78 ETHNOGRAPHY. 



narrative of his adventures and sufferings, with a description of the 

 island and its inhabitants. Appended to the book is a vocabulary of 

 the language, drawn up with care by the Hon. John Pickering of 

 Boston, whose name is a sufficient guarantee for its correctness. 



I met Mr. Holden at Boston, two years after his return, and in 

 several conversations with him obtained some information on points 

 not noticed in his published narrative, together with an addition to 

 the vocabulary of a number of words which he was able, from time to 

 time, to call to mind. It has seemed to me, therefore, that a brief 

 account of the natives of this island would not be out of place here, 

 more especially as it will serve to prove the striking similarity of 

 traits and customs which prevail from one extremity of the Caroline 

 Islands to the other. 



" The complexion of the natives," says Holden in his narrative, " is 

 a light copper colour, much lighter than that of the Malays or the 

 Pelew islanders, which last, however, they resemble in the breadth 

 of their faces, high cheek-bones, and broad flattened noses."* Here 

 we observe, what has been before remarked of the Polynesian tribes, 

 that the lightest complexion is found among those who are nearest the 

 equator. 



The natives worship a deity whom they term yaris, in which we 

 perhaps see the aniti or anis of the Ladrone and Radack Islands.! 

 According to the native traditions, a personage, by name Pita-kat (or 

 Peeter Kart), of copper colour like themselves, " came many years 

 ago from the island of Ternate (one of the Moluccas), and gave them 

 their religion, and such simple arts as they possessed."! It is proba- 

 bly to him that we are to attribute some peculiarities in their mode of 

 worship, such as their temple, with rude images to represent the 

 divinity. " In the centre, suspended from the roof, is a sort of altar, 

 into which they suppose their deity comes to hold converse with the 

 priest." The temple is called vere yaris, or spirit-house. In this 

 word vere we recognise the Polynesian_/afe or fare, house, (Vitian, 

 vale,} used here only in this connexion, the ordinary word for 

 dwelling being yim, the im of the other Caroline Islands. So, too, 



* Speaking of the Pelew islanders, he says : " Their complexion is a light copper. 

 Their noses are somewhat flat, but not so flat as those of the Africans, nor are their lips 

 so thick." Narrative, p. 48. 



t The change from anis to yaris would be according to the custom of the dialect. 

 Thus we have yaro for aro (Uica), sun; mare for umane, man, &c. 



J Appendix to Narrative, p. 123. 



