57^ Voyage of the Nov ar a. 



other female8 we saw, the young queen wore nothing but a 

 piece of yellow linen (//A"//), about five feet long, round her 

 loins, which reached to her knees, and was attached by 

 one extremity to the haunch. Her splendid black hair was 

 adorned with a chaplet of yellow flowers, and her body, 

 smeared with cocoa-nut oil, was plentifully besprinkled with 

 turmeric (called by the natives Kitschi-ncang), Her legs and 

 forearms were beautifully tattooed. 



The gown, or rather apron, worn by the men is made of 

 the fresh leaves of the cocoa-palm, which, bleached and cut 

 into narrow strips, are fastened at the upper end with a 

 string, and then adorned with numerous flaj^s of red cloth. 

 This gown stretches from the hips to about the knees, and 

 is about two feet long. To be in the fashion at Puynipet, a 

 dandy must wear at least six of these round his body ! The 

 ladies of the island stain white calico with turmeric, yellow 

 being apparently the favourite colour of the country. A 

 bright-coloured light handkerchief usually covers the upper 

 part of the body, and they adorn their long beautiful black 

 tresses with the delicate flowers of the cocoa-palm. On 

 high days the ladies wear red clothes hemmed with white 

 calico. Such of the natives, however, as are converted to 

 Christianity, appear in clothes made after the European 

 fashion, although many a part of dress would still have to be 

 remedied, ere a native of Puynipet or his better half would be 

 presentable in a saloon. 



Men and women alike are tattooed from the loins to the 



