19023 *The Kava Ceremony 



talking-man, who presents it to the king, saying how 

 great he is, how far his reputation extends, how it 

 strikes terror to his enemies, how the people love him 

 and hope he may live forever, and so forth and so on. 

 The next draught is now presented to the most dis- 

 tinguished visitor, whose varied merits the talking- 

 man explains by way of commending him to royal 

 favor. The guest then receives a kava name which he 

 carries for life as a notable honor. Stevenson's, as the 

 world knows, was Tusitala, "the story-teller," from 

 tusi, "lengthwise," and tala, "talking" - that is, one 

 who talks at length, or tells stories. My own kava 

 name, so Mr. Gurr informed me, is Talinoa i Faiva, 

 "one who tells fish stories"! 



At the time of our visit, Mata'afa, always the 

 choice of the people, was recognized chief of Upolu. 

 But many heated squabbles had preceded his official 

 confirmation by the German government. During 

 this period a legal verdict adverse to Mata'afa was 

 rendered by Mr. Hetherington-Carruthers, an edu- 

 cated English barrister long resident - - from choice, 

 not necessity - - on the hill near Vailima. Upon 

 learning of the decision, his native neighbors said: 

 "If this is Law, we will get rid of it." They then 

 sacked Carruthers' library and scattered loose leaves 

 torn from the law books all along the road down to the 

 the beach. 



The coco plantations on Upolu were largely owned 

 by Germans resident in Sydney, the properties being 

 worked by a few hundred negroids from the Solomon 

 Islands, little black imps caught by strategy and held 

 frankly as slaves. Samoans, I may explain, do not 

 take kindly to steady labor. For this there are per- 



il 109 3 



nam " 



