INSULAR AUSTRALASIA. 



1269 



dowry of a great lady, or which has been presented as a peace-offering at the: conclu- 

 sion of a war, or on any other special occasion, has its value very much increased thereby, 

 and the fact is carefully recorded. These mats are trimmed with the red feathers of 

 the I-'ijian parrakeet, which for this reason was much prized by the Samoaus. The 

 Toucans were always anxious to secure these mats, and some of the best specimens 

 are now to be found in that group. A shaggy white mat was also made from tin- 

 bark of a dwarf hibiscus. This was generally worn by a bride at her marriage. 



Polygamy was much practised by the chiefs, more especially as it was encouraged 

 by the heads of families and followers of these potentates, for the sake of the property 

 given with the lady and the attendant feasting. Very often the wife remained only for a 

 short time with her husband, and, except in cases of certain high chiefs, there was not 

 much notice taken of her if she chose another husband, after her own husband had 

 taken to himself another wife. Adultery, however, was often very severely punished. 

 Tattooing is practised, and until a young man is tattooed he is considered to be in 

 his minority. The whole of the lower part of the body, from the navel to the kn 

 is covered with very elaborate and pretty designs. Some of the early navigators, who 

 saw the natives at a distance, reported that they wore breeches of some dark silken close- 

 fitting material. The operation is performed by professional tattooers by means of small 

 combs of different sizes, made from humaa bone, which are dipped in lamp-black ami water, 

 and struck into the skin 

 with a small mallet. 



A modified form 

 of circumcision is prac- 

 tised upon youths from 

 eight to ten years of 

 age. It has, however, 

 no religious signifi- 

 cance. The system of 

 tabu was fully carried 

 out in this Group. The 

 usual form observed in 

 making a grove of 

 cocoa-nuts for- bidden 

 was to tie a piece of 

 nut-leaf round some of 

 the trees. Sometimes 



this was plaited to represent a shark, and was really an imprecation to the effect that any 

 thief should be eaten by a shark when he went to swim. Other imprecations of.a like nature 

 had their appropriate signs. Pigs were generally made tabu at a Jom\ or meeting of the 

 town or district, and no one could kill any of his own pigs whilst this was in force. 

 The religion of the Samoans did not differ much from that , of Tonga, which will be 

 hereafter described. Cannibalism has not been practised for many years, and the natives 

 deny that they ever indulged in the practice, but their own legends, and the customs observed 

 by them in making submission and suing for peace, show that in olden days it was certainly 



II1F 1IAKHOUK OK 1'ANCIO 1'AXCJO, TUTU I. A. 



