TANNA. '205 



while off the island, the Curagoa leaving at daybreak of 

 the morning after the attack, I will here state what I have 

 been able to learn respecting these islanders from the Mission- 

 aries on board. 



. In the language of the country the word Tanna signifies 

 land, as in the Malay language ; and the natives give tlieir 

 island the name Aipere or Aepari, while their neighbours of 

 Anatom call it by another name, that of Aipegerouma. 



Tanna is about twenty-five miles in length, twelve miles 

 wide, and about sixty-five miles round. The population is 

 estimated at from 15,000 to 20,000. The inhabitants live 

 in villages scattered over the island, but occasionally 

 clustered in some districts. The thirty villages which are 

 found round Port Eesolution are included in six districts, 

 which bear respectively the names of Jukahe, Kaseau, 

 Fituapo, Samoa or Ilupuroup, Irurye, Jukaruk. The people 

 or tribe inhabiting each district has a special name, as for 

 instance Nasebine, Naraimine. The occupiers of the villages 

 frequently change their locality during war, which appears 

 to be the only and almost continuous occupation of the 

 men, while on the women devolve all the labours uncon- 

 nected with war. Their mode of warfare consists, for the 

 most part, of skirmishes, rarely of regular battles, or per- 

 sonal encounters. 



The average annual temperature is 86°, thunder is 

 frequent, and there are often heavy downfalls of rain Avhich 

 are soon over. The cHmate for four mouths of the year is 

 damp, giving rise to fever and ague; but it is agreeable 



