334 A NATURALIST ON THE "CHALLENGER 



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ordinate to the vocal and very simple, being represented at Fiji, 

 as described, by the single small wooden drums and the bamboos. 

 The orchestra, continuing its performance in short intervals in 

 the dancing, and commencing somewhat before the first figures, 

 in order to allow the dancers to be ready to take up the measure, 

 as was the case at Nakello, comes at length to perform solos ; and 

 hence the origin of music apart from dancing. The gradual com- 

 plication of the music and improvement and multiplication of 

 instruments follows, until vocal and instrumental music change 

 places in importance and become also at length separated from 



one another. 



The dances being descriptive of victorious battles and such 

 exploits, the chants, at first mere musical sounds and war-cries, 

 become short descriptions of the fight, or praises of the warriors, 

 and hence the origin of poetry. I could get no explanation of the 

 meaning of the chants used at Nakello ; as far as I could gather, 

 they were without meaning, mere convenient sounds ; but Fijian 

 songs do exist, for Joe, our pilot, sang part of one one day and 

 explained that it related to the superiority of the Mbau men to 

 the Eewa men. 



The origin of the drama is clearly seen in the stepping 

 forward of the leader of the dance, as described, and dramatic 

 enunciation by him of a short speech. A further step was to 

 be seen in one of the other dances, when the leader, before his 

 troop came on to the ground, rushed forward brandishing two 

 spears in his hands, and gave a short harangue descriptive of 

 what he was going to do. 



The separation of the dancers in the Fan Dance into two 

 parties, performing alternately and responsively, is also interest- 

 ing and brought the Greek chorus and drama into one's 

 thoughts. It was of course not necessary to have recourse to 

 Fiji in order to trace the origin of dancing, music, and the 

 drama. This has been done fully long ago. But nowhere, I 

 believe, is the primitive combination of these arts so forcibly 

 brought before the view, as a matter of present-day occurrence, 

 as in this group of islands. 



The most extraordinary feature in the Nakello performance 

 was the extreme order and decorum of this concourse of three or 



