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THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE 





THE SAMOAN PAQUIN ACHIEVED A NOTABLE TRIUMPH WHEN HE ADDED A FRINGE 

 TO THE NATIVE COSTUME : NOTE THE TWO CONSCIOUS BEAUTIES AT THE RIGHT 



cricket games between rival native vil- 

 lages. The last-named duty is sometimes 

 a severe test for the soldier as an arbi- 

 trator, especially when his own village is 

 involved in the controversy. 



The multifold activities of our South 

 Sea soldiers ssem rather at variance with 

 the conceptions most of us have about 

 native life in the islands of the South 

 Pacific. We picture a native as lolling 

 under a coconut tree, an obliging wife 

 sitting close by, waving a palm leaf to 

 "shoo" away the flies from her lord, and 

 food on the branches of near-by trees 

 within easy reach of both. 



When the Governor of American 

 Samoa makes a tour of inspection of 

 Tutuila, he is always accompanied by 

 native soldiers. The Fita-Fita selected 

 to be the orderly on such occasions holds 

 a proud position among his friends. 



The official party is received with great 

 dignity and formality by the chiefs of the 

 villages on these tours, as the Samoans 

 delight in ceremony and speechmaking. 



The reception accorded the Fita-Fitas by 

 the pretty, vivacious Samoan belles of 

 the different villages is always exceed- 

 ingly cordial. These maidens, with 

 bronze complexions, are as susceptible to 

 the fascinations of the lava-lava uniform 

 as -their sisters in America are partial to 

 khaki and brass buttons. 



In some of their leisure hours the 

 Fita-Fitas work in pineapple plantations 

 and vegetable gardens, which they culti- 

 vate on the community plan. With cus- 

 tomary Samoan generosity, they take 

 great pleasure in presenting the papa- 

 langi (white people) with the fruits of 

 their toil. Often a Fita-Fita will deposit 

 a bunch of bananas or a sack of delicious 

 avocados on the veranda of one of his 

 white friends. 



MUSIC HAS CHARMS EOR THE SAMOAN 

 SOLDIER 



The principal feature of the Fita-Fita 

 organization is the band. A little more 

 than a decade ago the natives of Ameri- 



