539 



handle, of which the most usual forms are a plain long one, 

 in which case the comb is called Pe'e gdgi; and a shorter 

 carved form called Fe'e iirn. 



Fig. 7. Native Comb with Plain Handle fPeV odgi). 

 This is one of the most common forms. 



Fig, 8. Pe'e lira : another very Common Form of 



Native Comb, 



showing a characteristic motive in the shaping of the handle.- 



("Bird's head" motive imported from the Southern Massim[?].) 



There are other and more ornamental forms of handle 

 (coming probably from the eastern culture area), having a 

 long elastic handle-end and decorated with banana seeds (i^) 

 (Gudu) and pandanus leaf pendants, or with the handle 

 covered with string. But these are very seldom seen, and then 

 only on festive occasions. The comb is put into the man's 

 thick hair close to the temples, in a horizontal plane, the 

 handle usually pointing forward or slightly to the side. The 

 comb is so solidly fixed in the hair that it sometimes serves 

 to support a considerable weight of feather ornaments during 

 the violent exercise of native dancing. The feather ornaments 

 worn by the men, as shown in pi. xxxi., fig. 1, are attached 

 to combs. 



Ordinarily the Pe'e is used to comb the hair and keep it 

 in order, though the men occasionally use it to scratch the 

 scalp. 



Depilation is done by pulling out the facial hair and by 

 shaving the scalp. The pulling out is done by means of a 

 small pumice stone (Imuta; in Motu, Dalivru); the hair, 

 being gripped between its rough surface and the thumb, is 

 pulled out by a jerk. Another way to perform the operation 

 is by means of a fibre (Bora; in Motu, Re'po) of a garden 



(18) Wild banana (Musa ensete). 



