394 Memoirs Bcniicc P. Bislio/^ Muscidji 



. . . bonv skull, the lower jaw of which is firmly held in ])lacc l>y small ])laite(l strinq;s, 

 very fine and very well arranged around the articulation. These are united by another larger 

 and stronger plait which is prolonged in front of the incisor teeth of the two mandibles and 

 passes under the chin and ends at the nodes behind the arch of the palate. At either side of 

 the dental arch a large and strong wild pig tusk is fastened l)y these plaits to the bone of 

 the cheek so that it appears to spring from the mouth of the individual in the same manner 

 that it sprang from the mouth of the animal to which it belonged. A piece of hard wood, 

 roughly carved, fills the anterior opening of the nasal fossa and more or less represents an 

 abnormal nose. The eyes are imitated by large pieces of pearl shell fitted into the orbits [of 

 the skull]. A small round piece of tortoise shell serves in place of pupil and a few hairs 

 placed between the shell and the orbit represent the lashes of this lustrous eye. Finally, to 

 complete this hideous assemblage, a few tresses of the vanquished one's hair are attached to 

 the lower jaw liy way of a beard and hang down below the chin. 



Radiguet (52, p. 67) gives a description of such a prepared head which he 

 found in a hole in one of tlie uic'ac, as follows: 



. . . human skull whose orliits were filled with brilliant disks of pearl shell, fiat, and as 

 large as a five franc piece. A hole pierced through the middle showed black in guise of a 

 pupil. A piece of pointed wood filled tlie nasal cavity. Two teeth, long and menacing, had 

 been driven into the alveolus of the canines. Finally, cords of coconut fiber attached to the 

 maxilaries numerous tufts of hair disposed as a beard and to the ears oval wooden plaques 

 whitened with chalk. The lower jaw was lacking. 



A crude drawing of a head trophy of this type appears in one of Langs- 

 dorff's illustrations (38, p. 118). 



The prospecttts of Von den Steinen's forthcoming hook on jMarqtiesan art 

 contains an illustration of a htiinan skull covered with painted tapa, hut it differs 

 entirely from the trophies just descrihed and was prohahlv a religious ohject. 

 The paintings upon it apparently represent facial tattooing. 



COMPARISONS 



The use of slings, with or without specially prepared stones is almost 

 universal in Polynesia and Micronesia, with a scattering use in Melanesia. Tn 

 New Zealand the sling appears to have been obsolecent, being regularly used only 

 by the Urewera tribe (Tregear, 82, pp. 314-15), and prepared sling stones seem 

 to have been unknown. In the Societv Islands (Ellis, 71, p. 2<p) and in Samoa 

 and Tonga prepared stones do not ai)pear to have been used although tlie sling 

 was important. In M;nvaii and the Maqtiesas oval or bluntly dotible conical 

 stones appear to have been normallv used. In Micronesia the tise of specially 

 prepared sling stones seems to have been uni\ersal. The i\Iicronesian specimens 

 are easily distinguishable from those of either Hawaii or the Manjuesas because 

 of their greater length and smaller jirojiortional diameter. Some of them ;ire 

 almost cigar shaped. 



It is not ])ossible to get exact information as to the tvpc of sling used in 

 Samoa and Tonga. In Tonga the bow and arrow was the important missile. 



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