8o 



Easter Island. 



of chicken feathers, secured by the quill end to a foundation of 

 knitted hemp, intended to fit around the head closely. The hat 

 worn by the dancing women is small and narrow with fine feath- 

 ers of bright color overlapping all the way around. The hat 

 worn by married women upon the occasion of a ceremony con- 

 nected with a betrothal is large and broad, mad3 of black feathers 

 about six inches long, clipped evenly all the way around. The 

 men at their food feasts wore a small hat of feathers with long tail 

 feathers hanging behind. The hat of the chief worn as an insig- 

 nia of office is very large and heavy, the front made of short feath- 

 ers set up on end and clipped evenly like a garden hedge, and 

 the back ornamented with the largest and finest tail feathers to 

 be had. The minor officials and chiefs ex-officio wear a lighter 

 hat, made of short black feathers , with four tail feathers on end 

 and tending outward at regular intervals. These headdresses 

 are highly regarded by the islanders. 



From an early period the 

 natives of the Easter Island 

 have used large fish nets, 

 which are very well made 

 of wild hemp. The nets 

 used for fighting purposes 

 and the strong ropes used 

 in handling the gigantic 

 stone images were made of 

 this wild hemp. Wooden 

 needles, called hika, were 

 used in making the nets. 

 The paddles used by the 

 Easter Islanders for their 

 canoes were eight feet long, 

 made with double blades, 

 frequently decorated with 

 carving or painted heads, 

 and for superstitious rea- 

 sons made of drift wood 

 carvings whenever it could be had. 



Two curious relics are the fetish boards. The ' timoika,' or 

 ordinary fetish board, is a broad flat paddle made of bone, 14 

 inches broad and 30 inches long. It is supposed to possess rare 

 powers in working a charm upon an enemy. The individual 

 working the charm performs a convulsive sort of dance, making 

 mysterious movements with the wand and muttering incantations 

 in a monotonous tone. Such a charm is supposed to bring speedy 

 death upon its victim. 



A special potato fetish called ' raha' has ascribed to it the 

 power to protect the potato crop from insects, drought and evil 

 spirits that might be interested in the injury < of the crop. 



