ETHNOLOGICAL STUDIES 



255 



Outrigger boat off the wooded coast of 

 Rennell Island. 



swung up and down as, with long bounds and rhythmical motions of their 

 arms and bodies, they advanced singing. It was Te Ngonggole, the song 

 of the flying-foxes. Dance followed dance. One of the most eager mem- 

 bers of the party was an elderly man who persistently corrected the younger 

 people when they went wrong. Next came Te Hauhau Kongoa, the 

 "breech-cloth dance", a long, serpentine dance which moves rhythmically 

 in and out. Wilder and wilder grew the motions, and in long jumps the 

 choir wound itself round the "orchestra". Finally the women were roused, 

 treading a slow and stately ring dance as the men gradually withdrew. 

 Drifting clouds veiled the moon; from the fringe of the forest a bat swept 

 noiselessly over the grass-clad clearing. On that evening we experienced 

 all the South Sea magic of Pierre Loti and Robert Louis Stevenson! 



What was the result of our month's stay? First, a new piece in the 

 great mosaic which one day will form a coherent picture showing the 

 long history of man. To understand what this means it is necessary to cast 

 a glance at the Polynesian past. In spite of all the fantastic claims to 

 the contrary, scarcely any scientist doubts that they once migrated from 

 the Indian archipelago. Race, language, and culture all point that way. 

 Once settled on the Pacific islands, however, they were subject to an 

 evolution which has had a varied effect on the separate island groups. To 

 the east, Tahiti became a sort of cultural centre, its influence traceable 

 over large areas; the western groups, chiefly Samoa and Tonga, were 

 influenced by Melanesian Fiji. 



The most conspicuous feature in the culture of Rennell Island is its 

 relative poverty. It is generally true that the coral islands of the Pacific 



