70 The Ancient Haivaiian House. 



been confined for some previous time in an enclosure of strong wooden stakes, which may be allowed 

 to remain long after the occasion for its use has passed away. After the feast the lower jaws of all 

 the pigs consumed are hung in rows from the roof of the building. In one tanibu-house I remember 

 counting as many as sixty jaws thus strung up. 



The style of building and the size and relative dimensions of the tambu-houses are very simi- 

 lar in all the coast villages of the eastern islands, a correspondence which ma}- be explained from 

 the necessity of the structure being long enough to hold the large war-canoes. As a type of these 

 buildings, I will describe somewhat in detail the tambu-house of the large village of Wano, on the 

 north coast of St. Christoval. Its length is about 60 feet and its breadth between 20 and 25 feet. 

 The gable roof is supported by five rows of posts, the height of the central row being some 14 or 15 

 feet from the ground, whilst on account of its high pitch the two outer lateral rows of posts are only 

 3 or 4 feet high. The principal weight of the roof is borne by the central and two next rows, 

 each of which supports a long, bulky ridge-pole. The two outer lateral rows of posts are much 

 smaller and support much lighter ridge-poles. In each row there are four posts, two in the middle 

 and one at each gable-end. These posts, more particularly those of the central row, are grotesquely 

 carved, and evidently by no unskilled hand, the lower part representing the body of a shark with its 

 head upwards and mouth agape, supporting in various postures a rude immitation of the human 

 figure, which formed the upper part of the post. In one instance, a man was represented seated on 

 the upper lip or snout of the shark, with his legs dangling in its mouth, and wearing a hat on his 

 head, the crown of which supported the ridge-pole. In another case the man was inverted, and 

 whilst the soles of his feet supported the ridge pole, his head and chest were resting in the mouth of 

 the shark. * » * fhe roof of the Wano tambu-house is formed of a framework of bamboo poles 

 covered with palm-leaf thatch, the poles being of equal size, whether serving as rafters or cross- 

 battens, the latter affording attachment for the thatch. The same materials are used in the sides of 

 the building. With reference to tambu-houses generally in this part of the group, I would remark 

 that they are open at both ends, with usually a staging at the front end raised about four feet from 

 the ground, which may be aptly termed "the village lounge". The tambu-house of the interesting 

 little island of Santa Catalina or Orika — the Yoriki of the Admiralty chart — is worthy of a few specia 

 remarks. Its dimensions are similar to those of like buildings in this part of the group, the length 

 being between 60 and 70 feet. Placed in front of each of its ends are three circles of large wooden 

 posts driven into the earth, each circle of posts being 4 or 5 feet in height and enclosing a space of 

 ground a few feet across, into which are thrown cocoa-nuts and other articles of food to appease the 

 hunger of the presiding deity or devil-god. The ridge-poles and posts are painted with numerous 

 representations in outline of war-canoes and fishing parties, of natives in full fighting equipment, of 

 sharks, and of the devil-god himself, with a long, lank body and a tail besides. * * * Some of the 

 representations on the ridge-poles were of an obscene character. The central row of posts were de- 

 faced by chipping, which I was informed was a token of mourning for the late chief of the island, 

 who had died not many months before. 



The deification of the shark again is a link binding all the islands together, and 

 it is not surprising that people whose daily food is taken largel}' from a tropical sea, 

 and who must often have encountered these predaceous fish should have sought to 

 in some way propitiate them. I will not stop here to discuss the fact that the people 

 of some groups while recognizing the divinit}' of some sharks (as on Hawaii) still 

 pursued the fish as legitimate game, — indeed it was the only game the Hawaiian chiefs 

 had to tax their courage and skill. On the Solomon Islands the shark god had better 



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