A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels, Vol. 15 (of 18) by Robert Kerr

R >> Robert Kerr >> A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels, Vol. 15 (of 18)

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Their food is generally dressed by baking, in the same manner as at
Otaheite; and they have the art of making, from different kinds of
fruit, several dishes, which most of us esteemed very good. I never saw
them make use of any kind of sauce, nor drink any thing at their meals
but water, or the juice of the cocoa-nut; for the _kava_ is only their
morning draught. I cannot say that they are cleanly, either in their
cookery, or manner of eating. The generality of them will lay their
victuals upon the first leaf they meet with, however dirty it may be;
but when food is served up to the chiefs, it is commonly laid upon green
plantain leaves. When the king made a meal, he was, for the most part,
attended upon by three or four persons. One cut large pieces of the
joint, or of the fish; another divided it into mouthfuls; and others
stood by with cocoa-nuts, and whatever else he might want. I never saw a
large company sit down to what we should call a sociable meal, by eating
from the same dish. The food, be what it will, is always divided into
portions, each to serve a certain number; these portions are again
subdivided; so that one seldom sees above two or three persons eating
together. The women are not excluded from eating with the men; but there
are certain ranks or orders amongst them, that can neither eat nor drink
together. This distinction begins with the king; but where it ends, I
cannot say.

They seem to have no set time for meals; though it should be observed,
that, during our stay amongst them, their domestic economy was much
disturbed by their constant attention to us. As far as we could remark,
those of the superior rank only drink _kava_ in the forenoon, and the
others eat, perhaps, a bit of yam; but we commonly saw all of them eat
something in the afternoon. It is probable that the practice of making a
meal in the night is pretty common, and their rest being thus
interrupted, they frequently sleep in the day. They go to bed as soon as
it is dark, and rise with the dawn in the morning.[181]

[Footnote 181: Cantova says of his islanders, "Ils prennent leur repos
des que le soleil est couche, et ils se levent avec l'aurore."--_Lettres
Edifiantes et Curieuses_, tom. xv. p. 314.--D.]

They are very fond of associating together; so that it is common to find
several houses empty and the owners of them convened in some other one,
or, rather, upon a convenient spot in the neighbourhood, where they
recreate themselves by conversing and other amusements. Their private
diversions are chiefly singing, dancing, and music performed by the
women. When two or three women sing in concert, and snap their fingers,
it is called _hoobai_; but when there is a greater number, they divide
into several parties, each of which sings on a different key, which
makes a very agreeable music, and is called _heeva_ or _haiva_. In the
same manner, they vary the music of their flutes by playing on those of
a different size; but their dancing is much the same as when they
perform publicly. The dancing of the men (if it is to be called
dancing), although it does not consist much in moving the feet, as we
do, has a thousand different motions with the hands, to which we are
entire strangers; and they are performed with an ease and grace which
are not to be described, nor even conceived, but by those who have seen
them. But I need add nothing to what has been already said on this
subject, in the account of the incidents that happened during our stay
at the islands.[182]

[Footnote 182: If, to the copious descriptions that occur in the
preceding pages, of the particular entertainments exhibited in Hepaee
and Tongataboo, we add the general view of the usual amusements of the
inhabitants of these islands, contained in this paragraph, and compare
it with the quotation from the Jesuit's Letters, in a former note, we
shall be still more forcibly struck with the reasonableness of tracing
such singularly resembling customs to one common source. The argument,
in confirmation of this, drawn from identity of language, has been
already illustrated, by observing the remarkable coincidence of the name
by which the chiefs of the Caroline Islands, and those at Hamao, one of
the friendly ones, are distinguished. But the argument does not rest on
a single instance, though that happens to be a very striking one.
Another of the very few specimens of the dialect of the North Pacific
islanders, preserved by Father Cantova, furnishes an additional proof.
Immediately after the passage above referred to, he proceeds thus: "Ce
divertissement s'appelle, en leur langue, _tanger ifaifil_; qui veut
dire, la plainte des femmes."--_Lettres tres Edifiantes et Curieuses_,
tom. xv. p. 315. Now it is very remarkable, that we learn from Mr
Anderson's collection of words, which will appear in this chapter, that
_la plainte des femmes_, or, in English, _the mournful song of the
women_, which the inhabitants of the Caroline Islands express in their
language _tanger ifaifil_, would, by those of Tongataboo, be expressed
_tangee vefaine_.

If any one should still doubt, in spite of this evidence, it may be
recommended to his consideration, that long separation and other causes,
have introduced greater variations in the mode of pronouncing these two
words, at places confessedly inhabited by the same race, than subsist in
the specimen just given. It appears, from Mr Anderson's vocabulary,
printed in Captain Cook's second voyage, that what is pronounced
_tangee_ at the Friendly Islands, is _taee_ at Otaheite; and the
_vefaine_ of the former, is the _waheine_ of the latter.--D.]

Whether their marriages be made lasting by any kind of solemn contract,
we could not determine with precision; but it is certain, that the bulk
of the people satisfied themselves with one wife. The chiefs, however,
have commonly several women;[183] though some of us were of opinion,
that there was only one that was looked upon as the mistress of the
family.

[Footnote 183: Cantova says of his Caroline islanders, "La pluralite des
femmes est non seulement permise a tous ces insulaires, elle est encore
une marque d'honneur et de distinction. Le _Tamole_ de l'isle d'Huogoleu
en a neuf."--_Lettres Edifiantes et Curieuses_, tom. xv. p. 310.--D.]

As female chastity, at first sight, seemed to be held in no great
estimation, we expected to have found frequent breaches of their
conjugal fidelity; but we did them great injustice. I do not know that a
single instance happened daring our whole stay.[184] Neither are those
of the better sort, that are unmarried, more free of their favours. It
is true, there was no want of those of a different character; and,
perhaps, such are more frequently met with here, in proportion to the
number of people, than in many other countries. But it appeared to me,
that the most, if not all of them, were of the lowest class; and such of
them as permitted familiarities to our people, were prostitutes by
profession.

[Footnote 184: At the Caroline Islands, "Ils ont horreur de l'adultere,
comme d'une grand peche."--_Ibid_. tom. xv. p. 310.--D.]

Nothing can be a greater proof of the humanity of these people, than the
concern they shew for the dead.[185] To use a common expression, their
mourning is not in words, but deeds. For, besides the _tooge_ mentioned
before, and burnt circles and scars, they beat the teeth with stones,
strike a shark's tooth into the head, until the blood flows in streams,
and thrust spears into the inner part of the thigh, into their sides
below the arms-pits, and through the cheeks into the mouth. All these
operations convey an idea of such rigorous discipline, as must require
either an uncommon degree of affection, or the grossest superstition, to
exact. I will not say, that the last has no share in it; for sometimes
it is so universal, that many could not have any knowledge of the person
for whom the concern is expressed. Thus we saw the people of Tongataboo
mourning the death of a chief at Vavaoo; and other similar instances
occurred during our stay. It should be observed, however, that the more
painful operations are only practised on account of the death of those
most nearly connected with the mourners.[186] When a person dies, he is
buried, after being wrapped up in mats and cloth, much after our manner.
The chiefs seem to have the _fiatookas_ appropriated to them as their
burial-places; but the common people are interred in no particular spot.
What part of the mourning ceremony follows immediately after, is
uncertain; but that there is something besides the general one, which is
continued for a considerable length of time, we could infer, from being
informed, that the funeral of Mareewagee's wife, as mentioned before,
was to be attended with ceremonies that were to last five days, and in
which all the principal people were to commemorate her.

[Footnote 185: How the inhabitants of the Caroline Islands express their
grief on such occasions, may be seen, _ibid_. tom. xv. p. 308.--D.]

[Footnote 186: The practice of wounding the body on the death of
friends, appears to have existed in ancient times, and among different
people. Moses forbids it to the Israelites, in Levit. xix. 28. "Ye shall
not make _any cutting in your flesh_ for the dead, nor print any mark
upon you." So in Deut. xiv. 1.; and Parkhurst, in his Heb. Lexicon,
commenting on the passage in Deuteronomy, says, the word rendered _to
cut_, is of more general signification, including "all assaults on their
own persons from immoderate grief, such as beating the breasts, tearing
the hair, &c. which were commonly practised by the heathen, who have no
hope of a resurrection." He instances in the Iliad xix, line 284, in the
Eneid iv, line 673, the case of the Egyptians mentioned by Herodotus, Q.
85, and several other passages in different writers. It would be easy to
find out similar examples in the accounts of more modern nations. But
the subject is not very inviting to extensive research.--E.]

Their long and general mourning proves that they consider death as a
very great evil. And this is confirmed by a very odd custom which they
practise to avert it. When I first visited these islands, during my last
voyage, I observed that many of the inhabitants had one or both of their
little fingers cut off, and we could not then receive any satisfactory
account of the reason of this mutilation.[187] But we now learned, that
this operation is performed when they labour under some grievous
disease, and think themselves in danger of dying. They suppose, that the
Deity will accept of the little finger, as a sort of sacrifice
efficacious enough to procure the recovery of their health. They cut it
off with one of their stone hatchets. There was scarcely one in ten of
them whom we did not find thus mutilated in one or both hands, which has
a disagreeable effect, especially as they sometimes cut so close, that
they encroach upon the bone of the hand, which joins to the amputated
finger.[188]

[Footnote 187: Cantova's account of the practice of the Caroline
Islands, is as follows: "Lorsqu'il meurt quelque personne d'un rang
distmgue, ou qui leur est chere par d'autres endroits, ses obseques se
font avec pompe. Il y eu a qui renferment le corps da defunct dans un
petit edifice de pierre, qu'ils gardent au-dedans de leur maisons.
D'autres les enterrent loin de leurs habitations."--_Lettres Edifiantes
et Curieuses_, tom. xv. p. 308, 309.--D.]

[Footnote 188: It may be proper to mention here, on the authority of
Captain King, that it is common for the inferior people to cut off a
joint of their little finger, on account of the sickness of the chiefs
to whom they belong.--D.]

From the rigid severity with which some of these mourning and religious
ceremonies are executed, one would expect to find, that they meant
thereby to secure to themselves felicity beyond the grave; but their
principal object relates to things merely temporal. For they seem to
have little conception of future punishment for faults committed in this
life. They believe, however, that they are justly punished upon earth;
and consequently use every method to render their divinities propitious.
The Supreme Author of most things they call _Kallafootonga_, who, they
say, is a female residing in the sky, and directing the thunder, wind,
rain, and, in general, all the changes of weather. They believe, that
when she is angry with them, the productions of the earth are blasted;
that many things are destroyed by lightning; and that they themselves
are afflicted with sickness and death, as well as their hogs and other
animals. When this anger abates, they suppose that every thing is
restored to its natural order; and it should seem that they have a great
reliance on the efficacy of their endeavours to appease their offended
divinity. They also admit a plurality of deities, though all inferior to
_Kallafootonga_. Amongst them, they mention _Toofooa-boolootoo_, god of
the clouds and fog; _Talleteboo_, and some others, residing in the
heavens. The first in rank and power, who has the government of the sea,
and its productions., is called _Futtafaihe_, or, as it was sometimes
pronounced, _Footafooa_, who, they say, is a male, and has for his wife
_Fykava kajeea_; and here, as in heaven, there are several inferior
potentates, such as _Vahaa fonooa, Tareeava, Mattaba, Evaroo_, and
others. The same religious system, however, does not extend all over the
cluster of the Friendly Isles; for the supreme god of _Hepaee_, for
instance, is called _Alo Alo_; and other isles have two or three of
different names. But their notions of the power and other attributes of
these beings are so very absurd, that they suppose they have no farther
concern with them after death.

They have, however, very proper sentiments about the immateriality and
the immortality of the soul. They call it life, the living principle,
or, what is more agreeable to their notions of it, an _Otooa_, that is,
a divinity, or invisible being. They say, that immediately upon death,
the souls of their chiefs separate from their bodies, and go to a place
called _Boolootoo_, the chief, or god, of which is _Gooleho_. This
_Gooleho_ seems to be a personification of death; for they used to say
to us, "You, and the men of Feejee (by this junction meaning to pay a
compliment, expressive of their confession of our superiority over
themselves), are also subject to the power and dominion of _Gooleho_."
His country, the general receptacle of the dead, according to their
mythology, was never seen by any person; and yet, it seems, they know
that it lies to the westward of Feejee; and that they who are once
transported thither, live for ever; or, to use their own expression, are
not subject to death again, but feast upon all the favourite products of
their own country, with which this everlasting abode is supposed to
abound. As to the souls of the lower sort of people, they undergo a sort
of transmigration; or, as they say, are eat by a bird called _loata_,
which walks upon their graves for that purpose.

I think I may venture to assert, that they do not worship any thing that
is the work of their own hands or any visible part of the creation. They
do not make offerings of hogs, dogs, and fruit, as at Otaheite, unless
it be emblematically; for their _morais_ were perfectly free from every
thing of the kind. But that they offer real human sacrifices, is, with
me, beyond a doubt. Their _morais_ or _fiatookas_, (for they are called
by both names, but mostly by the latter), are, as at Otaheite, and many
other parts of the world, burying-grounds, and places of worship; though
some of them seemed to be only appropriated to the first purpose; but
these were small, and, in every other respect, inferior to the others.

Of the nature of their government, we know no more than the general
outline. A subordination is established among them, that resembles the
feudal system of our progenitors in Europe. But of its subdivisions, of
the constituent parts, and in what manner they are connected, so as to
form a body politic, I confess myself totally ignorant. Some of them
told us, that the power of the king is unlimited, and that the life and
property of the subject is at his disposal. But the few circumstances
that fell under our observation, rather contradicted than confirmed the
idea of a despotic government. Mareewagee, old Toobou, and Feenou, acted
each like petty sovereigns, and frequently thwarted the measures of the
king, of which he often complained. Neither was his court more splendid
than those of the two first, who are the most powerful chiefs in the
islands; and, next to them, Feenou, Mareewagee's son, seemed to stand
highest in authority. But, however independent on the despotic power of
the king the great men may be, we saw instances enough to prove, that
the lower order of people have no property, nor safety for their
persons, but at the will of the chiefs to whom they respectively belong.

Tongataboo is divided into many districts; of above thirty of which we
learned the names. Each of these has its particular chief, who decides
differences, and distributes justice within his own district. But we
could not form any satisfactory judgment about the extent of their power
in general, or their mode of proportioning punishments to crimes. Most
of these chiefs have possessions in other islands from whence they draw
supplies. At least, we know this is so with respect to the king, who, at
certain established times, receives the product of his distant domains
at Tongataboo, which is not only the principal place of his residence,
but seemingly of all the people of consequence amongst these isles. Its
inhabitants, in common conversation, call it the Land of Chiefs, while
the subordinate isles are distinguished by the appellation of Lands of
Servants.

These chiefs are, by the people, styled not only lords of the earth, but
of the sun and sky; and the king's family assume the name of Futtafaihe,
from the god so called, who is probably their tutelary patron, and
perhaps their common ancestor. The sovereign's peculiar earthly title is
however, simply _Tooee Tunga_.

There is a decorum observed in the presence of their principal men, and
particularly of their king, that is truly admirable. Whenever he sits,
down, whether it be in an house, or without, all the attendants seat
themselves at the same time, in a semicircle before him, leaving always
a convenient space between him and them, into which no one attempts to
come, unless he has some particular business. Neither is any one allowed
to pass, or sit behind him, nor even near him, without his order or
permission, so that our having been indulged with this privilege, was a
significant proof of the great respect that was paid us. When any one
wants to speak with the king, he advances and sits down before him,
delivers what he has to say in a few words, and, having received his
answer, retires again to the circle. But if the king speaks to any one,
that person answers from his seat, unless he is to receive some order,
in which case he gets up from his place, and sits down before the chief
with his legs across, which is a posture to which they are so much
accustomed, that any other mode of sitting is disagreeable to them.[189]
To speak to the king standing, would be accounted here as a striking
mark of rudeness, as it would be with us, for one to sit down and put on
his hat, when he addresses himself to his superior, and that superior on
his feet and uncovered.

[Footnote 189: This is peculiar to the men; the women always sitting
with both legs thrown a little on one side. We owe this remark to
Captain King.--D]

It does not, indeed, appear that any of the most civilized nations have
ever exceeded this people in the great order observed on all occasions,
in ready compliance with the commands of their chiefs; and in the
harmony that subsists throughout all ranks, and unites them, as if they
were all one man, informed with, and directed by the same principle.
Such a behaviour is remarkably obvious, whenever it is requisite that
their chiefs should harangue any body of them collected together, which
is frequently done. The most profound silence and attention is observed
during the harangue, even to a much greater degree than is practised
amongst us, on the most interesting and serious deliberations of our
most respectable assemblies. And whatever might have been the subject of
the speech delivered, we never saw an instance, when any individual
present shewed signs of his being displeased, or that indicated the
least inclination to dispute the declared will of a person who had a
right to command. Nay, such is the force of these verbal laws, as I may
call them, that I have seen one of their chiefs express his being
astonished, at a person's having acted contrary to such orders, though
it appeared, that the poor man could not possibly have been informed in
time to have observed them.[190]

[Footnote 190: Cantava gives us the same account of the profound
submission of the Caroline islanders, to the orders of the _Tamole_.
"Ils recoivent ses ordres avec le plus profond respect. Ses paroles sont
autant d'oracles, qu' on revere."--_Lettres Edifiantes & Curieuses_,
tom. xv. p. 312.--D.]

Though some of the more potent chiefs may vie with the king in point of
actual possessions, they fall very short in rank, and in certain marks
of respect, which the collective body have agreed to pay the monarch. It
is a particular privilege annexed to his sovereignty, not to be
punctured nor circumcised, as all his subjects are. Whenever he walks
out, every one whom he meets must sit down till he has passed. No one is
allowed to be over his head; on the contrary, all must come under his
feet, for there cannot be a greater outward mark of submission, than
that which is paid to the sovereign, and other great people of these
islands, by their inferiors. The method is this; the person who is to
pay obeisance, squats down before the chief, and bows the head to the
sole of his foot, which, when he sits, is so placed, that it can be
easily come at, and having tapped, or touched it with the under and
upper side of the fingers of both hands, he rises up and retires. It
should seem that the king cannot refuse any one who chooses to pay him
this homage, which is called _moe moea_; for the common people would
frequently take it into their heads to do it when he was walking, and he
was always obliged to stop, and hold up one of his feet behind him, till
they had performed the ceremony. This, to a heavy unwieldy man, like
Poulaho, must be attended with some trouble and pain; and I have
sometimes seen him make a run, though very unable, to get out of the
way, or to reach a place where he might conveniently sit down. The
hands, after this application of them to the chief's feet, are, in some
cases, rendered useless for a time; for, until they be washed, they must
not touch any kind of food. This interdiction, in a country where water
is so scarce, would seem to be attended with some inconvenience, but
they are never at a loss for a succedaneum; and a piece of any juicy
plant, which they can easily procure immediately, being rubbed upon
them, this serves for the purpose of purification, as well as washing
them with water. When the hands are in this state, they call it _taboo
rema_. _Taboo_, in general, signifies forbidden, and _rema_ is their
word for hand.

When the _taboo_ is incurred, by paying obeisance to a great personage,
it is thus easily washed off. But, in some other cases, it must
necessarily continue for a certain time. We have frequently seen women,
who have been _taboo rema_, fed by others. At the expiration of the
time, the interdicted person washes herself in one of their baths, which
are dirty holes, for the most part, of brackish water. She then waits
upon the king, and, after making her obeisance in the usual way, lays
hold of his foot and applies it to her breast, shoulders, and other
parts of her body. He then embraces her on each shoulder, after which
she retires, purified from her uncleanness. I do not know that it is
always necessary to come to the king for this purpose, though Omai
assured me it was. If this be so, it may be one reason why he is, for
the most part, travelling from island to island. I saw this ceremony
performed by him two or three times, and once by Feenou, to one of his
own women; but as Omai was not then with me, I could not ask the
occasion.

_Taboo_, as I have before observed, is a word of an extensive
signification. Human sacrifices are called _tangata taboo_; and when any
thing is forbidden to be eat, or made use of, they say, that is _taboo_.
They tell us, that if the king should happen to go into a house
belonging to a subject, that house would be _taboo_, and could never be
more inhabited by the owner; so that wherever he travels, there are
particular houses for his reception. Old Toobou at this time presided
over the _taboo_, that is, if Omai comprehended the matter rightly, he
and his deputies inspected all the produce of the island, taking care
that every man should cultivate and plant his quota, and ordering what
should he eat, and what not. By this wise regulation, they effectually
guard against a famine; a sufficient quantity of ground is employed in
raising provisions, and every article thus raised, is secured from
unnecessary waste.