•o 



FEEJEE GROUP. 345 



instance, " ndrondrolagi," a rainbow; and this constitutes such a 

 difficulty in its pronunciation, that natives of no other group can 

 utter these sounds, unless they lived among the Feejees from infancy. 



The language affords various forms of salutation, according to the 

 rank of the parties, and great attention is paid to insure that the 

 salutation shall have the proper form. Women make their salutations 

 in different words from those employed by the men, and no less care 

 is taken by them to observe the appropriate formula. Thus, the 

 wives of the matanivanua, or landholders, say, on passing a chief's 

 house, "a-a-vakau dn-wa-a;" women of the lower orders say, 

 "ndnoo;" and fishermen's wives say "wa-wa," stooping, with their 

 hands behind their heads. 



Equals salute each other with "ei vilitui." Men of the lower 

 orders address chiefs, "duo-wa turanga," and the chiefs reply, "ivea 

 rakaw." 



They have also forms of expression equivalent to our " yes, sir !" 

 "no, sir!" as " io saka" and "sangasaka." 



When the men approach a chief they cry out "duo-wa," to which 

 the chief replies, "wa!" The salutation is not accompanied by any 

 obeisance of the body, except when a chief is met on his route, when 

 all retire out of his path, crouch, and lower their clubs. 



The mode of salutation varies in different parts of the group ; but 

 in all, a chief would be thought ill-mannered if he did not return the 

 salutation of a common man. 



Dr. Fox, the acting surgeon of the Vincennes, had an opportunity, 

 during the stay of the ship at the island of Ovolau, to examine many 

 of the diseases of the natives, and of practising among them to some 

 extent. The most remarkable disease, and one that is believed to be 

 peculiar to this group of islands, is what the natives call the " dthoke." 

 It somewhat resembles the "yaws" of the West Indies, so common 

 among the negroes. In adults who are afflicted with it, it assumes 

 the form of secondary syphilis, and those unacquainted with the 

 history of the disease, would unhesitatingly pronounce it a syphilitic 

 taint. It usually attacks children from two to nine years of age, 

 and, according to the natives and white men's experience, none 

 escape. Dr. Fox is of the same opinion ; every child of ten years of 

 age that fell under his observation, had had this disease, and in many 

 cases still had it. 



Its first symptoms are fretfulness and inactivity on the part of 

 the child, a swelling of the fingers and pains in the bones follow; 



vol. in. 87 



