MANUFACTURE OF MATTING. 187 
extended the slits as the weaving advanced, until 
the whole was complete. When first finished, 
they are of a beautifully white colour, and are 
worn only by the men, either bound round the 
loins as a pareu, or with an aperture in the centre 
as a tiputa or poncho, and sometimes as a mantle 
thrown loosely over the shoulder. Their appear¬ 
ance is light and elegant, and they are remarkably 
durable, though they become yellow from exposure 
to the weather. 
The inhabitants of the Palliser Islands, to the 
eastward of Tahiti, exceed the Society Islanders 
in the quality of their mats, which are made of a 
tough white rush or grass, exceedingly fine and 
beautiful. They frequently manufacture a sort of 
girdle, called tiheri, six inches in width, and some¬ 
times twenty yards in length, but remarkably fine 
and even, being woven by the hand, but with a 
degree of regularity rivalling the productions of 
the loom. They are highly valued by the Tahi¬ 
tians, and are a principal article of commerce 
between the inhabitants of the different islands. 
The sails for their canoes, and beds on which 
they sleep, are a coarser kind of matting made 
with the leaves of different varieties of palm, or 
pandanus, found in the islands. Some kinds 
grow spontaneously, others are cultivated for their 
leaves. The matting sails are much lighter than 
canvass, but less durable. The size and quality 
of the sleeping mats is regulated by the skill of 
the manufacturer, or the rank of the proprietor. 
Those who excel in making them, use very fine 
ones themselves. They are all woven by the 
hand, yet finished with remarkable regularity and 
neatness. 
The ordinary mats are not more than six feet 
