92 THE CORAL LANDS OF THE PACIFIC. 



families or mataqali The family community, assumed to be of 

 common lineage and descent, are the hereditary holders in 

 common of the land, the mataqali is in fact the only true pro- 

 prietary unit ; and no matter the number of individuals or 

 families within itself, it is the only true owner of the land, 

 holding it for the present and future use of the community 

 or brotherhood, whether they be full birthright members, or 

 only strangers admitted to share in the benefits for a time, or 

 adopted into it for good. 



Each mataqali has a distinct name by which it is known, and 

 which is not unfrequently the name of the principal allotment 

 of its land, which belongs to its chief or head. 



A Fijian's house consists of bamboo canes diagonally inter- 

 laced, fastened to cocoa-nut tree uprights, with a cocoa-nut log 

 for a ridge-pole, and thickly thatched with dried cocoa-nut 

 leaves. In many cases the thatch exceeds three feet in 

 thickness. The ridge-pole generally extends for a foot or 

 more on either side of the building, and some of the con- 

 demned cannibals in the war of 1876 made their exit from 

 this world from the ridge-pole of native houses. The 

 interior is not luxurious. The floor is covered with layers 

 of straw and reed-mats, in the manufacture of which the 

 natives show great skill. One end of the room is raised 

 slightly for a sleeping quarter. A few kava bowls or dishes, 

 mostly made out of solid pieces of wood and having four legs, 

 lie around, while some oval taro or yam platters, also carved 

 out of solid wood, with some cocoa-nut shells for drinking 

 purposes, represent the furniture in the living part. The 

 Fijian's pillow is a piece of timber, or more commonly bamboo, 

 resting on two crutches of wood about four inches from 

 the ground. On this apparently most uncomfortable receptacle 

 for the head, the natives recline with pleasure and sleep with 



