254 ETHNOLOGICAL STUDIES 



sists of small pockets of red soil scattered about among the hard rock. Agri- 

 culture in such places is carried on by extremely primitive means, since, 

 as there are neither springs nor water-courses, and rain-water is immedi- 

 ately absorbed by the coral limestone, there are no facilities for irrigation, 

 such as there are in many other parts of Polynesia. First, the men clear the 

 forest. If the clearing is being made on a slope, the lowermost trees are 

 cut only half through, so that they fall under the weight of trees higher 

 up. After the felled trees have been allowed to dry for two or three months, 

 the vegetation is burnt, the ash being left. The soil is then worked with 

 digging ticks and planted immediately, before the weeds have time to 

 grow. The plants grown are the ones found more or less anywhere in the 

 tropical Pacific - — ■ two species of yam, taro, sweet potatoes, and the like. 

 Screw-pines are also cultivated, as well as bread-fruit and bananas, and 

 there are small plantations of coconut palms and papaya. But the tuberous 

 plants seem to be by far the most important food plants, with the possible 

 exception of the coconut palm. 



xA man can acquire land by inheritance but also by clearing. The 

 great problem, however, is that nearly all suitable land is already cul- 

 tivated, and the population is increasing slowly. About i,ooo persons live 

 on the island at the moment. A few years ago it was proposed to transfer 

 the whole population to another island and the British authorities had 

 already purchased sufficient land; but when it came to the point the 

 Rennellese were reluctant to leave their ancestral home. During our stay 

 there the island was visited by the Resident Commissioner, who summoned 

 a meeting at Lavanggu. More than loo men, including all the chiefs, 

 attended it, sitting in the shade of a small coconut grove. It was by no 

 means easy to get their honest opinion, but in the end it was decided to 

 make a fresh attempt at transfer. The Commissioner undertook to try to 

 find a place where about 50 families would be able to live for two years 

 and then change about with others. In this way the connection with Ren- 

 nell would not be broken altogether. 



Not that anxiety about the future is much in evidence. The Polynesians 

 are cheerful people who love singing and dancing. The only musical instru- 

 ment known on Rennell is as simple as could be: a large crescent-shaped 

 wooden board, the edge of which is beaten with a couple of short sticks. 

 I remember an evening at Te Avamanggo, a small collection of houses 

 in the interior. Dr. Wolff and our camera man, Mr. M. Hoyer, sat 

 outside our house singing together with some young men and women, and 

 the spirits of the party gradually mounted. All at once, the men ranged 

 themselves in a row, each holding a couple of long poles, which they 



