NARRATIVE OF THE CRUISE. 



505 



Fig. 178.— Queen of Rewa, from 

 a Sketch by Lieut. Swire, R.N. 



was most ludicrous, and the audience, instead of crying the oft repeated ' Vinaka, vinaka,' 

 fairly shouted with laughter. A band of women of the district, headed by the Queen of 

 Rewa and her daughter, who were both dressed in bright blue striped prints, marched 

 slowly forwards across the green to deposit their offerings, singing a chant, descriptive of 

 various incidents from the New Testament, the descriptive part 

 being a solo, whilst the whole band joined in a constantly repeated 

 chorus containing the words ' Allelujah, Amen.' This song was in 

 1 ieu of a da nee. 



" The principal interest of the performances, however, lay in 

 the obvious fact that here were to be observed in development the 

 germs of the drama, of vocal and instrumental music, and of 

 poetry in almost their most primitive condition. In these Fijian 

 dances they are all still intimately connected together, and are 

 seen to arise directly out of one another, not having as yet 

 reached the stage of separation. The dance is evidently first 

 invented by the savage, then rhythmical vocal sounds are used 

 by the dancers to accompany it, and simple instruments of per- 

 cussion are employed to keep time. As the dance becomes gradually more varied and 

 complex, the accompanists are separated as an orchestra, the actual performers joining 

 less and less in the vocal part, until, as here, they merely utter a single loud cry or 

 note occasionally during the dance. The instrumental music of the orchestra remains 

 long subordinate to the vocal and very simple, being represented at Fiji, as described, 

 by the single small wooden drums and the bamboos. The orchestra continuing 

 its performance in short intervals in the dancing, and commencing somewhat before 

 the first figures, in order to allow the dancers to be ready to take up the measure, 

 as was the case at Nakello, comes at length to perform solos; and hence the origin of 

 music apart from dancing. The gradual complication of the music and improvement 

 and multiplication of instruments follow, until vocal and instrumental music change 

 places in importance and become also at length separated from one another. The 

 dances being descriptive of victorious battles and such exploits, the chants, at first 

 mere musical sounds and war-cries, become short descriptions of the fight, or praises of 

 the warriors, and hence the origin of poetry. I could get no explanation of the meaning 

 of the chants used at Nakello ; as far as I could gather, they were without meaning, 

 mere convenient sounds ; but Fijian songs do exist, for Joe, our pilot, sang part of one, 

 and explained that it related to the superiority of the Mbau men to the Rewa men. 

 The origin of the drama is clearly seen in the stepping forward of the leader of the 

 dance, as described, and dramatic enunciation by him of a short speech. A further step 

 was to be seen in one of the other dances, when the leader, before his troop came on to 

 the ground, rushed forward brandishing two spears in his hands, and gave a short 

 (nare. chall. exp. — vol. i. — 1884.) 64 



