182 POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
to the usual width and length, which is about ten 
feet long and three feet wide, they fix it on the 
outside, and attach it to the others by rubbing a 
small portion of arrow-root on the inner side, 
before beating it together. The tiputa of the 
Tahitians corresponds exactly with the poncho of 
the South Americans. It is rather longer, but is 
worn in the same manner, having a hole cut in the 
centre, through which, when worn, the head is 
passed ; while the garment hangs down over the 
shoulders, breast, and back, usually reaching, both 
before and behind, as low as the knees. Next to 
the tiputa, the ahufara is a general article of dress. 
These are either square like a shawl, or resemble a 
scarf. They are sometimes larger, and correspond 
with a counterpane more than a shawl, and are 
always exceedingly splendid and rich in their 
colours. 
The natives of the Society Islands have a variety 
of vegetable dyes, and display more taste in the 
variations and patterns of the cloth, than in any 
other use of colours. Much of the common cloth 
is dyed either with the bark of the aito, casuarina , 
or tiari, aleurites. This gives it a kind of dark red 
or chocolate colour, and is supposed to add to its 
durability. The leaves of the arum are sometimes 
used, but brilliant red and yellow are their favour¬ 
ite hues. The former, which they call mati, is 
prepared by mixing the milky juice of the small 
berry of the mati, ficus prolixa , with the leaves of 
the tou, a species of cordia . When the dye is 
prepared by this combination, it is absorbed on the 
fibres of a kind of rush, and dried for use. It pro¬ 
duces a most brilliant scarlet dye, which, when 
preserved with a varnish of gum, retains its bright¬ 
ness till the garment is worn out. The yellow is 
