122 ^ porter's journal. 



ed with one hand, while the other is employed with the 

 beater. This employment is left to the old women, who 

 will make three outer garments or cahoos in the course of 

 a day. The cloth is remarkably neat and regular, nearly 

 as strong as fine cotton or linen, but will not bear washing 

 more than once. It is worn about a week before washing, 

 after being washed, it is beat out again to give them a gloss 

 and strength. Thus a woman, with moderate labour, will 

 in one day make for herself outer garments to last her six 

 weeks. If the garment should be torn in wearing, or by 

 any accident, it is only necessary to wet the edges of the 

 rent, and gently beat the parts together. They are en- 

 tirely unacquainted with the use of the needle ; this simple 

 mode of repairing their dresses does not require it, nor is 

 it requisite in their formation, as each part of their cloth- 

 ing consists of square pieces. 



In the manufacturing of whales' teeth into earrings, 

 pearl shells into fish-hooks, and, indeed, in the working of 

 all kind of shells, bone, and ivory, a piece of iron hoop 

 for a saw, and some sand and coral rock, are their only 

 implements. The iron hoop is used with sand, without 

 being notched, in the manner that our stonecutters cut 

 their slabs, and the coral serves to give them a polish. 

 The same tools, with the addition of a tokay^ which has 

 already been described, are employed in the formation of 

 their spears, war clubs, cofiins, cradles, and their various 

 household utensils. Before the introduction of iron, sharks' 

 teeth were used for saws, and a kind of stone adze sup- 

 plied the place of the iron tokay^ and, indeed, the attach- 

 ment for stone tools is now so great, that many prefer them 

 to iron. I have frequently seen them throw aside a hatchet, 

 and make use of a sharp stone to cut down small trees, 

 sharpen stakes, &:c. 



I inquired of Gattanewa when iron was first introduced 

 on the island. He informed me, that many years after 

 Haii brought them hogs, some people of the same colour 

 as themselves, (but not tattooed,) having long black hair, 

 came in a vessel with two masts, and anchored in a bay 

 called Anahoo, on the other side of the island, and brought 

 with them some nails, which they exchanged for hogs and 

 fruit. The nails were so highly esteemed, and found so 

 useful, that the natives flocked from all parts to have holes 



