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A ( 'STRALASIA. ILL USTRA T1-I\ 



nt' many, tended to prove that there is no insuperable obstacle to the assumption that 

 both tin- eastern and western Polynesian natives are descendants of one common stock, 

 of which the Papuan is probably the oldest representative. The people are of a light 

 coffee colour, with wavy hair, anil have pleasant features and manners. They are in 

 general of large stature and well-formed, and are naturally a kind, friendly and very 



A MAIL STEAMER AT TUTUII.A. 



hospitable people. The houses of the natives are of a bee-hive shape, and many of them 

 are exceedingly well constructed. The two sides and the semicircular ends are each made 

 separately, and can be easily detached, and removed in four pieces to another site. The 

 ribs and beams of the best houses are made from the wood of the bread-fruit tree, 

 and are very light and lasting. The sides of the houses are open during the day, but 

 are closed at night by blinds made from the plaited leaf of the cocoa-nut. The floor 

 is formed of small gravel, and is generally kept very clean. A roll of mats, large 

 mosquito nets, a circular fire-place, a box or two of European manufacture in which 

 clothes are kept, a kai'a bowl and a lamp constitute the principal furniture and effects. 



The carpenters form a regular guild, with rules and regulations, which, amongst other 

 things, prevent any carpenter from finishing or interfering with the work of any other 

 tradesman. The ordinary clothing of the people in former days was a leaf girdle made 

 from split dracccna leaves and the native cloth or tappa. Beautifully marked and painted 

 pieces of this cloth were much used on festive occasions, and also formed a consider- 

 able part of a dowry of a bride. It was, however, in the manufacture of mats that 

 the Samoans most excelled, and these are still the most valued of all their possessions. 



1 he fine mat of Samoa was made of the leaves of a particular species of pandanus, 

 very finely scraped and carefully prepared. These mats were made by women, and often 

 occupied their spare time for years before they were finished. Some of the oldest and 

 dirtiest mats in the Group are still the most valuable;, and are most carefully preserved. 

 1 hey have names given to them which are well known, and their whole history is 

 familiar to their possessors and others. A mat which has been the principal one in the 



