150 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [bill. 3S 



part of the perfornianco is the exact counterpart of that of the New Zealanders ; 

 and (as it is anionir tbein) tlie person \A-bo uses tlie most violent action ami 

 holds out the longest is applaudeil as the best dancer. It is to be oltserved that 

 in this dance the women only took part and that the dancing of the men is nearly 

 of the same kind with what we saw at the Friendly Islands; and which may. 

 ]ierhaps. with more ])ropriety. be called the accomi)animent of the songs, with 

 corresponding and graceful motions of the whole body. Yet as we were specta- 

 tors of boxing exhibitions of the same kind with those we were entertained with 

 at the Friendly Islands, it is probable that they had likewise their grand cere- 

 monious dances, in which numbers of both sexes assisted. 



Their music is also of a ruder kind, having neither tlutes nor reecls. nor instru- 

 ments of any other sort, that we saw. except drums of various sizes. But 

 their songs, irhicJi thnj siiui in parts, and accompany with a gentle motion of 

 the arms, in the same manner as the Friendly Islanders, had a very pleasing 

 effect. 



To the above Captain King adds this footnote : 



xVs this circumstance of their fiiiifjinp in parts has been much doubted by per- 

 sons eminently skilled in music, and would be exceedingly curious if it was 

 clearly ascertained, it is to be lamentetl that it can not be more positively au- 

 thenticated. 



C'aptain Rurney and Captain Phillips of the Marines, who have both a toler- 

 able knowledge of music, have given it as their opinion they did sing in parts; 

 that is to sjty, that they sang together in different notes, which formed a pleasing 

 harmony. 



These gentlemen have fully testified that the Friendly Islanders undoubtedly 

 studietl their performances before they were exhibiteil in public ; that they had 

 an idea of different notes being useful in harmony: and also that they rehearsed 

 their compositions in private and threw out the inferior voices before they 

 ventured to appear before those who were supposed to be judges of their skill 

 in music. 



In their regular concerts each man had a bamboo " which was of a different 

 length and gave a different tone. These they beat against the ground, and each 

 performer, assisted by the note given by this instrument, repeated the same 

 note, accompanying it with words, by which means it was renderetl sometimes 

 short and sometimes long. In this manner they sang in chorus, and not only 

 produced octaves to each other, according to their species of voice, but fell on 

 concords such as were not disagreeable to the ear. 



Xow. to overturn this fact, by the reasoning of i>ersons who did not hear 

 these performances, is rather an arduous task. And yet there is great improba- 

 bility that any uncivilized people should by accident arrive at this perfection 

 in the art of music, which we imagine can only be attained by dint of study 

 and knowledge of the system and the theory on which musical composition is 

 founded. Such miserable jargon as our country psalm-singers practice, which 

 may be justly deemeil the lowest class of counterpoint, or singing in several 

 parts, can not be acquired in the coarse manner in which it is iierformed in 

 the churches without considerable time and practice. It is. therefore, scarcely 

 credible that a people, semibarbarous. should naturally arrive at any perfec- 

 tion in that art which it is much doubted whether the Greeks and Romans, with 

 all their refinements in music, ever attained, and which the Chinese, who have 

 been longer civilizetl than any people on the globe, have not yet found out. 



" These bamboos were, no doubt, the same as the ka^keeke, elsewhere described. (See 

 p. 122.) 



