288 FIJI ISLANDS. 



actual performers joining less and less in the vocal part until, 

 as here, they merely utter a single loud cry or note occasionally 

 during the dance. 



The instrumental music of the orchestra remains long sub- 

 ordinate to the vocal, and very simple, being represented at Fiji, 

 as described, by the single small wooden drums and the bam- 

 boos. The orchestra, continuing its performance in short 

 intervals in the dancing, and commencing somewhat before the 

 first figures, in order to allow the dancers to be ready to take 

 up the measure, as was the case at Nakello, comes at length to 

 perform solos ; and hence the origin of music apart from 

 dancing. The gradual complication of the music and improve- 

 ment and multiplication of instruments follows, until vocal and 

 instrumental music change places in importance and become 

 also at length separated from one another. 



The dances being descriptive of victorious battles and such 

 exploits, the chants, at first mere musical sounds and war-cries, 

 become short descriptions of the fight, or praises of the warriors, 

 and hence the origin of poetry. I could get no explanation of 

 the meaning of the chants used at Nakello ; as far as I could 

 gather, they were without meaning, mere convenient sounds • 

 but Fijian songs do exist, for Joe, our pilot, sang part of one 

 one day and explained that it related to the superiority of the 

 Mbau men to the Rewa men. 



The origin of the drama is clearly seen in the stepping 

 forward of the leader of the dance, as described, and dramatic 

 enunciation by him of a short speech. A further step was to 

 be seen in one of the other dances, when the leader, before his 

 troop came on to the ground, rushed forward brandishing two 

 spears in his hands, and gave a short harangue descriptive of 

 what he was going to do. 



The separation of the dancers in the Fan Dance into two 

 parties, performing alternately and responsively, is also interest- 

 ing, and brought the Greek chorus and drama into one's 

 thoughts. It was of course not necessary to have recourse to 

 Fiji in order to trace the origin of dancing, music, and the 

 drama. This has been done fully long ago. Piut nowhere, I 

 believe, is the primitive combination of these arts so forcibly 

 brought before the view, as a matter of present-day occurrence, 

 as in this group of islands. 



The most extraordinary feature in the Nakello performance 

 was the extreme order and decorum of this concourse of three 

 or four thousand people. It seemed astounding, whilst looking 

 on at these blue, red, and black-painted Fijians flourishing 

 their clubs and shouting their war-cries, to reflect that this was 

 a Wesleyan Missionary meeting. The representative of the 



