Friendly 
Islands. < 
, 
758 
dle spaces, and over these is laid a boarded platform. 
They are rigged with one mast, with a 
form, which can easily be raised or taken down ;.and are 
navigated by a latteen or a triangular sail of mat, ex- 
tended by a long yard, a little bent or crooked. ,On the 
platform is generally erected a little shed or hut for the 
master and his family ; and these frequently contain a: 
moveable fire-hearth, composed of a shallow _ square 
trough, filled with stones. These vessels are capable of 
carrying about 50 persons, and sail ‘at a great rate. They 
are fitted both for burden and distant navigation, and 
can scarcely sink in any circumstances, so long as they 
hold together, 
The only tools which they possess are hatchets or 
adzes of a smooth black stone; augers made of shark's 
teeth; rasps composed of a rough fish-skin fastened on 
flat pieces of wood ; and knives made of sharp shells ; yet 
with these defective instruments they produce many ar= 
ticles of neat and curious workmanship, which at once 
testify their ingenuity and patience. 
Their weapons, such as clubs, spears, and darts, are 
made of hard wood, ‘curiously carved and ornamented. 
Their stools or pillows, which are made of brown or black 
wood, are finely polished, and frequently inlaid with 
ivory. Their cordage is made of the fibresiof the cocoa- 
nut husk, from which they form four or five-inch rope, 
laid exactly like those. of Europe ; and fishing lines as 
strong and even as the best cord. Their small hooks are 
made entirely of pearl shell, but the larger ones are only 
covered with it on the back ; and the points of both kinds 
are generally of tortoise-shell. They have small nets of 
the most delicate texture; and their baskets, made of 
the same cocoa-nut fibres, are at once durable and beau- 
tiful, being generally composed of different colours, and 
studded with beads made of shells or bones, Their ma- 
nufacture of cloth and mats, which is the chief employ- 
ment of the women, is executed with wonderful skill. 
The cloth is made from the slender stalks and trunks of 
the paper-mulberry, which rarely grows above seven feet 
in height, and four fingers in thickness. » From these 
stalks they strip the bark,’ which, after scraping off the 
exterior rind, they roll up and macerate in water. It is 
then beaten with a square wooden instrument, sometimes 
smooth, and sometimes full of coarse grooves. This 
operation. is frequently repeated ; and the pieces, which 
are generally from four to seven feet in length, and half 
as broad, are then laid out to dry. These pieces are.join- 
ed together with the glutinous juice of a berry, and, be- 
ing then placed over a large piece of wood with a sort of 
stamp beneath them, are rubbed hard with a bit of cloth 
dipped in the juice of some bark, which gives to.the sur- 
face a dry brown gloss, while the stamp at the same time 
makes a slight impression. This glazing renders the 
stuff both more durable, and capable of resisting rain, 
The finer sorts, in addition to this operation, are dyed 
of different colours, and stamped of different patterns, 
In this manner they proceed, joining and staining, and 
gluing spare bits upon any holes or thin spots, till they 
ve produced a piece of cloth of the requisite length and 
breadth. The mats are of seven or eight different sorts, 
and excel those of most other countries both in,texture 
and beauty. Some are intended merely for ornament, 
and are made from the tough membranous part: of the 
plantain tree; others are worn as a part of dress, and 
are generally prepared from the pandanus ; and a coarser 
1 
FRIENDLY ISLANDS. 
kind for beds and sails is formed from a plant called 
evarra. id 4 Biba hen nal 
The food of these islanders consists principally of ve 
getables, such as cocoa nuts, bread-fruit, plantains, yams, 
and tarros, a root resembling a carrot. . Their chief ar~ 
ticles of animal food are hogs, fish, and fowls, which are, 
however, only occasional dainties, reserved for persons 
of rank; but the common frequently eat rats, 
which abound in all the islands. Their food is generally. 
dressed by baking, and they make several palatable 
dishes from different sorts of fruit. imes boil’ 
their fish in the green leaves of the plantain tree, tied up 
so as to form a bag, which holds both the fish and the 
water, thus producing a kind of fishsoup. Hogs are ge~ 
nerally baked whole, in holes dug in the earth, having 
the bottom covered with red hot stones about the size of 
aman’s fist. Some of these stones, wrapped in leaves of 
the bread-fruit trees, being at the same time introduced 
into the belly of the hog, and the carcase having been 
placed on cross sticks, and covered with leaves, the whole 
is closed around with earth, and left, without farther-at« 
tention, wo the influence of the Neat. They are not-very 
cleanly, either in their cookery or manner of eating ; and, 
except in families, seldom sit down in companies to a so« 
ciable meal. Their usual drink at meals is water, or the 
milk of the cocoa nut ; but they use at breakfast, orvas 
a morning beverage, a favourite liquor named kava, which: 
is prepared in a manner sufficiently disgusting to Eu- 
ropean feelings. The kava is a species of pepper, which 
is carefully cultivated around the habitations, and which 
generally grows to the height of a man. The-root of 
this plant, after being properly cleaned, is split into small 
pieces, which are distributed among the young people 
who have clean teeth, to be chewed. Each of these has 
a leaf placed before him, on which he lays his portion of 
the masticated root; atid, when it is all chewed, the cons 
tents of the leaves are emptied into a large bowl. It is 
then mixed. with a proper quantity of water, and,squeezed 
hard with the hands, to préss out the liquor’; then. put 
three or four times t h a fine strainer, made of the 
inner bark of a tree. It is ncxt served out in, cups, 
made of plantain leaves, and about.a quarter of a pint is 
put into each ;.but they often continue to drink in con- 
siderable quantities. When taken by some of Captain 
Cook’s sailors, it operated like spirits, producing. intoxi- 
cation, or rather stupefaction ; but seemed to have very 
little effect upon the natives. 
The ordinary dress of both. sexes of the better. class 
eonsists of a, piece. of’ cloth or matting, several yards in 
length, wrapped round the body, and fastened below the 
breast by a peculiar kind: of knot, from which it hangs 
loose. down to the knees ;- and, being tied close with a 
belt, is sufficiently long for the upper part.to be thrown 
over the shoulders. This, however, is a costly dress, and 
is not always worn even by the. chiefs. That which is 
more generally in use, is made of the leaves of the gee 
plant, which are very broad and strong, and which, being 
finely shredded, are thickly entwined in a belt; and fas- 
tened round the waist, from which they hang down to 
the middle of the thigh like a full fringe. This, with the 
addition of a few strings of flowers, is: commonly, the 
- sole dress of the women in their festive dances.. The 
inferior class, however, often wear only the maro, which 
is a belt about four or five inches broad, passed between 
the thighs, and fastened round the waist; and, especially 
Islands. 
Fool.” 
Dress. 
