188 VOCABULARY OF BOUGAINVILLE STRAITS. 



species in different groups, but with the general names for the whole 

 genus of "Pandanus." We desire, in fact, to find the equivalent of 

 such terms as the Aj^a of the Hervey Group, and the Sararang of 

 Bougainville Straits. 



That the names of trees possessing such conspicuous characters 

 as those of the genus " Pandanus," can be traced from the Indian 

 Archipelago eastward through the Solomon Islands, and across the 

 Central Pacific to the Austral Islands, is a circumstance of consider- 

 able interest to the philologist and anthropologist. We have already 

 seen (page 101) that in the instance of " Barringtonia speciosa," the 

 name may be similarly traced from the Indian Archipelago across 

 the Pacific to the Society Islands. Another example is to be found 

 in the case of " Morinda citrifolia," the Indian mulberry, a common 

 littoral tree in the Indian and Pacific regions ; it supplies a yellow 

 dye extensively used by the inhabitants. It is the Bangkudw or 

 Manghudu of the Indian Archipelago and the Wonghidu or Kudu 

 of Java in particular.^ In Bougainville Straits it is known as the 

 Urati; in Fiji as the iCttra ; ^ and in Tahiti as the Aari;^ names 

 which are evidently different forms of the same word, probably 

 the Kudu of the Indian Archipelago. Another tree, " Fagrsea 

 Berteriana," the sacred tree of the South Central Pacific groups, 

 is the Buhulata of Bougainville Straits, the Bua of Fiji,* and 

 the Pua or Bua of the Hervey and Society Groups.^ I have not 

 yet found the original of this name in the Indian Archipelago, 

 the onl}^ suggestive word being Bila or Buwah, the Malay word 

 for fruit. 



Before proceeding further I should observe that an inquiry into 

 the names of the common littoral trees, such as " Barringtonia 

 speciosa," " Morinda citrifolia," and the species of " Pandanus," 

 wliich are yet preserved in the languages of the islands of the 

 Indian Ocean, might be productive of important results. Being 

 unable to follow up this branch of the subject, 1 would recommend 

 it to some of my readers. As an encouragement, I would point 

 out that there appears to be a resemblance between the names for 

 the pandanus-tree in northern Madagascar, and in the Pacific 



1 Crawfurd's Malay Dictionary. RafHes' " History of Java." 



2 Seemann's "Mission to Viti." 



3 Bennett's "Gatherings of a Naturalist," p. 399. 

 •* Seemann. (Ibid.) 



5 Wyatt Gill's "Life in the Southern Isles " (p. 275), and "Jottings from the Pacific," 



