SAMOA. 623 



sweet will," without much restraint or discipline. The 

 almost universal system of adoption also operated against 

 parental control. Although the adojjted child would be 

 .treated with ati'ection and care, the adoptive father and 

 mother would refrain from exeivising- any rigid control or 

 discipline, lest the child would leave them and run away to 

 its own parents. I'his adoption was often made with the 

 view of obtaining ])roperty from the ])arents' families ; and 

 those adopting childr(ni were also expected to make presents 

 of pro])erty to the family of the adopted child. Girls were 

 very early initiated into the domestic duties of women. In 

 Samoa these were comparatively light, but among the 

 Papuans all hard work and drudgery were performed by the 

 females of the family, and even little girls had to slave in the 

 plantations and fields from dawn to dark. 



Early betrothals were rare in Samoa, but in the Loyalty 

 Islands and the New Hebrides children were betrothed often 

 in infancy, and when the girl was strong enough she had to 

 plant and cook for her betrothed husband, a child like herself. 

 In Samoa an abominable practice existed : a chief or jjriest 

 or other influential ])erson would bespeak a child, and when 

 she reached the age of puberty, she was taken to him, or he 

 would fetch her to his home, and she became his secondary 

 wife or concubine. 



Maturity. 



Youths reach maturity at an early age — boys at fifteen or 

 sixteen, and girls at thirteen oj- fourteen. Boys are circum- 

 cised at eight or ten years of age. Two or three lads about 

 the same age would agi-ee to go together and have the rite 

 performed, not, it apj)ears, from any religious notion, nor was 

 any religious service connected with it. The idea of cleanli- 

 ness or manhness AVas the oidy object for its observance. 

 The operator was a native or Tongan sui-geon. The opera- 

 tion was performed with a sharp bamboo knife. The 

 prceputiu/n was sim))ly incised, and brought down to the 

 coro7ia glandis. Circumcision among the Papuans is prac- 

 tised in some islands of the JNew Hebrides, but not in any of 

 the Loyalty Islands. 



On the first appearance of the menses, a girl is taken 

 under the care of a near female j-elative, ami instructed in 

 necessary arrangements, especially in regard to health. The 

 female friends will make a feast to the girl, and there is more 

 or less rejoicing. The aid of the family deity was besought, 

 and prayers offered that the girl might be kept pure and 



