124 COLOUR SENSE. 



dark hues, as shown in the list below. Some of the names of the 

 colours have been suggested by the colours of objects with which 

 the natives are familiar. Thus, one of the names of dark hues is 

 evidently taken from that of charcoal (_sibi). Again, one of the 

 names for red is but the native term for blood {masini) ; whilst the 

 commonest word for yellow {temiiU) is also the name of a scitamineous 

 plant, the bulbous root of which possesses a yellow juice. Yellow 

 must be a familiar colour to these natives, as they sometimes decorate 

 their persons with the yellow juice that exudes from incisions into 

 the fruits of Thespesia popu/nea, one of the commonest of littora]^ 

 trees. They possess also the Morbida citrijolia, the roots of which 

 supply a bright yellow dye that is employed in other Polynesian 

 groups, such as in the Society Islands, for staining purposes. The 

 circumstance that different men often applied ditferent names to the 

 same test-colour, shows that they have no recognised list of colour- 

 names ; and it would appear probable that all the names are of a 

 suggestive nature, or in other words that they are derived from the 

 names of objects with the conspicuous hues of which the natives are 

 familiar. 



NATIVE NAMES FOR COLOURS. 



White, Anaa ; Ana-aiiaa. 



Red, Orange, Alec; Masi-masini ; Loto. 



Yellow, Temuli ; Samoi ; Latili. 



] jlue, Totoiio. 



Black, Indigo, Violet, Green (dark), 



Blue (dark), Soipa; Kia ; Sivi-sivi ; Malai. 



The pigments employed in decorating the posts of houses, canoe- 

 ornaments, carved clubs, &c., are white, red, and black. Blue is a 

 , favourite colour with the natives of Bouo-ainville Straits when 

 choosing beads and other articles of trade ; and, in fact, blue is the 

 favourite colour for beads in most of the islands. 



In the eastern islands, pigments of white, red, and black are 

 also those which are commonly employed for decorative purposes. 

 In the island of Ugi, as Mr. Stephens informed me, the same word 

 is used to indicate all t^e dai'k colours. A native of this island 

 cannot distin2;uish the different colours in the rainbow : and it 

 should Ije here remarked that he views the appearance of a bow 

 with a large ai^c as a warning of the approach of hostile canoes, 

 and he retires accordingly to his house. 



The following notes on the gestures and the expressions of the 



