204 ORNAMENTS AND OCCUPATIONS. [1839. 



covered with the ornaments ; but the females have only a 

 few lines around their hands,, arms, and legs. The young 

 women in the heathen villages also paint a spot on each 

 breast, from the size of a dollar to that of a small plate, of a 

 reddish brown color. 



In the christian towns the hair is shaven close, but among 

 the heathen it is suffered to grow, and gathered in a knot at 

 the back of the head, which adds very much to their wild 

 and ferocious appearance. 



Having few wants, the Samoan has few cares. A house, 

 a taro and yam patch, a visiting canoe, a half dozen pigs, 

 several bread-fruit and cocoa-nut trees, and a neat, well-form- 

 ed woman, for a wife, will satisfy the ambition of any man. 

 But though all these are easily acquired, the converted Sa- 

 moan is not improvident, though eating, bathing, sleeping, and 

 dancing, are the chief employments and occupations of his 

 heathen neighbor. In the christian villages the men assist 

 in cooking, cultivate and weed their taro and yam patches, 

 repair their fences, build houses and canoes, and make sennit 

 The women do the light household work, beat tapa, and 

 weave mats and other similar articles. The boys and girls 

 in a family either wait upon their parents, or spend their 

 time in playing. Both young and old occupy a gnat many 

 of their leisure hours in reading and study, of whieli they are 

 very fond; and there are now between ten and twelve thou- 

 sand persons in the group who can read with great facility. 



Fishing and bird-catching are favorite amusements of all 

 classes; and it is needless to say that a great deal of skill 

 and expertness is exhibited in their prosecution. Of boxing 

 and wrestling they were likewise once fond, but these sports 

 are much less common now. Singing and dancing are not 

 so much in vogue as formerly, except in the heathen (owns. 

 The chief dance is called siva ; it is lascivious and ungrace- 

 ful, and the christian girl cannot easily be induced to exhibit 

 in it. This dance consists in throwing the Legs, arms, and 

 bodies, into divers graceless and wanton postures; and is per- 

 formed at the f ale-teles in the sn towns, by the native 



