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THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE 



"in the: shade op the sheltering paems," every samoan vieeage has an 



tdeae setting 



But the palm is not a mere thing of beauty; it is a joy to the native taxpayer, who meets 

 his obligation to the islands' government by the payment of dried coconut meat. Here one 

 estimates his debts in pounds and tons rather than in dollars, for copra is a medium of 

 exchange. The natives pay into the treasury for their share of the government expenses 

 between 500,000 and 550,000 pounds of copra annually. 



cheers, as far as volume of noise is con- 

 cerned. 



INTRODUCING THE SERPENTINE DANCE 

 AMONG SAMOAN ATHEETES 



A college man visiting the Island of 

 Tutuila impressed some of the native 

 leaders with the idea that the cricket 

 tournaments should end in a serpentine 

 as it is practiced after the big football 

 games in America. As a result the ser- 

 pentine is now the grand finale of all the 

 cricket games, and it is an amusing sight 

 to sec the vanquished team look on with 

 stolid countenances while the victorious 

 players give full vent to their barbaric 

 instincts, racing about the grounds, leap- 

 ing into the air, and shouting triumphant 

 war cries. 



Courage of a high degree is character- 



istic of the Samoans. The world looked 

 on with admiration in 1889 when the 

 natives defied the warships of three na- 

 tions — three American ships, one Brit- 

 ish, and three German. Then, when a 

 hurricane swept the harbor of Apia on 

 March 16, 1889, and destroyed all the 

 assembled warships with the exception 

 of the British Calliope, these "savages" 

 swam out and rescued their enemies. 



The allied nations called on their sub- 

 jects in the South Sea isles to join the 

 mother countries in the vast struggle in 

 Europe. Britain had her Fiji Islanders 

 and Maori natives fighting for her; 

 loyal Tahitian subjects fought for 

 France. If the war had continued, we 

 might have seen our Samoan friends 

 "doing their bit" for their foster-mother 

 country. 



