PACIFIC AND BEERING'S STRAIT. |Q7 



Woahoo, and the son of the most celebrated dancer 

 the islands ever had. He wore an abundance of native 

 cloth, variously stained, wrapped about his waist, and 

 grass ornaments fixed upon his legs above the ancles. 

 A garland of green leaves passed over his right 

 shoulder and under his left arm, and a WTeath of yel- 

 low blossoms, very commonly worn in the Sandwich 

 Islands, was wound twice round his head. Unlike the 

 former dance, the merit of this consisted in an exhi- 

 bition of graceful action, and a repetition of elegant 

 and unconstrained movements. 



The dance of the females was spoiled by a mistaken 

 refinement, which prevented their appearing, as for- 

 merly, with no other dress than a covering to the hips, 

 and a simple garland of flowers upon the head; in- 

 stead of this they were provided with frilled chemises, 

 which so far from taking away the appearance of in- 

 decency, produced an opposite effect, and at once gave 

 the performance a stamp of indelicacy. In this dance, 

 which by the way is the only one the females of these 

 islands have, they ranged themselves in a line, and 

 began swinging the arms carelessly, but not ungrace- 

 fully, from side to side ; they then proceeded to the 

 more active part of the dance, the principal art of 

 which consisted in twisting the loins without moving 

 the feet or the bust. After fatiguing themselves in 

 accomplishing this to the satisfaction of the spectators, 

 they jumped sidewise, still twisting their bodies, and 

 accompanying their actions with a chorus, the words of 

 which we supposed bore some allusion to the perform- 

 ance. We had afterwards a sham-fight with short 

 spears, wherein very little skill was exhibited, and, 

 compared with the dexterity of the warlike Tameha" 

 meha, who is said by Vancouver to have successfully 



