place at the other end, while the common people occupy the space
between the two great men.
These houses are much more agreeable to the eye than to the nostrils.
Having no windows, and all the stores of salt fish and other provisions
being kept in them, the interior atmosphere is close, fishy, rank, and
pungent, the last quality being due to the wood smoke of the several
fires. Neither is the exterior air better than that of the interior,
for the ground is covered with heaps of putrefying heads, tails, and
bones of fish, decaying mollusks, and refuse of all kinds, which is
simply flung into heaps and never removed, the nostrils of the natives
being incapable of feeling any annoyance from the horrible odor that
arises from the decomposing heaps.
The ownership of these houses is rather a complicated question. The
framework of the house is generally considered as being in several
divisions, each division being called after the name of the owner,
while the planks are the common property of the inhabitants.
When the Ahts wish to move to another spot, which is done for the
purpose of changing to better fishing, hunting, and fruit grounds,
according to the time of year, they always migrate by water. They
place two large canoes about five or six feet apart, and connect them
together with the planks of the roof and walls, which thus form a
platform on which can be placed the stores and household goods. Mr.
Sproat remarks that he has seen this platform heaped to a height of
fourteen feet, only just enough space being left for the passengers.
As soon as they arrive at their destination, the travellers unpack
the boats, and, assisted by the slaves who have been sent forward in
readiness, fix the boards on the already existing framework, so that in
a very short time the house is ready for the occupants.
These migrations have one beneficial effect. While the people have
deserted their villages, the birds, aided by the elements, the only
scavengers of Vancouver’s Island, clear away a considerable portion of
the heaps of putrefying rubbish, which would otherwise become too much
even for native endurance.
In the meetings which are held within these houses the pipe naturally
plays an important part; and, as the pipes made by these tribes differ
from those of any other part of the world, a short description is
here given of them. Both in shape and material these pipes are most
remarkable. They seem to have been made for the express object of
expending the greatest possible amount of labor upon the clumsiest
possible pipe. I have seen and tried many of these pipes, and, except
that they draw the smoke very well, there is not a redeeming point
about them.
In the first place, they are carved--stem and bowl--out of solid stone,
a sort of very dark slate. The upper figure in illustration No 2, on
page 1357, which represents one of these pipes in my collection, shows
the lightest and least cumbrous form of pipe. Although only eight
inches in length, it weighs six ounces, no trifle for a pipe of that
description. As is usually the case with these pipes, it is adorned
with a human figure and a human head. The figure evidently represents
a man seated in a canoe. On account of the details of dress, it seems
likely that it is intended to represent a native--possibly the carver
himself--in European costume, the features being of a strongly-marked
Indian type, while the dress is European. This pipe was presented to me
by Lieut. Pusey.
Sometimes the natives absolutely run riot in pipe making, and expend
infinite labor in making pipes which look utterly unlike pipes, and
which cannot be smoked without the very greatest inconvenience. The
lower specimens represent two views of a pipe of this kind, belonging
to T. W. Wood, Esq., which has apparently been made for the purpose
of trying how many heads of men and birds could be compressed into a
certain space. As the reader may observe, the whole character of this
carving bears a very strong resemblance to the art of the ancient
Mexicans, so strong, indeed, that it might almost be passed off as a
specimen of that art.
In total length it is a very little more than eight inches, but from
bowl to the mouth-piece it only measures five inches, the remaining
three inches being simply superabundant material. The number of heads
that the carver has contrived to introduce into this pipe is really
wonderful, the ingenuity of combination, together with force of effect,
being worthy of all praise, especially when the rudeness of the
workmanship is considered. Taken as a work of art, it is admirable;
taken as a pipe, it is detestable. It is so heavy that the mere
exertion of holding it is fatiguing, and it is so thick and clumsy that
it does not at all adapt itself to the lips. And, in so cold a climate,
to grasp or to put to the lips such a piece of hard, cold stone, must
involve very great inconvenience.
* * * * *
The religious ideas of the Aht tribes are, as may be expected,
exceedingly vague, and are rendered still more so by the reticence
which a savage always exhibits on such subjects. Mr. Sproat remarks
that he lived for two years among the Ahts, with his mind constantly
directed toward this subject, before he could discover whether the
people believed in any overruling power, or had any idea of a future
existence. He then proceeds to say that “a traveller must have lived
for many years among savages, really as one of themselves, before
his opinion as to their mental and spiritual condition is of any
value at all.” How true this statement is, none know better than the
missionaries, who find that even their most promising converts are
almost as unwilling to give information on such subjects as they were
during their state of heathenism.
It is, however, ascertained that the Ahts really have a belief in a
deity and in a future state, and that they possess several legends on
these subjects. Some of these legends treat of a certain Quawteaht,
who made the earth and the animals, but would not give them fire,
this being concealed in the body of the cuttle-fish. In those days
they needed fire, because the Indians, who were afterward to people
the earth, were hidden in their bodies. At last the deer succeeded in
discovering the fire, and carried away some of it in the joint of his
hind leg. The reader will doubtless perceive the similarity of this
legend to the old myth of Prometheus.
As far as can be understood, this Quawteaht is the chief of their
deities, but they have a whole host of minor divinities, who preside
over the sea, the woods, and their inmates, as well as rule the
elements. So, if a native sees a sudden breeze curl the surface of the
sea, he thinks it signifies the approval of some spirit; and if he
should hear a rustling in the woods for which he cannot account, or a
sound which he does not recognize, he immediately puts it down to the
presence of some demon or other.
As might be expected, there are plenty of medicine men, who have great
power over the people, and are implicitly trusted by them. They have
to go through a long and unpleasant ordeal before they can be admitted
into the order of the “Allied,” as the medicine men call themselves.
When their education is nearly finished, they go into the bush alone,
and remain there for several days, fasting until they have received the
spiritual gifts. The society of the Allied is encouraged by the chiefs,
not from religious motives, but because they become enriched by it. No
one can become an Allied unless he possesses considerable wealth, the
whole of which he must give away before he can be admitted into the
society. The act of giving away his property is done as ostentatiously
as possible, the candidate being escorted by a large body of men, who
shout and make as great a noise as they can. In front of them goes the
candidate, with one end of a large rope round his waist, the other
end being held by fifteen or twenty men, who pretend that all their
strength is required in order to hold him back.
Captain Mayne relates a curious anecdote respecting the doings of these
medicine men. He was called one evening to see a moon on the beach.
On arriving at the spot he found that the men had made a flat disk of
wax to represent the moon, and had painted a man upon it,--they having
the belief, which is still prevalent among the illiterate of our own
country, respecting a man who lives in the moon. They had lighted a
torch and placed it behind the artificial moon, so as to illuminate it,
and were supposed to be holding converse with its inhabitant, much to
the awe of the surrounding crowd.
These medicine men seem to be divided into three parties, or sects.
One of them does not appear to be particularly distinguished, but the
other two gradually rise in circumstances of horror. The former sect is
called the Dog-eaters, a portion of whose initiation is described by
Mr. Duncan, and is illustrated on page 1367.
“Early in the morning the pupils would be out on the beach or on the
rocks, in a state of nudity. Each had a place in front of his own
tribe, nor did intense cold interfere in the slightest degree. After
the poor creature had crept about, jerking his head and screaming for
some time, a party of men would rush out, and, after surrounding him,
would commence singing. The dog-eating party occasionally carried a
dead dog to their pupil, who forthwith commenced to tear it in the most
dog-like manner. The party of attendants kept up a low, growling noise,
or a whoop, which was seconded by a screeching noise made from an
instrument which they believe to be the abode of a spirit.
“In a little time the naked youth would start up again, and proceed a
few more yards in a crouching posture, with his arms pushed out behind
him, and tossing his flowing black hair. All the while he is earnestly
watched by the group about him, and when he pleases to sit down, they
again surround him and commence singing. This kind of thing goes on,
with several little additions, for a time.
“Before the prodigy finally retires, he takes a run into every house
belonging to his tribe, and is followed by his train. When this is
done, in some cases he has a ramble on the tops of the same houses,
during which he is anxiously watched by his attendants, as if they
expected his flight. By and by he condescends to come down, and they
then follow him to his den, which is signified by a rope made of red
bark being hung over the doorway, so as to prevent any person from
ignorantly violating its precincts. None are allowed to enter that
house but those connected with the art: all I know, therefore, of their
further proceedings is, that they keep up a furious hammering, singing,
and screeching, for hours during the day.
Even this mode of initiation cannot be very pleasant, involving, as it
does, the devouring of raw dog-flesh; but it is nothing in comparison
to that of the most powerful and dreaded of the three sects, namely,
the cannibals. Mr. Duncan was also a witness to part of the initiation
of a cannibal Allied.
In order to give his assistance to the ceremony, a chief ordered one
of his slaves, an old woman, to be killed, and her body flung into the
sea. As soon as this was done, the whole of the uninitiated population
left their houses and formed themselves into groups at a distance from
the fatal spot, lest they should also become victims, a fear for which
there was very good reason. Presently two bands of Allied men came
rushing along, producing the most hideous sounds, each being headed by
a candidate for membership.
The two candidates advanced with a long creeping step, waving their
arms, and jerking their heads backward and forward, so as to make
their long hair wave in the breeze. They pretended for some time to
be seeking for the body, and at last they discovered it, and made a
simultaneous rush at it. In a moment they were closely surrounded by
their respective bands, but in a few minutes the crowd opened, and out
passed the two men, each bearing half the body of the murdered woman,
which they had actually torn in two with their hands and teeth alone.
They then began devouring the body, when the spectator was unable to
endure the sight any longer, and left the spot.
These cannibal medicine men are the dread of their country. At the cost
of such revolting practices, as have been but very lightly touched,
they gain such a complete influence over the people, that they can do
exactly as they choose, no man daring to contradict them. Sometimes at
a feast one of them will be taken with a fit of inspiration, and dash
among the people, biting like a mad dog at every one whom he meets.
On such occasions it is thought very manly and praiseworthy of the
guests to welcome instead of repelling his attacks, and to offer their
arms or shoulders for him to bite. The Allied cannibal responds to the
invitation by biting at and swallowing a piece of the flesh, and the
man who offers it thinks himself honored in proportion to the size of
the piece that is removed. The wound thus made is not only productive
of excruciating pain, but is also dangerous, many men having died from
the effects of it. Yet they are willing to have both the pain and the
danger for the sake of the honor which is conferred upon them.
The general public have very good reason for getting out of the way
when one of these cannibals chooses to make an excursion in search of
a human body. Should not one be found, the cannibal Allied who escort
their companions would think themselves bound to provide a corpse for
his eating, and would seize and kill the first person whom they might
meet. Therefore, when the sound of the horrid cannibal songs is heard
in the distance, the whole population of a village will desert their
houses, take to their canoes, and remain at a distance from the shore
until the danger is over for the time.
These medicine men are considered all-powerful in the cure of the sick,
and are always called in when any one is ill. They almost invariably
say that the malady is local, and that it is due to some object or
other, which they can extract by their incantations. In the ceremonies
which they employ, they make much use of a rattle, the material of
which does not seem to be of much consequence, provided that it can
only make a noise. For example, a favorite form is a hollow wooden
case, carved like a bird or a frog, and containing a few stones.
Some rattles, however, are made on totally different principles, and
resemble the beetle-shell rattle of Guiana that is figured on page
1265. Captain Mayne saw one which was made of three or four dozen
puffin-beaks strung loosely together.
Incisions are often made over the part affected, or the doctor uses
the actual cautery by means of a moxa, made of a pledget of dried
flax. These remedies often do have the effect of relieving pain, and
when that is the case, the patient and his friends present the doctor
with liberal gifts, all which, however, he is bound to return should a
relapse come on and the patient die. They even say that, when they are
violently excited by their incantations, they can see the soul of the
patient, which they say is in the shape of a fly, with a long curved
proboscis. One man, who had recovered from a dangerous illness, said
that he had seen his own soul, which the medicine man had caught as it
was escaping from the body, and had put back again.
The noise which these medicine men make at their incantations is
almost indescribable. Mr. Sproat describes their howling as being
perfectly demoniacal, and says that no wild beast could utter sounds so
calculated to strike sudden horror into the heart. Even himself, though
a white man, and in perfect security, has often shuddered at the savage
yells of the mystery men. Indeed, their object is to keep up the dread
in which they are held, and, in order to do this, they must ever be
doing something to keep themselves before the eyes of the people.
Sometimes they will assemble together on the outskirts of the village,
set up a furious howling, and then rush like a pack of wolves through
the village, the cannibals and dog-eaters tearing to pieces with their
teeth any corpses or dogs that they may find. Sometimes a single man
will leave the place and bury himself in the woods, whence he will
suddenly rush, quite naked, reduced to a skeleton through his long
fast, with his body and limbs covered with wounds inflicted by himself
in his mad violence, and with foam flying from his lips, while he
utters wild yells and beats furiously his drum or shakes his magic
rattle. As is the case in Africa, women as well as men can enter this
sacred order, and exercise quite as powerful an influence over the
people as do their male colleagues.
Sometimes a man will leap up in the night terrified, and crying that
he sees a spirit. All within the house are at once in motion. The
women begin to sing, while the visionary tears his blanket to pieces,
snatches feathers from his pillow, eating some of them, and scattering
the others over his head. His nearest relation then makes incisions
in his legs and arms, receives the blood in a dish, and scatters it
over the place where the spirit is supposed to be standing. Should the
spirit withstand this exorcism, it is evident that he wants property.
Accordingly the friends of the visionary throw his property on the
fire; his clothes, his mats, and even the very boxes in which they were
kept, go to make up the demands of the spirit, which will not take its
leave until all the property has been destroyed.
* * * * *
The mode of disposal of the dead varies extremely among the different
tribes, and even in the same tribe is not always uniform. The bodies
of slaves and people of no consequence are simply taken to the
burial-ground--which is usually a small island--wrapped in mats, and
merely laid on the ground, covered with sticks and stones. The bodies
of chiefs and young girls of rank are placed in boxes, and hoisted
into the branches of trees, where they are allowed to remain. The rank
of the person is indicated by the height to which the body is raised,
that of a great chief or of his daughter being nearly at the top of
the tree, while that of an inferior chief will be on one of the lowest
branches.
Over the coffin are thrown blankets and mats, and similar articles are
hung on the boughs of neighboring trees. They are always torn into
strips, partly perhaps as a sign of mourning, and partly to guard them
from being stolen. With the dead man is deposited all the property
which he has not given away before his death, except his best canoe,
his share of the roof and wall boards, his weapons, and his slaves,
all of which belong by right to his eldest son. In some cases even his
house is burned, and in others the posts are dug up, and the whole
house transported to another position.
Near the bodies of chiefs are placed large wooden images intended
to represent the dead man. One of them, seen by Mr. Sproat, held a
skull in its hand, which it was grimly contemplating; another, which
represented a deceased orator, had its hand outstretched as in the act
of speaking; and a third was shown as if grasping a wolf. The relatives
often visit their burial-places. They come about dark, light a great
fire, and feed it with oil and other inflammable materials, while they
wail loudly at intervals.
To the honor of these tribes, it may be said that they never disturb
the relics of the departed, even if they occupy the burial-ground of a
hostile tribe. In consequence of the mode of burial, nothing can have a
more dreary or forlorn look than an island which has been selected as a
burial-ground. On the branches of the trees are the mouldering bodies
of the dead, and on their boughs flutter the tattered remains of their
clothing. And on the ground the scene is no better, for it is occupied
with decaying boards, broken boxes, shattered canoes, rotten paddles,
and other emblems of decay.
When the dead chief has been a man of very great importance, his emblem
or crest is either painted or carved. In the former case it is painted
on the coffin, but in the latter it is generally placed on a post or a
tree near the body. According to Mr. Duncan, if the crest should happen
to be an eagle or a raven, it is carved as if in the act of flying, and
fixed to the edge of the coffin with its wings spread, as if it were
typical of the escaping and aspiring spirit of the dead chief.
CHAPTER CXLV.
ALASKA.
MALEMUTES--INGELETES--CO-YUKONS.
LARGE STATURE -- THE TO-TOOK -- ORNAMENTS -- BAIDARRES -- UNDERGROUND
HOUSES -- MALEMUTE DANCE -- CHIEF ALEUYANUK -- INGELETES -- HOUSES
-- HONESTY -- CO-YUKONS -- DRESS -- MOURNING FOR THE DEAD -- WAKE
-- DISPOSAL OF THE DEAD -- APPEARANCE OF THE WOMEN -- AFFECTION FOR
CHILDREN -- COMMUNITY OF GOODS -- CHARACTER.
The United States Government having recently purchased the territory of
Alaska, this work will be increased in value to the American public,
by including some account of the uncivilized tribes which are its most
numerous inhabitants.
At the mouth of the Unalachleet River is the most northern settlement
on the coast, a Russian trading post. To the northwest of this post
Mr. Whymper found a large village of Malemute and Kaveak Indians.
They resemble the Esquimaux, except that they are a tall and stout
race. It is not unusual to find men among them six feet in height,
and some even taller than this. The men shave the crown of the head,
and are fond of an ornament called the To-took. It is made by pieces
of bone run through holes on either side of the face just below the
mouth. The ornaments of the women, who are stout and good-humored, are
a tattoo on the chin, beads hanging from their hair, and also leaden
or iron bracelets. Both sexes wear skin clothing. The coat has a hood
almost always, which is generally of wolf skin. Men and women alike
wear pantaloons of seal or reindeer skin, the women having the socks
attached and in one piece. The “baidarres” of these natives, similar
to the Esquimaux kajak, are admirably made. The frames are light and
strong, the skin covering being sewed with sinew, and the seams made
water-tight by fat rubbed into them.
Their houses are usually underground, and have a tunnel, through which
one must crawl to enter them. A hole in the roof--which is just above
the surface of the ground--lets out the smoke. When there is no fire,
this aperture is closely covered with a skin.
Mr. Whymper gives the following account of a dance to which he and his
party were invited:--
“On arriving at the doorway, we found a subterranean passage, two
and a half feet high, crawling through which we at last reached the
room,--dimly lighted by blubber lamps. The Indians who were to take
part in the dance, chiefly young men, were nude to the waist, and
wore seal, deerskin or cotton pantaloons, with tails of wolves or
dogs hanging behind, and feathers round their heads. The elders sat
on a bench or shelf, running round the entire building, and looked on
approvingly, while they consumed their own smoke, like the Tchuktchis,
by swallowing it, and getting partially intoxicated thereby. The women
brought in berries and fish in large ‘contogs,’ or wooden bowls.
“The performance commenced by the actors ranging themselves in a
square, and raising these dishes of provisions to the four cardinal
points successively, and once to the skies, with a sudden noise like
‘swish!’ or the flight of a rocket.
“Then came the feast; and that over, a monotonous chorus, with an
accompaniment of gongs, was started. The words of the song commenced,
‘Yung i ya, i ya, i ya!’ and continued throughout, ‘Yung i ya!’ Then
a boy sprang out on the floor; he was joined by a second, then a
third, till a circle of twenty was formed. Now they appeared violently
attracted together, and now as much repelled; now they were horrified
at one another’s conduct, and held up their arms in warning gestures,
and again all were friends and made pantomime of their happiness. In
this performance there was nearly as much done by arms and bodies, as
with feet. When there was a lull in the entertainment, small presents
were given to all the strangers invited.”
The Malemutes and Kaveaks, though intermingling, and having similar
habits, manners, and customs, yet speak different dialects and inhabit
different parts of the territory. They are considered as superior to
the other Indian tribes of that region. The Malemute chief “Aleuyanuk,”
whom Mr. Whymper saw, “was a fine-looking old man, erect and soldierly,
and, wearing a mustache and imperial, his manners would not have
disgraced a civilized assembly.”
INGELETES.
The Ingeletes speak a dialect entirely different from that of the
Malemutes,--one nearly allied to the Co-yukon. They are a stout,
noble-looking race, good-natured, and having considerable intelligence.
Polygamy, though allowed, is not very common, and marriage is a
permanent relation, except occasionally, when the wife is barren or
has too many daughters. Female children not being prized so highly as
sons, in such instances the wife is sometimes dismissed. They live
in underground houses, such as have been described, and in mild, wet
weather, the passage-way is nothing but a sewer. The entrance being
covered with a skin, the mixture of foul smells inside, arising from
stale fish and meat, old skins, dogs, dirt and smoke, is sickening
and unendurable by any but an Indian. Mr. Whymper testifies to the
good temper of the children and the honesty of the people. “At their
villages our goods lay unguarded in our absence, and I cannot recall
a single case of proved dishonesty among them, although we found them
becoming more greedy in their demands for payment.”
THE CO-YUKONS.
The Co-yukons are an interior tribe, and the largest on the Yukon,
which is the great river of the north, being 2,000 miles long, and
navigable 1,000 miles. They may be found on the banks of the Co-yukuk,
and other interior rivers. These Indians resemble the Ingeletes,
already mentioned, but have a more ferocious countenance. Their dress
is a double-tailed coat, one tail before, the other behind, and this
style, with some modifications, prevails for a thousand miles on the
Yukon.
The dress of the women is cut more squarely, and they wear an ornament
of Hy-a-qua shells on the nose, which runs through a hole made in the
cartilage between the nostrils. It is a singular fact that higher up
the river it is the men only who wear this ornament.
Among these tribes the period of mourning for the dead is one year,
the women during this time often gathering to talk and cry over the
deceased. At the end of the year, they have a feast or “wake,” which
is generally a queer compound of jollity and grief. One such scene,
to commemorate the death of a child, was witnessed by Mr. Whymper at
Nulato. “The poor old mother and some of her friends wept bitterly,
while the guests were gayly dancing round a painted pole, on which
strings of beads and some magnificent wolf skins were hung. They kept
up singing and dancing to a fashionable hour of the morning, and one
little savage, who had been shouting at the top of his lungs for hours,
got up the next day without any voice at all, a case of righteous
retribution. The decorations of the pole were divided among those who
took part in the ‘wake.’”
Their method of disposing of the dead is not interment, but enclosure
in oblong boxes, raised on posts. These are sometimes ornamented with
strips of skin, and the possessions of the deceased, as the canoe,
paddles, &c., are placed on the top of the box. Smaller articles are
placed within the box. This four-post coffin is a custom also among the
coast tribes already described. The women are quite prepossessing in
appearance, are affectionate toward their children, and especially fond
of their first-born. They are good-natured and playful, snowballing
and rolling each other in the snow, sliding down hill on sledges or
snow-shoes, with the enthusiasm of children.
There are other tribes, the names of which need only be mentioned,
viz: the Kotch-a-Kutchins (or lowland people), the Au Kutchins,
the Tatauchok Kutchins, Birch River and Rat River Indians. The
Zanana Indians (or knoll people), Mr. Whymper thinks are the most
unsophisticated of all the Indian tribes of the present day. Those he
saw “were gay with painted faces, feathers in their long hair, patches
of red clay at the back of their heads, covered with small fluffy
feathers, double-tailed coats and pantaloons of buckskin, much adorned
with fringes and beads, and elaborately worked fire-bags and belts.”
Many of them, as in other Indian tribes, wore through the nose the
Hy-a-qua shell as an ornament. The women of the upper tribes wear less
ornament than the men, and are compelled to do more drudgery than
those of the lower Yukon and coast of Alaska.
Among the coast tribes, and especially on the Yukon, there is, to some
extent, a community of goods, the industrious hunter supplying the
village crowd. This is a custom so much practised that the hunter gets
no praise for his service. Some of the chiefs maintain their position
by frequent distributions of their effects, and the game which they,
being good hunters, have been able to take. “These chiefs are often
the worst clothed and worst fed of all the tribe. Such generosity is
expected as a matter of course. No man, woman, or child among them goes
unfed, unhoused, or unwarmed, if there be food, dwelling, or fire in
the settlement.”
Among the tribes of Alaska, a system of slavery exists that can hardly
be surpassed for barbarism. They all buy and sell slaves. “Parents will
sell their children for three or four blankets or a few dollars, and
have no compunction of conscience for the use they may be put to in
the future. When one tribe goes to war with another, all the prisoners
taken by either tribe are called and used as slaves. When a chief or
any of his family dies, it is the custom to kill one or more of these
slaves, so that the chief or his deceased relative may have a servant
in the other world to wait on him. In 1868 an old chief of the Sitka
tribe died, and a few days before his death, when his relatives were
satisfied that he could live but a short time, they selected as a
victim for sacrifice a young, healthy, good-looking warrior, whom the
Sitka tribe had taken prisoner while at war with one of the tribes down
near Queen Charlotte’s Sound. The slave had been tied up two days about
the time the old chief died, and by some means some of his friends were
apprised of his condition, and immediately notified Gen. Davis that the
Indian slave was liable to be killed at any moment. Gen. Davis had one
of the chiefs brought before him, and after a long conversation about
the foolishness of such sacrifices, he agreed to let the slave go free;
and lest they might attempt to put into execution their original idea
of killing him, the General permitted the Indian to remain in the city,
where he would be protected.
“Recently one of the chiefs tried hard to get hold of a half-breed,
named Evanoff, to sacrifice him. For the two preceding weeks this chief
would go up every day to Gen. Davis, stating that he had a slave in
the city, and wanting to know if he could not get him into Indiantown.
The General, supposing the chief wanted one of his Indians, told him
to go and get him, but it was not until the day in question that the
effort was made to get this man. It seems that Evanoff’s mother was
an Indian woman, but his father was a Russian, and when he was but
three years of age a lady named Bengeman adopted and brought him up.
The chief who claimed him had a child that was expected to die, and
afterward did die. Having no slave but his claim on Evanoff, he made
this effort to sacrifice him that he might be a servant for his child
in the spirit world. When the general saw whom the chief claimed, in
a very few well-timed words he taught him and several of his warriors
more about civilization than ever they knew before. He asked the chief
what he wanted with this man. Pointing to Evanoff, the Indian told him
his child was sick, and he only wanted him for three hours, and then
he would let him go free. The General told him that the best thing
he could do was to look on Evanoff as a free man already, and warned
the Indian if in the future he should ever attempt to trouble Evanoff
again, he would put him in the guard-house and keep him there. The
Indian went off well pleased, and stated that he would be a good Indian
thereafter.
“The slaves are put to death as follows. As soon as a chief dies, the
slave is compelled to wash the body of the corpse; and is then taken
out and thrown flat on his back and held there, when a stick of wood is
placed across his throat, and two Indians sit down on each end of it,
and in this way strangle him to death. His body is then placed inside
a large pile of wood and burned to ashes. It is customary when a big
chief dies to put to death two or more slaves. All slaves taken in war
have to act as servants for the chiefs who own them.”--(_Sitka Times of
Nov. 27, 1869._)
The Indian population of the whole territory of Alaska is estimated at
about 30,000. They are peaceful and quite capable, learning quickly,
and exhibiting considerable skill in their utensils and weapons.
CHAPTER CXLVI.
SIBERIA.
THE TCHUKTCHI--JAKUTS--TUNGUSI.
HOME OF THE TCHUKTCHI -- INDEPENDENCE -- DISTRICT OF THE RUSSIANS --
CARAVANS -- INTOXICATION BY TOBACCO -- FAIR OF OSTROWNOJE -- GRAVITY
OF THE TCHUKTCHI -- THEIR TENT -- MADAME LEÜTT -- HOSPITALITY --
SHAMANISM -- HUMAN SACRIFICE -- POLYGAMY -- MURDER OF THE AGED --
JAKUTS -- THEIR ENDURANCE -- RESERVE -- SUPERSTITION -- THE TUNGUSI
-- DIFFERENT TRIBES -- CANNIBALISM -- ORNAMENTS -- BRAVERY -- DIET --
SHAMANISM -- DISPOSAL OF THE DEAD -- A NIGHT’S HALT WITH THE TUNGUSI
IN THE FOREST -- SPORTS -- FAIRS.
Crossing Behring’s Straits into Asia, we find in Northern Siberia
several peoples whose condition and character bring them within the
scope of this work.
The home of the TCHUKTCHI is at the extreme north-eastern point of
Asia; bounded by the Polar Ocean on one side, and by Behring Sea on the
other. It is, as the few travellers who have visited it say, one of the
dreariest regions of the earth. There is no indication of summer before
July 20th, and winter begins about the 20th of August. The sea coasts
abound with seals, sea-lions, and walruses; while the wolf, reindeer,
and Arctic fox abound in the interior. In this cold, desolate region
dwell the only aboriginal race of Northern Asia that has resisted all
attempts of the Russian government to take away its independence. Dr.
Hartwig, in his sketch of this tribe, says: “The rulers of Siberia have
confined them within narrower limits, but they obey no foreign leader,
and wander unmolested, with their numerous reindeer herds, over the
naked tundras.”
A natural distrust of their powerful neighbors has rendered them long
unwilling to enter into any commercial intercourse with the Russians,
and to meet them at the fair of Ostrownoje, a small town, situated not
far from their frontiers, on a small island of the Aninj, in 68° N. lat.
From the East Cape of Asia, where, crossing Behring’s Strait in boats
covered with skins, they barter furs and walrus teeth with the natives
of America, the Tchuktchi come with their goods and tents drawn on
sledges to the fair of Ostrownoje. One of these caravans generally
consists of fifty or sixty families, and one fair is scarcely at an end
when they set off to make their arrangements for the next.
Tobacco is the _primum mobile_ of the trade which centres in
Ostrownoje. Their pipes are of a peculiar character, larger at the
stem than the bowl, which holds a very small quantity of tobacco. In
smoking, they swallow the fumes of the tobacco, and often, after six or
eight whiffs, fall back, completely intoxicated for the time.
But Ostrownoje attracts not only Tchuktchi and Russians; a great
number of the Siberian tribes, from a vast circuit of 1,000 or 1,500
versts,--Jukahiri, Lamutes, Tungusi, Tschuwanzi, Koriacks,--also come
flocking in their sledges, drawn partly by dogs, partly by horses, for
the purpose of bartering their commodities against the goods of the
Tchuktchi. Fancy this barbarous assembly meeting every year during
the intense cold and short days of the beginning of March. Picture to
yourself the fantastic illumination of their red watch-fires blazing
under the starry firmament, or mingling their ruddy glare with the
aurora flickering through the skies, and add to the strange sight the
hollow sound of the Shaman’s drum, and the howling of several hundreds
of hungry dogs, and you will surely confess that no fair has a more
original character than that of Ostrownoje.
The imperturbable gravity of the Tchuktch forms a remarkable contrast
with the greedy eagerness of the Russian trader. Although the Tchuktchi
have no scales with them, it is not easy to deceive them in the weight,
for they know exactly by the feeling of the hand whether a quarter of a
pound is wanting to the pound. The whole fair seldom lasts longer than
three days, and Ostrownoje, which must have but very few stationary
inhabitants indeed (as it is not even mentioned in statistical
accounts, which cite towns of seventeen souls), is soon after abandoned
for many months to its ultra-Siberian solitude.
But before we allow the Tchuktchi to retire to their deserts, we may
learn something more of their habits by accompanying Mr. Matiuschkin
Wrangell’s companion on a visit to the ladies of one of their first
chiefs. “We enter the outer tent, or ‘wamet,’ consisting of tanned
reindeer skins supported on a slender framework. An opening at the
top to let out the smoke, and a kettle in the centre, announce that
antechamber and kitchen are here harmoniously blended into one. But
where are the inmates? Most probably in that large sack made of the
finest skins of reindeer calves, which occupies, near the kettle, the
centre of the ‘wamet.’ To penetrate into this _sanctum sanctorum_ of
the Tchuktch household, we raise the loose flap which serves as a
door, creep on all-fours through the opening, cautiously re-fasten the
flap by tucking it under the floor-skin, and find ourselves in the
reception or withdrawing-room,--the ‘polog.’ A snug box, no doubt, for
a cold climate, but rather low, as we cannot stand upright in it, and
not quite so well ventilated as a sanitary commissioner would approve
of, as it has positively no opening for light or air. A suffocating
smoke meets us on entering. We rub our eyes, and when they have at
length got accustomed to the biting atmosphere, we perceive, by the
gloomy light of a train-oil lamp, the worthy family squatting on the
floor in a state of almost complete nudity. Without being in the
least embarrassed, Madame Leütt and her daughter receive us in their
primitive costume. But, to show us that the Tchuktchi know how to
receive company, and to do honor to their guests, they immediately
insert strings of glass beads in their greasy hair. Their hospitality
equals their politeness; for, instead of a cold reception, a hot dish
of boiled reindeer flesh, copiously irrigated with rancid train-oil by
the experienced hand of the mistress of the household, is soon after
smoking before us. Unfortunately, our effeminate taste is not up to the
_haut goût_ of her culinary art, and while Mr. Leütt does ample justice
to the artistic talent of his spouse, by rapidly bolting down pieces as
large as a fist, we are hardly able to swallow a morsel.”
Though most of the Reindeer or nomadic Tchuktchi have been baptized,
yet Wrangell supposes the ceremony to have been a mere financial
speculation on their part, and is convinced that the power of the
Shamans is still as great as ever. An epidemic had carried off a great
number of persons, and also whole herds of reindeer. In vain the
Shamans had recourse to their usual conjurations. The plague continued.
They consulted together, and directed that one of their most respected
chiefs, named Kotschen, must be sacrificed, to appease the irritated
spirits. Kotschen was willing to submit to the sentence, but none could
be found to execute it, until his own son, prevailed on by his father’s
exhortations, and terrified by his threatened curse, plunged a knife
into his heart, and gave his body to the Shamans.
Polygamy is general among the Tchuktchi, and they change their wives
as often as they please. Still, though the women are certainly slaves,
they are allowed more influence, and are subjected to less labor, than
among many savages. Among other heathenish and detestable customs, is
that of killing all deformed children, and all old people as soon as
they become unfit for the hardships and fatigues of a nomad life. They
do not indulge in any needless cruelty, but stupefy the aged victim, by
putting some substance up the nostrils before opening a vein. Two years
before Wrangell’s arrival at Kolyma there was an instance of this in
the case of one of their richest chiefs. Waletka’s father became infirm
and tired of life, and was put to death at his own express desire, by
some of his nearest relations.
The number of the Tchuktchi is greater than one might expect to find
in so sterile a country. According to the Russian missionaries, there
were, some years back, 52 ulusses or villages of the Onkilon (or
stationary Tchuktchi), with 1,568 tents, and 10,000 inhabitants, and
Wrangell tells us that the Tennygk (or Reindeer Tchuktchi), are at
least twice as numerous, so that the entire population of the land of
the Tchuktchi may possibly amount to 30,000.
JAKUTS.
The Jakuts are the most energetic of these races, having reached a
higher civilization than the others in the same latitude, with the
exception of Iceland, Finland, and Norway. They are a pastoral people,
hospitable, possess considerable mechanical skill, and are so shrewd
and cunning that no Russian can compete with them.
“Even in Siberia,” Wrangell says, “they are called ‘men of iron.’ Often
have I seen them sleeping at a temperature of 4° in the open air, and
with a thick ice rind covering their almost unprotected bodies.”
Though reserved and unsocial, they are kind to strangers that need
assistance. They are the universal carriers to the east of the Lena.
Bidding defiance to the cold and the storm, fearing neither the gloom
of the forest nor the dangers of the icy stream, yet they are not
emancipated from the old belief in Schamanism--the dread of evil
spirits. They number about 200,000, and form the principal part of the
population of the vast and dreary province of Jakutsk.
THE TUNGUSI.
This race having spread over East Siberia, driving before them the
Jakuts, Jukahiri, Tchuktchi, and other aboriginal tribes, were
conquered by the Russians, and are now as ignorant and uncivilized
as they were two hundred and fifty years ago. Dr. Hartwig, deriving
his information from Wrangell, the Arctic explorer, thus sketches the
traits of this people:--
“According to their occupations, and the various domestic animals
employed by them, they are distinguished by the names of Reindeer,
Horse, Dog, Forest, and River Tungusi; but, although they are found
from the basins of the Upper, Middle, and Lower Tunguska, to the
western shore of the sea of Ochotsk, and from the Chinese frontiers and
the Baikal to the Polar Ocean, their whole number does not amount to
more than 30,000, and diminishes from year to year, in consequence of
the ravages of the small-pox and other epidemic disorders transmitted
to them by the Russians. Only a few rear horses and cattle, the
reindeer being generally their domestic animal; and the impoverished
Tunguse, who has been deprived of his herd by some contagious disorder,
or the ravages of the wolves, lives as a fisherman on the borders
of a river, assisted by his dog, or retires into the forests as a
promyschlenik, or hunter.”
Of the miseries which here await him, Wrangell relates a melancholy
instance. In a solitary hut, in one of the dreariest wildernesses
imaginable, he found a Tunguse and his daughter. While the father, with
his long snow-shoes, was pursuing a reindeer for several days together,
this unfortunate girl remained alone and helpless in the hut,--which
even in summer afforded but an imperfect shelter against the rain and
wind,--exposed to the cold, and frequently to hunger, and without the
least occupation. No wonder that the impoverished Tungusi not seldom
sink into cannibalism. Neither the reindeer nor the dogs, nor the wives
and children of their more fortunate countrymen, are secure from the
attacks and voracity of these outcasts, who, in their turn, are treated
like wild beasts, and destroyed without mercy. A bartering trade is,
however, carried on with them, but only at a distance, and by signs;
each party depositing its goods, and following every motion of the
other with a suspicious eye.
The Russian government, anxious to relieve the misery of the
impoverished nomads, has given orders to settle them along the river
banks, and to provide them with the necessary fishing implements; but
only extreme wretchedness can induce the Tunguse to relinquish his free
life of the forest. His careless temper, his ready wit, and sprightly
manner, distinguish him from the other Siberian tribes,--the gloomy
Samoïede, the uncouth Ostiak, the reserved Jakut,--but he is said to
be full of deceit and malice. His vanity shows itself in the quantity
of glass beads with which he decorates his dress of reindeer leather,
from his small Tartar cap to the tips of his shoes. When chasing or
travelling on his reindeer through the woods, he of course lays aside
most of his finery, and puts on large water-tight boots, or sari,
well greased with fat, to keep off the wet of the morass. His hunting
apparatus is extremely simple. A small axe, a kettle, a leathern bag
containing some dried fish, a dog, a short gun, or merely a bow and
a sling, is all he requires for his expeditions into the forest.
With the assistance of his long and narrow snow-shoes, he flies over
the dazzling plains, and protects his eyes, like the Jakut, with a
net made of black horse-hair. He never hesitates to attack the bear
single-handed, and generally masters him. The nomad Tunguse naturally
requires a movable dwelling. His tent is covered with leather, or large
pieces of pliable bark, which are easily rolled up and transported
from place to place. The yourt of the sedentary Tunguse resembles
that of the Jakut, and is so small that it can be very quickly and
thoroughly warmed by a fire kindled on the stone hearth in the centre.
In his food the Tunguse is by no means dainty. One of his favorite
dishes consists of the contents of a reindeer’s stomach mixed with wild
berries, and spread out in thin cakes on the rind of trees, to be dried
in the air or in the sun. Those who have settled on the Wiluj and in
the neighborhood of Nertschinsk likewise consume large quantities of
brick tea, which they boil with fat and berries into a thick porridge,
and this unwholesome food adds, no doubt, to the yellowness of their
complexion.
But few of the Tungusi have been converted to Christianity, the
majority being still addicted to Shamanism. They do not like to bury
their dead, but place them, in their holiday dresses, in large chests,
which they hang up between two trees. The hunting apparatus of the
deceased is buried beneath the chest. No ceremonies are used on the
occasion, except when a Shaman happens to be in the neighborhood, when
a reindeer is sacrificed, on whose flesh the sorcerer and the relatives
regale themselves, while the spirits to whom the animal is supposed
to be offered are obliged to content themselves with the smell of the
burnt fat. As among the Samoïedes or the Ostiaks, woman is a marketable
ware among the Tungusi. The father gives his daughter in marriage for
twenty or a hundred reindeer, or the bridegroom is obliged to earn her
hand by a long period of service.
In East Siberia the Tungusi divide with the Jakuts the task of
conveying goods or travellers through the forests, and afford the
stranger frequent opportunities for admiring their agility and good
humor. On halting after a day’s journey, the reindeer are unpacked in
an instant, the saddles and the goods ranged orderly on the ground, and
the bridles collected are hung on branches of trees.
Comfortably seated on his reindeer saddle, the traveller may now amuse
himself with the dances, which the Tungusi accompany with an agreeable
song; or, if he choose to witness their agility in athletic exercises,
it only costs him a word of encouragement and a small donation of
brandy. Two of the Tungusi hold a rope, and swing it with all their
might, so that it does not touch the ground. Meanwhile a third Tunguse
skips over the rope, picks up a bow and arrow, spans the bow and shoots
the arrow, without once touching the rope. Some particularly bold and
expert Tungusi will dance over a sword which a person lying on his back
on the ground is swinging about with the greatest rapidity. Should our
traveller be a friend of chess, the Tungusi are equally at his service,
as they are passionately fond of this noblest of games, especially in
the Kolymsk district.
Like all other Siberian nomads, they visit, at least once a year,
the various fairs which are held in the small towns scattered here
and there over their immense territory, such as Kirensk, Olekminsk,
Bargusin and Ochotsk, which, before the opening of Amoor to trade, was
the chief port of East Siberia.
CHAPTER CXLVII.
SIBERIA--_Concluded_.
THE SAMOÏEDES AND OSTIAKS.
THEIR BARBARISM -- NUM, OR JILIBEAMBAERTJE -- SHAMANISM -- SAMOÏEDE
IDOLS -- SJADÆI -- HAHE -- THE TADEBTSIOS, OR SPIRITS -- THE TADIBES,
OR SORCERERS -- THEIR DRESS -- THEIR INVOCATIONS -- THEIR CONJURING
TRICKS -- REVERENCE PAID TO THE DEAD -- A SAMOÏEDE OATH -- APPEARANCE
OF THE SAMOÏEDES -- THEIR DRESS -- A SAMOÏEDE BELLE -- CHARACTER OF
THE SAMOÏEDES -- THEIR DECREASING NUMBERS -- TRADITIONS OF ANCIENT
HEROES -- OSTIAKS -- WHAT IS THE OBI? -- A SUMMER YOURT -- POVERTY OF
OSTIAK FISHERMEN -- A WINTER YOURT -- ATTACHMENT OF OSTIAKS TO THEIR
ANCIENT CUSTOMS -- ARCHERY -- APPEARANCE AND CHARACTER OF THE OSTIAKS.
The Samoïedes, the neighbors of the Laplanders, are still farther
removed from civilized society, and plunged in even deeper barbarism.
The wildest tundras and woods of Northern Russia and Western Siberia
are the home of the Samoïede. With his reindeer herds he wanders over
the naked wastes, from the eastern coasts of the White Sea to the
banks of the Chatanga, or hunts in the boundless forests between the
Obi and the Jenissei. His intercourse with the Russians is confined
to his annual visit at the fairs of such miserable settlements as
Obdorsk and Pustosersk, where, far from improving by their company,
he but too often becomes the prey of their avarice, and learns to
know them merely as cheats and oppressors. Protestant missionaries
have long since brought instruction to the Laplander’s hut, but the
majority of the less fortunate Samoïedes still adhere to the gross
superstitions of their fathers. They believe in a Supreme Being,--Num,
or Jilibeambaertje,--who resides in the air, and, like the Jupiter of
old, sends down thunder and lightning, rain and snow; and as a proof
that something of a poetic fancy is to be found even among the most
savage nations, they call the rainbow “the hem of his garment.” As this
deity, however, is too far removed from them to leave them any hope of
gaining his favor, they never think of offering him either prayer or
sacrifice. But, besides Num, there are a great many inferior spirits,
or idols, who directly interfere in human concerns,--capricious beings,
who allow themselves to be influenced by offerings, or yield to magical
incantations; and to these, therefore, the Samoïede has recourse when
he feels the necessity of invoking the aid or averting the wrath of a
higher power.
The chief of all Samoïede idols is in the island of Waygatz,--a cold
and melancholy Delos,--where it was already found by old Barentz. This
idol is a mere block of stone, with its head tapering to a point.
It has thus been fashioned, not by a mortal artist, but by a play
of nature. After this original the Samoïedes have formed many idols
of stone or wood of various sizes, which they call “Sjadæi,” from
their possessing a human physiognomy (sja). These idols they dress
in reindeer skins, and ornament them with all sorts of colored rags.
But a resemblance to the human form is not the necessary attribute
of a Samoïede idol; any irregularly shaped stone or tree may be thus
distinguished.
If the object is small, the savage carries it everywhere about with
him, carefully wrapped up; if too cumbersome to be transported, it
is reserved as a kind of national deity. As with the Ostiaks, each
Samoïede tribe has in its train a peculiar sledge,--the Hahengan,--in
which the household idols (or Hahe) are placed. One of these Penates
protects the reindeer, another watches over the health of his
worshippers, a third is the guardian of their connubial happiness, a
fourth takes care to fill their nets with fish. Whenever his services
are required, the Hahe is taken from his repository, and erected in the
tent or on the pasture ground, in the wood or on the river’s bank.
His mouth is then smeared with oil or blood, and a dish with fish
or flesh is set before him, in the full expectation that his good
offices will amply repay the savory repast. When his aid is no longer
necessary, he is put aside without any further ceremony, and as little
noticed as the Madonna of the Neapolitan fisherman after the storm has
ceased.
The Hahe, or idols, are very convenient objects of reverence to the
Samoïede, as he can consult them, or ask their assistance, without
being initiated in the secrets of magic; while the Tadebtsios, or
invisible spirits, which everywhere hover about in the air, and are
more inclined to injure than to benefit man, can only be invoked by a
Tadibe, or sorcerer, who, like the Cumæan sibyl, works himself into a
state of ecstatic frenzy. When his services are required, the first
care of the Tadibe is to invest himself with his magical mantle,--a
kind of shirt made of reindeer leather, and hemmed with red cloth. The
seams are covered in a similar manner, and the shoulders are decorated
with epaulettes of the same gaudy material. A piece of red cloth veils
the eyes and face,--for the Tadibe requires no external organs of sight
to penetrate into the world of spirits,--and a plate of polished metal
shines upon his breast.
Thus accoutred, the Tadibe seizes his magical drum, whose sounds summon
the spirits to his will. Its form is round, it has but one bottom, made
of reindeer skin, and is more or less decorated with brass rings, and
other ornaments, according to the wealth or poverty of its possessor.
During the ceremony of invocation, the Tadibe is generally assisted by
a disciple, more or less initiated in the magic art. They either sit
down, or walk about in a circle. The chief sorcerer beats the drum, at
first slowly, then with increasing violence, singing at the same time
a few words to a mystic melody. The disciple immediately falls in, and
both repeat the same monotonous chant.
At length the spirits appear, and the consultation is supposed to
begin; the Tadibe from time to time remaining silent, as if listening
to their answers, and but gently beating his drum, while the assistant
continues to sing. Finally, this mute conversation ceases, the song
changes into a wild howling, the drum is violently struck, the eye of
the Tadibe glows with a strange fire, foam issues from his lips, when
suddenly the uproar ceases, and the oracular sentence is pronounced.
The Tadibes are consulted, not only for the purpose of recovering a
strange reindeer, or to preserve the herd from a contagious disorder,
or to obtain success in fishing. The Samoïede, when a prey to illness,
seeks no other medical advice; and the sorcerer’s drum either scares
away the malevolent spirits that cause the malady, or summons other to
the assistance of his patient.
Besides dealing with the invisible world, the Tadibe does not neglect
the usual arts of an expert conjurer, and knows by this means how to
increase his influence over his simple-minded countrymen. One of his
commonest tricks is similar to that which has been practised with so
much success by the brothers Davenport. He sits down, with his hands
and feet bound, on a reindeer skin stretched out upon the floor, and,
the light being removed, begins to summon the ministering spirits to
his aid. Strange, unearthly noises now begin to be heard; bears growl,
snakes hiss, squirrels rustle about the hut. At length the tumult
ceases, the audience anxiously awaits the end of the spectacle, when
suddenly the Tadibe, freed from his bonds, steps into the hut, no one
doubting that the spirits have set him free.
As barbarous as the poor wretches who submit to his guidance, the
Tadibe is incapable of improving their moral condition, and has no wish
to do so. Under various names,--Schamans among the Tungusi, Angekoks
among the Esquimaux, medicine-men among the North American Indians,--we
find similar magicians or impostors assuming a spiritual dictatorship
over all the Arctic nations of the Old and the New World, wherever
their authority has not been broken by Christianity or Buddhism. This
dreary faith still extends its influence over at least half a million
of souls, from the White Sea to the extremity of Asia, and from the
Pacific to Hudson’s Bay.
Like the Ostiaks and other Siberian tribes, the Samoïedes honor the
memory of the dead by sacrifices and other ceremonies. They believe
that their deceased friends have still the same wants and pursue the
same occupations as when in the land of the living; and thus they place
in or about their graves a sledge, a spear, a cooking-pot, a knife, an
axe, etc., to assist them in procuring and preparing their food. At
the funeral, and for several years afterward, the relations sacrifice
reindeer over the grave. When a person of note, a prince, a Starschina,
the proprietor of numerous herds of reindeer, dies (for even among the
miserable Samoïedes we find the social distinctions of rich and poor),
the nearest relations make an image, which is placed in the tent of the
deceased, and enjoys the respect paid to him during his lifetime. At
every meal the image is placed in his former seat, and every evening it
is undressed and laid down in his bed. During three years the image is
thus honored, and then buried; for by this time the body is supposed to
be decayed, and to have lost all sensation of the past. The souls of
the Tadibes, and of those who have died a violent death, alone enjoy
the privilege of immortality, and after their terrestrial life hover
about in the air as unsubstantial spirits.
Like the Ostiaks, the Samoïedes consider the taking of an oath as an
action of the highest religious importance. When a crime has been
secretly committed against a Samoïede, he has the right to demand an
oath from the suspected person.
If no wooden or stone Hahe is at hand, he manufactures one of earth or
snow, leads his opponent to the image, sacrifices a dog, breaks the
image, and then addresses him with the following words: “If thou hast
committed this crime, then must thou perish like this dog.” The ill
consequences of perjury are so much dreaded by the Samoïedes,--who,
though they have but very faint ideas of a future state, firmly believe
that crime will be punished in this life: murder with violent death,
or robbery by losses of reindeer,--that the true criminal, when called
upon to swear, hardly ever submits to the ceremony, but rather at once
confesses his guilt, and pays the penalty.
The most effectual security for an oath is that it should be solemnized
over the snout of a bear,--an animal which is highly revered by all
the Siberian tribes, from the Kamschatkans to the Samoïedes, as well
as by the Laplanders. Like the Laplanders, they believe that the bear
conceals under his shaggy coat a human shape with more than human
wisdom, and speak of him in terms of the highest reverence. Like the
Lapps, also, they will drive an arrow or a bullet through his skin; but
they preface the attack with so many compliments that they feel sure of
disarming his anger.
The appearance of the Samoïedes is as wild as the country which they
inhabit. The dwarfish stature of the Ostiak or the Lapp, thick lips,
small eyes, a low forehead, a broad nose, so much flattened that the
end is nearly upon a level with the bone of the upper jaw (which is
strong and greatly elevated), raven-black, shaggy hair, a thin beard,
and a yellow-brown complexion, are their characteristic features, and
in general they do nothing to improve a form which has but little
natural beauty to boast of. The Samoïede is satisfied if his heavy
reindeer dress affords him protection against the cold and rain, and
cares little if it be dirty or ill-cut; some dandies, however, wear
furs trimmed with cloth of a gaudy color. The women, as long as they
are unmarried, take some pains with their persons; and when a Samoïede
girl, with her small and lively black eyes, appears in her reindeer
jacket tightly fitting round the waist, and trimmed with dog-skin, in
her scarlet moccasins, and her long, black tresses, ornamented with
pieces of brass or tin, she may well tempt some rich admirer to offer a
whole herd of reindeer for her hand. For among the Samoïedes no father
ever thinks of bestowing a portion on his daughter; on the contrary,
he expects from the bridegroom an equivalent for the services which he
is about to lose by her marriage. The consequence of this degrading
custom is that the husband treats his consort like a slave, or as
an inferior being. A Samoïede, who had murdered his wife, was quite
surprised at being summoned before a court of justice, for what he
considered a trifling offence; “he had honestly paid for her,” he said,
“and could surely do what he liked with his own.”
The senses and faculties of the Samoïedes correspond to their mode of
life as nomads and hunters. They have a piercing eye, delicate hearing,
and a steady hand; they shoot an arrow with great accuracy, and are
swift runners.
The Samoïede is good-natured, melancholy, and phlegmatic. He has,
indeed, but indistinct notions of right and wrong, of good and evil;
but he possesses a grateful heart, and is ready to divide his last
morsel with his friend. Cruelty, revenge, the darker crimes that
pollute so many of the savage tribes of the tropical zone, are foreign
to his character. Constantly at war with a dreadful climate, a prey to
ignorance and poverty, he regards most of the things of this life with
supreme indifference.
A common trait in the character of all Samoïedes is the gloomy view
which they take of life and its concerns; their internal world is as
cheerless as that which surrounds them. True men of ice and snow, they
relinquish, without a murmur, a life which they can hardly love, as it
imposes upon them many privations, and affords them but few pleasures
in return.
The entire number of the European and Asiatic Samoïedes is estimated
at no more than about 10,000, and this number, small as it is when
compared to the vast territory over which they roam, is still
decreasing from year to year. Before their subjugation by the Russians,
the Samoïedes were frequently at war with their neighbors, the Ostiaks,
the Woguls, and the Tartars, and the rude poems which celebrate the
deeds of the heroes of old are still sung in the tents of their
peaceful descendants. The _minstrel_, or _troubadour_,--if I may be
allowed to use these names while speaking of the rudest of mankind,--is
seated in the centre of the hut, while the audience squat around. His
gesticulations endeavor to express his sympathy with his hero. His
body trembles, his voice quivers, and during the more pathetic parts
of his story, tears start to his eyes, and he covers his face with his
left hand, while the right, holding an arrow, directs its point to the
ground. The audience generally keep silence, but their groans accompany
the hero’s death; or when he soars upon an eagle to the clouds, and
thus escapes the malice of his enemies, they express their delight by a
triumphant shout.
THE OSTIAKS.
What is the Obi? “One of the most melancholy rivers on earth,” say the
few European travellers who have ever seen it roll its turbid waters
through the wilderness; “its monotonous banks a dreary succession of
swamps and dismal pine forests, and hardly a living creature to be
seen, but cranes, wild ducks, and geese.” If you address the same
question to one of the few Russians who have settled on its banks, he
answers, with a devout mien, “Obi is our mother”; but if you ask the
Ostiak, he bursts forth in a laconic but energetic phrase, “Obi is the
god whom we honor above all other gods.”
To him the Obi is a source of life. With its salmon and sturgeon he
pays his taxes and debts, and buys his few luxuries; while the fishes
of inferior quality which get entangled in his net he keeps for his
own consumption and that of his faithful dog, eating them mostly raw,
so that the perch not seldom feels his teeth as soon as it is pulled
out of the water. In spring, when the Obi and its tributaries burst
their bonds of ice, and the floods sweep over the plains, the Ostiak is
frequently driven into the woods, where he finds but little to appease
his hunger. At length, however, the waters subside, the flat banks
of the river appear above their surface, and the savage erects his
summer hut close to its stream. This hovel has generally a quadrangular
form, low walls, and a high-pointed roof, made of willow branches
covered with large pieces of bark. These, having first been softened
by boiling, are sewed together, so as to form large mats or carpets,
easily rolled up and transported. The hearth, a mere hole inclosed
by a few stones, is in the centre, and the smoke escapes through an
aperture at the top. Close to the hut there is also, generally, a small
store-house erected on high poles, as in Lapland; for the provisions
must be secured against the attacks of the glutton, the wolf, or the
owner’s dogs.
At the beginning of winter the Ostiaks retire into the woods, where
they find, at least, some protection against the Arctic blasts, and are
busy hunting the sable or squirrel; but as fishing affords them at all
times their chief food, they take care to establish their winter huts
on some eminence above the reach of the spring inundations, near some
small river, which, through holes made in the ice, affords their nets
and anglers a precarious supply. Their winter yourt is somewhat more
solidly constructed than their summer residence, as it is not removed
every year. It is low and small, and its walls are plastered with clay.
Light is admitted through a piece of ice inserted in the wall or on the
roof.
Besides those who live solely upon fishes and birds of passage, there
are other Ostiaks who possess reindeer herds, and wander in summer to
the border of the Polar Sea, where they also catch seals and fish. When
winter approaches, they slowly return to the woods. Finally, in the
more southerly districts, there are some Ostiaks who, having entirely
adopted the Russian mode of life, cultivate the soil, keep cattle, or
earn their livelihood as carriers.
In general, however, the Ostiak, like the Samoïede, obstinately
withstands all innovations, and remains true to the customs of his
forefathers. He has been so often deceived by the Russians that he is
loth to receive the gifts of civilization from their hands. He fears
that if his children learn to read and write, they will no longer be
satisfied to live like their parents, and that the school will deprive
him of the support of his age. He is no less obstinately attached to
the religion of his fathers, which in all essential points is identical
with that of the Samoïedes. In some of the southern districts, along
the Irtysch, at Surgut, he has indeed been baptized, and hangs up
the image of a saint in his hut, as his Russian pope or priest has
instructed him to do; but his Christianity extends no further. Along
the tributaries of the Obi, and below Obdorsk, he is still plunged in
Schamanism.
Like the Samoïedes, the Ostiaks, whose entire number amounts to about
25,000, are subdivided into tribes, reminding one of the Highland
clans. Each tribe consists of a number of families, of a common
descent, and sometimes comprising many hundred individuals, who,
however distantly related, consider it a duty to assist each other in
distress.
The Ostiaks are excellent archers, and, like all the other hunting
tribes of Siberia, use variously constructed arrows for the different
objects of their chase.
They are generally of a small stature, and most of them are
dark-complexioned, with raven-black hair like the Samoïedes; some of
them, however, have a fairer skin and light-colored hair. They are a
good-natured, indolent, honest race; and though they are extremely
dirty, yet their smoky huts are not more filthy than those of the
Norwegian or Icelandic fishermen.
As among the Samoïedes, the women are in a very degraded condition, the
father always giving his daughter in marriage to the highest bidder.
The price is very different, and rises or falls according to the
circumstances of the parent; for while the rich man asks fifty reindeer
for his child, the poor fisherman is glad to part with his daughter for
a few squirrel-skins and dried sturgeon.
CHAPTER CXLVIII.
INDIA.
THE SOWRAHS AND KHONDS.
LOCALITY OF THE SOWRAH TRIBE -- GENERAL APPEARANCE -- THE TARTAR
CHARACTER OF THE FEATURES -- DRESS OF THE MEN, THEIR SCANTY COSTUME
AND PLENTIFUL ORNAMENTS -- CURIOUS EAR-RINGS -- DRESS OF THE WOMEN --
MODE OF OBTAINING CLOTHES FOR WINTER USE -- WEAPONS OF THE SOWRAHS
-- THEIR COURAGE, AND THE APPREHENSION WHICH THEY EXCITE -- A SOWRAH
WEDDING -- RELIGIOUS SYSTEM OF THE SOWRAHS -- THEIR TRUTHFULNESS --
THE KHONDS -- DRESS AND APPEARANCE -- THE KHOND POCKET -- FEATURES OF
THE WOMEN -- THE MERIAH SACRIFICE AND ITS OBJECT -- PROCURING OF THE
VICTIM -- VARIOUS MODES OF PERFORMING THE SACRIFICE -- SUBSTITUTE FOR
THE MERIAH -- STRANGE USE OF BRACELETS -- THE MERIAHS’ INDIFFERENCE
TO THEIR FATE -- INFANTICIDE -- WEAPONS OF THE KHONDS -- DEATH OF A
BEAR -- PRIDE OF THE KHONDS -- SUPERSTITION -- BELIEF IN THE POWER OF
TRANSFORMATION -- A KHOND MARRIAGE.
The reader may remember that the Andaman Islands trench closely upon
the shores of India, thus bringing closely together the two phases of
utter savagery that never has advanced in the scale of humanity, and of
a civilization which has advanced to the utmost limits of which it is
capable. In the following pages I propose to give a brief account of
various phases of Indian life, throwing most emphasis upon those which
trench least upon civilization, as being most akin to the objects of
this work.
From the figures which illustrate this country, and which are all taken
from photographs, the reader will notice the very distinct type of man
which is exhibited throughout India; and though in some of the tribes
there is a facial resemblance to the Australian type, and in others to
the Mongolian, it is impossible to mistake an entire figure in either
instance. We will begin with those parts of India which are the least
civilized, and in which the inhabitants retain most of their aboriginal
manners and customs.
* * * * *
There is a remarkable hill tribe of India which deserves a short
description, as the people seem to have preserved the original
characteristics of their race better than any other inhabitants of the
country. They are called Sowrahs, and live in a tract of country about
lat. 18° 30´ N., and long. 72° 30´ E.
The Sowrahs are a tolerably good-looking tribe, some of the girls
being even handsome, were not their faces disfigured by the nose
rings, of which one woman will often wear three. The men, as is the
case with all the Indian tribes, are slenderly built, and appear to be
devoid of muscles, especially in the legs. This apparent slightness,
however, conceals great muscular power, as has often been shown in the
skirmishes which their predatory habits constantly entail upon them. In
one of these skirmishes, a Sowrah who had been taken prisoner suddenly
snatched a bayonet out of the hands of his captor, and bent the blade
double.
There is about the features of the Sowrahs a decidedly Tartar look,
which increases with age, and is marked most strongly in the men. Some
photographs of them now before me exhibit this characteristic very
distinctly marked, and in one case so strongly that, but for color and
the mode of dressing the hair, the face might easily be mistaken for
those of a genuine Tartar. Indeed, Mr. Hooper, from whose paper this
account is condensed, thinks that they may have a Tartar origin.
One remarkable point about the Sowrahs is, that they have no
distinction of caste, though they are divided into two distinct
classes, the Hill Sowrahs and the Sowrahs of the Plain. The latter are
comparatively civilized, and live in villages, and it is only of the
former that this work will treat.
The dress of the Sowrahs is primitive enough. The men wear nothing but
the “languti,” _i. e._ a narrow strip of cloth passing round the waist,
through the legs, and tucked into the waistband. They are, however,
very fond of ornaments, though they care so little about dress, and
have their necks loaded with beads, and their ears and nostrils
filled with rings. A photograph of one of these men shows that he is
wearing no less than twenty-seven bead necklaces, as well as a broad
brass collar. Besides the ordinary ear-rings, he wears an ornament
which seems rather popular among the Sowrahs. A hole is bored in the
upper part of the ear, and through it is passed one end of a string
almost four inches in length, to the other end of which is attached a
glittering bead about as large as a walnut. Some of the Sowrahs also
thread small beads upon the string.
The hair of the men is allowed to grow to a considerable length, and
on festival days it is gathered into a knot at the back of the head,
and adorned with feathers, mostly those of the peacock. This mode of
dressing the hair gives a very effeminate look to the countenance, and
on seeing a photograph of the face alone, especially if it be that of a
young man, it is not very easy at a hasty glance to discover whether it
is the portrait of a man or woman.
The dress of the women consists of a cloth wrapped round the waist.
Those women who have been photographed wear long calico cloths wrapped
round them from shoulder to knee after the ordinary Indian fashion; but
it is evident that they have borrowed these cloths for the occasion,
and so, after the custom of all uncivilized people, have contrived,
through anxiety to look their best, to baffle the real object of the
photographer, _i. e._ to represent them as they really appear. Like the
men, they wear an abundance of necklaces, and also are fond of simple
bracelets, consisting of broad metal bands wound spirally round the
wrists. The hair is parted down the middle, but no particular care is
expended upon it.
When the colder weather comes on, and the Sowrahs want more clothing,
they do not make it, but have recourse to the simple plan of waylaying
travellers, killing them, and taking their garments. In these
robberies, as well as in the skirmishes to which they often tend, the
Sowrahs chiefly use the bow and arrow. The bow is a comparatively weak
one, only being a yard or so in length, and having a string made of
the outer coating of the bamboo. The arrows are of reed, armed with a
flat, many-barbed iron head. The Sowrahs always lie in wait for their
victims, and direct their aim at the stomach and legs, so that the
wounds are always dangerous, and generally mortal.
They also carry a kind of battle-axe. They are a brave as well as a
warlike people, and are the terror of the inhabitants of the plains.
Even the Khonds, who will be presently described, ready as they are to
fight among each other, and skilled as they are in the use of the bow
and the battle-axe, stand in awe of the Sowrahs, and do not like to be
drawn into a quarrel with them. They are especially afraid of these
enemies, because the favorite mode of attack with the Sowrahs is to
make a raid under cover of night, and, after securing all the plunder
they can seize, and doing all the harm in their power, to return to
their hill fastnesses as rapidly as they issued from them.
General Campbell thinks that their mode of life may have something
to do with this superiority, and that their more abstemious and less
dissipated life renders them stronger and more enduring than their
self-indulgent neighbors. In some places, Sowrahs and Khonds dwell
together in tolerable amity, but both of the tribes, although they may
derive their origin from the same source, and both assert themselves to
be the aboriginal inhabitants of the land, and to have a right to its
possession, preserve their own characteristic differences so rigidly
that there is no difficulty in distinguishing a Sowrah from a Khond.
* * * * *
The ceremony of marriage among the Sowrahs, illustrated on the
following page, is thus described by Mr. Hooper: “A young man, or his
friends for him, having selected a bride, messengers are sent to her
parents, and finally the young man goes, bearing a pot of toddy, or
other present. If the consent of the parents is obtained, the ceremony
is commenced by fixing three posts in the ground, between which the
bride and bridegroom, with their respective friends, assemble, and a
feast is commenced at which nearly every person gets drunk upon toddy.
“The bride and bridegroom sit together, while turmeric water is poured
on their heads. Presents of cloth, beads, rings, etc., are exchanged,
fowls, and if possible sheep, are sacrificed to propitiate the demons,
and the flesh is then cooked, made up into balls with some sort of
grain, and distributed among the party. On these occasions they all
join in a dance, which seems to consist principally in hopping from one
leg to the other, at each movement snapping their fingers and uttering
an ejaculation, while at intervals the whole of the dancers come
bumping together, and then separate.
“If the parents of the bride refuse to consent to the marriage, it
frequently happens that the friends of the bridegroom watch their
opportunity, and if the girl is found alone, they seize and carry her
off. The relatives of the girl then pursue and attack the opposite
party, but, even though successful in retaking her, they are prohibited
by their customs from giving her in marriage to any one else. Should
such a thing be attempted, the parties would have to fight it out in a
more serious manner with bows and arrows.”
[Illustration: (1.) A SOWRAH MARRIAGE. (See page 1386.)]
[Illustration: (2.) MERIAH SACRIFICE. (See page 1391.)]
The reader will doubtless recognize the similarity of these marriage
rites to those which are practised by savage tribes in many parts of
the world.
In the account of the wedding, the propitiation of the demons is
mentioned. This is the key to their religious system, such as it is,
and explains the reason for the absence of caste. The Sowrahs of the
Plains seem to have a rather better religious system, but that of the
Hill Sowrahs is simply demonolatry. They seem to have but little notion
of worship, the only ceremonies which have been observed taking place
at harvest time. When the crops reach maturity, the owners set small
stones upright in the earth as emblems of the presiding demons, and
lay before them little heaps of each crop. After the offerings have
remained there for some little time, they are consumed at a feast to
which the proprietor of the crops invites his relatives and friends.
When a Sowrah dies, his body is burned, the ashes buried, and a small
building erected over the spot. Five days after the burial a pot of
toddy is laid on the grave, round which are placed a number of leaves
representing the ancestors of the deceased. A little toddy is poured
upon each leaf, and the remainder is drunk by the people who have
assisted at the ceremony. A somewhat similar rite, but accompanied with
feasting, is celebrated at the end of the first and fourth years after
burial.
According to General Campbell, they do not destroy their female
infants, as is done by too many of the Indian tribes, neither do they
practise human sacrifice. Yet they will sometimes participate in the
remarkable Meriah sacrifice, which will presently be described, and
will travel some distance to do so. They do not, however, seem to
attach very great importance to the rite, and when General Campbell
remonstrated with them on the subject, they at once promised to abandon
it, and not even to be present as spectators.
Perhaps the most characteristic trait of the Sowrahs is their absolute
truthfulness, which, according to Mr. Hooper, is the result from their
want of capacity to invent a lie.
THE KHONDS.
In the now renowned district of Orissa live the remarkable tribes
called Khonds, who, like the Sowrahs, appear to be immediately
descended from the aboriginal inhabitants, and to have retained, though
in a somewhat modified form, several of the customs of their savage
forefathers, the chief of which will be briefly described.
The Khonds are active, wiry, and of much darker complexion than the
inhabitants of the plains, and neither sex trouble themselves much
about clothing. The men wear a few yards of coarse cotton round their
waists, a separate piece dyed red hanging down behind like a tail.
Their hair is allowed to grow to its full length, and is twisted round
and round the head, and fastened in a knot in front, in which the Khond
always keeps a few cigars made of tobacco rolled in a green leaf.
He generally decorates this top-knot with a piece of red cloth and
feathers.
The women wear a rather large cloth round their loins, and decorate
themselves with vast quantities of beads and other ornaments, among
which the most conspicuous are some heavy bracelets, which are little
more than thick brass bands twined round their wrists. Among some of
the tribes, these ornaments are put to a very tragical use, as we shall
presently see. Slips of red cloth are considered very fashionable
ornaments by the Khond women, and in some cases strings of copper coins
are worn by way of necklaces. These, however, are mostly reserved for
the children. There is some excuse for the anxiety of the Khond women
to make the best of themselves, as they are very inferior to the men
in appearance, being short, stumpy, and so plain in features, that
they are pronounced by General Campbell to be absolutely repulsive.
Some photographs, however, which are now before me, do not give this
impression. Perhaps these women were selected for their good looks.
They are divided into many tribes, and as a rule live in villages
varying in population from forty to ten times the number. We will now
proceed to the manners and customs of the Khond tribes.
* * * * *
Throughout the whole of Khondistan there is a system of human
sacrifice, varying exceedingly in detail according to the locality, but
agreeing in all principal points. There is one point especially which
seems to be the very essence of the sacrifice, and which is common to
all the tribes. The victim, or Meriah, must be bought with a price.
Should a captive be taken in war, he may not be offered as a Meriah
by his captor, but he may be sold for that purpose, and will then be
accepted by the priests.
There is no restriction of age, sex, or caste, but adults are thought
more acceptable because they are more costly, and the healthy more
likely to propitiate the gods than the sick or feeble. That the Meriah
should be sacrificed is thought an absolutely necessary condition for
the prosperity of every undertaking, but especially for the growth
of the crops, and the Khonds therefore use every endeavor to secure
a succession of victims. Sometimes they purchase children from their
parents or relations when they have fallen into poverty, but, as a
rule, they are stolen by a set of robber tribes called Pannoos, who
decoy them into the hills, seize them, and sell them to the Khonds. It
is rather remarkable that although the Khonds avail themselves of the
services of the Pannoos, and are very glad to purchase victims, they
bear an intense hatred and contempt toward them, and, except in the way
of business, will have no dealings with them.
The Meriah victims have no reason to complain of their lot, with the
one exception that it must soon come to an end. They are well fed
and kindly treated, and, with the ruling fatalism of the Oriental
character, generally resign themselves to their fate, and make no
efforts to escape. Often a Meriah girl is married to a Khond man,
and allowed to live until she has borne children. These, as well as
herself, are liable to be sacrificed, but must never be offered in the
village wherein they were born. In order to avoid this difficulty, the
various towns agree to exchange their Meriah children.
The mode of sacrificing the Meriah is so exceedingly variable that it
will be necessary to give a short abstract of the various modes.
In the first place, the Meriah must always be sacrificed openly in the
sight of the people, and this rule is absolute throughout all the land.
In Goomsur, the sacrifice is offered to the Earth-god, Tado Pennor, who
is represented by the emblem of a peacock. When the time is fixed, the
victim is selected, and for a month there is much rejoicing, feasting,
and dancing round the Meriah, who is abundantly supplied with food and
drink, and is in all appearance as merry and unconcerned as any of the
people. On the day previous to the sacrifice a stout pole is set up,
having on its top the peacock emblem of Tado Pennor, and to it is bound
the Meriah. The people then dance round him, saying, in their chants,
that they do not murder the victim, but sacrifice one who was bought
with a price, and that therefore no sin rests with them. As the Meriah
is previously intoxicated with toddy, he can give no answer, and his
silence is taken as consent to his sacrifice.
Next day he is anointed with oil, and carried round the village, after
which he is brought to the peacock post, at the foot of which is a
small pit. A hog is then killed, and the blood poured into the pit
and mixed with the soil, so as to form a thick mud. The Meriah, who
has been previously made senseless from intoxication, is thrown into
the pit, with his face pressed into the mire until he is dead. The
officiating priest or zani then cuts off a small piece of the flesh of
the victim and buries it near the pit, as an offering to the earth,
and, as soon as he has done so, all the spectators rush upon the body,
hack it to pieces, and carry off the fragments to bury them in their
fields as a propitiation to the earth deities who produce the crops.
Revolting as this custom is, it is much more merciful than most modes
of Meriah sacrifice, inasmuch as suffocation is not a death involving
much physical pain, and the victim has been previously deprived of his
senses.
In Boad, the Meriah is taken round the village, when every one tries to
procure one of his hairs, or to touch his lips with their fingers so
that they may anoint their heads with the sacred moisture. After being
drugged into insensibility, he is taken to the fatal spot, where he is
strangled by placing his neck between the two halves of a split bamboo,
the ends of which are then brought together by the priests. The head
priest next breaks the bones of the arms and legs with his axe, and
when he has done so, the body is cut to pieces as in Goomsur.
In Chinna Kimeday a grotesquely cruel mode of sacrifice is employed.
In lieu of the peacock which is used at Goomsur, a large wooden figure
of an elephant is placed on the post, and revolves on a pivot. The
Meriah is tied to the extended proboscis of the elephant, and, amid the
yells of the spectators, is whirled round as fast as the figure can be
turned. In this case the Meriah is not drugged. At a signal from the
officiating zani, the crowd rush on the Meriah with their knives, and
in a few moments hack him to pieces as he is tied, still living, on the
elephant.
General Campbell, while executing his mission of mercy in Khondistan,
saw as many as fourteen of their elephant images, all of which he
caused to be pulled down and destroyed by the baggage elephants
attached to his force, so that the Khonds might see that those
venerated emblems of a cruel worship were powerless even against the
animals which they simulated. His task was naturally a difficult one,
as it involved the abolition of a rite which had existed from time
immemorial, and which no amount of reasoning could persuade them to be
wrong, much less criminal. So deeply was it ingrained in their nature,
that their only idea of his object in setting free so many hundred
Meriahs was, that he might sacrifice them on his own account, in order
to bring back water into a large tank which he was thought to have
constructed for the use of his elephants.
In this very place, a most singular circumstance occurred. The English
officer was told that a sacrifice was being actually performed, the
victim being a young and handsome girl, only fifteen or sixteen years
old. He instantly started off with an armed party, and found the
offering of the Meriah already complete, and nothing wanting but the
actual sacrifice. The aged priest was ready to give the signal, and the
surrounding people were mad with excitement, when the armed party came
to the rescue, and demanded the girl. The Khonds, furious as they were,
found that they dared not risk a collision, and so the party retired
with the rescued victim.
The remainder of the story has yet to be told. Scarcely were the
English soldiers out of sight than the assembled Khonds broke out
into loud murmurings at their disappointment. At last one of them hit
upon a happy thought. “Why,” said he, “should we be debarred from our
sacrifice? See our aged priest. Seventy summers have passed over his
head--what further use is he? Let us sacrifice _him_.” And forthwith
the old man was tied on the elephant, spun round, and cut to pieces.
In Maji Deso another mode of sacrifice is employed. They do not keep
a large supply of Meriahs, as do most of the tribes, but buy them
immediately before the sacrifice. The consequence is, that it is very
difficult to detect them, except in the very act of offering the
victim. Their mode of killing the Meriah is as follows. The Khonds
surround the victim, and beat him on the head with the heavy metal
bracelets, which they are in the habit of wearing. Mostly they kill
him in this way, but if they fail in doing so, they strangle him with
a split bamboo, as has already been described. The flesh of the back
is then cut into long and narrow strips, and each person carries off a
strip and suspends it on a pole, which he thrusts into the bed of the
stream which waters his fields.
In Patna, the mode of sacrifice varies exceedingly. In some cases the
victim is stoned, in others beaten to death with bamboos, together
with other barbarous modes of putting to death. General Campbell
remarks, that in this district there are places where sacrificing and
non-sacrificing tribes inhabit the same village. They live harmoniously
together until the time of sacrifice, when the non-sacrificing tribes
retire to their houses, and never pass through the front door of their
dwellings until seven days are over, and the remains of the Meriah
buried. After that time, all goes on as usual, until the next sacrifice
takes place.
Bundari appears to be the place where the people adhere most firmly to
the Meriah system. When General Campbell visited this district, they
refused to give up the Meriah, and on the near approach of his force,
fled to their hiding-places in the mountains. As he approached Bundari,
he found that the people had been actually offering a sacrifice, and
that they had gone off in such haste that they had left behind them
the sacrificial post with the head of a victim hanging to it by the
hair, and the fatal knife suspended beside it. The mode of sacrifice
employed in this district is thus described:--
“The sacrifice which had taken place, and which is called Junnah, is
performed as follows, and is always succeeded by the sacrifice of three
other human victims, two to the sun to the east and west, and one in
the centre, with the usual barbarities. A stout wooden post is firmly
fixed in the ground. At the foot of it a narrow grave is dug, and to
the top of the post the victim is firmly fastened by the long hair of
his head. Four assistants hold his outstretched arms and legs, the
body being suspended horizontally over the grave, with the face toward
the earth. The officiating zani, or priest, standing on the right
side, repeats the following invocation, at intervals hacking with his
sacrificing knife the back part of the shrieking victim’s neck:--
“‘O mighty Manicksoro, this is your festal day (to the Khonds the
sacrifice is Meriah, to the Rajahs, Junnah). On account of this
sacrifice you have given to Rajahs countries, guns, and swords. The
sacrifice we now offer, you must eat; and we pray that our battle-axes
may be turned into swords, and our bows and arrows into gunpowder
and balls, and if we have any quarrels with other tribes, give us
the victory, and preserve us from the tyranny of Rajahs, and other
officers.’
“Then, addressing the victim, he added, ‘that we may enjoy prosperity,
we offer you a sacrifice to our god Manicksoro, who will immediately
eat you, so be not grieved at our slaying you. Your parents were aware
when we purchased you from them for sixty gunties (articles) that we
did it with intent to sacrifice you; there is, therefore, no sin on
our heads, but on those of your parents. After you are dead, we shall
perform your obsequies.’”
This speech being concluded, the head of the victim is severed from
the body, and allowed to hang from the post until it is eaten by wild
beasts. The knife is also suspended from the post, and allowed to
remain there until the three additional sacrifices have been offered,
when it is removed with many ceremonies. Eight of these posts were
found in the village, and were all destroyed.
It is this mode of sacrifice which is shown in the illustration on page
1387. In the centre is seen the aged priest in the act of sacrificing
the Meriah, which in this case is a young girl. Her head is supported
by her long hair, which is tied to the top of the post, and her body is
held horizontally by the four assistants, who each grasp a hand or a
foot. On the right hand is shown a post, to which hangs the head of the
first sacrificed Meriah, and on the other side is another victim bound
by the hair to the post, waiting until the priest had completed the
sacrifice in which he is engaged.
One circumstance connected with the Meriah sacrifice is rather
remarkable, namely, the indifference to their fate that seems to
possess the victims. One young man, a Meriah, said that it was better
to be sacrificed among his own people, and to give them pleasure, than
to live upon the plains. The natives believe that this indifference
is caused by the Meriah food, a mixture of rice, turmeric, and other
ingredients, prepared with certain magical ceremonies. Even the Meriahs
themselves have this belief. For example, three young women were hired
by a seller of salt fish to carry his goods among the Khonds, and when
he got them there, the treacherous dealer sold not only the fish but
the women. Twice the victims attempted to escape, but were recaptured,
and after the second attempt, the Khonds fed them on Meriah food, when
they became reconciled to their fate, and made no further efforts to
escape.
Other ties seem to have their effect on the Meriahs. Sometimes a man
wishes to buy a Meriah, that being a very meritorious act; but the
cost is so great, amounting on an average to sixty-five rupees, that
the Khond is almost reduced to poverty. Under such circumstances, he
is unable to marry, inasmuch as he cannot pay the heavy price which is
demanded of a bridegroom. Accordingly, he buys a Meriah girl, and takes
her as his wife until the time when she may be required for sacrifice.
It has already been mentioned that children are sold by their parents
as Meriahs. This seems so cruel and heartless a system, that some
explanation ought to be offered. It is very seldom that such a purchase
is made, unless the parents be very poor, and fear that they shall not
be able to provide their children with food. In such cases they argue
that it is better for the child to be nourished and kindly treated, and
then to die as a sacrifice to the deities, than to perish by degrees
of starvation. Moreover, it is considered rather a meritorious action
for a parent to devote a child to the gods, and, when it is done, the
parents are very proud of such children, and regard them with respect
and admiration as belonging to the deities.
Another reason for the continuance of the Meriah sacrifice is the
slight regard in which the Khonds hold human life, sacrificing that
which we consider as priceless because they are indifferent to it, not
only with regard to others, but with regard to themselves.
That the custom of propitiating the deities of agriculture with living
sacrifices should be entirely abolished could not be expected, and
General Campbell found that the best mode of extinguishing human
sacrifice was to induce the Khonds to substitute that of a beast. This
was done in many cases, the sacrificers apologizing to the god for the
substitution, and begging him, if he should be angry, to vent his
wrath, not upon them, but upon the foreigner who had suggested the
alteration. He had no objection to this arrangement, and as the crops
turned out well afterward, it was to be supposed that all parties, the
gods included, were satisfied.
A very similar custom was once prevalent among certain tribes of the
Lower Amazon. The name of these tribes was Tapuyos, but this title has
now been given to all the inhabitants of the Lower Amazon district.
Prisoners taken in war by them were reserved for sacrifice. They were
treated with extreme kindness, fed in the most liberal manner, so that
they might be plump and fat, and were provided with wives. They were
generally allowed to live for several years, until their wives had
borne children. They were then taken to the place of sacrifice, and
killed with a single blow of a club; their children being carefully
reared, for the purpose of undergoing a similar fate after they had
grown up.
Even without reference to the Meriah system, the Khonds are in the
habit of killing their female children. This custom has arisen partly
from the fear of poverty, and partly from the system on which marriages
are conducted. The Khonds dislike marrying among themselves, and seek
their wives among distant tribes, alleging as a reason that they can
purchase them at a cheaper rate. But General Campbell tried to show
them that if they were to rear their own female children, they would
find them much cheaper as wives, and recommended them, as a beginning,
to marry their Meriah women, for whom a high price had already been
paid.
In some of the hills of Chinna Kimedy, children of both sexes are put
to death. As soon as a child is born, a priest is called to ascertain
whether it is to live or die. To effect this purpose, he employs a plan
very like the “Sortes Virgilianæ.” He produces a book, and, after some
prayers, thrusts an iron style at random among the leaves. He then
reads the passage to which the style points, and if it be unfavorable,
the child must die, or the fields would bear no more crops.
The fatal edict having been pronounced, the child is placed in a new
earthen vessel (which has been painted in red and black stripes), the
cover is fastened down, and the jar is buried. Some flowers and rice
are laid on the cover, and, after the earth is filled in, a fowl is
sacrificed upon the poor little victim’s grave.
* * * * *
Before leaving these remarkable tribes, we will glance slightly at one
or two of their most characteristic customs.
Their weapons are very simple, consisting of a curious sword fixed to
a gauntlet, the bow and arrow, and the axe. The last is the national
weapon of the Khonds, and in its use they are wonderfully adroit.
General Campbell mentions that a British officer was out in the evening
for the purpose of shooting a bear, but only wounded the animal
slightly, instead of killing it outright. The bear started for the
hills, but was pursued by several Khonds, who overtook it, got between
the hill and the bear, and then, armed only with their axes, attacked
and hacked the animal to pieces. These axes are about four feet long
in the handle, and have but small heads. These, however, are made of
good steel, and in the practised hand of a Khond the axe is a weapon
much more formidable than it looks. This exhibition of courage is the
more remarkable, because the actors in it were Meriah men who had
been rescued from sacrifice. The sword that has been mentioned is a
comparatively rare weapon, and belongs rather to the Ooryahs than to
the Khonds proper.
The Khond tribes seem to be rather fond of quarrelling among each
other, and carry on a kind of desultory or guerilla warfare. Pitched
battles they dislike, preferring to steal cattle from their opponents,
and to kill them by stealth, to meeting them in open fight. Indeed,
they pride themselves on doing as much injury as possible to their
antagonists, while receiving the least possible harm themselves.
Accordingly, when the delegates of two inimical tribes meet for the
purpose of restoring peace, some very absurd scenes take place. The
umpires call upon the representatives of the tribes to declare the
number of cattle stolen and men killed; and it is generally found
that the latter item is equally balanced, neither party caring to
acknowledge that a man of their own tribe has been killed, unless
the adversaries can prove it. They cannot but admit that the man was
killed, but attribute his death to accident, such as being carried off
by a tiger, or bitten by a snake.
Pride forms a great element in the Khond character. The people are
fond of their land, and nothing can induce a Khond to sell one yard
of ground to a foreigner, nor even to part with a single tree that
grows on that soil. Generally, they are too proud to barter, but leave
that business to the Pannoo tribes, by whom, as may be remembered,
the Meriah victims are generally furnished. Among the Khonds there
are but two employments worthy of their dignity, _i. e._ warfare and
agriculture, and all persons are despised who carry on any other
profession or business, even though they may profit by it themselves.
Yet there is no system of caste among them, such as we find among the
Hindoos, neither have they any prejudice in regard of diet, except
perhaps a dislike to milk.
As to the religion of the Khonds, it is of the simplest description,
and their worship is practically comprised in the Meriah sacrifice.
There are certain very barbarous sacred images to be found in the hill
districts, but no one seems to care or even to know much about them,
and the priests, or medicine men, are as ignorant or careless on the
subject as the people in general. It ought to be mentioned that very
elaborate accounts have been published respecting the religion of the
Khonds, their vast army of deities, and their quadruple souls. But
there is now no doubt that the information upon which these accounts
were based was simply invented by the narrators in order to suit their
own purposes.
Putting aside the Meriah system, the Khonds have several superstitions
in which they firmly believe, and the strangest of them is their
idea that certain human beings can transform themselves into tigers.
These persons are called “Pulta Bags,” and are very much dreaded by
the people, upon whose fears they intentionally play for the purpose
of extortion. Knowing that the ignorant people believe them to be
possessed of such a power, they extort food, clothing, and other
property from them at intervals, saying that they are poor, and unless
supplied with the necessaries of life, they will be forced to transform
themselves into tigers, and to carry off the cattle.
General Campbell mentions an instance where he was brought in contact
with, or rather in opposition to, this superstition. An excited crowd
came to him, accompanied by several armed men, who guarded two women.
One of the men then said that he and his son were in the jungle cutting
firewood, when a tiger sprang upon the lad and carried him off. The
father pursued the animal, shouting after it until it turned the
corner of the rock, when it disappeared, and on the top of the rock
were then seen the two women. The case was clear. These two women were
Pulta Bags. While in the tiger form they had carried off his son, but,
alarmed by his shouts, had hidden the body of the lad and resumed their
human shapes.
On being questioned, the women acknowledged that the story was true,
and that they did possess the power attributed to them. General
Campbell then offered to release them, provided that they would
transform themselves into tigers in his presence. This, to his
astonishment, they agreed to do, provided that he accompanied them to a
neighboring jungle. Finding, however, that the English general was not
so easily frightened as a Khond warrior, and that they would be taken
at their word, they threw themselves at his feet, and acknowledged
their imposture.
A remarkable instance of this belief is narrated by the same writer. A
brave little Khond, belonging to the irregular force, was engaged in
a conflict when several of the enemy were killed, among whom was one
who was shot by his own hand. Instead of being proud of his exploit,
he was seized with terror, declaring that the man whom he had killed
was a Pulta Bag, and that he would assume the shape of a tiger and
avenge himself. After the campaign was over, he obtained leave to visit
his family, and, previous to his departure, he brought his uniform,
asking that care might be taken of it, as he felt sure that he should
never wear it again. He joined his family, and lived with them for some
weeks, when, as he was watching his cattle, a tiger sprang on him, and
wounded him so cruelly that he shortly died. Nothing could persuade him
that the tiger was not the man whom he had shot, and the event only
strengthened the hold which the superstition has on the native mind.
Marriage is generally celebrated at the hunting season, probably
because the stores of food and drink are secured for that time, and
there is always plenty of food for the marriage feast. Among them
prevails the custom of carrying off the bride. The bridegroom snatches
up the girl and runs off with her, pursued by a number of young women
who try to snatch her from him, or at least pretend to do so. He,
however, is protected by twenty or thirty young men, who keep him
and his burden in their midst, and do their best to shield him from
the bamboos, stones, and other missiles which are hurled at him by
the women. When he reaches the boundaries of his own village, he is
supposed to have won his bride, while the assailing party scamper at
full speed to their own dwellings.
[Illustration: BOWS AND QUIVER. (_From my Collection._) (See page
1401.)]
CHAPTER CXLIX.
INDIA--_Continued_.
WEAPONS.
THE GHOORKA TRIBE AND THEIR FAVORITE WEAPON -- BLADE AND CURVED
HANDLE OF THE “KOOKERY” -- MODE OF STRIKING WITH IT -- THE ADDITIONAL
KNIVES -- MAKING “WOOTZ” STEEL -- FIGHTING A TIGER -- THE HUNTER’S
NECKLACE -- ROBBERS OF INDIA -- THE BURGLAR, THE BURROWER -- THE
PURSE CUTTER -- AN INGENIOUS THEFT -- STRANGE MODE OF ESCAPING
OBSERVATION -- VARIOUS BOWS -- THE PELLET BOW AND ITS DOUBLE STRING
-- THE REVERSED BOW AND MODE OF USING IT -- STRINGING THE BOW -- THE
VARIOUS ARROWS -- ARMOR AND CHAIN MAIL -- SIR HOPE GRANT’S SPECIMEN
-- INDIAN SWORDS AND MODE OF USING THEM -- VARIOUS DAGGERS -- THE
“CHAKRA” OR QUOIT WEAPON.
One of the hill tribes, called the Ghoorka tribe, is worthy of notice,
if only for the remarkable weapon which they use in preference to any
other. It is called the “kookery,” and is of a very peculiar shape.
One of the knives, drawn from a specimen in my collection, is given in
illustration No. 2, on page 1403. As may be seen by reference to the
drawing, both the blade and hilt are curved. The blade is very thick
at the back, my own specimen, which is rather a small one, measuring a
little more than a quarter of an inch in thickness. From the back it is
thinned off gradually to the edge, which has a curve of its own, quite
different to that of the back, so that the blade is widest as well as
thickest in the middle, and tapers at one end toward the hilt, and at
the other toward the point. The steel of which the blade is formed is
of admirable temper, as is shown by the fact that my specimen, which,
to my knowledge, has not been cleaned for thirty years, but has been
hung upon the wall among other weapons, is scarcely touched with rust,
and for the greater part of its surface is burnished like a mirror.
Indeed, on turning it about, I can see reflected upon its polished
surface the various objects of the room. The handle is made after a
very remarkable fashion, and the portion which forms the hilt is so
small that it shows the size of the hand for which it was intended.
This smallness of hilt is common to all Indian swords, which cannot be
grasped by an ordinary English soldier. My own hand is a small one, but
it is too large even for the heavy sabre or “tulwar,” while the handle
of the kookery looks as if the weapon were intended for a boy of six or
seven years old. Indeed, the Ghoorkas are so small, that their hands,
like those of all Indian races, are very delicate, about the same size
as those of an English boy of seven. The point of the kookery is as
sharp as a needle, so that the weapon answers equally well for cutting
or stabbing. In consequence of the great thickness of the metal, the
blade is exceedingly heavy, and it is a matter of much wonder how
such tiny hands as those of the Ghoorkas can manage so weighty a
weapon, which seems almost as much beyond their strength as does the
Andamaner’s gigantic bow to the dwarfish man who wields it. It may be
imagined that a blow from such a weapon as this must be a very terrible
one. The very weight of the blade would drive it half through a man’s
arm, if it were only allowed to fall from a little height. But the
Ghoorkas have a mode of striking which resembles the “drawing” cut of
the broadsword, and which urges the sharp edge through flesh and bone
alike.
Before passing to the mode in which the kookery is used, I may mention
that it is not employed for domestic purposes, being too highly valued
by the owner. For such purposes two smaller knives are used, of very
similar form, but apparently of inferior metal. These are kept in
little cases attached to the side of the kookery-sheath, just as is
the case with the knives attached to a Highlander’s dirk, or the
arrangement of the Dyak sword, which has already been described in the
article upon Borneo. There is also a little flat leathern purse, with
a double flap. This is pointed like a knife-sheath, and is kept in a
pocket of its own fastened upon the larger sheath.
In the illustration the kookery is shown with all its parts. Fig. 1
shows the kookery in its scabbard, the top of the purse and the handles
of the supplementary knives being just visible as they project from
the sheaths. At Fig. 2 the kookery itself is drawn, so as to show
the peculiar curve of the blade and the very small handle. Fig. 3
represents the purse as it appears when closed, and Figs. 4 and 5 are
the supplementary knives. My own specimen, which, as I have already
mentioned, is a small one, measures fifteen inches from hilt to point
in a straight line, and twenty-one inches if measured along the curve
of the back. Its weight is exactly twelve ounces. The knife is a very
plain one, no ornament of any kind being used, and the maker has
evidently contented himself with expending all his care upon the blade,
which is forged from the celebrated “wootz” steel.
This steel is made by the natives in a very simple but effectual
manner. After smelting the iron out of magnetic ore, the Indian smith
puts small pieces of it in a crucible, and mixes little bits of wood
with them. He then covers the crucible with green leaves and plenty of
clay, and puts it in his simple furnace. The furnace being lighted, a
constant blast of air is driven through it for about three hours, at
the expiration of which time the iron, now converted into cast-steel,
is found in the form of a small cake at the bottom of the crucible.
Wootz steel was at one time much used in England, and great numbers of
these cakes were imported.
In the hands of an experienced wielder this knife is about as
formidable a weapon as can be conceived. Like all really good weapons,
its efficiency depends much more upon the skill than the strength of
the wielder, and thus it happens that the little Ghoorka, a mere boy in
point of stature, will cut to pieces a gigantic adversary who does not
understand his mode of onset. The Ghoorka generally strikes upward with
the kookery, possibly in order to avoid wounding himself should his
blow fail, and possibly because an upward cut is just the one that can
be least guarded against.
Years ago, when we were engaged in the many Indian wars which led
at last to our Oriental empire, the Ghoorkas proved themselves
most formidable enemies, as since they have proved themselves most
invaluable allies. Brave as lions, active as monkeys, and fierce as
tigers, the lithe, wiry little men came leaping over the ground to
the attack, moving so quickly, and keeping so far apart from each
other, that musketry was no use against them. When they came near
the soldiers, they suddenly crouched to the ground, dived under the
bayonets, struck upward at the men with their kookeries, ripping them
open with a single blow, and then, after having done all the mischief
in their power, darting off as rapidly as they had come. Until our men
learned this mode of attack, they were greatly discomfited by their
little opponents, who got under their weapons, cutting or slashing with
knives as sharp as razors, and often escaping unhurt from the midst
of bayonets. They would also dash under the bellies of the officers’
horses, rip them open with one blow of the kookery, and aim another at
the leg of the officer as he and his horse fell together.
Perhaps no better proof can be given of the power of the weapon, and
the dexterity of the user, than the fact that a Ghoorka will not
hesitate to meet a tiger, himself being armed with nothing but his
kookery. He stands in front of the animal (see the next page), and
as it springs he leaps to the left, delivering as he does so a blow
toward the tiger. As the reader is aware, all animals of the cat tribe
attack by means of the paw; and so the tiger, in passing the Ghoorka,
mechanically strikes at him.
The man is well out of reach of the tiger’s paw, but it just comes
within the sweep of the kookery, and, what with the force of the
tiger’s stroke, what with the blow delivered by the man, the paw is
always disabled, and often fairly severed from the limb. Furious with
pain and rage, the tiger leaps round, and makes another spring at his
little enemy. But the Ghoorka is as active as the tiger, and has sprung
round as soon as he delivered his blow, so as to be on the side of
the disabled paw. Again the tiger attacks, but this time his blow is
useless, and the Ghoorka steps in and delivers at the neck or throat of
the tiger a stroke which generally proves fatal.
The favorite blow is one upon the back of the neck, because it severs
the spine, and the tiger rolls on the ground a lifeless mass. For
so fierce is the tiger’s fury, that, unless the animal is rendered
absolutely powerless, rage supplies for a few moments the place of
the ebbing life, and enables it to make a last expiring effort. All
experienced hunters know and dread the expiring charge of a wounded
lion or tiger, and, if possible, hide themselves as soon as they
inflict the death wound. If they can do so, the animal looks round for
its adversary, cannot see him, and at once succumbs; whereas, if it can
espy its enemy, it flings all its strength into one effort, the result
of which is frequently that the man and the tiger are found lying dead
together.
[Illustration: (1.) INGENIOUS RUSE OF BHEEL ROBBERS. (See page 1400.)]
[Illustration: (2.) GHOORKA ATTACKED BY A TIGER. (See page 1396.)]
Many of these little hunters are decorated with necklaces made from
the teeth and claws of the animals which they kill. One of these
necklaces is in my collection, and is figured in illustration No. 1,
on page 1403. It is made of the spoils of various animals, arranged
in the following way. The central and most prominent object is one of
the upper canine teeth of a tiger. The man may well be proud of this,
for it is a very fine specimen, measuring five inches and a half in
length, and more than three inches in circumference. This tooth is
shown at Fig. 5. At Fig. 1 is a claw from a fore-foot of a tiger,
evidently the same animal; and at Fig. 9 is a claw of the hind-foot.
Figs. 2, 3, 7, 8 are differently sized teeth of the crocodile; and
Figs. 4 and 6 represent claws from the foot of the sloth-bear. The
reader may remember that in all uncivilized countries such spoils are
of the highest value, and play the same part with regard to them, that
titles and decorations do among more civilized nations. Consequently,
it is almost impossible to procure such ornaments, the natives having
as strong objection to part with them as a holder of the Victoria Cross
would have to resign at the same time his badge and a right to wear it.
* * * * *
Among men of such a stamp, leading a half-savage existence, with ideas
necessarily limited to their own range of thought, it is likely that
a strange sort of morality should prevail. We have already seen that
there is one existing system in which treacherous murder, instead of
being regarded as a capital offence, is exalted into a religion, and we
may therefore expect that robbery may in some cases be considered as a
virtue. Certain it is that there are no more accomplished thieves in
the world than those of India.
The natives are justly celebrated for their wonderful powers of posture
making and conjuring, and it is to be expected that, when they turn
those powers to an evil use, they must be most dangerous opponents.
Lately a most valuable report has been issued by the Inspector-General
of Prisons, relating to the thieves of Lower Bombay, in the perusal of
which it is impossible to restrain a smile, so wonderfully ingenious
are the devices of the thieves, and so astonishing is the skill with
which they are employed.
For example, there are the regular burglars, who completely carry out
the description of the Scriptures, “breaking through the wall and
stealing.” Two of these burglars work together. One acts as sentinel,
while the other gently bores a hole through the wall, large enough to
admit the passage of his person. When he has completed the breach, he
pushes through it a stick, with a piece of grass wrapped round it, so
as to look like a human head. This is done to ascertain whether the
inmates are alarmed, for it sometimes happens that the owner of the
house hears the miner at work, and quietly stands by the side of the
hole, armed with a sword or cudgel, with which he strikes at the head
of the robber, as soon as it appears through the wall. Should the sham
head be smashed by a blow from the inside, the thieves escape as fast
as they can. If not, one of them crawls through the breach, steals all
the property on which he can lay his hands, and returns to his comrade,
who has been keeping careful watch, and will alarm him, should danger
appear.
Other thieves appear to be more harmless, though they probably steal
as much money as the burglars. They carry in their mouths a tiny
knife, with a blade as sharp as that of a razor. They frequent the
bazaars, mix with the crowd, and contrive to feel for the money which
is wrapped up in the girdle. With their little knives, they gently cut
the cloth, noiselessly extract the money, and slink off into the midst
of the crowd, where they can scarcely be detected. In short, they act
precisely after the manner of our European cut-purses.
The most ingenious of all the thieves are those who get into the
zenanas, or women’s apartments, and steal their jewelry. As the
reader is probably aware, the women’s apartments are in the most
central portion of the house, and are so carefully guarded that little
precaution is taken with respect to the costly jewels with which the
women deck themselves so abundantly. The Indian burglar knows of this
wealth, and sometimes manages to steal it. He digs a hole in the ground
outside the walls of the house, and burrows under the foundation until
he comes beneath the floor of the zenana. He then cautiously works
his way upward, and so obtains admission into the apartment. But
even when there his task is not completed, as a large portion of the
jewelry consists of nose rings and bangles, or bracelets. The skill of
these thieves is now shown, for they will contrive to cut the rings
and bangles, remove them from the wearers, and make good their escape
without disturbing the sleeping women.
These adroit burglars often commit the most daring robberies in the
very midst of an army. Knowing the position of the tents, they mark
out that which is the residence of a great man, and creep silently
toward it. Arrived at the tent, their sharp knife cuts a hole and they
glide into the interior without making the slightest noise. Indeed,
so wonderfully adroit are they, that even the very watch-dogs do not
discover them, and a thief has been known actually to step over the
body of a dog without disturbing the animal. They take an extraordinary
pride in their skill, and have not the least objection to boasting of
it. Once, an English officer, who had been robbed of all his valuables,
his clothing included, in the course of a night, was talking to a
robber, who made very light of the exploit, and boasted that if he
chose he could steal the blanket from under him as he slept. Such a
challenge as this could not but be accepted, and the officer laid
a wager with the man that his blanket could not be stolen without
arousing him.
Accordingly, one morning, when the officer awoke, he found his blanket
missing. The thief came openly with the blanket, restored it, and told
him how he had achieved the theft. It was done by gently tickling the
face and hands of the sleeping man, so that he involuntarily turned on
his bed. As he moved, the thief gave the blanket a slight pull, and so
by degrees “coaxed” it away without fairly awaking the sleeper.
When these thieves set about their task of robbery, they remove all
their clothes, and rub themselves with oil. Round their neck is a
slight string, which holds their razor-bladed knife, so that, if they
should be detected, the pursuer has no hold of them; and even should he
succeed in grasping them, the ready knife is used to sever his wrist
and to deal a fatal stab.
Then there are other thieves of altogether a sneaking and despicable
character. The burglars have, at all events, the redeeming points of
audacity and ingenuity. The Mooches exhibit neither of these qualities,
but act in a way that exactly resembles the proceedings of the gipsy
thieves as described by Mr. Borrow. They lay poison on plantain leaves,
and drop them about at night among the cattle. The bait is sure to
be taken, and the dead cattle are thrown away next morning. This is
exactly what the Mooches have expected, and they flay the dead cattle
and sell their skins.
Sometimes a band of these thieves is pursued, and then the robbers are
often driven to use all their ingenuity in evading their pursuers.
One stratagem is marvellously clever. Should a company of these men
succeed in reaching the jungle, there is no hope of capturing them;
but when they find that they must be overtaken on a level plain, they
are not without a mode of avoiding detection. As is the case in many
hot countries, the ground is often cleared by fire, which destroys
all the coarse, dry, rank herbage, and leaves it free for the fresh
green blades that at the first rains shoot through the surface. In
those spots where the grass is short, the fire does but little damage;
but where it is long, the flames are powerful enough to destroy the
small trees which grow upon them, and to leave nothing but a number of
blackened stumps.
If the thieves think that they cannot pass the plain without being
observed, they put in practice a _ruse_ which they may have borrowed
from the habits of many insects. They strip off all their clothes,
place them and their weapons under their little round shields, which
they disperse so as to look like stones, and then dispose themselves
in such strange attitudes that their slender and nearly fleshless limbs
bear the most exact resemblance to the blackened branches of which
their bodies represent the trunks. In these attitudes they will remain
fixed until the enemy has passed them, when they slip off as fast as
they can to the nearest jungle. An illustration on page 1397 shows
with what rare ingenuity, even artistic verisimilitude these rascals
simulate the charred trunks and branches of the trees.
Before the English had become used to these manœuvres, a very ludicrous
incident occurred. An officer, with a party of horse, was chasing a
small body of Bheel robbers, and was fast overtaking them. Suddenly
the robbers ran behind a rock or some such obstacle, which hid them
for a moment, and, when the soldiers came up, the men had mysteriously
disappeared. After an unavailing search, the officer ordered his men to
dismount beside a clump of scorched and withered trees, and, the day
being very hot, he took off his helmet and hung it on a branch by which
he was standing. The branch in question turned out to be the leg of a
Bheel, who burst into a scream of laughter, and flung the astonished
officer to the ground. The clump of scorched trees suddenly became
metamorphosed into men, and the whole party dispersed in different
directions before the soldiers could recover from their surprise,
carrying with them the officer’s helmet by way of a trophy.
This stratagem is not confined to one tribe, or even one race, but is
practised in many parts of the world where the country is cleared by
means of fire.
* * * * *
We will now examine some of the weapons used by the Indians. I
intentionally omit any description of their fire-arms, as such weapons
are of a modern date, and the use of gunpowder has been imported from
other countries. In the following pages will be described some of the
most characteristic weapons of India.
The reader will probably notice that whatever may be their form, there
is a nameless something which designates the country in which they were
produced. No matter whether the weapon has belonged to a rich or a poor
man, whether it be plain wood and iron, or studded with jewels and
inlaid with gold, the form remains the same, and there is about that
form a graceful elegance which is peculiar to India. Take, for example,
that simplest of weapons, the kookery, and see how beautiful are the
curves of the blade and handle, and how completely they satisfy the
eye. In the same manner we shall find that, with all the weapons that
will be figured, there is always a graceful curve or a well-balanced
arrangement of lines.
We will begin with the bow and arrows.
Many kinds of bows are used by the Hindoos, the most simple of which
is made from a piece of male bamboo. Even this simple weapon is
not complete in the eyes of an Indian without some ornament, and
accordingly it is bound at intervals by belts of split reed drawn
tightly round it, and tied up at the back of the bow in a sort of
rosette form. This kind of bow is often used for shooting bullets or
stones. For this purpose two strings are placed side by side, and kept
apart by a little piece of wood near one end, so that in the middle
there is an interval of a couple of inches between the strings. A strip
of leather rather more than an inch in width is then sewed to the
strings, so that when the bow is bent the leather is stretched tightly
between them.
The bow is used in the following manner. A bullet or stone is placed
on the leather, and the two strings are grasped by the forefinger and
thumb of the right hand, so as to enclose the bullet in the leather.
The bow is then drawn and aimed, and when the strings are released
from the pressure of the fingers, they fly asunder and permit the
bullet to escape. The precision that may be obtained by this weapon is
really wonderful, and even Europeans soon learn to pride themselves
on their skill with the “pellet-bow.” Squirrel shooting with this bow
is a favorite amusement with many persons, and some of the natives of
rank occasionally amuse themselves with shooting at the earthenware
jars carried on the heads of the women, a successful shot smashing the
jar to pieces, and deluging the women with the water which had been
contained in it.
There is another kind of bow which is much used in different parts of
Asia, varying somewhat in form and material, but smaller in principle.
The bow is so formed that when it is unstrung it curves in exactly
the opposite direction to the string. The amount of curvature varies
considerably in different bows, the most perfect being that in which
the two ends almost touch each other. The specimen which is shown in
Fig. 1 of the illustration on page 1394, and which is drawn from a
bow in my collection, is a singularly perfect example of this kind of
weapon. It is made in the following manner:--
A horn of the buffalo is sawn longitudinally, so as to produce two
tapering pieces of exactly the same size. These are then flattened by
heat and pressure, and are trimmed until when bent they give exactly
the same amount of curvature. The handle and the tips are made of very
hard wood, and are fitted to the horn with the greatest care, the wood
which forms the tips running for some distance along the under side
of the horn. After the handle and tips are fitted in their places,
a great number of sinews are laid wet over the back of the bow, and
kneaded so carefully that the wood, the sinews, and the horn seem to
be altogether one substance. After this part of the work is finished,
the whole of the bow is covered with repeated layers of a kind of glue,
which is very carefully smoothed and polished. The bow is practically
complete, but the maker is not satisfied unless he adds plenty of
ornament. This is always a sort of conventional flower pattern, gilt
on a brilliantly colored background. I possess several such bows, in
each of which there is a dissimilarity of color and pattern. In the bow
now before us, the groundwork is vivid green and scarlet, on which are
drawn the most elaborate patterns of flowers, leaves, and arabesques in
gold. It is impossible, on looking at the surface, not to admire both
the beauty of the patterns and the excellence of the paint and varnish,
which can be subjected to such violent treatment as is caused by the
bending of the bow and shooting the arrow, and yet not be cracked to
pieces.
The elasticity of this bow is wonderful. I have often tried to string
it, but without effect, and indeed I never saw but one man, the late
Colonel Hutchinson, of the Indian Army, who could do so. It is strung
by passing it under one leg, bending it back sharply over the other
leg, at the same time slipping the loop of the string into its notch.
A groove passes along the back of the bow, so as to guide the string.
When strung it assumes quite a different shape, and looks something
like the bow which the ancient sculptors placed in the hands of
Cupid. I regret that the bow could not be strung, so as to give two
illustrations of the same bow in its different aspects.
The classical reader may perhaps remember that this weapon is exactly
similar to the ancient Scythian bow. Reference is made to this shape by
Athenæus (book X.) when an unlearned shepherd, trying to describe the
letters which formed a name, said that “the third (_i. e._ c) was like
a Scythian bow.” This kind of bow was of horn, as indeed were most of
the ancient bows.
The length of the bow above mentioned, measured along the back, is a
little more than four feet, whereas the measurement across it as it
appears when unbent is only nineteen inches. The reader will see how
useful a bow of this description would be to a horseman, its peculiar
curvature rendering it easy of carriage. It could even be carried
along on the bridle arm, if required, so as to leave the sword hand at
liberty, and in a moment could be strung when needed, by passing it
under the leg as the rider sits on horseback. Small as this bow seems,
almost indeed insignificant in appearance as a weapon, its performances
in skilful hands are something marvellous. With one of these bows an
arrow has been shot to a distance which was said to be six hundred
yards, and was actually not much short of that measurement. And,
although so powerful, it is wonderfully manageable. Colonel Hutchinson
told me that he once saw an archer shoot an arrow along a corridor, and
send the missile through a hole which a bullet had made in a pane of
glass at the end of the corridor.
Next comes a form of bow which is much more common than the preceding.
In this bow the reflex curvature is strongly marked, though not so
strongly as in the case of the weapon just described.
Several of these bows are in my collection, the handsomest of which was
presented to me by J. Allen, Esq. This bow, with its case, its quiver,
and score of arrows, is shown in Fig. 2 of the illustration, on page
1394. Measuring along the back, the bow is four feet five inches in
length, whereas the space between the two tips is only twenty-eight
inches. The color with which the bow is painted is bright scarlet,
profusely covered with gilt flowers and arabesques, so that it is a
more showy weapon at a distance than the previous specimen, though it
is not nearly so handsome when closely examined, the patterns being
larger and more roughly executed. The bow-string is made of some
vegetable fibre,--I think that of some species of aloe,--and is very
thick, being composed of nine strands twisted very closely together.
The case, quiver, and straps by which they are held have been once very
splendid, being crimson velvet, so covered with gold embroidery that
scarcely any part of the velvet is visible. The arrows are two feet
three inches in length, and are very carefully made. The shaft is of
reed, and to either end is fixed a piece of hard wood four inches in
length. On one end of the shaft is fixed the point, which is a heavy
and solid quadrangular piece of steel brought to a sharp point. The
hard wood at the end receives the feathers, and is enlarged at the
extreme end, so as to allow space for the nock or notch in which the
thick bow-string is received. Both the pieces of hard wood are colored,
that in which the point is fixed being simply green, but that at the
other end being gilt, and covered with patterns in blue and scarlet.
This is the most common kind of arrow, but there are many varieties, of
which I possess specimens. Several varieties are in many collections,
the chief distinction being in the shape of the point. In most of them
it is more or less quadrangular; though in some it is leaf-shaped, like
a spear head, in others it is conical, and in others round and blunt.
In one of the arrows the place of the lower piece of hard wood is taken
by a solid piece of steel nearly four inches in length, and weighing
about three ounces, looking something like a rather elongated Whitworth
bullet.
The most primitive form of Indian arrow is that which is made by the
hill tribes. The shaft is of wood, not of reed, and the head is deeply
barbed, and tied to the shaft with fibre, exactly as is done with the
flint-headed arrows, which this weapon almost precisely resembles in
form, though not in material. Instead of feathers, dry leaves are
substituted, cut into the required shape, and passed through slits in
the shaft of the arrow, these slits being afterward bound up. In one
arrow the nock has been formed in a very strange manner, a piece of
wood being lashed to each side of the shaft, and projecting a little
beyond it.
Some very beautiful examples of the best kinds of weapons are shown in
the illustration on page 1406. They belong to General Sir Hope Grant,
G.C.B. etc., who kindly allowed them to be drawn for the use of this
work. They are splendid instances of Indian art, one or two of them
displaying a most elaborate ornamentation.
The first of the illustrations shows a suit of armor and weapons, which
is made of steel most elaborately engraved and inlaid with gold, the
patterns resembling those on the bow, and looking much as if they had
been taken from the bow and sunk into the steel, the freedom and grace
of the lines being quite as remarkable as the elaborate minuteness of
the pattern.
In the centre (Fig. 1) is seen the martial looking helmet, with its
slight feather plume. There are often several of these plumes in a
helmet, their shafts being adorned with gold and jewels, and placed
in sockets projecting from the helmet. In front is seen the flat bar
which protects the nose and upper part of the face from a sword cut.
This bar slides up and down through a groove for the convenience of the
wearer. From the helmet depends a piece of very slight but very strong
chain-mail, which falls behind and on either side of the face, and
hangs as low as the shoulders, so that, however abruptly the wearer may
move his head, the folds of the chain-mail protect his neck. In several
of these helmets the links of the mail are gilt, and arranged so as to
form patterns, mostly of a diamond shape.
By the side of the helmet (Fig. 3) is the curious gauntlet, which
extends far up the arm, and has no joint at the wrist. The absence of
the joint, unpleasant as it would be to an European swordsman, is no
obstacle to the proper use of the sword by the Oriental warrior. If
the reader will refer to the figure of the sword (Fig. 6), he will see
that the hilt is terminated by a large circular plate of steel. In a
specimen in my own collection, this plate is three inches in diameter,
so that when the sword is grasped after the European fashion, the plate
comes against the wrist, and acts as a fulcrum by which, when a blow is
struck, the leverage of the blade forces the sword out of the grasp.
[Illustration: (1.) NECKLACE. (See page 1399.)]
[Illustration: (2.) KOOKERY. (See page 1395.)]
[Illustration: (3.) THE CHAKRA, OR QUOIT WEAPON. (See page 1406.)]
[Illustration: (4.) INDIAN ARMS AND ARMOR. (See page 1405.)]
But the whole system of swordsmanship in India differs essentially
from that which is employed in England, or indeed in Europe generally,
strength not being used so much as dexterity. For the object of this
weapon its curved form is essential. The stroke of the sword is done by
a turn of the wrist more than by a direct blow, so that the curved edge
of the weapon is drawn rapidly over the object of attack.
The mode of employing the Indian sword was illustrated to me by the
same Colonel Hutchinson whose name has already been mentioned.
He took a large mangold-wurzel, and laid it on a table. He then placed
the flat side of the sword upon the root, so that no blow could be
dealt, and then, with a slight turn of the wrist, he drew the blade
toward him, and the root fell apart, severed in two pieces. In the
same manner he cut the whole of the root into slices. The feat looked
so easy that I tried it on another root, but, instead of cutting it
in two, the edge of the sword glided off it as if it had been a solid
piece of glass, and jarred my arm to the shoulder. However, after a few
lessons, the feat became tolerably easy.
The same effect can also be produced by pushing the blade from the
swordsman instead of drawing it toward him. It is to this delicate,
drawing cut that the Indian sword owes its efficiency, the steel of
the blade not being nearly of so good a quality as that of our common
dragoon swords, and not being capable of taking so fine an edge. But
if in battle an Indian warrior meets or overtakes an enemy, he does
not strike at him with the whole power of the arm, as is done by our
swordsmen, but places the edge of his weapon against the neck of the
enemy, and with a turn of his wrist nearly severs the head from the
body.
In the same illustration is seen the circular shield or target. This
is of no great size, measuring about eighteen inches in diameter, and
sometimes even less. It is made of the hide of the rhinoceros, which,
when properly dressed and dried, is of considerable thickness, as
hard as horn, though not so brittle, and almost equally translucent.
The shield is generally adorned with four circular plates of metal,
which in an ordinary specimen are merely of iron, but in a peculiarly
handsome one are covered with lacquered gilding. The reader will
doubtless see the almost exact resemblance between the Indian shield
and the target of the Scotch Highlander. The other portions of the
armor are adorned with gold inlaying, like those parts which have been
described.
Illustration No. 4, on page 1403, contains several articles used in
warfare, all of which are drawn from specimens in Sir Hope Grant’s
collection. In the centre is seen a coat of mail. This is one of the
most beautiful pieces of armor I have ever seen, each of the links
bearing upon it a sentence from the Koran. Three of the links are
shown underneath the coat of mail, drawn of the size of the originals.
If the reader will reflect upon the vast number of such links which are
required to form a coat of mail, he will appreciate the amount of labor
that must have been expended on it, the letters having to be formed
after the links are put together, so that they may not be obliterated
in the forging. The helmet belonging to this suit is seen by its side
at Fig. 2.
Between the helmet and the coat of mail is a Coorg knife or dagger,
and its sheath. This weapon is sometimes very plain, and sometimes
blazes with gold and jewels on the hilt and sheath. A specimen in my
collection is of the former kind, and, though the blade is of good
quality, the handle is of wood, and is secured to the blade by a stout
brass rivet which passes through the tang. A bold ridge runs along
either side of the blade.
Two more characteristic forms of the Indian dagger are shown at Figs.
7 and 9 in the illustration. One, Fig. 7, with its sheath at Fig. 8,
is in great favor, especially with the rich. It is made entirely of
steel, the two cross-bars constituting the handle. The form of the
blade varies somewhat in different specimens, but the general form is
the same in all. A good specimen in my collection is altogether twenty
inches in length, and weighs exactly a pound, so that it must be rather
an awkward weapon for the girdle. The blade, if it can be so called, is
nearly a foot in length, flat toward the handle, and within five inches
of the tips welling suddenly into a sort of quadrangular bayonet,
rather more than half an inch in thickness.
The reader will see that when this dagger is grasped, the steel
continuations of the handle project on either side of the wrist, and
effectually guard it and the lower part of the arm from a sword-blade.
The weight of this instrument, as well as the force with which a thrust
can be delivered by a straight blow as in boxing, render the weapon
well calculated to drive its way through the folds of dress, or even
between the joints of armor.
Next comes a weapon (Fig. 9) which would scarcely be recognized as a
dagger. It is, however a dagger, made from the two horns of the Indian
antelope. In the simplest form of this curious weapon, the horns are
arranged with their bases crossing each other for about six inches. The
curvature of the bases thus furnishes a sort of handle, which can be
grasped in such a way that the holder of the weapon can strike right
and left with it, and, among a number of people, could do a vast amount
of damage in a very short time.
A dagger such as has been described could be made in half an hour, and,
indeed, a temporary weapon might be made in a few minutes by lashing
the horns together. But the Indians prefer to add ornament to the
weapon, and so they often make a hollow steel hilt in the form of a
cup, with the curved side outward. The hand passes into this cup as
into the basket-hilt of a single-stick, and is effectually guarded from
injury. The dagger shown in the illustration has one of these steel
hilts. In some places this weapon is in such favor that, instead of
making it of antelope horns, with a steel hilt, the entire dagger is of
steel, the points made in imitation of the horns.
The last weapon (Fig. 10) is one which is used by the Afghans, and is a
sort of compromise between a sword and a dagger. A weapon of a similar
form and character is carried by the Moors.
There is one kind of sword which ought not to be passed without some
notice. It is a most murderous looking weapon, and is made on precisely
the opposite principle to that of the sword which has already been
described. In that form of sword, the edge is on the outer curve of the
blade, which narrows toward the point. In the other sword, the edge is
on the inside curve, and the blade widens greatly at the tip, which
is curved like a bill-hook. Indeed, the weapon bears some resemblance
to a bill-hook with a greatly elongated blade. In a specimen in my
collection the blade is very little more than an inch wide by the hilt,
but at the point (or rather the tip, for this part of the blade is
squared) it is just four inches in width. The weight of this sword is
rather more than two pounds.
There is also the quoit, or chakra, a missile weapon, that bears some
resemblance to the boomerang of Australia or the casting-knife of the
Fan tribe, it being intended to cut and not to pierce, as is generally
the case with missiles. It is made of thin steel, and is sharpened to a
razor-like edge on the outside. The mode of casting it is to spin it on
the forefinger and then to hurl it. The reader may imagine that such a
missile, which not only strikes an object, but revolves rapidly at the
time, must be a very formidable one. It is generally aimed at the face
of the adversary, and a skilful warrior will hurl four or five in such
rapid succession that it is scarcely possible to avoid being struck
by one of them, and having the face laid open, or the nose or lip
absolutely cut off. These quoit-like articles are carried upon a tall,
conical head-dress worn by the natives, into the folds of which they
also put several small knives, as Irish laborers stick their pipes in
their hats. See illustration No. 3, on page 1403.
A similar weapon, made of brass instead of steel, is used by the
cattle-poisoning Mooches, who have already been described. They call it
by the name of “thâl.”
The chakra is the special weapon of Vishnu, and may be seen in the
various representations of that deity, hanging in one of the hands.
Reference is made to this by Southey in the “Curse of Kehama.” Other
deities also hold the chakra in the many-armed images by which the
Indian artists clumsily attempt to depict omnipotence. This takes us to
another branch of the subject.
[Illustration: SUIT OF ARMOR INLAID WITH GOLD. (See page 1402.)]
CHAPTER CL.
INDIA--_Continued_.
SACRIFICIAL RELIGION.
PRINCIPLE OF HUMAN SACRIFICE -- THE SUTTEE, OR WIDOW BURNING -- HER
FATE DESIRED BY HERSELF AND HER NEAREST RELATIVES -- REASONS FOR THE
SACRIFICE -- CONTRAST BETWEEN THE LIFE OF A WIFE AND A WIDOW OF HIGH
CASTE -- SOCIAL STATUS OF THE BRAHMINS -- HONOR IN WHICH THE SUTTEE
IS HELD -- MODE OF CONDUCTING THE SACRIFICE -- STRUCTURE OF THE PILE
-- COURAGEOUS CONDUCT OF THE VICTIM -- ATTEMPTED ESCAPE OF A SUTTEE
-- BERNIER’S DESCRIPTION -- GRADUAL ABOLITION OF THE SUTTEE -- THE
GODDESS KALI AND HER WORSHIPPERS -- THE THUGS AND THEIR CONSTITUTION
-- THE SACRED “ROOMAL” OR NOOSE -- MODE OF OFFERING A VICTIM -- THE
FESTIVAL OF JUGGERNAUT -- HARDSHIPS OF THE PILGRIMS -- FORM OF THE
IDOL -- SELF-SACRIFICE IN THE GANGES -- SACRIFICE OF BEASTS -- THE
GODDESS DOORGA OR KALI -- FAKIRS OR JOGIS -- THEIR VARIOUS MODES OF
SELF-TORTURE -- THE SWINGING FESTIVAL -- THE MOTIONLESS FAKIR.
There is no part of the world, not even Africa itself, where the
principle of human sacrifice is so widely spread, and is developed so
variously, as in India. Several forms of human sacrifice, such as the
Meriah, which has already been described, belong to definite districts,
and even in them are carried out with certain limitations. Some forms
of the same principle, such as the murders by Thugs or Phânsigars in
their worship of the dread goddess Kali, are restricted to certain
societies of men. Again, the victims annually crushed under the wheels
of Juggernaut’s car are comparatively few, and can only be sacrified in
a certain locality, and at certain times.
There is, however, one mode of human sacrifice which at no distant
period prevailed over the whole of India, and has only been checked by
the influence of England in those parts of the country which have been
subject to British dominion. Even in those districts the task has been
a very difficult one, and there is no doubt that if the strong hand of
England were ever lifted, the practice would again prevail as it did
before.
This form of human sacrifice is the dreadful Suttee, or the death of
the widow on the funeral pyre of her dead husband. Both in Africa and
Polynesia we have seen several instances where the widow is sacrificed
on the grave of her husband, so that he may not find himself wifeless
when he reaches the spirit land. But it is remarkable that even among
the lowest of the savages, whose indifference to inflicting pain
is well known, there are none who exercise such horrible cruelty
toward the widow as do the highly civilized Hindoos. On referring to
the former portions of this work, the reader will see that in some
places the widows are strangled and laid in the grave, in others they
are buried alive, and in others they are killed by a blow of a club
(perhaps the most merciful death that can be inflicted), but that in no
instance is the surviving wife burned alive, as is the case with the
Hindoo.
At the first glance, it seems strange that not only should the
relatives of the miserable wife desire her to be burned, but that she
herself should wish it, and should adhere to her determination in spite
of every opportunity of escaping so dreadful a death. Yet the calm,
dispassionate cruelty of the Hindoo nature is shown by the fact that,
painful as is a death by burning, the life of a widow who survives her
husband is made so miserable that the short though sharp agony of the
funeral pyre is infinitely preferable to life. She loses all caste, and
a Brahmin widow who refuses to be burned is loathed and despised even
by the very Pariahs, whose shadow would have been a contamination to
her during the lifetime of her husband. The horror of such a life can
scarcely be conceived by an European, even supposing a delicate girl,
bred in the midst of all luxury and refinement, to be suddenly cast
among the most debased of savages without possibility of rescue, and to
be made an object of scorn and contempt even to them.
To realize the depths of utter degradation which a high-caste widow
incurs, we must first see what is her opinion of her own status. The
reader is doubtless aware that the Hindoos are divided into a number of
distinct castes, the peculiarity of which is, that no one can ascend
to a superior caste, though he may fall into a lower. Now, of all the
castes, the Brahmins are immeasurably the highest, and the reverence
which is paid to them by their countrymen is almost incredible. Wealth
or secular rank have nothing to do with this reverential feeling.
A Hindoo of inferior caste may be, and often is, a man of almost
unbounded wealth, may possess almost unbounded power, and, in his own
way, unbounded pride. But the very poorest of Brahmins is infinitely
his superior, and should he meet one of these exalted beings, he bows
before him, and pays divine honors to him. And, according to his
belief, he is right in so doing, the Brahmin being an incarnation of
Deity, sprung from the mouth of Vishnu, the Saviour God himself. He
may be mounted on a magnificent elephant, covered with glittering
trappings, he may be clothed in gorgeous robes and sparkle with costly
gems, but before a Brahmin, with a single cloth round his waist, and
bearing the solitary sign of his caste,--the slight cord hung over
one shoulder and under the other,--he is an abject slave. Even if, as
sometimes happens, he should employ a Brahmin as his cook, that Brahmin
retains his rank, and receives the worship of the man by whom he is
paid.
According to their sacred books, “when a Brahmin springs to light, he
is born above the world; the chief of all creatures; assigned to guard
the treasury of duties, religious and civil.” According to the same
books, the very existence of mankind, and even of the world itself,
depends upon the forbearance of the Brahmins whose power even exceeds
that of the gods themselves. Should there be one who cannot be slain
by the great god Indra, by Kali, the goddess of destruction, or even
by Vishnu himself, he would be destroyed if a Brahmin were to curse
him, as if he were consumed by fire. In the same spirit, princes were
warned not to take the property of the Brahmins, however much in want
of money, for that if these holy men were once enraged, they could by a
word destroy them, their armies, elephants, and horses.
By them, under Brahma, were originally made the earth, the sun, the
moon, and the fire, and by them they could be destroyed. “What prince
could gain wealth by oppressing those who, if angry, could frame other
worlds, and legions of worlds, _could give being to new gods_ and
mortals?” Just as these tremendous privileges are independent of the
external circumstances of wealth and rank, so are they independent of
individual character. The pure soul of a Brahmin is beyond all moral
elevation, and above all moral pollution. He may be a man of the
purest life and loftiest morality, but he is none the better Brahmin
for that; he may be one of the vilest of debauchees, and be none the
worse Brahmin for that, provided he does not commit any act which would
forfeit his caste,--such, for example, as killing a cow, or eating food
that had been cooked by an inferior.
To fall from such an estate as this, above humanity and equal to
divinity, must be something almost too terrible to conceive, and we
can easily imagine that any death would be preferable to such a life.
But not even the horror of a life like this would be equivalent to
the sufferings of the Indian widow, who believes that her very soul
is contaminated beyond hope by the loss of her caste, and who feels
herself degraded below the level of those on whom she had looked with
an utter loathing that is almost incomprehensible to the Western mind.
She has to cut off her hair, she has to live on the coarsest of food,
she has to clothe herself in the coarsest of raiment, and altogether to
lead a life utterly and hopelessly miserable in every hardship that can
afflict the body, and every reproach that can torture the mind.
On the other side comes the belief, that if she follows the dictates
of her religion, and suffers herself to be burned on the funeral pile
of her husband, she qualifies herself for everlasting happiness. From
the moment that the ceremonies of the sacrifice are begun, she becomes
an absolutely sacred being, whose very touch sanctifies the objects on
which she lays her hands; she renders herself a model to be imitated
by all her sex, and her memory is forever venerated by her family. It
is therefore no wonder that, swayed by such considerations, the Indian
widow prefers death to life, and that the sacrifice of the Suttee has
taken such hold upon the people.
Varying slightly in details according to the rank of the individual
and the particular district in which the sacrifice takes place, the
ceremony is conducted after the following manner.
A hole is dug in the ground, over which the funeral pile is raised. The
object of the hole is to supply a current of air by which the fire may
be fed. Sticks are then driven round the edge of the hole to support
the materials of the pile, which are dry wood, rushes, and hemp. These
are heaped carefully to a height of four feet or so, and resin and ghee
(_i. e._ liquid butter) are thrown on the pile, so as to increase the
vehemence of the flames. The body is then taken to the river, on whose
bank the pyre is always erected, and is there washed by the relatives,
and afterward wrapped in a new cloth and laid on the pile.
During this time the widow stands on the bank, uttering prayers, and
waving in her hand a branch of mango. After the corpse is removed
from the water, she descends into it herself, and, having washed,
distributes to her friends all her ornaments, which are eagerly sought,
as being sanctified by having been touched by the sacred hand of a
suttee. She is then dressed in a new robe, and places herself by the
side of the body, to which she is usually, though not always, lashed.
Dry rushes and wood are next heaped over her, only her head being
suffered to be uncovered, so that she may breathe for the short time
she has to live. Two long bamboos are then laid across the pile, the
ends being held by the relations, so as to press her down should she
struggle to escape when the flames reach her. The fire is lighted by
her nearest relation, and, if the pile has been properly constructed,
the suttee is soon dead, being killed rather by suffocation from the
smoke than by the flames.
Sometimes, however, when the building of the pile has been entrusted
to inexperienced hands, a terrible scene takes place, the wretched
victim trying to escape from the flames that torture her, and being
ruthlessly held down by the bamboo poles across her body. Dr. Massie
relates several instances of attempted escape. In one case, the mode
of preparing the pile was evidently the cause of the poor victim’s
sufferings. At each corner a stout pole was erected, and from this pole
was suspended a second pile, like a canopy, elevated three or four feet
above the surface of the principal pile. This canopy was chiefly made
of logs of wood, and was exceedingly heavy.
After the suttee had been laid upon the pile, and covered with straw
saturated with ghee, the fire was kindled, and the smoke rolled in
thick volumes over the head of the victim. The flames began to blaze
fiercely, and if they had been allowed to burn in their own way, the
death of the poor woman would have been almost immediate. But just at
this time four assistants severed with their swords the ropes which
upheld the canopy, so that it fell with its whole weight upon her.
Possibly it was intended as an act of mercy, but its effect was
anything but merciful. For the moment she was stunned by the blow, but
the mass of billets checked the action of the fire, and caused it to
burn slowly instead of rapidly. The creeping flames soon restored her
to consciousness through the agony which they inflicted upon her, and
she shrieked pitifully for the help that none would give her, until
death at last put an end to her sufferings.
The same author quotes an account of a suttee who actually did succeed
in escaping from the flames, in spite of the resistance offered by the
officiating Brahmins and her relatives:--
“Another well-authenticated and brutal instance of this sacrifice
occurred about the same time in a more northern province of India: ‘The
unfortunate Brahminee, of her own accord, had ascended the funeral
pile of her husband’s bones, but finding the torture of the fire more
than she could bear, by a violent struggle she threw herself from the
flames, and, tottering to a short distance, fell down. Some gentlemen,
who were spectators, immediately plunged her into the river, which was
close by, and thereby saved her from being much burnt. She retained
her senses completely, and complained of the badness of the pile,
which, she said, consumed her so slowly that she could not bear it; but
expressed her willingness again to try it if they would improve it.
They would not do so, and the poor creature shrunk with dread from the
flames, which were now burning intensely, and refused to go on.
“‘When the inhuman relations saw this, they took her by the head and
heels, and threw her into the fire, and held her there till they were
driven away by the heat; they also took up large blocks of wood, with
which they struck her, in order to deprive her of her senses; but she
again made her escape, and, without any help, ran directly into the
river. The people of her house followed her here, and tried to drown
her by pressing her under the water, but an European gentleman rescued
her from them, and she immediately ran into his arms and cried to him
to save her.
“‘I arrived at the ground as they were bringing her the second time
from the river, and I cannot describe to you the horror I felt on
seeing the mangled condition she was in: almost every inch of skin
on her body had been burnt off; her legs and thighs, her arms and
back, were completely raw, her breasts were dreadfully torn, and the
skin hanging from them in threads; the skin and nails of her fingers
had peeled wholly off, and were hanging to the back of her hands. In
fact, I never saw and never read of so entire a picture of misery as
this poor woman displayed. She seemed to dread being again taken to
the fire, and called out to “the Ocha Sahib” to save her. Her friends
seemed no longer inclined to force, and one of her relations, at our
instigation, sat down beside her, and gave her some clothes, and told
her they would not. We had her sent to the hospital, where every
medical assistance was immediately given her, but without hope of
recovery. She lingered in the most excruciating pain for about twenty
hours, and then died.’”
It is often said that the woman is stupefied with opium or Indian hemp
before she is brought to the pile, and that the bystanders beat drums
and shout in order to drown her shrieks. This, however, is not the
case, the woman requiring the use of all her senses to enable her to go
through the various ceremonies which precede the actual burning, and
the pile being generally made so carefully that death is so rapid that
the victim scarcely utters a cry or makes a single struggle to escape.
Additions to the mere burning of the widow have been mentioned by
various travellers. Bernier, for example, says that, while travelling
near Agra, he heard that a Suttee was about to take place. He went to
the spot, and there saw a great pit, in the midst of which was a large
pile of wood. On the pile lay the body of a man, and beside it sat a
young and handsome woman, whose dress was almost saturated with oil, as
was the wood of the pile. The fire being lighted, she sat on the pile,
and as the flames wrapped her body, she exclaimed with a loud voice
that, according to the Indian belief in the transmigration of souls,
this was the fifth time that she had become a suttee, and that she
would have to do so twice more in order to attain perfection.
Round the edge of the pit danced five women, holding each other by
the hand, and appearing regardless of the fire. Presently the flames
seized upon the dress of one of them; whereupon she detached herself
from her companions, and flung herself headlong into the burning pit.
The remaining four continued their dance, and, as the fire caught their
garments, they one by one leaped into the flaming pit. These women, it
appeared, had been slaves of the suttee. They were greatly attached to
their mistress, and when they heard her offer the vow to die on the
funeral pile, they determined to die with her.
The same traveller relates a very curious anecdote of a suttee who
employed the dreadful ceremony for a strange purpose.
She was a widow by her own act, having poisoned her husband in order
to carry on an intrigue with a young tailor, a Mohammedan, who was
celebrated for his skill in playing the drum. He, however, was alarmed
at her crime, and declined her society. On account of the caste to
which she belonged, the death by burning was not a necessity, but on
her lover’s refusal she went to her relations, reported the sudden
death of her husband, and declared that she would be burned with him.
“Her kindred, well satisfied with so generous a resolution, and the
great honor that she did to the whole family, presently had a pit made
and filled with wood, exposing the corpse upon it, and kindling the
fire. All being prepared, the woman goes to embrace and bid farewell to
all her kindred that were there about the pit, among whom was also the
tailor, who had been invited to play upon the tabor that day, with many
others of that sort of men, according to the custom of the country.
This fury of a woman, being also come to this young man, made sign as
if she would bid him farewell with the rest, but, instead of gently
embracing him, she taketh him with all her force about his collar, pull
him to the pit, and tumbles him, together with herself, into the ditch,
where they both were soon despatched.”
The date at which the Suttee was instituted is not known, but it was
in operation at the time of Alexander the Great, and must have been
established long before. Under the British rule the Suttee system has
gradually been abolished, and we may hope that never again will the
dread scene be repeated.
* * * * *
Reference has already been made to several other modifications of human
sacrifice, and we will give a few pages to a description of them.
There is in the Indian mythology a certain dreadful goddess of
destruction, named Kali. Her statues show her attributes, her many
hands being filled with all kinds of weapons, and her person decorated
with a huge necklace of human skulls. In order to propitiate this
terrible divinity, a system has been developed which is perhaps the
most remarkable, illogical, and best regulated system that is to be
found upon the face of the earth. It is simply murder raised to the
rank of a religious rite, and differs from all other human sacrifices
in that blood is not shed, that the victim is always killed by
stratagem, and that the worshippers need neither temple nor altar.
The members of the society call themselves THUGS, from a Hindoo word
which signifies “deception,” and which is given to them in consequence
of the mode in which the victims are entrapped. In some parts of India
they are called PHÂNSIGARS, from a Sanscrit word which signifies “a
noose.” Perhaps the strangest point, in this country of strict and
separate caste, is that the Thugs do not belong to one caste, nor even
to one religion. They all agree in worshipping Kali, but in other
respects they admit among their numbers men and women of all castes,
and a large number of them are Mahommedans, who have no caste at all.
Indeed, the Mahommedan Thugs claim for themselves the origin of the
system, though the Hindoos say that it was in existence long before the
time of Mahommed.
They always go in companies, a complete band often consisting of
several hundred persons of all ages and both sexes. As the very essence
of the sacrifice is secrecy, they assume all kinds of disguises, the
usual being that of travelling merchants. In this capacity they act
their part to perfection, and endeavor to entice travellers into their
clutches.
For this purpose they have a regular organization. At their head they
have a chief, or Sirdar, who directs the operations of the band. Then
an old experienced Thug acts as instructor, and teaches the younger men
how to use the sacred noose by which the victims are strangled. This
is not a cord with a running knot, but a sort of handkerchief, which
is flung round the neck of the unsuspecting man, and suddenly drawn
tight. This noose, or handkerchief, is called the “roomal.” Then come
the men who are entrusted with the noose. These are called Bhuttotes,
or stranglers, and are generally men possessing both strength and
activity. Next are the entrappers, or Sothas, namely, those whose
business it is to entrap the victim into a convenient spot for his
assassination, and to engage his attention while preparations are being
made for his death. Lastly come the Lughaees, or grave-diggers, who
prepare the grave for the reception of the body.
The method in which the Thugs perform their sacrifices is almost
exactly like that which is employed by the modern garroters, except
that a noose is used instead of the arm, and that the victim is always
killed, instead of being only made insensible for a time.
Having pitched upon a person whom they think will be a fit offering
for Kali, the Sothas manage to induce him to come to the fatal spot.
Several days are often spent in this endeavor; for, unless there
is every probability that the murder will not be executed before
any except members of their own society, the Thugs will not attempt
the traveller’s life. The women and children attached to the band
are usually employed as Sothas, inasmuch as they would excite less
suspicion than if they were men. If the women be young and handsome,
they are the more valuable as decoys; and, horrible to say, even young
girls take the greatest interest in decoying travellers within the
fatal noose.
When the party have arrived at the appointed spot, the attention of the
traveller is adroitly directed to some object in front of him, while
the Bhuttote who acts the part of executioner steals quietly behind
him. Suddenly the noose is flung round the victim’s neck, the knee of
the murderer is pressed into his back, and in a short time he ceases
to live. Generally the executioner is so adroit at his dread office
that the murdered man makes no resistance, but dies almost without a
struggle, the first pressure of the noose causing insensibility.
The body of the murdered man is then stripped, and his property falls
to the band. Sometimes a whole party of travellers is entrapped by a
band of Thugs, and all are simultaneously murdered. This is generally
the case when several wealthy men travel together, in which case they
and their servants are all murdered in honor of Kali; who, on her
part, yields to her servants the goods of the murdered men, by way of
recompense for their piety.
The sacrifice over, the body is pierced in several places to prevent
it from swelling, and is then laid in the grave. The soil is carefully
filled in, and levelled with such ingenious care that scarcely any
except those who dug the grave can discover it after the burial. In
one case, when an English force was in chase after a band of Thugs,
they passed over ground which was full of bodies, and never suspected
it until one of the Thug prisoners exultingly pointed out grave after
grave as proofs of their success.
After the body is buried, and all signs of the murder removed, the
Thugs go through a sort of religious ceremony, sitting round a white
cloth, on which are laid the sacred pickaxes with which the graves are
dug, a piece of silver, and some sugar. The Sirdar then sits on the
sheet, facing westward, with the most accomplished stranglers on either
side of him, and distributes the sugar to all present, who eat it in
solemn silence. The sheet is then put away, and to all appearance the
Thugs are nothing more than a party of harmless travellers.
So secretly is the whole business conducted, that the system has only
been discovered within late years. Numbers of persons had mysteriously
disappeared; but in India the natives are singularly apathetic, and
it is always easy to account for the disappearance of a traveller by
saying that he has been carried off by a tiger. The Thugs take the
greatest pride in their profession, and, when captured, do not attempt
to disguise it, but openly boast of the number of victims whom they
have slain, and describe with glee the method in which they destroyed
them; and, when themselves led to the gallows, they treat the whole
business with calm contempt, having no more care for their own lives
than for those of their victims.
* * * * *
We now come to another ceremony, in which human life is sacrificed,
though as an adjunct, and not as its essential feature. This is the
celebrated procession of Juggernaut, or Jaganatha. The ceremonies
connected with this idol, and indeed the invention of the idol itself,
seem to be of comparatively modern date, and, except for the great
annual procession of the car, are of little interest.
The great temple of the idol is situated in Orissa, rather more than
three hundred miles southwest from Calcutta. It is a tall, pyramidal
tower, some two hundred feet in height, built of a warm red sandstone,
covered with the lime-cement called “chunam.” Being on the sea-coast,
this tower is a most useful landmark to navigators in the Bay of
Bengal.
Once in every year the great festival of Juggernaut takes place, and
the huge idol-car is brought out for the procession. The car is an
enormous edifice of wood, more than forty feet high, and thirty-five
feet square. This mass of timber is supported on sixteen wheels, each
more than six feet in diameter, some of the wheels being under the body
of the car. The car itself is plentifully adorned with sculptures of
the usual character, and it is conventionally supposed to be drawn by
two great wooden horses, which are attached to it in readiness for the
procession, and kept inside it during the rest of the year.
On the appointed day three idols are placed in the car. The central
figure represents Krishna, and the others are his brother Bala Rama and
his sister Sûbhadra. They are nothing but three enormous and hideous
busts, not nearly so well carved as the tikis of New Zealand, and, in
fact, much resemble the human figures scribbled on walls by little
boys. Stout and long cables are attached to the car, by means of which
the worshippers of the idol drag it along. The scene that takes place
at the procession is most vividly described by Bruton:--
“In this chariot, on their great festal days, at night they place their
wicked god, _Jaggarnat_; and all the _Bramins_, being in number nine
thousand, attend this great idol, besides of _ashmen_ and _fackeeres_
(fakirs) some thousands, or more than a good many.
“The chariot is most richly adorned with most rich and costly
ornaments; and the aforesaid wheels are placed very complete in a
round circle, so artificially that every wheel doth its proper office
without any impediment; for the chariot is aloft, and in the centre
betwixt the wheels: they have also more than two thousand lights with
them. And this chariot, with the idol, is also drawn with the greatest
and best men of the town; and they are so greedy and eager to draw it,
that whosoever, by shouldering, crowding, shoving, heaving, thrusting,
or in any insolent way, can but lay a hand upon the rope, they think
themselves blessed and happy; and when it is going along the city,
there are many that will offer themselves as a sacrifice to this idol,
and desperately lie down on the ground, that the chariot-wheels may run
over them, whereby they are killed outright; some get broken arms, some
broken legs, as that many of them are so destroyed; and by this means
they think to merit heaven.”
Another of the earlier writers on this subject states that many persons
lie down in the track of the car a few hours before it starts, and,
taking a powerful dose of opium, or “bhang,” _i. e._ Indian hemp, meet
death while still unconscious.
In former days the annual assemblage at the temple of Juggernaut, which
is to the Hindoos what Mecca is to the Mahommedans, was astonishing,
a million and a half of pilgrims having been considered as the average
number. Putting aside the comparative few who perished under the wheels
of the great car (for, indeed, had the whole road been paved with human
bodies, they would have been but a few), the number that died from
privation and suffering was dreadful.
We know by many a sad experience how difficult it is to feed a large
army, even with the great advantage of discipline on the part of the
commissariat and the recipients. It is therefore easy to see how
terrible must be the privation when a vast multitude, quadruple the
number of any army that ever took the field, arrives simultaneously
from all directions at a place where no arrangements have been made
to supply them with provisions, and where, even if the locality could
furnish the requisite food, the greater number of the pilgrims are
totally without money, and therefore unable to pay for food. In those
days the pilgrims perished by thousands, as much victims to Juggernaut
as those who were crushed under his chariot wheels, and, indeed,
suffering a far more lingering and painful death. Still, according to
their belief, they died in the performance of their duty, and by that
death had earned a high place in the paradise of the Hindoos.
Such was the case before the English raj was established in India.
Since that time a gradual but steady diminution has taken place in the
number of the pilgrims to Juggernaut’s temple; and we have lately seen
a most astonishing and portentous event. Formerly, the vast crowd of
worshippers pressed and crowded round the cables by which the car was
drawn, trying to lay but a hand upon the sacred rope. Of late years the
Brahmins have found fewer and fewer devotees for this purpose, and on
one occasion, in spite of all their efforts, the ropes were deserted,
and the car left stationary, to get along as it could.
As to the idol Juggernaut itself, Bruton gives a curious description
of it, saying that it is in shape like a serpent with seven heads, and
that on the cheeks of each head there are wings which open and shut and
flap about as the car moves along.
An idol in the form of a five-headed cobra is mentioned by Messrs.
Tyerman and Bennett in their “Missionary Voyages”: “We happened to be
visiting a very handsomely built stone temple (at Allahabad), covered
with well executed sculptures of their idols, holy persons, etc., in
stone of the highest relief. In the temple were several stone idols
representing the serpent--the _cobra capella_, or hooded snake. The
largest, which represents a serpent twelve feet long, with five heads,
and the heads all expanded, coiled into a sort of Gordian knot, is the
principal object of worship in this temple.
“While we were looking at this stone snake, a horrid-looking man,
unclothed, rushed in (he was about twenty-five years old), being
covered with ashes, and his huge quantity of hair matted with mud
dust. His eyes appeared inflamed; he bowed before the serpent, then
prostrated himself, afterward respectfully touched his head, looked
fixedly upon the serpent, prostrated himself again, then touched it and
rushed out, as if in a paroxysm of delight at the thought of having
worshipped this thing. When he got out of the temple, he walked all
round within the verandah, and, having once more bowed at the door of
the temple, he departed with a hurried step. We cannot conceive of
any human being having more the appearance of a demoniac than this
miserable creature, who, nevertheless, is regarded by the poor Hindoos
as one of the holiest of men.”
* * * * *
Another form of human sacrifice was intended, like the prostration
under Juggernaut’s car, to take the devotee to Paradise, though by a
less painful and less revolting process.
The Ganges has always been reckoned as a most sacred stream, whose
waters wash from the soul all taint of sin. There is, however, one
spot, namely, the confluence of the Jumna with the Ganges, which is so
very sacred, that any one who dies there must of necessity go straight
to Paradise. It is evident, therefore, that the simplest plan of
entering Paradise is to ensure death at the junction of the rivers. For
this purpose the devotee entered a boat, and tied to each of his feet
a chatty or earthenware jar filled with sand. The boat was rowed into
mid-stream, and the devotee dropped overboard into the river. The boats
used for this purpose were kept by Brahmins, who charged a fee for
officiating at the sacrifice.
Sometimes the devotees managed to sacrifice themselves without the
assistance of the Brahmins and their boat. They tied an empty chatty to
their waists in front and behind, and, buoyed up by the empty vessels,
paddled themselves with their hands until they reached the desired
spot. They then scooped water into the chatties, until they were
filled, and so sank, the weight of the vessels being sufficient to take
them to the bottom. In like manner are corpses entrusted to the keeping
of the holy river, when the relatives of the deceased are not able to
afford the great expense of a funeral pile. The body is surrounded by
lighted straw, so that it is scorched, and therefore considered to be
purified by fire. Two chatties are then fastened to it, the relatives
tow the body into mid-stream, fill the chatties with water, and allow
the body to sink. What becomes of it afterward they care nothing, and
though it be devoured by the many creatures of prey which haunt the
rivers in search of their loathsome food, they are perfectly satisfied
with their share in its disposal.
In many cases beasts are substituted for human sacrifices. A short,
stout post is fixed in the ground, and on its top is cut a deep notch,
in which is received the neck of the animal, the size of the notch and
height of the post being suited to the size of the victim. Sacrifices
are thus offered to Doorga, the goddess of nature, and it is of the
utmost importance that the head of the victim should be severed at a
single blow. This is easy enough with a lamb, or even a goat, but when
a buffalo is to be sacrificed, the success of the blow is so doubtful
that many ceremonies are employed to ensure its right performance.
The sacrificial knife is a tremendous weapon, shaped something like
a bill-hook, very broad, very heavy, and kept as sharp as a razor.
When the sacrifice is to take place, the buffalo is brought to the
post, which stands before the ten-armed image of Doorga, its horns are
painted red, turmeric is poured over its head, water from the Ganges is
sprinkled over it, and garlands of flowers are hung about its neck.
The animal is then placed so that its neck rests in the fork of the
post, to which it is firmly secured by an iron bar which passes through
holes in the fork, and presses its head downward. The body is supported
on a mound of earth in front of the post, and the legs are drawn apart
and held by ropes, so that a movement is impossible. The sacrificer,
always a man of great muscular power, then comes forward and takes the
sacrificial knife from the altar before Doorga’s statue, and, together
with the assembled multitude, prays that strength may be given to
enable him to fulfil his office.
Amid the breathless silence of the assembled worshippers, he raises
the heavy blade, and with one blow drives it through the neck of the
helpless victim. As the head falls to the ground, it is snatched up
by the officiating Brahmins, who offer it to the goddess, while the
people, in a frenzy of delight, dance round the sacrificer, embrace
him, chant songs in his honor, and crown him with garlands of flowers.
The body of the buffalo becomes the property of the spectators, who
struggle for it until one party gains the superiority over the other,
and carries off the prize. Around the blood, that lies in pools on the
ground, the multitude crowd, dip their fingers in it, and daub it on
their bodies and on the walls of the temple.
The goddess Doorga, to whom these sacrifices are made, is in fact Kali
under another title; the former name meaning the Inaccessible, and the
latter the Black One. She is represented as the wife of the Destroying
God, Shiva, and as the mother of the God of War, Kartikeya. As Doorga,
her many-armed figure is carved of wood, or modelled in pasteboard,
and painted rose color. She is seated cross-legged on a peacock, and
surrounded by many other deities of the multitudinous Hindoo mythology.
Before her is represented a man being devoured by a nondescript beast,
something like the heraldic griffin. As soon as the sacrifice is over,
the goddess is supposed to depart from her image, which is then taken
in procession to the Ganges, and amid the deafening shouts of the
people, the blast of trumpets, and the beating of kettle-drums, is cast
into the stream.
* * * * *
The reader may remember that on page 1413 was given a short description
of a holy man who came to worship the many-headed snake-god. He was one
of the Fakirs, or Jogis, _i. e._ ascetics, who in India are wonderfully
numerous, and submit themselves to the most dreadful tortures in honor
of their deities. By rights the Fakirs are Mohammedans, though the
English have been accustomed to call both the Mohammedan and Hindoo
ascetics by the common title of Fakir. “Jogi” is the usual title for
the Hindoo devotees, though they are divided into a number of sects,
such as Bairágès, Sangasés, Gosárés, &c.
In all ages and in almost all countries, there have been religious
enthusiasts, who have sought to gain the favor or propitiate the anger
of the deity by voluntary suffering, but there is perhaps no country
where we find so great a variety of this principle as we do in India.
There are Mohammedan as well as Hindoo ascetics, and the latter have
this advantage, that they need not belong to any particular caste. To
describe fully the extraordinary proceedings of these men would occupy
much more space than can be afforded, and we will therefore only take a
few of the most characteristic examples.
One of the commonest, as well as one of the lightest, of these tortures
is, to have the tongue bored with a red-hot iron. This practice used
to prevail largely at Chinsurah, at the temple of the Bull-god. Under
a clump of banyan trees the devotees assembled in order to inflict
various tortures upon themselves, and by far the most common was that
of tongue boring. The operation was performed by a native smith,
who was reckoned very skilful at it, and at certain seasons he was
completely beset by applicants, doubly clamorous in the first place to
have their tongues bored, and in the next to have it done as cheaply as
possible. At these seasons he used to range the applicants in regular
lines, and take them in their turn, varying his fee according to their
number, rank, and impatience.
A strange instance of self-torture is described by Colonel Campbell.
At Colar, the birthplace of Tippoo Sultan, a man was seen marching up
and down before a mosque, chanting a hymn. He was shod with a pair of
wooden sandals, not tied but nailed to his feet by long iron spikes
that had been driven through the sole and projected above the instep.
Yet he walked with a firm, unconcerned step, and chanted his measured
tune as if utterly unconscious of the horrible torture which each step
must have cost him.
Sometimes these devotees show their piety by long pilgrimages to
certain sacred spots, making the journey as difficult and fanciful as
possible. Some will lie on the ground and roll the whole distance,
while others measure the track by prostrating themselves on their
faces, marking the spot where their heads lay, getting up, placing
their feet on the marked spot, and then prostrating themselves
again. Sometimes they will lie on their backs and push themselves
along the road by their heels, thus cutting and bruising their backs
terribly against the rough ground. Some of these men practise a most
extraordinary penance in honor of the goddess Doorga, a penance which
in some respects resembles the initiation of the Mandans. A stout pole,
some twenty feet high, is fixed in the ground, and a long bamboo is
placed horizontally over the top, on which it revolves by means of a
pivot. Sometimes two or even three poles cross each other on the top
of the post. Ropes hang from each end of the bamboos, and to half of
them are fastened large unbarbed hooks of polished iron. The devotees
having placed themselves under the bamboo, the hooks are run into their
backs, and by persons hauling on the rope at the other end of the
bamboo they are raised into the air. The men who hold the ropes then
run in a circle, so as to swing the devotees round at a great pace, the
whole weight of their bodies being borne by the hooks. While swinging
they scatter flowers and other gifts among the spectators, who eagerly
scramble for them, thinking they possess very great virtues.
Both men and women submit to this terrible torture, and do so for a
variety of reasons. Some permit themselves to be swung in pure honor of
the goddess, some do it in fulfilment of a vow, while many submit to
the operation for pay, acting as substitutes of persons who have made
the vow and are afraid to fulfil it personally, or who prefer honoring
the goddess by deputy rather than in their own person. From one to two
rupees, _i. e._ from two to four shillings, is considered a fair price
to the substitute.
Sometimes the upright post is fastened upon an ordinary bullock wagon,
and is shorter than when it is fixed in the ground. After the hooks
have been inserted, the opposite end of the bamboo is drawn down, so
as to elevate the devotee some thirty feet in the air, and made fast
to the wagon. The cart is then drawn as fast as possible round the
enclosure by six or eight bullocks, which are harnessed to it for the
occasion, and selected for their speed.
In many instances, the Jogis (pronounced Yogees) perform their penance
by keeping one or more of their limbs in one attitude, until after a
time it becomes incapable of motion, and the muscles almost entirely
waste away. Some of these men will hold one arm stretched upward to
its fullest extent. This is done by supporting the arm by a cord when
the wearied muscles refuse to uphold the limb any longer. In some
instances, where the Jogi has clenched his hand, the nails have grown
fairly through the hand, forced their way through the back, and hung
nearly to the wrist.
A very common practice is to sit completely motionless, in which case
the legs become in time totally incapable of moving, so that the man
could not change his position even if he desired to do so. In some
instances they even go beyond this, and manage to stand instead of sit,
with scarcely any support for their bodies during sleep. One of these
men is described by Mr. Williamson: “Within a few yards of the river
on our left stood one of those horrid figures called a _yogee_, or
Indian saint,--a gentleman beggar, who had placed himself in a certain
attitude, from which he had vowed never to swerve during the remainder
of his life, but to spend his life in mental abstraction.
“He appeared on a platform of earth raised about eighteen inches from
the ground. At one end of this mound (which might be seven feet long
by five broad) were erected two bamboos, seven or eight feet high,
and sufficiently apart for him to stand between them. At elbow height
a broad board was placed from one bamboo to the other, and upon the
middle of this another piece of plank, two feet long by five inches
wide, was fixed, sloping upward from him. He therefore, standing on the
platform, and resting his arms upon the cross-bar, held with his hands
on each side of the upright sloping board. He seemed to press equally
on either foot, leaning a little forward, with his face turned rather
aside, and raised toward the sun.
“His personal appearance was squalid and miserable. His body was
daubed all over with blue mud; his hair--long, matted, discolored to a
yellowish brown with exposure--dangled in all directions. His beard was
bushy and black, and the rest of his face so disfigured with hair, that
it might be said to be all beard.
“Not the slightest motion in one of his limbs, nor in a muscle of his
countenance, was perceptible. He was altogether without clothing,
except a slip of brown stuff about the loins. He wore the ‘poita,’ or
sacred thread, indicating that he was a Brahmin. Night and day, it is
understood, the wretched sufferer (if indeed his state can be called
one of suffering) maintains without any variation this paralyzing
position.”
Mr. Bennett then expresses some disbelief in the constant immobility of
the devotee, and evidently suspects him to be an impostor, who, under
cover of night, leaves his post, and refreshes himself with sleep in
a recumbent position. This, however, was certainly not the case, and
indeed the very language of the account shows that it could not be so.
A very long period must have elapsed before the devotee in question
could have trained his body to remain, as Mr. Bennett admits was the
case, without the movement of a muscle during the whole time that
his proceedings were watched. And, before such a consummation could
have been attained, the limbs of the man must have been so entirely
stiffened by non-usage, that they would be as inflexible as if they
had been cut out of wood or stone, and whether he stood or lay would
have been a matter of perfect indifference. As to sitting, or assuming
any attitude that involved the flexion of a limb, it would have been
utterly impossible.
We may see a similar phenomenon, if it may be so called, among
ourselves. There is not one man in a thousand who preserves the
normal flexibility of his limbs, unless he be a professional athlete.
Naturally, the limbs of every man and woman are as flexible as those of
the posture-masters, who can cross their feet over the back of their
necks, pick up a coin with their mouths from the ground between their
heels, or sit on the ground with their legs stretched straight at
either side of their bodies. But, unless men preserve this flexibility
by constant use, the limbs become stiff, and it is quite as difficult,
not to say impossible, for an ordinary Englishman to perform the feats
of the professional acrobat, as it is for the Jogi to bend the knees or
ankles that have been unbent for a series of years.
Moreover, the spectators who assemble round such devotees, and who
never leave him unwatched by day or night, would be very ready to
detect any attempt at imposture, and would be excited by it to such a
pitch of religious fury, that the man would be torn to pieces by the
excited crowd. And the very fact that the man was a Brahmin was proof
enough that he was no impostor. By virtue of his Brahminical rank, he
was at the summit of humanity. Had he been a low-caste man, he might
with reason have been suspected of imposture, in order to obtain
respect from his countrymen. But, as the man was already a Brahmin,
such imposture was totally needless, and his devotion, superstitious
and fanatical as it might be, was undoubtedly sincere.
CHAPTER CLI.
INDIA--_Concluded_.
THE INDIANS WITH RELATION TO ANIMALS.
FALCONRY -- THE MINA BIRD AND ITS FEATS -- SNAKE CHARMERS --
SUSPICION OF IMPOSTURE -- GENERAL CAMPBELL’S ACCOUNT OF THE COBRA
AND THE CHARMER -- DEATH OF THE MAN -- DIFFICULTY OF THE TASK --
THE POISON FANGS NOT REMOVED -- INITIATION OF A NOVICE -- ELEPHANT
HUNTING -- CATCHING ELEPHANTS WITH KOOMKIES -- TAMING THE CAPTURED
ANIMAL -- AN ENTHUSIASTIC KOOMKIE -- HUNTING IN NEPÂL -- JUNG BAHADÛR
AND THE ELEPHANTS -- HUNTING WITH TRAINED STAGS AND ANTELOPES -- THE
CHETAHS OR HUNTING LEOPARDS.
We will end this description of India with a few remarks on one of
the chief peculiarities of native character, namely, the wonderful
capacity of the Indians in taming and training animals. This capacity
develops itself in various ways, some partaking of a religious
character, and being considered as in some sense miraculous, and some
only illustrative of the natural ascendancy which these men exert over
beasts, birds, and reptiles.
The Indians are, for example, unsurpassed in their powers of training
falcons, which they teach to attack, not only birds, but antelopes and
other game. These falcons are of course unable of themselves to kill
an antelope, but they will mark out any one that has been designated
by their master, and will swoop down upon its head, clinging firmly
with their talons, and buffeting the poor beast about the eyes with
their wings, so that it runs wildly hither and thither, and thus allows
itself to be captured by the dogs, from which it could have escaped had
it been able to proceed in a straight line. A thoroughly trained falcon
is held in very great esteem, and many a petty war, in which many lives
were lost, has been occasioned by the desire of one rajah to possess a
falcon owned by another.
Then there is a little bird called the Mina, belonging to the Grakles.
It is a pretty bird, about as large as a starling, with plumage of
velvety black, except a white patch on the wing. From either side of
the head proceeds a bright yellow wattle. This bird can be taught to
talk as well as any parrot, and it is said that, as a rule, the mina’s
tones more closely resemble those of the human voice than do those
of any parrot. It is very intelligent besides, and can be taught to
perform many pretty tricks.
One trick, which is very commonly taught to the bird, is to dart down
upon the women, snatch away the ornaments which they wear on their
heads, and carry them to its master. This is a little trick that is
sometimes played by a young man upon the object of his affections,
and is intended to make her grant an interview in order to have her
property restored.
As to reptiles, the cobra seems to be as unlikely a creature to be
tamed as any on the face of the earth. Yet even this terrible serpent,
whose bite is nearly certain death, is tamed by the Indians, and
taught to go through certain performances. For example, a couple of
serpent charmers will come, with their flat baskets and their musical
instruments, and begin to give a performance. One of them plays on
a rude native pipe, while the other removes the cover of one of the
baskets. Out comes the hooded head of the cobra, which seems as if it
were about to glide among the spectators, when a gesture and a few
notes from the piper check its progress, and it begins to rise and
fall, and sway its head from side to side, as if in time to the music.
The men will then take up the venomous reptile, allow it to crawl over
their bodies, tie it round their necks, and take all kinds of liberties
with it, the serpent appearing to labor under some strange fascination,
and to be unable or unwilling to use its fangs.
Some persons think that the serpents are innocuous, their poison fangs
having been extracted. This may be the case in some instances, but in
them the performers are not the genuine snake charmers. Moreover, there
are several sets of fangs, one behind the other, so that when one pair
is broken or extracted, another pair speedily comes forward.
That the genuine charmers do not depend upon such imposture for their
success is evident from many cases in which the serpents have been
carefully examined before and after the performance, and their fangs
found to be perfect in every respect. One such instance is narrated by
General Campbell in his “Indian Journal.” He had previously been under
the impression that the fangs were always removed from the serpents,
but the following circumstance convinced him that the charmers could
perform their tricks with snakes whose fangs were perfect:--
“When I was on General Dalrymple’s staff at Trichinopoly, there was a
dry well in the garden which was the favorite haunt of snakes, and in
which I shot several. One morning I discovered a large cobra-capella
at the bottom of this well, basking in the sun; but while I ran to
fetch my gun some of the native servants began to pelt him with stones,
and drove him into his hole among the brickwork. I therefore sent
for the snake charmers to get him out. Two of these worthies having
arrived, we lowered them into the well by means of a rope. One of them,
after performing sundry incantations, and sprinkling himself and his
companion with ashes prepared from the dung of a sacred cow, began to
play a shrill, monotonous ditty upon a pipe ornamented with shells,
brass rings, and beads, while the other stood on one side of the
snake’s hole, holding a rod furnished at one end with a slip-noose.
“At first the snake, who had been considerably bullied before he took
refuge in his hole, was deaf to the notes of the charmer, but after
half an hour’s constant playing the spell began to operate, and the
snake was heard to move. In a few minutes more he thrust out his head,
the horse-hair noose was dexterously slipped over it and drawn tight,
and we hoisted up the men dangling their snake in triumph.
“Having carried him to an open space of ground, they released him
from the noose. The enraged snake immediately made a rush at the
by-standers, putting to flight a crowd of native servants who had
assembled to witness the sport. The snake charmer, tapping him on the
tail with a switch, induced him to turn upon himself, and at the same
moment sounding his pipe. The snake coiled himself up, raised his head,
expanded his hood, and appeared about to strike, but, instead of doing
so, he remained in the same position as if fascinated by the music,
darting out his slender forked tongue, and following with his head the
motion of the man’s knee, which he kept moving from side to side within
a few inches of him, as if tempting him to bite.
“No sooner did the music cease, than the snake darted forward with such
fury that it required great agility on the part of the man to avoid
him, and immediately made off as fast as he could go. The sound of the
pipe, however, invariably made him stop, and obliged him to remain in
an upright position as long as the man continued to play.
“After repeating this experiment several times, he placed a fowl within
his reach, which he instantly darted at and bit. The fowl screamed out
the moment he was struck, but ran off, and began picking among his
companions as if nothing had happened. I pulled out my watch to see how
long the venom took to operate.
“In about half a minute the comb and wattles of the fowl began to
change from a red to a livid hue, and were soon nearly black, but no
other symptom was apparent. In two minutes it began to stagger, was
seized with strong convulsions, fell to the ground, and continued to
struggle violently till it expired, exactly three minutes and a half
after it had been bitten. On plucking the fowl, we found that he had
merely been touched on the extreme point of the pinion. The wound, not
larger than the puncture of a needle, was surrounded by a livid spot,
but the remainder of the body, with the exception of the comb and
wattles (which were of a dark livid hue), was of the natural color, and
I afterward learned that the coachman, a half-caste, had eaten it.
“The charmer now offered to show us his method of catching snakes, and
seizing the reptile (about five feet long) by the point of the tail
with his left hand, he slipped the right hand along the body with the
swiftness of lightning, and grasping him by the throat with his finger
and thumb, held him fast, and forced him to open his jaws and display
his poisonous fangs.
“Having now gratified my curiosity, I proposed that the snake should be
destroyed, or at least that his fangs might be extracted, an operation
easily performed with a pair of forceps. But, the snake being a
remarkably fine one, the charmer was unwilling to extract his teeth,
as he said the operation sometimes proved fatal, and begged so hard to
be allowed to keep him as he was, that I at last suffered him to put
him in a basket and carry him off. After this he frequently brought the
snake to the house to exhibit him, and still with his fangs entire, as
I ascertained by personal inspection, but so tame that he handled him
freely, and apparently without fear or danger.”
The best proof that the snake’s fangs were not extracted is, that some
weeks afterwards the reptile bit the charmer, and killed him.
It seems strange that serpents should be thus subject to man. It is
comparatively easy to tame a bird or a beast, as hunger can be employed
in the process, and really is the chief power, the creature learning to
be fond of the person who furnishes it with food. Or, in extreme cases,
the power of inflicting pain is employed, so that the animal is ruled
by fear, if not by love.
But, in the case of a snake, the tamer is deprived of both of these
adjuncts. As a serpent only feeds at very long intervals, and possesses
an almost inexhaustible power of fasting, hunger cannot be employed;
and its peculiar constitution would render the infliction of pain
useless. The charmer has, therefore, to fall back upon some other
mode of working upon his pupil, and finds it in music, to which the
cobra seems peculiarly accessible. That it is powerfully influenced by
music was known many centuries ago, as we may see by the references
to serpent charming in the Scriptures. Any music seems to affect
the creature, and, if it can be rendered docile by the harsh sounds
that proceed from the charmer’s flute, we may conjecture that more
melodious sounds would have a like effect. Mr. Williams, who was very
much inclined to be sceptical on the subject of serpent charming, and
thought that the poison fangs were always removed, mentions that a
gentleman at Chinsurah, who was a very excellent violinist, was forced
to lay aside his instrument because the sounds of the violin attracted
so many serpents to his house.
Serpent charming is thought to be a semi-sacred calling, and is one
of those cases where the process of taming partakes of the religious
character. The charmers are regularly initiated into their duties, and
undergo certain ceremonies before they are thought to be impervious
to the serpent’s teeth. Sometimes an European has been initiated into
these mysteries, as happened to Lady Duff Gordon, to whom a snake
charmer took a fancy, and offered to initiate her. He and his pupil sat
opposite each other, and joined their hands. The charmer then twisted
a cobra round their joined hands, and repeated some invocation. Both
of them afterward spat on the snake, and the novice was pronounced
to be safe, and enveloped in snakes as a proof of the success of the
incantation.
* * * * *
There is perhaps no better instance of the mastery of the Indians over
animals than the manner in which they catch and instruct elephants.
The reader will doubtless remember that, though the elephant is
abundant both in Africa and India, the inhabitants of the former
country never attempt to domesticate it. It has been thought that the
African elephant is not trained, because it is fiercer than the Asiatic
species or variety, and lacks the intelligence which distinguishes
that animal. This, however, is not the case. The African elephant is
as docile and intelligent as that of Asia, and quite as capable of
being trained. The elephants which were used in the time of the ancient
Romans were brought from Africa, and yet we read of the most wonderful
feats which they could perform. Moreover, the African elephants which
have been in the Zoölogical Gardens for some years are quite as
tractable as the Asiatic animals. The real cause for the non-use of the
African elephant is, not its incapacity for domestication, but the lack
of capacity in the Africans to domesticate it.
In almost all cases of domesticated animals, the creatures are born in
captivity, so that they have never been accustomed to a wild life. The
Indian, however, does not trouble himself by breeding elephants, but
prefers to capture them when sufficiently grown to suit his purposes.
There are two modes of catching the elephant, one of which is so
ingenious that it deserves some description, however brief. A common
way is by making a large enclosure, called a “keddah,” and driving the
elephants into it. The keddah is so made, that when the elephants have
fairly entered it they cannot get out again, and are kept there until
subdued by hunger and thirst.
By this mode of elephant catching, the animals are taken in
considerable numbers, and of all sizes. The genuine elephant hunter,
however, cares little for this method, and prefers to pick out for
himself the best animals, the Indians being exceedingly particular
about their elephants, and an elephant having as many “points” as a
prize pigeon or rabbit.
In every herd of elephants the males are given to fighting with each
other for the possession of the females, and it often happens that a
male, who for some time has reigned supreme in the herd, is beaten
at last. Furious with rage and disappointment, he leaves the herd,
and ranges about by himself, destroying in his rage everything which
opposes him. In this state he is called a “rogue” elephant by the
English, and _saun_ by the natives. Now, furious and dangerous as is
the saun, he is always a splendid animal, scarcely inferior indeed to
the master elephant of the herd. The elephant hunters, therefore, are
always glad to hear of a saun, and take measures to capture so valuable
a prize.
They possess several female elephants, called “koomkies,” which are
used as decoys, and, strangely enough, take the greatest interest in
capturing the saun. When the hunter goes out on his expedition, he
takes with him at least two koomkies, and sometimes three, if the saun
should happen to be a very large one; and in all cases he takes care
that the koomkies shall not be much smaller than the saun.
The hunters, furnished with ropes and the other apparatus for securing
the saun, lie flat on the koomkies’ backs, cover themselves with a
large dark cloth, and proceed toward the place where the saun was
seen. Often the koomkies carry in their trunks branches of trees,
which they hold in such a manner as to prevent their intended captive
from seeing that they carry anything on their backs. The saun, seeing
them approach, loses some of his fury, and thinks that he is in great
good-fortune to meet with females over whom he can rule as he had done
before. He is so delighted with this idea that he fails to perceive
the hunters, who usually slip off behind a tree as they near him, but
sometimes boldly retain their post.
The koomkies then go up to the saun and begin to caress him, one on
each side, and sometimes another in front of him, when three decoys are
employed. They caress him, make much of him, and gradually bring him
near a stout tree, where they detain him. The hunters then creep under
the huge animal, and pass stout ropes round his forelegs, binding them
tightly together, being aided in this by the decoys, who place their
trunks so that their masters cannot be seen, and sometimes even assist
him by passing the rope when he cannot conveniently reach it. The
forelegs being secured, the hunter places round the elephant’s hindlegs
a pair of strong fetters. These are made of wood, and open with a hinge
of rope. They are studded inside with sharp iron spikes, and, when
clasped round the feet of the elephant, are fastened to the trunk of
the tree with strong ropes.
The elephant being now made fast, the hunters creep away, and are
followed by the koomkies, who receive their masters on their necks, and
go off, leaving the unfortunate saun to his fate. If he was furious
before, he is tenfold more so when he has to add to disappointment the
sense of confinement, and the knowledge that he has been tricked. He
screams with rage, tears branches off the tree, pulls up the grass by
the roots and flings it about, and even tries to break the rope which
holds him to the tree, or to pull up the tree itself by the roots. The
spikes with which the wooden fetters are lined give him such pain, that
he is soon forced to desist, and wearied out with pain and exertion,
he becomes more quiet. On the following day the same men and elephants
come to him, and bring him a little food; and so they go on until he
has learned first to endure, and afterward to desire their presence.
When they judge him to be sufficiently tamed, strong ropes are fastened
to his legs, and attached to the koomkies, and, the ligatures round
his feet being removed, he is marched off to his new quarters.
Sometimes he resists, on finding his limbs at liberty. In such a case
the koomkies drag him along by the ropes, while a large male pushes him
on from behind, sometimes using his tusks by way of spurs. When he has
been taken to his abode, he is treated with firm but kind discipline,
and is so effectually tamed, that in a few months after he was ranging
wild about the forest he may be seen assisting to convey a refractory
brother to his new home.
The intelligence of the koomkies is really wonderful, and they take
quite as much interest in the pursuit as their masters. Captain
Williams mentions an instance where a gentleman had purchased a
koomkie, not knowing her to be such. The mahout or driver would not
mention her capacity, because he very much preferred the ease and
comfort of a gentleman’s establishment to the dangers and hardships
of a hunter’s life. The wealthy natives of the neighborhood would not
mention it, because each of them hoped to buy the animal for himself at
a less price than would be asked for a koomkie.
One day the animal was missing, and did not return for several days.
However, she came back, and was harnessed as usual for a walk. When she
came to a certain spot, she became restive, and at last dashed into
the jungle, where she brought her master to a fine saun, whom she had
crippled by fastening a chain round his forelegs.
In Nepâl the natives adopt a very dangerous mode of elephant hunting.
They go to the hunt on elephants, and furnish themselves with very
strong ropes, one end of which is made fast to the body of the riding
elephant, and the other furnished with a slip-knot, to which is
attached a line, by which the noose can be relaxed. They give chase
to the herd, and, selecting a suitable animal, the hunter dexterously
flings the noose upon the head of the animal just behind its ears and
on its brows. The elephant instinctively curls up its trunk, whereupon
the noose slips fairly over its head.
The hunter then checks the pace of his animal, so that the noose is
drawn tightly round the neck of the captured elephant, and causes a
partial choking. His speed being checked, another hunter comes up and
flings a second noose, so that by their united force the captive can be
strangled if necessary. Sometimes, when he is very furious, the hunters
are obliged to render him insensible over and over again, before he can
be induced to obey his new masters. The well-known Nepâlese ambassador,
Jung Bahadûr, was celebrated for his skill and daring in this dangerous
sport.
As an example of the perfect command which the Indian mahouts have
over their animals, Captain Williams mentions an adventure which took
place at Chittagong. During a stormy night, an elephant got loose, and
escaped into the forest. Four years afterward, when a herd of elephants
was driven into a keddah, the mahout, who had climbed the palisades
to view the enclosed animals, thought that he recognized among them
his missing elephant. His comrades ridiculed him, but he persisted in
his idea, and called the animal by name. The elephant recognized the
voice of its driver, and came toward him. The man was so overjoyed at
this, that, regardless of the danger which he ran, he climbed over the
palisades, and called to the elephant to kneel down. The animal obeyed
him, he mounted on its neck, and triumphantly rode it out of the keddah.
Elephants are sometimes taken in pits, at the bottom of which are laid
bundles of grass in order to break the fall of the heavy animal. The
elephants are generally decoyed into these pits by a tame animal which
is guided close to the pit by the mahout, who has placed certain marks
by which he knows its exact locality. Sometimes they are merely dug
in the paths of the elephants, which fall into them in their nightly
rambles, and by their moanings inform the hunters of their proceedings.
In these pits they are forced to remain until they have been tamed by
hunger, just as is the case with those animals that are tied to the
trees. When they are sufficiently tame, the hunter throws into the pit
successive bundles of jungle grass. These the sagacious animal arranges
under his feet in such a way that he soon raises himself sufficiently
high to step upon the level earth, where he is received by the hunters
and his tame elephants. These “pitted” elephants, as they are called,
are not held in high estimation, as there is always danger that they
may have suffered some injury by the fall.
Just as tame elephants are brought to capture the wild animals, so are
tame stags taught to capture those of their own species. An account of
the sport is given in the “Private Life of an Eastern King”:--
“I have never heard of trained stags being employed elsewhere as I saw
them employed in Oude.... In our rides in the neighborhood of the lake,
near which we encamped, we lighted upon a fine open country adjoining
a forest, which would answer admirably for the purpose. The adjoining
wood was full of the smaller game of Oude, or, if not smaller, at all
events the more harmless, among which the wild deer must be classed as
one. Skilful beaters were sent off into the forest to drive the deer,
as if unintentionally,--that is, without violence, or making much
noise,--toward the point of the forest adjoining the open space which
I have just mentioned. Here, protected by its watching guardians, the
most warlike and powerful of its males, the herd was congregated in
apparent safety.
“We had about a dozen trained stags, all males, with us. These, well
acquainted with the object for which they were sent forward, advanced
at a gentle trot over the open ground toward the skirt of the wood.
They were observed at once by the watchers of the herd, and the boldest
of the wild animals advanced to meet them. Whether the intention was
to welcome them peaceably, or to do battle for their pasturage, I
cannot tell, but in a few minutes the parties were engaged in a furious
contest. Head to head, antlers to antlers, the tame deer and the wild
fought with great fury. Each of the tame animals, every one of them
large and formidable, was closely contested with a wild adversary,
standing chiefly on the defensive, not in any feigned battle or mimicry
of war, but in a hard-fought combat. We now made our appearance in the
open ground on horseback, advancing toward the scene of conflict. The
deer on the skirts of the wood, seeing us, took to flight, but those
actually engaged maintained their ground, and continued the contest.
“In the meantime a party of native huntsmen, sent for the purpose,
gradually drew near to the wild stags, getting in between them and the
forest. What their object was we were not at the time aware; indeed,
it was not one that we could have approved or encouraged. They made
their way to the rear of the wild stags, which were still combating
too fiercely to mind them; they approached the animals, and, with a
skilful cut of their long knives, the poor warriors fell hamstrung. We
felt pity for the noble animals as we saw them fall helplessly on the
ground, unable longer to continue the contest, and pushed down by the
tame stags. Once down, they were unable to rise again.
“The tame ones were called off in a moment; not one of them pursued his
victory. Their work was done; they obeyed the call of their keepers
almost at once, and were led off like hounds, some of them bearing
evidence in their gored chests that the contest in which they had been
engaged was no sham, but a reality. As we rode up we saw them led off,
triumphantly capering over the ground as if proud of their exploits,
tossing their fine spreading antlers about joyously, and sometimes
looking as if they would enjoy a little more fighting,--this time with
each other.”
The antelope is sometimes used in a similar manner. The largest and
most powerful male antelopes are trained for the purpose, and are sent
toward the herd with nooses fastened on their horns. The wild antelopes
soon come out to fight the intruders, and are caught by the nooses.
* * * * *
There is another sport of which the Indians are very fond, namely,
the chase of the deer by means of the chetah, or hunting leopard.
This animal is by no means the same species as the common leopard,
from which it is easily distinguished by its much larger legs, its
comparatively bushy tail, and a crest or ridge of hair along the neck.
It is not so much of a tree-climber as the common leopard, and though
it can ascend a tree, very seldom does so. Whether the common leopard
could be trained to catch deer is rather doubtful. The experiment has
not been tried, probably owing to the fact that the chetah performs its
part so well that there is no object in trying another animal.
Chetahs are very docile creatures, and, when tame, seem to be as fond
of notice as cats. This I can personally testify, having been in the
same cage with the animals at the Zoölogical Gardens, and found them
very companionable, even allowing me, though after some protest in the
way of growling and spitting, to take their paws in my hand, and push
out the talons.
Those which are used for the sport are led about by their attendants,
merely having a cord round their necks, and are so gentle that no one
is afraid to be near them. Lest, however, they might be irritated, and
in a moment of passion do mischief, they wear on their heads a sort of
hood, shaped something like the beaver of an ancient helmet. This hood
is generally worn on the back of the head, but if the keeper should
think that his charge is likely to be mischievous, he has only to slip
the hood over the eyes, and the animal is at once rendered harmless.
When the hunters go out in search of deer, the chetahs are taken on
little flat-topped carts, not unlike the costermongers’ barrows of our
streets. Each chetah is accompanied by its keeper, and is kept hooded
during the journey. When they have arrived within sight of deer, the
keeper unhoods the animal and points out the prey. The chetah instantly
slips off the cart, and makes its way toward the deer, gliding along on
its belly like a serpent, and availing itself of every bush and stone
by which it can hide its advance. When it can crawl no closer, it
marks out one deer, and springs toward it in a series of mighty bounds.
The horsemen then put their steeds to the gallop, and a most exciting
scene ensues.
The chase is never a very long one, for the chetah, though of wonderful
swiftness for a short distance, does not possess the conformation
needful for a long chase. Sometimes a chetah of peculiar excellence
will continue the chase for some little time, but, as a rule, a dozen
mighty bounds bring the animal to its prey. We all know the nature of
the cat tribe, and their great dislike to be interrupted while their
prey is in their grasp. Even a common cat has a strong objection to be
touched while she has a mouse in her mouth, and we may therefore wonder
how the keepers contrive to make the chetah relinquish its prey. This
is done either by cutting off part of the leg and giving it to the
chetah, or filling a ladle with its blood and allowing the leopard to
lap it. The hood is then slipped over the eyes, and the chetah allows
itself to be replaced in its cart.
Sometimes it is necessary to leave the cart, and lead the animal by
its chain toward the place where the animals are known to be. This is
always a difficult business, because the animal becomes so excited that
the least noise, or the scent left by a passing deer, will cause it to
raise its head aloft, and stare round for the deer. In a few moments it
would, become unmanageable, and dash away from its keeper, were not he
prepared for such an event. He carries with him a kind of ladle, made
of a hollowed cocoa-nut shell at the end of a handle. This is sprinkled
on the inside with salt, and as soon as the man perceives a change
of demeanor on the part of his charge, he puts the ladle over the
muzzle of the chetah. The animal licks the salt, forgets the cause of
excitement, and walks on quietly as before.
Some of the great men in India take considerable pride in their
chetahs, and have them paraded daily, covered with mantles of silk
heavily embroidered with gold, and wearing hoods of similarly rich
materials.
CHAPTER CLII.
TARTARY.
THE MANTCHU TARTARS.
MUTUAL INFLUENCE OF THE TARTARS AND CHINESE UPON EACH OTHER -- A
CHINESE BATTLE -- DASH AND COURAGE OF TARTAR HORSEMEN -- TARTAR
GUNNERS -- “CATCHING A TARTAR” -- THE BOW, AND MODE OF STRINGING IT
-- SYSTEMATIC TRAINING OF THE ARCHER -- THE TARTAR ARROW -- ATHLETIC
EXERCISES -- BLOODLESS CONQUEST OF THE TARTARS BY THE CHINESE.
We now proceed to the more civilized portions of the vast Mongolian
race, namely the Tartars, the Chinese, and the Japanese. It will of
course be impossible to give even the briefest account of the numerous
nations which have been called Tartars, and we will therefore confine
ourselves to the Mantchu Tartars, who have exercised so remarkable an
influence on the empire of China.
It has been well said, that when a strong people invade and conquer the
territory of a weaker, their conquest has a double effect. The victors
impose certain habits and modes of life upon the vanquished, and, in so
doing, generally strengthen them in those points where they are weak.
But, in return, the vanquished exert an influence upon their conquerors
which has precisely the opposite effect, and tends to diminish rather
than to increase their strength. So it has been with the Tartars and
the Chinese, whose history during the last few centuries has been
most instructive to the ethnologist,--I should rather say, to the
anthropologist.
Just as in one family we invariably find that there are members of very
different powers, and that the possessor of the stronger intellect
invariably obtains dominion over the others, so it has been with the
two great divisions of the Asiatic Mongols. The Tartar is in many
points superior to the Chinese, and, as a rule, is easily distinguished
even by his appearance. He possesses more decided features, is more
alert in his movements, and certainly possesses more courage. The
Chinese will fight wonderfully well behind walls, or on board ship, and
even in the field display great courage of a quiet nature if they are
led by European officers. But, when left to themselves, they are not
good soldiers in the field, unless opposed to enemies much inferior.
Mr. Scarth, who had the opportunity of witnessing a battle, describes
it as an absolute farce.
“One day, when a great many soldiers were out, I saw more of the
contest than was pleasant. Having got into the line of fire, I was
forced to take shelter behind a grave, the bullets striking the grave
from each side every second. Why they came my way it was difficult to
discover, for they ought to have passed on the other side of a creek,
about twenty yards distant, to the people they were intended for; but
to see the dodging of the soldiers, then of the rebels, each trying to
evade the other, was almost amusing.
“One fellow, ready primed and loaded, would rush up the side of a
grave-hillock, drop his matchlock over the top, and, without taking
aim, blaze away. There is no ramrod required for the shot they use; the
bullet, or bar of iron, is merely dropped in loose upon the powder.
“There was a fine scene on an occasion when the Shanghai rebels made
a sortie. One of the men was cut off by an imperial skirmisher, who
had his piece loaded. The rebel had no time to charge his; so he ran
round and round a grave, which was high enough to keep his enemy from
shooting him when on the opposite side. Hare hunting was nothing to it.
Red-cap described hosts of circles, and the royalist was fast getting
blown, when the gods took pity on his wind, for, by some unlucky
chance, the rebel tripped and fell. The soldier was at him in a
moment, and, to make sure of his prize, put the muzzle of his matchlock
close to Red-cap’s head, fired, and took to his heels as fast as he
could go. It is difficult to say who was most astonished, when Mr.
Red-cap did exactly the same! The bullet that dropped down readily on
the powder fell out as easily when the barrel was depressed. The rebel
got off with a good singeing of his long hair.”
The Tartars, however, are very different men in battle, as was
frequently proved during our wars in China; and though they were
comparatively ignorant of the art of war, and were furnished with
weapons that were mere toys in comparison with the arms to which
they were opposed, they showed themselves to be really formidable
antagonists. As irregular cavalry, they displayed an amount of dash
and courage which would make them most valuable allies, could they
be trained by European officers. They boldly charged in the face of
field-batteries of Armstrong guns, and, though the shells burst among
them with murderous precision, they came on in the most gallant manner.
Indeed, a British officer, who was opposed to them, said that scarcely
any regular cavalry would have advanced in the face of such a fire,
delivered from fifteen breech-loading guns. Of course, when they did
close, the superior discipline of their opponents prevailed against
them, and the Sikh cavalry of Probyn and Fane at once routed their
undisciplined ranks. But, had they been drilled and commanded by such
men as those who led the Sikh cavalry against them, the issue of the
fight might have been very different.
They served their guns with dauntless courage, and allowed themselves
to be cut to pieces by the Armstrong shell rather than leave them.
A single man would sometimes be seen working a gun by himself after
his comrades had been killed, and he expected the same fate every
moment; and it therefore happened, that of the slain in that war by far
the greatest number were Tartars. They are better horsemen than the
Chinese, and both themselves and their steeds are hardy, active, and
capable of existing on very little food. One of their peculiarities
is the method in which they carry the sword. Instead of hanging it to
the waist, and letting it bang against the horse’s side, they pass it
under the saddle-flap, where it is held tight by the pressure of the
leg. They thus avoid the jingle and swing of the European sabre, and
moreover are free from the drag of a heavy weapon upon the waist of the
rider.
Of the courage displayed by the Tartars under adverse circumstances, a
curious instance is given by Mr. M’Ghee. After one of the charges of
Probyn’s horse, the Tartar cavalry, in spite of their skill in evading
the thrust of a lance or the stroke of a sword, had suffered severe
loss, and many were stretched on the ground. Among them was the body of
a very powerful man, who had carried a handsome lance. As Mr. M’Ghee
found himself without arms, in a rather dangerous position, he thought
he would arm himself with the lance, and began to dismount.
As he took his foot from the stirrup, the supposed dead man sprang to
his feet, lance in hand, and showed fight. An officer just then rode to
the rescue with his revolver, and shot the Tartar in the back. The man
fell, but rose again, charged the officer with his lance, unhorsed him,
and made off, but was killed by a lance thrust from a Sikh horseman.
The fact was, his horse had been killed in battle, and he meant to
feign death until he could find an opportunity of slipping away. Even
the wounded men, knowing nothing of the amenities of civilized war, and
expecting no quarter, used to fire at the enemy when they lay writhing
with pain on the ground.
These Tartar soldiers are commanded by a general belonging to their own
people, and his immediate subordinate is almost invariably a Tartar
also. The office of Tartar general is one of great importance, because,
as the Emperor is always of a Tartar family, it is thought that the
safety of his person and dynasty ought to be confided not to a Chinese,
but to a Tartar. The lieutenant-general, who serves under him, though
his post is perhaps the least lucrative in the Imperial household, is
glad to hold the appointment, because he is usually selected to succeed
to the generalship.
The chief weapons of these soldiers are the bow and the spear, the
sword and fire-arms playing a comparatively subordinate part. Being
good riders, they naturally take to the spear, the true weapon of a
horseman, and are drilled in the various modes of delivering a thrust,
and of avoiding one, the latter feat being performed with a dexterity
almost equalling that of a Camanchee Indian. Although they carry
fire-arms with them, they really place little dependence on the heavy,
clumsy weapons which they use, that require two men to fire them, and
generally knock down the firer by the recoil. Nor do they care very
much for the improved fire-arms of Europeans, for, as one warrior said,
guns get out of order, spears and swords do not.
The bow of the Tartar (which has spread throughout all China) is
much on the principle of the reversed bows which have already been
described, though the curve is not so continuous. The bow is nearly
straight for the greater part of its length, and then takes an abrupt
curve within a foot or so of each end. One of these bows, in my
collection, is nearly six feet in length, and measures two inches in
width. About seven inches from each end, a broad piece of bone nearly
an inch in length is fixed to the bow, so that the string passes over
it, and does not strike against the wood.
The strength of these bows is enormous, varying, according to our mode
of reckoning, from sixty to ninety pounds. The weapon is strung in
manner somewhat resembling that which has already been described in
connection with Indian bows. It must be done in a moment, or not at
all, and the only method of doing so is, by placing it behind the right
thigh and in front of the left, and then bending it with a sudden stoop
of the body, at the same time slipping the loop of the string into
its notch. My own weapon is so powerful that I can scarcely make any
impression upon it, though I have used my best efforts.
The soldiers undergo a vast amount of practice in the use of this
weapon, of which they are as proud as were the English archers of their
long-bow and cloth-yard arrow. They have a saying, that the first and
most important duty of a soldier is to be a good archer, and that a man
ought even to sleep with a bow in his hands. In order to instruct them
in the proper attitude of an archer, they have invented a simple piece
of machinery, by means of which the soldier undergoes a vast amount of
“position drill,” so that he may learn to keep his body straight and
firm, his shoulders immovable, and his hands in the right position.
From a beam or branch are suspended two rings, which can be moved up
and down, to suit the height of the learner. The young archer places
his hands in the rings as far as the wrists, and then goes through the
various movements of the weapon. When he can satisfy his instructor, a
bow is placed in his hands, and he then practises the art of drawing
the string to its proper tension. Lastly, he has an arrow besides, and
shoots it repeatedly. The head of the arrow is blunted, and the target
is a piece of stout leather, hung loosely at a little distance, so that
it partially yields to the arrow, and allows the missile to fall to the
ground.
The arrow corresponds to the bow. One of these missiles in my
collection is three feet three inches in length. It is made of some
light wood, and is terminated by a flat, spear-shaped head, two inches
long and one inch wide. The other end of the arrow is expanded, so as
to allow a large “nock” for the reception of the thick string, and is
bound with fish-skin as far as the feathers, which are exactly a foot
in length. The shaft is extremely slight in comparison with the length
of the arrow.
These men train their muscular powers to a great extent, and have
several exercises for this purpose. One of them is called Suay-tau, or
throwing the weight. They have a nearly square stone, weighing rather
more than fifty pounds, and having a handle in a hollow cut in its
upper surface.
The men mark out a square on the ground, and the players stand at some
distance apart. One of them takes the stone, swings it once or twice,
and hurls it in the air toward the next player. It is thrown with such
skill that the hollow always comes uppermost, and the stone descends
into the hand with a shock that makes the man spin round on his heels.
The same movement, however, is utilized to give force to the stone;
and so the players pass this heavy weight from one to the other with
apparent ease, and with the regularity of a machine. A similar exercise
is conducted with a heavy sand-bag.
It may easily be imagined how such men would vanquish in battle the
comparatively sluggish Chinese, and how they would impose upon them
many of their manners and customs. But, though they succeeded in their
conquest, though they changed the dress of the Chinese, though they
placed a Tartar monarch on the throne, and though they have been the
chief military power in China, they have themselves suffered a far
severer, though slower, conquest at the hands of the vanquished.
The Chinese, being essentially a contemplative and intellectual nation,
care very little for military ability, so that the lowest civil
mandarin feels a thorough contempt for the highest military mandarin,
because the active life of the latter precludes him from following up
those peculiar studies which can raise a Chinese from the state of a
peasant to that of the highest in the land. Especially do the Chinese
despise their intellectual capacities, though they may appreciate and
utilize their bodily strength and military prowess. “The Tartars,” said
a Chinese shopkeeper, “are cows.”
The extraordinary reaction of the vanquished upon their conquerors is
admirably put by Mr. Fleming, in his “Travels on Horseback in Mantchu
Tartary.”
“By dint of their extraordinary industry, thrifty habits, an unceasing
desire to accumulate wealth by any amount of plodding, cunning, or
hardship, the Chinaman has wormed himself beyond the Great Wall, built
towns and villages, cultivated every rood of land, and is at once the
farmer and the trader everywhere. He claims the best part of Mantchuria
as his own, and dares even to scandalize the Tartar race in their own
capital, though it is barely two centuries since that race filed in
long cavalry troops through those gates at Shan-kis-Kwan, and were
introduced by an indiscreet Chinese general to the vast empire which
they soon conquered and sternly governed.
“Now the Chinese seem the conquerors, for they have not only obtained
possession of the land, and converted it into a region thoroughly
Chinese, but they have imposed their language, their habits and
customs, and every trait belonging to them, on those of the original
occupants who choose to mix with them, and ousted out every grim old
banner-man who would not condescend to shopkeeping, or handling the
spade or plough.
“There is not the most trifling Mantchu word to designate town, hamlet,
mountain, or river, in use among the people nowadays, and anything
that might at all tell of the character and power of the original
proprietors is entirely effaced. If the Mantchus obtained possession
of the Dragon Throne at Pekin, partly by force of arms in military
prowess, and partly by perfidy, aided by rebellions among the Chinese
themselves; if they compelled the hundreds of millions over whom they
found cause to rule to alter their dress, wear tails, and perhaps
smoke tobacco,--the people thus subjugated have made ample retaliation
by wiping out every trace of their invaders in their own country,
and leaving the existence of the usurpers all but traditionary in
the metropolis where, two hundred years ago, they held their court,
and where one of their kings boldly vowed vengeance for seven great
grievances that he imagined had been brought on him by the Chinese
Emperor.
“Nothing prevents the invasion of the Corea by these wonderful Chinese
but the high palisade that keeps them within the limits of Mantchuria.
For, if once they got a footing in that country, the Coreans would
suffer the same fate as the Mantchus, and there is no telling when
these sons of Ham would stop in their bloodless aggrandizement and
territorial acquisitiveness.”
[Illustration: REPEATING CROSSBOW. (From my Collection.) (See page
1434.)]
CHAPTER CLIII.
CHINA.
APPEARANCE--DRESS--FOOD.
APPEARANCE OF THE CHINESE -- MODE OF PLAITING THE “TAIL” -- THE
CHINESE BARBER -- THE REFUSE HAIR AND ITS USES -- CEREMONIOUS
EMPLOYMENT OF THE TAIL -- DRESSING THE HAIR OF THE WOMEN -- MUTUAL
ASSISTANCE -- POWDER FOR THE SKIN, AND MODE OF APPLYING IT -- SMALL
FEET OF THE CHINESE WOMEN -- ORIGIN AND DATE OF THE CUSTOM OF
COMPRESSING THE FEET -- DRESS OF THE WOMEN -- DRESS OF THE MEN --
THE “BUTTON” OF RANK -- SYSTEM OF EXAMINATION -- INGENIOUS MODES OF
EVASION -- EXCEPTION IN FAVOR OF OLD AGE -- THE FAN AND ITS VARIOUS
USES -- CHINESE LANTERNS -- THE “STALKING-HORSE LANTERN” -- FEAST OF
LANTERNS -- THE GREAT DRAGON -- CHOPSTICKS, AND THE MODE OF USING
THEM -- THE CASE OF CHOPSTICKS -- FOOD OF THE CHINESE -- LIVING CRABS
-- BIRDS’-NEST SOUP -- TEA, AND MODE OF PREPARATION.
We now come to China, a country of such extent, so thickly populated,
and containing so many matters of interest, that justice could not be
fully done if an entire volume were devoted to it. We will therefore
restrict ourselves to a selection of those particulars in which the
Chinese appear to offer the greatest contrast to Europeans.
The appearance of the Chinese possess many of the characteristics of
the Tartar, both nations being different branches of the same great
family. The Chinese, however, are, as a rule, of a less determined and
manly cast than the Tartars, and have about them a sort of effeminacy
which accounts for the conquest suffered at their hands.
One of the chief peculiarities in a Chinaman’s appearance is his
“tail.” This mode of dressing the hair was imposed upon the Chinese by
the Tartars, and has remained in full force ever since. The Tae-ping
rebels, however, viewing the “tail” as an ignominious sign of conquest,
refuse to wear it, and allow the whole of their hair to grow.
With the loyal Chinese, however, the tail has become quite an
institution, and they regard it with the same sort of reverence which
is felt by an Arab, a Turk, or a Persian for his beard. It is scarcely
possible to punish a Chinaman more severely than by cutting off his
tail, and, though he may supply its place with an artificial tail
curiously woven into the hair, he feels the indignity very keenly.
Sometimes, when two men are to be punished severely, they are tied
together by their tails, and exposed to the derision of the public.
The tail bears some resemblance to the scalp-lock of the American
Indian, but it includes very much more hair than is comprehended in
the scalp-lock. The Chinaman shaves the hair from his forehead and
round the temples, but leaves a circular patch of tolerable size, the
hair of which is allowed to grow to its full length. Sometimes, if the
patch be not large enough to nourish a sufficient quantity of hair to
produce a good tail, it is enlarged by allowing more and more hair to
grow at each successive shaving. On an average, the head is shaved once
in ten days, and no one would venture to go into good society unless
the hair of his head were clean shaven. As for his face, he has so few
hairs upon it, that he does not trouble the barber very much with his
countenance.
Owing to the position of the tail, a man cannot dress it properly
without aid, and, chiefly for this purpose, the peripatetic barber has
become quite an institution in China. All the materials of his trade
are carried at the ends of a bamboo pole, which the barber carries in
yoke fashion across his shoulders. When his services are required, he
puts down his load, arranges his simple apparatus in a few moments, and
sets to work upon the cherished tail of his customer.
Very little capital is required to set up a barber in trade. There is
the razor, a most primitive triangle of steel, two inches long by one
inch wide, which cost, perhaps, three half-pence, or twopence if it be
of the best kind. There is the linen strop, which costs a penny, and a
bamboo seat and table, which cost, perhaps, twopence each. There is one
expensive article, namely, the brass basin, but, as a rule, a Chinese
barber can be well set up in trade at the expenditure of about six or
seven shillings, and can make a good living by his business. This sum
includes a supply of black silk, wherewith to supplement the tails of
his customers, and a few locks of real hair, with which he can supply
artificial tails in cases where they are denied by nature.
The customer always holds a sort of basin in which to catch the
clippings of hair. These are preserved, not from any superstitious
ideas, as is the case in many parts of the world, but are put aside
for the hair collector, who makes his daily rounds with his basket oil
his back. The contents of the basket are carefully utilized. The long
hair combed from women’s heads is separated and made into false tails
for the men, while the short pieces shaven from men’s heads are used as
manure, a tiny pinch of hair being inserted into the ground with each
seed or plantlet. In consequence of the universal practice of shaving
the head and wearing a tail, the number of barbers is very great, and
in 1858 they were said to exceed seven thousand in Canton alone.
The right management of the tail is, among the Chinese, what the
management of the hat is among ourselves. For example, it is a mark
of respect to allow the tail to hang at full length, and any one who
ventured to address an equal without having his tail hanging down his
back would be thought as boorish as would an Englishman who went into
a lady’s drawing-room without removing his hat. When the people are at
work, they always coil the cherished tail round their heads, so as to
get it out of the way; but if a man of superior rank should happen to
pass, down go all the tails at once.
[Illustration: MUTUAL ASSISTANCE.]
During the late war in China, the common people soon found that the
English, in their ignorance of Chinese customs, did not trouble
themselves whether the tails hung down their backs or were twisted
round their heads. Accordingly, Oriental-like, they took advantage
of this ignorance, and, though they would lower their tails for the
meanest official who happened to pass near them, they made no sign even
when an English general came by. However, one of the English officers
discovered this _ruse_, and every now and then one of them used to go
through the streets and compel every Chinaman to let down his tail.
The tail is never entirely composed of the hair of the wearer.
Sometimes it is almost wholly artificial, a completely new tail being
fixed to a worn-out stump, and, as a general rule, the last eighteen
inches are almost entirely made of black silk. Besides being a mark
of fashion, the tail is often utilized. A sailor, for example, will
tie his hat to his head with his tail when the wind rises, and a
schoolmaster sometimes uses his tail in lieu of a cane.
Absurd as the tail looks when worn by any except a Chinese or Tartar,
it certainly does seem appropriate to their cast of countenance, and it
is to be doubted whether the Tartar conquerors did not confer a benefit
instead of inflicting an injury on the Chinese by the enforcement of
the tail.
The hair of the women is not shaven, but on the contrary, additions
are made to it. While they are unmarried, it hangs down the back in a
long queue, like that of the men; but when they marry, it is dressed
in various fantastic forms. There is a very fashionable ornament in
China, called the “butterfly’s wings.” This is a quantity of false
hair made in fanciful imitation of a huge butterfly, and fastened to
the back of a woman’s head. Fashions, however, vary in different parts
of China, and even in the same locality the women are not tied to the
absolute uniformity which distinguishes the hair of the men. One mode
of hair-dressing which is very prevalent makes the hair look very much
like a teapot, the long tresses being held in their place by a strong
cement made from wood shavings. Another mode of hair-dressing which
prevails in Northern China is thus described by Mr. Fleming: “Here it
is dressed and gummed in the form of an ingot of sycee silver, which is
something in shape like a cream-jug, or an oval cup, wide at the top
and narrow at the bottom, with a piece scooped out of the edge at each
side, and with bright-colored flowers fastened by, or stuck about with
skewers and pins, that stand out like porcupine quills. Though their
necks be ever so dirty, and their faces not much better, yet the hair
must be as exquisitely trimmed and plastered, according to the local
rage, as that in a wax model seen in a London barber’s shop-window.”
In the accompanying illustration two women are shown, who render aid to
each other in arranging their hair after the “teapot” fashion. In the
households of Chinese women, dressing-cases are considered almost the
chief requisites of life. In the drawers are the combs, pins, and paint
for the cheeks and lips, and the white powder which is rubbed into the
skin. This powder is made from white marble, which is broken small
with a hammer, and then thrown into a tub in which revolve two stones
turned by a buffalo, just like the wheels which are used in making
gunpowder. The coarsely ground mass is then transferred, together with
water, to a second mill, in which it is reduced to a mixture like
cream. This creamy substance is then levigated in a succession of tubs,
the sediment of which is taken out and returned to the mill, and the
remainder is allowed to settle, the superfluous water drawn off, and
the sediment pressed, while still moist, into cakes.
When used it is not only rubbed on the skin, but actually worked into
it with string, which is placed on the hands in a sort of cat’s-cradle,
and worked backward and forward until the required effect is produced.
This powder is also used to give rice a factitious whiteness. The
coarser portions are employed for making whitewash and whitening mortar.
Many of the Chinese of both sexes are remarkable for the great length
to which they allow their nails to grow. This is supposed to be a sign
of rank or literary occupation, inasmuch as the nails would be broken
by any laborious work. For this purpose, they are kept carefully oiled
to prevent them from being brittle, and are further preserved by being
enclosed in tubes which slip over the end of the finger. These tubes
are sometimes of bamboo, sometimes of silver, and a few of the most
precious minerals.
The feet of the Chinese women are often more strangely decorated
than their heads. A vast number of the women have their feet cramped
by bandages into a state which renders them little better than mere
pegs on which to walk, or rather totter. It is not only the rich who
are thus deformed, but the poorest often have their feet cramped.
The operation is begun at a very early age, so that the feet of the
full-grown woman may not exceed in size that of a child of five or
six. Bandages are bound firmly round the foot in such a way as to
force it into an arched shape, the heel being pressed forward and the
ball of the foot backward, while the four middle toes are bent under
the foot, and so completely squeezed into its substance that they
almost lose their identity. In fact, the member is made artificially
into a club-foot, which, repugnant as it may be to European eyes, is
the delight of the Chinese, who call it metaphorically by the name of
“golden lily.”
[Illustration: CHINESE WOMAN’S FOOT AND MODEL OF A SHOE.
(From my collection.)]
Clay models of these “golden lilies” are sold at many of the shops;
and as they are very accurate imitations of the foot, and it is almost
impossible to induce a Chinese woman to remove the bandages and exhibit
the member, a representation of one of these models is here given. The
gait of the woman is necessarily reduced to an awkward waddle. There is
no play of the beautiful machinery of the human foot, and the wearer of
the “golden lily” walks exactly as she would do if she had no feet at
all. Indeed, her gait is even more awkward, inasmuch as the weight of
the body is thrown forward upon the great toe, than which nothing can
be imagined more opposed to the real intention of the foot.
Fast walking is impossible with these feet, and running is out of the
question, the women being obliged to support themselves by holding
to walls or other objects, or to balance themselves by holding out
their arms at right angles to their bodies. Indeed, even when walking
quietly in the house, the woman generally leans on the various articles
of furniture as she passes them, the act appearing to be instinctive,
and one of which she is not conscious. Stairs are of course a
difficulty in the way of “golden lilies.” Fortunately, there are not
many stairs in a Chinese dwelling-house, the living rooms of which
are mostly on the ground floor. I have noticed that a small-footed
Chinawoman can ascend stairs easily enough, but that she always holds
by the banisters or wall as she descends.
The deformity in question does not end with the foot. As the toes and
ankles are deprived of motion, the muscles which work them, and which
form the calf of the leg, gradually dwindle away for want of use, so
that from the ankle to the knee the leg is scarcely thicker than a
broomstick.
Utterly hideous as is this deformity, it is coveted by all, and those
who do not possess it try to look as if they did. This they achieve
by making an artificial “golden lily” of wood, putting it into a
fashionable shoe, and fastening the contrivance on the sole of the real
and serviceable foot. Mr. Milne remarks that a nurse, if called up
suddenly in the night, will make her appearance walking firmly on her
full-sized bare feet, instead of hobbling along with the fashionable
waddle which she has been exhibiting by day. By a similar _ruse_, the
boys who enact female parts on the stage imitate not only the feet but
the peculiar walk of the women, and do it with such perfection that no
one who was not in the secret would have the least idea that they are
not what they pretend to be.
Of the origin or date of the custom nothing is known, though there are
various legends which attempt to account for both. One legend, for
example, attributes it to an empress of China named Tan-key, who lived
some three thousand years ago, and who, having club feet by nature,
induced her husband to impose the same deformity on all his female
subjects. Another legend states that a certain empress was discovered
in the chamber of a courtier, and laid the fault on her feet, which
carried her against her will. The emperor accepted the excuse, but cut
off the fore-part of her feet in order to render them more subordinate
for the future. Another legend, which is a very popular one, attributes
the custom to a certain prince named Le-yuh, who in consequence was
condemned to seven hundred years’ torture in the infernal regions, and
to make with his own hands one million shoes for the women.
The dress of the Chinese varies greatly according to the rank of the
individual and the season of the year. Without going into detail,
which would occupy too much time, it is sufficient to say that the
principle of the dress is similar, not only among different classes,
but with the two sexes, the coat and trousers being the principal
articles, modified in material and form according to circumstances.
The dress of a mandarin or noble, and of his wife, may be seen in the
illustration on the 1437th page. The richness of material and beauty of
work displayed in some of these dresses are really marvellous. They are
generally of the most delicate silks, and are covered with embroidery
of such harmonious coloring and exquisite workmanship as no country can
equal.
It is not, however, the richness of dress which denotes rank among the
Chinese. The symbol of social status is simply a spherical “button,”
about as large as a boy’s playing marble, placed on the apex of the
cap. The different colors and materials of the buttons designate the
rank, the “blue ribbon” being a plain red coral button. The possession
of these buttons is an object of high ambition for the Chinese, and
its value is increased by the fact that there is no hereditary rank in
China, and that the coveted button must be earned, and can neither be
purchased nor given by favor.
It can only be gained by passing through a series of examinations,
each increasing in severity, and no candidate for high rank being
permitted to compete unless he can show the certificate that he has
gained the rank immediately below it. The examinations are conducted
in a building expressly made for the purpose. It has double walls,
between which sentinels are continually pacing. The gates are watched
in the strictest manner, and each candidate is locked into a tiny cell,
after having undergone the strictest search in order to ascertain that
he has not carried in any scrap of writing that may help him in the
examination.
The examiners themselves are conveyed from a distance, and surrounded
by troops, so that no one can approach them; and so careful are the
officers who conduct the examination that the examiners are not
allowed to see the original passages written by the candidates, but
only copies made by official scribes. When they have passed a paper as
satisfactory, the original is produced, the two are compared, and not
until then does any one know the name of the writer, which has been
pasted between two leaves.
The precautions are most stringent, but the ingenuity exercised in
evasion sometimes conquers all the barriers set up between a candidate
and external assistance. Sometimes a man, already a graduate, will
manage to substitute himself for the candidate, write all the essays,
and contrive a second change on leaving the place, so that the real
candidate takes up the substituted essays. Sometimes a friend within
the building will learn the subject of the essays, write them in tiny
characters on very thin paper, enclose the paper in wax, and drop it
into the water which is supplied to the candidates. One man of peculiar
daring hit on the plan of getting a friend to tunnel under the walls of
the college, and push the required documents through the floor of the
cell. Should any such attempt be discovered, the candidate is at once
ejected, and disqualified from a second attempt.
The Chinese have good reason to be ambitious of the honors of a button,
as even the very lowest button exempts the wearer from military service
and from arrest by the police. The bearer of this coveted symbol
becomes at once one of the privileged classes; he wears an official
costume when he likes, and is qualified to enter as candidate for still
higher honors. Such privileges are worth much trouble to obtain, and
accordingly the rejected candidates will enter the examination year
after year, even until they are gray-headed. With the respect for old
age which is one of the most pleasing characteristics of the Chinese,
there is a law that if a man should attend the examinations annually
until he is eighty years of age, and still be unable to pass, he is
invested with an honorary degree, and may wear the button and official
dress _honoris causâ_. The same rule holds good with the higher degrees.
The very highest posts in the kingdom are denoted by a peacock’s
feather, which falls down the side of the cap. The gradations in rank
of the feather wearers are marked by the number of “eyes” in the
ornament, the summit of a Chinaman’s ambition being to wear a feather
with three eyes, denoting a rank only inferior to that of the Emperor.
There is one article common to all ranks and both sexes, and equally
indispensable to all. This is the fan, an article without which
a Chinaman is never seen. The richer people carry the fan in a
beautifully embroidered case hung to their girdles; but the poorer
class content themselves with sticking it between the collar of the
jacket and the back of the neck. Whenever the hand is not actually
at work on some task, the fan is in it, and in motion, not violently
agitated, as is mostly the case in Europe, but kept playing with a
gentle, constant, and almost imperceptible movement of the wrist, so as
to maintain a continuous though slight current of air.
Sometimes, in very hot weather, a stout mandarin will quietly lift up
the skirts of his jacket, place his fan under the garment, and send a
current of cool air round his body; and this done, he drops the skirts
afresh into their place, and directs the refreshing breeze over his
countenance. Sometimes it is used by way of a parasol, the man holding
it over his head as he walks along. Sometimes the schoolmaster uses it
by way of a ferule, and raps his pupils unmercifully on the knuckles;
and so inveterate is the use of the fan, that soldiers, while serving
their guns, have been observed quietly fanning themselves in the midst
of a brisk fire of shot, shell, and bullets.
The materials and patterns of Chinese fans are innumerable. They are
made of paper, silk, satin, palm-leaf, wood, feathers, horn, or ivory.
Some of them are made so that when they are opened from left to right
they form very good fans, but when spread from right to left all the
sticks fall apart, and look as if they never could be united again.
Those which are made of paper have various patterns painted or printed
on them, and thousands are annually sold on which are complete maps of
the larger Chinese cities, having every street and lane marked. Those
which are made of silk or satin are covered with the most exquisite
embroidery; while the horn and ivory fans are cut into patterns so
slight and so delicate that they look more like lace than the material
of which they really are composed. The wooden fans are made in much the
same way, though the workmanship is necessarily coarser: the material
of these fans is sandal-wood, the aromatic odor of which is much prized
by the Chinese.
Choice sentences and aphorisms from celebrated authors are often
written on the fan; and it is the custom for Chinese gentlemen to
exchange autographs written on each other’s fans. The price of these
fans varies according to the material and workmanship, common ones
being worth about four or five for a penny, while a first-class fan
will cost several pounds.
The lantern is almost as characteristic of the Chinese as the fan,
inasmuch as every one who goes abroad after dark is obliged by law to
carry a lantern, whereas he need not carry a fan unless he chooses.
These lanterns have of late years become very common in England,
the subdued light which they give through their colored envelopes
having a very pretty effect at night, especially in conservatories.
There is a wonderful variety of these lanterns, some of them being
most complicated in structure, enormous in size, and hung round with
an intricate arrangement of scarlet tassels. Others are made of a
balloon-like shape, the framework being a delicate net of bamboo, over
which is spread a sheet of very thin paper saturated with varnish, so
that it is nearly as transparent as glass. Figures of various kinds are
painted upon the lantern, and so great is the sale of these articles,
that many artists make a good living by painting them. Generally, when
a man buys a lantern, he purchases a plain one, and then takes it to
the painter to be decorated. The name of the owner is often placed upon
his lantern, together with his address, and sometimes the lantern is
used as a representative of himself.
Many of the lanterns shut up flat, on the principle of the fan; some of
them open out into cylinders, and some into spherical and oval shapes.
One of the most ingenious of these articles is the “stalking-horse
lantern,” which is only used for festivals. It is of large size, and
contains several tapers. Above the tapers is a horizontal paddle-wheel,
which is set revolving by the current of air caused by the flame, and
from the wheel silk threads are led to a series of little automaton
figures of men, women, birds, beasts, etc., all of which move their
arms, legs, and wings as the wheel runs round. A good specimen of this
lantern is really a wonderful piece of work, the threads crossing each
other in the most complicated style, but never getting out of order.
So completely is the Chinaman a lantern-carrying being, that, during
our war in China, when a battery had been silenced by our fire in a
night attack, and the garrison driven out, the men were seen running
away in all directions, each with a lighted lantern in his hand, as if
to direct the aim of the enemy’s musketry.
In connection with this subject, the celebrated Feast of Lanterns must
not be omitted. In this remarkable ceremony, every lantern that can be
lighted seems to be used, and the Chinese on this occasion bring out
the complicated “stalking-horse lantern” which has just been described.
The chief object, however, is the Great Dragon. The body of the Dragon
is made of a number of lanterns, each as large as a beer barrel, and
having large candles fastened within it. Nearly a hundred of these
joints are sometimes used in the construction of a single Dragon,
each joint being tied to its neighbor, so as to keep them at the same
distance from each other. At one end is an enormous head with gaping
jaws, and at the other is a tail of proportionate dimensions.
This Dragon is carried through the streets and villages, and has a most
picturesque effect as it goes winding along its course, the bearers
contriving to give it an undulating movement by means of the sticks to
which the different joints are attached. A similar festival is held
in the autumn. Accompanying the Dragon are a number of men dressed in
various fantastic ways, as representations of the attendants of the
gods. Some of them have heads like oxen, others like horses, and they
are all armed with curious pronged weapons. Then there are simulated
giants and dwarfs, the former being carried on the shoulders of men
whose legs are concealed by the robes of the image, and the latter by
boys whose heads are received into the hats which the images wear. In
neither instance do the bearers trouble themselves to conceal their
faces.
Various ceremonies of a like nature are enacted, of which no
description can be given for want of space.
* * * * *
Of the Chinaman’s social habits none has been more widely known
than the use of the “chopsticks,” or the two little rods by means
of which the solid food is eaten. This is not the Chinese name, but
is one invented by foreigners, who have employed the term as a sort
of equivalent for the “kwai-tsze,” or nimble-lads, as they are very
appropriately termed by the Chinese. Originally they were simply two
slips of bamboo, but now they are of wood, bone, ivory, or sometimes
silver. Two pairs of chopsticks in my collection are nearly ten inches
in length, and about as thick at the base as a small goose-quill,
tapering gradually to half the thickness at the tip.
Much misunderstanding prevails as to the use of the chopsticks, many
persons supposing that they are held one in each hand, after the manner
of knives and forks in Europe. These curious implements are both held
in the right hand after the following manner: One of them is taken much
as a pen is held, except that, instead of being held by the thumb and
forefinger, it passes between the tips of the second and third fingers.
This chopstick is always kept stationary. The second chopstick is held
lightly between the thumb and forefinger, and can be worked so as to
press with its tip against the point of the other, and act after the
manner of pincers.
The adroitness displayed by the Chinese in the use of these implements
is worthy of all admiration. I have seen them pick up single grains of
rice with the chopsticks, dip them in soy, and carry them to the mouth
with perfect precision; and, indeed, after some few lessons, I could do
it tolerably well myself. In eating rice after the usual manner, the
tips of the chopsticks are crossed, and the rice lifted with them as if
on a spoon. If, however, the man be very hungry, he does not trouble
himself about such refinement, but holds the bowl to his lips, and
scoops the rice into his mouth with a celerity that must be seen to be
believed. In point of speed a spoon would be nothing compared with the
chopstick.
The reader must understand that the Chinese never carve at table,
thinking that to do so is an utterly barbarous and disgusting custom.
The meat is brought to table ready cut up into small morsels, which can
be taken up with the chopsticks. The only use made of a knife at table
is to separate any small pieces of meat that may adhere together; and
for this purpose, a narrow, long-bladed knife is generally kept in the
same sheath with the chopstick.
As a rule, every Chinaman who can afford so cheap a luxury has his
chopstick-case hanging from his girdle. The case is made of different
materials, such as shagreen, tortoise shell, and ivory. Specimens of
the two latter kinds of case are in my collection. The ordinary case
contains the two chopsticks, the knife, and a flat ivory toothpick.
Sometimes, however, a wealthy man will carry a much more complicated
set of table apparatus. Besides the usual chopsticks, the knife,
and the toothpick, there is a spoon for eating soup, a neat little
quatrefoil saucer for soy, and a peculiar two-pronged fork, with its
prongs united in the middle by a floriated ornament.
As to the food of the Chinese, it varies according to the wealth of
the individual, so that a man of property would not think of eating
the food which the poor man thinks luxurious. In fact, it is much the
same as with ourselves, so that it is impossible to make the dietary
of one station the sample for that of the nation in general. There
are, perhaps, one or two articles of food which ought to be casually
mentioned. One, which is not generally known, is rather graphically
described by Mr. Milne: “Like other Chinese, he” (_i. e._ a Chinese
officer named Le) “invited me to dine with him on an early day after
our acquaintance was formed. On this occasion I met at his table with a
peculiar dish, which I had never seen under the roof of any other host,
though I was informed that it was not a monopoly of Mr. Le’s taste.
“When our party of six had seated themselves at the centre table, my
attention was attracted by a covered dish, something unusual at a
Chinese meal. On a certain signal, the cover was removed, and presently
the face of the table was covered with juvenile crabs, which made
their exodus from the dish with all possible rapidity. The crablets
had been thrown into a plate of vinegar just as the company sat down,
such an immersion making them more brisk and lively than usual. But
the sprightly sport of the infant crabs was soon checked by each guest
seizing which he could, dashing it into his mouth, and swallowing the
whole morsel without ceremony.
“Determined to do as the Chinese did, I tried this novelty also with
one. With two I succeeded, finding the shell soft and gelatinous,
for they were tiny creatures, not more than a day or two old. But
I was compelled to give in to the third, who had resolved to take
vengeance, and gave my lower lip a nip so sharp and severe as to make
me relinquish my hold, and likewise desist from any further experiment
of this nature.”
The celebrated birds’-nests, which the Chinese convert into soup,
are not, as some persons seem to think, made of sticks, and straws,
and wool, but are formed from the gelatinous substance obtained by
masticating a sort of seaweed. The nests are transparent, as if made of
gelatine, and when placed in hot water they dissolve as readily. The
nest, when dissolved, is very much like the well-known “Irish moss,”
or carrageen; and I fully believe that, if the Chinese were to obtain
the seaweed itself, and prepare it like the nests, it would answer
every purpose. I possess specimens both of the seaweed and the nest,
and, after tasting both, have found them to be identical in flavor
and consistence. And, as the seaweed might be obtained for about ten
shillings per hundredweight, and the finest kind of nest costs eight
hundred pounds for the same amount, the importation of the seaweed
instead of the nests from Java might be a good speculation.
With regard to the great staple of the country, namely tea, very little
can be said here. In the first place, the public is very well informed
on the subject, and, in the next, the tea question is so large that it
would occupy far too great space. The mode of preparing tea differs
much from that practised by ourselves. Instead of allowing the tea to
be made and then to stand for a considerable time, the Chinaman puts
a little tea into a cup, pours boiling _rain_-water on it, inverts
the saucer over it, so as to prevent the aroma from escaping, and
drinks it immediately, using the saucer as a strainer whereby to keep
the tea-leaves out of his mouth. As to adulterating the tea with such
abominations as cream and sugar, he would be horrified at the idea. The
Chinese never use milk for themselves, though of late years they have
learned to milk their buffaloes for the service of the foreigner, and
they consume sugar in almost every shape except in tea.
We who use either of these accessories cannot understand the true
flavor of tea, the aroma of which is as much destroyed by such
admixture as would be that of the choicest wine. Even those who do
not spoil their tea in the usual manner can seldom know what the best
tea is, because it is never sent to this country. Not in China can
a foreigner purchase it, as it is not made for general sale, but is
reserved for “cumshaws,” or presents.
CHAPTER CLIV.
CHINA--_Continued_.
WARFARE.
WEAPONS OF THE CHINESE -- BREECH-LOADING CANNON -- VARIOUS FORMS OF
THE JINGALL -- CHINESE ARTILLERYMEN AND THEIR MAGAZINE -- BOWS AND
ARROWS -- THE REPEATING CROSS-BOW AND ITS MECHANISM -- CONSTRUCTION
OF THE ARROWS -- CHINESE SWORDS -- THE DOUBLE SWORD, AND MODE OF
USING IT -- TWO-HANDED SWORDS -- CRUELTY OF THE VICTORS -- VARIOUS
MODES OF TORTURE -- KNEELING ON THE CHAIN -- THE CANGUE -- FINGER
AND ANKLE SQUEEZING -- USE OF TORTURE IN MONEY-GETTING -- THE LARGE
AND SMALL BAMBOO -- MODE OF EVADING IT -- EXPOSURE IN A CAGE --
THE HOT-WATER SNAKE -- CAPITAL PUNISHMENTS -- SUICIDE BY ORDER --
STRANGLING -- CRUCIFIXION PREFERRED TO BEHEADING -- EXECUTION OF A
THIEF -- SAWING ASUNDER -- CONDUCT OF THE MANDARINS -- THE “UMBRELLA
OF A THOUSAND PEOPLE” -- THE ROBE OF HONOR -- TRANSFER OF RANK.
Without going into the question of warfare in China, we will mention
one or two of the characteristic weapons.
Fire-arms have apparently been known to them for ages, but in all the
years that we have been acquainted with China, no improvement has been
made in these weapons, the cannon, the jingall, and the hand-gun being
as rude and ineffective as they were two centuries ago. The cannon are
little more than thick tubes of iron, mostly hooped to strengthen them,
and of various lengths and bores. As to preserving any exactness of
size in the bores, the Chinese care little for it, and if the ball is
too small to fit the cannon, they wrap it up in cotton and then push it
upon the powder. Wadding is thought to be needless in fire-arms. It is
rather remarkable, however, that the Chinese have used breech-loading
cannon from time immemorial. Each of these guns is supplied with
several separate chambers, which can be kept loaded, and dropped one by
one into the aperture of the gun as fast as they can be fired.
Clumsy as may be the jingall, it appears to be the most efficient
of the Chinese firearms. It looks something like a duck-gun, and is
supposed to carry an ounce ball, though the missiles sent from it are
generally of a very miscellaneous character. Some of these guns are
pivoted and fixed on tripod stands, while others are either supported
on the shoulder of an assistant gunner while the firer takes aim, or
rest upon two supports which are pivoted to the stock not very far from
the muzzle of the gun. Of the manner in which the jingall is fired,
Captain Blakiston gives a very amusing account, the whole proceeding
having a very ludicrous aspect to an English artillery officer.
“We explained to them that we should like to see some practice with
their artillery, on which the bombardier, as he seemed to be, went to
the powder magazine, which was an old sack carefully tied up and lying
under a bed in the hut, and brought forth the charge in a tea-cup. Then
he mounted on a stool, and poured the powder in at the muzzle; the
jingall was thumped on the ground, and with a long bamboo, which served
as a ramrod, they rammed the powder home. A little of the already soft
powder was then mealed, and the touch-hole filled with it.
“One man then held on tight to the butt, while another, coming out
with a hot poker, discharged the weapon, the effect of which in noise
and smoke was marvellous; but the poor fellow who was doing the
marksman was knocked heels over head backward. He seemed, however,
quite accustomed to that sort of thing, for, picking himself up in a
minute, he performed what I certainly took for the _coup d’état_ of the
whole proceeding. Suddenly swinging round the jingall on its pivot,
he applied his mouth to the muzzle, and blew violently down it, which
sent the remaining sparks flying out of the vent, and then swung it
back into its former position, by which manœuvre he nearly knocked my
companion off his legs.
“The piece was then left with its muzzle inclined well upward, so that
any rain which might fall would trickle nicely down the barrel and
accumulate at the breech. The picket seemed to be without any shot
for their jingall, for we tried to get them to put one in, so that we
might fire across the bows of our junks, in order to test the courage
of the boat coolies. Probably shot are not used in the warfare of the
interior: our after experience was favorable to this supposition.”
Captain Blakiston rather maliciously adds, that the picket was placed
there for the purpose of giving an alarm by running away as soon as any
body of rebels might come in sight.
I possess a specimen of the jingall. It is exactly seven feet in
length, and is, in fact, nothing more than a heavy iron tube mounted on
a stock, and supplied with the rudest imaginable arrangement for the
match. Altogether, I think that the risk of firing it would be rather
greater than that of being fired at with it.
As for the bow and arrow, they are substantially the same as that which
has been described when treating of the Tartars, the weapon having been
taken up by the Chinese, and its use carefully learned after the same
fashion as has been mentioned.
The most characteristic Chinese weapon with which I am acquainted is
the repeating crossbow (shown on page 1425), which, by simply working a
lever backward and forward, drops the arrows in succession in front of
the string, draws the bow, shoots the missile, and supplies its place
with another. The particular weapon from which the drawings are taken
was said to have been one of the many arms which were captured in the
Peiho fort.
It is not at all easy to describe the working of this curious bow, but,
with the aid of the illustration, I will try to make it intelligible.
The bow itself is made of three strong, separate pieces of bamboo,
overlapping each other like the plates of a carriage-spring, which
indeed it exactly resembles. This is mounted on a stock, and, as the
bow is intended for wall defence, it is supported in the middle by a
pivot. So far, we have a simple crossbow; we have now to see how the
repeating machinery is constructed. Upon the upper surface of the stock
lies an oblong box, which we will call the “slide.” It is just wide and
long enough to contain the arrows, and is open above, so as to allow
them to be dropped into it. When in the slide, the arrows necessarily
lie one above the other, and, in order to prevent them from being
jerked out of the slide by the shock of the bowstring, the opening can
be closed by a little wooden shutter which slides over it.
Through the lower part of the slide a transverse slit is cut, and the
bowstring is led through this cut, so that the string presses the slide
upon the stock. Now we come to the lever. It is shaped like the Greek
letter π, the cross-piece forming the handle. The lever is jointed to
the stock by an iron pin or bolt, and to the slide by another bolt.
Now, if the lever be worked to and fro, the slide is pushed backward
and forward along the stock, but without any other result.
Supposing that we wish to make the lever draw the bow, we have only
to cut a notch in the under part of the slit through which the string
is led. As the slide passes along the stock, the string by its own
pressure falls into the notch, and is drawn back, together with the
slide, thus bending the bow. Still, however much we may work the lever,
the string will remain in the notch, and must therefore be thrown out
by a kind of trigger. This is self-acting, and is equally simple and
ingenious. Immediately under the notch which holds the string, a wooden
peg plays loosely through a hole. When the slide is thrust forward and
the string falls into the notch, it pushes the peg out of the hole. But
when the lever and slide are drawn backward to their full extent, the
lower end of the peg strikes against the stock, so that it is forced
violently through the hole, and pushes the string out of the notch.
We will now refer to the illustration. Fig. 1 represents the bow as it
appears after the lever and slide have been thrust forward, and the
string has fallen into the notch. Fig. 2 represents it as it appears
when the lever has been brought back, and the string released.
A is the bow, made of three layers of male bamboo, the two outer being
the longest. B is the string. This is made of very thick catgut, as is
needed to withstand the amount of friction which it has to undergo, and
the violent shock of the bow. It is fastened in a wonderfully ingenious
manner, by a “hitch” rather than a knot, so that it is drawn tighter in
proportion to the tension. It passes round the end of the bow, through
a hole, and then presses upon itself.
C C show the stock, and D is the slide. E is the opening of the slide,
through which the arrows are introduced into it, and it is shown as
partially closed by the little shutter F. The lever is seen at G,
together with the two pins which connect it with the stock and the
slide. H shows the notch in the slide which receives the string. I is
the pivot on which the weapon rests, K is the handle, and L the place
whence the arrows issue.
If the reader should have followed this description carefully, he will
see that the only limit to the rapidity of fire is the quickness with
which the lever can be worked to and fro. As it is thrust forward,
the string drops into its notch, the trigger-peg is set, and an arrow
falls with its butt just in front of the string. When it is drawn
sharply back, the string is released by the trigger-peg, the arrow is
propelled, and another falls into its place. If, therefore, a boy be
kept at work supplying the slide with arrows, a constant stream of
missiles can be poured from this weapon.
The arrows are very much like the “bolts” of the old English cross-bow.
They are armed with heavy and solid steel heads, and are feathered in a
very ingenious manner. The feathers are so slight, that at first sight
they appear as if they were mere black scratches on the shaft. They
are, however, feathers, projecting barely the fiftieth of an inch from
the shaft, but being arranged in a slightly spiral form so as to catch
the air, and impart a rotatory motion to the arrow. By the side of the
cross-bow on Fig. 2 is seen a bundle of the arrows.
The strength of this bow is very great, though not so great as I have
been told. It possesses but little powers of aim, and against a single
and moving adversary would be useless. But for the purpose for which it
is designed, namely, a wall-piece which will pour a series of missiles
upon a body of men, it is a very efficient weapon, and can make itself
felt even against the modern rifle. The range of this bow is said to be
four hundred yards, but I should think that its extreme effective range
is at the most from sixty to eighty yards, and that even in that case
it would be almost useless, except against large bodies of soldiers.
Of swords the Chinese have an abundant variety. Some are single-handed
swords, and there is one device by which two swords are carried in the
same sheath, and are used one in each hand. I have seen the two-sword
exercise performed, and can understand that, when opposed to any
person not acquainted with the weapon, the Chinese swordsman would
be irresistible. But in spite of the two swords, which fly about the
wielder’s head like the sails of a mill, and the agility with which the
Chinese fencer leaps about and presents first one side and then the
other to his antagonist, I cannot but think that any ordinary fencer
would be able to keep himself out of reach, and also to get in his
point, in spite of the whirling blades of his adversary.
Two-handed swords are much used. One of these weapons in my collection
is five feet six inches in length, and weighs rather more than four
pounds and a quarter. The blade is three feet in length and two inches
in width. The thickness of metal at the back is a quarter of an inch
near the hilt, diminishing slightly toward the point. The whole of the
blade has a very slight curve. The handle is beautifully wrapped with
narrow braid, so as to form an intricate pattern.
There is another weapon, the blade of which exactly resembles that
of the two-handed sword, but it is set at the end of a long handle
some six or seven feet in length, so that, although it will indict a
fatal wound when it does strike an enemy, it is a most unmanageable
implement, and must take so long for the bearer to recover himself,
in case he misses his blow, that he would be quite at the mercy of an
active antagonist.
Should they be victorious in battle, the Chinese are cruel conquerors,
and are apt to indict horrible tortures, not only upon their prisoners
of war, but even upon the unoffending inhabitants of the vanquished
land. They carry this love for torture even into civil life, and
display a horrible ingenuity in producing the greatest possible
suffering with the least apparent means of indicting it. For example,
one of the ordinary punishments in China is the compulsory kneeling
bare-legged on a coiled chain. This does not sound particularly
dreadful, but the agony that is caused is indescribable, especially as
two officers stand by the sufferer and prevent him from seeking even a
transient relief by shifting his posture. Broken crockery is sometimes
substituted for the chain.
The most common punishment in China is that of the cangue, a sort of
moveable pillory. A piece of wood, some four feet square and nearly
four inches in thickness, has a hole in the middle, through which the
culprit’s head is passed. The machine opens with a hinge, and when
closed is locked, and a placard designating the offence is pasted on
it. As long as the cangue is worn, the unhappy delinquent cannot feed
himself, so that he would be starved to death were he not fed by casual
contributions. Fortunately, it is considered a meritorious action to
feed a prisoner in the cangue, so that little risk of actual starvation
is run, and the principal terror of the cangue lies in the pain caused
by carrying such a weight upon the neck and shoulders. This instrument
is often worn for weeks and sometimes for three months, which is the
extent of its legal use.
Finger squeezing is another torture which is frequently used. Four
pieces of bamboo are tied loosely together at one end, and a string
passes through the other ends, so arranged that by drawing it they
can be pulled closely together. The fingers are introduced between
the bamboos, and by pulling at the string they can be crushed
almost to pieces. This torture is often employed by the mandarins,
when endeavoring to extort money from persons whom they suspect of
concealing their wealth. The ankles are squeezed after a similar
fashion, only in this case the bamboos are much larger. Both these
modes of torture are shown in the illustration on the next page.
Most of the so-called minor tortures, _i. e._ those which are not
directly aimed at life, are employed for the purpose of extorting
money. The fact is, the mandarins who are set over districts only
have a limited term of office, and may, indeed, be transferred at any
time. As during their term of office they have to make up a certain
sum demanded by their superiors, and have also to keep up considerable
state on a nominal salary, it follows that they oppress the people to
the utmost of their power, looking upon them merely in the light of
tax-producing animals. It is, therefore, no wonder that a Chinaman of
any ability strives for literary rank, and the privilege of wearing the
button, which exempts him from arrest except by imperial order.
Beating with the bamboo is another common punishment. There are two
kinds of bamboo for this purpose, the small and the large; the latter
being capable of producing death if used with severity. Indeed, even
the lesser bamboo, if the blows be struck with the edge, instead of the
flat, bruises the flesh so completely as to bring on mortification, of
which the sufferer is sure to die in a few days. This punishment is
chiefly used by the peculative mandarins, in order to extort money, and
is employed for men and women alike; the only difference being that the
man is thrown prostrate on the ground, while the woman suffers in a
kneeling posture.
A man of forethought, however, never suffers much from the bamboo,
and, if possible, nothing at all. In the former case, he bribes the
executioner, who strikes so as to produce a very effective sounding
blow, but in reality inflicts very little injury. In the latter case,
he bribes a man to act as a substitute, and, just as the first blow
is about to be struck, some of the officers, who are also bribed, get
between the judge and the culprit, while the latter rolls out of the
way, and the substitute takes his place. A similar ruse is enacted at
the completion of the punishment. It may seem strange that any one
should act as a substitute in such a business; but in China men care
little for their skins, or even for their lives, and it is possible to
purchase a substitute even for capital punishment, the chief difficulty
being not to bribe the substitute, but to find enough money to bribe
all the officials, who must act in concert.
Powerful as they may be, the mandarins have not all the power of life
and death, though they can inflict punishments which practically lead
to the same result. Mr. Milne mentions a case of this kind. Two men
had been arrested in the act of robbing a house during a fire. This is
rightly held to be the most heinous kind of theft, and is generally
punished with decapitation. The mandarin of the district had not the
power to inflict death, but contrived to manage that the men should
die. Accordingly, he had two tall bamboo cages made, placed a man
inside each, and tied him by his tail to the top bars of the cage. The
cages were placed in the open air, in charge of officers, who would not
allow any communication with the offenders. The natural consequence
was, that privation of food, drink, sleep, and rest of any kind,
together with exposure to the elements, killed the men as effectually
as the sword of the executioner.
A modification of this mode of punishment is by covering the top of
the cage with a board through a hole in which the head of the sufferer
passes. It is, in fact, a fixed cangue. The top of the cage is adjusted
so that the man is forced to stand on tiptoe as he is suspended by the
neck. His hands being bound behind him, relief is impossible. This mode
of punishment is shown in the last figure but one, on the right-hand
side.
The other figures speak for themselves, except that of the kneeling
figure with snakes coiled round his body. These snakes are tubes of
soft metal, fashioned in the shape of snakes with open mouths. They
are coiled round the naked limbs and body of the sufferer, and boiling
water is then poured into them, producing the most horrible torture.
As to capital punishments, they are inflicted in various ways. The
mode that is thought to be the least terrible is the command to commit
suicide, because in that case they can avoid the mangling of the body,
and so make their appearance in the spirit world whole and entire.
This is a privilege only accorded to officers of very high rank, and
is conferred upon them by sending the “silken cord.” No cord is really
sent, but the mandate implies the instrument of death. When it is
received, the doomed man takes some of his nearest relatives and most
valued friends to his house, fastens the silken cord to a beam, places
himself on a stool, passes the noose round his neck, and then leaps
off the stool, and so dies. Officers of lower rank, when they see that
they will probably be condemned to death, generally anticipate their
sentence by hanging themselves on their own responsibility.
For criminals of no status, strangulation is the mode of death most
preferred. It is accomplished in a manner exactly resembling the
Spanish garrote. The criminal stands with his back to a post, through
which a hole is bored at the level of his neck. The two ends of a
cord are passed through the hole, the loop embracing the man’s neck.
The ends are then twisted round a stick, and, by a few rapid turns
of the stick, the man is killed. The rapidity of the process is such
that Mr. Lockhart mentions an instance where he and a friend saw a
file of soldiers coming along, carrying a pole and a pinioned man in a
basket. They stopped, lashed the pole to an upright post, took the man
out of the basket, tied him to the pole, and strangled him before the
foreigners could find out what they were doing. The strange part of the
business was that the officials had bribed the apparent culprit and his
friends, as they wanted to make the foreigners believe that he was an
opium smuggler, and that they were doing their best to stop the trade.
Truly it is a strange country.
[Illustration: (1.) MANDARIN AND WIFE. (See page 1429.)]
[Illustration: (2.) MODES OF TORTURE. (See page 1436.)]
To beheading the Chinese have the strongest aversion, because they
shrink from the idea of appearing headless in the next world, and
they will therefore do all in their power to avoid it. A most
remarkable instance of the extent to which a Chinaman will go to avoid
decapitation is given in the following extract from a letter to an
Indian newspaper. The man was a well-known and most abandoned criminal,
who with his wife had been arrested.
“On his trial before his judge he refused to criminate himself,
although repeatedly scourged until his back was raw. If a female
witness fails in giving satisfactory evidence in a court of justice,
she is beaten with a leather strap across the mouth. His wife, desirous
of sparing her husband, refused to give evidence, but after two or
three applications of strap her courage gave way. She confessed his
guilt. The prisoner was then sentenced to decapitation,--deemed by the
Chinese to be the most severe of punishments, because they imagine that
if a man leaves this world _minus_ any of his members, he appears in
the same condition in the next. The culprit, therefore, prayed to be
crucified instead of being beheaded.
“The cross was of the Latin form, the foot being inserted in a stout
plank, and the criminal, standing on a board, had nails driven through
his feet, and his hands stretched and nailed to the cross-beam. His
legs were fastened to the cross with an iron chain, and his arms bound
with cords, and on the cord round his waist was inserted a piece of
wood on which was written his name and offence; a similar piece on his
right arm contained his sentence, namely, to remain on the cross night
and day until he died; another on his left arm had the name of the
judge, with his titles and offices.
“The criminal was nailed to the cross inside the Yamun in the presence
of the magistrate, and then carried by four coolies to one of the
principal thoroughfares leading from the city, where he was left during
the day, but removed at night inside the prison for fear of his friends
attempting to rescue him, and again carried forth at daylight in charge
of two soldiers. He was crucified at noon on the Wednesday, and Mr.
Jones conversed with him at five in the evening. He complained of a
pain in the chest, and thirst. On Thursday he slept for some hours,
when the cross was laid down within the jail compound. No one was
allowed to supply him with food or drink, and during the day there
was quite a fair in front of the cross, people being attracted from a
distance, and the sweetmeat venders driving a large trade.
“On Saturday he was still alive, when the Taotai was appealed to by a
foreigner to put an end to the wretch’s sufferings, and he immediately
gave orders that the vinegar should be administered, which he expected
would produce immediate death; but the result was otherwise, and at
sunset, when the cross was taken within the jail, two soldiers with
stout bamboos broke both his legs, and then strangled him.”
It is no matter of wonder that the woman confessed her husband’s guilt,
for the face is sometimes beaten with a hard leather strap until the
jaws are broken, and the whole of the lips fall from them. In all
probability she was quite as guilty as her husband, so that she was not
altogether deserving of pity.
Decapitation is always conducted with much judicial solemnity, and,
as a rule, is restricted to certain seasons of the year, when large
batches of criminals are executed. There are, however, occasional
exceptions to the rule. The instrument employed is a sword made
expressly for the purpose. It is a two-handed weapon, very heavy, and
with a very broad blade. The executioners pride themselves on their
skill in its management, and, in order to show their powers, will draw
a black-ink line round a turnip, and sever it at a blow, the cut never
passing on either side of the line. Before a man is admitted to be an
executioner, he is obliged to prove his ability by this test.
The criminal is carried to the place of execution in a bamboo cage,
and by his side is the basket in which his head will be removed. He
is pinioned in a very effective manner. The middle of a long and thin
rope is passed across the back of his neck, and the ends are crossed on
the chest, and brought under the arms. They are then twisted round the
arms, the wrists tied together behind the back, and the ends fastened
to the portion of rope upon the neck. A slip of paper containing his
name, crime, and sentence is fixed to a reed, and stuck at the back of
his head. See illustration No. 1, on page 1451.
On arriving at the place of execution, the officials remove the paper,
and take it to the presiding mandarin, who writes on it in red ink
the warrant for execution. The paper is then replaced, a rope loop is
passed over the head of the culprit, and the end given to an assistant,
who draws the head forward so as to stretch the neck, while a second
assistant holds the body from behind; and in a moment the head is
severed from the body. The head is taken away, and generally hung up
in a bamboo cage near the scene of the crime, with a label announcing
the name and offence of the criminal, and the name of the presiding
mandarin by whose order he was executed. In some places these heads are
unpleasantly numerous. In many cases the rope and assistants are not
employed.
There is even a lower depth of degradation than mere beheading. This
is called “cutting into small pieces.” Before striking the fatal blow,
the executioner makes long but not deep cuts on the face and in all the
fleshy parts of the body, taking care to avoid the chief blood-vessels,
so that when the culprit is released by the loss of his head, he may
enter the next world not only without a head, but with scarcely any
flesh on his bones.
The last of the punishments which will be mentioned in this work is
that of sawing asunder, a punishment which of late years has been but
rarely inflicted, and we may hope is dying out, though in reality it
does not cause nearly as much pain to the sufferer as many of the minor
punishments. The mode in which it is performed may be seen from an
anecdote related by Mr. Fleming, in the work which has been already
quoted. There was a distinguished Imperial officer named Sun-kwei who
was taken prisoner by the rebel leader Kih-yung. Knowing the ability
of his prisoner, the rebel leader offered to spare his life on the
condition that he would accept a command in his army. Sun-kwei flatly
refused to do so, saying that as he was defeated he must die, for that
to take service against his emperor was impossible. Bribes, threats,
and promises were of no avail, and at last Kih-yung ordered his
prisoner to be sawn asunder.
The executioners began to exercise their dreadful office, but with all
their endeavors could not make the saw enter the body of their victim,
who only jeered at them for their ignorance in not knowing how to saw a
man asunder. At last Sun-kwei was good enough to instruct them in their
business. “You dead dogs and slaves,” said he, “if you would saw a man
asunder, you should compress his body between two planks; but how could
_you_ know it?” The men followed his advice, and sawed him and the
planks asunder at the same time, he never relenting, but scoffing at
them to the last moment.
It is with some reluctance that I describe, however briefly, these
horrible scenes, but to pass over them would be to omit some of the
most characteristic traits of this strange people. Those who know the
Chinese nation will be aware that I have touched the subject very
lightly, and that the most revolting modes of punishment have not
been, and for obvious reasons cannot be mentioned at all.
Although the mandarins are generally hated by those over whom they are
placed, there are exceptions to the usual rule, and men are found who
resist the temptation of extorting money from the people,--a temptation
which is rendered the stronger because a mandarin who can report that
his district has paid a very large sum into the Imperial treasury is
sure of promotion, and if he has “squeezed” a large tribute out of a
district that previously had paid but a small sum, he may almost reckon
on obtaining the coveted peacock’s feather, with all its privileges.
When an honest and kind-hearted mandarin vacates his post at the
expiration of his term of office, the people subscribe to present him
with an umbrella of state, called “The Umbrella of Ten Thousand of the
People.” It is made of red silk and satin, with three rows of flounces,
and bears upon it the names of the chief donors written in golden
characters. When he takes his formal leave of office, the umbrella
is carried in procession by his attendants, and he is followed for a
certain distance by those who presented it.
The highest honorary reward of this kind that can be given is an outer
garment made of the same material as the umbrella, and also decorated
with the names of the principal donors. This robe of honor is carried
in procession, hung within a kind of pavilion that all may see it, and
accompanied by a band of music. Such a robe is very seldom presented,
and the recipient naturally values it very highly.
While treating of honorary rewards, one particular kind must be
mentioned. If a man distinguishes himself greatly, and feels that he is
under great obligation to some person who has no real claim on him, he
will solicit some high title from the emperor, and then ask permission
to transfer it to his benefactor. Thus it has frequently happened
that a man, without any rank of his own, has taken upon himself the
education of a young lad of promising abilities, and has been afterward
rewarded by finding himself raised even to a higher rank than that of
his _protégé_. Sometimes, when a man who has been thus educated is
presented to a higher title, the emperor bestows on his benefactor the
lower rank from which he has been raised. Thus it will be seen that in
this country every incentive is employed to promote education among the
people, and that not only the educated man obtains the reward which his
powers have earned, but that those by whom he was educated have their
share in his honors.
CHAPTER CLV.
CHINA--_Continued_.
SOCIAL CHARACTERISTICS.
OPIUM SMOKING -- SINGULAR RESULT OF THE HABIT -- MODE OF USING THE
OPIUM PIPE -- TOBACCO SMOKING -- THE WATER PIPE -- WEIGHTS AND
MEASURES -- THE STEELYARD AND ITS USES -- BOAT-LIFE IN CHINA --
CORMORANT FISHING -- FISH SPEARING -- CATCHING FISH WITH THE FEET --
THE DUCK BOATS -- AGRICULTURE -- MODE OF IRRIGATION -- CHINESE MUSIC
AND INSTRUMENTS -- A SKILFUL VIOLINIST -- CHINESE SINGING -- ART IN
CHINA -- PORCELAIN -- CARVING IN IVORY AND JADE -- MAGIC MIRRORS --
RESPECT TO AGE.
We will conclude this subject with a short account of the miscellaneous
manners and customs of the Chinese.
Among the chief of their characteristic customs is opium smoking, a
vice which is terribly prevalent, but which is not so universally
injurious as is often stated. Of course, those who have allowed
themselves to be enslaved by it become gradually debased, but the
proportion of those who do so is very small, though, by the terrible
sight which they present, they are brought prominently into notice. It
seems, moreover, that the quantity consumed at a time is not of so much
importance as the regularity of the habit.
Let a man once fall into the way of smoking opium, though it be but
one pipe, at a certain hour of the day, that pipe will be an absolute
necessity, and he takes it, not so much to procure pleasure, as to
allay the horribly painful craving from which he suffers. In fact, a
man destroys his health by opium smoking in China, much as a drunkard
does in England, not so much by taking immoderate doses occasionally,
but by making a habit of taking small doses repeatedly. From such a
habit as this very few have the courage to break themselves, the powers
of their mind being shattered as well as those of the body.
A confirmed opium smoker really cannot exist beyond a certain time
without the deadly drug, and those who are forced to exert themselves
are generally provided with some opium pills, which they take in order
to give them strength until they can obtain the desired pipe. An
anecdote illustrative of this practice is narrated by Mr. Cobbold in
his “Pictures of the Chinese”:--
“A small salesman, or pedler, was seen toiling along with great
difficulty through the gates of Ningpo, as if straining every nerve
to reach some desired point. He was seen to stagger and fall, and his
bundle flew from him out of his reach. While many pass by, some good
Samaritan comes to him, lifts up his head, and asks what is the matter,
and what he can do for him. He has just strength to whisper, ‘My good
friend, please to untie that bundle; you will find a small box in the
centre; give me two or three of the pills which are in it, and I shall
be all right.’ It was soon done; the opium pills had their desired
effect, and he was soon able to rise and pursue his journey to his inn.”
This most graphically describes the extreme state of exhaustion which
comes on if the usual period of taking the pipe has passed by. The
pedler thought, no doubt, he had strength just to reach his inn, where
he would have thrown himself upon a bed and called for the opium
pipe; but he miscalculated by a few minutes his power of endurance,
and the pills (often resorted to in like cases of extremity), when
supplied him by his friend, perhaps saved him from an untimely end.
Very similar scenes have happened to foreigners travelling in sedan
chairs through the country, the bearers having been obliged to stop and
take a little of the opium, in order to prevent complete exhaustion.
A long hour or more, in the middle of the day, has frequently to be
allowed, nominally for the sake of dinner and rest, but really, in some
instances, for the opium pipe.
The pipe which is used for smoking opium is not in the least like
that which is employed for tobacco. The stem is about as large as an
ordinary office-ruler, and it has a hole near one end, into which the
shank of the bowl is fixed. The bowl itself is about as large as a
Ribstone pippin, and nearly of the same shape, the bud representing
the tiny aperture in which the opium is placed, and the stalk
representing the shank which fits into the stem. These pipes are made
of various materials, some being mere bamboo and wood, while others
have bowls of the finest porcelain, and the stem richly enamelled. My
own specimen has the stem twenty inches in length, and an inch and a
half in diameter, the bore not being large enough to admit an ordinary
crowquill. The bowl is of some light-colored wood, well varnished, and
covered with landscape scenes in black lines. Although it has not been
in use for many years, it still smells strongly of opium, showing that
it had been saturated with the fumes of the drug before it came into my
possession.
The mode of using it is as follows: The smoker has a couch prepared,
together with a little lamp, and his usual supply of the prepared
opium. He lays his head on the pillow, with a long, needle-like
implement places over the aperture of the bowl a little piece of the
opium, about as large as a mustard seed, holds it to the flame of the
lamp, and, with a long and steady inspiration, the whole of the opium
is drawn into the lungs in the state of vapor. The smoke is retained
for a few seconds, and then expelled. The generality of opium smokers
are content with one pipe, but the votary of the drug will sometimes
take as many as twelve in succession before he is completely under the
influence of the opium. As he finishes the last morsel of opium, the
pipe falls from his hand, and he passes into that dreamland for which
he has bartered everything that makes life precious.
The terrible scenes which have so often been related take place for
the most part at the opium shops, places which are nominally illegal,
but which carry on their trade by payment of periodical bribes to the
ruling official of the place. In Tien-tsin alone there were upwards
of three hundred of these shops, in which opium could be purchased or
sold wholesale, or could be refined for smoking, and consumed on the
premises.
There is only one redeeming point in opium smoking, namely, that it
does not produce the brutal scenes which too often take place in the
gin palaces of this country. Mr. Fleming remarks of this vice: “If
opium smoking is a great evil among the Chinese people, as it is no
doubt, yet they endeavor to hide it, they are ashamed of it, and it
offends neither the eyes nor the hearing by offensive publicity. It is
not made a parade of by night and by day, neither does it give rise to
mad revels and murderous riots. Its effects on the health may be more
prejudicial than our habits of alcohol drinking, but yet it is hard to
see any of those broken-down creatures that one reads about.”
Indeed, the Chinese themselves, who are apt to drink more than they
ought of a fiery liquid called samshu, say that the spirit is far more
injurious than the drug.
We will now see how the Chinese smoke tobacco. The pipe which is
ordinarily used has a very little bowl of brass, at the end of a
slight stem about as large as a drawing pencil. The bowl is scarcely
large enough to hold the half of a boy’s playing marble, and is almost
exactly like the Japanese pipe, which will be presently described.
A pipe that is very much in fashion, especially with the women, is a
kind of water-pipe made of brass, and enlarged at the bottom so as to
stand upright. The enlarged portion is filled with water, through which
the smoke passes, as in a hookah. The little brass tube which serves
the purpose of a bowl can be drawn out of the body of the pipe, so as
to be charged afresh; and in most cases each pipe is supplied with
several bowls, so that they can be used successively as wanted. Only
three whiffs are taken at a time; and indeed the quantity of tobacco
used is so small, that more would be almost out of the question. For
this pipe, tobacco is prepared in a peculiar manner, a minute quantity
of arsenic being mixed with it.
One peculiarity about the Chinese is their almost universal employment
of weight as a measure. With the exception of objects of art, nearly
everything is bought by weight, and the consequence is, that the most
absurd modes of increasing the weight are often employed. Fowls and
ducks, for example, are sold alive by weight, so that the dishonest
vendor has a habit of cramming with stones before he brings them to
market. Fish are also taken to market while still living, and are
improved in appearance by being blown up with bellows, and in weight
by being crammed with stones. Through the lips of each fish a ring is
passed, so that it may be at once taken from the water and hung upon
the hook of the balance. Nor is the fish dealer particular as to the
sufferings of the creatures which he sells, and he has not the least
hesitation in cutting off a pound or two in case his customer does not
wish to purchase an entire fish.
In these transactions the Chinese do not use scales, but employ a
“steelyard” balance, made of various materials and various sizes,
according to the object for which it was intended. That which is meant
for ordinary market use is made of wood, and is marked at regular
distances by small brass studs, so as to designate the exact places on
which the weight should be hung. Those which are intended for finer
work are of ivory.
It is kept in a case, which looks something like two wooden spoons laid
upon each other, so that their bowls enclose any object placed between
them. They are united by a rivet or pivot, which passes through the
ends of the handles, enabling them to be separated at will by drawing
them sideways. In order to prevent them from coming apart needlessly,
a ring of bamboo is plaited loosely round the stem, so that when it is
slipped toward the bowl, the two halves of the case are kept together,
and when it is slid to the end of the stem, they can be separated. In
one of the halves of the bowl a large hole is scooped, in which the pan
of the balance lies, and a smaller hole is cut for the reception of
the weight. The steelyard itself lies in a groove cut along the inside
of the stem. The reader will see that when the apparatus is closed, it
lies very compactly, and can be stuck into the girdle ready for use at
any moment.
The “yard” of this balance is of ivory, and is longer and more slender
than the chopsticks which have already been described. In my specimen
it is eleven inches in length, and the sixth of an inch in diameter
in the thickest part. Three distinct sets of marks are made upon it,
and there are three separate fulcra, so that when the weight exceeds
the amount which can be measured with one fulcrum, the second or third
fulcrum can be used with its own set of marks.
The arrangement of these marks is a fertile source of dispute among
the Chinese. There is no standard by which all the balances can be
regulated, but each dealer has his own balance, and his own arrangement
of the gradations upon it. The natural consequence is, that quarrels
take place with every purchase. A vast amount of time is wasted
upon disputes which might easily be avoided, were the government to
establish a standard balance, by which all others might be graduated.
Time, however, is not of the least importance to a Chinese, and as a
prolonged bargain has a positive fascination for him, it is probable
that such a regulation would not be popular, and would indeed be
evaded in every mode which Chinese ingenuity could invent. The larger
steelyards have a hook whereon to hang the article to be weighed, but
those which are intended for weighing small and valuable objects are
furnished with a shallow brass pan, attached to the end of the balance
by four silken threads.
The extraordinary economy which distinguishes the Chinese is
characteristically shown in the population which crowds the rivers near
the principal towns. A vivid picture of Chinese boat-life is given by
Mr. Tiffany, in his “American’s Sojourn in the Celestial Empire.” After
describing the various kinds of boats that he has seen, he proceeds as
follows:--
“We have passed through several miles of boats, and have not seen the
quarter of them. It is, indeed, impossible to give an idea of their
number. Some say that there are as many as seventy thousand of them at
the city of Canton alone. But let us be content with forty thousand.
Then fancy forty thousand wild swans, closely packed together, floating
on some wide pond, and mostly restless, and you would say that they
would cover many acres of their element. Now, by the enchantment of
imagination, convert the pond into the roaring Pekiang River, the swans
into boats of every shape and size, the notes of the birds into the
yells, the shrieks, the piercing voices of the river people, and you
may have the actual scene before you.
“And all these boats, miles upon miles, from border to border, are
densely packed with human beings in every stage of life, in almost
every occupation that exists upon the shore that they seldom trespass
upon; and there they are born and earn their scanty bread, and
there they die. The boats are moored side by side, in long-reaching
thousands, so that the canal which they form stretches to a point in
the distance. In the Shaneem quarter, above the foreign factories,
they form large squares and avenues. Forty thousand floating tenements
would, under any circumstances, be considered a singular sight, but
here the swarming occupants give them the appearance of a mighty
metropolis.”
It seems strange that so vast a population should live on the river,
within pistol shot of the land, and yet that the greater number of
them, from their birth to their death, have never known what it is to
put a foot on the shore. When one of the older boatmen does so for the
first time, he can hardly walk, the firm land being as difficult for
him to tread as the deck of a tossing vessel is to a landsman.
Though the smallest of all the vessels that traverse a Chinese river,
the sampans are perhaps the most conspicuous. They are rather small
boats, drawing but little water, and for the most part propelled by two
women, one sitting in the bow with her oar, and the other stationed in
the stern, working the huge implement, half oar, half rudder, by which
the boat is at once propelled and guided. Many of the boat-steerers
are quite young girls, but they manage their craft with wonderful
skill and power, hardly ever touching another boat, no matter how many
may be darting about the river, and, with one mighty sweep of the
huge scull, sending the boat clear of the obstacle from which escape
seemed impossible but a second before. To the eye of a foreigner,
the boatwomen are more pleasing in appearance than their sisters of
the land, inasmuch as their feet are allowed to assume their proper
shape, and exposure to the air and exercise take away the sickly,
pasty complexion which often distinguishes the better-class women on
shore, and is heightened by the white powder with which they persist in
disfiguring themselves.
Some of the mandarin boats present the greatest possible contrast to
the little sampans. They are, in fact, floating palaces, decorated in
the most picturesque and sumptuous manner, and furnished with every
luxury that a wealthy Chinaman can command. They often have thirty
or forty oars of a side, are gaily bedecked with flags and brilliant
lanterns, and mostly carry several cannon, together with abundance of
fire-arms, in order to deter the pirates, who would be likely to swoop
down upon an unarmed vessel, kill the passengers, and seize the boat
for their own purposes.
In connection with the river life of the Chinese may be mentioned the
various modes of fishing. The most celebrated method is that in which
the fish are caught by cormorants. The fisherman has several of these
birds, which are trained to the sport, and indeed are bred from the egg
for the purpose, and sold at high prices when fully trained. The man
goes out in a boat or on a raft, accompanied by his birds, and when he
comes to a favorable spot, sends them into the water. They immediately
dive, and dart upon the fish, which they are taught to bring to the
boat.
Should the fish be too large, the man generally takes both fish and
bird into his boat by means of a net at the end of a handle; and often
when a bird has captured a very large fish, and is likely to lose it,
one or two of its companions will come to its assistance, and by their
united efforts hold the fish until their master can come up. A ring
is put loosely round the throats of the birds, so that they cannot
swallow the fish even if they desire to do so; but a well-trained
cormorant will no more eat a fish than a well-trained pointer will eat
a partridge. Each time that the cormorant brings a fish to the boat, it
is rewarded with a mouthful of food, generally a mouthful of eel, its
master raising the ring to allow it to swallow.
Fishing with cormorants is almost invariably carried on at high tide,
and near bridges, as fish always love to congregate under shelter. At
such times the bridges are always crowded with spectators watching the
feats of the cormorants.
The raft on which the fisherman stands is made of five or six bamboos,
about twenty feet in length. Now and then a cormorant which has not
completed its course of training is so delighted when it catches a
fish, that it swims away from its master as fast as it can. The
fisherman, however, can propel his light raft faster than the cormorant
can swim, and soon brings the truant to reason. This sport has recently
been introduced into England, and bids fair to be successful.
Though caring little for sport, and pursuing game merely for the
“pot,” the Chinese employ one or two methods of fishing which have the
sporting element in them,--_i. e._ which give the quarry a fair chance
of escape. Such, for example, is fish spearing, which is practised
after rather a curious manner. The fisherman generally takes his stand
upon a low bridge, and is furnished with a trident spear and a decoy
fish. The decoy fish is prepared by lacing a strip of wood to either
side of its dorsal fin, and to these sticks a slight line is fastened.
All being prepared, the fisherman takes his place on the bridge, drops
the decoy into the water, and ties the end of the line to a stick like
a fishing-rod, while he holds the three-pronged spear in his right
hand. As large a fish as the sportsman can procure is used for the
decoy; and as it swims about, its fellows come up to it, apparently
attracted by its peculiar movements. As they come within reach, they
are struck with the trident, and deposited in the fisherman’s basket.
A very inferior kind of fishing is carried on in places where the bed
of the river is muddy. The fisherman wades into the river up to his
knees or deeper, and every now and then strikes the surface of the
water violently. As he does so, the fish which love such localities
dive under the mud, where they are felt and held down by the bare feet
of the man. As soon as he feels the wriggling of a fish under his foot,
he stoops down, often having to plunge entirely under water, draws the
fish from under his foot, and drops it into his basket. It is evident
that only small fish can be caught by this method. I have tried it
myself, and found that after a little trouble it was easy to catch any
quantity of small flounders and similar fish,--too small, indeed, to
be of any use, except to the thrifty Chinese, two of whom will buy a
duck’s head and divide it for their dinner.
Among other river industries may be mentioned the system of duck
feeding that is there carried on. Vast quantities of ducks’ eggs are
hatched by artificial heat, and are purchased, when only a day or two
old, by the persons who make their living by feeding and selling the
birds. One favorite mode of duck feeding is to keep the birds in a boat
fitted up for the purpose, and to take the boat along the banks of the
river. At low water the keeper lets out the ducks, which find abundance
of food in the multitudinous creatures that swarm in the mud, and when
he thinks fit, he recalls them by a signal. As soon as they hear the
signal, they hurry to the boat with an alacrity that seems rather
ludicrous, unless the spectator knows that the last duck always gets a
sharp blow from a switch.
The characteristic thrift of the Chinese is well shown in their various
agricultural operations, which are marvellously successful, not only
on account of the real skill and knowledge possessed by the Chinese,
but by reason of the systematic and ceaseless labor bestowed upon the
various crops. Not a weed is allowed to absorb the nutriment which
ought to go to the rice, and between the rows of plants the laborer
creeps on his hands and knees, searching for every weed, and working
with his fingers the earth round every root. Taken alone, this is hard
and disagreeable work, but, as the rice is planted in mud, as sharp
stones are often hidden under the mud, and as leeches abound in it, the
hardships of a rice-weeder’s life may be conceived.
The water which is so necessary for the crop is mostly supplied by
mechanical means. If the agriculturist is fortunate enough to have land
near the river or canal, his task is comparatively easy. He has only to
erect a certain number of water-engines. These are almost all on the
same principle,--_i. e._ an endless chain passing over two wheels, and
drawing the water through an inclined trough. The wheels are generally
worked by men, who turn them with their feet, supporting themselves on
a horizontal bamboo. A larger and more complicated apparatus is worked
by a buffalo.
At the smaller wheels all labor, as Mr. Milne observes: “In working
them the energies of every household appeared taxed to the utmost
vigor, as if each individual felt convinced of the necessity of his
personal aid in securing a good and plentiful crop. I saw both young
and old leaning on the same frame, treading the same wheel, and humming
together their rustic song as they trod. Boys six years of age kept the
step very well with men of fifty, and if too small to mount the wheel,
they were placed on the ground to work the paddles with their little
hands; and women, too, whose tiny and compressed feet disable them from
treading the mill, stood at the feet of the men, keeping time with
their hands.... None were indolent. There was no cessation, nor was
there exemption from labor; and, while they fought among the thorns and
thistles with which the ground had been cursed, and with the sweat of
the brow under a blazing sun sowed, weeded, and watered the earth, no
murmurs were heard, save the undulating sound of the husbandman’s song
as it waved over the field.” Those women who are fortunate enough to
possess feet of the natural size work as hard in the field as the men
do, and are then almost as scantily attired, a wide and short pair of
trousers, and a wide hat to shelter them from the sun, being all the
clothing they care for.
Though the earth be poor, the Chinese agriculturist forces it to bear,
for every substance which can serve as manure is carefully saved for
that purpose. Not only do the Chinese dispose of all the refuse of
their houses and streets in the fields, but, as we have seen, even the
little scraps of hair that are shaved from the head are saved and used
as manure. Indeed, it is only by means of this exceeding economy that
the inhabitants of so densely populated a country can sustain life.
Our concluding notes on Chinese life must be few and short.
According to their own ideas, they are as much adepts in music as
in the other arts and sciences, which, as they believe, have placed
them at the very summit of humanity. They have a tolerable variety
of musical instruments, the most common of which is the San-hien,
a sort of three-stringed guitar, with a very long neck and a very
little cylindrical body. The strings are of silk, and are struck with
a thin slip of bamboo at the end of the finger. Then, as a type of
stringed instruments played with a bow, may be mentioned the Urh-heen,
or two-stringed fiddles, the sounds of which are generally very
disagreeable,--that is, when produced for Chinese ears; but when the
player desires to imitate the characteristics of European music, he can
do so very perfectly, as is shown by Mr. Fleming:--
“In one of the most thronged streets I was, on one afternoon, elbowing
my way along, exploring the ‘Heavenly Ford,’ when the sound of a violin
playing a well-known waltz fixed my attention in a bylane; and there,
instead of a hairy Briton flourishing a bow over a Cremona, was a blind
beggar eliciting those pleasant notes with as great precision and tone
from the rude and weighty mallet-shaped urh-heen, as if he had been all
his public life first violin at the opera.”
[Illustration: MOUTH ORGAN.]
The same traveller remarks of the vocal music of the Chinese, that “a
Chinaman rehearsing a song looks and gives utterance to such goat-like
bleats, that it is impossible to avoid the conclusion that he is
laboring under a violent attack of chronic whooping-cough, combined
with intermittent seizures of hiccough,--the ‘dying falls’ of the
inhuman falsetto at the end of each verse finishing in the most
confounding hysterical perturbations of the vocal chords.”
There are several Chinese wind instruments. For instance, there is a
clarionet, called Shu-teh, an instrument with a very loud and piercing
note, and a peculiar “mouth-organ,” in which are a number of pipes. One
of these instruments, drawn from a specimen in my collection, is shown
on page 1445. It contains sixteen pipes, of different lengths, arranged
in pairs. Some of the pipes, however, are “dummies,” and are only
inserted to give the instrument an appearance of regularity. The length
of the pipes has nothing to do with the pitch of the note, as they
speak by means of brass vibrators inserted into the lower end, exactly
like those of harmoniums. The pipes are bound together by means of a
horn band that passes around them. When it is used, the player blows
into the projecting mouthpiece, and with his fingers stops or opens the
apertures in the pipes. The tone of this instrument is not pleasing to
European ears.
Strange as Chinese music seems to us, and unpleasant as are the odd
and unexpected intervals of their melodies, the art is evidently
cultivated among the people, and there is scarcely a house without
its musical instrument of some kind. In the evening, according to Mr.
Fleming, “in passing through the narrow streets, one is sure to hear
from the dimly lighted houses the squealing, incoherent, and distorted
vibrations tumbling out on the night air with a spasmodic reality and a
foreignness of style that at once remind the listener of the outlandish
country he is in.” The preference of the Chinese for the strange,
wild, abrupt intervals of their own music is not, as the reader may
see, merely occasioned by ignorance of a more perfect scale, but is
the result of deliberate choice on their part. They have no objection
to European music. On the contrary, they are pleased to express their
approbation of it, but with the proviso that it is decidedly inferior
to their own.
From Music we turn to Art. In their own line of art the Chinese are
unsurpassed, not to say inimitable. Ignorant of perspective as they may
be, there is a quaint force and vigor about their lines that is worthy
of all praise, while their rich softness of color can scarcely be
equalled. From time immemorial they have been acquainted with the art
of color printing from wooden blocks, and some of their oldest examples
of color printing are so full of life and spirit, despite their
exaggeration of gesture, and their almost ludicrous perspective, that
the best English artists have admired them sincerely.
Of their porcelain, in which they simply stand alone, it is impossible
to treat fully in such a work as this, as the subject would demand
a volume to itself. Their carved work in ivory is familiarly known
throughout the greater part of the civilized world. In many of these
carvings the object of the artist seems to have been, not to develop
any beauties of form, but to show his power of achieving seeming
impossibilities. Among the best-known forms of Chinese carving may
be reckoned the sets of concentric balls, which are cut out of solid
ivory, or at least are said to be so made.
[Illustration: SPECIMENS OF CHINESE ART. (From Sir Hope Grant’s
Collection.)]
There is quite a controversy about the mode of cutting these balls,
and even those who have spent much time in China, and are thoroughly
acquainted with the arts and manufactures of the country, disagree on
this subject, some saying that the balls are really cut from solid
ivory, and others that each ball is made of two separate portions,
which are joined very artificially by cement, and can be separated by
steeping in boiling water. Of the two explanations I am rather inclined
to believe the former, as none of those who say that the balls can be
separated seem to have tried the experiment for themselves. The mode of
cutting these curious specimens of art is said to be by boring conical
holes from the circumference of the ball to its centre with a spherical
piece of ivory, and then detaching each ball in succession with curved
tools.
The jade carving of China is also celebrated. This material is
remarkable for the beautifully soft polish which can be given to it,
and, as it is a rare mineral and exceedingly hard, coming next in that
respect to the ruby, articles made of jade are valued very highly
by the Chinese. In the accompanying illustration are shown a number
of jade carvings belonging to Sir Hope Grant, who kindly allowed
me to have them engraved for this work. The bowl in the front is
carved in imitation of a water-lily, the handle being formed from the
flower-stem. The ring which hangs from the handle is cut from the same
piece of jade. Just behind it is a jar of the same material, which is a
wonderful specimen of carving, and admirably shows the patient industry
of the Chinese worker. The second small bowl in the front, and the jar
behind it, are also of jade.
The elegant jar which occupies the centre of the group is a splendid
specimen of enamel, and beside it is a large piece of _lapis lazuli_,
on which is engraved a poem written by the emperor himself.
The celebrated Summer Palace or Yuenming-yuen, which was sacked and
burned by the English and French forces, was filled with splendid
specimens of jade carving, some of which are shown in the preceding
illustration. There are three kinds of jade, the cream-colored, the
clear white, and the bright green. This last is the most esteemed, and
is so valuable that a single bead, not so large as a boy’s playing
marble, is worth a pound, or even more. Some necklaces made of these
beads were sold after the destruction of the Summer Palace, and though
they only contained about a hundred and fifty beads, a hundred and
twenty pounds were given for them, the Chinese commissioners thinking
that they were sold at a very cheap rate. The Chinese name for this
jade is “feh-tsui.”
One of the most remarkable instances of Chinese art is the magic
mirror. This article is a circular plate of metal rather more than a
quarter of an inch thick, having its face smooth and highly polished,
and its back dark and ornamented with various patterns, among which
four Chinese characters are conspicuous. These characters are in honor
of literature, and seem to be generally employed for the decoration of
these mirrors.
When used simply for the purpose of reflecting the face, the mirrors
present nothing worthy of notice, but when they are held to the sun,
and the beams thrown upon a white surface, the whole of the characters
on the back are shown in the reflection. The mirror will even show its
powers when used with a lamp, but the sun is required to bring out
the characters clearly. A small but excellent specimen of this mirror
was presented to me by Dr. Flaxman Spurrell, and always excites great
admiration wherever it is shown. Not the least trace of any figure is
to be found in the face of the mirror, and the higher the polish given
to the face, the clearer is the representation of the figures on the
back.
Several theories have been promulgated respecting the mode of making
these extraordinary mirrors, the most probable one being that the
characters and patterns on the back are made of a harder and more
condensed metal than that of the rest of the mirror, and that, when a
high polish is given to the face, the difference of the metal is not
perceptible, except by the mode in which it reflects light.
There is much to say respecting the customs of the Chinese. The small
space, however, which remains will not permit us to treat fully of such
wide subjects as religion, marriage, and disposal of the dead, and
that they should be cursorily treated is impossible. We will therefore
conclude with one of the most pleasing traits in the Chinese character,
namely, the respect paid to old age.
According to Mr. Milne, “The sacred regard which Chinese pay to the
claims of kindred secures to the patriarchs of respectable families
ample support in the advanced and helpless stage of their pilgrimage;
and charity often relieves poor septuagenarians whose relations may be
unable to supply them with comforts or necessaries at their mature age.
In China one’s feelings are not harrowed with the sad spectacle of an
aged parent discarded by his children, and left to perish, unattended
and unnursed, under a scorching sun, or on the banks of a rolling
river. But you will see the tottering senior, man or woman, who has not
the means to hire a sedan, led through the alleys and streets by a son
or a grandchild, commanding the spontaneous respect of each passer-by,
the homage of every junior.
“The deference of the _polloi_ to the extreme sections of old age
is manifest likewise from the tablets and monuments you may any day
stumble upon, that have been erected by public subscription to the
memory of octogenarians, nonagenarians, and centenarians. Nor is the
government backward in encouraging this, but the reverse. Hence I have
often seen very aged men and women in the streets, arrayed in yellow,
_i. e._ imperial, robes, the gift of the emperor, in mark of honor, and
out of respect to their gray hairs.” The reader will remember that an
honorary degree is given to competitors who have reached an advanced
age.
On one occasion, the emperor called together about four thousand old
men at his palace, entertained them with a banquet, at which they were
served by his own children and grandchildren, presented each of them
with money and a yellow robe, and conferred upon the oldest of the
assembly, a man aged one hundred and eleven years, the rank and dress
of a mandarin.
Family festivals are held, something like the silver and golden wedding
of the Germans, to celebrate each decade of life; and so important
do the Chinese consider these festivals that they are often held by
children even after the death of their parents, the only difference
being that they have somewhat of a funeral cast, white, the color
of mourning, being substituted for red, the color of joy. On those
occasions the children offer gifts, and no present is thought to be
more grateful to the recipient than a very handsome coffin. All Chinese
who can afford it purchase during their lifetime a coffin as handsome
as their means will permit, and so, should they not have been able to
purchase this their last resting-place, their children think themselves
honored by taking the purchase into their own hands. These coffins are
nearly square, are made of immense thickness, and are so carefully
cemented that the body may be kept in them without needing burial.
Filial respect is inculcated into the Chinese with their earliest
breath, and their youthful minds are filled with legends of pious
children. For example: Wu Mang was the son of parents who were too poor
to possess mosquito curtains. So at night Wu Mang used to allow the
mosquitoes to feed upon him, hoping that they would prefer a young boy
to aged people. Wang Liang lost his mother, and had a step-mother who
disliked him. Still he behaved to her as though she had been his own
mother, and once, when she wished for some fresh fish and the river was
frozen, Wang Liang went to the river, took off his clothes, and lay on
the ice, hoping to melt it. Suddenly, in reward for his filial conduct,
the ice opened, and out leaped two fine carp, which he took to his
step-mother. Again, Lae, when he was seventy years of age, dressed and
behaved like a child, in order that his parents should not be troubled,
when looking at him, with the idea of their own age.
In every town or village, the oldest persons are treated with the
greatest consideration, not on account of their rank or wealth, but
of their age. Every one gives way to them, they have the best places
in the theatres, are brought forward at every public spectacle, and
are indulged in every possible way. Such has been the custom from
time immemorial in this great nation, which was civilized when the
inhabitants of England were naked savages. The oldest civilized nation
in the world, they have honored their fathers and their mothers, and
their days have been long in the land.
CHAPTER CLVI.
JAPAN.
DRESS--ART--AMUSEMENTS.
POSITION AND NAME OF JAPAN -- APPEARANCE OF THE JAPANESE -- DRESS
OF THE MEN -- USE OF SLEEVES -- HAIR-DRESSING -- COURT DRESS --
THE TATTOO AND ITS USES -- A STREET SCENE IN JAPAN -- DRESS OF THE
WOMEN -- ARRANGEMENT OF THE HAIR -- THE ANCIENT HAIR-PINS -- USE OF
PAINT -- BLACKENING TEETH AND PULLING OUT EYEBROWS -- MR. OLIPHANT’S
OPINION UPON THE CUSTOM -- DISREGARD OF CLOTHING -- THE PUBLIC BATHS
-- HOMERIC SIMPLICITY -- JAPANESE DRAWINGS -- TRAVELLING IN JAPAN --
A LADY ON HORSEBACK -- JAPANESE RIDERS -- THE GAME OF MALL -- HORSE
ACCOUTREMENTS -- A SINGULAR HORSESHOE -- THE NORIMON, OR PALANQUIN --
FASHION OF THE POLE -- THE CANGO, OR CHAIR -- A NOBLE IN HIS NORIMON
-- ATHLETIC POWERS OF THE JAPANESE -- THE LADDER BALANCING, TOP
SPINNING, AND BUTTERFLY TRICK.
The Empire of JAPAN extends over a vast cluster of Islands, of
different sizes, situated on the north eastern coast of Asia. There
are nearly four thousand of these islands, but the kingdom practically
consists of three chief Islands, Niphon, Kiou-siou, or Kew-sew, and
Sikok, or Sitkokf. The first of these islands gives its name to the
entire empire, our word Japan not having even a Japanese origin, but
being a corruption of the Chinese rendering of the word Niphon, _i. e._
Land of the Sunrise. As might be inferred, it is within the island of
Niphon that the capital, Jeddo or Yedo, is placed.
The complexion of the Japanese is yellowish, with a little brown,
and in many cases is no darker than that of a Portuguese or southern
Italian. The eyes are small, and not so much sunk in the head as those
of the Chinese; the hair is black, straight, and coarse, and the nose,
though thick, is well formed. Their stature is about equal to that of
ordinary Europeans, and their limbs, though not large, are often very
powerful, a slightly-made Japanese being able to lift easily a weight
which a stalwart Englishman would find a heavy burden.
The dress of the Japanese is very peculiar, and well suited to their
features and complexion. Although it has about it something of a
Chinese aspect, it is as distinct from the Chinese as is the character
of the two people. As in China, the dress consists of much the same
articles with both sexes, that of the women differing from male apparel
chiefly in the comparative length of the robes and the mode of dressing
the hair. A male Japanese may or may not wear trousers, his liberty
in this point being absolute, sometimes amounting to a practical
dispensation with all dress whatever.
The chief articles of male dress are robes of differing lengths, one
being worn upon the other, until a man will sometimes carry four or
five robes at once. They are girt round the waist with a broad sash,
so that if the wearer wishes to remove his dress, he has only to
loosen the sash, and draw his arms out of the sleeves, when all the
garments fall to the ground together. The sleeves are very large, and,
being partly closed at the ends, are used as pockets, in which are
carried various little articles of portable property. In the sleeves,
for example, are carried the squares of white paper which serve as
pocket handkerchiefs, and which are always thrown away when used; and
in the same convenient receptacle the Japanese guest will carry off
the remains of the feast to which he has been invited, such being the
custom of this strange country.
The material of these robes differs according to the wealth and quality
of the wearer, some being of simple cotton, while those of the higher
classes are made of the finest silks, and ornamented with the device
or arms of the family, embroidered on the breast and back of the outer
robe.
The hair of the men is dressed in a very singular manner. The front
and temples of the head are shaved, as in China, and the remaining
hair is made into a tail, as is the case with the Chinese. The hair,
however, is not allowed to grow to its utmost length, and to hang down
the back, but is made into a short queue, about three inches in length,
and as thick as the finger, and is turned up over the top of the head.
Generally the head is bare, but it is sometimes covered with a hat.
The hats differ much in shape. That which is in general use is nearly
flat, and is fastened to the head by six strings, two of which pass
under the chin, two are crossed at the back of the head, and two more
are passed under the nose. A hat thus fastened gives to the head a
very singular aspect, making the face look as if it had suffered from
a severe accident, and was covered with bandages. Some hats look like
beehives, and entirely conceal the features, and are worn by outlaws,
or “lonins,” and disgraced nobles. Sometimes the men pass a piece of
stuff over their heads in such a way as to hide the forehead and chin,
and only to leave the eyes, nose, and mouth exposed; and in winter they
throw over the hat a piece of cloth, which is tied over the nose so as
to shield that member from the cold blasts.
Men of consideration also wear a scarf over the shoulders, its length
being regulated by the rank of the wearer, and thus serving to indicate
the amount of courtesy which is due from one man to another. When two
Japanese gentlemen meet, they bow until the ends of the scarf touch the
ground. It is evident, therefore, that the man who, in virtue of his
rank, wears the longest scarf, has the less distance to bow.
In addition to the ordinary costume, the dress of ceremony has two
extraordinary additions. The first is the “kami-samo,” respecting which
the Japanese are exceedingly punctilious. It consists of a piece of
stuff which is folded back over the shoulders in a fan-like form, and
gives a most extraordinary and awkward look to the wearer. Courtiers
wear another article of dress which is exactly opposed to our customs.
In European courts the nether garments are abbreviated, and only come
to the knee; in Japan the custom is reversed. When the nobles appear
before the emperor, they wear a pair of trousers with legs fully twice
as long as those of the wearer, so that in walking they trail a yard
or so on the ground. Walking in such garments is an art which can only
be attained by long practice, and which, even when learned, is nothing
more than an ungainly shuffle, threatening every moment to throw the
courtier on his face. The attitudes which are assumed by fashionable
courtiers are so absurd that the Japanese picture books abound in
caricatures of noblemen at court. The object of this curious custom is
probably to give the wearer of the court dress an aspect as if he were
kneeling instead of standing.
Men of the better classes always appear in public carefully dressed,
but those of the lower orders consider themselves sufficiently clothed
if they have a mere strip of cloth like the “languti” of India.
Coolies, for example, laborers of various kinds, post-runners, etc.,
wear nothing but the cloth strip while at work.
Mr. Oliphant, in his “Narrative,” mentions this fact in connection
with the custom of tattooing, which is carried out in Japan to as
much perfection as in Polynesia. “Some, however, denied themselves
the benefit of dress, apparently for the purpose of exhibiting the
brilliant patterns in which their skins were tattooed. One man had
a monster crab on the small of his back, and a pretty cottage on
his chest. It is rather fashionable to have scarlet fish playing
sportively between your shoulders. The scarlet tattooing presents a
very disgusting appearance. The skin looks as if it had been carefully
peeled off into the required pattern.
“On a really well-tattooed man there is not an inch of the body which
does not form part of a pictorial representation. If the general effect
is not agreeable, it is perfectly decent, for the skin ceases to look
bare, or like skin at all; it rather resembles a harlequin’s costume.
It must be dreadful to feel that one can never undress again. Yet what
anguish does not the victim undergo, in order to put himself into a
permanent suit of red dye and gunpowder!” The Japanese are very fond
of their children, and in summer time a man may often be seen in the
streets, wearing nothing but the cloth strip, and carrying in his arms
his infant child, who has no clothing whatever.
Sometimes a man will appear in a costume which even seems more absurd
than the almost entire nudity which has just been mentioned, and will
walk about in a hat, a short jacket, and nothing else but the cloth.
In an illustration on the next page, the artist has shown a number of
the ordinary costumes as they appear when the wearers are gathered
round a ballad-singer. The most conspicuous figure is that of a
Samourai or Yaconin, an armed retainer of a nobleman, swaggering along
with the two swords emblematic of his office, and his features nearly
hidden under his hat. The men wearing the extraordinary piebald dresses
are a sort of street constable, who accompany a man of rank on his
journey, and who jingle an iron rod laden with rings, in order to warn
people to get out of the way of the great man. The other figures of men
are arranged so as to show the mode of dressing the hair, and one or
two varieties of costume.
[Illustration: (1.) DECAPITATION OF CHINESE CRIMINAL. (See page 1440.)]
[Illustration: (2.) THE STREET BALLAD-SINGER. (See page 1450.)]
The general appearance of the women’s dress is well shown by a figure
opposite to that of the Samourai. The dress is almost exactly like that
of the men, except that the materials are generally finer, and the sash
which confines the garments to the waist is very broad, and gathered
up into a large and peculiar knot, almost exactly like the “panier”
of European fashion. Both sexes wear stockings made like mittens, and
having a separate place for the reception of the great toe. Without
this provision they would not be able to wear the peculiar sandals and
clogs of the country, which are held on the foot by a Y-shaped strap,
the fork of which passes between the great and the second toe. The
clogs that are worn by the women very much resemble those of the Malays
in general shape, and, awkward as they look, are easily manageable
after a little practice. Some clogs in my collection elevate the foot
of the wearer six inches above the ground, but I have found that
walking, or rather shuffling, in them is not at all difficult.
The chief distinction between masculine and feminine attire lies in
the hair. Whereas the men shave nearly the whole of the head, the
women allow their hair to grow, and even add to it when they do not
possess a sufficient amount to produce the extraordinary forms into
which they twist their locks. Various fashions of hair-dressing
prevail in different parts of the country, but in all cases the women
take extraordinary pains with their heads, and twist their hair
into elaborate and fantastic patterns, which scarcely any European
hairdresser could equal.
Hair-pins are very fashionable, not so much for the purpose of
confining the locks in their places, as of mere adornment. The pins
are of enormous size, seven or eight inches in length, and half an
inch wide, and are made of various substances, such as tortoise shell,
carved wood, and ivory. Some of the most characteristic hair-pins are
made of glass. They are hollow, and nearly filled with some colored
liquid, so that at every movement of the wearer an air bubble runs from
one end of the pin to the other. Sometimes a woman will wear a dozen or
more of these pins in her hair, so that at a little distance her head
looks as if a bundle of firewood had been stuck loosely into it.
Having pleasing features by nature, it may be expected that the women
do their best to disfigure them by art. The soft pale brown of their
complexions is made ghastly and hideous by white paint, with which the
face, neck, and bust are thickly covered. The natural pink of the lips
is rendered disgusting by a layer of red paint, the white teeth are
blackened, and the eyebrows are pulled out. This style of adornment
belongs only to the married women, so that a really pretty girl will in
a few hours transform herself into a repulsive hag.
Mr. Oliphant, in the work which has already been mentioned, gives
rather a humorous reason for this strange custom. “The first impression
of the fair sex which the traveller receives in a Japanese crowd is in
the highest degree unfavorable; the ghastly appearance of the faces and
bosoms, thickly coated with powder, the absence of eyebrows, and the
blackened teeth, produce a most painful and disagreeable effect. Were
it not for this abominable custom, Japanese women would probably rank
high among Eastern beauties, certainly far before Chinese.
“All Japanese writers whom I have read upon the subject affirm that to
have no eyebrows and black teeth is considered a beauty in Japan, and
that the object of the process is to add to the charms of the fair one.
The result of my inquiry and observation, however, rather led me to
form an opposite conclusion.
“In the first place, young ladies do not, as a rule, neglect any
opportunity of improving their looks; but no Japanese young ladies,
even after they are ‘out,’ think of taking this method of increasing
their powers of fascination; they color their lips and cheeks, and deck
their hair, but it is not until they have made a conquest of some lucky
swain, that, to prove their devotion to him, they begin to blacken
their teeth and pull out their eyebrows.
“He, privileged being, is called upon to exhibit no such test of his
affection: on the contrary, his lawful wife having so far disfigured
herself as to render it impossible that she should be attractive to
any one else, seems to lose her charms for her husband as well. So
he places her at the head of his establishment; and adds to it an
indefinite number of handmaidens, who neither pull out their eyebrows
nor blacken their teeth. Hence it seems not difficult to account for
the phenomenon which is universally admitted, that while Japanese wives
are celebrated for their virtue, their husbands are no less notorious
for their licentiousness.”
While upon the subject of dress, we must not pass unnoticed the
extraordinary ideas which the Japanese have on the subject. Possessed
as they are of much taste in dress, and having certain complete
costumes for various ranks, it seems very remarkable that they are
utterly indifferent to clothing considered in the light of covering.
They attach no sense of indelicacy to exposure of the person, and men,
women, and children may be seen bathing exposed to the sight of every
passer-by.
Even their public baths, though some of them have two doors, one for
men and one for women, are common to both sexes, and in those baths
which are specially set apart for women the attendant is often a man.
Sometimes there is a partition, about breast high, to separate the
sexes, but the usual baths have no such refinement. The baths are
merely shallow pans or depressions in the floor, in which the bathers
sit while they pour over themselves abundant supplies of hot and cold
water. Baths of this nature are attached to all the “tea-houses,” so
that travellers can refresh themselves with a bath, in true Homeric
style, before they take their meals. And, in Homeric style also, the
attendants are women. The baths are known by a dark blue strip of
cloth which hangs like a banner over the doorway. Europeans, when they
first visit the country, are rather surprised when they pass along the
streets to see a whole family “tubbing” in front of their houses, or,
when they pass a public bath, to see the inmates run out to look at the
strangers; but they very soon become used to such spectacles, and think
no more of them than do the Japanese themselves.
Sir Rutherford Alcock, in dealing with this subject, and illustrating
it by a Japanese drawing representing a bath tenanted by a man, a boy,
and five women, makes the following remarks: “Men and women steaming
in the bathing-houses raise themselves to the open bars of the lattice
fronts to look out, the interior behind them presenting a view very
faithfully represented in the following sketch by a native artist.
“In reference to which, I cannot help feeling there is some danger of
doing injustice to the womanhood of Japan if we judge them by _our_
rules of decency and modesty. Where there is no _sense_ of immodesty,
no consciousness of wrong-doing, there is, or may be, a like absence
of any sinful or depraving feeling. It is a custom of the country.
Fathers, brothers, and husbands all sanction it; and from childhood the
feeling must grow up as effectually shielding them from self-reproach
or shame, as their sisters in Europe in adopting low dresses in the
ball-room, or any other generally adopted fashion of garments or
amusements. There is much in the usual appearance and expression
of Japanese women to lead to this conclusion. Any one of the real
performers in the above scene,--a bathing saturnalia as it may appear
to us,--when all is over, and the toilet completed, will leave the
bath-door a very picture of womanly reserve and modesty.”
Certainly, no women can be more decently clad than those of Japan, as
we may see by any of the multitudinous native drawings; and that they
should attach no sense of decency to the dress, or indecency to its
absence, is one of the many strange characteristics of this remarkable
and enigmatic country.
The travelling dress of the women is little more than their ordinary
costume, _plus_ a large flat hat, which serves as a parasol. Japanese
picture books abound with illustrations of women travelling, and,
multitudinous as they are, each has always some characteristic point,
and no two are exactly alike. Sometimes we see the women sauntering
quietly along the river bank, sometimes they are being carried across
the river on the shoulders of men, or, if they be of importance,
in “norimons” or chairs borne by six or eight coolies. Some of the
drawings depict women as sitting in boats, as being caught in a heavy
snow or rain storm (see illustration), as walking by moonlight, and as
they appear when riding.
[Illustration]
The attitude and general appearance of a female equestrian in Japan
differ considerably from those of an European. Side-saddles are
unknown, the fair rider perching herself upon a saddle which lifts
her high above the back of the animal, concealing her body downward,
holding on tightly by the front part of the saddle, and, in fact,
giving herself a look very much resembling that of a gayly attired
monkey on horseback, as shown on the next page. This mode of riding is
even followed by the opposite sex, the retainers of the high nobles
sitting in their lofty saddles in very much the same attitude as that
employed by the women, and being in consequence absolutely useless,
except in looks, as cavalry.
Yet, when they choose, the Japanese can ride tolerably, as is shown by
the fact of a game which is played among them, in which the competitors
are all mounted. In this game the players have to contend against
very great disadvantages. In the first place, the horses which they
bestride are wretched animals, mere rough ponies, and the accoutrements
are so clumsy, that it is a wonder how the horse can be guided at
all. According to our ideas, a horse is guided by the pressure of the
leg and the touch of the rein, but the Japanese saddles render such
guidance impossible.
The former mode is prevented by the shape of the saddle, which has
large flaps of stiff leather hanging so low that the heel or knee of
the rider has no effect upon the animal; and the latter mode is nearly
as impossible as the former, by reason of the bit and the fashion of
riding. The bit is a mere light snaffle placed loosely in the mouth,
and the reins are used, not so much for the purpose of guiding the
horse, as of keeping the rider in his seat. The horsemen grasp a rein
tightly in each hand, and so hang to the bit. The natural consequence
is, that the mouths of the horses are nearly as tough as the leather
saddle-flaps, and the animals always go with their noses in the air, so
as to counteract the perpetual haul on the bridle.
The game which is played under these untoward conditions is a sort of
mall. A large space is marked out, and at each end is a curtain. At
some few feet from the ground a circular hole is cut in the curtain.
Each player is furnished with a long-handled, small-headed racket,
almost exactly resembling that which is employed by the North American
Indians in their ball play, described on page 1324. The object of the
game is to pick up the ball from the ground with the racket, and to
throw it through the hole. In order that there may be no doubt whether
the ball has really passed through the hole, a net is hung loosely
on the opposite side of the hole, and receives the ball. The players
arrange themselves in two parties, distinguished by colors, and the
chief point of the game is to pursue the opponent as he is galloping
triumphantly toward the goal, and knock the ball out of the racket just
as he is going to throw it through the hole.
[Illustration]
The stirrups used by the Japanese are very curious in shape, and not
at all like the ordinary models. Their general outline resembles that
of the letter S, the foot being thrust into the opening as far as it
will go. The comparatively small stirrups used by Europeans are as
troublesome to the Japanese as would be the tiny triangular stirrups of
Patagonia to an English rider.
The strangest part of horse equipment in Japan is, however, the shoe.
Our idea of a horseshoe is a metallic plate to protect the horse
against hard ground. The Japanese shoe is made of plaited straw, and
is, in fact, nothing more than a straw sandal tied to the foot, giving
it a very clumsy appearance. As may be imagined, their shoes never
last very long, and on a stony road are soon cut to pieces. The rider,
therefore, takes a supply of shoes with him, and renews them as fast as
they are worn out. Indeed, a journey is often roughly calculated as a
distance of so many shoes.
Under such circumstances, it is not surprising that the horse is seldom
used in travelling. None but a poor noble will condescend to ride from
one place to another, as it might be supposed that he could not afford
the retinue which is required to carry him. Sometimes a nobleman will
condescend to ride in public, but then his horse must be held by two
grooms, who tug continually at the poor animal’s mouth, and shout
continually, “Chai! chai!” _i. e._ gently, for haste is always thought
undignified by the Japanese, and a person of consideration would suffer
a great infraction of dignity if he allowed himself to hurry over the
road.
For those who can afford so expensive a luxury, the usual mode of
conveyance is a sort of palanquin called a Norimon. It is a square
cage, hung from a pole, and carried by four men, two in front and two
behind. For Japanese travellers this is a very comfortable conveyance,
but for Europeans, who are not accustomed to the crouching attitude so
characteristic of the Japanese, even a short journey in a norimon is a
source of torture, the unfortunate passenger finding great difficulty
in getting into the machine, and, when the journey is over, almost as
much difficulty in getting out again, his limbs being stiff and cramped
by the position into which they have been forced.
The pole of the norimon is stout, and very long; and it is a matter of
rivalry between young and fashionable men to have their norimon poles
as long and as profusely decorated as possible. When the coolies carry
the norimon, they hoist it on their shoulders at a signal from their
master, and step along at some three miles an hour. In many parts the
coolies much resemble the palanquin bearers of India, but are in this
respect superior, that they travel in silence, and do not weary the
soul of their master by the perpetual grunts and moans with which the
Indian bearers are accustomed to lighten their journey.
Uncomfortable as is the norimon, there is a popular conveyance which
is even more painful to European limbs. This is called the Cango, and
it bears about the same relationship to the norimon as a wheelbarrow
does to a carriage. Indeed, if the reader can imagine the wheel, the
legs, and handle of a wheelbarrow to be removed, and the body of the
machine to be hung from a pole, he can form some idea of a cango. In
the norimon the inmate has to crouch, in the cango he has almost to tie
himself in a knot. Yet the Japanese limbs are so supple, that cango
employers travel for many successive hours without being in the least
oppressed by the attitude which they are compelled to assume. Cangos
are largely used in Japan, and are indeed what cabs are to Londoners,
the norimons supplying the place of carriages.
When a great noble or Daimio travels, he always uses the norimon,
partly because it is the most luxurious conveyance which he knows, and
partly because it gives him an excuse for displaying the strength of
his retinue, which is about the only mode of ostentation known to the
Japanese. The norimon is preceded by some of the men called Samourais,
or Yaconins, _i. e._ men who are permitted to attach themselves
to his service, and thereby to gain the privilege of wearing two
swords. As their master passes along, they continually utter the word
“Shitanirio!” _i. e._ kneel down, whereupon every one that hears it
must at once prostrate himself on the ground, or remain erect at his
peril. The most serious quarrels that have arisen between strangers
and the natives in Japan have originated in this custom, the strangers
either not knowing the custom, or refusing to comply with it lest they
should compromise the dignity of their nation. Refusing to obey such an
order is sure to cause a quarrel, and is likely to end in loss of life,
as the Yaconins who give the order to kneel are always ready to enforce
obedience with their swords.
Around the norimon is a crowd of servants, each wearing his master’s
badge on his back, and each armed according to his rank. Some led
horses generally accompany the procession, so that the great man may
ride when he is tired of the norimon, and a number of coolies bear
umbrellas covered with waterproof cases, and large boxes on poles.
These boxes are almost invariably empty, but are conventionally
supposed to contain the stores of baggage without which so great a
man could not be expected to stir. Superior officers in norimons,
and inferior officers on horseback, accompany the procession, for
which a passage is kept by a number of men fantastically dressed in
harlequin-like suits of various colors. Each of them carries a long
iron rod, to which are attached a number of rings made of the same
metal. As they walk they strike the end of the rod against the ground
at each step, so that a clashing sort of jingle is produced, and
strikes awe into the people.
That the Japanese should be such poor horsemen is very singular,
considering the marvellous perfection to which they have brought other
athletic exercises. As “acrobats” the performers are far superior to
those of any other nation, performing the most audacious and apparently
impossible feats with an absolute precision which quite removes any
idea of danger.
Until the Japanese gymnasts came to this country, we were inclined to
treat the accounts of travellers as exaggerated, but they proved to be
capable of performing any feats which our professional athletes could
achieve, and many others which they never even dreamt of attempting.
For example, nothing seems much more difficult than for a man to lie
on his back and balance on the soles of his feet a ladder thirty feet
high. But when we add that to the top of the ladder a second ladder was
attached at right angles, like the top of the letter F, and that a boy
went up and down the ladder, and even crawled to the end of the cross
piece and there hung by his instep, while the ladder was balanced on
the soles of the reclining man’s feet, we appear to be romancing rather
than relating a fact. Yet this astonishing performance was repeated
day after day, and nothing was more wonderful than the elaborate
perfection and finish of the performance. The heavy ladder was placed
on the upturned feet, and in a moment it was as steady as if it had
been planted in the ground. Though, owing to the crosspiece, it was
considerably inclined, its steadiness was not impaired, and even when
the boy ascended and descended it, causing the centre of gravity to be
continually altered, there was not the slightest wavering perceptible.
So with the other feats achieved by these remarkable performers.
Everything was done with the deliberation which forms an essential
part of the Japanese nature, but there were no needless delays, and
whether the man was balancing the ladder on his feet, or whether he was
spinning tops and making them act as if they were rational beings, or
whether he was making two paper butterflies flutter about as if they
were real insects, the same quiet perfection characterized the whole of
the performance, and every feat was done with such consummate ease that
it looked as if it really required no skill at all. The extraordinary
life which the Japanese performers contrive to infuse into inanimate
objects is almost incredible. Had not the feat been actually seen, it
would be scarcely possible to believe that a top could be spun, and
then launched off to perform the following feats without being even
touched:--
It ascended an inclined plane to a temple, the doors of which were
closed. It knocked open one of the doors, entered the temple, waited
inside some time, and then knocked open another door at right angles
to the former, and emerged. It then went over an inclined bridge,
entered another temple, and went up stairs, emerging at an upper story.
It then proceeded along an inclined plane standing at right angles
to the temple, and passed over a drawbridge, which was immediately
lifted, leaving a gap over which the top had to pass in order to get
back again. However, by the loosing of a catch, the top was flung over
the gap, and went on as gayly as ever, finishing with entering a third
temple, ringing a bell inside, coming out again, and running over two
more bridges into the hands of the spinner, having traversed some forty
feet, besides the work in the temples.
The same man spun a top upon the edge of a sword, making it pass from
one end of the blade to the other. He flung the top in the air and
threw the string at it: the top caught the middle of the string by the
peg, wound itself up, and was again flung into the air, spinning faster
than before. It was then caught on the slender stem of a pipe, along
which it ran as if alive, was passed behind the back, and caught again
in front, and lastly, was received upon the hem of the sleeve, made to
spin up the garment, over the neck and shoulders, and down the sleeve
of the opposite side. It was also made to spin upon a slight string
stretched from the wall, and to pass backward and forward as long as
the spinner chose.
Some of these tops required no string, but were merely spun with the
hand; they could be taken up and put down again, still spinning, or
they could be stood on their heads and still spin, or they could be
built into a perfect edifice of tops, three or four spinning upon
each other, sometimes each leaning in a different direction, and then
being brought upright by a touch of the ever-ready fan. The concluding
feat was a very curious one. Some thirty feet above the heads of the
spectators was hung a model of a temple, from which depended a string.
The chief top-spinner then took a small but very heavy top, wound up
its string, and flung the top in the air, drawing back the arm so that
the top came flying into his hand. He went under the temple, gave the
pendent string a half turn round the peg, and away went the top into
the temple, bursting open its doors, and flinging out a quantity of
rose leaves, which came fluttering down round the top as it descended
the string, and fell into the hands of the performer.
CHAPTER CLVII.
JAPAN--_Concluded_.
MISCELLANEOUS CUSTOMS.
SUMPTUARY LAWS -- SYSTEM OF ESPIONAGE -- THE DUPLICATE EMPIRE --
POWERS OF THE TYCOON AND MIKADO -- THE DAIMIOS AND THEIR RETAINERS
-- THE TWO SWORDS -- LONINS, OR OUTLAWS -- JAPANESE FENCERS --
DEFENSIVE ARMOR -- ARCHERY -- THE HAPPY DESPATCH -- PUBLIC EXECUTIONS
-- ARCHITECTURE -- REASONS FOR ITS FRAGILITY -- PRECAUTIONS AGAINST
FIRE -- SIMPLE HABITS OF THE JAPANESE -- AMUSEMENTS AND GAMES --
WRESTLERS -- THEATRES IN JAPAN -- CURIOUS ARRANGEMENT OF PLAYS --
THE TEA-HOUSES AND THEIR ATTENDANTS -- JAPANESE ART -- THE PORTABLE
INKSTAND -- THE CRANE, HERON, AND STORK -- THE SNOW-CLOAK -- SILK
MADE BY NOBLES.
In Japan there is a tolerably strict code of sumptuary laws, certain
modes of dress and the power of carrying certain weapons being denied
to all except the privileged classes. We will, therefore, take a hasty
glance at the different ranks in Japan.
With regard to all official ranks a duplicate system exists throughout
the kingdom. At the head of the government there are two emperors,--the
civil emperor, or Tycoon, and the spiritual emperor, or Mikado. The
former of these potentates (whose title is sometimes spelled as
Siogoon) is the real administrator of the empire, although he is
nominally inferior to the Mikado, an inferiority which is carefully
marked by certain visits of ceremony paid to the Mikado, but is not
allowed to proceed beyond mere etiquette.
Indeed, the powers of the Tycoon himself are practically limited,
though theoretically unbounded, and the government is in fact exercised
by the nobles, through a double council, one of which is chosen by the
emperor, and the other selected by the nobles from themselves. Every
man who is employed in the duties of government has his duplicate, or
“shadow,” as he is called; he is subject to espionage on every side,
and is himself a spy on others.
This system, uncomfortable as it may appear, has its advantages.
According to Mr. Oliphant: “One most beneficial result arising from
this universal system of espionage--for it extends through all classes
of society--is the entire probity of every government _employé_. So
far as we could learn or see, they were incorruptible. When men can
neither offer nor receive bribes; when it is almost impossible, even
indirectly, to exercise corrupt influences, there is little fear of
the demoralization of public departments of the state. In this respect
Japan affords a brilliant contrast to China, and even to some European
countries. So long as this purity exists, even though purchased at the
cost of secret espial, there can be little cause to fear the decadence
of Japan.”
It is as well to mention in this place that the word Tycoon, or Tai-kû,
is not of Japanese but of Chinese origin, and that it came into use
through its insertion in an official document, the unlucky minister who
employed it having in consequence fallen into disgrace and poverty. The
name of Tycoon is never applied to him by the Japanese, who use instead
the title which has been conferred upon him by his nominal superior,
the Mikado.
The Mikado, or spiritual emperor, is held in the greatest veneration,
and many of the honors paid to him are almost identical with those
which are rendered to the Grand Lama of Thibet. He is too sacred to
touch the earth with his feet, and is carried on men’s shoulders on the
rare occasions when he moves from one part of the palace to another.
Outside it he never goes. He is too holy to wear any garment twice, or
to use any article a second time, and, should any one venture to wear
or use a garment or utensil sanctified by his touch, he would bring
down on himself the vengeance of heaven. Consequently, every garment
that he has worn or every wooden utensil which he has employed is
burned, and those which are made of earthenware are broken.
A similar rule extends to his wives, of whom he has twelve, one of
them being the head wife or queen. A curious piece of etiquette is
practised by the wives of the Mikado. All other women dress their hair
into fantastic shapes, but the Mikado’s wives are obliged to allow
their hair to flow at length down their backs. In consequence of the
innumerable restrictions to which he is subjected, the Mikado generally
becomes tired of his comfortless rank, and resigns in favor of his heir.
Next come the Daimios or nobles, who, as among ourselves, are of
different ranks, and who are the real rulers of the country. The
difficulties which foreigners have experienced in Japan have almost
invariably been caused by the Daimios, who fear that their position as
feudal nobles may be endangered by the introduction of foreigners into
the country. The greater Daimios are as formidable as were the great
barons of early English history, and in like manner keep vast numbers
of armed retainers. There is a general idea that in Japan every man
wears a pair of swords. This is far from being the case, as none are
permitted to wear even one sword unless he be in the service of the
State. Even the wealthiest merchant may not wear a sword unless he is
enrolled among the retainers of a Daimio, and, as the privilege is a
great one, it is purchased for a certain annual sum. This indirect
tribute is a lucrative source of income to the Daimios, and enables
them to maintain the enormous retinue with which they are surrounded.
The higher classes in Japan are privileged to wear a garment called
the “hakkama.” This is much like the huge petticoat trousers of the
French Zouave, and is indeed a very full and abundantly plaited
petticoat, sewed together in the middle, and gathered in at the knees.
The wearers are inordinately proud of this garment, and, though one of
the unprivileged classes may purchase the right to carry a sword, no
expenditure of money will enable a man to wear the hakkama.
The most troublesome of the retainers are the Yaconins or Samourais,
men who have been admirably described by Sir Rutherford Alcock in his
“Capital of the Tycoon”:--
“All of a certain rank are armed with this formidable weapon projecting
from their belt; swords, like everything else in Japan, to our worse
confusion, being double, without much or any obvious distinction
between military and civil, or between Tycoon’s officers and Daimios’
retainers. These are the classes which furnish suitable specimens
of that extinct species of the race in Europe still remembered as
_Swashbucklers_,--swaggering, blustering bullies; many cowardly enough
to strike an enemy in the back, or cut down an unarmed and inoffensive
man; but also supplying numbers ever ready to fling their own lives
away in accomplishing a revenge, or carrying out the orders of their
chief.
“They are all entitled to the privilege of two swords, rank and file,
and are saluted by the unprivileged (professional, mercantile, and
agricultural classes) as _Sama_, or Lord. With a rolling straddle in
his gait, reminding one of Mr. Kinglake’s graphic description of the
Janissary, and due to the same cause,--the heavy, projecting blades
at his waist, and the swaddling clothes round his body,--the Japanese
Samourai or Yaconin moves on in a very ungainly fashion, the hilts of
his two swords at least a foot in advance of his person, very handy,
to all appearance, for an enemy’s grasp. One is a heavy, two-handed
weapon, pointed and sharp as a razor; the other short, like a Roman
sword, and religiously kept in the same serviceable state.
“In the use of these he is no mean adept. He seldom requires a second
thrust with the shorter weapon, but strikes home at a single thrust,
as was fatally proved at a later period; while with the longer weapon
he severs a limb at a blow. Such a fellow is a man to whom all
peace-loving subjects and prudent people habitually give as wide a
berth as they can. Often drunk, and always insolent, he is to be met
with in the quarters of the town where the tea-houses most abound; or
returning about dusk from his day’s debauch, with a red and bloated
face, and not over-steady on his legs, the terror of all the unarmed
population and street dogs. Happy for the former, when he is content
with trying the edge of a new sword on the quadrupeds; and many a poor
crippled animal is to be seen limping about, slashed over the back, or
with more hideous evidences of brutality. But, at other times, it is
some coolie or inoffensive shopkeeper, who, coming unadvisedly between
‘the wind and his nobility,’ is just as mercilessly cut down at a blow.”
In some sort of a way, each noble is responsible for the acts of his
retainers. Therefore, if any of these men determine upon some act
which they know will compromise their master,--say the assassination
of some one whom he dislikes,--they formally divest themselves of his
protection, and become “lonins,” or outlaws, or almost exactly the
same as the “masterless-men” of the feudal English days. Each of them
carries with him a paper on which his renunciation is written, and to
perform such an act is thought extremely honorable. Nearly all the men
who murdered Europeans were lonins.
The swords which these men wear in virtue of their rank are most
formidable weapons, the temper of the steel, the balance of the weapon,
and the slight curve of the edge, being all that can be desired.
They are finished with the utmost care, and every part receives the
minutest attention. A very beautiful specimen of the shorter sword
was presented to me by C. Allen, Esq., of Blackheath. It measures
two feet four inches in total length, of which the handle occupies
nearly nine inches. This roomy handle of the Japanese sword presents
a remarkable contrast with the small and cramped hilts of the Indian
weapons. It affords an admirable grasp for the hand, being covered with
diamond-shaped patterns of silken cord twisted over a basis of rough
skate-skin. The blade is a little more than an inch in width, and even
after a stay of many years in this country, is as bright as a mirror
and sharp as a razor.
Indeed, for a hand-to-hand encounter, it would be difficult to find a
more formidable weapon, even the kookery of India being inferior to
it, as being heavier and less manageable. It is equally adapted for
thrusting or cutting, and is so effective for the former purpose that
one of these swords has been driven completely through a man’s body by
a single thrust. The balance of the weapon is admirable, and, though it
is somewhat unsightly, it can be managed with perfect ease.
The amount of labor that has been bestowed on this particular weapon is
really astonishing. The effect is not in the least obtrusive, and it
is only by close examination that its beauties can be seen. The blade
is left entirely without ornament, its excellence being shown by its
high polish and sharp edge. But, with the exception of the blade, every
portion of the weapon has its ornament. On the guard is represented a
buffalo grazing under a tree, the groundwork being of bronze, and the
leaves of the tree and the herbage being gold. Between the silken cords
of the hilt and the skate-skin are inserted two beautifully executed
models, in bronze, of a bow and arrows, the feathers of the arrows
and wrappings of the head being gilt. One of these models is inserted
on either side of the hilt, which is terminated by a richly engraved
bronze ornament.
In the upper part of the sheath is kept a small knife, somewhat similar
in shape to that which is kept in the chopstick-case of the Chinese.
The handle of the knife is bronze, and is adorned with the figure of
a crayfish, beautifully wrought in gold, together with a banner and
one or two other devices. The sheath itself is a wonderful piece of
workmanship. At a little distance it looks as if it were covered with
dark-brown leather; but a closer inspection shows that it is entirely
covered with a minute and delicate pattern that looks as if it had
been traced with a needle’s point, and must have cost the artist a very
considerable expenditure of labor.
The larger sword is made after precisely the same pattern, except that
it is four feet in length, and must be used with both hands. With one
of these swords a Japanese will strike off a limb at a single blow;
and so sharp are they, that an executioner, in beheading a criminal,
scarcely raises the sword a foot for his stroke. The Japanese swordsmen
practise the use of their weapon by means of sham swords, with which
they fence, the combatants padding their limbs and sides, and covering
their faces with wire masks. They have a very dangerous cut, which is
made by the mere motion of unsheathing the sword, and takes effect at a
distance where an inexperienced person would think himself safe.
So good is the temper of these weapons, that a Japanese has been known
to sever a thick iron bolt with a single blow, the edge of the sword
not showing the slightest indication of the severe test to which it had
been put. The Japanese name for the large sword is “ken”; that of the
shorter, “kattan.”
Defensive armor was at one time much worn by the Japanese, though
at the present day the introduction of improved firearms has caused
them to abandon armor, except for purposes of show. A complete suit
of Japanese armor is shown on page 1469. It is made of multitudinous
plates hung upon cloth, and profusely ornamented by gilding. Though
very light, it is strong enough to resist the blow of the long sword,
though it is worse than useless against rifled fire-arms. Indeed,
had it not been for the recent disuse of protective armor, we should
scarcely have been able to procure a suit; but, finding their suits of
mail to be practically useless, the Japanese nobles very generously
presented many of them to their foreign guests, and allowed others to
be sold.
The oddest part of the suit is the helmet, with its appendages. The
fantastic crest is very light, being made of exceedingly thin material,
covered with gilding; and is so slight that a blow with a stick would
crush it. Perhaps the reader may wonder at the beards which apparently
depend from the chins of the soldiers. The fact is, the helmet is
furnished with a very complete visor, shaped like a mask, which covers
the whole of the face, and is decorated with a large gray beard and
mustache, in order to strike terror into the beholders.
The bow is a favorite weapon with the Japanese, who expend nearly as
much labor upon it as they do upon the sword. It is mostly japanned in
black, and adorned with various decorations. Some of these bows are
very powerful, and are strung in rather a peculiar manner, the archer
placing the lower end of the bow on the ground, and grasping the upper
end with his right hand. He plants his right foot on the middle of the
bow, bends it with the united powers of his foot and right hand, and
with his left slips the string into its place. The arrows are made like
those of China, but, in accordance with the national character of the
people, are more highly finished.
One of the strangest weapons used by the Japanese is the war fan. Like
the Chinese, the Japanese are never without the fan, and are obliged,
by force of long habit, to take it into battle. The fan which is kept
for this purpose has its sheath made of iron, and is of very large
size, so that if the warrior be surprised without his sword, he is sure
to have his fan ready by way of a club. These fans are decorated with
the national emblem, a red sun on a black ground.
In connection with the Japanese weapons must be mentioned some of their
modes of punishment. The first is the celebrated Hara-kiri, or Happy
Despatch, and consists of suicide by ripping open the abdomen with two
cuts in the form of a cross. Only the upper classes are privileged to
perform the Happy Despatch, and to them it is in reality a privilege.
If a Japanese official has failed in some duty, or committed some
act which is likely to call upon him the anger of his superiors, he
applies for permission to perform the Hara-kiri. At the appointed time,
he assembles his friends, dresses himself in white, as a token of
innocence, gives an entertainment, and makes a speech upon the position
in which he is placed. He then takes the fatal knife, and as he raises
his clothing for the purpose of inflicting the wounds, a good swordsman
comes behind him, bearing a two-handed sword or “ken.” The victim
begins the Hara-kiri, but, as soon as he has made a slight incision,
his head is swept off, so that death is not the result of the horrid
wounds in the abdomen.
Sometimes, however, when time presses, the victim is obliged to perform
the Hara-kiri as he can, and in that case dies from the self-inflicted
wounds. For example, in several cases where assassination has been
attempted, and notably in the celebrated attack on the British
Legation, when the would-be assassins were chased on the succeeding
day, it was found that three of them had committed the Hara-kiri, two
of whom were already dead, but one was still living and was captured.
In these cases the weapon used for the purpose is the shorter sword, or
“kattan.”
When a man has committed the Hara-kiri, he is supposed to have died an
honorable death, and so to have earned for himself a reputation as a
brave man. His family are proud of him, and his memory is reverenced.
But should he lose his life by the hand of the executioner, his whole
property is confiscated, his family falls under ban, and his name is
held as infamous. It will be seen, therefore, that the Hara-kiri is
really a very great privilege, especially among a people so entirely
indifferent to life as the Japanese.
Public executions are very simply carried out. The criminal is taken
to the spot on a horse, and when he arrives, is bound, and made to
kneel on the ground over a hole which is to receive his head. The
executioner, who uses the “ken” above named, arranges the culprit’s
head in the proper position, and, apparently without any effort,
decapitates the man with a blow. The old traveller Purchas very neatly
expresses the mode of execution by a single word. After narrating
the preliminaries, he states that the criminal “holds out his head,
presently _wiped_ off.”
Crucifixion is employed by the Japanese as well as by the Chinese, and
is mostly reserved for high treason. Minor punishments are not much in
vogue, inasmuch as a theft above a certain sum entails the penalty of
death, and so does a theft of a smaller sum if repeated. Flogging and
banishment are sometimes employed as punishments. The dreadful tortures
to which the earlier Christian missionaries and their converts were
subjected appear to be reserved for political and religious offenders.
The architecture of the Japanese is rather peculiar. Owing to the
physical condition of the country, and its liability to earthquakes,
the houses are not remarkable for size or beauty. Private houses are
never of any great height, a little exceeding forty feet being the
utmost limit. They are built of wood, and, wherever possible, are only
one story in height. They have a very ingenious mode of dividing their
houses into rooms. Instead of using permanent walls for that purpose,
they prefer folding screens made of wood and paper, so that they can
alter at will the size and shape of the rooms.
The floors are covered with mats, which serve also as measurements.
They are beautifully made of straw and rushes, are several inches in
thickness, and by law obliged to be exactly of the same dimensions,
_i. e._ one “kin,” or seven feet four and a half inches in length, and
half as much in breadth. The window frames are movable, and, instead of
glass, are filled with oiled paper, mica, and the translucent shell of
the great pearl oyster. The partitions of the houses and all the posts
are curiously varnished and painted, and the Japanese, essentially
a cleanly people, are very careful in keeping the interior of their
houses in the best possible order. Like many Orientals, they always
remove their sandals before entering a house, and no one even enters a
shop without slipping off his shoes.
The roof is also of wood, and is generally composed of thick boards,
which are kept in their places by wooden pegs, or by heavy stones laid
upon them. The ends of the roof project considerably beyond the walls,
so that they protect the doorways from the sun. On the roof of each
house is kept a tub full of water, and near at hand is a broom, so
that, in case of a fire, all the wooden roofs are at once drenched with
water. The extremely inflammable nature of the materials renders this
precaution needful; and, in addition, there are cisterns and tubs kept
in the streets, together with tolerably effective fire-engines.
The furniture of the houses is on the same simple plan as the edifices
themselves. A Japanese, no matter what his rank or wealth, has but
little furniture. From the highest Daimio to the ordinary workman,
the furniture of the houses is much the same. The room is bare, and
floored by mats; a few shelves hold some cups and saucers, and there
are generally several small trays on stands. This, with a few coverlids
and a small pillow, made of wood and having a padding on the top,
constitutes the furniture of the living-room. As to the kitchen, one or
two small movable stoves, a few pans of metal, and some brooms, are all
that are needed.
The Japanese cannot in the least understand why their Western visitors
should encumber themselves with such quantities of furniture, which,
to them, are not only useless, but absolutely in their way. They need
neither tables, chairs, sideboards, nor bedsteads, and care nothing for
large and handsome rooms.
Some years ago, when preparations were made for the reception of a
British Consul in Hakodadi, it was almost impossible to find any place
that could accommodate him. However, after much trouble, a locality
was found. After the arrangements had been made, the Japanese Governor
rose, took Sir R. Alcock by the hand, and led him through a corridor to
a little room, or rather closet, nine feet by six, and quietly remarked
that in that room his successor would be installed.
Sir R. Alcock has some very pertinent remarks on this subject: “As
we slowly wended our way through the streets, I had full opportunity
of observing the absence of all the things _we_ deem so essential
to comfort, and which crowd our rooms almost to the exclusion, and
certainly to the great inconvenience, of the people who are intended to
occupy them, as well as to the detriment of the proprietor’s purse.
“If European joints could only be made supple enough to enable their
owners to dispense with sofas and chairs, and, _par conséquence_,
with tables; and we were hardy enough to lie on straw mats, six feet
by three, stuffed with fine straw, and beautifully made with a silk
border, so as to form a sort of reticulated carpet for rooms of any
size; the solution of that much-debated question, the possibility of
marrying on 400_l._ a year, might certainly be predicted with something
like unanimity in favor of matrimony. The upholsterer’s bill can never
offer any impediment to a young couple in Japan.
“Their future house is taken, containing generally three or four
little rooms, in which clean mats are put. Each then brings to the
housekeeping a cotton stuffed quilt, and a box of wearing apparel for
their own personal use; a pan to cook the rice, half-a-dozen larger
cups and trays to eat off, a large tub to bathe and wash in are added,
on the general account: and these complete the establishment.”
Such being the simplicity of the house and furniture, it is evident
that loss by fire--an event by no means uncommon--is not nearly so
severe as is the case with us. The Japanese have, however, a very
sincere dread of fire, and at the end of every principal street there
is an elevated station, furnished with a bell, by means of which
information can be given as to the part of the city in which the fire
rages, so that all can go to assist in extinguishing it. Fires are of
almost daily occurrence, and whole streets are levelled at a time.
The Japanese take these fires as a matter of course, and look on the
destruction of an entire quarter with characteristic equanimity.
Indeed, they calculate that, taking one part with another, Yeddo is
burned down once in every seven years; and so they build their houses
with the least possible expense, considering them to be sooner or later
food for fire.
Of the amusements of the Japanese only a very short account can be
given. First among them must be placed the calm and contemplative
amusement of the pipe, in which the Japanese indulge largely. The pipe
which they use is very small, the bowl being scarcely large enough to
contain a moderately sized pea. The tobacco is very mild, something
like Turkish tobacco, and it is smoked by drawing the vapor into the
lungs, so that the whole of the tobacco is consumed at one inhalation.
The ashes are then turned out of the pipe, which is replaced in its
case, and the smoke is leisurely exhaled. A Japanese will smoke thirty
or forty such pipes in a morning.
Games for children are almost identical with those used in England; the
ball, the shuttlecock, the stilt, the kite, and the hoop, being all
common toys. As for adults, they have dice, the theatre, the wrestling
matches. The dice are prohibited by law, and therefore they are made so
minute as to be easily concealed. A pair of dice and their box are so
small that they can be concealed between the tips of two fingers, the
dice being barely the tenth of an inch in diameter, and the box just
large enough to hold them.
The wrestling matches are very singular performances. The wrestlers
are the strangest imaginable beings, being fattened to the last
possible degree, so that they seem incapable of any feats of activity.
Yet one of these elephantine men took in his arms a sack of rice
weighing a hundred and twenty-five pounds, and turned repeated
somersaults with as much ease as any light and unencumbered gymnast
could do. The wrestlers are kept by the Daimios, who are very proud of
them, and fond of exhibiting their powers. Each wrestler is supplied
with several attendants, and clad in magnificent garments, the
privilege of wearing two swords being also accorded to them. When they
perform, all their robes are removed, leaving them in the wrestler’s
garb, a fringed apron, embroidered with the cognizance of their patron.
In wrestling, they try, not only to throw their antagonist, but to push
him out of the arena, a man who is forced beyond the boundary being
held as vanquished. One of these encounters is vividly described by an
American traveller.
“They were, in fact, like a pair of fierce bulls, whose nature they had
not only acquired, but even their look and movements. As they continued
to eye each other, they stamped the ground heavily, pawing as it were
with impatience, and then, stooping their huge bodies, they grasped
handfuls of the earth, and flung it with an angry toss over their
backs, or rubbed it impatiently between their massive palms, or under
their stalwart shoulders. They now crouched down low, still keeping
their eyes fixed upon one another, and watching each movement, when, in
a moment, they had both simultaneously heaved their massive frames in
opposing force, body to body, with a shock that might have stunned an
ox.
“The equilibrium of their monstrous persons was hardly disturbed by
the encounter, the effect of which was barely visible in the quiver
of the hanging flesh of their bodies. As they came together, they had
flung their brawny arms about each other, and were now entwined in a
desperate struggle, with all their strength, to throw their antagonist.
Their great muscles rose with the distinct outline of the sculptured
form of a colossal Hercules, their bloated faces swelled up with gushes
of red blood, which seemed almost to burst through the skin, and their
bodies palpitated with savage emotion as the struggle continued. At
last one of the antagonists fell with his immense weight upon the
ground, and, being declared vanquished, he was assisted to his feet and
conducted out of the ring.”
The theatres much resemble those of the Chinese, the building being a
mere temporary shed, and the parts of the women taken by young lads.
The plays last for some two hours, and the Japanese have a very odd
plan of arranging them. Suppose that five plays are to be acted in a
day: the performers go through the first act of the first play, then
the first act of the second play, and so on, until they have taken
in succession the first act of every play. They then take the second
act of each play, and so on until the whole are concluded. The object
of this custom is, to enable spectators to see one act, go away, and
come again in time for the next act. Often, however, the spectators
remain throughout the entire day, and in that case refreshments are
openly consumed. It is also thought correct for ladies to change their
dress as often as possible during the day, so that there is as much
change of costume in front of the stage as upon it. In these plays
there is generally a considerable amount of love-making, and a still
greater amount of fighting, the “terrific combat” being an acknowledged
essential of the Japanese stage.
Perhaps the most characteristic and most perplexing institution of
Japan is that of the Tea-house. In many points the whole tone of
thought differs so much in Japan from anything that we Westerns have
learned, that it is scarcely possible for two so diverse people to
judge each other fairly. We have already seen that nudity conveys no
ideas of indecency to a Japanese, the people having been accustomed to
it from infancy, and thinking no more of it than do infants. In the
tea-houses we find a state of things which in Europe would be, and
rightly, stigmatized as national immorality: in Japan it is taken as a
matter of course. These tea-houses are situated in the most picturesque
spots, and are furnished with every luxury. The extraordinary part of
them is, that the attendants are young women, who are sold for a term
of years to a life of vice. They are purchased by the proprietors of
the tea-houses, and instructed in various accomplishments, so as to
make them agreeable companions. No sort of infamy attaches to them, men
of high rank taking their wives and families to the tea-houses, so that
they may benefit by the many accomplishments of the attendants.
When the term of servitude is over, the girls retire from their
business, and may re-enter their families without losing the regard
of their relatives. Many enter a Buddhist order of mendicant nuns,
but the greater number find husbands. It is one of the most startling
characteristics of this strange people that institutions such as this
should exist, and yet that female virtue should be so highly valued.
No sooner does one of these girls marry, than she is supposed to begin
her life afresh, and, no matter what may have been their previous
lives, no wives are more faithful than those of the Japanese. The only
resting-point in this mass of contradiction is, that, though the girls
incur no shame for the course of life into which they have been sold,
the keepers of the tea-houses are looked upon as utterly infamous, and
no one of respectability will associate with them.
That the men should resort to such places is no matter of surprise, but
that they should be accompanied by their wives is rather remarkable.
Sometimes the husbands prefer to go without their wives, and in that
case the ladies are apt to resent the neglect. The accompanying
illustration is copied from a Japanese book in my collection, and is a
good example of the humorous power which a Japanese artist can put into
his work. The engraving tells its own story. Two husbands are going
off together, and are caught by their wives. The different expressions
thrown into the faces and action of the truants are admirably
given,--the surprise and horror of the one, who has evidently allowed
his wife to be ruler in the house, and the dogged determination of the
other to get away, are rendered with such force that no European artist
could surpass the effect.
[Illustration: CAPTURE OF THE TRUANTS.]
We cannot take leave of this remarkable people without a few remarks
upon the state of art among them. The Japanese are evidently an
art-loving people. Fond as they are of the grotesque in art, they are
capable of appreciating its highest qualities; and, indeed, a Japanese
workman can scarcely make any article of ordinary use without producing
some agreeable combination of lines in color.
Even the pen, or rather the brush, with which they write is enclosed in
an ingenious and decidedly artistic case. The case is made of bronze,
and consists of a hollow stem and a square bowl closed by a lid. The
bowl contains India ink, and into the hollow stem the pen is passed.
When not in use the pen is slipped into the stem, and the lid is closed
and kept down by twisting over it the string which hangs from the end
of the case, and which is decorated with a ball of agate.
One reason for the excellence of Japanese art is, that the artists,
instead of copying from each other, invariably go to nature for their
models. They have teachers just as we do, but the great object of these
professors is to teach their pupils how to produce the greatest effect
with the fewest lines. Book after book may be seen entirely filled with
studies for the guidance of the young artists, in which the master has
depicted various scenes with as few lines as possible. One of these
books is entirely filled with studies of falling rain, and, monotonous
as the subject may seem, no two drawings are in the least alike, and a
separate and forcible character is given to each sketch. Another book
has nothing but outlines of landscape scenery, while some are entirely
filled with grass-blades, some bending in the wind, others beaten
down by rain, and others flourishing boldly upright. The bamboo is
another favorite subject; and so highly do the Japanese prize the skill
displayed by a master, that they will often purchase at a high price a
piece of paper with nothing on it but a few strokes of the brush, the
harmony of the composition and the balance of the different lines of
beauty being thoroughly appreciated by an artistic eye.
Studying as the Japanese do in the school of nature, they are
marvellously apt at expressing attitude, whether of man, beast, or
bird. They never have any difficulty in disposing of the arms of their
figures, and, no matter what may be the action, there is always an ease
about it which betrays the artist’s hand even in the rudest figures.
Among living objects the crane appears to be the special favorite of
the Japanese, its popularity being shared, though not equalled, by the
stork and the heron.
These birds are protected both by law and popular opinion, and
in consequence are so tame that the native artists have abundant
opportunities of studying their attitudes, which they do with a patient
love for the subject that is almost beyond praise. No figure is so
frequently introduced in Japanese art as the crane, and so thoroughly
is the bird understood, that it is scarcely possible to find in all
the figures of cranes, whether cast in bronze, drawn on paper, or
embossed and painted on articles of furniture, two specimens in which
the attitude is exactly the same. With us, even the professional
animal painters are apt to take a sketch or two, and copy them over
and over again, often repeating errors as well as excellences, while
the Japanese artist has too genuine a love for his subject to descend
to any such course. Day by day he studies his living models, fills
his book with sketches taken rapidly, but truly, and so has always
at hand a supply of genuine and original attitudes. In order to show
how admirably the Japanese artist can represent the crane, I have
introduced below drawings of some beautiful specimens in Sir Hope
Grant’s collection.
[Illustration: CANDLESTICK AND CENSERS. (From Sir Hope Grant’s
Collection.)]
The reader cannot fail to perceive the consummate knowledge of the bird
which is displayed in these figures, while the perfection of the work
and the delicate finish of the detail are almost beyond praise. Nothing
can be more true to nature than the three attitudes there shown. In one
case, the bird stands upright and contemplative on one leg, after the
manner of its kind. In the second instance, the bird is standing on a
tortoise, and, as the neck is thrown into action, both legs are used
for support. Then, in the flying bird, whose body serves as a censer,
the attitude of the outspread wings and outstretched legs is just as
true to nature as the others, all the attitudes having been undoubtedly
taken from nature.
The porcelain of the Japanese is singularly beautiful, and sometimes
is adorned with ornaments which may be reckoned under the head of
“conceits.” For instance, a cup will be adorned with a representation
of pleasure boats on the river. With a needle the tiny windows of the
boats can be raised, when a party of ladies and gentlemen drinking tea
are discovered inside the boat. Sometimes a little tortoise may be seen
reposing quietly at the bottom of the cup, until the hot tea is poured
into it, when the creature rises to the surface, shaking its head and
kicking with its legs as if in pain from the hot liquid.
In Japanese pictures certain curious figures may be seen, looking as
if human beings had been wrapped in a bundle of rushes. This strange
costume is the snow-cloak of the ordinary Japanese. For mere rain the
Japanese generally wear a sort of overcoat made of oiled paper, very
thin, nearly transparent, and very efficient, though it is easily
torn. But when a snow-storm comes on, the Japanese endues another
garment, which is made in a way equally simple and effective.
A sort of skeleton is made of network, the meshes being about two
inches in diameter. Upon each point of the mesh is tied a bunch of
vegetable fibre, like very fine grass, the bundles being about as
thick as an ordinary pencil where they are tied, and spreading toward
the ends. The garment thus made is exceedingly light, and answers its
purpose in the most admirable manner. The bunches of fibres overlapping
each other like the tiles of a house, keep the snow far from the body,
while any snow that may melt simply runs along the fibres and drops to
the ground. To wet this snow cloak through is almost impossible, even
the jet of a garden engine having little effect upon it except when
quite close, while no amount of snow would be able to force a drop of
water through the loose texture of the material.
The Japanese silks have long been celebrated, but there is one kind
of which scarcely anything is known in England. During Lord Elgin’s
mission to Japan, a number of rolls of silk were presented to the
members of the embassy. They were all in strips about three yards
long and one wide, so that they seemed to be useless. They happened,
however, to be exceedingly valuable; in fact, absolutely priceless,
as no money could buy them. They were made by exiled nobles, who were
punished by being sent to the island of Fatsizio, where they spend
their time in making these peculiar silks. No one below a certain rank
is allowed to wear the silk which has been woven by noble fingers, or
even to have the fabric in the house, and in consequence not a piece
ever even found its way to the shops.
The subject of Japanese art is most interesting, but we must now close
our notice, and proceed to the next people on our list.
CHAPTER CLVIII.
SIAM.
GOVERNMENT--DRESS--RELIGION.
DUPLEX GOVERNMENT -- PERSONAL CHARACTER OF THE KING -- THE LATE FIRST
KING AND HIS ACCOMPLISHMENTS -- APPEARANCE OF THE SIAMESE -- THE MODE
OF ARRANGING THE HAIR -- DRESS OF BOTH SEXES -- CEREMONIES IN SIAM
-- AUDIENCE OF A NOBLE -- ACTORS AND THEIR COSTUMES -- AN ACTRESS IN
ROYAL ROBES -- THE ARISTOCRATIC ELBOW -- PRECAUTIONS AGAINST CRIME
-- SYSTEM OF PUNISHMENT -- RELIGION OF SIAM -- THE WHITE ELEPHANT,
AND REASON OF THE HONORS THAT ARE PAID TO IT -- HAIRS OF THE TAIL --
ARCHITECTURE OF SIAM -- THE FUNERAL PILE.
In the empire of SIAM, and its dependent kingdoms, Laos and Cambodia,
we find the principle of the duplex rule which we have already seen
existing in Japan, though in these cases the distinction between the
two kings is merely one of dignity, and has nothing to do with the
secular and spiritual element, as in Japan. In Siam, the two kings are
mostly near relations, and often brothers; and sometimes, though by no
means as a rule, the Second King becomes First King on the death of his
superior. Practically, the whole of the royal power is vested in the
first King, the secondary ruler being, although enjoying royal rank,
nothing more than the first subject in the land.
In China and Japan, the personal character of the king seems to
exercise but little influence over the people. This is not the case
with Siam, in which country the influence of the king pervades the
whole of the realm, and is of infinite importance for good or evil.
The Siamese have been very fortunate in the king who lately held the
First Throne. As is the custom with the Siamese kings, he spent a
series of years in a Buddhist monastery, secluding himself from all
society, even from that of his own children. During twenty-seven years
he devoted himself to the studies which he thought would fit him for
his future office; and when he mounted the throne in 1851, being
then about forty-seven years of age, he astonished every one by his
learning. He had made himself master of the history and geography of
his own country; he was good enough astronomer to calculate eclipses,
and determine the latitude and longitude of a place. He could speak
and write English so well, that he was a valued contributor to the
scientific journals of Hong Kong, and, on account of his writings, was
elected a member of the Asiatic Society. He was a fair Latin and French
scholar, was thoroughly acquainted with all the various dialects of
Siam and Indo-China, and was also learned in Sanscrit, a language of
which he was very fond.
He was always desirous of attracting to him any English people who
could give him instruction, and showed his preference for Great Britain
by invariably wearing a Glengary cap, except on occasions of ceremony,
when he had to wear the heavy national crown; and, strange to say,
to judge from several photographic portraits of the King in various
costumes, the Glengary cap suits his countenance better than any other
headdress. The full Siamese name of the King was Phra Chomklau chau yu
hua; but the Sanscrit form, which he always used, was Somdetch Phra
Paramendra Maha Mongkut. He generally signed his name as S. P. P. M.
Mongkut. His name before he came to the throne was Chau Fa Yai. The
death of this wise ruler and accomplished gentleman was a very severe
loss to Siam, and was felt even among the scientific societies of
Europe.
A portrait of this remarkable man is given on the 1469th page, dressed
in the costume which he usually wore. The Glengary cap gives a
curiously Europeanized look to his face; but as, contrary to the habit
of the bare-headed Siamese, he constantly wore it, he is drawn with it
upon his head. I possess portraits of him in several dresses, but that
which he generally wore is selected as being the most characteristic of
the man.
His brother, Chau Fa Noi, was by universal consent made the Second
King, or Wanqua. When he received the crown, he took the name of
Somdetch Piu Klau Chau yu hua. The choice was in both cases an
excellent one, the brothers resembling each other in their love of
literature, and their anxiety to promote the welfare of their people by
the arts of peace, and not of war.
We will now turn to the general appearance of the Siamese.
They are rather small, but well proportioned, and their color is a
warm olive. The hair of the men is shaved, except a tuft upon the top
of the head, which is kept rather short; and the hair being black and
coarse, the tuft looks as if a short brush had been stuck on the head.
According to Siamese ideas, the tuft resembles the closed lotus flower.
This tuft is held in the highest esteem; and for any one even to give
indications of approaching the head-tuft of a great man, is considered
either as a deadly insult or a mark of utter ignorance of manners.
When a young Siamese comes of age, the head-tuft is shaved with great
ceremonies, the relations being called together, priests being invited
to recite prayers and wash the head of the young man, and all the
family resources being drawn upon for the feast. The exact moment of
the shaving is announced by a musket shot. After the tuft is removed,
the lad is sent to the pagodas to be taught by the priests, and many
of them never leave these quiet retreats, but enter the ranks of the
regular priesthood.
Even the women wear the hair-tuft, but in their case the hair is
allowed to grow to a greater length, and is carefully oiled and tended.
The woman’s head-tuft is said to represent the lotus flower opened.
The head is seldom covered, the cap worn by King S. Phra Mongkut being
quite an exceptional instance. As for clothing, the Siamese care but
little for it, though the great people wear the most costly robes on
state occasions. But even the highest mandarins content themselves
during the warmer months of the year with the single garment called the
Pa-nung. This is a wide strip of strong Indian chintz, generally having
a pattern of stars upon a ground of dark blue, green, red or chocolate.
When worn, “the Siamese place the middle of this, when opened, to the
small of the back, bringing the two ends round the body before, and the
upper edges, being twisted together, are tucked in between the body and
the cloth. The part hanging is folded in large plaits, passed between
the legs, and tucked in behind as before.” (See Bowring’s “Kingdom and
People of Siam.”)
Sometimes the men have a white cloth hanging loosely over their
shoulders, and occasionally throw it over their heads. When walking in
the open air, a broad palm-leaf hat is used to keep off the sunbeams,
and is worn by both sexes alike.
There is very little difference in the dress of the sexes. When very
young, girls wear a light and airy costume of turmeric powder, which
gives them a rich yellow hue, and imparts its color to everything
with which they come in contact. Up to the age of ten or eleven, they
generally wear a slight gold or silver string round the waist, from the
centre of which depends a heart-shaped piece of the same metal, and,
when they reach adult years, they assume the regular woman’s dress.
This consists of the chintz or figured silk wrapper, which, however,
falls little below the knees, and a piece of lighter stuff thrown over
one shoulder and under the other. This latter article of dress is,
however, of little importance, and, even when used, it often falls off
the shoulder, and is not replaced. Even the Queen of Siam, when in
state dress, wears nothing but these two garments. As a rule, the feet
are bare, embroidered slippers being only occasionally used by great
people.
The appearance of the king in his royal robes may be seen from the
portrait of a celebrated actress on the next page. In Siam, as in
China, the actors are dressed in the most magnificent style, and
wear costumes made on the pattern of those worn by royalty. To all
appearance, they are quite as splendid as the real dresses, for
gilding can be made to look quite as well as solid gold, and sham
jewels can be made larger and more gorgeous than real gems. The reader
will notice that upon the fingers the actress wears inordinately long
nail-preservers, which are considered as indicating that the nails
beneath are of a proportionate length.
The actors in the king’s theatre are all his own women, of whom he has
some six or seven hundred, together with an average of five attendants
to each woman. No male is allowed to enter this department of the
palace, which is presided over by ladies chosen from the noblest
families in the land. These plays are all in dumb show, accompanied by
music, which in Siam is of a much sweeter character than is usual in
that part of the world. Besides the chief actors, at least a hundred
attendants assist in the play, all being magnificently attired. The
play is continued _ad infinitum_. When any of the spectators become
wearied, they retire for a while, and then return, and it is thought a
compliment to the principal guest to ask him the hour at which he would
like the play to be stopped.
[Illustration: KING OF SIAM. (See page 1467.)]
[Illustration: ARMOR. (See page 1460.)]
[Illustration: ACTRESS. (See page 1468.)]
The veritable crown is shaped much like the mock ornaments of the
actress. The King brought for the inspection of Sir J. Bowring the
crown used at his coronation. It is very heavy, weighing about four
pounds, and is of enormous value, being covered with valuable diamonds,
that which terminates the peak being of very great size and splendor.
The King also exhibited the sword of state, with its golden scabbard
covered with jewels. When the sword is drawn, it is seen to be double,
one blade being inserted into the other, as into a second sheath. The
inner blade is of steel, and the outer of a softer metal. The handle is
of wood, and, like the sheath, is profusely adorned with jewels.
The Siamese are among the most ceremonious people, and in this respect
equal, even if they do not surpass, the Chinese and Japanese. Their
very language is a series of forms, by which persons of different rank
address each other; and, although there may be no distinction of dress
between a nobleman and a peasant, the difference of rank is marked far
more strongly than could be done by mere dress. It is an essential
point of etiquette, for example, that the person of inferior rank
should always keep his head below that of his superior.
Should a man of low degree meet a nobleman, the former will stoop
at the distance of thirty or forty yards, sink on his knees as his
superior approaches, and finally prostrate himself on his face. Should
he wish to present anything to his superior, he must do so by pushing
it along the ground, and, indeed, must carry out in appearance the
formal mode of address in which he likens himself to a worm. Just as
the peasants grovel before the nobles, so do the nobles before the
king; and if either of them has a petition to offer, he must put it in
a jar, and so crawl and push it along the ground as humbly as if he
were a mere peasant. Siamese artists are fond of depicting the various
modes of approaching a superior, and never forget to indicate the great
man by two points. In the first place, he sits erect, while the others
crouch; and, in the second, he leans on his left arm, and bends the
left elbow inward. This most strange and ungraceful attitude is a mark
of high birth and breeding, the children of both sexes being trained to
reverse the elbow-joint at a very early age.
As may be expected from the progress of civilization, the Siamese have
a tolerably complete code of laws, which are administered by regularly
appointed officers. The laws are rather severe, though not much more
so than were our own a century ago. Murder, for example, is punished
with death; and in every case of murder or suicide, the houses within a
circle of eighty yards from the spot on which the crime was committed
are considered responsible, and fined heavily. This curious law forces
the people to be very cautious with regard to quarrels, and to check
them before the two antagonists become sufficiently irritated to seek
each other’s life. This respect for human life contrasts strongly with
the utter indifference with which it is regarded in China and Japan.
Nobles of very high rank are exempt from capital punishment in one
way, _i. e._ their blood may not be shed; but, if guilty of a capital
offence, they are put into sacks, and beaten to death with clubs made
of sandal wood. Some punishments are meant to inflict ignominy. Such,
for example, is that of a bonze, or priest, who is detected in breaking
his vow of chastity. He is taken to a public place, stripped of his
sacred yellow robe, flogged until the blood streams down his back, and
then kept in the king’s stables for the rest of his life, employed in
cutting grass for the elephants.
Another similar punishment is inflicted on laymen. A cangue is fastened
round his neck, his hands and wrists are chained, and he is taken
round the city, preceded by drums and cymbals. The worst part of the
punishment is, that he is compelled to proclaim his crime aloud as he
passes through the streets; and if he ceases to do so, or drops his
voice, he is beaten severely with the flat of a sword. Prisoners are
mostly employed on public works, and at night they are all fastened
together with one long chain.
Of the religion of the Siamese it is impossible to treat, because
Buddhism is far too wide and intricate a subject to be discussed in a
few pages. There is, however, one modification of this religion which
must be mentioned; namely, the divine honors paid to the White Elephant.
By the Siamese, these animals are thought to be the incarnations
of some future Buddha, and are accordingly viewed with the deepest
respect. The fortunate man who captures a white elephant sends the news
to the capital, and in return for the auspicious news is thenceforth
freed, with his posterity, from all taxation and liability to military
service. A road is cut through the forest, and a magnificent raft is
built on the Meinam River, for the reception of the sacred animal. When
the elephant reaches the raft, he is taken on board under a splendid
canopy, and kept in good temper by gifts of cakes and sweetmeats.
Meanwhile, a noble of the highest rank, sometimes even the First King
himself, goes in a state barge to meet the elephant, accompanied by
a host of boats with flags and music, and escorts the sacred animal
to the capital, each boat trying to attach a rope to the raft. When
arrived, the animal is taken to the palace, when he receives some
lofty title, and is then led to the magnificent house prepared for
him, where, to the end of his life, he is petted and pampered and has
everything his own way, the king himself deeming it an honor if the
sacred beast will condescend to feed out of his hand. On the head of
the elephant is placed a royal crown, his tusks are encircled with
precious rings, and a royal umbrella is carried over him when he goes
to bathe.
When the animal dies, the hairs of the tail are reserved as relics of
a divine incarnation, and the body is buried with royal honors. The
hairs of the tail are set in golden handles, profusely adorned with
precious stones; and the reader may possibly remember that the First
King, Somdetch Phra Mongkut, sent one of these tufts to Queen Victoria,
as a priceless proof of the estimation in which he held her. The King
also gave the ambassador, Sir J. Bowring, a few hairs from the tail, as
a gift about equal to that of the Garter in England, and when, to the
great grief of the nation, the elephant died in 1855, the King sent Sir
J. Bowring, as a further mark of his favor, a small piece of the skin
preserved in spirits of wine.
The color of the elephant is not really white, but a sort of pale,
brick-dust red. Albino animals of all kinds are venerated by the
Siamese, the white monkey being in rank next to the white elephant.
This veneration is so marked that a talapoin--a sort of preaching
fakir--who will not condescend to salute the King himself, bows humbly
if he should see even a white cock, much more a white monkey.
The architecture of Siam deserves a brief notice. It possesses some
of the characteristics of Chinese, Japanese, and Burmese, but has
an aspect that belongs peculiarly to itself. Ordinary houses are of
comparatively small dimensions, but the temples are often of enormous
size, and in their way are exceedingly beautiful. They are full of
lofty and gabled roofs, five or six of which often rise above each
other, in fantastic beauty, so as to lead the eye upward to the central
tower. This is always a sort of spire or pinnacle, which is made of
a succession of stories, and is terminated by the slender emblem of
sovereignty, namely, an ornament that looks like a series of spread
umbrellas placed over each other, and become less and less as they
approach the summit. The whole of the tower is profusely adorned with
grotesque statues in strange attitudes, and there is scarcely a square
foot which is undecorated in some way or other.
The palaces are built on much the same model, and their gates are often
guarded by gigantic figures carved in stone. At the door of the Hall
of Audience at Bangkok are two figures made of granite. They are sixty
feet in height, and represent men with the tails of fish projecting
from the spine. In fact, they are almost exact reproductions of the
Assyrian Dagon, as it is represented on the Nineveh sculptures.
The funeral pile on (or rather in) which is burned the body of a king
or any of the royal family, is built on the same principle as the
temples, and is in fact a temple, though made of combustible materials.
There is before me a photograph of the funeral pile which was made for
the body of the First King’s son, and another of a pile erected for the
purpose of consuming the body of his wife. They are very similar in
appearance, being temples made of wood and canvas, covered with gilt
paper. They are about a hundred and twenty feet in height, and on the
photograph, where the nature of the material is not shown, look like
magnificent specimens of Siamese architecture.
The central spire, terminated with its royal emblem, rises in the
centre, and round it are clustered gables, roofs, pinnacles, and
pillars, in bewildering profusion.
The door is guarded by two gigantic statues, and the body lies in
the centre of the building, hidden by curtains. On account of the
flimsiness of the materials, to all the pinnacles are attached slight
ropes, which are fastened firmly to the ground, so that they act like
the “stays” of a ship’s mast. Inflammable as are the wood, paper, and
canvas of which the edifice is made, they are rendered still more so by
being saturated with oil, tar, and similarly combustible substances.
Vast, therefore, as is the building, a very short time suffices to
consume it, and the intense heat reduces the corpse to a mere heap of
ashes, which are gathered together, and solemnly placed in the temple
dedicated to that purpose.
CHAPTER CLIX.
ANCIENT EUROPE.
THE SWISS LAKE-DWELLERS.
DISCOVERY OF THE DWELLINGS AND RELICS -- MODE OF BUILDING THE HOUSES
-- POPULATION OF THE LAKES -- GENERAL CHARACTER OF THE RELICS.
Many of my readers may be aware of the remarkable discovery that was
made in 1853-4, showing that even in Europe there lived, at one time,
a race of men having exactly the same habits as the swamp-dwellers of
New Guinea, or the lake-dwellers of Maracaibo on the Amazon. During
the winter months of those two years, the weather in Switzerland was
very dry and very cold, so that the rivers did not receive their usual
supplies of water. Consequently, the water in the lakes fell far below
its usual level, and this disclosed the remarkable fact that in those
lakes had once been assemblages of human habitations, built upon piles
driven into the bed of the lake.
These houses, appropriately called “Pfahlbauten,” or Pile-buildings,
were, as their name implies, built upon piles; and it is a most
interesting fact, that not only have the piles been discovered, on
which the houses were built, but also fragments of the walls of
those houses; many specimens of the weapons and implements of the
inhabitants, their ornaments, and even their food, have been brought to
light, after having been buried for centuries beneath the water.
The resemblance, not to say the identity, between many articles found
under the waters of the Swiss lakes and those which are still used by
savage tribes of the Western hemisphere is absolutely startling; and
not the least remarkable point about the relics which have just been
discovered is, that several of them are identical with inventions which
we fondly deem to be modern.
The chief part of these lake-dwellings was constructed during the Stone
period, _i. e._ a period when axes, spear-heads, etc., were made of
stone, the use of fire being unknown. This is proved by the quantity of
stone weapons and implements which have been found in the lakes. That
various improvements have been made in the architecture is also shown
by the difference in details of construction.
From the relics that have been discovered, it is easy to see what these
lake-dwellings must have been. They were built on a scaffolding made of
piles driven into the bed of the lake, and connected with cross-beams,
so as to make the foundation for a platform. Upon this platform the
huts themselves were built. They were mostly circular, and the walls
were made of wattle, rendered weather-tight by the clay which could be
obtained in any quantity from the bed of the lake.
The reason for building these edifices is analogous to the feeling
which induces military engineers to surround their forts with moats
filled with water. In those primitive times, man waged an unequal war
against the wild animals, such as the bear, the wolf, and the boar, and
in consequence, these lacustrine habitations proved to be strongholds
which such enemies could not assault. It is natural, also, that persons
thus threatened should congregate together, and in consequence we find
that in one lake alone, that of Neufchâtel, a population of some five
thousand had congregated.
A vast number of relics of this bygone age have been recovered from
the lakes, and are of absorbing interest to the anthropologist. In the
first place, the original piles have been discovered, still standing,
and several have been drawn, in order to ascertain the depth to which
they were driven. Portions of the wattled walls of the huts have also
been found, together with great numbers of stone implements, denoting
a very early age. Great quantities of pottery have also been found,
the crescent being a favorite ornament, and several utensils of a
crescentic shape having been discovered.
Then, as time went on, men improved upon their earlier works, and
took to metal instead of stone, as examples of which may be mentioned
the wonderful series of metallic objects that have been found in the
lakes. There are axes, spears and arrow-heads, necklaces, bracelets,
and hair-pins, and--most remarkable--there is the very article that was
patented some years since as the “Safety Pin” for nurseries.
As to the food which these people ate, we have abundant evidence in
the way of bones belonging to various animals, and--strangest of
all--specimens of bread have been discovered. As may be supposed, the
bread in question was of the coarsest possible character, the grains
of corn being roasted, slightly ground, and then pressed into lumps,
which may by courtesy be termed cakes. Even fruits have been found
ready cut and prepared for consumption, the apple being the most
plentiful of these fruits. Seeds of different fruits, such as the plum,
the raspberry, and the blackberry, have been found, together with the
shells of hazel and beech-nuts, showing that all these different fruits
were used for food in the olden times now so long passed away.
CHAPTER CLX.
AFRICA--_Continued_.
THE MAKONDÉ.
DR. LIVINGSTONE’S LAST EXPEDITION -- MAKONDÉ -- JUNGLE -- NATIVES
WILLING TO WORK -- THEIR FOOD -- NUMBER REDUCED BY SLAVE TRADE --
MODE OF SALUTATION -- PERSONAL APPEARANCE -- MAKONDÉ WITHOUT A
PARAMOUNT CHIEF -- METAMBWÉ -- MATUMORA THEIR CHIEF -- THEIR IDEA
OF GOD -- TATTOOING -- RAIN SCARCELY KNOWN ON THE EAST COAST --
THE MAKOA, KNOWN BY HALF-MOON FIGURE -- A RAIN-MAKER -- VILLAGES
REMARKABLE FOR CLEANLINESS -- POTTERY, HOW MADE -- SINGULAR CUSTOM.
When this work was published, the celebrated explorer, Dr. David
Livingstone, who had done so much in opening to the civilized world
the great continent of Africa, had disappeared in its interior. In the
beginning of 1866 he started from Zanzibar, on the East Coast, on that
journey which at length terminated with his life in the village of
Ilala, in April, 1873. By the providential preservation of his journal
we are favored with the results of his explorations, and learn of the
tribes and peoples whom he visited, and has described with so truthful
and fascinating a pen.
No inconsiderable portion of this work is derived from the travels of
Dr. Livingstone. It seems important, therefore, that his contribution
to a knowledge of the uncivilized races, made since this work was
issued, should, so far as our space will permit, be appended to it.
* * * * *
In March, 1866, Dr. Livingstone, having left Zanzibar, arrived in
Mikindany Bay, which is about twenty-five miles north of the Rovuma
River. Starting from Pemba, on the north side of the bay, April 4th, he
entered the country of the Makondé.
The path lay in a valley with well-wooded heights on each side; and
with the tall grass towering over the head, and now and then a jungle
to be cleared, and no air stirring, the entrance upon his seven years’
journeying was difficult and oppressive.
In passing through the jungles, though they offered no obstruction to
foot-passengers, it was necessary to heighten and widen the paths for
the tall camels. The Makondé of the village were very willing to aid
Livingstone in this work, as wood-cutters or carriers. He organized a
party of about ten jolly young men, paying each a yard of calico per
day. Being accustomed to make clearing-places for their gardens, they
worked with a will. They were perfectly satisfied with their small
compensation. Using tomahawks, climbing and young trees disappeared
before their steady and vigorous blows like clouds before the sun.
This work, however, told upon them in two or three days. The tallest
men became exhausted soonest. Not being a meat-eating people, except
one is fortunate enough to kill a wild hog or antelope, their physical
strength was not equal to any prolonged demand for hard work. They will
not eat the flesh of beasts like that of the leopard and lion, which is
readily eaten by other tribes, and the reason they give is, that these
animals devour men. Such a fact refutes the allegation that this tribe
are guilty of cannibalism.
In the open spaces were cleared gardens for maize, cassava, and
sorghum. The soil being very fertile and with no rocks, very heavy
crops of these products are obtained. The cassava bushes grow to the
height of six or seven feet. Food is very plenty and cheap. Just before
Livingstone’s visit, they had been ravaged by the Mazitu, who had
carried away many of their people as slaves. The Mehambwé, a branch
of the Makondé tribe, had also three months before been invaded, and
robbed of all their food, so that they were obliged to send in every
direction for provisions.
The Makondé have been very greatly diminished in numbers since the
slave trade was introduced, one village making war upon another,
kidnapping as many as possible to sell them to the Arab slave-dealers.
They ascribe diseases and death to witches, and when one of a village
dies, the whole population move off, saying “That is a bad spot.”
They pray to their mothers when dying or overtaken by any disaster.
Livingstone’s Somalie guide, Ben Ali, represented that they had no idea
of a deity or a future state, and believe in nothing but medicine.
All the head men of the villages pretend to be or are really doctors.
Livingstone, however, discovered some consciousness of the existence
of a God. They get large quantities of the gum-copal, which attracts
the coast Arabs as an article of commerce. The people have the belief
that in the vicinity of the kumbé, or gum-copal trees, the more ancient
trees stood and must have dropped their gum upon the ground. They
therefore dig for it, and will give as a reason for want of success at
any time, “In digging, none may be found one day, but Mulungu (God) may
give it to us on the next.”
Bhang, which is a species of hemp, is not smoked, but only tobacco.
They raise no sheep or goats, but only fowls, pigeons, and ducks.
Honey is so abundant that a gallon-pot and four fowls were given for
two yards of calico. One of their modes of salutation is to catch each
others’ hands and say, “Ai! ai!” but the more common custom is to take
hold of the right hand and say, “Marhaba” (welcome).
The Makondé are all independent of each other, and have no paramount
chief. Their physical characteristics are well-formed limbs and body,
small hands and feet, medium height, and manly bearing. Their lips are
full but not excessively thick; their foreheads are compact, narrow,
and low; the _alæ nasi_ are expanded laterally.
THE MATAMBWÉ TRIBE.
The Matambwé, whose country extends up to Ngomano, seem to be a branch
of the Makondé, and are very numerous. Their country stretches far to
the south, and abounds with copal trees and elephants.
Matumora, the chief at Ngomano, was a tall, well-proportioned man, with
a countenance severe in expression, on account of the wrinkles on his
forehead. In character he is much superior to other chiefs. He is often
resorted to for defence against oppression. He had been assailed on all
sides by slave-hunters, but had never taken captives nor engaged in any
way in the slave trade. His customary politeness was quite remarkable
toward Livingstone and his party. He took them over the Loendi River.
Sitting on the bank of the river till all their goods were carried
over, and then going over with Livingstone in the same canoe, he
opened a fish-basket in a weir and gave Livingstone the contents, and
afterward some sorghum. And yet a short time previously he had been
robbed of all his corn in an attack of the Mazitu, and was obliged to
take refuge in Marumba, a rocky island in Rovuma. He had never seen a
European before he met Livingstone.
When Matumora was asked whether the Matambwé believed in God, he
replied that “he did not know him, and the people must not be asked
if they pray to him, because they would imagine I desired them to be
killed. When they pray they first offer a little meal.” They have great
reverence for the Deity, and they say, “We don’t know him,” in order to
avoid speaking irreverently, as that may injure the country. The name
with them is “Mulungu.” Machochera, a head man, said afterward, that
“God is not good because he kills so many people.”
The marks on their foreheads and bodies are intended as ornaments
and to give beauty in the dance; they also have a sort of heraldic
significance, for by them one can tell to what tribe or portion of
a tribe a man belongs. The tattoo or tembo of the Matambwé of Upper
Makondé is very similar to the drawings of the old Egyptians, wavy
lines, such as the ancients used to indicate water, trees, and gardens,
enclosed in squares. The tattoo has been transmitted from father to
son, but the meaning seems now to be lost. It shows very clearly in
persons of light complexion, who are quite common among these tribes.
The Matambwé file their front teeth to points, but the Machinga, a
Waiyau tribe, leave two points on the front teeth, and knock out one of
the middle incisors above and below.
It is quite remarkable that the trade in rum is almost unknown on
the East Coast of Africa, though it is so common on the West Coast.
It cannot be that the religious convictions of the Arabs have had
any influence in producing this result. The Portuguese south of Cape
Delgado are the personification of what is mercenary and mean. They
would even “sell their grandfathers as well as rum,” Livingstone
sharply says, “if they could make money by the transaction.” They have
built distilleries for making a vile liquor from the fruit of the
cashew and other fruits and grains; but the business is a failure. They
will furnish their slaves with “mata bicho,” which signifies “kill
the creature” or “craving within,” and the natives will drink it if
given to them; but there is no such passion for intoxicating drinks as
to render the manufacture profitable. The use of rum, so common in all
political transactions on the West Coast, has no counterpart with the
chiefs of the East Coast.
THE MAKOA TRIBE.
One part of the Makondé, known as Makoa or Makoané, are distinguished
by a half-moon figure tattooed on the forehead or elsewhere. Many of
the men have their faces tattooed in double raised lines about half an
inch in length. Charcoal is rubbed into the incisions and the flesh is
pressed out so that the cuts are raised above the surface. This gives
them an ugly and ferocious look. The people, however, are kindly in
their feelings, and conferred favors with no apparent object of being
remunerated by calico and beads. They were in constant dread of the
invasion of the Mahiba from across the Rovuma, who steal their women
for the Ibo slave-market. It is impossible to realize the terror in
young and old inspired by these Mazitu: if they shake their shields,
the people are beside themselves and fly like frightened sheep.
A doctress or rain-maker in the village of Nyamba presented a large
basket of soroko, or “mung” as it is called in India, and a fowl. Her
tall and finely-proportioned form was profusely tattooed all over, her
hips and buttocks being elaborately marked. There was no apparent shame
in the exposure of these parts. The women as well as the men delight in
the ornamentation of the tattoo.
The villages are remarkable for their cleanliness, and the people
are intelligent, kindly, and courteous. One began to talk during a
religious service, but when Livingstone said “Kusoma Mlungu,” “We
wish to pray to God,” he immediately desisted, and all were silent
and respectful. They seem to be free from the debasing and brutal
wickedness, the selfishness and treachery, which characterize so many
of the barbarous tribes in Africa and elsewhere.
Stone-boiling is not known to these tribes, but ovens are made in
ant-hills. For baking the heads of large game, as the zebra, feet
of the elephant, and hump of the rhinoceros, they excavate holes in
the ground. Fire is produced by drilling between the hands, a custom
universal among the natives. They wet the blunt end of the upright
stick with the tongue, so that when dipped in the sand some particles
of saliva will adhere, and this is then inserted into the horizontal
stick. The wood of a wild fig-tree is generally used because igniting
so readily.
Their pottery for cooking and other uses is made by the women, the form
being fashioned by the eye, no machine ever being used. The foundation
or bottom is first made, the clay being scraped by a piece of bone or
bamboo. Leaving the vessel to dry during the night, a piece is added
to the rim the next day, and according as the air is dry and favorable
several rounds may be added. The whole is then carefully smoothed off
and is ready to be thoroughly sun-dried. They usually embellish their
pots for two or three inches near the rim before they are hardened. The
ornamentation is in imitation of basket work.
The art of pottery seems to have been known to the Africans from the
earliest times, for fragments are discovered everywhere among the
oldest fossil bones of the country.
Near many of the villages may be seen a wand bent, with both ends
inserted in the ground. A quantity of medicine is buried beneath it. If
sickness occur in a village, the men go to the place, wash themselves
with the medicine and water, creep through under the wand, and then
bury the medicine, and, as they think, the evil influence too. The wand
is thought to be a protection against evil spirits, enemies, and wild
beasts.
CHAPTER CLXI.
AFRICA--_Continued_.
THE WAIYAU.
THEIR CURIOSITY -- APPEARANCE OF THE WOMEN -- MATAKA’S RECEPTION OF
LIVINGSTONE -- REMARKABLE DECISION OF THIS CHIEF -- HIS VIEWS OF
SLAVE TRADE -- THE WAIYAU WILLING AGENTS OF THE ARAB SLAVE DEALERS --
INCIDENT SHOWING THE DREADFUL WRONG OF THIS BUSINESS -- LIVINGSTONE’S
RESCUE OF AKOSAKONÉ -- IRON-SMELTING POPULATION -- AGRICULTURAL
PRODUCTS OF THE COUNTRY -- WORK HONORABLE AMONG THE WAIYAU -- THEIR
PERSONAL APPEARANCE.
The country occupied by this tribe is somewhat mountainous, and the
land, sloping for a mile down to the south bank of the Rovuma, teems
with an immense population. When Livingstone passed through this
district (July 1, 1866) some were cutting down trees and burning them
in order to make gardens; others were moving their grain, of which they
had stored large quantities, to new places.
The Waiyau, as a tribe, have a great deal of curiosity, staring at
strangers, and sometimes showing great rudeness. Large crowds of people
came to gaze upon Livingstone and his party, bursting into laughter at
the remarks which were made in regard to the appearance and conduct
of their visitors. They would gather round his tent to peer into it.
This rude curiosity was very annoying and could be abated by only one
method: sudden rising to the feet would produce a stampede of the women
and children.
In person, the women are strong and well-built, having large limbs. The
fashion in ornament is blue and black beads, with arm-coils of brass
wire. These people strive to copy the Arabs as nearly as possible in
dress and chewing tobacco with “nora” lime instead of betel-nuts. The
gaudy prints were, however, sought by some, though the tribes in the
interior are desirous of strength rather than show in the fabrics they
buy.
The town of Mataka, one of the petty Waiyau chiefs, is situated in an
elevated valley about twenty-seven hundred feet above the sea, and is
surrounded with mountains. It consisted of about a thousand houses when
Livingstone was there. There were many other villages near.
Mataka kept Livingstone waiting in the veranda of his house, and at
length made his appearance, smiling good-naturedly. About sixty years
of age, he was dressed as an Arab. He seemed to possess considerable
humor, for his people would often greet his remarks with laughter. His
courtesy was shown by giving Livingstone a large square house to live
in and sending him generous donations of food, as porridge, meat, and
milk.
A number of his men had gone without his knowledge to Nyassa, and in
a foray stolen both cattle and people; but when they returned with
their spoil, Mataka peremptorily ordered all to be sent back. When he
went up to see Livingstone soon after, he told of what he had done.
Livingstone replied that it was “the best piece of news he had heard in
the country.” Delighted with this testimony, he turned to his people,
and asked if they heard what was said by the white stranger among them.
He then repeated Livingstone’s remark, and added, “You silly fellows
think me wrong to restore the captives, but all wise men approve of
it.” He then reproached them most severely for their disgraceful
conduct. Livingstone gave Mataka a trinket as a remembrancer of his
honorable conduct toward the Nyassa. He replied that he would always
act in a similar manner. His conduct is surely deserving the highest
commendation because it was spontaneous and contrary to the custom of
other chiefs and the prevailing spirit of the people. One day he asked
Livingstone what he ought to take to secure some gold if he should go
to Bombay. The reply was, “Ivory.” He rejoined, “Would not slaves be a
good speculation?” The answer was, “If you take slaves there for sale,
they will put you in prison.” The idea of his being “in durance vile”
was not quite compatible with his consciousness of personal dignity
and superiority; and as his countenance fell, the laugh of his people,
who heard what was said, was turned against him. It was a new thing
for these almost defenceless people, familiar, as they were, with
the scenes of pillage and barbarity, to hear these protests against
stealing and selling others into slavery. Ready as they were to regard
Mataka’s sayings as witty and to reward them with their approval, it
was no small satisfaction to them to have him impaled on Livingstone’s
sharp rejoinder. They probably had but a vague idea of the guilt of the
traffic, but the suffering and loss of life they had witnessed, and
all of which might perhaps become their own bitter experience any day,
made the matter one of personal safety, and this was an idea they could
fully comprehend.
Mataka, though now in his later years desiring quiet, had been actively
engaged in slave wars. The Waiyau generally are the most ready
coadjutors of the slave traders in their nefarious business. The Arab
merchants arriving at a Waiyau village show the goods they have brought
to the elders, who tell them to tarry there and enjoy themselves.
This means that slaves enough will soon be procured to pay for the
merchandise. A raid against the Manganja, a peaceable, unwarlike tribe,
who have few guns, is undertaken. The Waiyau, being provided with guns
by the Arabs, easily accomplish their purpose, and the caravan is
re-enforced with captive men and women for the slave market.
Nor are Mataka’s people always the assailants. Makanjela, another
Waiyau chief, about a third of the way from Mtendé’s to Mataka, unable
to reach the Manganja, will kidnap from Mataka if any of his tribe are
found outside of their own district. He has forfeited the friendship of
all his neighbors by his plundering from them and selling their people.
All who for any reason cross their borders are seized and sold, and so
bitter feuds are engendered and perpetuated by frequent forays.
The following incident gives a glimpse of the wide-spread and dreadful
curse of the African tribes, viz., the slave trade; it also illustrates
the conduct of Livingstone and his uniform protest against the traffic
wherever he went. Though we shall treat this subject more fully in
another chapter, yet the circumstance referred to may properly find a
place here.
One morning, as Livingstone relates the story, when he and his
party were proceeding on their way, they were loudly accosted by a
well-dressed woman, upon whose neck a heavy, slave-taming stick had
just been fastened. Her manner was so dignified and earnest in telling
of the cruel wrong inflicted upon her that all stopped to listen to
her case. She was a near relative of Chirikaloma, and was on her way
up the river to meet her husband, when the old man, in whose house she
was a prisoner, had seized her, taken her servant away, and reduced
her to the helpless and degraded condition in which she was first seen
by Livingstone. Her captor said in defence of his conduct that she was
running away from Chirikaloma, and he would be displeased if she was
not secured for him.
The presence of several slave-traders near by led Livingstone to
the conviction that she was seized that she might be sold to them.
He accordingly gave the old man a piece of cloth, to propitiate
Chirikaloma if he should be offended, and told him to say that
Livingstone was ashamed to see one of his relatives in a slave-stick,
and would take her to her husband. He also explained to the head men in
the village what he had done and sent messengers to Chirikaloma so that
he might not misunderstand the proceeding.
The appearance of the woman and her numerous beads gave evidence of
her being a lady among her tribe. Her high spirit was also seen when,
after she was liberated, she went into the house of her captor to get
her basket and calabash, in spite of the resistance of the virago wife
of the old man. But the sympathy of all was with her, and she came off
victorious. During the whole journey Akosakoné (this was her name)
acted like a lady, being modest in all her conduct, and sleeping at a
fire apart from the men. In every village she enlisted the sympathy of
the people by relating the gross insult that had been put upon her.
She was also of great service to Livingstone, and abundantly repaid
him for the interposition in her behalf. Being of fine address, she
could buy twice as much food as any of the men with the same quantity
of cloth. If any injustice was attempted against Livingstone or his
men, she would plead in their behalf, and when carriers were needed
she volunteered to carry a bag of beads on her head. Her husband was
brother of Chimseia, a chief to whom she introduced Livingstone, and
induced him to be generous toward the travellers on account of the
great service rendered to her. When she and Livingstone parted, her
expressions of gratitude were profuse, and it was evident that the
kindness done in rescuing her from the doom of slavery was neither
undervalued nor undeserved.
To the northeast of Moembe, Livingstone found an extensive tract
of valuable land, which retained numerous evidences of having once
supported a very large iron-smelting and agricultural population. The
clay pipes that are put in the nozzles of their bellows are found
everywhere. So, too, the ridges on which were planted beans, cassava,
maize, and sorghum are visible still, and evince the industrious habits
of the people. Pieces of broken pottery, with their rims embellished
by rude designs in imitation of basket-work, show the handiwork of the
women.
The cattle of this region are a small breed, with various colors, and
their milk is greatly valued by the Waiyau. The sheep are generally
black in color but large in size. This tribe have no other useful
domestic animals, except fowls and pigeons, unless the miserable
village curs to be found everywhere be included in this category. The
fertility of the soil is manifested by the great size of its products.
The sweet potatoes become very large, and so abundant were they that
Livingstone bought two loads of them for three cubits and two needles.
The maize grows to a remarkable size, one cob bearing sixteen hundred
seeds. The character of the soil, the coolness of the climate, the
abundance of water, and the means of building square houses, combine to
render this region one of the most delightful for residence. It is an
elevated and attractive country, about thirty-four hundred feet above
the level of the sea.
South of Lake Nyassa Livingstone visited another chief, Mukaté. He and
Mponda and Kabinga were the only chiefs of the Waiyau then engaged
in the slave trade, making periodical raids upon the Manganja and
the Maravi. Mukaté’s village is about eight hundred feet above the
lake. The heights, so far as the eye could see, were covered with
villages, and the population, though very large, seemed to revel in
plenty. Mukaté’s house and those of the other Waiyau chiefs were square
buildings, both substantial and convenient. He and all his people wear
the beard trained upon the chin, after the Arab style.
Livingstone had long discussions with this chief about the slave
trade. The barbarities and horrors of the business, so visible to all
in the skulls scattered along the way, the desolate villages, the
sufferings of those who perish in the journey to the coast, the murders
committed,--all these frightful evils Mukaté tried to dismiss with a
laugh, as if they were of little consequence; but his conscience was
not altogether dead, and his people, many of them, were anxious that he
should abandon his raids in the interest of the Kilwa slave dealers.
The religious notions of this people are very crude. The traditions
they have are that they came from the west originally, and that
their forefathers taught them to make nets and kill fish. No moral
instruction seems to have been transmitted, and they have no idea of
a teacher above them. With no book, and never having heard of such a
thing till Livingstone’s visit, with no carvings or writing on the
rocks, they are sunk in mental darkness, though surrounded by such
abundance of the earth’s riches. Their ancestors had never taught them
anything of their condition after death, though they had heard it said
of those who died that “God took them.”
The differences between the Waiyau and the Manganja, of whom there
is an account in a preceding part of this work, are very marked. The
exactions and superciliousness of the Waiyau indicate that they regard
themselves the dominant race. Though they are continually making raids
upon their neighbors, for the sake of the slave trade, yet they are
inferior to them in many respects.
The Waiyau have round, apple-shaped heads, understand the use of
fire-arms, and with dash and courage easily overpower the Manganja, who
use only bows and arrows, and are a more peaceable, as they are a more
intelligent and ingenious race. Fond of roving, scattered and broken by
their slave wars and internal feuds, they make little if any progress
in the matters of husbandry, but by their greater bravery and restless
spirit, they are successful in their plundering forays among their
neighbors, who are made tributary to their selfish schemes in stocking
the slave markets on the coast.
Among the tribes of the Waiyau, especially Mpondas and Kabingas,
agricultural labor is esteemed; all cultivate the ground, from the
chief down. Mponda was in his garden at work when Livingstone reached
his village. With this example before the people there is no disgrace
attached to such work. Vast stores of grain are raised by these tribes,
though they are given to roving and marauding. Notwithstanding they
plundered the Manganja of their large breed of humped cattle, yet
they do not milk them, and accordingly the number dwindled from the
thousands of former times to a few hundreds. The idea of drinking
milk, with these tribes, is one to excite disgust. A boy will undergo
chastisement rather than milk a goat.
Their method of making salt is to lixiviate the soil that is
impregnated with it and boil the water that filters through a tuft of
grass placed in a hole in the bottom of a pot till all is evaporated.
A residuum of salt is left. Hundreds of people may be seen at times
engaged in the manufacture of this needful article.
The Waiyau, though not a handsome race, have not the prognathous
appearance of those on the West Coast. Their foreheads are compact, but
not receding; their lips are full, and with the women an additional
thickness is given by a small lip-ring. This would not alone so much
disfigure their faces, but they file their teeth to points, which gives
a hideous look. They are strong and equal to the work which belongs to
them. The men are large, sturdy fellows, capable of great endurance. A
rite obtains among them similar to that which distinguished the Jews.
This is performed at the age of puberty, and the young man then takes a
new name. This custom dates back to a period previous to the coming of
the Arabs, and its origin is accordingly unknown.
CHAPTER CLXII.
AFRICA--_Continued_.
THE BABISA AND BABEMBA.
APPEARANCE OF THE BABISA -- MODE OF SALUTATION -- COWARDICE AND
FALSEHOOD -- THE RAIN DANCE -- THEIR IMPLEMENTS -- THEIR FOOD --
THEIR SUSPICION -- SLAVE TRADE -- DEGRADED CONDITION -- LOCALITY
OF THE BABEMBA -- ROMANTIC SCENERY -- LAWSUIT BEFORE THE CHIEF --
NSAMA’S TERRITORY -- A BRAVE AND SUCCESSFUL WARRIOR -- HIS BREACH OF
PUBLIC LAW -- HIS PUNISHMENT BY THE ARABS -- PEACE-MAKING -- MARRIAGE
OF HIS DAUGHTER -- BRIEF HONEYMOON -- CASEMBÉ’S TOWN -- LIVINGSTONE’S
RECEPTION -- APPEARANCE OF CASEMBÉ -- HIS BARBAROUS PUNISHMENTS --
UNDERGROUND HOUSES IN RUA -- SINGULAR SUPERSTITIONS -- CASEMBÉ’S JUST
DECISION -- THE UNFAITHFUL WIFE SOLD AS A SLAVE -- HATRED OF THE
SLAVE TRADER -- BELIEF IN A LIFE AFTER DEATH -- APPEARANCE OF THE
BABEMBA -- THE TYPICAL NEGRO.
The territory occupied by The Babisa is the district northwest of Lake
Nyassa, lying between the parallels 10° and 12° south latitude.
Moanzabamba was the founder of this tribe. The singular plaits of hair
which are worn as a head-dress, and look like large ears, was the
curious style originating with this chief.
This tribe resembles in many respects the Bushmen or Hottentots. Their
roving habits indicate Bushman blood. They have round, bullet-shaped
heads, short, pug noses, and an upward slant of the eyes. The mode
of salutation among the men is to lie down upon the back, and while
clapping the hands make a disagreeable, half-kissing sound with the
lips.
They are destitute of courage, yet possess considerable craft and
prefer to tell falsehoods rather than the truth. They seem to be more
inclined to answer questions by misstatements than to give correct
replies.
Their want of valor subjects them to frequent invasions of the Mazitu.
In order to escape starvation in consequence of the plundering raids
of their enemies, they cultivate small patches, some ten yards in
diameter, at wide intervals in the forest. They plant millet and
pumpkins, as it is difficult for the Mazitu to carry off these. The
Babisa dismantle their huts and take the thatch to their gardens, where
they live till the harvest is over. This exposure of the framework to
the rains and sun helps to destroy the vermin that may always be found
in the dwellings of this tribe. When the party is a strong one they
build their sheds so as to form a circle and have but one opening.
The ridgepole, or rather a series of ridgepoles, constitutes one long
shed with no partitions in the roof-shaped hut. The women have a dance
called the rain-dance in which their faces are smeared with meal, and
they carry axes and endeavor to imitate the male voice in their singing.
Their implements of husbandry are exceedingly rude. The hoe they use
is made of wood in a kind of V shape, or it is a branch with another
springing out of it, about an inch in diameter at the sharp point. With
this they claw the soil after the seed has been scattered. Their food
consists principally of wild fruits, leaves, roots, and mushrooms. Of
the latter they choose some five or six kinds and reject the others.
One species grows to some six inches in diameter, is pure white with
a blush of brown in the centre, and is very palatable when roasted.
The natives readily distinguish the good from the poisonous. One trait
very prominent in the character of the Babisa is their distrust. Full
of suspicion they demand payment in advance for what they sell. Their
distrust of all others develops into dishonesty in themselves; to use
Livingstone’s words, “They give nothing to each other for nothing.” If
this enlargement of mind be produced by commerce, commend me to the
untrading African. Like the Makoa, this tribe possess a very dull sense
of delicacy and politeness. Some tribes, like the Babemba, will retire
when food is presented to any one.
They are engaged in the slave trade, and its effects are seen in the
depopulation of their country, their neglect of husbandry, on account
of the raids they fear, and their consequent poverty and almost
starvation. Famine and famine prices everywhere obtain, and the people
do not see that their own roving and slaving habits are the cause of
their being so degraded and reduced to the condition of dependents of
the Babemba. They are, as Livingstone briefly says, “a miserable, lying
lot of serfs.”
THE BABEMBA TRIBE.
LOBISA, Lobemba, Ulungu, and Itawa-Lunda are the names by which the
portions of an elevated region between the parallels 11° and 8° S.
and meridian 28° 53° Lon. E. are known. The altitude of this section
of country is from four thousand to six thousand feet above the level
of the sea. It is the water-shed between the Loangwa, a tributary of
the river Zambesi, and several rivers which flow toward the north. It
abounds in forest lands and is watered by numerous rivulets. The soil
is remarkably fertile, yielding abundantly wherever cultivated. Lake
Liemba, which lies in this basin, is, however, twenty-five hundred feet
above the level of the sea. The land around this lake is very steep,
the rocks in many instances running from a height of two thousand feet
down to the surface of the lake. The tops, sides, and bottom of these
cliffs are covered with wood and grass.
The scenery of this region is romantic and very beautiful. The Acasy, a
stream about fifty feet wide, comes down the cliffs, forming cascades
by leaping three hundred feet at a time, exciting the admiration and
wonder of the traveller. Buffalos, elephants, and antelopes are found
in great abundance on these slopes, and in the waters of the lake
crocodiles, hippopotami, and fish of various kinds.
The lake is from fifteen to twenty miles broad and from forty to fifty
long, sending out an arm some two miles wide toward Tanganyika, of
which it may be only a branch. Groves of palm-oil and other trees may
be found on the banks of the lake. These palm-trees are large and
fruitful. Livingstone saw a cluster from one carried past the door of
his hut that required two men to bear it. Though there are villages
around this lake yet most of the natives live on two islands, where
they raise goats, cultivate the soil, and catch fish.
Livingstone had an opportunity to hear a case tried in Lobemba, before
the chief. An old man talked an hour, the chief all the while listening
and maintaining a grave and dignified deportment. When the trial was
finished he gave his decision in about five minutes. Thereupon the
successful party went away lullilooing. The custom with the attorneys
in such cases is to turn the back upon the chief or judge, then lie
down upon the ground, clapping the hands. Saluting him in this way they
then are prepared to make their appeal or argument.
The chief Nsama, a very old man when Livingstone saw him, had a good
head and face and an enormous abdomen. He was so large and helpless his
people had to carry him. Women were constantly in attendance pouring
pombé into him.
This tribe is very much more warlike than any of those south of them.
They dig deep ditches around their villages and stockade them also.
Their politeness is manifested in their retiring when food is presented
to any one.
Nsama’s territory is called Itawa, and is generally cleared of trees
for cultivation, lying about three thousand feet above the sea. The
river Chiséra, a mile and a half broad, gives off its water to the
Kalongosi, a feeder of Lake Moero. This is about twelve miles broad,
having on the east and west sides lofty, tree-covered mountains.
The western range is part of the country Rua Moero. What is of most
interest about this lake is that it forms one of a chain of lakes
linked by a river some five hundred miles in length. First, the
Chambeze rises in the country of Mambwé, northeast of Molembé. Flowing
southwest and west, till it reaches latitude 11° S. and longitude 29°
E., it forms Lake Bemba or Bangueolo; emerging thence it takes the name
Luapala and flows down to fall into Moero. Going out of this lake,
it is known by the name of Lualaba, as it flows northwest to form
another lake named Urengué or Ulengé. No positive information could be
ascertained as to whether it enters Tanganyika or a lake beyond that.
Nsama had been a brave and successful warrior, and was regarded as
invincible, but his power had waned and he was defeated by a party
of twenty Arabs with guns. Some of them got within the stockade, and
though Nsama’s men were very numerous they were overcome and soon fled
carrying the bloated carcass of their chief.
The defeat of Nsama caused a great panic among the various tribes of
the region. He had been the ablest and most successful warrior at
the head of a brave and warlike people. That this “Napoleon,” before
whom none could stand, should be conquered, created a surprise and a
revolution in the minds of the people, and the superiority of guns
over bows and arrows had to be acknowledged by those little inclined to
admit the fact. But as the people have considerable intelligence they
cannot resist the logic of events. It seems that Nsama had given great
offence by some outrage upon the Arab traders, and was charged with
“having broken public law by attacking people who brought merchandise
into the country.” But though it was difficult to ascertain whether the
Arabs were the aggressors or Nsama, the feud raged till the former had
punished him by an ignominious defeat, routing a large number, besides
killing some fifty, with the loss of about the same number by the Arab
assailants. The consequences of the quarrel were most disastrous. His
son was captured, and his country, which was but lately so densely
peopled, seemed as if deserted, the inhabitants having scattered
in various directions to escape the plunder of their goods and the
stealing of their wives and children for the slave-market.
The peacemaking between these hostile parties absorbed three and a half
months, thus delaying Livingstone, as it was not thought safe for him
to enter Nsama’s territory till a reconciliation was effected. A custom
of drinking each other’s blood is one of the formalities of making
peace. But this did not altogether avail.
At length, as a final method of settling the difficulty, Nsama promised
his daughter as wife to Hamees. So one afternoon, she who was to be a
reconciler of the hostile parties came riding pick-a-back on a man’s
shoulders. Livingstone describes her as “a nice, modest, good-looking
young woman, her hair rubbed all over with _nkola_, a red pigment made
from the cam-wood and much used as an ornament. She was accompanied by
about a dozen young and old female attendants, each carrying a small
basket with some provisions, as cassava, ground-nuts, etc. The Arabs
were all dressed in their finery, and the slaves, in fantastic dresses,
flourished swords, fired guns, and yelled. When she was brought to
Hamees’ hut she descended and with her maids went into the hut. She and
her attendants had all small, neat features. I had been sitting with
Hamees, and now rose up and went away. As I passed him he spoke thus to
himself, ‘Hamees Wadim Tagh! see to what you have brought yourself.’”
But the condition he so much deprecated was not of long duration.
The next day he set off with his new wife to make a visit upon his
father-in-law, and was soon met by two messengers informing him that
he must delay his visit. Yet when he went, Nsama would not admit him
into the stockade unless he would lay aside gun and sword. But these
conditions Hamees would not submit to. Soliciting guides from Nsama,
yet he was annoyed by the chief’s delay and vacillation, although
he had promised them. At length having secured them and making
preparations for their journey, Hamees’ wife, supposing an attack
upon her father was contemplated, decamped with the guides by night,
forsaking her new Arab husband after a honeymoon of only a week, and
without ceremony, relieving him of the humiliating attitude of marrying
a negro wife for the sake of peace.
Not far from the lower part of Moero, and near the north end of the
lakelet Mofwé is Casembé’s town. This covers about a mile square
of cassava plantations. Some of the huts have square enclosures of
reeds, but the whole resembles a rural village more than a town. The
population, judged from the huts scattered irregularly over the space,
was about a thousand. The court or palace of Casembé was an enclosure
about two hundred yards by three hundred long; within this hedge of
high reeds was the large hut of the chief and smaller huts for his
domestics. The queen’s hut, with other small huts, was behind that of
Casembé. In the reception that he gave Livingstone he sat before his
hut on a square seat placed on lion and leopard skins. “He was dressed
in a coarse blue and white Manchester print edged with red baize, and
arranged in large folds so as to look like crinoline put on wrong side
foremost. His arms, legs, and head were covered with sleeves, leggings,
and cap made of various colored beads in neat patterns; a crown of
yellow feathers surmounted his cap. Each of his head men came forward
shaded by a huge, ill-made umbrella and followed by his dependents,
made obeisance to Casembé and sat down on his right and left. Various
bands of musicians did the same. When called upon, I rose and bowed,
and an old councillor with his ears cropped, gave the chief as full an
account as he had been able to gather of the English in general and my
antecedents in particular. My having passed through Lunda and visited
chiefs of whom he scarcely knew anything excited most attention. He
assured me I was welcome to his country to go where I liked and do
what I chose. We then went (two boys carrying his train behind him) to
an inner apartment, where the articles of my present were exhibited
in detail. They consisted of eight yards of orange-colored serge, a
large striped table-cloth, another large cloth made at Manchester in
imitation of west-coast manufacture, which never fails to excite the
admiration of Arabs and natives, and a large, richly gilded comb for
the back hair, such as ladies wore fifty years ago. As Casembé’s and
Nsama’s people cultivate the hair into large knots behind, I was sure
that this article would tickle the fancy. Casembé expressed himself
pleased and again bade me welcome. Casembé has an ungainly look and
an outward squint in each eye. A number of human skulls adorned the
entrance to his court-yard, and great numbers of his principal men
having their ears cropped and some with their hands lopped off showed
his barbarous way of making his ministers attentive and honest.”
The Portuguese visited Casembé many years before Livingstone’s visit.
Each Casembé builds a new town. The last seven Casembés had their
towns within seven miles of the present. These Casembés have differed
very widely in character. Pereira, an early traveller, states that
the Casembé of his time had twenty thousand trained soldiers, watered
his streets daily, and sacrificed twenty human victims every day.
Livingstone, however, saw no evidence of human sacrifices. The present
Casembé had but a small following, and was very poor. When he usurped
power some five years before, the region was thickly populated. But
his barbarity in punishment of offences--cropping the ears, cutting
off the hands, and other mutilations, selling children for small
misdemeanors--gradually drove many of his people into neighboring
countries to escape his brutal tyranny. As there is no rendition of
fugitives, this is the method of the oppressed who can no longer endure
the tyrant. Casembé is so selfish that he has reduced himself to
poverty. If any of his people killed elephants he would not share with
them the profits from the sale of the ivory. Accordingly the successful
hunters, aggrieved by this selfish robbery, have gone elsewhere or
abandoned the chase, and the chief now has no tusks to sell to the Arab
traders from Tanganyika. The predecessor of the present Casembé treated
Major Monteiro, the traveller, so badly that the Portuguese have not
ventured so far into Central Africa since.
West of Casembé’s country is Katanga. The people smelt copper ore into
large bars, shaped like the letter I. These bars are found in great
abundance, weighing from fifty to a hundred pounds. The natives draw
the copper into wire for armlets and leglets. There are also traces of
gold in this region.
One of the most remarkable of the vegetable products of this region
is a potato that belongs to the pea family. Its flowers emit a very
grateful fragrance. The tuber is oblong, like our common potato, and
it is easily propagated from cuttings of the root or stalk. It tastes,
when cooked, like our potato, but has some bitterness when unripe. It
is a good remedy for nausea when raw. It is found only on the uplands
and cannot endure a hot climate.
A very remarkable feature of the country is the stone under-ground
houses in Rua. They are very extensive, running along mountain-sides
for twenty miles. The door-ways, in some cases, are level with the
ground, in others, a ladder is needed to climb up to them. Inside,
these houses are very large, and in one part a rivulet flows. They are
probably natural formations, though there are many indications of their
being artificial.
It is a widely-spread superstition that if a child cuts its upper front
teeth before the lower it is unlucky, and it is therefore killed. If
a child be seen to turn from one side to the other in sleep, it is
killed. A child having any of these defects is called an Arab’s child,
because the Arabs have none of these superstitions. Such children are
readily given to the Arabs, fearing ill-luck, “milando” or guilt to the
family if they be kept. They never sell their children to slavers, but
part with them to avoid the misfortunes they apprehend, their fears
being caused by these superstitious notions.
If Casembé dream of any man twice or three times the man is supposed
to be practising secret arts against his chief, and is accordingly put
to death. If one be pounding or cooking food for him, silence must be
invariably preserved. At Katanga the people are afraid to dig for gold,
because, as they believe, it was hidden there in the earth by “Ngolu,”
which means, as the Arabs say, Satan, and also departed spirits.
The fear of death among this people is universal and very strong.
They never molest the wagtails, believing, if one be killed, death
would visit and destroy them. The whydah birds are protected by this
same superstitious notion that death would ensue if they be harmed.
The people are everywhere degraded and oppressed by these and similar
notions, which seem very absurd to us, and yet, after all, are not
much more unreasonable and silly than some of the superstitions that
are cherished by people in civilized countries. Are there not many
believers still in the efficacy of the horse-shoe over the door? Who
would not rather see the new moon over his right shoulder, as the token
of better luck than if seen over the left? Do not multitudes forbear
to undertake a journey or any new enterprise on Friday, because they
regard it an unlucky day?
Unless he has swilled beer or _pombé_ to excess, Casembé is a chief
of very considerable good sense. His decisions often evince an
independence and wisdom that show him to be worthy of his place at the
head of the people. The Arabs are enthusiastic in his praise. A case
of _crim. con._ was brought before him involving an Arab’s slave. An
effort was made to arrange the matter privately by offering cloths,
beads, and another slave. The complainant declined every proposition;
but Casembé dismissed the case by saying to the complainant, “You send
your women to entrap the strangers in order to get a fine, but you will
get nothing.” This verdict was exceedingly gratifying to the Arabs, and
the owner of the slave especially.
Kapika, an old chief, had charged his young and handsome wife with
infidelity, and in punishment thereof had sold her as a slave. But the
spectacle of a woman of high rank in the slave-gang greatly excited the
ladies of Lunda, and learning from her that she was really a slave,
they clapped their hands on their mouths, in a way peculiar to them
and expressive of horror and indignation. The hard fate of the young
chieftainess evoked the sympathy of all the people. Kapika’s daughters
brought her refreshments, offers were made by one and another to redeem
her with two and even three slaves; but Casembé, who is very rigorous
in his treatment of all violations of chastity, said, “No; though ten
slaves be offered, she must go.” Possibly a fear that he might lose his
own queen, if such infidelities were not severely punished, may have
led him to his stern and inexorable decision. Pérembé, the oldest man
in Lunda, had a young wife who was sold as a punishment; but she was
redeemed. The slave-trader is undoubtedly a means of making the young
wives of some of these old men faithful to their marriage.
The people, however, are not kindly disposed toward the slave
dealer, who is used as a means of punishing those who have family
feuds,--as a wife with her husband, or a servant with his master. In
cases of jealousy, revenge, or real criminality, they are the ready
instrumentalities for effecting the just or the unjust punishment. The
slaves are said to be generally criminals, and are sold in revenge or
as a punishment.
The incident narrated below indicates the belief of the Africans in a
future state,--a belief, however, around which cluster the darkest and
saddest superstitions. The reader will see how the miseries and wrongs
of their life shaped and colored their anticipations of the life to
come. The hope of avenging the barbarities they endured inspired them
with a sort of ghastly satisfaction, so that they blended songs with
their sufferings.
“Six men slaves,” as Livingstone relates the incident, “were singing as
if they did not feel the weight and degradation of the slave-sticks. I
asked the cause of their mirth, and was told that they rejoiced at the
idea of coming back after death, and haunting and killing those who had
sold them. Some of the words I had to inquire about; for instance, the
meaning of the words, ‘To haunt and kill by spirit power’; then it was,
‘Oh! you sent me off to _manga_ (sea-coast), but the yoke is off when I
die, and back I shall come to haunt and to kill you.’ Then all joined
in the chorus, which was the name of each vender. It told not of fun,
but of the bitterness and tears of such as were oppressed, and on the
side of the oppressors there was a power.--There be higher than they!
“The slave owner asked Kapika’s wife if she would return to kill
Kapika. The others answered to the names of the different men with
laughter. Her heart was evidently sore: for a lady to come so low down
is to her grievous. She has lost her jaunty air, and is, with her
head shaved, ugly; but she never forgets to address her captors with
dignity, and they seem to fear her.”
In personal appearance the Babemba are very handsome, many of them
having heads as finely formed as the majority of Europeans. They are
distinguished by small hands and feet, and have none of the gross
ugliness of the Congo tribes of West Africa, who are with most persons
the typical negroes.
Dr. Livingstone’s observations led him to adopt the opinion which
Winwood Reade formed,--that the ancient Egyptian is the type of the
negro race, and not the awkward forms and hideous features of the West
Coast tribes. It is probable that this beautiful and romantic region
was the real home of the negro. The women excited the admiration of the
Arabs by the charms of their full forms and delicate features. The only
drawback was the result of a fashion among them, as is often the case
among their civilized sisters: they file their teeth to points, and
this “makes their smile like that of a crocodile.”
CHAPTER CLXIII.
AFRICA--_Continued_.
THE MANYUEMA COUNTRY.
LIVINGSTONE’S DEPARTURE FROM UJIJI -- LORD OF THE PARROT -- GRAPHIC
PICTURE -- MOENÉKUSS AND HIS SONS -- FEAR OF THE MANYUEMA -- THEIR
HORRIBLE DEEDS -- REMARKABLE BEAUTY OF THE COUNTRY -- AGRICULTURE OF
THE PEOPLE -- THEIR VILLAGES -- DWELLINGS -- THE WOMEN CLEVER TRADERS
-- THEIR VALUE AS WIVES -- RITE OF CIRCUMCISION -- LARGE POPULATION
-- THE CHITOKA -- VIVID DESCRIPTION OF MARKET-DAY -- DREADFUL
MASSACRE.
The Manyuema country, for which Livingstone set out on the 12th of
July, 1869, from Ujiji, the Arab settlement on Lake Tanganyika, had
till then never been visited by any white man. It will be seen that its
people differ from any of the tribes on the East Coast. Thinking that
this portion of Africa, hitherto untravelled by foot of civilized man,
must abound in ivory, the Arab merchants were desirous of securing the
rich stores awaiting the earliest adventurers. Livingstone accompanied
the first of these bands of Ujijan traders who entered this new field.
The distance from Lake Tanganyika to Bambarré or Moenékuss (the
paramount chief of the Manyuema) is about forty days’ travel.
The light-gray parrot with red tail which is so common in this
region, and which is called Kuss or Koos, gives this chief his name,
which means Lord of the Parrot. The pronunciation by the Manyuema is
Monanjoose. This district is in the large bend of the Lualaba River,
which is much larger here than at Mpwéto’s, near Moero Lake.
The course taken by the great explorer led over a very uneven country.
It was up and down hills perpetually; now into dells filled with
enormous trees, some of which were twenty feet in circumference and
sixty or seventy feet to the first branches; then, rising upon some
commanding height, the vast valley Jorumba lay before him with all its
remarkable beauty. There were many villages dotted over the slopes
of these mountains. One had been destroyed, showing by the hard clay
walls and square form of the houses that it belonged to the Manyuema.
A graphic picture of the country and its scenery is given by Dr.
Livingstone. “Our path lay partly along a ridge, with a deep valley on
each side. On the left the valley was filled with primeval forests,
into which elephants, when wounded, escape completely. The bottom
of this great valley was two thousand feet below us. Then ranges of
mountains, with villages on their bases, rose as far as they could
reach. On our right there was another deep but narrow gorge, and
mountains much higher than on the ridge close adjacent. Our ridge wound
from side to side, and took us to the edge of deep precipices,--first
on the right, then on the left, till down we came to the villages of
chief Monandenda. The houses were all filled with fire-wood, and each
had a bed on a raised platform in an inner room.
“The paths are very skilfully placed on the tops of ridges of hills,
and all gulleys are avoided; otherwise the distance would be doubled
and the fatigue greatly increased. The paths seem to have been used for
ages; they are worn deep on the heights, and in the hollows a little
mound rises on each side, formed by the feet tossing a little soil
on one side. Many villages teeming with a prodigious population were
passed on the route.”
Approaching a village they were met by a company of natives beating
a drum. This is a signal of peace: if war be meant the attack is
stealthy. The people are friendly if they have not been assailed and
plundered by the Arabs. The arrows used are small, made of strong
grass-stalks, and poisoned; those for elephants and buffaloes are large
and poisoned also. The two sons of Moenékuss, who had lately died, had
taken his place. As there were signs of suspicion on their part, the
ceremony of mixing blood was performed. This consists in making a small
incision on the forearm of each person and then mixing the bloods and
making declarations and vows of friendship. Moenembagg, the elder of
the two sons, and the spokesman on all important occasions said, “Your
people must not steal: we never do,”--which was no unwarrantable claim
in behalf of his tribe. Blood in a small quantity was then conveyed
from one to the other by a fig-leaf. “No stealing of fowls or of men,”
said this chief. “Catch the thief and bring him to me. One who steals a
person is a pig,” said Mohamad. Stealing, however, began on our side, a
slave purloining a fowl. “They had good reason,” says Livingstone, “to
enjoin honesty upon us. They think that we have come to kill them; we
light on them as if from another world; no letters come to tell who we
are or what we want. We cannot conceive their state of isolation and
helplessness, with nothing to trust but their charms and idols, both
being bits of wood.”
The village huts are very inconvenient, with low roofs and low
door-ways. The men build them, but the women have to keep them well
supplied with fire-wood and water. They carry their burdens in large
baskets hung to the shoulders, like some of the fish-women in European
cities.
Other tribes live in great terror of the Manyuema, whom they represent
as man-eaters. A woman’s child crept into the corner of the hut to eat
a banana. The mother, having missed him, at once suspected that the
Manyuema had kidnapped him to eat him. She ran in a frenzy through the
camp, screaming “Oh, the Manyuema have stolen my child to make meat of
him! Oh, my child eaten! Oh! Oh!”
Two fine-looking young men made a visit to Livingstone one day. After
preliminary questions about his country, such as “Where is it?” they
asked whether people die there, and where they go after death. “Who
kills them? Have you no charm (_buanga_) against death?” They were told
that his people pray to the Great Father Mulungu, and he hears them,
all which seemed to satisfy their curiosity as very reasonable.
The bloody and murderous propensity of the Bambarré people is evinced
by the most horrible deeds. If a man be at work alone in the field he
is almost sure of being slain. When they tell of each other’s deeds
the heart sickens at the recital. Kandahara, brother of old Moenékuss,
murdered three women and a child and also a trading-man, for no reason
but to eat their bodies.
“The head of Moenékuss is said to be preserved in a pot in his house,
and all public matters are gravely communicated to it, as if his
spirit dwelt therein; his body was eaten; the flesh was removed from
the head and eaten too. His father’s head is said to be kept also. In
other districts graves show that sepulture is customary, but here no
grave appears. Some admit the existence of this practice, but others
deny it. In the Metamba country, adjacent to the Lualaba, a quarrel
with a wife often ends in the husband killing her and eating her heart
mixed up in a huge mess of goat’s flesh; this has the charm character.
Fingers are taken as charms in other parts, but in Bambarré alone is
the depraved taste the motive for cannibalism.”
The country inhabited by the Manyuema, which means forest people,
is surpassingly beautiful. Livingstone gives this description in
his journal: “Palms crown the loftiest heights of the mountains and
their gracefully bended fronds wave beautifully in the wind; and the
forests, usually about five miles broad between groups of villages, are
indescribable. Climbers, of cable size, in great number, are hung among
the gigantic trees; many unknown wild-fruits abound, some the size of a
child’s head, and strange birds and monkeys are everywhere.
“The soil is very rich, and the people, although isolated by old feuds
that are never settled, cultivate largely. They have selected a kind of
maize that bends its fruit-stalk round into a hook, and hedges, some
eighteen feet high, are made by inserting poles which sprout, like
Robinson Crusoe’s hedge, and never decay. Lines of climbing plants
are tied so as to go along from pole to pole, and the maize-cobs are
suspended to these by their own hooked fruit-stalk. As the corncob
is forming, the hook is turned round so that the fruit-leaves of it
hang down and form a thatch for the grain beneath or inside of it.
This upright granary forms a solid looking wall round the village.
The people are not stingy, but take down maize and hand it to the men
freely. Plantains, cassava, and maize are the chief food.
“The hoeing of the Manyuema is very superficial, being little better
than the scraping of the soil. They leave the roots of maize, dura,
ground-nuts, sweet potatoes, to find their way into the soft, rich
earth. There is no need of plowing for ground-nuts, and cassava will
resist the encroachments of grass for years. Rice will yield one
hundred and twenty fold of increase, showing the wonderful fertility of
the land. If kept free from weeds, the soil yields its grains and roots
in the rankest profusion; pumpkins, melons, meleza, plantains, bananas,
all flourish most abundantly. The Bambarré, however, are indifferent
husbandmen, planting but a few things. The Balégga, like the Bambarré,
rely chiefly upon plantains and ground-nuts. Their principal amusement
is playing with parrots.
“It is the custom among this people to make approaches to the villages
as difficult as possible. The hedges, which sprout and grow into a
living fence, are covered with a sort of calabash, with its broad
leaves, so that nothing appears of the fence outside.
“The villages are perched in the talus of each great range, so as to
secure quick drainage. The streets generally run east and west in order
that the heat of the sun may rapidly dissipate the moisture. The houses
are mostly in line with meeting-houses at each end, fronting the middle
of the street. The walls of these houses are of well-beaten clay,
protected from the weather by the roof, the rafters of which are often
the leaf-stalk of palms, split so as to be thin. The roofs are low,
but well thatched with a leaf resembling that of the banana, but more
durable. The leaf-stalk has a notch made in it of two or three inches
lengthwise. This hooks to the rafters.”
These dwellings inside are very comfortable, and until the Arabs
visited this tribe, vermin were unknown. Bugs and vermin go wherever
the Arabs and Suaheli go.
“Where the southeast rains abound, the Manyuema place the back side of
their houses to this quarter, and protect the walls by carrying the low
roof considerably below the top of the walls. These clay walls will
last for ages, and men often return after long years of absence to
restore the portions that may have been washed away. Each housewife has
from twenty-five to thirty earthen pots strung to the ceiling by neat,
cord-swinging trestles, and often as many neatly-made baskets hung up
in the same way, filled with fire-wood.”
The women are good traders, and ready for a bargain, bringing loads
of provisions to exchange for beads. They are very strong, one basket
three feet high being a woman’s load. They wear no dress, and their
hair is plaited in the form of a basket behind. It is first rolled into
a very large coil, then wound around something till it is eight or ten
inches long, projecting from the back of the head.
The Manyuema buy their wives from each other. A pretty girl costs ten
goats. When brought to the husband’s house, the new wife stays five
days, then goes back and remains five days at home. The husband then
goes for her again, and she remains with him afterward.
The remark is a common one among the Arabs, “If we had Manyuema wives,
what beautiful children we should beget.” The men are usually handsome,
and the women many of them are beautiful,--hands and feet, limbs and
forms, perfect in shape, and the color light-brown. The women dress in
a kilt of many folds of gaudy _lambas_. The orifices of the nose are
widened by snuff-taking. Those addicted to the habit push the snuff as
far up as possible with finger and thumb. The only filing of the teeth
is a small space between the two upper front teeth. Yet with these
disfigurements, Livingstone adds, “I would back a company of Manyuema
men to be far superior in shape of head and generally in physical form
too, against the whole Anthropological Society.”
Among all the Manyuema the rite of circumcision is performed upon the
male children. If a head man’s son is to be operated on, an experiment
is first made on a slave. Certain times of the year are regarded as
unfavorable. If the trial prove successful, they go into the forest,
beat drums, and have a feast. Unlike all other Africans they do not
hesitate to speak about the rite even in the presence of women.
The inquiry very naturally arises, Whence came this custom? It seems to
link this tribe, but lately unknown by all civilized peoples, dwelling
in the interior of the great African continent, to a memorable people
of whom this rite is the distinguishing characteristic. But, doubtless,
somewhere and somehow along the centuries, this ancient rite of the
Jewish people was communicated to this tribe.
Children in Manyuema do not creep, as those in civilized lands on their
knees, but begin by putting forward one foot and using one knee; they
will use both feet and both hands, but never both knees. An Arab child
will do the same, never creeping, but getting up on both feet and
holding on till he can walk.
The country swarms with villages. At some places the people are
civil and generous, but at others, where the palm-trees flourish and
palm-toddy is abundant, the people are consequently degraded and
disagreeable, often inclined to fight on account of real or imaginary
offences.
The Manyuema will not buy slaves, except females to make wives of them.
They prefer to let their ivory rot than exchange it with the Arab
traders for male slaves, who are generally criminals.
Iron bracelets are the usual medium of exchange and coarse beads and
cowries. Copper is much more highly prized, and for a bracelet of this
metal three fowls and three and a half baskets of maize are given.
Effigies of men made of wood may often be seen in Manyuema. Some are
of clay, and cone-like, with a small hole in the top. They are called
_Bathata_ (fathers or ancients), and the name of each is carefully
preserved. Ancient or later chiefs are thus kept in remembrance. The
natives are very careful to have the exact pronunciation of the name.
On certain occasions goat’s flesh is offered to them by the old men. No
young person and no women are permitted to partake. The flesh of the
parrot, though often eaten by old men, is forbidden to young men, with
the belief that if eaten by them their children will have the waddling
gait of this bird.
The banks of the Lualaba are thickly peopled. One of the best methods
of judging in regard to the number of the inhabitants is a visit to
the _chitoka_ or market. This is attended principally by women. They
hold market one day, and then have an interval of three days, going
to other markets in other places. All prefer to buy and sell in the
market rather than elsewhere. If one says, “Come, sell me that fowl
or cloth,” the answer is, “Come to the _chitoka_,” or market-place.
This market is an important and cherished institution in Manyuema.
The large numbers inspire confidence, and also help to maintain or
enforce justice between the traffickers. “To-day,” adds Livingstone,
“the market contained over a thousand people carrying earthen pots and
cassava, grass-cloth, fishes, and fowls. They were alarmed at my coming
among them, and were ready to flee. Many stood afar off in suspicion.”
At another time he counted over seven hundred passing his hut on their
way to market. It is the supreme pleasure of these women to haggle and
joke, to laugh and chaffer. The sight of the throng is a peculiar one:
women, some old, some young and beautiful, are mingled together.
All chiefs claim the privilege of shaking hands; that is, they touch
the hand held out with their palm, then clap two hands together, then
touch again and clap again, and the ceremony is ended.
Livingstone gives this description of market-day in Manyuema: “The
market is a busy scene; every one is in dead earnest; little time
is lost in friendly greetings. Venders of fish run along with
potsherds full of snails or small fishes, or young _Clarias capensis_,
smoke-dried and spitted on twigs, or other relishes, to exchange for
cassava-roots, dried after being steeped about three days in water;
potatoes, vegetables or grain, bananas, flour, palm-oil, fowls, salt,
pepper. Each is intensely eager to barter food for relishes, and makes
strong assertions as to the goodness or badness of everything; the
sweat stands in beads on their faces; cocks crow briskly even when
strung over the shoulder, with their heads hanging down, and pigs
squeal; iron knobs, drawn out at each end to show the goodness of the
metal, are exchanged for cloth of the muabe-palm. They have a large
funnel of basket-work below the vessel holding the wares, and slip the
goods down, if they are not to be seen.
“They deal fairly, and when differences arise they are easily settled
by the men interfering or pointing to me; they appeal to each other
and have a strong sense of natural justice. With so much food changing
hands among the three thousand attendants, much benefit is derived.
Some come from twenty to twenty-five miles. The men flaunt about in
gaudy-colored _lambas_ of many-folded kilts; the women work hardest;
the potters slap and ring their earthenware all around, to show that
there is not a single flaw in them. I bought two finely-shaped earthen
bottles of porous earthenware, to hold a gallon each, for one string
of beads. The women carry huge loads of them in their funnels above
the baskets strapped to the shoulders and foreheads, and their hands
are full besides. The roundness of the vessels is wonderful, seeing
no machine is used. No slave could be induced to carry half so much
as they do willingly. It is a scene of the finest natural acting
imaginable,--the eagerness with which all sorts of assertions are made;
the earnestness with which, apparently, all creatures above, around,
and beneath are called on to attest the truth of what they allege;
and then the intense surprise and withering scorn cast on those who
despise their goods: but they show no concern when the buyers turn up
their noses at them. Little girls run about selling cups of water for
a few small fishes to the half-exhausted, wordy combatants. To me it
was an amusing scene. I could not understand the words that flowed
off their glib tongues, but the gestures were too expressive to need
interpretation.
“Dugumbé’s horde tried to domineer over these market-women. ‘I shall
buy that,’ said one. ‘These are mine,’ said another. ‘No one must touch
these but me,’ said a third. They soon learned, however, that they
could not monopolize nor coerce, but must deal fairly. These women are
very clever traders, stand by each other, and will not submit to nor
allow overreaching by any one.”
But this cheerful scene of eager and active life was doomed to
be darkened by a dreadful deed of bloodshed and horror. We leave
Livingstone to narrate in his graphic way the story of this merciless
and unpardonable massacre of unoffending women:--
“It was a hot and sultry day, and when I went into the market I saw
Adie and Manilla and three of the men who had lately come with Dugumbé.
I was surprised to see these three with their guns, and felt inclined
to reprove them, as one of my men did, for bringing weapons into the
market; but I attributed it to their ignorance. It being very hot I was
walking away to go out of the market, when I saw one of the fellows
haggling about a fowl and seizing hold of it. Before I had got thirty
yards out, the discharge of two guns in the middle of the crowd told
me that slaughter had begun. Crowds dashed off from the place and
threw down their wares in confusion and ran. At the same time that
the three opened fire on the mass of people near the upper end of the
market-place, volleys were discharged from a party down near the creek
on the panic-stricken women who dashed at the canoes. These, some fifty
or more, were jammed in the creek. The men forgot their paddles in the
terror that seized all. The canoes were not to be got out, for the
creek was too small for so many. Men and women, wounded by the balls,
poured into them and leaped and scrambled into the water, shrieking.
A long line of heads in the river showed that great numbers struck out
for an island a full mile off. In going toward it they had put the left
shoulder to the current of about two miles an hour. If they had struck
away diagonally to the opposite bank, the current would have aided
them, and though nearly three miles off, some would have gained land;
as it was, the heads above water showed the long line of those that
would inevitably perish.
“Shot after shot continued to be fired on the helpless and perishing.
Some of the long line of heads disappeared quietly, while other poor
creatures threw their arms high, as if appealing to the great Father
above, and sank. One canoe took in as many as it could hold, and all
paddled with hands and arms; three canoes, got out in haste, picked up
sinking friends until all went down together and disappeared. One man
in a long canoe, which could have held forty or fifty, had clearly lost
his head; he had been out in the stream before the massacre began, and
now paddled up the river nowhere, and never looked to the drowning. By
and by all the heads disappeared; some had turned down stream toward
the bank and disappeared. Dugumbé put people into one of the deserted
vessels to save those in the water, and rescued twenty-one; but one
woman refused to be taken on board, thinking that she was to be made
a slave: she preferred the chance of life by swimming, to the lot
of a slave. The Bagenya women are experts in the water, as they are
accustomed to dive for oysters, and those who went down stream may have
escaped; but Arabs themselves estimated the loss of life at between
three hundred and thirty and four hundred people. The shooting parties
near the canoes were so reckless they killed two of their own people;
and a Banyamwezi follower who got into a deserted canoe to plunder,
fell into the water, went down, then came up again, and down to rise no
more.
“My first impulse was to pistol the murderers, but Dugumbé protested
against my getting into a blood-feud, and I was thankful afterward that
I took his advice.
“After the terrible affair in the water this party of Tagamoio’s, who
were the chief perpetrators, continued to fire on the people and burn
their villages. As I write I hear the loud wails on the left bank over
those who are there slain, ignorant of their many friends now in the
depths of the Lualaba. Oh, let Thy kingdom come! No one will ever know
the exact loss on this bright, sultry summer morning. It gave me the
impression of being in hell. All the slaves in the camp rushed at the
fugitives on land and plundered them; women were for hours collecting
and carrying loads of what had been thrown down in terror.
“Some escaped to me and were protected. Dugumbé saved twenty-one, and
of his own accord liberated them. They were brought to me and remained
over night near my house. I sent men with our flag to save some, for
without a flag they might have been victims, for Tagamoio’s people were
shooting right and left like fiends. I counted twelve villages burning
this morning. I asked the question of Dugumbé and others, ‘Now, for
what is all this murder?’ All blamed Manilla as its cause, and in one
sense he was the cause; but it is hardly credible that they repeat that
it is in order to be avenged on Manilla for making friends with head
men, he being a slave. The wish to make an impression in the country as
to the importance and greatness of the new-comers was the most potent
motive; but it was terrible that the murdering of so many should be
contemplated at all. It made me sick at heart. Who could accompany
Dugumbé and Tagamoio to Lomané and be free from blood-guiltiness?
“I proposed to Dugumbé to catch the murderers and hang them up in
the market-place as our protest against the bloody deeds before the
Manyuema. If, as he and others added, the massacre was committed by
Manilla’s people he would have consented, but it was done by Tagamoio’s
people and others of the party headed by Dugumbé.
“This slaughter was peculiarly atrocious as we have always heard that
women coming to and from market have never been known to be molested.
Even when two districts are engaged in actual hostilities ‘the women’
say they ‘pass among us to market unmolested,’ nor has one ever been
known to be plundered by the men. These nigger Moslems are inferior to
the Manyuema in justice and right. The people under Hasani began the
superwickedness of capture and pillage of all indiscriminately. Dugumbé
promised to send over men to order Tagamoio’s men to cease firing and
burning villages. They remained over among the ruins, feasting on goats
and fowls, all night, and next day continued their infamous work till
twenty-seven villages were destroyed.
“I restored thirty of the rescued to their friends.... An old man
called Kabolo came for his old wife. I asked her if this was her
husband; she went to him and put her arms lovingly around him and said
‘Yes.’ I gave her five strings of beads to buy food, all her stores
being destroyed with her house. She bowed down and put her forehead to
the ground as thanks, and old Kabolo did the same; the tears stood in
her eyes as she went off.
“The murderous assault on the market-people felt to me like Gehenna
without the fire and brimstone; but the heat was oppressive, and the
firearms pouring their iron bullets on the fugitives was not an inapt
representation of burning in the bottomless pit.”
CHAPTER CLXIV.
AFRICA--_Continued_.
THE MANYUEMA--_Concluded_.
THEIR BLOOD-THIRSTY CHARACTER -- BRUTAL CUSTOMS -- UNTRUTHFUL BUT
HONEST -- FEAR OF GUNS -- BAD REPUTATION -- CANNIBALISM -- ONLY
ENEMIES EATEN -- ABUNDANCE OF FOOD -- WANT OF POLITICAL COHESION --
NO PROGRESS -- THE SAFURA -- THE COUNTRY UNHEALTHY -- THE SOKO --
LIVINGSTONE’S GRAPHIC DESCRIPTION.
The Manyuema do not lack in industry and energy. In their villages they
are orderly, courteous and kind toward each other. But if a man of
another district ventures into a village, it is in peril of his life;
he is not regarded as one of their tribe, and is almost sure to be
killed. Those who served as guides to Livingstone would desert him as
they approached a village, not daring to go near those between whom and
their own people there was a bitter feud. The head men of the villages,
in a strange blindness, often enlist by gifts of ivory the Arab traders
to inflict punishment upon their enemies. Livingstone passed through
eleven villages that had been burned, and all on account of one string
of beads,--a mournful illustration of the barbarities committed.
The better he became acquainted with this people the more convinced was
he of their degraded and blood-thirsty character. He noticed at one
time a pretty woman, the young wife of Monasimba. Ten goats were given
for her. Her friends, not satisfied, came and tried to obtain another
goat. This being refused they enticed her away. She became sick and
died a few days afterward, yet no one expressed one word of regret for
the beautiful young creature, but all the grief was for the loss of the
goats. “Oh, our ten goats! Our ten goats! Oh, oh!”
Monasimba went to his wife, and after washing he may appear among men.
If no widow can be obtained, he must sit naked behind his house till
some one happens there; all the clothes he wore are thrown away. The
man who killed a woman goes free; he offered his grandmother to be
killed in his stead, and after a great deal of talk nothing was done to
him. They are the lowest of the low especially in blood-thirstiness.
A strong man among them is lawless, doing whatever he lists without any
remonstrance or resistance by the head man. Thus, for example, a man’s
wife was given away to another for ten goats, and then his child was
sold also. For goats and cattle this people will do any mean or brutal
thing.
Livingstone has to record this testimony after discovering some new
proofs respecting the debasement of this people: “The Manyuema are the
most bloody, callous savages I know. One puts a scarlet feather from a
parrot’s tail on the ground, and challenges those near to stick it in
the hair. He who accepts this challenge must kill a man or a woman.
“Another custom is that none dare wear the skin of the musk-cat
(_ngawa_) unless he has murdered somebody. Guns alone prevent their
killing us all, and for no reason either; some will kill people in
order to be permitted to wear the red tail-feathers of the parrot in
their hair. Yet these are not ugly-looking like the West Coast negroes,
for many of the men have as finely formed heads as can be found in
London. We English, if naked, would make but poor figures beside the
strapping forms and finely-shaped limbs of Manyuema men and women.”
So blood-thirsty are the people that travellers are asked everywhere
that some of their fellow-men be killed. They are afraid to go to
villages three or four miles off, because there are murderers of
fathers and mothers and other relations living there. The moral
condition of this people is one of pre-eminent degradation.
They are far from being a generous people. Hassani, a Moslem trader,
told Dr. Livingstone that no Manyuema had ever presented him with a
mouthful of food, not even a potato or banana, though he had made many
presents to them. They are untruthful as a people, but very honest.
No articles are even purloined by them. If a fowl or goat be lost or
anything else, it may be known that an Arab slave is the thief. It is a
somewhat remarkable fact that Livingstone and the Arab merchants kept
their fowls in the Manyuema villages, to prevent their being stolen by
their own slaves. A conscientious, rigorous sense of justice, allied
with their blood-thirstiness, is a singular feature in the character of
this tribe.
The Manyuema have great fear of guns. Often a man will borrow one to
help him settle a dispute. Going with it on his shoulder he can readily
adjust the difficulty by the fear the weapon inspires, even though it
is known by his opponent that he could not use it.
Though the presence of guns will always awaken such terror, yet if
their enemies be armed only with spears, however numerous, these men
are brave. It is a common expression “The Manyuema are bad.” They are
exceedingly cruel among themselves, but their reputation for badness is
in no small degree caused by the representations of the Arab traders,
who plunder them in every possible way. It is no wonder that some
badness should be manifested when their huts are appropriated without
leave, compensation, or thanks. Firewood, pots, baskets, food, in
fact everything is taken that they fancy. The women usually flee into
the forest, to return only after the invaders have gone, but to find
their possessions plundered or destroyed. If treated kindly, they make
overtures of friendship by gifts of provisions and fruits. The Arabs
will eat up all they can lay hands on, and then say, “The Manyuema are
bad, very bad.”
In respect to cannibalism, it is the fact that the Manyuema eat only
their foes and those who are killed in war. Some have alleged that
captives also are eaten, and that a slave is bought with a goat to be
eaten, but there is doubt of the truth of this assertion. From the most
careful observation, Livingstone concluded that it is only those slain
in battle who are eaten, and this in revenge. Mokandira said, “The meat
is not nice; it makes one dream of the dead man.”
On the west of Lualaba it is thought that men eat those bought for the
purpose of a feast. All unite in saying that human flesh is saltish,
and needs very little condiment.
At the market a stranger appeared who had ten human under-jaw bones
hung on a string over his shoulder. When interrogated he professed to
have killed and eaten the owners, and he showed with his knife how
he had cut them up. When disgust was expressed at his recital he and
others laughed.
A great fight had taken place at Muanampunda’s, and Livingstone saw
the meat cut up to be cooked. The natives betrayed a shame about the
matter, and said, “Go on, and let our feast alone.” They eat their
foes to inspire courage. It will seem very remarkable that this custom
prevails, for there is no want of food of all kinds. The country is
full of it, overflowing with farinaceous products, with meat and every
variety of fish, and they have stimulating luxuries in palm-toddy,
tobacco or _bange_. With nature so lavish of her gifts, showing that
cannibalism is not the result of want or starvation, it must be merely
a depraved appetite that craves for meat that we call “high.”
“They are said to bury a dead body for a couple of days in the soil
in a forest, and in that time, owing to the climate, it soon becomes
putrid enough to regale the strongest stomachs.”
The great necessity of this people is some bond of union or national
life. But there is no supreme chief in Manyuema or Balegga, and thus
the tribe is disintegrated. Each head man regards himself as _mologhwe_
or chief, however small his village, even if only four or five huts,
and so is independent. This explains the fact of no political cohesion
among the people. Jealousy and fear of each other among the head men
are the great obstacles to their uniting for the common welfare. With
no unity of interest, no concert of action, no ruler to whom all must
pay allegiance, it is inevitable that offences must come, and feuds and
wars will follow. Crimes against person or property cannot be punished
except by revenge, reprisal, war, in which blood is shed. Enmities are
thus caused between neighboring villages that last for generations,
resulting in a vast amount of rapine and suffering. In this condition
of mutual hostility they become the easy prey of the Arab adventurers,
succumbing to their extortion and rapacity with only the feeblest
resistance.
No progress or improvement is made among this tribe; they seem to have
come to a permanent stand-still. The influence of intelligent and wise
chiefs does not avail to start them out of the degradation into which
their character and life have crystallized. Moenékuss was a sagacious
ruler, ambitious to improve the condition of his people. He paid smiths
to teach his sons how to work in copper and iron, but he could never
inspire them with his own generous and far-seeing spirit. They could
not emulate his virtues, being devoid of all magnanimity, sagacity, or
ambition.
The disease called _safura_, the result of clay or earth eating, is
quite common among the Manyuema. Though slaves are more addicted to
this habit, yet it is not confined to them. They do not eat clay in
order to end their lives and their sufferings. The Manyuema women eat
it when pregnant, and many who do not lack food will form this fatal
appetite. The disease shows itself in swollen feet, loss of flesh, and
haggard face. The victim walks with great difficulty on account of
shortness of breath and weakness, and yet persists in eating till death
terminates his life. Only by the most powerful drastics and entire
abstinence from clay-eating can a cure be effected after one has become
diseased with _safura_.
The Manyuema country is unhealthy, not so much from fevers as from a
general prostration caused by the damp, cold, and indigestion. This
debility is ascribed by some to the maize, which is the common food,
producing weakness of the bowels or choleraic purging. Ulcers form on
any part of the body that is abraded, and they are like a spreading
fungus, for the matter adhering to any part of the body forms a fresh
centre of propagation. These ulcers will eat very rapidly if not
allowed quiet. They are exceedingly difficult of healing, eating into
the bone, especially on the shins. Many slaves die of them. Rheumatism
is frequent, and many of the natives die of it. Tape-worm is common,
and no remedy is known to the Arabs or natives.
One of the animals found in Manyuema is so remarkable as to require
some special notice. It is undoubtedly a new species of the chimpanzee,
and not the gorilla. The stuffed specimen of the latter in the British
Museum was seen by Susi and Chuma, Livingstone’s men, and they,
familiar with the sight of sokos, pronounced them unlike the gorilla,
yet as large and as strong.
The description, by Livingstone, of this animal is so graphic and
interesting that we give it below in full:--“They often go erect, but
place the hand on the head, as if to steady its body. When thus seen
the soko is an ungainly beast. The most sentimental young lady would
not call him a ‘dear,’ but a bandy-legged, pot-bellied, low-looking
villain, without a particle of the gentleman in him.
“Other animals, especially the antelopes, are graceful, and it is
pleasant to see them, either at rest or in motion. The natives also are
well-made, lithe, and comely to behold, but the soko, if large, would
do well to stand for a picture of the devil.
“He takes away my appetite by his disgusting bestiality of appearance.
His light-yellow face shows off his ugly whiskers and faint apology for
a beard; the forehead, villainously low, with high ears, is well in the
background of the great dog-mouth; the teeth are slightly human, but
the canines show the beast by their large development.
“The hands, or rather the fingers, are like those of the natives. The
flesh of the feet is yellow, and the eagerness with which the Manyuema
devour it leaves the impression that eating sokos was the first stage
by which they arrived at being cannibals. They say the flesh is
delicious. The soko is represented by some to be extremely knowing,
successfully stalking men and women while at their work, kidnapping
children and running up trees with them.
“He seems to be amused by the sight of the young native in his arms,
but comes down when tempted by a bunch of bananas, and as he lifts that
drops the child; the young soko in such a case would cling closely to
the armpit of the elder. One man was cutting out honey from a tree, and
naked, when a soko suddenly appeared and caught him, then let him go.
A man was hunting, and missed in his attempt to stab a soko; it seized
the spear and broke it, then grappled with the man, who called to his
companions, ‘Soko has caught me!’ The soko bit off the ends of his
fingers and escaped unharmed. Both men are now alive at Bambarré.
“The soko is so cunning, and has such sharp eyes that no one can stalk
him in front, without being seen; hence, when shot, it is always in the
back. When surrounded by men and nets, he is generally speared in the
back too; otherwise, he is not a very formidable beast. He is nothing,
as compared in power of damaging his assailant, to a leopard or lion,
but is more like a man unarmed, for it does not occur to him to use his
canine teeth, which are long and formidable.
“Numbers of them come down in the forest within a hundred yards of our
camp, and would be unknown but for giving tongue like fox-hounds: this
is their nearest approach to speech. A man hoeing was stalked by a soko
and seized. He roared out, but the soko giggled and grinned, and left
him as if he had done it in play. A child caught up by a soko is often
abused by being pinched and scratched and let fall.
“The soko kills the leopard occasionally by seizing both paws and
biting them so as to disable them; he then goes up a tree, groans
over his wounds, and sometimes recovers, while the leopard dies. At
other times both soko and leopard die. The lion kills him at once, and
sometimes tears his limbs off, but does not eat him. The soko eats no
flesh; small bananas are his dainties, but not maize. His food consists
of wild fruits, which abound. One, staféné, or Manyuema mamwa, is like
large, sweet sop, but indifferent in taste and flesh. The soko brings
forth at times twins. A very large soko was seen by Mohamad’s hunters
sitting picking his nails. They tried to stalk him, but he vanished.
“Some Manyuema think that their buried dead rise as sokos, and one was
killed, with holes in his ears, as if he had been a man. He is very
strong and fears guns, but not spears; he never catches women.
“Sokos collect together and make a drumming noise, some say with hollow
trees, then burst forth into loud yells, which are well imitated by the
natives’ embryotic music. When men hear them, they go to the sokos; but
sokos never go to men with hostility. Manyuema say, ‘Soko is a man, and
nothing bad in him.’
“If a man has no spear the soko goes away satisfied; but if wounded he
seizes the wrist, lops off the fingers and spits them out, slaps the
cheeks of his victim, and bites without breaking the skin. He draws out
a spear (but never uses it), and takes some leaves and stuffs them into
his wound to staunch the blood. He does not wish an encounter with an
armed man. He sees women do him no harm, and never molests them; a man
without a spear is nearly safe from him.
“They live in communities of about ten, each having his own female.
An intruder from another camp is beaten off with their fists and loud
yells. If one tries to seize the female of another he is caught on the
ground, and all unite in boxing and biting the offender. A male often
carries the child, especially if they are passing from one patch of
forest to another over a grassy space; he then gives it to the mother.”
Sometime after the soko hunt, which gave rise to the striking portrait
of the beast that Livingstone has left, Katomba presented to him a
young soko that had been caught when its mother was killed. “She sits
eighteen inches high; has fine, long black hair all over, which was
pretty, so long as it was kept in order by her dam. She is the least
mischievous of all the monkey tribe I have seen, and seems to know
that in me she has a friend, and sits quietly on the mat beside me. In
walking the first thing I observed is, that she does not tread on the
palms of her hands, but on the backs of the second line of bones of
the hands; in doing this the nails do not touch the ground, nor do the
knuckles. She uses the arms thus supported crutch-fashion, and hitches
herself along between them; occasionally, one hand is put down before
the other, and alternates with the feet, or she walks upright, and
holds up a hand to any one to carry her; if refused she turns her face
down and makes grimaces of the most bitter human weeping, wringing her
hands, and sometimes adding a fourth hand or foot to make the appeal
more touching. Grass or leaves she draws around her to make a nest,
and resents any one meddling with her property. She is a most friendly
little beast, and came up to me at once, making her chirrup of welcome,
smelled my clothing, and held out her hand to be shaken. I slapped her
palm without offence, though she winced. She began to untie the cord,
with which she was afterward bound, with fingers and thumbs in quite a
systematic way, and on being interfered with by a man, looked daggers,
and screaming, tried to beat him with her hands. She was afraid of his
stick and faced him, putting her back to me as a friend. She holds out
her hand for people to lift her up and carry her quite like a spoiled
child, then bursts into a passionate cry, somewhat like that of a
kite, wrings her hands quite naturally, as if in despair. She eats
everything, covers herself with a mat to sleep, and makes a nest of
grass or leaves, and wipes her face with a leaf.”
A soko alive is thought by the natives to be a good charm for rain.
There being a drought, one was caught; but the captor met with the
usual fate of those men who, without weapons, contend with this animal;
he lost the ends of his fingers and toes.
CHAPTER CLXV.
AFRICA--_Continued_.
UNYAMWEZI.
SIGNIFICATION OF UNYAMWEZI -- EXTENT OF ITS TERRITORY -- CHARMING
SCENERY -- STANLEY’S DESCRIPTION -- TREES OF FOREST -- FRUIT-BEARING
TREES -- THE “MEDICINE MAN” -- CREDULITY OF THE PEOPLE -- DISEASE --
PEN-PORTRAIT OF A MNYAMWEZI -- THE YANKEE OF AFRICA -- LOVE OF MUSIC
-- SINGULAR CUSTOMS IN REGARD TO BIRTH AND BURIAL -- OLD AGE SELDOM
SEEN -- PROBABLE EXTINCTION OF THIS TRIBE.
Although an extended and interesting account of the people of Unyamwezi
has been given in a former portion of this work (see page 386), we
think our readers will be grateful for the additional sketch of them
compiled from Stanley’s “Travels and Adventures in Central Africa,”
resulting from his romantic and successful expedition in search of
Livingstone.
The name Wanyamwezi, or Banyamwezi, as Livingstone gives it, is
derived, he says, from an ivory ornament of the shape of the new moon,
hung to the neck, with a horn reaching round over either shoulder.
The tradition is that their forefathers came from the sea coast, and
when people inquired after them they said, “We mean the men of the
moon ornament.” This ornament is worn very extensively now and a large
amount of ivory is used in its manufacture. Sometimes, however, the
curved tusks of hippopotami are substituted for ivory.
If the name referred to the “moon ornament” as the people think, the
name would be Ba or Wamwezi, but Banyamwezi means probably Ba, _they or
people_, Nya, _place_, Mwezi, _moon_, people of the moon locality or
moonland.
NOTE.--M is a prefix to denote a person of any country, as, for
example, M-jiji, a native of Jiji. U is a prefix to denote the
country, as U-jiji, meaning the country of the Jiji. Wa denotes
persons, thus, Wa-jiji, means people of the Jiji. Wa-nya-mwezi, the
people of Mwezi.
The pronunciation of this word, Unyamwezi, by the natives is
Oo-nya-mwezi. Its meaning, according to the African explorers, Krapf,
Burton, Speke, is “Country of the Moon.” Mr. Desbrough Cooley thinks
it means “Lord of the World,” and its orthography, he thinks, should
be Monomoezi. Mr. Stanley, however, differs from them all, and gives
the following as the reason for his interpretation: There once lived
a powerful and successful king in Ukalaganza, the original name of
the country as known to the western tribes. His name was Mwezi, and
after his death his sons contended for the possession of his power.
The portions they secured as the result of their wars were named from
them. The people of the central portion, Ukalaganza, accepting the one
whom the old king had appointed his successor, came to be known at
length as Children of Mwezi, and the country as Unyamwezi, while the
other districts were called Konongo, Sagozi, Gunda, Simbiri, etc. This
theory, so in conflict with the opinion of other travellers, Stanley
bases upon a tradition related to him by the old chief of Masangi,
which lies on the road to Mfuto. He confirms it also by the fact that
the name of the king of Urundi is Mwezi, and the name of almost every
village in Africa is named from some chief either living or dead.
This country contains about 24,500 square miles, and is divided into
districts known as Unyanyembe, the most populous, Ugunda, Usagara,
Ugara, Nguru, Usongo, etc.
No portion of East or Central Africa equals Unyamwezi in beauty of
scenery. The blending of its forests with the clearings and plains,
the rocky elevations here and there seen rising above the vari-colored
leafage that lies like a carpet widely extended, constitute a view
of unusual attraction. Though there are no majestic mountains, no
picturesque or startling scenes, and a journey through the country does
not awaken the emotion of sublimity, yet the landscape, as far as the
eye can stretch in every direction, is one so lovely as to be forever
remembered.
Stanley in describing it says, “The foliage is of all the colors of
the prism; but as the woods roll away into the distance, the calm,
mysterious haze enwraps them in its soft shroud, paints them first a
light blue, then gradually a deeper blue, until, in the distance, there
appears but a dim looming, and on gazing at its faded contour we find
ourselves falling into a day-dream, as indistinct in its outline as
the view which appears in the horizon. I defy any one to gaze on such
a scene without wishing his life would fade away as serenely as the
outlines of the forests of Unyamwezi.”
These forests abound with a great variety of trees, the wood of which,
according to the peculiarity of each, is made useful by the natives.
The mkurongo is harder and more lasting than hickory and is susceptible
of a very high polish. The pestle for pounding grain is made of this
tree.
The bark from which their cloth is made comes from the mbugu. After
being thoroughly soaked, it is pounded and then dried and rubbed, so
that it resembles felt. The natives sometimes make ropes from this
bark, and also round boxes for storing grain. These they ornament in
various ways.
Another tree, called the imbite, is capable of being ornamentally
carved, when made into the shape of doors and pillars. As it also emits
an agreeable odor, this quality, with its beautiful color, makes it a
choice and favorite wood. Stanley mentions some twenty other varieties,
most of which are made subservient to some useful purpose. These trees
abound everywhere in equatorial Africa.
From the Guinea palm-tree the natives extract an intoxicating liquor,
called “tembo.” A toddy which they call “zogga” is made from plantains.
There are various fruit-bearing trees in Central Africa, and the kinds
of grapes, some of which are poisonous, are numerous. The common
articles of food among the different tribes are sorghum, sesame,
millet, and maize or Indian corn, pulse, beans, and rice, with many
kinds of fish. There is one kind called “dogara,” which, though one
of the smallest, contributes more than any other to the food of the
people. It is minute, a kind of white-bait, and is caught in nets in
great quantities, in Lake Tanganyika. They are then dried in the sun or
salted, and often become an article of commerce as far as Unyanyembe.
Belief in the power of the “medicine man” is almost unlimited. The
natives thought Stanley was able to make rain; that, with some
preparation, he could kill all the people of Mirambo, a hostile chief
who was making frequent raids upon them. They would carry their sick
to him, believing he could cure them. It was only by his most earnest
and positive assertion that he possessed no such power that he could
satisfy them. One old man took to him a fine, fat sheep and a dish of
vegetables, to enlist his services in curing a chronic dysentery, but
he refused them, disclaiming any ability to help him.
This credulity of the people is the basis of the wide and sometimes
terrible sway of the “medicine man” in Africa. Says Stanley, “No
hunting expedition of Wanyamwezi starts without having consulted the
_mganga_ (medicine man), who, for a consideration, supplies them with
charms, potions, herbs, and blessings. A bit of the ear of a zebra, the
blood of a lion, the claw of a leopard, the lip of a buffalo, the tail
of a giraffe, the eyebrow of a harte-beest, are treasures not to be
parted with save for a monetary value. To their necks are suspended a
bit of quartz, polished and of triangular shape, and pieces of carved
wood, and an all-powerful talisman in the shape of a plant, sewed up
jealously in a small leathern pouch.”
The same diseases to which civilized peoples are subject prevail in
Central and East Africa. The most terrible scourge of all is the
small-pox; its ravages are seen everywhere on the line of caravans and
in the depopulation of villages. A rigorous quarantine is attempted,
yet multitudes die by this foul and fearful disease. If any of a
caravan become sick with it, they are left in the wilderness, as the
caravan can not stop. The poor sufferers will not be received into any
village. They therefore betake themselves to the jungle, with store of
food and water, and there await the issue of recovery or death,--most
frequently the latter. The skulls bleaching in the air on the line of
every caravan indicate the ravages made by this loathsome disease.
Mr. Stanley thinks the Wanyamwezi are the most remarkable tribe in
Central Africa. His fine characterization of them, given below, is
taken from his interesting book, “How I found Livingstone.”
“A beau ideal of a Mnyamwezi to me will be a tall, long-limbed black
man, with a good-natured face, always with a broad smile upon it;
displaying in the upper row of teeth a small hole, which was cut out
when he was a boy to denote his tribe; with hundreds of long, wiry
ringlets hanging down his neck; almost naked, giving me a full view
of a form which would make an excellent model for a black Apollo. I
have seen many of this tribe in the garb of the freedmen of Zanzibar,
sporting a turban of new American sheeting, or wearing the long
_diskdasheh_ (shirt) of the Arab, presenting as fine and intelligent an
appearance as any Msawahili from the Zanzibar coast,--but I cannot rid
myself of my ideal.
“A Mnyamwezi is the Yankee of Africa; he is a born trader and
traveller. From days immemorial his tribe has monopolized the carrying
of goods from one country to another. The Mnyamwezi is the camel, the
horse, the mule, the ass, the beast of burden to which all travellers
anxiously look to convey their luggage from the coast to the far
African interior. The Arab can go nowhere without his help; the white
traveller, bound on an exploring trip, cannot travel without him....
He is like the sailor, having his habitat in certain sailors’ boarding
houses in great seaport towns, and, like the sailor, is a restless
rover. The sea-coast to a Mnyamwezi is like New York to an English
sailor. At New York the English sailor can re-ship with higher pay; so
can the Mnyamwezi re-hire himself on the coast, for a return trip, at
a higher rate than from Unyamwezi to the sea. He is in such demand,
and during war time so scarce, that his pay is great, ranging from
thirty-six to one hundred yards of cloth. A hundred of these _bites de
somme_ will readily cost the traveller 10,000 yards of cloth even as
far as Unyanyembe, a three months’ journey, and 10,000 yards of cloth
represent $5,000 in gold.
“The Wanyamwezi, weighted with the bales of Zanzibar, containing
cottons and domestics from Massachusetts, calicoes from England, prints
from Muscat, cloths from Cutch, beads from Germany, brass wire from
Great Britain, may be found on the Lualaba, in the forests of Ukawendi,
on the hills of Uganda, the mountains of Karagwah, on the plains of
Urori, on the plateau of Ugogo, in the park lands of Ukonongo, in the
swamps of Useguhha, in the defiles of Usagara, in the wilderness of
Ubena, among the pastoral tribes of the Watuta, trudging along the
banks of the Rufigi, in slave-trading Kilwa,--everywhere throughout
Central Africa.
“While journeying with caravans they are docile and tractable; in their
villages they are a merry-making set; on trading expeditions of their
own they are keen and clever; as Ruga-Ruga they are unscrupulous and
bold; in Ukonongo they are hunters; in Usukuma they are drovers and
iron smelters; in Lunda they are energetic searchers for ivory; on the
coast they are a wondering and awe-struck people.”
The Wanyamwezi are very industrious and quite ingenious. They
smelt their iron, and make their weapons of war and implements of
agriculture. They are ready to exchange their hatchets, bill-hooks,
spears, bows, etc., for cloth. It is a common sight,--the peddler
endeavoring to make a barter trade with his various wares. He will sell
a first-class bow for four yards of sheeting, and two yards will buy a
dozen arrows.
They are quite clever smiths and manufacture iron and copper wire. The
process is as follows: a heavy piece of iron with a funnel-shaped hole
is firmly fixed in the fork of a tree. A fine rod is then thrust into
it and a line attached to the first few inches which can be coaxed
through. A number of men haul on this line singing and dancing in tune
and thus it is drawn through the first drill; it is subsequently passed
through others to render it finer. Excellent wire is the result.
Love of music is one of the characteristics of this tribe, as of almost
all Africans. Though the music is rude, yet those who hear it are not
usually the most accomplished and fastidious critics. It therefore has
its uses and merits. Sometimes it is made the vehicle of satire or
humor. The latest scandal or sensation is incorporated into the song,
for many of the people have the faculty of the improvisatore, and so
contribute to the amusement or interest of their villages by these
allusions to or criticisms of matters of public concern or personal
gossip.
The women are generally very homely and coarse, unlike those of the
Batusi who are very often beautiful. Their chief ornament is of the
half-moon shape. They are not generous having learned the Arab adage
“nothing for nothing” yet they are respectful in deportment.
This tribe have some very singular customs in regard to birth and
burial. “When a child is born,” says Mr. Stanley, “the father cuts the
caul, and travels with it to the frontier of his district, and there
deposits it under the ground; if the frontier be a stream, he buries
it on the banks; then taking the root of a tree, he conveys it, on his
return, and buries it at the threshold of his door. He then invites his
friends to a feast that he has prepared. He kills an ox or half a dozen
goats, and distributes pombe. The mother, when approaching childbirth,
hastens to the woods, and is there attended by a female friend.
“After death the Wanyamwezi remove the body into the jungle, or, if a
person of importance, bury it in a sitting posture, or on its side, as
in Wagogo. On the march the body is merely thrown aside and left for
a prey to the hyena, the cleanest scavenger of the forest. When death
has taken away a member of a family, it is said by the relatives of the
deceased, that the ‘Miringu has taken him or her,’ or, ‘He or she is
lost,’ or, ‘It is God’s work.’”
Very few old men are seen in Central Africa. There are the evidences in
every village of premature age, such as gray hair and bent forms. The
Wanyamwezi seem to be diminishing in numbers. What with emigration to
other tribes, the hardships of the life of travel and burden-bearing to
which many of them are exposed, and the ravages of the slave wars in
which their chiefs are engaged, this people is evidently dying out. It
is a saddening spectacle, this decay and disappearance of one of the
most intelligent and capable tribes of Africa.
It is the testimony of Stanley that “eight out of ten of the bleached
skulls along the line of commerce in the interior are those of the
unfortunate Wanyamwezi, who succumbed to the perils and privations
attending the footsteps of every caravan. What a power in the land
might not a philanthropic government make of these people! What a
glorious testimony to the charity of civilization might they not
become! What docile converts to the gospel truths through a practical
missionary would they not make!”
CHAPTER CLXVI.
AFRICA--_Continued_.
UVINZA AND UHHA.
UVINZA, ITS LOCATION -- MODE OF SALUTATION -- GREAT MUTWARE OF
KIMENYI -- HIS EXTORTION -- THE CARAVAN STOPPED -- LONG PARLEY WITH
CHIEF MIONVU -- MIONVU’S SPEECH -- STANLEY’S REPLY -- MIONVU’S DEMAND
FOR TRIBUTE -- THE CHIEF INFLEXIBLE -- STANLEY ENRAGED, BUT POWERLESS
-- CONSULTATION WITH HIS MEN -- THEIR COUNSEL OF PEACE ADOPTED --
ENORMOUS BONGA PAID -- STANLEY’S STORES SADLY REDUCED -- BOLD PLAN TO
ESCAPE THE ROBBERS -- ITS SUCCESS -- LIVINGSTONE FOUND.
On the north of Unyanyembe is Uvinza, a rugged and somewhat
mountainous country. Its numerous ravines and ridges, while imparting
picturesqueness to the views, do not however contribute to its
productiveness. It is but poorly watered, the banks of Malagarazi
River being almost the only portion of great fertility. It has many
salt pans, from which the people manufacture their salt. Crossing the
Malagarazi, new customs and peculiarities greet the traveller. The
method of salutation is singular and tiresome. As persons approach,
they stretch out both hands to each other, uttering the words “Wake,
wake!” They then seize each other by the elbows, and rubbing each
other’s arms, say rapidly, “Wake, wake, waky, waky!” and finally
terminate the tiresome formula with grunts of “Huh, huh!” as token
of satisfaction. They dress in cloth when able to purchase it of the
caravans; but if poor, they use “goat-skins, suspended by a knot
fastened over the shoulder and falling over one side of their bodies.”
After many perils and delays Stanley entered the Uhha country. The
boundary between Uvinza and Uhha, is a narrow, dry ditch. Numerous
small villages could be seen, without the usual defence of a stockade,
indicating that the people were living in quiet and without fear of
marauders. Halting at Kawanga he soon learned from the chief that he
was “the great _Mutware_ of Kimenyi under the king, and therefore the
tribute-gatherer for his Kiha majesty.” As an illustration of the
African character and the difficulties of travelling in the interior,
we give the narrative in Stanley’s own words:--
“He declared he was the only one in Kimenyi, an eastern division of
Uhha, who could demand tribute, and that it would be very satisfactory
to him and a saving of trouble to ourselves if we settled his claim of
twelve _doti_ of good cloth at once. We did not think it the best way
of proceeding, however, knowing as we did the character of the native
African; so we at once proceeded to diminish the demand, but after six
hours’ hot argument the _mutware_ only reduced it by two. This claim
was then settled upon the understanding that we should be allowed to
travel through Uhha, as far as Rusugi River, without being further
mulcted.
“Leaving Kawanga early in the morning and continuing our march over
the boundless plain we were marching westward, joyfully congratulating
ourselves that within five days we should see that which I had come
far from civilization and through so many difficulties to see, and
were about passing a cluster of villages with all the confidence which
men possess against whom no one has further claim or word to say, when
I noticed two men darting from a group of natives, who were watching
us, and running toward the head of the expedition, with the object,
evidently, of preventing further progress.
“The caravan stopped, and I walked forward to ascertain the cause from
the two natives. I was greeted politely by the two Wahha with the
usual _yambos_, and was then asked, ‘Why does the white man pass by the
village of the King of Uhha without salutation and a gift? Does not the
white man know that there lives a king in Uhha to whom the Wangwana and
Arabs pay something for the right of passage?’
“‘Why, we paid last night to the chief of Kawanga, who informed us he
was the man deputed by the King of Wahha to collect the toll.’
“‘How much did you pay?’
“‘Ten _doti_ of good cloth.’
“‘Are you sure?’
“‘Quite sure. If you ask him he will tell you so.’
“‘Well!’ said one of the Wahha, a fine, handsome, intelligent-looking
youth, ‘it is our duty to the king to halt you here until we find out
the truth of this. Will you walk to our village and rest yourselves,
under the shade of the trees until we can send messengers to Kawanga?’
“‘No, the sun is but an hour high, and we have far to travel; but in
order to show you we do not seek to pass through your country without
doing that which is right, we will rest where we now stand, and we will
send with your messenger two of our soldiers, who will show you the man
to whom we paid the cloth.’
“The messenger departed; but in the meantime the handsome youth, who
turned out to be a nephew of the king, whispered some order to a lad,
who immediately hastened away, with the speed of an antelope, to the
cluster of villages we had just passed. The result of this errand,
as we soon saw, was the approach of a body of warriors, about fifty
in number, headed by a tall, fine-looking man, who was dressed in a
crimson robe, called _joho_, two ends of which were tied in a knot over
the left shoulder; a new piece of American sheeting was folded like a
turban around his head, and a large, curved piece of polished ivory was
suspended to his neck. He and all his people were armed with spears and
bows and arrows, and their advance was marked with a deliberation that
showed they felt perfect confidence in any issue that might transpire.
“The gorgeously-dressed chief was a remarkable man in appearance. His
face was oval in form, with high cheek-bones, eyes deeply sunk, a
prominent and bold forehead and a well-cut mouth; he was tall in figure
and perfectly symmetrical.
“When near to us he hailed me with the words ‘Yambo, bana?’ (How do you
do, master?) in quite a cordial tone.
“I replied cordially also, ‘Yambo, mutware?’ (How do you do, chief?)
“We, myself and men, interchanged _yambos_ with his warriors, and there
was nothing to indicate that the meeting was of a hostile character.
“The chief seated himself, his haunches resting on his heels, and
laying down his bow and arrows by his side, his men did likewise. I
seated myself on a bale, and each of my men sat down on their loads,
forming quite a semi-circle. The Wahha slightly outnumbered my party,
but while they were armed with only bows and arrows, spears and
knob-sticks, we were armed with rifles, muskets, revolvers, pistols,
and hatchets.
“All were seated, and deep silence was maintained by the assembly. Then
the chief spoke: ‘I am Mionvu, the great _Mutware_ of Kimenyi and am
next to the king, who lives yonder,’ pointing to a large village near
some naked hills, about ten miles to the north. ‘I have come to talk
with the white man. It has always been the custom of the Wangwana and
the Arabs to make a present to the king when they pass through his
country. Does not the white man mean to pay the king’s dues? Why does
the white man halt in the road? Why will he not enter the village of
Lukomo, where there are food and shade, where we can discuss this thing
quietly? Does the white man mean to fight? I know well he is stronger
than we are. His men have guns, and the Wahha have but bows and arrows
and spears; but Uhha is large and our villages are many. Let him look
about him everywhere: all is Uhha, and our country extends much farther
than he can see or walk in a day. The King of Uhha is strong, yet he
wishes friendship only with the white man. Will the white man have war
or peace?’ A deep murmur of assent followed this speech of Mionvu from
his people and disapprobation, blended with uneasiness, from my men.”
Stanley replied as follows:--
“‘Mionvu, the great _Mutware_, asks me if I have come for war. When did
Mionvu ever hear of white men warring against black men? Mionvu must
understand that white men are very different from the black. White men
do not leave their country to fight the black people, neither do they
come here to buy ivory or slaves. They come to make friends with the
black people; they come to search for rivers and lakes and mountains;
they come to discover what countries, what peoples, what rivers, what
lakes, what forests, what plains, what mountains and hills are in your
country, that when they go back they may tell the white kings and
men and children. The white people are different from the Arabs and
Wangwana, the white people know everything and are very strong; when
they fight the Arabs and Wangwana run away. We have great guns which
thunder, and when they shoot the earth trembles; we have guns which
carry bullets further than you can see. Even with these little things
(pointing to my revolvers) I could kill ten men quicker than you could
count. I could kill Mionvu now, yet I talk to him as a friend. I wish
to be a friend to Mionvu and to all black people. Will Mionvu say what
I can do for him?’
“As these words were translated to him, imperfectly I suppose but still
intelligibly, the faces of the Wahha showed how well they appreciated
them. Once or twice I thought I detected something like fear, but
my assertions that I desired peace and friendship with them soon
obliterated all such feelings.”
Mionvu replied,--
“‘The white man tells me he is friendly: why does he not come to our
village? Why does he stop on the road? The sun is hot. Mionvu will not
speak here any more. If the white man is a friend he will come to the
village.’
“‘We must stop now. It is noon. You have broken our march. We will
go and camp in your village,’ I said, at the same time rising, and
pointing to the men to take up their loads.
“We were compelled to camp, there was no help for it; the messengers
had not returned from Kawanga. Having arrived at his village, Mionvu
cast himself at full length under the scanty shade afforded by a few
trees without the _boma_. About 2 P. M. the messengers returned, saying
it was true the chief of Kawanga had taken ten cloths, not however for
the King of Uhha, but for himself.
“Mionvu, who, evidently, was keen-witted and knew perfectly what he was
about, now roused himself and began to make miniature fagots of thin
canes, ten to each fagot, and shortly he presented ten of these small
bundles, which together contained one hundred, to me, saying, ‘Each
stick represents a cloth.’ The amount of the _bonga_ required by the
King of Uhha was _one hundred cloths_,--nearly two bales.
“Recovering from our astonishment, which was almost indescribable,
we offered _ten_. ‘Ten to the King of Uhha! Impossible. You do not
stir from Lukomo until you pay one hundred,’ exclaimed Mionvu in a
significant manner.
“I returned no answer, but went to my hut, which Mionvu had cleared
for my use, and Bombay, Asmani, Mabruski, and Chowpereh were invited
to come to me for consultation. Upon my asking them if we could not
fight our way through Uhha, they became terror-stricken, and Bombay,
in imploring accents, asked me to think well what I was about to do,
because it was useless to enter on a war with the Wahha. Said he, ‘Uhha
is a plain country; we cannot hide anywhere. Every village will rise
all about us; and how can forty-five men fight thousands of people?
Think of it, my dear master, and do not throw your life away for a few
rags of cloth.’
“‘Well, but, Bombay, this is robbery. Shall we give the fellow
everything he asks? He might as well ask me for all the cloth and all
my guns without letting him see that we can fight.’
“‘No, no, dear master; don’t think of it for a moment. Pay Mionvu what
he asks and let us go away from here. This is the last place we shall
have to pay, and in four days we shall be in Ujiji.’
“‘Did Mionvu tell you that this is the last place we should have to
pay?’
“‘He did, indeed.’”
Each of the others whom Stanley had chosen as counsellors advised him
to yield to the extortion of Mionvu and pay rather than provoke a fight.
“‘Pay, _bana_,’ said Chowpereh. ‘It is better to get along quietly in
this country. If we were strong enough they would pay us.’
“‘Well, then, Bombay and Asmani, go to Mionvu, and offer him twenty; if
he will not take twenty, give him thirty; if he refuses thirty, give
him forty; then go up to eighty, slowly; make plenty of talk; not one
_doti_ more. I swear to you, I will shoot Mionvu if he demands more
than eighty. Go, and remember to be wise.’
“I will cut the matter short. At 9 P. M. sixty-four _doti_ were handed
over to Mionvu for the King of Uhha, six _doti_ for himself, and five
_doti_ for his sub,--altogether seventy-five _doti_, a bale and a
quarter.
“No sooner had we paid than they began to fight amongst themselves over
the booty. At dawn we were on the road, very silent and sad.”
After a four hours’ march, crossing the Kanengi River, they entered
the _boma_ of Kahirigi, and were told that the brother of the King of
Uhha lived there. This roused the apprehension that another exaction
of _bonga_ would be made, despite Mionvu’s assertion that his was
the last. The king’s brother demanded thirty _doti_, or half a bale.
Stanley was in a rage, ready and willing to fight and die rather than
be “halted by a set of miserable, naked robbers.”
He was also informed that there were five more chiefs about two hours’
distance apart from each other. This intelligence led him to adopt a
plan of evading this extortion. Accordingly, arrangements were secretly
made for leaving the usual route and taking to the jungle; and though
the plan came near being defeated several times, yet at length success
crowned the adventurous undertaking, and Stanley “had passed the
boundary of wicked Uhha and entered Ukaranga,--an event that was hailed
with extravagant shouts of joy.”
He saw inevitable ruin before him if his cloth was to be filched
from him at this rate by other chiefs. Beggary or bravery was the
alternative. He chose the latter. In a few days afterward he found
Livingstone at Ujiji.
CHAPTER CLXVII.
AFRICA--_Continued_.
THE MONBUTTOO.
DR. SCHWEINFURTH, THE DISCOVERER OF THIS TRIBE -- THEIR LOCALITY --
THEIR GOVERNMENT -- KINGS DOGBERRA AND MUNZA -- BONGWA AND HIS WIFE
VISIT DR. SCHWEINFURTH -- RECEPTION OF SCHWEINFURTH BY IZINGERRIA --
PIPES OF THE MONBUTTOO -- THEIR ACCURACY OF JUDGMENT -- WONDERFUL
BEAUTY OF THE COUNTRY -- KING MUNZA’S COURT -- ARROWS OF THE
MONBUTTOO -- DRESS AND MARTIAL EQUIPMENTS -- NEGLECT OF AGRICULTURE
-- SPHERE OF THE WOMEN -- SUBJECTION OF THE MEN -- UNCHASTITY OF BOTH
SEXES -- THEIR CANNIBALISM.
Dr. G. A. Schweinfurth, a young German explorer, having received
a grant of money from the Humboldt Institution in 1868, landed in
Egypt and thence penetrated the “heart of Africa.” Following out the
footsteps of Sir Samuel Baker, he took a westerly course and passing
through the country of Niam-niam (of which there is an account on
pages 440-444) he visited the hitherto unknown kingdom of Monbuttoo.
His scientific and ethnological discoveries have placed his name among
the eminent explorers of the African continent, and the results of his
explorations, published under the title, “In the Heart of Africa,” are
given to the public in a style that is rarely equalled.
On the south of the Niam-niam territory, between the parallels of 3°
and 4° north lat. and 28° and 29° east long. there is a district of
some 4,000 square miles inhabited by a people differing widely from
the usual type of the negro race. They are of a brownish complexion,
and are in many respects superior to the tribes of Central Africa.
They are generally called Monbuttoo, though the name of Gurrugurroo is
applied by the ivory traders. It is derived from the custom universal
among this people of piercing their ears. The density of population,
estimated from the observations of Dr. Schweinfurth, is probably not
exceeded by any portion of the continent. If the average be, as he
thought, at least two hundred and fifty inhabitants to a square mile,
the aggregate must be about a million people.
The government of this tribe, when Dr. Schweinfurth visited it, was in
the hands of two chieftains who had divided the sovereignty between
them. Dogberra was the king of the Eastern Division, while the Western
was under the sway of Munza, a more powerful and capable man. His
father was Tikkibah, who was the sole ruler of the Monbuttoo country,
but had been murdered by Dogberra, his brother, some thirteen years
before.
Nembey, a local chieftain under Dogberra, was visited by Schweinfurth
as soon as he entered the Monbuttoo territory, and showed his friendly
disposition by going to the hut of the explorer with his wives and
carrying a present of poultry. Schweinfurth was treated in the same
friendly way by Bongwa, another chief whose district he entered. This
Bongwa was subject to pay tribute to Munza and Dogberra alike, as his
possessions were contiguous to those of the rival kings.
Bongwa, attended by his wife, made a visit to the camp of Schweinfurth
and permitted him the unusual privilege of taking a sketch of both
himself and his better-half. Madame Bongwa took her seat on a Monbuttoo
bench, clad in nothing save “a singular band like a saddle-girth
across her lap, in the fashion of all the women of the country.” Her
complexion was several shades lighter than that of her husband. The
tattooing upon her person was quite remarkable and consisted of two
different kinds. A portion ran over the bosom and shoulders, forming a
line and ornament just where our ladies wear their lace collars, which
terminated in large crosses on the breast. The other pattern was traced
over the stomach, and stood out in such relief that it must have been
made by a hot iron. “It consisted of figures set in square frames,
and looked like the tracery which is sculptured on cornices and old
arches. Bodkins of ivory projected from her towering chignon, which was
surmounted by a plate as large as a dollar, fastened on by a comb with
fine teeth manufactured of porcupine-quills.”
The reception of Dr. Schweinfurth and his party by Izingerria, King
Munza’s viceroy and brother, was so hospitable as to be worthy of
narration. It was somewhat late in the afternoon that they made their
entrance into the viceroy’s mbanga. Both sides of the roadway were
thronged with wondering people who were attracted by curiosity to see
the white strangers. The officials were arrayed in full state, their
hats ornamented with plumes waving in the air. Their shield-bearers
accompanied them, and benches were brought so that they might receive
their guests with ease and sit comfortably to observe their appearance
in the interview.
When Schweinfurth visited Izingerria in the evening at his dwelling,
he found him sitting on his bench in the open space, surrounded by
his chief men. It is a custom of the country that all persons of any
distinction, heads of families and officials, when they pay a visit,
take with them their slaves who carry their benches, because, unlike
the Turks, the Munbuttoo consider it very unbecoming to sit upon the
ground even though it be covered with mats. The bench is indispensable.
The women sit on stools having only one leg. Having been made
acquainted with this custom, Schweinfurth always gave instructions that
some of his party should accompany him carrying his cane chair.
In this interview they sat opposite each other, and by a double
translation were enabled to confer together till late in the night.
There were none of the usual expression of hospitalities. Even the
explorer’s cigars did not attract the natives, though they smoke
tobacco excessively, nor did they offer the accustomed eleusine beer.
The Monbuttoo pipes, though of a primitive character are ingenious and
serviceable. They are made of the mid-rib of a plantain leaf generally,
though the upper classes often use a metal tube, some five feet long
and made by their smiths. “The lower extremity of the pipe is plugged
up and an opening is made in the side, near the end, into which is
inserted a plantain leaf twisted up and filled with tobacco. This
extemporized bowl is changed as often as requisite, sometimes every few
minutes, by the slaves who are kept in attendance. The only tobacco
that is known here is the Virginian.” Pipes constructed in this novel
way have a decided merit in modifying the rankness of the tobacco as
perfectly as if it had been inhaled through the water-reservoir of a
narghileh.
It excited the wonder of Dr. Schweinfurth that the natives could so
accurately, by the indication of the finger, point to any particular
place. Their skill in telling the hour of the day by the elevation of
the sun was equally surprising. He could rarely detect an error of
more than half an hour in their conjectures. On the plains and deserts
like those of Nubia a straight course is often pursued for many miles
without the least variation. The exactitude of their estimate is so
remarkable that if a lance be laid upon the ground the path to which
it directs will lead with scarcely a hair’s-breadth deviation to the
destination desired. This singular precision of judgment has been
observed and mentioned by other African travellers.
Munza’s kingdom which Schweinfurth at length entered lies about midway
between the Atlantic and the Indian Ocean in the “heart of Africa.” The
description of this remote region, hitherto unvisited by the white man,
we give in his own language:--
“Nothing could be more charming than that last day’s march, which
brought us to the limit of our wanderings. The twelve miles which
led to Munza’s palace were miles enriched by such beauty as might be
worthy of Paradise. The plantain groves harmonized so perfectly with
the clustering oil-palms that nothing could surpass the perfection of
the scene; whilst the ferns that adorned the countless stems in the
background of the landscape enhanced the charms of the tropical groves.
A clear and invigorating atmosphere contributed to the enjoyment of it
all, refreshing water and grateful shade being never far away. In front
of the native dwellings towered the splendid fig-trees of which the
spreading coronets defied the passage of the sun. The crowds of bearers
made their camp around the stem of a colossal _Cordia Abyssinica_,
which stood upon the open space in front of the abode of the local
chief and reminded me of the Abyssinian villages, where this tree is
cultivated.... These trees with their goodly coronets of spreading
foliage are the survivors from generations that are gone, and form a
comely ornament in well-nigh all the villages of the Monbuttoo.
“And then, finally, conspicuous amidst the massy depths of green was
descried the palace of the king. Halting on the hither side of a
stream at a place clear of trees they fixed their camp. In front was
visible a sloping area covered with a multitude of huts, some in a
conical shape and others like sheds. Surmounting all with ample courts,
broad and imposing, unlike anything we had seen since we left the
edifices of Cairo, upreared itself the spacious pile of King Munza’s
dwelling.”
The king is invested with large prerogatives, and always appears in
great state, accompanied with a numerous body of courtiers. Whenever he
leaves his residence he is attended by hundreds of his retinue, besides
his special body-guard, and a large number of trumpeters, drummers, and
subordinates with great iron bells lead the procession. Munza had three
viceroys in the persons of his brothers, and next to them were the
sub-chiefs who were governors of the provinces, and generally selected
from the numerous members of the blood royal.
The subordinate chiefs, to whom are assigned separate and well-defined
portions of the Monbuttoo territory, are accustomed to surround
themselves with the tokens of authority and state, little inferior to
those of their respective kings.
Next to them in rank are the chief officers of state, five in number.
“These are the keeper of the weapons, the master of the ceremonies, the
superintendent of the commissariat stores, the master of the household
to the royal ladies, and the interpreter for intercourse with strangers
and foreign rulers.” Besides, there is a vast number of civil officers
and overseers in various districts of the land to guard the interests
and maintain the prerogatives and dignity of the sovereign. In addition
to the courtiers there are numerous officials assigned to special
duties, such as private musicians, trumpeters and buglers, eunuchs and
jesters, ballad singers and dancers, who are retained to give splendor
to the court and furnish amusement on public and festal occasions.
There are also stewards whose duty is to maintain order at the feasts,
and they are authorized to inflict bodily chastisement if any be guilty
of disturbance and indecorum.
The arrows of the Monbuttoo differ from those of other tribes except
the A-Banga, by being furnished at the extremity of the shaft with
two wings. These are made either of pieces of plantain leaves or of
hairs of the tail of the genet. The points, when not of iron, are made
of a kind of wood that is almost as hard as iron. The shaft consists
of the firm, reedy steppe-grass, and is about the size of a common
lead-pencil. Schweinfurth says, “by a cruel refinement of skill, which
might almost be styled diabolical, they contrive to place one of the
joints of the reed just below the barbs, with the design that the
arrow should break off short as soon as it has inflicted the wound,
making it a very difficult matter to extract the barbs from the flesh.
The usual method of extracting a lance head is to take a knife and make
a sufficiently large incision in the wounded muscle for the barb to be
withdrawn, but, in fact, the result generally is that very jagged and
troublesome wounds are inflicted.”
The Monbuttoo resemble the A-Banga in their dress and martial
equipments. They have the custom of piercing the ears of both sexes so
that quite a large stick can be run through the opening. In order to
effect this the concave portion of the ear is cut out. This tribe, as
well as the A-Banga, have by this peculiarity received the name from
the Nubians of Gurrugurroo (derived from the word gurgur, which means
“bored,”) to distinguish them from Niam-niam. Both the first-mentioned
tribes practise circumcision, while the latter allow no mutilation of
the human body.
This people, living in so remote and secluded a region, and having no
intercourse with Mohammedan or Christian nations, have never learned
the art of weaving. Accordingly their clothing is made of the bast from
the bark of the fig-trees, which are so much prized that they may be
seen contiguous to almost every hut. The custom of wearing skins, which
obtains among the Niam-niam, does not exist among this tribe save when
a fancy dress is needed for dancers. There is a singular absence of
domestic animals among the Monbuttoo, with the exception of the little
dogs known as the “nessey,” and their poultry. They do not engage in
cattle-breeding, and have only one specimen of the swine family, the
potamochoerus, which they keep in a half-tame state.
Their supply of meat for food is obtained in their hunting expeditions,
their taste giving preference to the flesh of elephants, buffaloes,
wild boars, and antelopes. As they understand the art of preserving
meat they are not under the necessity of keeping cattle or resorting
constantly to the field to supply their ever-recurring wants.
There is very little that can be called agriculture among them, the
soil producing very abundantly and without the need of much care or
cultivation. Besides, it is somewhat remarkable that what is the
common feed of the tribes in the interior of Africa, viz. sorghum and
pencillaria, are entirely disregarded by this people. They are too
idle to devote any time to the raising of cereals. The cultivation of
plantain, which is common, requires very little attention; all that
is requisite is to let the old plants die down where they are and
simply stick the young shoots in the ground after it has been softened
by rain. The Monbuttoo exhibit a remarkable discrimination in the
selection of plants, being able to tell whether a shoot will bear fruit
or not, and thus avoid those not worth the trouble of planting,--a
faculty that would be of great service to gardeners everywhere. There
are only a few plants that they cultivate at all, and these are such
as require but the least possible exertion. The sesame, earthnuts,
sugar-canes, and tobacco constitute the bulk of their products from the
soil.
This work of tillage and of gathering the harvest is the sphere of the
women, the men spending the day in lounging, talking, and smoking,
except when engaged in war or the hunt. They avoid all labor. In the
morning they may be seen reclining under the shade of the oil-palms
upon their carved benches and regaling themselves with tobacco. In the
middle of the day they betake themselves to the cool halls where they
can give utterance to their opinions with entire freedom. These groups
form an animated picture of the social life of these distant people.
Their vivacity and gesticulation are truly visible in all these noonday
gatherings of the Monbuttoo men.
The manufacture of pottery is also here confined exclusively to the
women as in other parts of Africa. The men however are the smiths, and
they share the work of basket-making and wood-carving with the women.
The greater portion of the manual labor, it will be seen, is performed
by the weaker sex. While, however, they are subjected to this servile
labor, the relation of wives to their husbands is one of independence
and authority.
The subjection of men was illustrated by the answer made when they
were solicited to sell anything: “Oh, ask my wife; it is hers.”
Polygamy prevails among this people, and very little regard is paid
to the obligations of marriage. Considering their intelligence and
general improvement in some of the arts of civilization, rendering
them superior to most other tribes, the character of the women, in
respect to deportment and chastity, is an anomaly. They suffer greatly
in comparison with the Niam-niam women, who are modest and retiring.
The conduct of the men and women toward each other is one of offensive
laxity. Many of the latter indulged in gross obscenity, and the
immodesty of this sex, generally, far exceeded anything Schweinfurth
had seen among other tribes, even the lowest. The contrast of this
general freedom and unchastity, with so much that is commendable and
interesting in the character of the Monbuttoo, excited his surprise.
In the culinary arts they exhibit a very considerable superiority
over the African tribes. Yet blended with this higher culture in the
mode of preparing their food there is another horrid anomaly. Human
fat is in universal use among them, and this leads us to consider
their cannibalism. Among no people of the continent is the eating
of human flesh so much a recognized and systematic custom as among
the Monbuttoo. The testimony of Dr. Schweinfurth we give in his own
language: “Surrounded as the Monbuttoo are by a number of people
who are blacker than themselves, and who, being inferior to them in
culture, are consequently held in great contempt, they have just the
opportunity which they want for carrying on expeditions of war or
plunder that result in the acquisition of a booty which is especially
coveted by them, consisting of human flesh. The carcasses of all who
fall in battle are distributed upon the battle-field, and are prepared
by drying for transport to the homes of the conquerors. They drive
their prisoners before them without remorse, as butchers would drive
sheep to the shambles, and those are only reserved to fall victims on
a later day to their horrible and sickening greediness. During our
residence at the court of Munza, the general rumor was quite current,
that nearly every day some little child was sacrificed to supply his
meal. It would hardly be expected that many opportunities would be
afforded to strangers of witnessing the natives at their repast, and
to myself there occurred only two instances when I came upon any of
them whilst they were actually engaged in preparing human flesh for
consumption. The first of these happened by my coming unexpectedly upon
a number of young women who had a supply of boiling hot water upon
the clay floor in front of the doorway of a hut, and were engaged in
the task of scalding the hair off the lower half of a human body. The
operation, so far as it was effected, had changed the black skin into a
fawny gray, and the disgusting sight could not fail to make me think of
the soddening and scouring of our fatted swine. On another occasion I
was in a hut and observed a human arm hanging over the fire, obviously
with the design of being at once dried and smoked.
“Incontrovertible tokens and indirect evidence of the prevalence of
cannibalism were constantly turning up at every step we took. On one
occasion Mohammed and myself were in Munza’s company, and Mohammed
designedly turned the conversation to the topic of human flesh, and put
the direct question to the king, how it happened at this precise time,
while we were in the country, there was no consumption of human flesh?
Munza expressly said, ‘that being aware that such a practice was held
in aversion by us, he had taken care that it should only be carried on
in secret.’”
There was no opportunity granted to any of Schweinfurth’s caravan of
seeing the Monbuttoo at their meals. The Nubians had conscientious
scruples which forbade their partaking food with these cannibals. The
others, belonging to inferior native tribes, as the Mittoo or Bonga
servants, were regarded as unworthy, being uncircumcised and savages,
to sit at meal with the Monbuttoo.
Schweinfurth bought, with pieces of copper, quite a number of human
skulls, that are now in the Anatomical Museum, in Berlin,--the
unquestionable proofs that this people are unsurpassed in their
devotion to this degrading and horrible practice; yet they are a
remarkable and in many respects a noble race of men, “who display a
certain national pride, and are endowed with an intellect and judgment
such as few natives of the African wilderness can boast, men to whom
one may put a reasonable question and who will return a reasonable
answer.”
CHAPTER CLXVIII.
AFRICA--_Continued_.
THE PYGMIES.
A TRADITION OF THE CENTURIES -- AN ETHNOLOGICAL QUESTION SETTLED --
DR. SCHWEINFURTH’S DISCOVERY OF THE AKKA RACE -- HIS INTERVIEW WITH
ADIMOKOO -- WAR-DANCE OF THE LITTLE PYGMY -- CORPS OF AKKA WARRIORS
-- DR. SCHWEINFURTH’S PYGMY PROTEGÉ, NSEWUE -- PHYSICAL PECULIARITIES
OF THE AKKA -- THEIR RESEMBLANCE TO THE BUSHMEN -- DR. SCHWEINFURTH’S
CONCLUSIONS IN REGARD TO THE ORIGIN OF THE PYGMIES.
One of the chief results of Dr. Schweinfurth’s travels in Africa is
the solution of a problem that for thousands of years has remained
without any satisfactory answer. The ethnological question respecting
the existence of a dwarf race in Central Africa, which has occasioned
so much discussion, this traveller has forever settled. The classical
writers of the centuries gone make mention of the Pygmies. The poet of
the Iliad alludes to them as though the fact of their existence had
been long and well-known. Historians like Herodotus and Aristotle, as
well as the poets, give similar testimony. For three or four centuries
before the Christian era, the Greeks seem to have fully believed in the
existence of a dwarf race in equatorial Africa.
So, too, modern travellers on the Nile have much to say about these
small people. Du Chaillu asserts that he met them in Ashango Land.
Knapf says he saw one on the eastern coast. But despite all the ancient
traditions from the earlier ages and the testimony of recent explorers,
the existence of such a race has been stoutly denied. It has been
regarded as the “immortal myth of poetry,” over which scholars and
travellers have fought a long and, till recently, only a drawn battle.
To Dr. Schweinfurth is to be ascribed the credit of having turned the
tide of this conflict and caused victory to perch on the banners of
those who have believed in the veritable existence of the Pygmy race.
This traveller found that his Nubian attendants never wearied of
talking about the Automoli or dwarfs, whose country they were daily
approaching. It seemed strange that they should be so thoroughly
possessed with the conviction of the existence of such a people. They
would state, with the utmost confidence, that south of the Niam-niam
land lived a race not more than three feet in height and wearing beards
so long as to reach to their knees. They described them as armed with
lances and accustomed to creep beneath the bellies of elephants and
kill them, so adroitly managing their own movements as to avoid any
injury from the trunk of the infuriated beasts. This skill, it was
represented, made them of great service to the ivory traders. The
name assigned them was “Shebber-diginto,” meaning the growth of the
elongated beard.
That those of Dr. Schweinfurth’s attendants and servants who had been
attached to the Niam-niam expedition should be such firm believers in
the fact of a dwarf race that they never described the wonders and
splendors of the court of the cannibal kings without referring to and
describing the Pygmies who filled the office of court buffoons, excited
the surprise of the traveller, and awakened the keenest desire to
solve, if possible, the vexed question of the ages. He could not resist
the impression that there must be some substantial basis for these
unequivocal and positive assertions of the natives. The way in which
his doubts were all dispelled and this ethnological problem of the
centuries solved is graphically described by him:--
“Several days elapsed after my taking up my residence by the palace
of the Monbuttoo king without my having a chance to get a view of the
dwarfs, whose fame had so keenly excited my curiosity. My people,
however, assured me that they had seen them. I remonstrated with them
for not having secured me an opportunity of seeing for myself, and
for not bringing them into contact with me. I obtained no other reply
but that the dwarfs were too timid to come. After a few mornings my
attention was arrested by a shouting in the camp, and I learned that
Mohammed had surprised one of the Pygmies in attendance upon the king,
and was conveying him, in spite of a strenuous resistance, straight to
my tent. I looked up, and _there_, sure enough, was the strange little
creature, perched upon Mohammed’s right shoulder, nervously hugging his
head, and casting glances of alarm in every direction. Mohammed soon
deposited him in the seat of honor. A royal interpreter was stationed
at his side. Thus, at last, was I able veritably to feast my eyes upon
a living embodiment of the myths of some thousand years.
Eagerly, and without loss of time, I proceeded to take his portrait.
I pressed him with innumerable questions, but to ask for information
was an easier matter altogether than to get an answer. There was the
greatest difficulty in inducing him to remain at rest, and I could
only succeed by exhibiting a store of presents. Under the impression
that the opportunity before me might not occur again, I bribed the
interpreter to exercise his influence to pacify the little man, to set
him at his ease, and to induce him to lay aside any fear of me that he
might entertain. Altogether we succeeded so well that in a couple of
hours the Pygmy had been measured, sketched, feasted, presented with
a variety of gifts, and subjected to a minute catechism of searching
questions.
His name was Adimokoo. He was the head of a small colony, which was
located about half a league from the royal residence. With his own
lips I heard him assert that the name of his nation was Akka, and I
further learned that they inhabit large districts to the south of the
Monbuttoo, between lat. 2° and 1° N. A portion of them are subject
to the Monbuttoo king, who, desirous of enhancing the splendor of
his court by the addition of any available natural curiosities, had
compelled several families of the Pygmies to settle in the vicinity.
My Niam-niam servants, sentence by sentence, interpreted to me
everything that was said by Adimokoo to the Monbuttoo interpreter, who
was acquainted with no dialects but those of his own land.
In reply to my question put to Adimokoo as to where his country was
situated, pointing toward the south-south-east, he said, “Two days’
journey and you come to the village of Mummery; on the third day you
will reach the River Nalobe; the fourth day you arrive at the first of
the villages of the Akka.”
The patience of Adimokoo having been exhausted by the persistent and
prolonged questioning of Dr. Schweinfurth, he made a sudden, violent
effort to escape from his curious inquisitor, but being surrounded by
so many in the tent his attempt was fruitless. After some persuasion
he was prevailed upon to go through with some of the war-dances
characteristic of his race. His dress was like that of the Monbuttoo,
and he was armed with a small lance and a bow and arrow. The height of
this interesting representative of the Pygmies was four feet and ten
inches, which is about the average measurement of these small people.
Dr. Schweinfurth was familiar with the war-dances of the Niam-niam,
and they had excited his astonishment by the wonderful evolutions
displayed; but the exhibition that this dwarf gave surpassed all he had
ever seen. Notwithstanding his bandy legs and large, bloated belly and
his age, his rapid and dexterous movements were simply marvellous. The
spectators were convulsed with laughter at the grotesque expressions
that accompanied the leaps and various attitudes assumed by this little
fellow.
Dr. Schweinfurth won the confidence of Adimokoo, and loading him with
presents sent him away, expressing the desire to see others of his
people, and promising that they should lose nothing by making him
a visit. Having overcome their fear of the stranger, some of them
visited him almost every day. It is to be regretted that Schweinfurth’s
sudden departure from the Monbuttoo territory interrupted his study of
this singular and interesting race, and prevented him from learning
all their peculiarities. A somewhat amusing incident occurred which
corroborates Dr. Schweinfurth’s discovery. Mummery, brother and viceroy
of King Munza, was returning from a campaign against the Momvoo. Among
his soldiers was a corps of Akka warriors, the Akka being tributary to
him. Dr. Schweinfurth had occasion to pass through the village where
these troops were halted. Just as he reached the open space in front
of the royal halls he found himself surrounded by what he supposed to
be a throng of rude, insulting boys. They pointed their arrows at him
and made a show of fight, and treated him with so much disrespect as
to excite his indignation. But his Niam-niam attendants immediately
corrected his misapprehension. “They are Tikkitikki” (the Niam-niam
word for Akka), said they. “You imagine that they are boys, but in
truth they are men; nay, men that can fight.” Mummery discovering the
situation, at once relieved Schweinfurth’s fears. The strange spectacle
of such a company of trained warriors, yet all so small, deeply
impressed the mind of the traveller, and he resolved to inspect their
camp the next morning. But his purpose was defeated, for Mummery and
all his followers took an early departure; and thus, as Schweinfurth
says, “‘like the baseless fabric of a vision,’ this people, so near
and yet so unattainable, had vanished into the thin obscurity of the
innermost continent.”
None of the measurements taken of these Pygmies much exceeded four
feet and ten inches, except in instances in which they were descended
from the Monbuttoo by intermarriages. Dr. Schweinfurth secured one of
these little men and made him his _protégé_, departing from an hitherto
invariable rule, allowing Nsewue (this being the name of the little
Akka), to be the companion of his meals, a privilege he never allowed
to any other native African.
The race of dwarfs does not differ materially from surrounding tribes,
except in size. They have a redder or brighter complexion, and reports
of travellers vary in regard to the growth of the hair. The Niam-niam,
however, uniformly represent the Pygmies as having long beards, and yet
Schweinfurth never found this characteristic in any of the Akka who
came under his notice.
The head of the Akka is disproportionately large and is balanced on
a weak, thin neck. The upper portion of the body is long; the chest
being flat and much contracted, widens out in the lower part, to
support the huge belly. From behind, their bodies seem to form a curve
that resembles the letter S. Turning their feet inward, unlike other
Africans, who walk straight, they have a waddling gait. Nsewue could
never carry a dish without spilling a part of its contents, as every
step was a kind of lurch, and he was a good representative of the
physical peculiarities of his race.
The structure of their hands is singularly delicate and handsome. The
most marked peculiarity of these people is the shape of the skull and
head. The prognathous character of the face is developed to a large
degree, the facial angles in the two portraits that Schweinfurth gives,
being 60° and 66° respectively. “The snout-like projection of the jaw,
with an unprotruding chin and a wide, almost spherical skull and gaping
lips, suggest a resemblance to the ape. In these peculiarities the
Akka and Bushmen of South Africa exhibit undeniable resemblances. We
conclude this account of the Pygmies with the summary into which their
discoverer has briefly embodied his opinion in regard to the origin of
the Akka and their relationship to other African peoples.
“Scarcely a doubt,” says he, “can exist but that all these people,
like the Bushmen of South Africa, may be considered as the scattered
remains of an aboriginal population now becoming extinct; and their
isolated and sporadic existence bears out the hypothesis. For centuries
after centuries, Africa has been experiencing the effects of many
immigrations; for thousands of years one nation has been driving out
another, and as the result of repeated subjugations and interminglings
of race with race, such manifold changes have been introduced into the
conditions of existence that the succession of new phases, like the
development in the world of plants, appears almost, as it were, to open
a glimpse into the infinite.
“Incidentally, I have just referred to the Bushmen, those notorious
natives of the South African forests who owe their name to the
likeness which the Dutch colonists conceived they bore to the ape,
as the prototype of the human race. I may further remark that their
resemblance to the equatorial Pygmies is in many points very striking.
Gustav Fritsch, the author of a standard work upon the natives of
South Africa, first drew my attention to the marked similarity between
my portraits of the Akka and the general type of the Bushmen, and so
satisfied did I become in my own mind, that I feel quite justified (in
my observations upon the Akka) in endeavoring to prove that all the
tribes of Africa, whose proper characteristic is an abnormally low
stature, belong to one and the self-same race.”
CHAPTER CLXIX.
AFRICA--_Continued_.
GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE AFRICAN RACE.
BEADS AS CURRENCY -- MOST POPULAR KINDS -- MODE OF BECKONING --
NATIVE SURGERY -- RELIGION -- IDOLS, REPRESENTING DECEASED KINDRED --
COMMUNION WITH DEPARTED SPIRITS -- THEIR RETURN TO AVENGE INJURIES
-- SINGULAR CUSTOMS -- THE MILANDO -- WOMEN THE PRINCIPAL CAUSE --
THE DREAD OF RIDICULE -- POLITENESS A TRAIT OF THE AFRICANS -- MODES
OF SALUTATION -- THE NATURAL KINDNESS OF AFRICAN TRIBES -- THEIR
BARBARITY CAUSED BY WRONGS AGAINST THEM -- THEIR KINDNESS TOWARD
LIVINGSTONE -- MISTAKE OF SPEKE -- CHILD SELLING -- EDUCATION OF THE
WORLD -- AFRICANS QUICK TO RECOGNIZE GOODNESS.
In concluding the description of the tribes of Eastern and Central
Africa of which we have learned from the pages of Livingstone,
Schweinfurth and Stanley, we present some general features and
characteristics not confined merely to one tribe.
It is well-known to our readers that beads are a most important part
of the currency throughout Africa; but it is not so well-known that
great judgment must be exercised in the selection of them in regard to
size and color. These are far from being matters of indifference to the
natives, and fashions obtain among them as inexorable and fatal to the
trader oftentimes as the fashions among civilized peoples. With few
exceptions the beads used in Africa are manufactured in Venice. If not
informed in regard to the prevalent fashion among a people whom the
traveller is intending to visit, he will be likely to load himself with
what cannot be exchanged at all, and will prove utterly valueless.
The following nomenclature and description of the most valuable and
popular beads are derived from Chuma and Susi, those faithful servants
of Dr. Livingstone who came to England bearing the precious remains of
their beloved master.
“The beads that the Waiyau prefer are exceedingly small, the size of
a mustard seed and of various colors, but they must be opaque; among
them, dull, white chalk varieties called ‘catchokolo’ are valuable
besides black and pink named respectively ‘bububu’ and ‘sekundereché,’
(the dregs of pombé). One red bead of various sizes, which has a
white centre, is always valuable in any part of Africa. It is called
‘samisami’ by the Suahélé, ‘chitakaraka’ by the Waiyau, ‘mangazi’
(blood) by the Nyassa, and was found popular even among the Manyuema,
under the name of ‘masokantussi,’ (birds’ eyes). It is interesting
to observe that one peculiar, long bead, recognized as common in the
Manyuema land, is only sent to the west coast of Africa, and never to
the east. On Chuma’s pointing to it as a sort found at the extreme
limit explored by Livingstone, it was at once seen that he must have
touched that part of Africa which begins to be within the reach of the
traders in the Portuguese settlements.
“‘Machua kangu’ (guinea fowls’ eyes) is another popular variety; and
the ‘moiompio’ (new heart), a large, pale-blue bead, is a favorite
among the Wabisa; but by far the most valuable of all is a small,
white, oblong bead which when strung looks like the joints of the
cane-root, from which it takes its name ‘salami’ (canes). Susi says
that one pound weight of these beads would buy a tusk of ivory at the
south end of Tanganyika, so big that a strong man could not carry it
more than two hours.
“Africans all beckon to a person with the hand in a way very different
from that of Europeans and Americans. We beckon with the hand _supine_,
or the palm up, but they with the palm down. This mode arises from
their idea of beckoning, which is to lay the hand on the person and so
draw him toward them. If the person wished for be near, the beckoner
puts out his right hand on a level with his heart and makes the motion
of catching the other, by shutting the fingers and drawing him to
himself. If the person be farther off, this motion is increased by
lifting the right hand as high as he can; he then brings it down with
a sweep toward the ground, the hand being held prone during all the
operation. Their method of assent is entirely opposite from ours.
We nod assent bringing the chin down: they lift it to signify their
concurrence. This raising of the chin, though not appearing so strange
after becoming familiar with the custom, is yet not so natural as the
use of the hand in beckoning.”
As the servants of Livingstone were faithfully bearing his dead body
from the interior of Africa to the coast, they reached a village of the
Kawendé people. A present of a cow was made to the caravan; but she
must be caught. These animals being very wild, a hunt was undertaken.
Saféné, firing recklessly, unfortunately wounded one of the villagers,
fracturing his thigh-bone. The process adopted for setting the broken
limb is so peculiar that we give its description as an illustration of
native surgery.
“First of all, a hole was dug, say two feet deep and four in length,
in such a manner that the patient could sit in it with his legs out
before him. A large leaf was then bound round the fractured thigh, and
earth thrown in, so that the patient was buried up to the chest. The
next act was to cover the earth which lay over the man’s legs with a
thick layer of mud; then plenty of sticks and grass were collected and
a fire lighted on the top, directly over the fracture. To prevent the
smoke from smothering the sufferer, they held a tall mat as a screen
before his face, and the operation went on. After some time the heat
reached the limbs under ground. Bellowing with fear and covered with
perspiration, the man implored them to let him out. The authorities,
concluding he had been under treatment a sufficient time, quickly
burrowed down and lifted him from the hole. He was now held perfectly
fast, while two strong men stretched the wounded limb with all their
might. Splints duly prepared were afterward bound round it, and we must
hope that in due time benefit accrued; but as the ball passed through
the limb, we must have doubts on the subject. The villagers told Chuma
that after the Banyamwezi engagements they constantly treated bad
gun-shot wounds in this way with perfect success.”
In respect to religion of the African tribes, it is the belief that
there is a power superior to man, which is sometimes beneficent, and
sometimes evil, and to be dreaded. This is the elementary belief,
arising from the feelings of dependence on a divine or unseen power,
yet with a vague conception of the attributes of this power, and
so idols may come to be regarded as the modes or channels for its
manifestation.
In Central Africa an idol may be found in almost every village. It
is made of wood, and resembles the people in features, marking, and
fashion of the hair. Some are in the houses, others have little huts
made for them. They are called _Nkisi_ by the Bahemba, and _Kalubi_ by
the people of Rua. Presents of pombé, flour, bhang, tobacco are made to
the idol and a fire is lighted for it to smoke by.
They represent the departed father or mother, and it is thought that
they are gratified by the offerings made to their representatives.
Casembe has many of these _nkisi_; one with long hair, named Motombo,
is carried in front when he takes the field. Sometimes the names of
dead chiefs are given to them. It is doubtful whether prayers are
ever offered to these idols. The Arabs, who are familiar with their
language, assert that they have no prayers and think that death is the
end of the man. There are, however, evidences of a belief in a Superior
Power. Some think there are two Superior Beings,--Rua above, who kills
people, and Rua below, who carries them away after death.
The existence of and communion with departed spirits is deeply imbedded
in the faith of the African and has been from time immemorial. The
keenest distress is felt in the prospect of any bodily mutilation or
burning of the body after death. They regard these as bars to their
intercourse with relatives that survive; they think they would thereby
be unable to aid those they love or retaliate upon those who have
wronged them. As we have seen, this hope inspires the slaves to sing
in their bondage, giving them a kind of enjoyment in their anticipated
revenge upon those who have captured or cruelly treated them.
This is a prevalent belief among the tribes in the interior. Their
conception of the future state is that a desire for vengeance upon
enemies still alive on earth is the ruling purpose and passion,
and hence there is a superstitious horror connected with the dead.
This was one of the most serious dangers imperilling the success of
Livingstone’s faithful servants, in their endeavor to bring the dead
body of their master out of Central Africa and deliver it up to his
kindred and his native land.
The religion of the African is therefore an effort to propitiate those
who show that they are able to revisit the earth and torment and work
mischief by any unfortunate accident or the opening of a war. All their
ceremonies hinge upon this belief. Accordingly chief and people make
common cause against those who, in going through their territory, lose
any of their number by death. Such events are regarded as most serious
offences, and therefore excite the strongest apprehension of the
natives and unite them as one in hostilities against those who thus are
brought into conflict with their superstition.
In some of the villages a singular custom prevails in regard to the
dead. When a child or relative dies, a small miniature hut, about two
feet high, is built and very neatly thatched and plastered. If any food
especially palatable be cooked, or beer be brewed, a portion of it is
placed in this tiny hut for the departed soul, that is believed to
enjoy it.
Another peculiarity of these uncivilized Africans is not without some
counterpart among more intelligent and self-styled civilized people.
A chief whose town Livingstone entered was absent on some _milando_.
Livingstone writes in connection with this circumstance that “these
_milandos_ are the business of their lives. They are like petty
lawsuits; if one trespasses on his neighbor’s rights in any way it
is a _milando_, and the head men of all the villages are called to
settle it. Women are a fruitful source of _milando_.” If an intelligent
African traveller should visit this country to learn the customs and
traits of the people he might possibly conclude that the truth of
Livingstone’s last statement is not applicable only to equatorial
Africa. A few ears of Indian corn had been taken by a person, and
Chitikola had been called a full day’s journey off to settle this
_milando_. He administered muave[2] and the person vomited; therefore
innocence was clearly established. In cases of _milando_ they rely on
the most distant connections and relations to plead their cause, and
seldom are they disappointed, though time at certain seasons is felt by
all to be precious.
[2] The ordeal poison.
Another characteristic of the African is that he cannot withstand
ridicule and sneers. He is extremely sensitive to any manifestations of
derision, and is restive under criticism. Livingstone describes this
trait in this way:--
“When any mishap occurs in the march (as when a branch tilts a load
off a man’s shoulder), all who see it set up a yell of derision; if
anything is accidentally spilled or one is tired and sits down, the
same yell greets him, and all are excited thereby to exert themselves.
They hasten on with their loads and hurry with the sheds they build,
the masters only bringing up the rear and helping any one who may be
sick. The distances travelled were quite as much as the masters or we
could bear.”
Sensitive as Africans are to anything like derision or depreciation,
they are naturally mindful of what is due to others. Such a disposition
is the foundation of politeness. Livingstone, passing through a village
of Manyuema, saw a newly-married couple standing with arms around each
other very lovingly, but “no one joked or poked fun at them.”
The Africans, as a race, are distinguished for politeness, and their
modes of salutation indicate courtesy and deference. In Ulungu, the
custom “among relations is to place the hands around each other’s
chests, kneeling; they then clap their hands close to the ground. Some
more abject individuals kiss the soil before the chief. The generality
kneel only, with the forearms close to the ground and the head bowed
down to them, saying ‘O Ajadla, chiusa, Mari a bwéno!’
“The Usanga say ‘Ajé senga.’ The clapping of hands to superiors and
even equals is in some villages a perpetually occurring sound. Aged
persons are usually saluted. How this extreme deference to each other
could have arisen, I cannot conceive; it does not seem to be fear of
each other that elicits it. Even the chiefs inspire no fear, and those
cruel old platitudes about governing savages by fear seem unknown; yet
governed they certainly are, and upon the whole very well. The people
were not very willing to go to punish Nsama’s breach of public law;
yet, on the decision of its chiefs, they went, and came back,--one
with a wooden stool, another with a mat, a third with a calabash of
ground-nuts or some dried meat, a hoe or a bow,--poor, poor pay for a
fortnight’s hard work, hunting fugitives and burning villages.”
The African people have naturally a great deal of kindness of
disposition. They are not treacherous, savage, and blood-thirsty
without some cause. Their bitter and sore experience from the Arab
traders has made them suspicious of all strangers, and has transformed
their native kindness into sullen hatred and a desire for vengeance
upon their enemies.
Moenemokata, an Arab who had travelled among African tribes more
extensively than any of his race, said to Livingstone, “If a man go
with a good-natured, civil tongue, he may pass through the worst people
in Africa unharmed.” It is a remarkable fact that Livingstone, who
traversed so large a portion of the great continent of Africa, and
visited so many tribes widely differing in spirit and character, never
resorted to violence. In no instance during his long wanderings and his
manifold perils among these heathen people did he use his weapon to the
injury of the natives.
Even in Manyuema, among the people that all said “are bad, very bad,”
blood-thirsty cannibals, if none of them had been wronged by the Arab
traders, plundered and spoliated, they would not be so inspired with
feelings of malice and revenge. Livingstone had little difficulty in
obtaining what he needed. He says, “None of the people are ferocious
without cause.” It was a quite frequent occurrence for old men to come
forward to him with bananas as a present, saying as he passed, with
trembling accents, “Bolongo, bolongo!” (Friendship, friendship). If
he paused to return the favor by some gift, others ran for plantains
or palm-toddy. The Arabs would seize what they wished, demand food
peremptorily, and eat it without one word of thanks, and then say to
Livingstone, “They are bad. Don’t give them anything.” “Why, what
badness is there in giving food?” Livingstone replied. “Oh! they like
you, but hate us.”
Much of the barbarity and badness of these African tribes may be
ascribed to the heartlessness, falsehood, pillage, and murder by the
Mohammedan slave-dealers. Livingstone gives in his journal these
incidents to show the characteristic kindness of the African race:--
“When we were on the Shiré, we used to swing the ship into mid-stream
every night in order to let the air which was put in motion by the
water pass from end to end. Musa’s brother-in-law stepped into the
water one morning in order to swim off for a boat, and was seized by a
crocodile. The poor fellow held up his hands imploringly, but Musa and
the rest allowed him to perish. On my denouncing his heartlessness,
Musa replied, ‘Well, no one tell him to go in there.’ When at Senna,
a slave-woman was seized by a crocodile; four Makololo rushed in
unbidden and rescued her, though they knew nothing about her. From long
intercourse both with Johanna men and Makololo, I take these incidents
as typical of the two cases. Those of mixed blood possess the vices of
both races and the virtues of neither.”
Speke, at Kasangé Islet, made this statement, viz., “The mothers of
these savage people have infinitely less affection than many savage
beasts of my acquaintance. I have seen a mother-bear galled by frequent
shots, obstinately meet her death by repeatedly returning under fire
while endeavoring to rescue her young from the grasp of intruding
men. But here, for a simple loin-cloth or two, human mothers eagerly
exchanged their little offspring, delivering them into perpetual
bondage to my Beluch soldiers.”--SPEKE, pp. 234, 235.
Livingstone contradicts this statement as a general one, and thinks it
was only a single and exceptional case. His inquiries, put to Arabs
who have travelled most extensively among the African tribes, failed
to elicit any corroboration of this assertion of Speke, except in the
very infrequent case of a child cutting the upper front teeth before
the under, and because such a child is thought to be _moiko_ (unlucky),
and certain to bring death into the family. It is called an Arab child,
and sold to the first Arab, or even left at his door. The Arabs knew of
no child-selling except under these circumstances, which seldom occur,
and the transaction, accordingly, grows out of a superstition. “Speke
had only two Beluch soldiers with him, and the idea that they loaded
themselves with infants stamps this tale as fabulous. He may have seen
one sold,--an extremely rare and exceptional case, but the inferences
drawn are just like that of the Frenchman who thought the English so
partial to suicide in November that they might be seen suspended from
trees in the common highways.”
Livingstone well says, “The education of the world is a terrible one,
and it has come down on Africa with relentless vigor from most remote
times. What the African will become after this awfully hard lesson is
learned, is among the future developments of Providence. When He who
is higher than the highest, accomplishes His purposes, this will be a
wonderful country, and again something like that which it was of old,
when Zerah and Tirhaka flourished and were great.”
Among the reflections inspired by his desire for the redemption of
Africa which the missionary explorer was in the habit of recording from
time to time in his journal, we find tributes to the character of these
benighted men. The following is one of these testimonies by him who,
better than any other man, knew the African race:--
“No jugglery or sleight-of-hand, as was recommended to Napoleon III,
would have any effect in the civilization of Africa. They have too much
good sense for that. Nothing brings them to place thorough confidence
in Europeans but a long course of well-doing. They believe readily
in the supernatural as effecting any new process or feat of skill,
for it is part of their original faith to ascribe everything above
human agency to unseen spirits. Goodness or unselfishness impresses
their minds more than any kind of skill or power. They say ‘You have
different hearts from ours; all black men’s hearts are bad, but yours
are good.’ The prayer for a new heart and right spirit at once commends
itself as appropriate.”
NOTE.--These facts offer a solution of a great national problem
in regard to an uncivilized race on this continent. Selfish,
unscrupulous government traders, whiskey-venders, etc., all say that
the “Indian is bad, very bad,” a remorseless savage, and should be
summarily exterminated. The Arab merchants and slave-dealers say the
Manyuema are bad. The parallel is close and not complimentary to
the conduct of the civilized race that has plundered the Red Man,
debauched him with fire-water, and provoked retaliation and war by
its breach of treaties and its seizure of the lands solemnly pledged
to the Indians as their permanent home. See pages 1331, 2.
CHAPTER CLXX.
AFRICA--_Concluded_.
THE SLAVE-TRADE.
THE UNLIKENESS OF RACES -- LIVINGSTONE’S PROTEST AGAINST MAN-SELLING
-- DISCUSSIONS WITH AFRICAN CHIEFS -- THEIR EXCUSES FOR SLAVE-TRADE
-- HORRORS OF THE TRAFFIC -- ARAB RAGE AND ATROCITIES -- A STRANGE
DISEASE -- BROKEN-HEARTEDNESS -- AN ENGLISH SAILOR’S OPINION --
BARBARITIES OF SLAVE-TRADE NOT OVERSTATED -- THE GELLAHBAS -- THE
PETTY SLAVE-TRADERS -- WHOLESALE MERCHANTS -- THE FAKIS -- COST
OF SLAVES -- TERRITORIES AND TRIBES THAT SUPPLY THE SLAVE-MARKETS
-- PROFITS OF THE TRAFFIC -- STANLEY’S TESTIMONY -- LIVINGSTONE’S
GREAT DESIRE -- NO HOPE FOR AFRICA WHILE SLAVE TRADE EXISTS --
WESTERN COAST EMANCIPATED -- WORK TO BE DONE -- GRAND FUTURE OF
AFRICA -- DUTY OF ENGLAND AND AMERICA -- THE OPEN SORE OF THE WORLD
-- LIVINGSTONE’S LAST APPEAL -- MEMORABLE WORDS ON HIS TABLET IN
WESTMINSTER ABBEY.
The unlikeness of races that in many respects are similar, and the
tenacity with which peculiar ideas and customs are maintained are facts
abundantly verified in this work. The strange fantasy that one can
have property in his fellow-man, which includes the right to control
his thoughts, conduct, life, and sell him to another as a slave, is
cherished by some tribes and wholly repudiated by others. The Arabs
excluded, the Manganja and Waiyau are the only two families of slavers
in that part of Central Africa which finds its outlet at the great
slave-market of Zanzibar. No idea of slavery exists among the Kaffirs
or Zulus and Bechuanas.
Livingstone, the heroic and world-renowned explorer, availed himself
of every opportunity to protest against the selling of their people
by the African chiefs. He sought to educate them by kindly counsels
and arguments, so that they would be able to see the wrong and ruin
they were bringing upon themselves and their subjects by wars with
neighboring tribes, and the selling of captives to the mercenary Arabs.
When among the Waiyau he had long discussions with the chief, Mukatè.
To counteract the effect of Livingstone’s influence the slave-drivers
had represented to the natives that his object in capturing and
releasing their slaves was to make them of his own religion; but the
terrible evils of the slave trade, the ruined villages, the numerous
bones and skulls bleaching in the sun along every path, the fearful
sufferings of those who falter and perish on the journey to the coast,
the rapine, plunder, and wholesale murder of neighboring tribes in
order to secure captives for sale to Arab merchants, all these direful
evidences of the terrible curse of the country Mukatè could not deny.
He would often end the discussion by dismissing these facts with
a laugh. A headman, who was Livingstone’s guide for a mile or two,
whispered to him, “Speak to Mukatè to give his forays up.”
The chiefs and people were fertile in excuses for their participation
in the slave traffic. One said that the Arabs, who come and tempt them
with fine clothes, are the cause of their man-selling. Livingstone
replied, “Very soon you will have none to sell. Your country is
becoming a jungle, and all the people who do not die on the road
will be making gardens for Arabs at Kilwa and elsewhere.” The common
argument in defence of the business by African chiefs was, “What could
we do without Arab cloth?” “Do what you did before the Arabs came
into the country,” was Livingstone’s answer. But the greed for cloth,
which the natives are too indolent to spin and weave, overmasters all
the latent humanity and reason of the chiefs, and keeps up a chronic
condition of war and spoliation, decimating the population of the
country and transforming some of its fairest districts into deserts.
In order to have the means to buy the coveted cloth, one village makes
an incursion upon another, and thus there is almost perpetual pillage,
kidnapping, and murder. The village whose chief is victorious at one
time is, in its turn, sacked and burned by a stronger party. And so the
traveller through the country often passes the ruins of what were once
populous and pleasant villages of unoffending people.
From village to village the missionary traveller carried his lessons
and appeals, sowing the good seed, with confidence that it would
sometime bear fruit in the regeneration of his beloved Africa. “It is
but little we can do,” is his sad reflection when among the Waiyau;
“but we lodge a protest in the heart against a vile system, and time
may ripen it.” His counsels to those unenlightened, tempted, and
misguided people were not all lost, however impervious they seemed,
generally, to moral considerations and appeals. Visiting Kimsuma, a
chief on the Nyassa, he received this gratifying testimony. Kimsuma
told him it was by following the advice given in his former visit, and
not selling the people as slaves, that his village had grown to three
times its former size.
Women faint, starving, dying by the roadside--the dead bodies of those
of former gangs who could not march longer--were the frequent and
painful sights that Livingstone beheld as he moved on toward Central
Africa.
A slave-gang is usually composed of men and women, and children of
a tender age. The adults are fastened into the heavy slave-sticks,
weighing from thirty to forty pounds. From these there is no escape.
The younger are secured by thongs that pass around the neck of each.
Multitudes die on the journey to the coast, overpowered by the burden
of the slave-stick. The following fact illustrates how thoroughly all
sentiments of sympathy and humanity, and every idea of justice are
destroyed by this traffic in human life. In reply to Livingstone’s
inquiry why people were tied to trees and left to die, as he had
seen on his way, there was the usual answer that this was the work
of the Arabs, because they are enraged when their slaves can go no
farther, and prefer they should die rather than have their freedom
if they should, perchance, be succored and recover. The numerous
empty slave-sticks scattered along the road led Livingstone to the
conviction, though the natives denied the charge, that they make it
a practice to follow the slave-caravans, and cut off the sticks from
those who falter in the march, in order to steal and sell them over
again, and so obtain an additional quantity of cloth. Another fact,
revealing the atrocious wickedness of these Arab man-stealers, is
also stated by Livingstone. Those who sink under the burden of the
slave-stick, or from sickness fall by the way, are not unfrequently
murdered. In vexation and rage at the loss of the money value of the
slaves, the Arab drivers will shoot or stab them. It was no uncommon
sight which met the eye of the philanthropic traveller, that of some
dead or dying African, weltering, perhaps, in a pool of blood, or tied
to a tree by the neck.
“The strangest disease,” says Livingstone, “I have seen in this country
is broken-heartedness, and it attacks free men who have been kidnapped
and made slaves.” Of a large gang that had been captured by Syde bin
Habib, many died three days after they crossed the Lualaba. Enduring
their chains till then, when they saw the broad river rolling between
them and their old homes, they lost all spirit and hope. They ascribed
their only pain to the heart, and placed their hands on their breasts,
exactly over that organ. Some slavers expressed surprise that they
should die, seeing that they had plenty to eat and no work. “Children
would keep up with remarkable endurance; but if, perchance, passing
near a village, and hearing the sound of dancing and the merry tinkle
of the small drums, the memories of home and happy days would prove too
much for them; they cried and sobbed, the ‘broken heart’ came on, and
they rapidly sank.”
The atrocity of the system was forcibly expressed by an English sailor,
who had opportunity of seeing the slave-traders in their business.
“Shiver my timbers, mate, if the devil don’t catch these fellows, we
might as well have no devil at all!”
“The Ujiji slavers,” he says, “like the Kilwa and Portuguese, are the
vilest of the vile. It is not a trade, but a system of consecutive
murders. They go to plunder and kidnap, and every trading-trip is
nothing but a foray.” His idea at first that there were degrees in
the atrocities and sufferings inflicted upon the slaves, and that the
barbarities perpetrated by the Portuguese of Tette are absent from the
slave traffic, as conducted by the Arabs, was wholly corrected. The
better he came to know the system, the more convinced was he that it is
everywhere and by whomsoever pursued only a story of murder, horror,
and destruction.
“While endeavoring to give some account of the slave-trade in East
Africa,” says Livingstone, “it was necessary to keep far within the
truth in order not to be thought guilty of exaggeration. To overdraw
its evils is simply an impossibility. The sights I have seen, though
common incidents of the traffic, are so nauseous that I always
strive to drive them from memory. In the case of most disagreeable
recollections, I can succeed in time in consigning them to oblivion;
but the slaving scenes come back unbidden, and make me start up at
dead of night horrified by their vividness.” After an assault upon a
village, in which several were killed and women and children captured,
he writes in his diary these words: “I am heart-sore and sick of human
blood.”
The Gellahbas, as the slave-dealers of Equatorial Africa are called,
are first the petty traders, who, with a small stock of goods, start
forth each with his ass or bullock, on which he rides from village to
village. His cloth will purchase two or three slaves, and exchanging
the donkey for one or two more, the return is commenced on foot. His
slaves are compelled to carry all the articles needed on the journey.
His stock in trade, worth perhaps $25, has been exchanged for four or
five slaves, that will bring in Khartoom $250. And yet the journeys of
these speculative traders are not always lucrative to the peddler. If
the donkey chance to die, the enterprise is a failure, as his goods
have to be sold at a ruinous sacrifice. The slaves also frequently
escape, and thus loss is entailed. Schweinfurth says of them, “Their
powers of endurance are wonderful. I repeatedly asked them what induced
them to leave their homes to suffer the greatest hardships in a strange
land, for the sake of pursuing an occupation attended with so much
pecuniary hazard. ‘We want groosh,’ they would reply. Too lazy to work
at home, it is the irresistible propensity to traffic in human beings
that impels them to this toilsome life.
Besides these travelling traders, there are also wholesale
slave-merchants, who have their agents or partners permanently
established in the large Scribas. These traverse the country protected
by a large retinue of armed slaves, and with long trains of oxen and
asses, loaded with goods for exchange, they are able to purchase
large numbers of slaves. Generally these agents are priests or Fakis,
though this name is usually applied to those who interpret the
Scriptures. Strange as it may seem, and almost incredible, it is an
incontrovertible fact that this slave business is included among the
secondary occupations of these Fakis, and with very few exceptions
they are more or less involved in the iniquitous traffic. To multiply
facilities for securing slaves, they act as retail dealers, brokers,
quacks, match-makers, and school-masters. The richer and more
intelligent class act as directors of schools, or are proprietors of
inns, where they have sub-agents to advance their interests. “The
doctrines of the Prophet,” says Schweinfurth, “are taught in their
schools, and the merissa-shops are dedicated in a large degree to the
worship of Venus. But in spite of everything, these people are held in
the greatest veneration.
“A few words will suffice to exhibit these holy men in their true
colors. With the _Suras_ of the Koran in hand, they rove all over the
country, leading what might be termed a life of perpetual prayer.
But the wide difference between faith and practice is exemplified in
the unrighteous dealings of these Fakis. Never did I see slaves so
mercilessly treated as by these fanatics, and yet they would confer
upon the poor souls, whom they purchased, like stolen goods, for a mere
bagatelle, the most religious of names, such as _Allagabo_ (_i. e._,
‘given of God’).” Schweinfurth, who had witnessed their abominable
cruelties, adds that their treatment of the sick and dying was “such as
a common scavenger would not inflict upon a dying dog.”
He mentions another hideous atrocity connected with their business--the
emasculation of boys so as to fit them for the position of the eunuch.
It is perpetrated as soon after capture as convenient, and though
attempted only upon children of a tender age, it is said that four
fifths of those thus mutilated perish from the injuries they receive.
This infernal crime,--which is committed principally by the Fakis, who
traverse the country with the Koran in one hand and the operating-knife
in the other, is peculiar to Moslem slavery alone, and specially
entitles it to be called an accursed system, deserving to be swept from
the earth in the fiery indignation of all civilized peoples.
There is another class who supply the slave-markets of the East.
This consists of the colonized slave-dealers, who live on their own
property. These are the only ones who penetrate beyond the Scribas into
the negro countries with bands of armed men, and return with great
caravans of slaves.
The price paid for slaves varies of course, according to the difficulty
of obtaining them, and as cotton, the principal medium of exchange,
fluctuates in value. In 1871 Schweinfurth found that _sittahsi_
(literally six spans high), that is children eight or ten years of
age, were bought for £1 10_s._, or about $7.00 in our currency. Women
slaves, if specially attractive, cost double this price.
As an illustration of how cheap is human life among some tribes,
Livingstone mentions the case of an elderly woman and her son, about
three years old, who were bought for six yards of calico, the child
being regarded twice as valuable as the mother. After the raids of
slave-dealers, when the villages are pillaged and famine succeeds,
boys and girls are often bought for a few handfuls of maize. Vigorous
and healthy women who are ugly are cheaper than young girls, and old
women have little value, and are bought for a trifle. Men are seldom
purchased, because more difficult to manage or to transport. It will be
remembered that the principal object for which slaves are held in the
East is not their capability for labor.
Nationality, also, is an element affecting the price of slaves. Of
those brought from the Bahr-el-Ghazal districts the Bongo are most
in demand, because they are easily taught, faithful, good-looking,
and industrious. The Niam-niam girls are more costly than the Bongo
slaves, but they are so rarely in the market it is not easy to state
their price. The Mittoo are of the least value, because so ugly, and
the Babucker are so spirited and resolute that they are rarely sought.
No kindness and no appeals avail to subdue their love of freedom or
repress their struggles to escape. The Loobah and Abaka tribes are like
them in this respect. The demand for slaves by the Mohammedan residents
of the Western territories, as the Kredy Golo and Sehre, who greatly
exceed the aboriginal population, is sufficient of itself to sustain a
very considerable slave-trade. The number of the private slaves owned
by the Moslems who have settled in various portions of Northern Africa
Schweinfurth estimated to be about sixty thousand.
But this number is small compared with those who, along all the
highways, are brought out of the interior to the great slave markets
to supply the insatiable and licentious demands of Egypt, Arabia,
Persia, and Asiatic Turkey. It is these, the prey of Arab rapacity or
the pitiable and powerless victims of the selfishness and inhumanity of
their fellow Africans, that form the numerous caravans moving toward
the coast. It is these that drain and depopulate the tribes of Eastern
and Central Africa. It is thus their very life blood is sacrificed to
the luxurious caprices and sensuality of the Moslem race.
The territories that supply the slave-trade in northeastern Africa
(Nile district) are the Galla countries to the south of Abyssinia,
between latitude 3° and 8° north, the region between the white and blue
Niles, Azoa, in the centre of Abyssinia, and its northwestern frontier,
and the upper district of the Bahr-el-Ghazal. But the most fruitful
sources of supply are the negro countries to the south of Darfoor.
During the last forty years there has been an exodus from the numerous
and unprotected Kredy tribes of 12,000 to 15,000 annually, to minister
to the lust or laziness of the Mohammedans of the East. And the
territories west of the Niam-niam tribe have been the principal supply
in the northern part of Africa. This energetic race, under their king
Mofio, has made constant raids upon their neighbors, thus furnishing
vast numbers for exchange with Arab slave-merchants.
There is a portion of the country called Mrima or Sawahili, and
formerly Zanguebar. The latter name will be recognized by older readers
as that of a strip of sea coast from the mouth of Jub to Cape Delgado,
or from the equator to S. lat. 10° 41´. This part of Eastern Africa now
attracts the attention of the civilized world because of its connection
with the slave-trade. By means of its ports three fourths of the slaves
kidnapped or purchased in the interior are shipped abroad. Here is the
famous port of Kilwa, “the hornets’ nest,” as Stanley names it, the
great _entrepot_ of slave-traders, who have received such scathing
condemnation in Livingstone’s journals.
Zanzibar, an island near the east coast in lat. 6° S., is, however, the
principal mart to which the ivory and slave merchants gather from the
interior of Africa. The Banyans, who are among the more influential
residents, are the principal traders in slaves, and have accumulated
great wealth. Here tens of thousands of Africans are annually sold,
some to be transported to the Spanish West Indies, but the great
majority to Arabia.
The profits of this infamous traffic are so enormous as to offer
a resistless temptation to the cupidity of the unscrupulous. The
lucrative character of a business, though fraught with terrible evils
and wrongs, has, not unfrequently, overcome the conscience, humanity,
and even the religion of those acknowledged to be civilized if not
Christian. The statements of the most trustworthy travellers in
regard to the profitableness of the slave-trade tax the credulity of
the most sceptical. The estimate that Mr. Stanley has given, as the
result of a careful observation, must, we think, be accepted. “We will
suppose,” says he, “for the sake of illustrating how trade with the
interior is managed, that the Arab conveys by his caravan $5,000 worth
of goods; at Unyanyembe, the goods are worth $10,000; at Ujiji they
are worth $15,000, or have trebled in price. Seven dollars and fifty
cents will purchase a slave in the markets of Ujiji, who will bring in
Zanzibar thirty dollars. Ordinary men slaves may be purchased for six
dollars who will sell for twenty-five dollars on the coast. We will
say he purchases slaves to the full extent of his means; from these
he will realize about $14,000, leaving a net profit of $9,000 from
an investment of $5,000, in one trip from Zanzibar to Ujiji. It is
from such a traffic that the Banyans have come to be ranked among the
wealthiest of the 200,000 residents of Zanzibar.”
Livingstone was intensely absorbed with the passion for exploration,
and longed to be the discoverer that should solve the great
geographical problem which has enlisted the curiosity and toil of
centuries, viz., the sources of the Nile. During eight years in his
last expedition, he traversed Central Africa, enduring sufferings and
sacrifices inexpressible, holding on with a fortitude and inflexibility
never surpassed, till he sank down in death at Ilala, May 1, 1873. But
this most illustrious of African explorers, when in weariness he was
journeying toward Bangweolo for the last time, eager to learn some
fact that would settle the great enigma with which Africa has baffled
the nations and the ages, writes, “The discovery of the true source of
the Nile is nothing to me except as it may be turned to the advantage
of Christian missions.” So, too, in a letter that he sent by Stanley
to Mr. Bennett, of New York, he writes, “If my disclosures regarding
the terrible Ujijian slavery should lead to the suppression of the
East Coast slave-trade, I shall regard that as a greater matter by far
than the discovery of all the Nile sources together. This fine country
is blighted as with a curse from above, in order that the slavery
privileges of the Sultan of Zanzibar may not be infringed.”
It may safely be asserted that, had it not been for the slave-trade,
this indomitable, sagacious, philanthropic traveller would have
succeeded in laying the foundation for Christian missions in Central
Africa, and also have given to the civilized world the discovery it has
so laboriously sought. No progress can be made in the arts or commerce,
no social and moral development among the African tribes can be secured
so long as this system, the offspring of Moslem cupidity and lust, is
permitted to desolate this fair land.
Stricken, suffering Africa! Despoiled and desolated by stronger and
more civilized nations for centuries, her youth, her strength, her
life-blood on the Western Coast, subsidized by force and barbarities
unspeakable to minister to the comfort and affluence of England, Spain,
and America! But the awful scourge that freighted the slave-ships of
the Great Republic and caused the horrors of “the middle passage” has
been, through the combined agency of England and America, inspired
by the appeals of the philanthropic spirit of the last half-century,
utterly suppressed. The Western Coast of that great continent has been
emancipated, and is fast being regenerated. Instead of slave-ships in
the lagoons and harbors waiting for the return of their armed crews
from raids upon the villages along the coast and in the interior, thus
stealing annually in the middle of the last century not less than
100,000 human beings, there are now populous villages springing up, the
inhabitants of which are engaged in peaceful pursuits, and making rapid
progress in all the arts and comforts of civilized life. The slave-ship
is exchanged for the school-house, and with this most formidable
barrier removed, the redemption of Western Africa has begun.
That “fine country,” as Livingstone calls it, is needed with its
measureless riches for the world’s commerce and civilization. Its
gigantic, wide-spreading curse is the slave-trade. Eastern and Central
Africa still, over large portions of territory, is blighted with this
“sum of all villanies.” Its history has darker shades than any human
pencil can portray. Livingstone has told it, and startled the civilized
world with the story of murders innumerable and horrors unutterable,
of perpetual inter-tribal wars, instigated by the rapacious Arabs, so
that captives, numerous and cheap, may be kidnapped or bought for the
slave-markets of the coast.
This Mohammedan abomination is a standing, shameless affront to the
civilization of the great Christian powers of the earth. Commerce,
Humanity, Christianity, demand that it be blotted out. The progress
that has been made but recently in this country and Great Britain,
in respect to the doctrine of human rights and the claims of the
African people, indicates the duty of these powerful nations to this
long-benighted and sorely-stricken race. When this powerful barrier
against commerce, industry, science, education, Christianity is
removed, what will be the glory and grandeur of this great continent,
with its numberless population “stretching out their hands unto God,”
its uncivilized races transformed into Christian and prosperous
peoples, ministering to the world’s advancement by the inexhaustible
treasures with which the Creator has endowed their broad and beautiful
land!
Exactly one year before the death of the most eminent explorer of the
century, Dr. Livingstone, he finished, so his journal informs us,
a letter to the _New York Herald_, in which he endeavors to enlist
American enterprise and philanthropy in the suppression of the East
Coast slave-trade of Africa. The last words of the letter are these:
“All I can add in my loneliness is, may Heaven’s rich blessing come
down on every one, American, English, or Turk, who will help to heal
the open sore of the world.” No words could more perfectly represent
the life and spirit of this missionary traveller; and these--his appeal
to the American people--were chosen to be inscribed upon the tablet
erected to his memory near his grave in Westminster Abbey.
Loving America, rejoicing in her triumph over slavery, grateful to her
for rescuing him, when lost to the civilized world, by her brave and
adventurous Stanley, he bequeathes his great life-work, the fervent
aspiration of his heart, to her Christian zeal. And England, his own
country, takes that memorable invocation and inscribes it as the most
expressive memorial of the life and character of her noble son where
he is laid to rest among the great and renowned ones of her history.
Thus the devoted missionary, the world-known, world-honored explorer
of the vast continent of Africa, to which he had given his long and
laborious service, entrusts to Great Britain and America united, the
accomplishment of the noble undertaking that absorbed and consecrated
his life, viz.,
THE REGENERATION OF AFRICA.
CHAPTER CLXXI.
CENTRAL ASIA.
THE KAKHYENS.
HIGHLANDERS OF WESTERN CHINA -- PATRIARCHAL GOVERNMENT -- TRIBUTE
PAID TO THE CHIEF -- ARCHITECTURE OF THE KAKHYENS -- PERSONAL
APPEARANCE -- THEIR PRINCIPAL WEAPON -- SERVILE LOT OF WOMEN -- THE
MEETWAY OR DIVINER -- EXTRAORDINARY MANIFESTATIONS -- FAVORABLE
PREDICTIONS -- SEVERE ORDEAL OF THE ASPIRANT TO THE POSITION OF
MEETWAY -- MARRIAGE CEREMONIES -- COST OF A WIFE -- PUNISHMENT FOR
INFIDELITY -- RITES ATTENDING BIRTH OF A CHILD -- BURIAL RITES --
SERVICES OF THE TOOMSA -- THE DEATH-DANCE -- A CRUEL CUSTOM --
RELIGION OF THE KAKHYENS -- THE VARIOUS NATS OR DEITIES -- MORAL
CHARACTERISTICS OF THE KAKHYENS -- THEIR KIDNAPPING -- CHARITABLE
EXPLANATION.
For many years the attention of the British Government has been
directed to the consideration of an overland route to Western China.
To avoid the long and perilous voyage by the Straits and the Indian
Ocean seemed to be an object fraught with so many commercial advantages
as to repay almost any endeavor to accomplish it. Accordingly in
January, 1868, the government of India sent an expedition, under the
command of Col. Edward B. Sladen, from the royal city of Mandalay, on
the Irrawaddy, to explore the unknown country beyond. The narrative
of the expedition, written by Dr. John Anderson, its medical officer
and naturalist, has recently been given to the public. The only use
our limits permit us to make of it, interesting though it is, is to
introduce to our readers the Kakhyens, or the wild Highlanders of that
distant and little known region of Western China.
The Kakhyens are a race of mountaineers inhabiting the hills that bound
the Irrawaddy basin. They are probably cognate with the hill tribes of
the Mishmees and Nagas. They call themselves Chingpaw, or “men,” and
Kakhyens is their Burmese appellation.
Among this people the patriarchal government has universally prevailed.
Each clan has its hereditary chief, assisted by _pawmines_, or
lieutenants, who determine all questions about which the people are at
variance. The youngest son is entitled to the office of chieftain; and
if there be no sons, it descends to the youngest brother. The eldest
sons inherit the rank of _pawmine_.
The chief of a clan exacts toll of all travellers through his
territory, and its payment secures his friendship and protection,
and accordingly that of his people. The slaves who were stolen as
children or kidnapped as adults belong to the _tsawbwa_, or head man
of the clan. The females are concubines, and the men, if obedient
and industrious, are kindly treated, their children being regarded
as members of the chieftain’s family. A basket of rice is the annual
tribute due the chief from every family, and if a buffalo be killed, a
quarter must be presented to him.
With singular good taste the Kakhyens build their villages near a
mountain stream in a sheltered glen, or a row of houses climbs some
gentle slope.
These are constructed of bamboo in an oblong form, with closely matted
sides, and raised on piles several feet from the ground. The roof is
thatched with grass and slopes nearly to the earth; the eaves being
propped by bamboo posts form a portico which is used at night as a
stable for pigs, ponies, and fowls, and as a lounging place for the
men during the day. These houses are generally built so as to face
eastward, and in size are about one hundred and fifty to two hundred
feet in length by forty to fifty feet in breadth. The front room is
devoted to hospitality and reserved for guests. Those in the rear are
occupied by different families more or less connected by blood or
marriage.
Owing to the admixture of Shan and Burmese blood, there are two styles
of face among these people, but the most common, that of the true
Chingpaw, has these characteristics. The face is round and short, with
a low forehead and prominent molars. The slightly oblique eyes, with a
wide space between, the broad nose and thick, protruding lips, give a
look of ugliness to their faces; but this is relieved considerably by
an expression of good-nature and kindness. There is a disproportionate
shortness of the legs, though they are slight, and otherwise well
formed. The Kakhyen possess remarkable agility. The young girls bound
along the hill paths with great fleetness, and bring down from the
mountains loads of wood and lumber that would task the strength of
full-grown Englishmen. With many attractions in personal appearance,
yet it is the universal custom never to change a garment till it be
worn out. Their clothes and persons are never washed, and they, both
women and men, leave their hair uncombed, so that it becomes a thick,
matted mass upon the head. A piece of bamboo or of embroidered red
cloth is inserted in the lobe of the ear; sometimes a piece of paper is
used, and old newspapers are in great demand. Around the leg, below the
knee, they wear a number of rattan rings.
The _dah_, or knife, is the invariable companion of these Highlanders.
“Half sheathed in wood and suspended to a rattan hoop covered with
embroidered cloth and adorned by a leopard’s tooth, it is slung over
the right shoulder so as to bring the hilt in front ready to the grasp
of the right hand.” The most common style of knife is short and broad,
widening from the hilt to the tip. This is called by the Burmese “the
Kakhyen’s chief,” because of the dexterity with which it is handled
by these mountaineers. It is the instrument for carving and tracing
ornaments on pipes and other articles, as well as the weapon which is
relied upon for attack or defence. With it the Kakhyen settles his
dispute, and employs it with marvellous readiness against his visible
enemies or the invisible nats or deities. They have other arms, such as
the matchlock and a cross-bow, with poisoned arrows.
Though some of the more industrious of the men aid the women in their
agricultural labor, yet it is characteristic of these hill men that
they dislike work, and all the toil and drudgery are the lot of the
women. The custom of the men is to wander from house to house and from
village to village, to gossip and drink and smoke. Having no inventive
talent, they do not work in metal, their _dahs_ even, though they are
the indispensable attendants of the Kakhyens, being made by the Shans
of the Hotha Valley. Their artistic work does not exceed the simplest
designs of tracery in straight lines and the rude figures of bird and
animal.
The Kakhyens never undertake any enterprise or begin a journey without
seeking to learn the will of the nats, through a meetway or diviner.
Sala, a Ponline chief, whose co-operation Col. Sladen desired,
privately intimated that the nats must be propitiated before any
advance into his country was begun. He and his party were accordingly
invited to the ceremony for ascertaining through a meetway, the will of
the demons in regard to their expedition. Dr. Anderson thus describes
it:--
“Accordingly after dinner we all adjourned to the hall of the
_tsawbwa’s_ new house, and reclining on mats brought by his wife,
chatted for some time with the chiefs and headmen assembled round the
fire. The meetway now entered and seated himself on a small stool, in
one corner, which had been through sprinkled with water; he then blew
through a small tube, and throwing it from him, with a deep groan,
fell into an extraordinary state of tremor; every limb quivered, and
his feet beat a literal ‘devil’s tattoo’ on the bamboo flooring. He
groaned as if in pain, tore his hair, passed his hand with maniacal
gestures over his head and face, then broke into a short, wild chant,
interrupted with sighs and groans, his features appearing distorted
with madness or rage, while the tones of his voice changed to an
expression of anger or fury. During this extraordinary scene, which
realized all one had read of demoniacal possession, the _tsawbwa_
and his _pawmines_ occasionally addressed him in low tones, as if
soothing or deprecating the anger of the dominant spirit, and at last
the _tsawbwa_ informed Sladen that the nats must be propitiated with
an offering. Fifteen rupees and some cloth were produced. The silver
on a bamboo, sprinkled with water, and the cloth on a platter of
plantain leaves were humbly laid at the diviner’s feet; but with one
convulsive jerk of the legs rupees and cloth were instantly kicked
away, and the medium, by increased convulsions and groans, intimated
the dissatisfaction of the nats with the offering. The _tsawbwa_ in
vain supplicated for its acceptance, and then signified to Sladen that
more rupees were required, and that the nats mentioned sixty as the
propitiatory sum. Sladen tendered five more, with an assurance that no
more would be given. The amended offering was again, but more gently,
pushed away, of which no notice was taken. After another quarter of
an hour, during which the convulsions and groans gradually grew less
violent, a dried leaf, rolled into a cone and filled with rice, was
handed to the meetway. He raised it to his forehead several times, and
then threw it on the floor; a _dah_, which had been carefully washed,
was next handed to him, and treated the same way, and after a few
gentle sighs he rose from his seat and, laughing, signed us to look at
his legs and arms, which were very tired. The oracle was in our favor,
and predictions of all manner of success were interpreted to us as the
utterances of the inspired diviner.”
The ordeal which a young man, who shows some signs of the diviner’s
gift, has to undergo before becoming an accredited meetway is an
extremely difficult one. “A ladder is prepared, the steps of which
consist of sword-blades with the sharp edges turned upward, and this is
reared against a platform thickly set with sharp spikes. The barefooted
novice ascends the perilous path to fame, and seats himself on the
spikes without any apparent inconvenience; he then descends by the same
ladder, and if, after having been carefully examined, he is pronounced
free from any trace of injury he is thenceforward accepted as a true
diviner.”
Purchase and abduction, which constitute so prominent a part of the
nuptial rites of many races, also enter very largely into the marriage
ceremonies of the Kakhyens. A rich Kakhyen pays for his wife, a female
slave, ten pieces of silver, ten spears, ten buffaloes, ten _dahs_,
a gong, two suits of clothes, a matchlock, and an iron cooking-pot.
Clothes and presents of silver are given by him to the bridesmaids, and
he must pay all the expenses of the marriage feast.
Preliminary to a marriage the diviner or _toomsa_ is consulted in
regard to the fortune of the intended bride; some portion of her
dress or some ornament is obtained and given to the seer, who then
predicts her destiny. If his report be favorable, messengers are sent
with presents to the girl’s parents to make proposals and learn from
them the amount of the dowry required; if these terms be accepted,
the bridegroom sends two messengers to inform the bride’s parents
that such a day is selected for the marriage. These are feasted, and
then attended on their return by two of her kindred, who agree to be
prepared for the marriage. “When the day comes five young men set out
from the bridegroom’s village to that of the bride, where they wait
till nightfall in a neighboring house. At dusk the bride is brought
thither by one of the stranger girls, as it were, without the knowledge
of her parents, and told that these men have come to claim her. They
all set out for the bridegroom’s village. In the morning, the bride is
placed under a closed canopy outside the bridegroom’s house. Presently
there arrives a party of young men from her village to search, as they
say, for one of their girls who has been stolen. They are invited to
look under the canopy, and bidden, if they will, to take the girl away,
but they reply, ‘It is well, let her remain where she is.’ While a
buffalo, etc., are being killed as a sacrifice, the bridegroom hands
over the dowry, and shows the _trousseau_ prepared for his bride.
Meanwhile, the _toomsa_, or officiating priest has arranged bunches of
fresh grass, pressed down with bamboos at regular intervals, so as to
form a carpet between the canopy and the bridegroom’s house.”
At every marriage there is an invocation to the household nats, and
a libation of sheroo and water. The grass-path over which the bride
passes from the canopy is sprinkled with the blood of fowls. Boiled
eggs, ginger, and dried fish are offered to the household deities. This
ends the ceremony. The bridegroom is merely a spectator of all these
rites. Then a grand feast follows. In addition to the usual fare, such
as plantains, rice, fish, and pork, the flesh of the buffalo, offered
in sacrifice, and that of the barking deer are provided for the guests.
These viands, together with liberal supplies of sheroo and the Chinese
samshu, are the preparations for the dance. Various musical instruments
are employed to contribute to the entertainment of the occasion; and
the marriage feast ends at length, like all their festal gatherings, in
drunkenness and often in a brutal quarrel.
Female infidelity after marriage the Kakhyens regard as a crime
punishable by death, which the aggrieved husband may inflict at any
time upon both the offenders. If a wife elope the husband is entitled
to damages double the amount of the marriage dowry, and this the
kinsmen of the wife’s seducer must make good or incur the penalty of a
feud.
The household nats are propitiated the day after the birth of a child
by the sacrifice of a hog and offerings of sheroo. The _toomsa_, the
slayer and the cook, and the head of the household only share in the
flesh; but the entrails, with eggs, fish, and ginger, are put upon the
altars so that the villagers may partake. All are invited, and sheroo
is offered in the order of seniority. When the feast is over the oldest
man among the guests rises, and pointing to the child announces its
name.
The peculiarities of their burial rites can best be given in the
language of Dr. Anderson: “When a Kakhyen dies the news is announced
by a discharge of matchlocks. This is a signal for all to repair to
the house of death. Some cut bamboos and timber for the coffin, others
prepare for the funeral rites. A circle of bamboos is driven into the
ground slanting outward, so that the upper circle is much wider than
the base. To each a small flag is fastened, grass is placed between
this circle and the house, and the _toomsa_ scatters grass over the
bamboos and pours a libation of sheroo. A hog is then slaughtered, and
the flesh cooked and distributed, the skull being fixed on one of the
bamboos. The coffin is made of the hollowed trunk of a large tree,
which the men fell with their _dahs_. Just before its fall a fowl is
killed by being dashed against the tottering stem. The place where
the head is to rest is blackened with charcoal and a lid constructed.
The body is washed and dressed in new clothes. Some of the pork,
boiled rice, and sheroo are placed before it, and a piece of silver is
inserted in the mouth to pay ferry dues over the streams the spirit
may have to cross. It is then coffined and carried to the grave, amidst
the discharge of firearms. The old clothes of the deceased are laid
on the mound, and sheroo is poured out, the best being drunk by the
friends around it. In returning the mourners strew ground-rice along
the path, and when near the village they cleanse their legs and arms
with fresh leaves. Before re-entering the house all are lustrated with
water by the _toomsa_ with an asperge of grass, pass over a bundle
of grass sprinkled with the blood of a fowl, sacrificed during their
absence to the spirit of the dead. Eating and drinking wind up the day.
Next morning an offering of a hog and sheroo is made to the spirit of
the dead man, and a feast and dance are held till late at night and
resumed in the morning. A final sacrifice of a buffalo in honor of
the household nats then takes place, and the _toomsa_ breaks down the
bamboo fence, after which the final death-dance successfully drives
forth the spirit, which is believed to have been still lingering round
its former dwelling.”
In the death-dance all classes and ages participate,--men, women, and
children,--each carrying a small stick with which they beat time as
they move round the hall with measured step, which is a sort of prance
and side-shuffle. The drummers vigorously beat their instruments, and
ever and anon the dancers burst into loud yells and increase the speed
and violence of their movements.
No funeral rites are granted to those who are killed by shot or steel.
Such are buried in jungles, their bodies being merely wrapped in mats.
A small, open hut is constructed over the grave for the occupancy of
the spirits, and a _dah_, bag, and basket are deposited there for them.
So, too, those dying of small-pox and women dying in child-birth are
refused the usual rites of burial. A strange superstition possesses
the people respecting the mother and her unborn child,--they are
supposed to become a terrible compound vampire. All the young people
hurry from the house in terror, and the diviner is summoned to discover
what animal the evil spirit will devour, and with what other it will
transmigrate. The first animal is sacrificed and a part of the flesh
put before the corpse. The other animal indicated by the _toomsa_ is
hung, and a grave is dug in the direction to which the head of the
animal pointed when dead. The clothes and ornaments of the deceased are
deposited in the grave and the other property is burned upon it, and a
small hut is built over it.
These singular rites indicate in some degree the prominent idea in
the religion of this wild race. There is a universal and irresistible
belief in good and evil spirits, and the ancient forms of worshipping
them are retained. All missionary endeavors to produce any change in
their religious thought and customs have been fruitless. There is a
belief in a future existence and a vague conception of a Supreme Author
of all things.
“The objects of worship are the nats, benign or malignant,--the first
such as Sinlah, the sky spirit, who gives rain and good crops; Chan and
Shitah, who cause the sun and moon to rise. These they worship because
their fathers did so and told their children that they were good.
Cringwan is the beneficent patron of agriculture; but the malignant
nats must be bribed not to ruin the crops. When the ground is cleared
for sowing, Masoo is appeased with pork and fowls burned at the foot
of the village altars; when the paddy is eared, buffaloes and pigs are
sacrificed to Cajat. A man about to travel is placed under the care of
Muron, the _toomsa_, after due sacrifices, requesting him to tell the
other nats not to harm that man. Neglect of Mowlain will result in the
want of _compraw_, or silver, the great object of a Kakhyen’s desire;
and if hunters forbear offerings to Chilong some one will be killed by
stag or tiger. Chilong and Muron are two of ten brothers who have an
especial interest in Kakhyen affairs, and another, named Phee, is the
guardian of the night. Every hill, forest, and stream has its own nat
of greater or less power; every accident or illness is the work of some
malignant or vindictive one of ‘these viewless ministers.’
The character of this race of mountaineers is not attractive. They
are not brave as warriors, but are quarrelsome and revengeful, and if
atonement for a wrong be not made they perpetuate a feud implacably.
They do not seek an open, fair fight, but lie in wait and attack
stealthily, springing like the tiger upon their foes. Anderson
touches their portrait with these dark lines,--“lazy, thievish, and
untrustworthy.”
Their thieving propensity extends to man-stealing. They are the
kidnappers of the country.
Dr. Anderson, however, charitably intimates that perhaps the moral
deterioration of these fierce, cruel highlanders may be the result
of “the knavish injustice of the Chinese traders, or the high-handed
extortion and wrong on the part of the Burmese.” The readers of this
work will remember many and sad proofs in these sketches of the
uncivilized races, that tribes, possessing naturally many excellent
traits, have been transformed and degraded into most selfish, brutal,
and cruel people by the pillage and piracy of their neighbors, and
sometimes by the rapacity and fraud of those that are called civilized
and Christian nations.
INDEX.
A.
Abyssinia, 641.
Accawaios, So. America, 1222.
Admiralty Islanders, 970.
Adoption of Parents, Namaquas, 279.
AGRICULTURE among the
Badema, 367. Bakalai, 492. Batoka, 350. Bayeye, 338. Bouka, 971.
Dinka, 470. Djour, 448. Fuegians, 1168. Gani, 430. Guianans,
1246. Hebrides, New, 972. Hottentots, 231. Kaffirs, 138, 139-144.
Manganjas, 355. Ovambos, 319. Shekiani, 522. Wasagara, 407. Watusi,
409.
Ahitas, Philippine Islands, 920.
Ahts, Vancouver’s Island, 1354.
Ajitas, Philippine Islands, 920.
Alapu-ches, Chili, S. A., 1190.
Alfoërs, New Guinea, 905.
Alfouras, New Guinea, 905.
Amaharas, Africa, 667.
Amakosa, Africa, 12.
Amaponda, Africa, 12.
Amaswazi, Africa, 12.
Amatonga, Africa, 12.
Amazonians, So. Am., 1215.
Amazons, Africa, 567.
Amazulu, Africa, 12.
Amulets, see Charms.
AMUSEMENTS among the
Ahts, 1336. Apono, 487. Araucanians, 1204. Australians, 748-753.
Bayeye, 339. Bechuanas, 293, 297. Begharmis, 639. Bosjesmans,
262-4. Camma, 509. Co-yukons, 1375. Damaras, 313. Dory, 917. Dyaks,
1141-1144. Esquimaux, 1349. Fanti, 553. Fijians, 954. Gallas, 671.
Ghoorkas, 1424. Guianans, 1252-1255. Hottentots, 234-236. Indians,
N. A., 1285-1298, 1320-1325. Ishogo, 479. Japanese, 1454, 1462.
Kaffirs, 144-147. Korannas, 270. Madi, 433. Makololo, 335. Malemutes,
1374. Maories, 845. Marquesans, 1049. Namaquas, 278. Ovambos, 320.
Pelew Islanders, 1108. Samoans, 1026. Sandwich Islanders, 1092-1096.
Shooas, 629. Tahitans, 1062, 1063. Tasmanians, 753. Tibboos, 633.
Tongans, 995, 996, 1004. Tuaricks, 634. Tungusi, 1380. Wanyoro, 426.
Wanyamuezi, 390-393. Waraus, 1261. Watusi, 409. Zealanders, New,
818-822.
Ancient Europe, 1473.
Andamaners, 888.
Anecdote of Korannas, 269.
Anecdotes of Bosjesmans, 267.
Aneiteum, New Hebrides, 975.
Angolese, Africa, 380.
ANIMALS of
Australia, 701. Guiana, 1222. Fondness for in Guiana, 1258. Dogs of
Esquimaux, 1346. Of Africa, 126. Of Kaffirs, 127, 140. Of India,
1416-1421.
Apingi, Africa, 488.
Apono, Africa, 484.
Aprons of Kaffirs, Africa, 48.
Arabs, Africa, 687.
Araucanians, S. A., 1190.
Arawaks, Guiana, 1222.
ARCHITECTURE of
Abyssinia, 667. Ahts, 1369. Ancient Europe, 1473. Andamaners, 892.
Apono, 487. Australians, 784-786. Bakalai, 491. Balonda, 378. B ari,
464. Bayeye, 339. Bechuanas, 297, 299. Bedouins, 682. Begharmis, 635.
Bonny, 601. Bornabi, 1103. Bornuese, 626. Bosjesmans, 251. Britain,
New, 970. Caledonians, New, 884. Dahome, 562. Damaras, 310-311.
Dor, 447. Dory, 914. Dyaks, 1149-1150. Egbas, 592. Esquimaux, 1335.
Fijians, 956. Fuegians, 1165. Gani, 429. Guianans, 1245-1270. Guinea,
New, 912. Hassaniyeh, 686. Hervey Islanders, 1037. Hottentots, 227,
228. Hovas, 690. Indians, N. A., 1329. Ingeletes, 1375. Ireland, New,
970. Ishogos, 476. Japanese, 1461. Kaffirs, 56, 62, 207. Kanemboos,
627. Kingsmill Islanders, 1038. Madi, 433. Makololo, 328. Malagasy,
690. Malemutes, 1374. Maories, 866. Mapuchés, 1192. Marquesans,
1049. Mexicans, 1272. Nicobarians, 896. Niuans, 1056. Nubians,
674. Obongos, 482. Ostiaks, 1384. Outanatas, 901. Ovambos, 316.
Patagonians, 1185. Pelew Islanders, 1108. Samoans, 1031. Shekiani,
522. Shillooks, 472. Shooas, 629. Siamese, 1472. Society Islanders,
1073. Tungusi, 1379. Waganda, 419. Wanyamuezi, 389. Waraus, 1268.
Wazaramo, 406.
Armor of Japanese, 1460.
Art of Japanese, 1465.
Ashangos, Africa, 480.
Ashanti, Africa, 554.
Ashira, Africa, 496.
Assagais, Kaffir, Africa, 94, 100.
Aurora, description of, 1352.
Australia, Polynesia, 694.
Ayhuttisahts, Vancouver’s Island, 1354.
B.
Badema, Africa, 367.
Baenda-pezi, or Go-Nakeds, Batoka, 349.
Bahurotsi, Africa, 280.
Bakalai, Africa, 491.
Bakoba, Africa, 337.
Bakwains, Africa, 280.
Balonda, Africa, 369.
Balondo, Africa, 369.
Bamairis, Africa, 286.
Bamangwato, Africa, 295.
Bantus, Africa, 11.
Banyai, Africa, 361.
Barber, Chinese, 1427.
Barea, Africa, 668.
Bari, Africa, 462.
Barolongs, Africa, 280.
Bathing, Japanese, 1453, 1454.
Batlapis, Africa, 280.
Batlares, Africa, 286.
Batoanas, Africa, 337.
Batoka, Africa, 348.
Batonga, Africa, 348.
Bayeye, Africa, 337.
Beauty, see Women.
Bechuanas, Africa, 280.
Bedouins, Africa, 681.
Begharmis, Africa, 635.
Betrothal, see Marriage.
Blackfeet, North America, 1273.
Bonny, Africa, 600.
Bornabi, Caroline Islands, 1103.
Bornuese, Africa, 620.
Bosjesman, Africa, 242.
Bouka, Polynesia, 971.
Brahmins, India, 1408.
Britain, New, Polynesia, 969.
Brumer’s Island, Australasia, 907.
Bubes, Africa, 610.
BURIAL of the dead among
Abyssinians, 659. Ahitas, 921. Ahts, 1373. Ajitas, 921. Alfoërs,
906. Angolese, 328-383. Apingi, 490. Apono, 488. Araucanians,
1210. Ashira, 503. Australians, 772-777. Balonda, 380. Bari, 464.
Bechuanas, 300. Camma, 520. Co-yukons, 1375. Dahome, 588. Damaras,
314. Dory, 917. Dyaks, 1160. Esquimaux, 1351. Fanti, 550. Fijians,
965-967. Of Fijian chief, 965. Hottentots, 241. Indians, N. A., 1330.
Kaffir, 200-295. Karague, 405. Kingsmill Islanders, 1043. Krumen,
548. Latookas, 459. Makololo, 336. Manganjas, 360. Marquesans,
1051. Mincopies, 895. Mpongwé, 527. Nicobarians, 897. Niuans, 1056.
Obongos, 483. Patagonians, 1189. Pelew Islanders, 1109. Samoïedes,
1382. Siamese, 1472. Sioux, 1330. Society Islanders, 1076. Sowrahs,
1389. Tongans, 1004. Waganda, 421. Wanyamuezi, 396. Wanyoro, 428.
Wazaramo, 406. Zealand, New, 869-874.
Bushman, Africa, 242.
Button, Chinese, 1429.
C.
Caledonians, New, 883.
Camanchees, N. A., 1289.
Camma, Africa, 504.
CANNIBALISM among
Ahts, 1372. Andamaners, 891. Australians, 747. In Britain, New, 970.
Bonny, 602. Caledonia, New, 885. Among Caribs, 1240. Fans, 530-535.
Fijians, 942-946. Fuegians, 1167. In Ireland, New, 970. Among Isle
of Pines Men, 887. Kingsmill Islanders, 1040. Maories, 834-837.
Marquesans, 1051. Niuans, 1056. Papuans, 900. Samoans, 1022-1023.
Sandwich Islanders, 1091. Society Islanders, 1073. Solomon Islanders,
968. Tanna, 972. Tungusi, 1379.
CANOES, making and skill in management of, among
Admiralty Islanders, 971. Ahts, 1362. Australians, 701-717. Batoka,
349. Bayeye, 338. Bouka, 971. Brumer Islanders, 908-911. Caledonians,
New, 829. Dyaks, 1136. Esquimaux, 1344. Fanti, 549. Fijians, 932.
Fuegians, 1168. In Guinea, New, 913. Among Indians, N. A., 1325.
Krumen, 544. Makoba, 340. Makololo, 327. Maories, 825. Marquesans,
1051. Mincopies, 890. Nicobarians, 897. Niuans, 1056. Outanatas,
902. Papuans, 900. Pelew Islanders, 1107. Samoans, 1020. In San
Christoval, 970. Among Society Islanders, 1074, Solomon Islanders,
969. Waraus, 1222, 1262.
Caribs, Guiana, S. A., 1222.
Caroline Islands, 1100.
CASTE, among
Damaras, 312. Karague, 399. Khonds, 1393. Sowrahs, 1385. Zealanders,
New, 792.
Catlin’s portrait of Indian dandy, 1279.
CATTLE of the
Balonda, 376. Bosjesmans, 254. Damaras, 310. Hottentots, 233.
Kaffirs, 66-71. Kytch, 439. Latookas, 454. Malagasy, 690. Namaquas,
277. Shooas, 629. Watusi, 409.
CEREMONIES, connected with
Accession of son, Damaras, 314. Battle, before and after, New
Zealand, 851. Becoming men, Australians, 761-764. Birth, Abyssinians,
658. Fijians, 954, New Zealanders, 816. Burial of King, Fijians, 967.
Cementing friendship, Balondos, 378. Cooking war dish, Ashangos,
480. Coronation, Congoese, 616, Mpongwé, 527. Customs, Dahomans,
573. Death of King, Tongans, 993-994. Death and Mourning, Camma,
520. Drinking kava, Tongans, 985-990. Entering boyhood, Kaffirs, 18.
Fallen in war, Caledonians, New, 886. Feast of First Fruits, Tongans,
990-993. Funeral of Finow, Tongans, 998. Going to War, Bechuanas,
292. Head-worship, Dahomans, 587. Homage to Manono, Samoans, 1022.
Initiation of Cannibal, Malemutes, 1372. Kangaroo, Australians,
762. King, appearing before, Dahomans, 574. Making brotherhood,
Australians, 767, Araucanians, 1205. Marriage, Kaffirs, 86, Samoans,
1031, Sowrahs, 1386. M’paza, or twin, Ishogos, 479. Moon, full,
Camma, 510, Fans, 539. Moon, New, Karagne, 401, Mincopies, 895.
Mourning, Australians, 772. Ox of the Girl, Kaffirs, 86. Ox of the
Surplus, Kaffirs, 86. Receiving Guests, Waganda, 419. Reception into
“Mides,” N. A. Indians, 1310. Religious, Abyssinians, 658, Esquimaux,
1350. “Rupack,” Pelew Islanders, 1104. Sacrificial, Kaffirs, 172,
Society Islanders, 1075. Setting apart “piai” men, Guiana, 1263.
Shedding of blood, Dyaks, 1159. Sickness, Tongans, 998. Society of
hunters, Australians, 763. Sprinkling water, Dahomans, 588, New
Zealand, 817. Tow-tow, Tongans, 994-995. Visiting, Fijians, 940.
CHARMS among
Abyssinians, 665, 666. Angolese, 381. Apingi, 490. Australians, 771.
Bechuanas, 292. Dyaks, 1158. Fans, 539. Indians, N. A., 1313. Kaffir,
181-183. Karague, 402. Namaquas, 277. Nubians, 674. Waganda, 419.
Wanyoro, 428.
Charming serpents, India, 1416.
Cherokees, No. America, 1331.
Chickasaws, No. America, 1319.
CHILDREN, treatment of among
Andamaners, 892. Arawaks, 1247. Australians, 757, 758. Bakalai, 492.
Co-yukons, 1375. Esquimaux, 1349. Fijians, 954. Flat-heads, 1319,
1320. Indians, Gran Chaco, 1214. Indians, N. A., 1319. Ingeletes,
1375. Ishogo, 479. Kaffir, 16-18. Madi, 433. Mapuchés, 1192.
Outanatas, 901. Patagonians, 1186. Samoans, 1009. Wanyamuezi, 393.
Zealanders, New, 816, 817.
Chinese, China, 1426.
Chinnooks, No. America, 1319.
Choctaws, No. America, 1319.
Chopsticks, Chinese, 1431.
Christie’s sketch, Bosjesman, 266.
Chuanas, Africa, 280.
CLEANLINESS among
Abyssinians, 667. Bakalai, 492, 493. Esquimaux, 1333. Fuegians, 1168.
Kaffirs, 45. Madi, 430. Manganjas, 359. Ostiaks, 1384. Wanyamuezi,
393. Wanyoro, 422-426. Waraus, 1258. Watusi, 409.
Commi, Africa, 504.
COMPLEXION of
Abyssinians, 642. Ahitas, 290. Ahts, 1355. Angolese, 380. Apingi,
488. Australians, 694. Bakalai, 492. Balondo, 370. Batoka, 348.
Begharmis, 636. Bosjesmans, 243. Bouka, 971. Caledonians, New,
883. Camma, 505. Djibbas, 464. Dyaks, 1111. Egbas, 590. Esquimaux,
1333. Fans, 529. Fanti, 549. Fijians, 922. Fuegians, 1162. Gallas,
671. Hebrides, New, 972. Hervey Islanders, 1032. Hottentots, 217.
Hovas, 690. Indians, Gran Chaco, 1211. Indians, N. Am. 1273.
Isle of Pines Men, 887. Japanese, 1449. Karague, 399. Kingsmill
Islanders, 1038. Krumen, 545. Makololo, 327. Marquesans, 1047.
Mundurucús, 1215. Neam-Nam, 442. Nicobarians, 896. Nubians, 673.
Obongos, 482. Outanatas, 900. Papuans, 898. Patagonians, 1172. Pelew
Islanders, 1104. Samoans, 1008. Sandwich Islanders, 1081. Shekiani,
522. Siamese, 1468. Solomon Islanders, 968. Tahitans, 1058. Tanna
Islanders, 972. Tongans, 977. Vaté Islanders, 972. Waraus, 1222.
Zealanders, New, 792.
Congoese, Africa, 614.
Cooking, see Food.
Cook’s Islanders, Polynesia, 1032.
Co-yukons, Alaska, 1375.
Cree tribe, North America, 1313.
Creeks, North America, 1331.
Crow tribe, North America, 1273.
“Crowing” of Damaras, 310.
Crucifixion, Chinese, 1439.
Crucifixion, Japanese, 1461.
CRUELTY to aged among
Fijians, 954. Indians, 1320. Namaquas, 278. To prisoners, Fijians,
954.
Customs, Dahome, 573.
CUSTOMS, curious, of
Alfoërs, 906. Araucanians, 1205. Ashanti, Yam and Adai, 559.
Caledonians, New, 887. Dyaks, 1136. Fijians, Loloku of the sail, 967.
Guianans, 1247. Hervey Islanders, 1034. Kanemboos, 627. Kingsmill
Islanders, 1040. Marquesans, 1049. Obongos, domestic, 482. Ovambos,
at meals, 322. Tahitans, 1061. Tchuktchi, 1378. Tongans, 982.
D.
Dacotahs, North America, 1307.
Dahomans, Africa, 561.
Damaras, Africa, 304.
Dancing, see Amusements.
DANCES of
Ahts, doctor’s nook, 1366, roof, 1366. Apono, giant, 487. Arawaks,
puris, 1252. Australians, kuri, 748, palti, 752, kangaroo, 752,
pedeku, 751, frog, 751, corrobboree, 752. Bechuanas, 297. Bosjesmans,
262. Camma, gorilla, 509. Damaras, 313. Dyaks, sword, 1143, war,
1143, head, 1143. Esquimaux, 1349. Fans, full moon, 539. Fijians,
955. Guianans, maquarri, 1255. Hottentots, melon, 235. Indians, N.
A., scalp, 1286, buffalo, 1297, ball-play, 1320, pipe, 1320, beggar’s
bear, 1320, dog, 1320, eagle, 1323, braves, 1323, green corn, 1323,
snow-shoe, 1323, slave, 1323. Kaffir, wedding, 55. Korannas, 270.
Latookas, funeral, 459. Madi, 433. Malemutes, 1374. Marquesans, 1049.
New Guinea, war, 917. New Zealand, war, 845. Niuans, war, 1055. Pelew
Islanders, 1108. Samoans, wedding, 1031. Shooas, 668. Tasmanians,
753. Tungusi, 1380. Wanyamuezi, 390. Watusi, 409.
Dankallis, Africa, 671.
Delawares, North America, 1331.
Dingan, Kaffir chief, visit to, 91.
Dingan at home, 207.
Dinkas, Africa, 469.
Djibba, Africa, 464.
Djour, Africa, 448.
Dog eater, initiation of, Ahts, 1371.
Dôr, Africa, 444.
Dory, Africa, 914.
DRESS among
Abyssinians, 642-647. Accawaios, 1222. Admiralty Islanders, 970.
Ahts, 1355. Andamaners, 889. Apingi, 489. Apono, 484. Ashango, 480.
Ashanti, 554. Ashira, 496. Australians, 699-705. Bakalai, 492.
Balonda, 370. Bari, 463, 464. Batoka, 348. Bayeye, 339. Bechuanas,
284. Bedouins, 681. Bonny, 603. Bornabi, 1103. Bornuese, 621.
Bosjesmans, 246. Bouka, 971. Britain, New, 969. Brumer’s Islanders,
907. Bubes, 610. Caledonians, New, 883. Caribs, 1222. Chinese, 1429.
Congoese, 616. Co-yukons, 1375. Dahomans, 568. Damaras, 306. Dinkas,
469. Djibbas, 467. Dor, 447. Dory, 914. Dyaks, 1112-1116-1118. Egbas,
591. Esquimaux, 1334. Fans, 529. Fanti, 549. Fijians, 926-928.
Fuegians, 1162. Gallas, 671. Gani, 430. Guianans, 1256-1258.
Hebrides, New, 972. Hervey Islanders, 1032. Hottentots, 222. Hovas,
690. Indians, Gran Chaco, 1212. Indians, North America, 1275, 1276.
Ireland, New, 969. Ishogos, 479. Isle of Pines Men, 887. Japanese,
kami-samo, 1449-1453. Kaffirs, 28-51, 53, change of on betrothal,
Kaffir, 51. Kanemboos, 627. Karague, 405. Khonds, 1389. Kingsmill
Islanders, 1038. Korannas, 270. Krumen, 545. Kytch, 436. Latookas,
453. Madi, 430-433. Makoba, 339. Makololo, 327. Malagasy, 690.
Malemutes, 1374. Manganja, 356. Mapuchés, 1190-1191. Marquesans,
1044. Mpongwé, 524. Musguese, 639. Namaquas, 275. Neam-Nam, 442.
Nicobarians, 896. Niuans, 1055. Nubians, 673. Nuehr, 468. Obbo,
434. Obongos, 482. Outanatas, 900. Ovambos, 316. Papuans, 900.
Patagonians, 1173. Pelew Islanders, 1104. Romanzoff Islanders, 1100.
Samoans, 1009, 1013, 1014. Samoïedes, 1383. Sandwich Islanders,
1081. Shillooks, 472. Shir, 461. Shooas, 630. Siamese, 1468. Solomon
Islanders, 969. Soumaulis, 672. Sowrahs, 1386. Tahitans, 1059.
Tibboos, 630. Tongans, gnatoo, 977. Tuaricks, 634. Vaté Islanders,
972. Wagogo, 385. Wanyamuezi, 386. Waraus, 1269. Wasagara, 407.
Watusi, 408. Wazaramo, 406. Zealanders, New, 807-813.
DRINKS, intoxicating, of
Abyssinia, 657. Apingi, 490. Apono, 484. Ashira, 498. Araucanians,
1203. Balonda, 377. Chinese, 1429. Congoese, 616. Dyaks, 1145. Fans,
539. Guianans, 1251. Kaffir, 152. Karague, 400, 401. Krumen, 546.
Manganja, 359. Wanyamuezi 393, 394. Waraus, 1269.
Dust signals of Outanatas, 902.
Dutulu, adventures of, 69.
Dyaks, Land, Borneo, 1110.
Dyaks, Sea, 1110.
E.
Eastern Islands, 1100.
Economy of Chinese, 1443.
Egbas, Africa, 590.
Elephant catching, Bayeye, 338.
Elephant, white, Siam, 1471.
Endurance, see Strength.
Errumanga, New Hebrides, 975.
Esquimaux, N. America, 1333.
ETIQUETTE among
Abyssinians, 657. Ashiras, 498. Araucanians, 1205. Balonda. 377.
Batokas, 350. Bonny, 601. Cammas, 505-509. Dahomans, 566, 585.
Fijians, 940, 941. Japanese, 1459. Kaffir, 87, 148, 160. Makololo,
326. Maories, 824, 850. Mapuchés, 1193. Samoans, 1009. Siamese, 1471.
Tahitans, 1069. Waganda, 410. Wanyanmuezi, 389. Waraus, 1261. Watusi,
408.
Europe, Ancient, 1473.
F.
Fans, Africa, 529.
Fans, Chinese, 1430.
Fans, war, Japanese, 1461.
Fanti, Africa, 548.
FEASTS of
Abyssinians, raw flesh, 656. Abyssinians, wedding, 658. Ahts, 1364.
Arawaks, piwarri, 1252. Chinese, of lanterns, 1431. Fans, marriage,
536. Fijians, given to gods, 942. Fuegians, 1167. Indians, N. A.,
dog, 1330. Kaffir, first fruits, 172. Malemutes, 1374. Samoans,
wedding, 1031. Waikato, hui, 827.
Feet of women, Chinese, 1428.
Female soldiers, Dahomans, 567.
Fetishes, Ashanti, 559.
Fijians, Australia, 922.
FIRE-MAKING among
Australians, 786. Dyaks, 1151. Fuegians, 1168. Kaffir, 100.
FISHING among
Ahts, 1356-1361. Australians, 710, 728. Badema, with nets, 367.
Balonda, 377. Bayeye, 388. Chinese, with cormorants, 1444. Dyaks,
1118, 1132. Esquimaux, 1343. Fijians, turtle, 931. Fuegians, 1166.
Guinea, New, 913. Hervey Islanders, 1637. Kanemboos, 627. Malemutes,
whale, 1361, salmon, 1360. Maories, 830-833. Marquesans, 1051.
Ostiaks, 1384. Ovambo, 320. Samoans, 1026. Sandwich Islanders, 1086.
Shillooks, 472.
Flat Heads, N. America, 1319.
FOOD of, and modes of eating among
Abyssinians, 655. Ahts, 1364. Andamaners, 891. Angolese, manioc,
381. Araucanians, 1200. Ashira, 497. Australians, turtle and snakes,
702-714. Bakalai, 492. Balonda, manioc, 376. Banyai, 366. Bechuanas,
296. Bedouins, 684. Bosjesmans, 252. Caledonians, New, 885. Chinese,
bird-nests, 1432. Damaras, 313. Dyaks, 1118-1144. Esquimaux, 1336,
special dainties, 1337. Fans, 534. Fijians, 941, 942. Fuegians, 1166,
1168. Guianans, 1248, 1249. Hervey Islanders, 1037. Hottentots, 232,
233. Kaffir, 131, 132, 147-151, 157. Kytch, 439. Makololo, 326.
Mandingoes, 608. Maories, 827-834. Mpongwé, 524. Mundurucús, 1220.
Neam-Nam, 442. Ovambo, 322. Patagonians, 1185. Samoans, palolo, 1030,
1031. Sandwich Islanders, 1086. Shir tribe, 462. Shoas, 668. Swiss
Lake-dwellers, 1474. Tungusi, 1380. Wanyamuezi, 394. Wanyoro, 426.
Waraus, 1269.
Form of women, Hottentots, 218.
Fox tribe, N. America, 1323.
Fuegians, Tierra del Fuego, 1161.
Funerals, see Burial.
FURNITURE,
Japanese, 1462. Kaffir, 206. See Architecture.
G.
Gallas, Africa, 671.
GAMES of
Abyssinians, the ladies, 653. Araucanians, pelican, 1204. Avas,
1204. Dyaks, 1141-1143. Fijians, 954. Indians, N. A., archery, 1285,
chung-chee, 1324, al-kol-lock, 1324, pagessan, or bowl, 1324, ball,
1324, leaping rock, 1329. Japanese, children’s, 1462. Japanese mall,
1454, ladder balancing, 1456, top spinning, 1456, butterfly trick,
1456. Makololo, children’s, 332. New Zealand children’s, 818. Society
Islanders, children’s, 1095. Wanyamuezi, children’s, 393.
Gani, Africa, 429.
Ghou Damup, Africa, 304.
Ghoorkas, India, 1395.
Gilbert Islands, 1100.
Gold washing, Ashanti, 555.
Gonaquas, Africa, 274.
Goura, musical instrument, Bosjesmans, 264.
GOVERNMENT, mode of among
Abyssinians, 649. Ajitas, 920. Alfoërs, 905. Angolese, 380. Balonda,
369. Banyai, 361. Bechuanas, 286. Bornuese, 621. Camina, 504-506.
Dory, 914. Fijians, 934. Fuegians, 1171. Indians, N. A., 1275.
Kingsmill Islanders, 1040. Krumen, 546. Makololo, 331. Manganja, 355.
Mapuchés, 1194. Mpongwé, 524. Ovambo, 321. Shekiani, 521. Shillooks,
473. Tasmanians, 754. Tongans, 981. Wanyoro, 422.
GOZA’S
Portrait, 35. Young Warriors, 35. And his Wives, 75.
Grapple plant, 214.
Griquas, Africa, 274.
Guiana, So. America, 1221.
Guinea, New, Africa, 898.
H.
HAIR-DRESSING, mode of among
Abyssinians, 642-648. Ahts, 1355. Australians, 705. Balonda, 370.
Batoka, 348. Bornuese, 620. Brumer’s Islanders, 907. Chinese 1426.
Egbas, 590. Esquimaux, 1335. Fanti, 549. Fijians, 922, 925. Fuegians,
1162. Gallas, 671. Gani, queue, 430. Hovas, 690. Indians, Gran Chaco,
1212. Indians, N. A., 1273, 1274. Ishogos, 475. Japanese, 1450-1453.
Khonds, 1389. Krumen, 545. Mandans, 1274, 1275. Mapuchés, 1191.
Musguese, 639. Niuans, 1055. Nubians, 674. Papuans, 898. Samoans,
1014. Sandwich Islanders, 1085. Siamese, 1468. Soumaulis, 672.
Sowrahs, 1386. Tahitans, 1059. Zealanders, New, 814.
Hamoa, Navigator’s Island, 1008.
Hamran Arabs, Africa, 675.
Haraforas, New Guinea, 905.
Hara-kiri, Japan, 1461.
Harem of Kaffir, 76.
Hassaniyehs, Africa, 686.
HEAD-DRESSES of
Ahts, 1365. Fijians, waterproof, 926. Guianans, feather, 1255.
Indians, N. A., 1276. Ishogos, 475. Kaffir, 41. Mapuchés, 1191.
Marquesans, 1048. Samoans, 1013.
Head hunting, Dyaks, 1135.
Hebrides, New, Polynesia, 971.
Hervey Islands, Polynesia, 1032.
Hindoo’s, India, 1395.
HONESTY of the
Apono, 484. Ashira, 497. Australians, 695, 696. Barea, 668. Bayeye,
337. Bechuanas, 284, 285. Caledonians, New, 886. Esquimaux, 1351.
Indians, East, 1399, 1400. Krumen, 546. Latookas, 459. Makoba,
339. Makololo, 326. Outanatas, 902. Ovambos, 315. Samoans, 1008.
Shillooks, 473. Society Islanders, 1065. Tuaricks, 634.
Hopo, the elephant trap, 895.
HORSES of
Indians, N. A., 1296, 1297.
HORSEMANSHIP of
Araucanians, 1196. Camanchees, 1289, 1290. Crows, 1274. Hamran
Arabs, 676. Indians, Gran Chaco, 1212. Indians, North America, 1325.
Japanese, 1454, 1455. Patagonians, 1174.
HOSPITALITY of
Abyssinians, 655. Ajitas, 920. Apingi, 490. Batoka, 353. Esquimaux,
1351. Fuegians, 1171. Gani, 429. Ishogos, 480. Jakuts, 1379. Kaffir,
16. Makololo, 326. Manganja, 355. Maories, 827. Samoans, 1008. Shoas,
667. Shooas, 629. Tahitans, 1060. Tchuktchi, 1378. Wazaramo, 406.
Zealand, New, 826.
Hottentots, Africa, 217.
Hovas, Africa, 690.
Huili-chés, South America, 1190.
HUNTING among
Ahts, deer, 1355. Araucanians, 1198. Ashira, 502. Australians,
717-725. Badema, with nets, 367. Batoka, 353. Banyai, hippopotamus
and elephant, 362-365. Bayeye, 338. Bosjesmans, ostrich, 252-253.
Camma, 509. Dahomans, 571. Dinkas, 470. Dor, 444-446. Dyaks,
1131-1133. Esquimaux, seal, deer, fox, wolf, bear, 1338-1344. Fans,
elephant, gorilla, 533-542. Ghoorkas, 1396. Guianans, 1223-1270.
Hamran Arabs, elephant, lion, hippopotamus, buffalo, 675-677.
Hottentots, 231. Indians, North America, buffalo, 1293-1296. Indians,
Asia, elephant, deer, 1418. Kaffir, antelope, giraffe, elephant,
rhinoceros, lion, buffalo, 126-138. Kanemboos, 627. Makoba, 341.
Neam-Nam, elephant, 443. Ostiaks, 1384. Patagonians, 1178-1182.
Samoans, 1029. Samoïedes, 1383. Shooas, buffalo, elephant, 628.
Tasmanians, 753. Tungusi, 1379.
I.
Illinoans, Borneo, 1112.
India, Asia, 1395.
Indians, Gran Chaco, 1211.
Indians, North American, 1273.
INDUSTRY of
Bubes, 610. Congoese, 616. Dyaks, 1118. Fanti, 548. Guianans, 1222.
Manganja, 355. Ostiaks, 1384. Ovambo, 319. Watusi, 409. Zealanders,
New, 826.
Ingeletes, Alaska, N. A., 1374.
Ireland, New, Australasia, 969.
Ishogos, Africa, 475.
Isi-baya, of Kaffir, 66.
Isle of Pines Men, 887.
Issikoko, or head ring, Kaffir, 41.
J.
Japanese, Japan, 1449.
Jakuts, Siberia, Asia, 1379.
Jukahiri, Siberia, Asia, 1377.
K.
KAFFIR, AFRICA, 11.
Chivalry of, 42. Picturesque aspect of, 42. Perfume of, 42.
Gallantry, 55. Ostentation, 59. Harem, inmates, etc., 62. Dread of
death, 76. Law of inheritance, 78. Courtship, 79. Names, mode of
choosing, 88, 89. Boaster, fate of, 89. Love of Justice, 149. Love of
honey, 154. Fondness for tobacco, 166. Torture for bewitching, 185.
Sleeping accommodations, 206.
Kanemboos, Africa, 627.
Karague, 399.
KATCHIBA,
Chief of Obbo, 434. His family, 435. His character, 435. His palace,
435. Treatment of guests, 435.
Katema, the Balonda Chief, 376.
Kaveaks, Siberia, 1375.
Kingsmill Islanders, Polynesia, 1038.
Knob kerry of Kaffir, 106.
Kona’s Illness and its results, 185.
Kora, Africa, 269.
Korannas, Africa, 269.
Koraquas, Africa, 269.
Kraal of Kaffir, 54.
Krumen, Africa, 544.
Kytch, Africa, 436.
L.
LANGUAGE of
Ajitas, 921. Bosjesmans, “clicks,” 242. Fijians, court, 939.
Fuegians, 1171. Hottentots, “clicks,” 234. Ingeletes, 1375. Kaveaks,
1375. Malemutes, 1375. Mandingoes, 607. New Zealand, sacred, 857.
Siamese, 1471.
Lanterns, Chinese, 1430.
Lasso, Araucanians, 1197.
Lasso, North Am. Indians, 1296.
Latookas, Africa, 453.
LAWS, code of among
Abyssinians, 653. Alfoërs, 906. Australians, 747. In Britain, New,
969. Fiji, 935. Ireland, New, 969. Karague, 405. Makololo, 331.
Niuans, 1056. Samoans, 1016-1024. Siamese, 1471. Waganda, 410.
Zealanders, New, 798.
LEGENDS of
Apono, 488. Areois, 1080. Balonda, 379. Bubes, 610. Chinese, 1429.
Fanti, 549. Fijians, 934. Guianans, 1264-1267. Indians, N. A., 1313.
Kaffirs, 141, 169. Mandans, 1301. Maories, 858. Namaquas, 276. New
Zealanders, 829. Niuans, 1052. Society Islanders, 1065.
LIFE, human, value of, among
Bechuanas, 285. Dahomans, 567, 579. Fans, 539. Tenacity of among
Hottentots, 240. Waganda, 413.
Lloyd’s account of Australians, 789.
M.
Macoushies, Guiana, S. A., 1221.
Madagascar, Africa, 690.
Madi, Africa, 430.
Mah-to-toh-pa, exploits of, 1286, 1287.
Makoba, Africa, 339.
Makololo, Africa, 324.
Malagasy, Africa, 690.
Malays, Malaisia, 920.
Malemutes, Alaska, N. A., 1374.
Malicolo, New Hebrides, 975.
Mandans, N. America, 1301.
Mandingoes, Africa, 607.
Manenko in command, Balondo, 375.
Manganjas, Africa, 355.
Mantatees, Africa, 286.
Mantchu Tartars, Tartary, 1422.
MANUFACTURES, skill in among
Ahts, 1355. Apingi, 489. Araucanians, 1205. Arawaks, 1233-1235.
Australians, 726. Banyai, 366, 367. Bechuanas, 280-283. Djour, 451.
Dyaks, 1151-1156. Esquimaux, 1349. Fans, 532. Fijians, 929-931.
Guinea, New, 914. Hervey Islanders, 1033. Hottentots, 226, 228.
Kaffirs, 45-47, 95-99, 148-154, 206-212. Latookas, 455. Macoushies,
1221. Maories, 880. Mpongwé, 528. Samoans, 1015. Shir, 462. Swiss
Lake-dwellers, 1474. Tongans, 977.
Maories, New Zealand, 824.
Mapuchés, So. America, 1190.
Mara-chés, So. America, 1190.
Marksmen of Arawaks, 1235.
Marquesas Islands, 1044.
MARRIAGE among
Abyssinians, 658. Ajitas, 921. Alfoërs, 906. Andamaners, 888, 892.
Angolese, 382. Apingi, 489. Araucanians, abduction of bride, 1199,
1200. Arawaks, 1247. Australians, 755. Banyai, 362. Bornuese, 626.
Bosjesmans, 244. Bubés, 613. Dahomans, 586. Damaras, 313. Dory,
917. Dyaks, 1137-1141. Esquimaux, 1349. Fans, 536. Fijians, 955.
The Fijian bride, 956. Among Ghoorkas, carrying off bride, 1394.
Hassaniyeh, 686. Hottentots, 233. Indians, N. A., 1316. Ingeletes,
1375. Kaffirs, bridegroom on approval, 77-87. In Karague, 402.
Among Krumen, earning wives, 546, 547. Kytch, 439. Makololo, 328.
Mandingoes, 608. Namaquas, 277. Obongos, 482. Ostiaks, 1385. Ovambos,
322. Patagonians, 1183. Samoans, 1031. Samoïedes, 1383. Sowrahs,
1386. Tungusi, 1380. Waganda, 413, 414. Zealanders, New, 818.
Marshall Islanders, 1100.
Mbondemo, Africa, 521.
Mbicho, Africa, 521.
Mbousha, Africa, 521.
Medicine, see Treatment of Sick.
Medicine bag, N. A. Indians, 1308.
MEDICINE MEN, of
Ahts, 1371. N. A. Indians, 1307-1309. Kaffirs, 17.
Mendana Islands, 1044.
Mexico, North America, 1271.
Minatarees, North America, 1274.
Mincopie girls, 895.
Mincopies, Andaman Islands, 889.
Mirage, notions of Hassaniyeh, 688.
Mirror Ink of Hassaniyeh, 689.
Mnande’s burial, 202.
Moheenda, Africa, 399.
Mongolians, Asia, 1422.
Monkey Men, New Guinea, 900.
MOURNING among
Abyssinians, 659. Australians, 772. Australians, widow’s cap, 777.
Bakalai, “keen,” 495. Camma, 520. Damaras, 314. Dyaks, 1160.
Esquimaux, 1351. Fijians, 967. Flat-heads, mourning cradle, 1320.
Indians, N. A., 1329. Mpongwé, 524. New Zealand, tangi, 869.
Mpongwé, Africa, 524.
Muchlahts, Vancouver’s Island, 1354.
Mumbo Jumbo, of Bonny, 603.
Mundurucús, S. America, 1215.
Musguese, Africa, 639.
MUSIC of
Balonda, 375. Bosjesman, 263-265. Chinese, 1446. Damaras, 313.
Kaffirs, 208. Korannas, 273.
MUSICAL Instruments of
Abyssinians, 660. Balonda, 375. Batoka, 353. Bechuanas, 297.
Bosjesmans, goura, guitar, drum, 264-265. Camma, 509. Chinese,
1445. Dor, 448. Dory, 917. Esquimaux, 1351. Fans, 540. Guianans,
1264. Indians, N. A., 1330. Kaffirs, 55, 208-211. In Karague, 405.
Among Latookas, 459-460. Madi, 433. Malagasy, 693. Shillooks, 474.
Tahitans, 1062. Zealanders, New, 822.
N.
Namaquas, Africa, 274.
NAMES among
Araucanians, exchanging of, 1209. Bosjesmans, 244. Kaffirs, mode of
choosing, 88, praise and birth, 89. Krumen, 546. Maganjas, changing,
360. New Zealanders, signification of, and changing, 817.
Neam-Nam, Africa, 440.
Necklace, talismanic, Kaffir, 199.
Negritos, Philippine Islands, 920.
New Britain, Australasia, 969.
New Caledonia, Australasia, 883.
New Guinea, Africa, 898.
New Hebrides, Polynesia, 971.
New Ireland, Australasia, 969.
New Zealand, Australasia, 792.
Nga-te-kahuhuna, New Zealand, 796.
Nicobarians, Nicobar Islands, 896.
Niué, Polynesia, 1052.
North American Indians, 1273.
Nubia, Africa, 673.
Nuehr tribe, Africa, 468.
O.
Obbo, Africa, 434.
Obongos, Africa, 482.
Oerlams, Africa, 274.
Ohyahts, Vancouver’s Island, 1354.
Ojibbeways, North America, 1329.
Omens, see Superstitions.
ORDEALS of the
Angolese, 382. Ashira, the ring, 502. Batoka, 353. Bechuanas, boys,
292, for girls, 295. Camma, drinking m’boundou, 515. Caribs, 1240.
Conguese, drinking poison, 615. Dacotahs, medicine men, 1307. Dyaks,
diving, 1159, boiling water, 1159, salt, 1159, snails, 1159. Mandans,
on reaching manhood, 1301, suspension, 1303, last race, 1304.
Mundurucús, of gloves, 1216.
Order of the Scar, Bechuanas, 289.
ORNAMENTS of
Abyssinians, 646, 647. Admiralty Islanders, 970. Ahts, lip,
1355. Araucanians, 1197. Ashango, 481. Ashanti, 555. Australians,
dibbi-dibbi nose-bone, turtle scar, 703, 704. Balonda, 373. Bayeye,
339. Bechuanas, 284. Bedouins, 683. Bornabi, 1103. Bosjesmans, 249.
Caledonians, New, 883. Co-yukons, nose, 1375. Damaras, 306. Dinkas,
470. Djibba, scalp-lock, 467. Djour, 451. Dor, lip, 447. Dyaks,
earrings, etc., 1111-1117. Egbas, 591. Fanti, 549. Fijians, 926.
Fuegians, 1165. Gani, 430. Ghoorkas, 1399. Hebrides, New, 972. Hervey
Islanders, 1033. Hottentots, 225. Indians, N. A., wampum, 1280, 1329.
Isle of Pines Men, 887. Japanese, hair-pins, 1453. Kaffirs, 33-55,
198. Kanemboos, 627. Kaveak, 1374. Khonds, 1389. Latookas, lips, 453,
454. Madi, 433. Makololo, 327. Malemutes, to-took, 1374. Manganjas,
356. Mapuchés, breast-pin, 1191. Marquesans, 1048. Mpongwé, 524.
Musguese, lip, 639. Namaquas, 275. Neam-Nam, 442. Nubians, 674.
Nuehr, 468. Obbo, 434. Outanatas, 901. Ovambos, 316. Pelew Islanders,
bone bracelet, 1104. Romanzoff Islanders, 1100. Sandwich Islanders,
1082. Shillooks, 472. Shir, 462. Solomon Islanders, 969. Sowrahs,
necklaces, 1386. Swiss Lake-dwellers, 1474. Tongans, whales’ teeth,
978. Tungusi, 1379. Vaté Islanders, 972. Wagogo, 385. Wanyamuezi,
“sambo” rings, 386. Watusi, 409. Wazaramo, 406. Zealanders, New, 813,
814.
Ostiaks, Siberia, Asia, 1384.
Otaheitans, Society Islands, 1058.
Outanatas, New Guinea, 900.
Ovaherero, Africa, 315.
Ovambos, Africa, 315.
Ovampos, Africa, 315.
Ovaquangari, Africa, 320.
Ovat-jumba, Africa, 305.
Oyos, Africa, 566.
Ox of the girl, Kaffirs, 86.
Ox of the surplus, Kaffirs, 86.
P.
PAIN, indifference to of the
Bosjesmans, 250. Damaras, 306. Guianans, 1254.
Panda, song in honor of, 89.
Papuans, New Guinea, 898.
Pasuen, Africa, 529.
Patagonians, South America, 1172.
Patagonians, life among, 1184.
Pehuen-chés, So. America, 1190.
Pelele, or lip ring, Manganjas, 359.
Pelew Islands, 1104.
PENALTIES or PUNISHMENTS among
Caribs, 1241. Chinese, cangue, 1436, finger-squeezing, 1436,
beating with bamboo, 1436, strangulation, 1439, crucifixion, 1439,
decapitation, 1440, cutting into pieces, 1440, sawn asunder, 1440.
Japanese, crucifixion, 1461, hara-kiri, 1461. Patagonians, 1186.
Niuans, 1056. Samoans, beating in sacks, 1023. Siamese, 1471.
PIPES of
Australians, 701. Bosjesmans, 244. Chinese, 1442. Co-yukons, 1377.
Crees, calumet, 1313. Japanese, 1462. Kaffirs, 163-166. Malemutes,
1370. See Smoking.
POISON
upon arrows of Ajitas, 920. Araucanians, 1229-1236. Bosjesmans, 260.
Mundurucús, 1234. In wells, Bosjesmans, 261. Drank by Mr. Moffat,
261, grub, the N’gwa, 258, hyarri, Mundurucús, 1234, upas, Dyaks,
1120, wourali, 1228.
Poison grub, the N’gwa, 258. Wourali, 1228.
POLITENESS of
Batokas, 350. Bedouins, 683. In Karague, 399. Of Tchuktchi, 1378.
Watusi, 409.
POLYGAMY among
Australians, 755. Bornuese, 626. Egbas, 593. Fijians, 935. Guianans,
1246, 1247. Hottentots, 233. Ingeletes, 1375. Kaffirs, 75, 76.
Makololo, 328. Niuans, 1056. Shillooks, 473. Tchuktchi, 1378.
Ponda, Africa, 12.
Porcelain, Japanese, 1465.
Pritchard’s adventure with wild boar, 1029.
Prophetess, Kaffir, 189.
PROPHETS, among
Kaffirs, 175-180, 186-189, 195. Preparation of, 176. Consultation of,
180. Curing sickness, Bechuanas, 292. False, 190.
R.
RACES, causes of, and reflections upon decay and extinction of
Australians, 790, 791. Esquimaux, 1353. New Zealanders, 880. N. Am.
Indians, 1331, 1332.
RAIN-MAKING among
Kaffirs, 126, 192-194. Namaquas, 277.
Rangitani, New Zealand, 796.
RANK, distinction of among
Bosjesmans, 244. Japanese, 1459. Pelew Islanders, 1104. Tahitans,
1061.
RELIGION of
Abyssinians, 660-664. Ahts, 1370. Ajitas, 921. Angolese, 332.
Apingi, 490. Apono, 488. Araucanians, 1209. Ashangos, 481. Ashanti,
559. Ashira, 501. Australians, 778. Bakalai, 494. Balonda, 379.
Banyai, 367. Batokas, 353. Bechaunas, 291. Bedouins, 685. Britain,
New, 970. Bornuese, 625. Cammas, 510. Congoese, 615. Dahomans, 562,
586. Damaras, 314. Dyaks, 1110, 1157. Egbas, 594. Esquimaux, 1349.
Fans, 539. Fanti, 550. Fijians, 960-964. Fuegians, 1171. Guianans,
1263. Hervey Islanders, 1037. Hottentots, 234. Indians, East, 1407.
Indians, N. A., 1301, 1313. Ireland, New, 970. Kaffirs, 169-171.
Krumen, 547. Malagasy, 693. Mandingoes, 607. Manganjas, 360. Maories,
856-858. Namaquas, 276. Ovambos, 322. Patagonians, 1186. Pelew
Islanders, 1108. Samoïedes, 1381. Sandwich Islanders, 1096. Siamese,
1471. Society Islanders, 1064-1071. Tongans, 1004. Tungusi, 1380.
Waganda, 420. Wanyamuezi, 395. Wanyoro, 427. Wazaramo, 406.
Rewards, honorary, Chinese, 1441.
Riccarees, N. America, 1319.
Rob Roy, a Kaffir, 69.
Romanzoff Island, 1100.
S.
SACRIFICES among
Araucanians, 1209. Ashanti, instruments of, 559. Co-yukons, 1376.
Dahomans, 578-582. In India, suttee, 1407-1410, sacred noose, 1411,
juggernaut, 1411, drowning in Ganges, 1413, beasts substituted for
human, 1413. Indians, N. A., 1309, 1314. Kaffirs, animal, 171, 172.
Khonds, “meriah,” 1389-1392. Samoïedes, 1382. Society Islanders,
1074. Sowrahs, 1389. Tahitans, 1075. Tongans, 997-1001. Waganda, 420.
Sacs, N. America, 1323.
SALUTATION, mode of, among
Ashira, 498. Balonda, 373. Brumer’s Islanders, 907. Egbas, 591.
Esquimaux, 1349. Gani, 429. Hassaniyeh, 686. In Karague, 399. Among
Makololo, 326. Manganjas, 356. Nuehr, 469. Ovambo, 322. Wanyamuezi,
389. Watusi, 409. Zealanders, New, 823.
Samoans, Polynesia, 1008.
Samoïedes, Siberia, 1381.
San Christoval, Solomon Islands, 970.
Sandal wood, Aneiteum, 975.
Sandwich Islands, 1081.
Saqua, Africa, 251.
Savage Island, 1052.
Scalping, mode of, 1285, 1286.
Sea Dyaks, Borneo, 1110.
Sechuanas, Africa, 280.
Senecas, N. America, 1288.
Shekiani, Africa, 521.
Shields of Kaffirs, 108.
Shillooks, Africa, 472.
Shir, Africa, 461.
Shoas, Africa, 667.
Shooas, Africa, 628.
Siam, Asia, 1467.
SICK, treatment of among
Angolese, 381. Araucanians, 1205. Ashira, 501. Australians, 769-771.
Damaras, 205. Hottentots, 233-240. Kaffirs, 183, 184, 190. Korannas,
274. Makoba, 347. Makololo, 336. Maories, 862. Mundurucús, 1219.
Namaquas, 277. Patagonians, 1184. Tongans, 997. Tuaricks, 634.
Sickness, theory of, Angolese, 382.
Silks of Japanese, 1466.
Singing, see Amusements.
Sioux, N. America, 1274.
SLAVERY among
Ashira, 501. Dory, 914. Gallas, 671. Malagasy, 693. Musguese, 639.
Zealanders, New, 797.
Sledges, of Esquimaux, 1345.
Sleep, power of, Hottentot, 233.
SMOKING among
Ahts, 1370. Ashira, 501. Australians, 701. Batokas, 350. Bayeye,
hemp, 339. Bosjesmans, 244, 262. Chinese, opium, 1441. Crees,
calumet, 1313. Damaras, hemp or dagha, 165. Dor, “bark quids,” 452.
Djours, 452. Indians, N. A., 1313. Japanese, 1462. Kaffirs, 163-166.
Makololo, 336. Mundurucús, “enchanted” cigars, 1219. Patagonians,
1183. Tchutkchi, 1377. Wanyamuezi, 393.
“Smoking horses,” Indians, 1290.
Snake Worship, Dahomans, 565.
Snake cooking and eating, Australians, 717.
Snake charming, India, 1416.
Snow-shoes of N. A. Indians, 1294, 1295.
Snuff boxes, Kaffir, 161.
Snuff taking, Kaffir, 159.
Society Islands, 1057.
Solomon Islands, 968.
SONGS,
Esquimaux, amna-aya, 1349. Kaffir, war, 90, 147, 208. Makanna’s
gathering, 197. New Zealand, canoe, 853. New Zealand, tattoo, 802.
See Amusements.
Soumaulis, Abyssinia, 671.
Sowrahs, India, 1385.
STRENGTH of
Dyaks, 1115. Esquimaux, 1334. Fuegians, 1166. Waraus, 1261.
SUCCESSION, law of, among
Angolese, 380. Arawaks, 1247. Ashanti, 556. Fijians, 935. Indians, N.
A., 1275. In Karague, 400. Among Ovambos, 322. Waganda, 416.
SUPERSTITION among
Ahts, 1372. Angolese, 382. Apingi, 490. Arabs, 687-689. Araucanians,
1205. Ashangos, 481. Ashira, 502. Australians, 745, 778-783. Bakalai,
493. Banyai, 366. Bedouins, 685. Bonny, 604. Camma, 510-515. Caribs,
1241. Damaras, 314. Dyaks, 1131, 1157-1159. Egbas, 594. Esquimaux,
1350. Fans, 539. Fanti, 550. Fijians, 960-965. Guianans, 1264.
Kaffirs, 88, 172, 190, 191. Makoba, 346. Malagasy, 693. Mandingoes,
609. Maories, 856-858, 864. Pelew Islanders, 1108. Samoïedes, 1383.
Shekiani, 523. Society Islanders, 1079, 1080. Tahitans, 1058.
Tongans, 1007. Waganda, 419. Wanyamuezi, 395. Wanyoro, 427. Wazaramo,
406.
Swazi, Africa, 12.
SWIMMING among
Alfoërs, 911. Bosjesmans, 255. Indians, North America, 1330.
Marquesans, 1051. Sandwich Islanders, 1086, 1087, 1092. Tongans, 1006.
Swiss Lake-dwellers, 1473.
T.
Taboo of Banyai, 367.
Taboo, see Tapu.
Tahitans, Society Islands, 1058.
Tanna Island, New Hebrides, 972.
Taranakis, New Zealand, 850.
Tapu of Maories, 863-868.
Tartars, Mantchu, Asia, 1422.
Tasmanians, Van Dieman’s Land, 753.
TATTOOING among
Abyssinians, 648. Apingi, 489. Arawaks, 1222. Australians, 704.
Bedouins, 683. Bornabi, 1103. Bornuese, 620. Brumer’s Islanders,
907. Dahomans, 589 Dyaks, 1111, 1117. Egbas, 591. Esquimaux, 1334.
Fans, 530. Fijians, 926. In Guinea, New, 911. Among Japanese,
1450. Kingsmill Islanders, 1038. Manganjas, 359. Marquesans, 1044.
Mundurucús, 1215. Niuans, 1055. Pelew Islanders, 1104. Romanzoff
Islanders, 1100. Samoans, 1010-1013. Sandwich Islanders, 1085.
Soumaulis, 672. Tahitans, 1059. Wanyamuezi, 389. Watusi, 409.
Zealanders, New, 800, 806.
Tchaka, suspected of death of mother, 124.
Tchaka’s vision, Kaffir chief, 170.
Tchaka at funeral of mother, 202.
Tchuktchi, Siberia, 1377.
Tea of Chinese, 1432.
Tea houses, Japanese, 1464.
Te Ohie, a native priest, 857.
Theatres of Japanese, 1463.
Thieves of Ghoorkas, 1399, 1400.
Thugs of India, 1410.
Tibboos, Africa, 630.
Tigre, Africa, 667.
Tikis, New Zealand, 861.
TOBACCO among
Kaffirs, 159-162, 166. Mundurucús, snuff, paricu, 1220. New
Zealanders, 850.
Tools, see Manufactures.
Tongans, Polynesia, 976.
Toquahts, Vancouver’s Island, 1354.
TORTURE, modes of among
Chinese, 1436. Hindoos, 1414. N. A. Indians, 1288.
TRAINING by East Indians of
Antelopes, 1420, elephants, 1418, falcons, 1416, stags, 1420.
TRANSMIGRATION, belief in by
Australians, 780. Makoba, 346. Shekiani, 523.
TRAVELLING, mode of,
Japan, 1455-1456.
TREES of
Africa, thorns, 213, grapple plant, 214, wait-a-bit, hook and prick,
and monkey ropes, 215. Aneiteum, sandal wood, 975. Australia, grass,
726. Borneo, nipa palm, 1150, Upas, Borneo, 1120. Guiana, ita palm,
1268. Hova, travellers, 693. Tierra del Fuego, Antarctic beech, 1167.
Tuaricks, Africa, 634.
Tungusi, Siberia, Asia, 1379.
U.
Uzaramo, Africa, 406.
Uzinto, adventures of, 80.
V.
Vancouver’s Island, N. A., 1354.
Vaté, New Hebrides, 972.
W.
Waganda, Africa, 410.
Wagogo, Africa, 384.
Wahuma, Africa, 399.
Waikatos, New Zealand, 850.
Wanganja, Africa, 355.
Wanyambo, Africa, 399.
Wanyamuezi, Africa, 386.
Wanyoro, Africa, 422.
War, see sacrifice, Songs, Warfare.
Waraus, Guiana, S. A., 1222.
WARFARE among
Araucanians, 1199. Ashangos, 480. Australians, 744, 745. Balonda,
378. Barea, 671. Bari, 462. Batoka, 354. Bechuanas, 289. Bedouins,
681, 684. Begharmis, 635. Bornuese, 622. Bosjesmans, 254.
Caledonians, New, 885. Camma, 506. Caribs, 1239, 1242. Chinese, 1433.
Congoese, 615. Dahomans, 567. Dinkas, 469. Djibbas, 467. Dor, 445.
Dory, 914. Dyaks, 1119, 1131-1135. Egbas, 593. Fans, 531. Fijians,
952, 953. Fuegians, 1165. Gallas, 671. Ghoorkas, 1396. Hervey
Islanders, 1034. Hottentots, 239. Illinoans, 1112. Indians, Gran
Chaco, 1213. Indians, N. A., 1281. Kaffirs, 19, 92, 113-125, 196-198.
Kingsmill Islanders, 1039. Latookas, 455, 456. Mantchu Tartars,
1422, 1423. Maories, 838, 846-850. Marquesans, 1050. Musguese,
640. Neam-Nam, 443. Nubians, 674. Pelew Islanders, 1107. Samoans,
1016-1020. Sandwich Islanders, 1091. Society Islanders, 1073.
Soumaulis, 671. Tibboos, 633. Tongans, 984, 985. Waganda, 414, 415.
Wagogo, 385. Wazaramo, 406. See Dances.
Waterton’s story of Arawaks, 1230.
Wasagara, Africa, 407.
Watusi, Africa, 408.
Watuta tribes, Africa, 402.
Wazaramo, Africa, 406.
WEAPONS of
Abyssinians, 646-647. Ahts, 1355. Ajitas, 920. Andamaners, 889.
Apono, 487. Araucanians, bolas, 1197. Ashangos, 480. Ashanti,
556. Australians, throw stick, kangaroo rat, boomerang, 719-724,
728-743. Balonda, 378. Banyai, axe, 366. Bari, 464. Bechuanas, 289.
Bedouins, 681. Begharmis, 635. Bornuese, 623. Bosjesmans, 257, 261.
Bouka, 971. Britain, New, 970. Caledonians, New, 884. Chinese,
jingall, cross-bow, 1433-1436. Congoese, 615. Dahomans, 561, 571.
Damaras, 312. Dinkas, 469. Djibbas, 464. Dor, 444. Dyaks, sumpitan,
or blowgun, parang-ihlang, kris, 1119-1131. Esquimaux, harpoon,
1339. Fans, 531. Fijians, 948-952. Fuegians, 1165. Ghoorkas,
kookery, 1395. Guianans, 1223-1236. Guinea, New, 913. Hamran Arabs,
675. Hebrides, New, 972. Hervey Islanders, 1034. Hottentots, 232.
Illinoans, 1112. Indians, East, 1400-1406. Indians, Gran Chaco,
armor, 1212. Indians, N. A., tomahawk, 1282. Ireland, New, 970.
Ishogos, 476. Japanese, sword, 1459. Kaffirs, 93, 94, 100-113.
Karague, 399. Khonds, axe, 1392. Kingsmill Islanders, 1039. Latookas,
453. Madi, 433. Mantchu Tartars, bows, 1423. Maories, 838-844.
Marquesans, 1050. Mincopies, bow, 890. Musguese, 639. Neam-Nam,
443. Nicobarians, 896. Niuans, 1055. Nubians, peculiar sword, 673.
Outanatas, 901. Ovambos, 319. Papuans, 900. Patagonians, bolas,
1174-1178. Pelew Islanders, 1107. Samoans, 1019. Sandwich Islands,
1088. Shekiani, 521. Shir, 461. Society Islanders, 1073. Soumaulis,
671. Sowrahs, 1386. Swiss Lake-dwellers, 1474. Tibboos, 633. Vaté,
972. Waraus, 1269.
Wedding, see Dances, Marriage.
Weezees, Africa, 386.
Western Islands, 1100.
WITCHCRAFT among
Araucanians, 1206. Ashanti, 560. Bakalai, 493. Camma, 515-520.
Caribs, 1241. Esquimaux, 1350. Fans, 539. Kaffirs, 184, 188. Maories,
861. Shekiani, 522. Waganda, 410. Wanyamuezi, 395.
WOMEN, condition of among
Angolese, 381. Ashira, 496. Australians, 695, 756. Banyai, 362.
Bonny, 603. Brumer’s Islanders, 908. Congoese, 616. Dahomans, 589.
Damaras, singular caps of married, 313. Dyaks, 1118. Fijians, 956.
Gani, 430. Guianans, 1246. Indians, Gran Chaco, 1214. Indians,
North America, 1319. Isle of Pines Men, 887. Kaffirs, 24-27, 90. In
Karague, 402. Among Latookas, 455. Makololo, 327. Musguese, 639.
Ostiaks, 1385. Patagonians, 1186. Samoans, 1014. Samoïedes, 1383.
Sandwich Islanders, 1082-1086. Shooas, 630. Tahitans, 1058. Tongans,
983. Waganda, 413. Wanyoro, 426. Wanyoro, fattening of, 426.
Z.
Zealanders, New, Australasia, 792.
Zingian Tribes, Africa, 12.
Zulus, Africa, 12.
Transcriber’s Notes
Unless listed under Changes below, the language used in this e-book
is that of the source document, including inconsistencies, archaic
and unusual spelling and hyphenation, pejorative and offensive terms,
etc. Non-English names, words and phrases in particular are not
always spelled correctly or consistently. Factual errors have not
been corrected.
The differences in wording between the Table of Contents and the
chapter headings in the text have not been standardised. The same
applies to the List of Illustrations and the illustration captions
in the text. The order of illustrations in the List of Illustrations
is not always the same as the order in which they are presented in
the book. What appear as major divisions in the Table of Contents are
part of the chapter titles in the text. The original work contains a
Table of Contents per Volume, the List of Illustrations in Volume I,
and the Index in Volume II; for ease of reference, all of these have
been included in both volumes.
The differences in structure and wording between the Table of
Contents and the chapter headings in the text have been retained.
Auto-generated Tables of Contents may therefore differ from the
original one. The same applies to the List of Illustrations and the
illustration captions in the text. The order of illustrations in the
List of Illustrations is not always the same as the order in which
they are presented in the book.
Depending on the hard- and software used to read this text and their
settings, not all elements may display as intended.
Page 814, ... shown at figs. 4 and 5, ...: there is no fig. 5 in the
illustration.
Page 839, ... lowly and laboriously ground into shape ...: possibly
an error for ... slowly and laboriously ground into shape ....
Page 840, ... fig. 1 of the illustration “Merais,” ... and similar
figure numbers: the illustration has no numbered figures.
Page 951, paragraph starting Fig. 3 is a club, ...: reference letters
a and b are not present in the illustration.
Page 966, Convulsion strongly on the part of the poor creature ...:
the source for this quote (Williams’s and Calvert’s book) reads:
Convulsive struggles on the part of the poor creature ....
Page 993, ... the right that has just been concluded ...: possibly an
error for ... the rite that has just been concluded ....
Page 1030, ... the annelid called the Palolo (Palolo viridis):
possibly an error for Palola viridis.
Page 1040, reference to figs. _a_ and _b_: the reference letters are
not present in the illustration.
Page 1050, bèche-demer: bêche-de-mer, sea cucumber.
Page 1131, If the reader will look at figure 2 ...: there are no
reference numbers in the illustration.
Page 1204, “There was much shouting and shuffling, ...: the closing
quote mark is lacking.
Page 1295: ... call the “bimikibison,” ... changed to ... called the
“bimikibison,” ....
Page 1355, ... some of which are shown in the illustrations on page
1357 ...: there is but a single bow in the illustrations.
Page 1369, ... stout posts about twelve feet in diameter ...: as
printed in the source document; possibly an error for twelve inches.
Page 1371, “Before the prodigy finally retires ...: the closing quote
mark is lacking.
Page 1401, ... but smaller in principle: possibly an error for ...
but similar in principle. The specimen which is shown in Fig. 1
of the illustration: there is no Fig. 1 in the illustration; the
description refers to the left hand bow.
Page 1402, Fig. 2 of the illustration: there is no Fig. 2 in the
illustration; the description refers to the right hand bow.
Page 1407: ... which has been subject to British dominion ... changed
to ... which have been subject to British dominion ....
Page 1475, ... except one is fortunate enough ...: as printed in the
source document.
Page 1508, “Several days elapsed ...: the closing quote mark is
lacking.
Page 1517, “Their powers of endurance ...: the closing quote mark is
lacking.
Page 1523, “The objects of worship are the nats ...: the closing
quote mark is lacking.
Changes
Illustrations amd (foot)notes have been moved out of text paragraphs.
Index, illustration captions, table of contents, list of
illustrations and lists of subjects per chapter: some entries have
been corrected slightly to conform to the spelling in the main text.
Some minor obvious formatting, typographical and punctuation errors
and misprints have been corrected silently. Some superfluous repeated
words have been deleted.
Indented text under illustrations has been transcribed from the
illustration for the sake of legibility, and does not occur as text
in the source document.
McGillivray, M’Gillivray and M‘Gillivray have been standardised to
M’Gillivray; guacho and gaucho to gaucho
Page 828: E Toki changed to E’ Toki.
Page 838: Chapter title NEW ZEALAND--_Continued._ inserted.
Page 870: ... at the pah of Hurewenua ... changed to ... at the pah
of Huriwenua ...
Page 881: Number (3.) inserted.
Page 932: ... refer to illustration No. 1, on the 924th page ...
changed to ... refer to illustration No. 2, on the 924th page ....
Page 949: Number (3.) inserted.
Page 1055: closing double quote mark inserted after ... a loud and
hideous howl.
Page 1082: Gualtheria changed to Gaultheria.
Page 1129: (4.) BORNESE SHIELD changed to (2.) BORNESE SHIELD as
referred to in text.
Page 1160: opening double quote marks inserted before Unfortunate
moment!
Page 1193: closing double quote marks inserted after Hué!
Page 1204: closing double quote mark inserted after their ... own
national game of Pelican.
Page 1255: WEATHER HEADDRESSES changed to FEATHER HEADDRESSES.
Page 1264: maraka changed to marakka as elsewhere.
Page 1333: Chapter heading CHAPTER CXL. inserted.
Page 1377: closing double quote mark inserted after ... over the
naked tundras.
Page 1391: closing single quote mark inserted after ... we shall
perform your obsequies.
Page 1402: ... Fig. 2 of illustration 0, on page 000 ... changed to
... Fig. 2 of the illustration, on page 1394.
Page 1459: ... a heavy, two-handled weapon ... changed to ... a
heavy, two-handed weapon ....
Page 1513: closing double quote mark inserted after ... as the
masters or we could bear.
Page 1518: closing double quote mark inserted after ... the 200,000
residents of Zanzibar.
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