Linton — The Marquesas Islands 283 



of the owner of the house. Two short additional pieces of pahii log sometimes 

 were laid transversely at either end of the bed space, just within the bottoms of 

 the end posts of the house; rarely the log along the back of the bed space 

 was omitted. The space enclosed by the logs was first filled with a thick layer of tips 

 of palm fronds, or with ferns. Over these were laid several coconut mats, similar 

 to those used for thatching. The mats at the rear were occasionally placed 

 over the back log and tied to the rafters at a height of about eight inches 

 (PL XLj E). Over the coconut mats in turn were laid woven pandanus mats of two 

 kinds. Those covering the front part of the bed were called uioena, and were 

 woven of broad strips, three-eighths of an inch or more in width. Mats of this 

 sort were tapu to men, and the use of the word nioena as a term of reproach is 

 known to have led to at least one murder in recent times. The rear part of the 

 bed was covered with a mat of finer weave, called kahua'a, which was not tapu to 

 men. The kahua'a was long and narrow, a single one usually running the entire 

 length of the house. It was so placed that it covered the rear half of the nioena 

 and the back log of the bed. The outer edge of the kahua'a was tied up to the 

 rafters. A narrow mat for the head alone, called pa'i pa'i, was sometimes placed 

 over the kahua'a to prevent its being stained by the oil with which the natives 

 soaked their hair. 



Occupants of the bed lay with their heads toward the wall, the kahua'a 

 supporting the head and shoulders and the uioena the lower part of the body. 

 With persons of ordinary height the feet projected over the inner log and rested 

 upon the bare stone pavement. 



The elaborate pillows found in some parts of Polynesia were not used in 

 the Marquesas, but a pad of tapa was sometimes tied to the rear log of the bed 

 under the kahua'a. Portable pillows called noiini, made from bundles of shredded 

 fei leaves wrapped and tied with tapa, were also used. 



According to informants a special form of bed was used at Pua Ma'u, Hiva 

 Oa in the houses of a fishermen's sacred place, and by at least some of the priests. 

 This bed consisted of two or more pairs of short posts, connected at the top by 

 crosspieces, supporting a layer of small closely spaced poles. The whole formed 

 a long rectangular bench, or shelf, raised eighteen inches to two feet above the 

 ground. Four elaborately carved wooden legs in the Bishop Museum may be- 

 long to a bed of this type. (See PI. XLi, A.) In the fishermen's sacred place each 

 of the houses, which were very small, contained two of these beds, one along 

 either side. Priests, after they had eaten of the sacrifice, continued to live with 

 their families when not engaged in religious rites, but slept in a separate raised 

 bed built for them in the common dwelling. Only coconut mats were used upon 

 the beds of priests and fishermen, due to the ceremonial uncleanness of bed mats 



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