On Tahiti - Dress &c. Home James Morrison Peter Heywood
Revised May 29 2021
They have several Exercises, among which Wrestling and throwing the Javlin are the Most Common—they are very expert wrestlers both Men & Weomen but never Box tho this diversion is Common at Ryeatea and the other Islands—When they Assemble to Wrestle as they do at all publick Feasts, a ring is made, into which the Wrestlers being come walk round, Clapping with the Right Hand on the Bend of the left Arm which is bent so as to bring the Hand to the Breast, making a loud din. If any has a Mind to accept the Challenge He returns it with a Clap and puts Himself in a posture to receive His Opponent and they Close immediately. If either finds the other too strong for him he signifies it, and they part—if Not one Must fall, and the Weomen of the Victors Party Strike up a dance & song, the Victor Clapping round the ring till another takes him up while the Vanquishd retires peacably, thinking Nothing of His disgrace—they generally Wrestle One district against another and the Weomen always wrestle first, but are more vicious then the Men and Cannot bear to be worsted. At this Sport Eddea and her Sister are always first, and often come off with Victory and Eddea always directs the Ceremony & fixes the Number of falls that must be Wrestled, and which ever side attains the Number first are declared Victorious and the Wrestling being finnishd Dancing takes place among the Weomen and the Men go to throw the Javlin.
Their Javlins are from 8 to 16 feet long, being made of Wands of Poorow with the Bark stripd off, and pointed with the Fwharra or Palm tree; with these they Heave at a Mark at 30 or 40 Yards distance with Great exactness & Count their Game by the Uppermost Javlin which has held in the Mark, which is mostly part of the Plantain Stock. Their Method of throwing is under handed, poising the Javlin on the fore finger of the left hand while they send it home with the Right—or the Contrary if left Handed. The Weomen also play at this Game but never for any Wager, the District in which.they Play always providing a Feast. Another Diversion is with Bows Made of Poorow and Arrows of Bamboo pointed with Toa. With these they shoot for Distance, or up the side of a hill without any Mark. After this Game they have also a Feast made as before—The Weomen shoot as well as the Men but by themselves and those who follow it must have Clothing sacred to the Game which must not be worn at any other time—for which reason it is left Chiefly for those of rank who can pay the proper attention to it these Bows are for Diversion only. They practice the quarter staff from their youth and are well versed in the Use of it and defend themselves amazing well it being no honor to receive a wound in War except from a spear and even them they hide as much as possible.
They also Practice the Sling and will throw a stone with some exactness and great force, the sling is made of Cocoanut fibers platted, having a broad part wove in the Center to contain the stone (which is Mostly of the size of a hens egg) and a loop at one end to put over their wrist to keep it from flying away when they let go the other end; when they throw a stone they keep the Sling a Cross their Shoulders and with their thumb keep the stone in its place, when by a quick Motion let go the stone Jumping at the same time off their feet and grasping the right Wrist in the left hand swing the stone three times round their head before they discharge it, when it flys with such force as to break the Bark of a Tree at 200 Yards distance, keeping in a Horizontal direction nearly the whole way.
Heiva is the General Name of Diversion, whether Music, Dance, Song &c.—The Dance Calld Heovra is performed by two, four, Six or More Young Weomen neatly dressd and any Convenient Number of Men, with one who is prompter or director having Drums & flutes playing through the whole performance the Weomen beating regular time with Various Motions of the Hands as well as feet. This dance is generally performd on Matts spread for the Purpose and at Night it is always under Cover of an Open house or Shed build for the purpose with torch and other lights. The Dress of the Weomen in these Dances is elegant and their figure Graceful. It Consists of a Turban of Tamow or Platted hair of several Hundered fathoms long, decorated with Sharks Teeth, Pearls & flowers, their arms and shoulders are bare and a kind of Vest of White or Colloured Cloth covers their Breasts, over each of which a large rose of Black Feathers is fixd, and on their Back are several pieces of Cloth in regular folds painted with a red border and so fixed as to represent Wings, on each side from the Hip to the Shoulder, and from the Waist depends a kind of Petticoat which reaches the feet, this has also a red Border and a Stripe of the same Collour with another of Yellow, each about an inch broad about ten inches from the Bottom; from the Waist also depends several Tassels of Black feathers which reach the Knees, and two or three red or Black feathers on each fore finger. When the Weomen retire to take breath their place is supplyd by the Music and singers which is no way disagreeable when understood being soft and pleasing—at other times a set of Actors supplys their place—the principal part which the[y] perform is Satyr, which is often directed at their Chiefs, and they never fail to expose such Charracters as draw their attention and tho they treat thier Chiefs with great freedom they incur no displeasure so long as they keep to the truth—by this Method they rebuke them for their faults in Publick, having first diverted them to draw their attention—this is done in a kind of Pantomime at which they are so good that any person who knows the Man they mean to represent may easily perceive who they are making the subject of their sport.
Nor was it so badly done before we became acquainted with them as to prevent evry spectator from observing that one of their Plays at Which our Commander was present was entirely a representation of Himself and of which He was a Most distinguished Charracter— This was performd at the request of Matte or o'Too and several of the Officers and Crew of the Bounty Were Present. The Houses where they hold these Plays or Dances are in Common no other then a Shed Open at the Front and both ends, the Back part being screend in with Cocoa Nut leaves wove into a kind of Matting for the Purpose. The Back part generally forms one part of a Square which is raild in with a low railing, the Whole Square being laid with Grass & the part they perform on laid with Matts. Without the railing, which is not more then a Foot High, sit or stand the Audience—they somtimes may act at the Houses of the Chief when they leave all the Dresses as a Present; Many of them Contain from 20 to 30 fathoms of Cloth from one to four wide—with the Matting Cloth & Feathers.
The Hewra is the Dance performd by the relations of Warriors Slain in Battle when they make friends with the Man who Killd Him or them—as these Dresses are very Expencive to those At whose Expence they are found, they seldom have More then Four and Oftener two then any other Number tho they may have 20 if they can afford it.
Another Dance is the Ponnara which is performed almost evry evening in evry district through the Island. To this Dance the Weomen of evry age and discription resort to dance; young & old, Rich and Poor mix promiscuously, but no Men Join with them—when they attend the Ponnara they are always Neat and dressd in their best, their Heads decorated with Garlands of sweet scented Flowers. Having fixd on the Ground they devide themselves in two partys and seperate at 30 or 40 Yards from each other, when one of the Best players having provided a small green Bread fruit for a Ball with which she runs out about halfway between the two kicks the Ball with as Much force as she is able, striking it with the upper part of the foot near the instep; if she sends the Ball through the other party or past them so as none can stop it till it stops itself then the Opposite or Her party strike up a Song & Dance, beating time to it with hands & feet with much exactness and regularity—after they have finnishd their dance, which lasts about 5 or 6 Minutes, the Other Party kick the Ball which if it Passes they who kick it Dance, but if it is stopt by them who Danced first then they dance again, Mean time the Others Stand still—after they have Playd at this for some Hours they Kick the Ball to one side and both Partys strike up together, when each, to draw the Spectators to their exibition, produce two or three Young Wantons, who stripping of their lower Garments Cover them selves with a loose piece of Cloth and at particular parts of the Song they throw Open their Cloth and dance with their fore part Naked to the Company making many lewd gestures—however these are not merely the effects of Wantoness but Custom, and those who perform thus in Publick are Shy and Bashful in private, and seldom suffer any freedom to be taken by the Men on that account. The Single Young Men have also dances wherein they shew many indecent Gestures which would be reproachable among themselves at any other time but at the dance, it being deemd shameful for either Sex to expose themselves Naked even to each other and they are more remarkable for hiding their Nakedness in Bathing then many Europeans, always supplying the place of Cloaths with leaves at going in and coming out of the Water and the Weomen Never uncover their Breasts at any other time.
Besides these Amusements they have several others and are very fond of Cock fighting which is Mostly their Morning diversion—they never trim the Cocks nor use any Spurs, but their natural ones; while the Cocks are fighting the Owners are praying for the Success of their Cocks an[d] as soon as they appear fatigued by the Heat they part them till they are recovered and then put them together again. They never fight for any wager but Merely for sport, and somtimes 200 Cocks are brought to the Pit, one Part of the District fighting their Cocks against the Other and a Feast is provided by the party who sent the Challenge let whoever win or loose—In the evenings they Play the Flute and sing till bed time—somtimes they accompany their Music with drums—their Flutes are made of Bamboo having only three holes, Consequently [they] have but few Notes, which however they Vary and tune to each other and their sound is soft and Not inharmonious, they blow the instrument with one Nostril, stopping the other with one thumb, and with the second finger of the same hand stop the second hole, the third being near the lower end is stopd or Opened by the fore finger of the Other hand.
Their Drums are Hollow Cellinderical peices of Wood Covered with a Sharks Skin on which they beat with their fingers and they are loud and Clear, they generally have two for base and Tennor, the one about 4 feet high and 10 or 12 inches over and the other of the same diameter but only 18 or 20 inches high—They have also large Base Drums in their Morais which with Conch Shells are used by the Priests on Solem religious Cere monies. These Drums are constantly beating when any thing ails the Chief.
When the Westerly Winds prevail they have a heavy surf Con stantly running to a prodigious height on the Shore & this Affords excellent diversion and the part they Choose for their Sport is where the Surf breaks with Most Violence—when they go to this diversion they get peices of Board of any length with which they swim out to the back of the surf, when they Watch the rise of a surf somtimes a Mile from the shore & laying their Breast on the board, keep themselves poised on the Surf so as to come in on the top of it, with amazing rapidity watching the time that it breaks, when they turn with great Activity and diving under the surge swim out again towing their plank with them—at this diversion both Sexes are Excellent, and some are so expert as to stand on their board till the Surf breaks—the Children also take their sport in the smaller surfs and as Most learn to swim as soon as walk few or no accidents happen from Drowning. They resort to this sport in great Numbers and keep at it for several Hours and as they often encounter each other in their passage out and in they require the greatest Skill in swimming to keep from running foul of each other—which they somtimes cannot avoid in which case both are Violently dashd on shore where they are thrown neck & heels and often find very Coarse landing, which however they take little Notice of and recovering themselves regain their boards & return to their sport.
The Chiefs are in general best at this as well as all other Diversions, nor are their Weomen behind hand at it. Eddea is one of the Best among the Society Islands & able to hold it with the Best of the Men Swimmers.
This Diversion took place during the time the Bounty lay in Maatavye Bay when the Surf from the Dolphin Bank ran so high as to break over her, and we were forced to secure the Hatches expecting the Ship to go on shore evry Minute. After they have been at this sport they always wash in the Fresh Water, as they always do when they have been out in their Canoes or have been wet with salt water.
They have also a diversion in Canoes, which they steer on the top of the Surf with Great dexterity, and can either turn them out before it breakes or land safe tho it Break ever so high. Their Natural aversion to filth, which they detest, and their Unparrelled Cleanliness of Body and Cloaths not only renders their persons agreeable to Strangers and themselves but keeps them free from many disorders which we have—Nor do they Give Way to Sickness till death stops their Career—Young and Old Constantly bathe in running water three times a day, some Oftener, and when they become too old to Walk far, fix their habitation near a stream to enjoy that Convenience. They always wash their hands and mouth before, and after Meals, and when they are not at some diversion either go to sleep, in the Heat of the day, or employ themselves trimming their Hair Beards &ca. A black Cocoa Nut Shell serves for a looking Glass when filld with water, fish scales for Tweesers, with which they pick their beards into form and the hairs from the legs, arms, armpits and other parts of the Body which are apt to gather filth from Sweat & Dust; a sharks tooth answers evry purpose of Scisars for trimming their hair which they keep always in neat order.
Both sexes have their ears bored in which they wear flowers or hang their Pearls on which they set much value, they mostly wear three in a bunch, hung two or three inches from the ear, seldom having both Ears decorated in the same Manner. Cocoa Nut Oil is used for Pomatum, and their Combs are made of Bamboo. Their Cloaths are always Neat and they take a Pride in Shining at Publick assemblys. Their Disorders as beforesaid are few and for any inward Complaint they have no remedy except it is applyd by Chance tho they always administer Some Medicine with their prayers—but in surgery they are excellent and make surprizing Cures—We have been Eye witness to some—one of which was from a Musquet ball which a Man received in his Breast and passd through the Shoulder blade, another with his arm broke by a ball, a third having a Ball through his thigh & a fourth received one through His Thigh while stooping, which passd under his ribbs and out by the Collar bone, with several others Wounded with Stones, all of which were perfectly cured within two Months—among those wounded with Stones was one who had all his Upper Jaw stove in and 6 or 7 teeth knockt out; several splinters of the bone were extracted and the Juice of herbs with Clean water was the only remedy ever we saw used. They cannot bear their wounds bound up and are Constantly Washing them to keep them from smelling; for this reason should they get a leg broke it is certain Death as they Cannot be kept from the Water tho they know the Consequence, always flying to the water as soon as the smell becomes disagreeable, and often grate sandal wood on the part to take away the Smell. For Splints they use bamboo and often repair broken Arms whether gotten by War or Accident.
Their Chief Disorders are Madness or Insanity, Agues, Coughs & Colds, Swelld legs & Arms, Swellings under their Ears like the Evil, Ruptures & some few others.
The Insanity is only temporary, and perhaps may proceed from too great a flow of Blood & spirits and a Want of Exercise, as it generally Commences when the Bread begins to be ripe—at which Season others are troubled with Boils on their legs and thighs, this being the Wet Season and the Sun over head when they are More Confined to their houses by the rain; this generally leaves them when the Sun returns to the Northward, and it is Not Common for a Man or Woman to have it return, tho during its stay with them they are very Mischevious and go quite Naked. With some it stays longer then others & they have it in different degrees from a heavy dull Melancholy to raving Mad. They never bind them but let them run and some travel all round the Island Naked in the time of their Madness and none interrupts them unless they do some Mischief as they suppose them posessd with some evil spirit. This is Common to Weomen as well as Men, who are not restrained but sufferd to take their own Course till the spirit leaves them when they return home and wear their Cloaths as usual. The Ague is a Common disorder for which as well as Madness they have No Cure and this Carrys them off, as does that terrible disease the Venereal for which Death is their only remedy and such was the fate of those who Contracted it from the Europeans, for as soon as any one is known to have it no person will toutch them nor theirs Nor will they bathe near them in the river; their food is also carried to them, they not being suffered to touch any but what is for themselves—their Companions forsake them and they languish out the remainder of their days in a Miserable Manner; tho they want no food yet they Pine at seeing themselves Neglected and soon die.
They know that this disorder was brought by the Europeans, but are not Certain whether by the Spaniards or French, for which reason they Blame both, nor do we escape blameless in all points, for they Charge us with Several other disorders with which they say they were unacquainted before they knew us and particularly with bringing Fleas among them which they say were brought by the Cats—however it is possible that they may be Natives of their own Country as it is Clear that Most of their disorders are, the Ague being the effects of the sudden heats and Colds which they often experience as they always Jump into the River when they sweat to Cool themselves, and often sleep in Heavy dews.
Their Coughs & Colds are often Gotten in the Same Manner and their Hot bath into which Weomen go after Childbearing is Sufficient to Carry off those of the best Constitution—this is Made by screening in part of a House, or erecting a hut or Tent of Cloth and Mats, into which they bring a quantity of Hot Stones and spread grass & herbs over them; the person intending to bathe then goes in with a shell of water, the place is shut close & the Water being sprinkled on the Grass & Stones makes a Steam. In this they stay as long as they are Able, when, Throwing a Cloth loosely round them, they Come out and run dirictly to the River into which they Plunge head formost. This bath is also used by both sexes merely for the Sake of making themselves throroughly clean when their skin appears too rough or greasy to be cleand in the River. This We have Seen often Repeated by both Sexes, without any immediate good or bad Consequence. The Swelld legs and Arms are a disorder perhaps peculiar to themselves. These swellings often breake out in Small Ulcers, but never deminish, they seldom effect above the Knee or Elbow, being Confined to the Arm & Leg which swell to a prodigious size—The Swellings under the Ears are like the Kings evil, making large scars, for neither of these have they any remedy but Clean washing never suffering their Head to be bound up which often occasions large wounds in their Necks and altho we often convinced them that binding up their wounds would be the Means of a Speedy Cure yet as they must either stay at home or remove their bandage evry time they pass over sacred Ground, they could never be perswaded to do it.
Ruptures are Very Common, frequently Swelling to a Prodigious size, these are perhaps occasioned by too great an exertion of Strength when Wrestling, which however we were not able to perswade them to beleive, nor is it possible to perswade them that disorders proceed from such things as sleeping on damp ground or in heavy dews &ca. as they beleive that all their diseases are immediately sent from the Deity as a punnishment for some fault, consequently that it is impossible to prevent or escape it. They have few Cripples tho they have several Blind, and Dumb. Most of the deformity found amongst them are from Accident—their limbs in general are straight & it is very rare to see a Bow legd or knock kneed person—their Children are free from the ricketts and the Mother takes much pains to form the features & keep the limbs in their proper Places whil they are young and if a Child is not very Deformd they will bring it into shape before the bones are set.—If the Child has any of these faults the Mother is blamed and any Stranger will tell Her that she does not understand Nursing her Children.
They Have also a kind of leprosy which changes the Body to a Dead Wite in some parts while the natural Collour is heightened to Black; this Change of Collour extends to the Hair on the head & body some of which is as white as snow, while the rest is Jet Black, which gives them a very odd appearance. Some are Changed all over but this does not effect their Health or Strength. These are the principal of their disorders and it appears to me that they live to a Good old age and are Vigourous and healthy.
Several are Now on the Island who were alive at the time the African Gaily was lost (the Ship before spoken of) on Tapoohoe, an Island to the N.E. of Taheite, and Many Mentioned by Captains Wallis & Cook are yet but hale hearty men—and Many who appear to be near 100 Years old are Sturdy Men.
The Weomen in this Climate, as in other warm ones, are sooner ripe then in the Colder Northern & Southern Countrys and generally Marry at 13 or 14 Years but those of rank often reach 16 or 18 Years, by which time in this Country they are Weomen Grown—they also appear to fade sooner Nevertheless handsom features may often be traced under Grey hairs, and it is somthing remarkable that many who were once faded revive and hold their Beauty with all the Sprightlyness of Youth at 50, While others who have broken their Constitution in their Youth by their disolute Manner of living are perfectly withered at 30.
When any person dies the relations flock to the House in numbers making much lamentation and the Weomen cut their heads with sharks teeth; both sexes cut their hair off different parts of their heads, somtimes Cutting all of but a lock over one Ear, somtimes over both & the rest Close cut or shaven. The Weomen often Cut themselves on these occasions till they bring on a fever and I have known a Woman Cut herself for the loss of a Child till a delirium was brought on which ended in the total loss of her reason. For the loss of a relation they Cut a square place bare on the fore part of their head which they keep bare for 6 Moons or longer, according to the love they bear the deceased; but for a favourite Child they wear it so for two or 3 Years and all the hair they Cut off is either thrown into the Sacred Ground or Carried to the Morai.
If any Person dies of a Disorder they are Buried in their own Ground and a Priest always puts a Plantain tree into the Grave with them and some of the relations put them in the Grave, praying them to keep their disorder in the Grave with them and not afflict any person with [it]. When their Soul is Sent on that Business, they also bury or burn evry thing belonging to them, or that has been used by them while in their Sickness, house and furniture to prevent the disorder from spreading or Communicating to others—these are the only people that have any funeral Prayers—those who die without disease are either laid on abeir or embalmd. Their Method of embalming is by taking the Bo wells out and Stuffing the Body with Cloth and grated Sandal wood, anointing the skin with Cocoa Nut oil scented with the Same wood; the Body is laid on a Beir in a house by itself & Covered with Cloth which the relations present as they Come to the Place, which they all do if they are in the Island. The body is often dressd in the same Manner as it used to do while alive, the Head Ornamented with Flowers, the house is fenced in and hung round with Cloth finely scented and the beir is ornamented with Garlands of Palm Nuts which having an agreeable Smell keep off any foul one—The Tears Shed on these Occasions are saved on peices of Cloth together with the Blood from their heads, and thrown within the rail of the Sacred house, all which they suppose gives satisfaction to the departed soul, who is hovering about the Body while it remains without Moldering—Others are hung up on a Beir under a thatchd Covering Covered and dressd with Cloth; they are also ornamented with Palm Nuts, Cocoa Nut leaves platted in a Curious Manner and raild in with reeds which the Man that is appointed to take Care of the Body keeps in repair, and he is obliged to have a Man to feed him as he must not toutch any sort of food for one Month, after he has toutchd a dead body or any of the things which belong to it—they also offer Provisions &c. near the Corps not for it but the Deity who presides over it.
The body is Calld Toopapow, the Beir Fwhatta and the House wherein it is Containd Farre Toopapow—those who are embalmed are Calld Toopapow Meere—They are kept each on their own land and Not Carryd to the Morai where none are interrd, but those Killd in War, or for Sacrafice or the Children of Chiefs who have been Strangled at their birth.
When Chiefs or People of rank die their bodys are Embalmed and they are Carried round the Island to evry part where they have any Posessions, in each of which the Tyehaa or Weeping Ceremony is renewd; and after a Journey of 6 or 8 Months returns to their own estate where they are kept till the Body decays when the bones are interd. Some who have a great Veneration for the deceased wrap up the Scull and Hang it up in their house in token of their love and in this Manner is the Sculls of several kept—these bodys, while they are whole, are liable to be taken in War and the Man who takes one of them gets the Name and honors as if He had killd a Warrior, and should the body of a Chief be Carried off in this Manner before an other was Named the District would fall to the Conqueror as if he had killd him; for this reason they are always removed, having each a Steady Man to Carry them away into the Mountains if they should be in War, in this Manner Captain Cooks picture is also removed lest it should be taken—While the Body remains they keep the Beir well supplyd with Cloth & new is always substituted in lieu of that which is decayd and the Cloth is in general good and neatly painted.
Besides the Weeping and Cutting their Heads they have another Mourning Ceremony wherin they wear the Pari or Mourning Dress described by Captain Cook. —This is Mostly worn by two or three of the Nearest Male relations each of which are Armd with a Weapon Calld Paaeho, edged with a row of sharks teeth for three feet or four of its length, the Upper part forming a blade like that of a Gardners knife. They are attended by forty or fifty Young Men & Weomen who disguise themselves by blacking their bodys and faces with Charcoal, and spotting them with pipe Clay; these seldom wear any other Cloths but a Marro and each is armd with a Spear or Club and parade about the district like Madmen and will beat Cut or even kill any person who offers to stand in their Way—therefore when any one sees them Coming they fly to the Morai, it being the only place where they can be safe, or Get refuge from the rage of the Mourners who persue all that they see. The Morai alone they must [not] enter, and while this Ceremony lasts, which is somtimes 3 weeks or a month, they pay no respect to persons nor are the Chiefs safe from their fury unless they take sanctuary in the Morai; the Weomen and Children are forced to quit the place as they Cannot take refuge in the Morai. Should any person be stubborn or foolish enough to stop one of the Mourners or Not get out of their way and they should be killd no law can be obtaind nor any blamed but himself, as the Mourners are look'd on as luna ticks, driven Mad through Grief for the Death of their relations therefore none attempt to obstruct them but fly at their approach. This Ceremony is also Calld Tyehaa or Mourning, the Performers are Calld Naynevva, Madmen Hewa tyehaa—Mourning Spirits, Costs, or Spectres.
These are the whole of their Mourning rites and are of longer or shorter duration according to the circumstances of the Family who have lost their relation. They are more particularly observed for Children then Grown persons.
Among their Societys (of which they have several, evry profession or Calling being a distinct Society and all of the same profession are made Welcome by the rest all through these Islands) is one in particular distinguishd by the Name of Areeuoy, which Name signifys a restless or unsettled Chief—this Society is composed of a Set of Young Men of Wild, Amorous & Volatile dispositions who from their Infancy devote the youthful part of their lives to Roving, Pleasure & Debauchery. They are continually going from one Island to another and from one District to another in Companys of four or five Hundred together upon Partys of Pleasure, and as Nearly all the Chiefs are of this Society they ever Meet with the best entertainment from them all in their respective districts. So greatly are they indeed respected throughout all the Islands, that if any of the Members take a liking to the Cloaths which they see any person wearing they are never refused them or any thing else they may chuse to Demand, and are always sure to carry off the finest weomen in the Country—The Old Members of this Society are distinguishd by having a black Oval tattow'd under their left Breast, one on the right side of the back below the shoulder, their Legs & thighs entirely blackd from the Ancle to the short ribbs and their arms from the finger ends to the Shoulder—They are always well dressd, with the best Cloth that can be made, their hair Scented and Adorn'd with Various kinds of odoriferous flowers. The Younger Members, and indeed all in general being fond ofvariety, seldom remain any length of time with one Woman but are Constantly Changing and if any of their Wives prove Pregnant, they go away and leave them immediately on the first discovery, that they may not be obstructed in their future persuit and enjoyment of Pleasure by the domestic cares of a Wife and Child, and as it is deemd highly reproachful for a Child not to know who his Father is (which would be almost impossible in that Society) when they are Pregnant with a Child of which they know not the true Father, to prevent its being treated with Indignity in its passage through Life (and as it could have no inheritance without a Father) it is no sooner born then some one strangles the little innocent and burys it. These Areeuoy ladies of Pleasure easily agree to this as they think that Nursing Children spoils their Beauty in the prime of Youth and debars them from the Happiness of having so many Suitors as before.
If an Areeuoy preserves any of His Children (which they seldom do till they advance in Years & the Fire of their Youthful Passions is a little quench'd) they are not treated with so much respect as when Batchelors & are then denominated Areeuoy fwhanownow or a Childbearing Areeuoy and are not entertaind at the feasts till after the Batchelors are served tho they are always lookd on as part of the Society and treated as such. They are Never Calld upon in War and May pass through the Countrys at war without Molestation, and be well received, tho part of them belong to the enemys District.
If any Person wishes to have his son or Daughter instituted into the Society he procures an Areeuoy to be His Son or Daughters Friend and hopts him for His Son by performing the Amoa (before described) towards Him and His Son or Daughter at the Morai and the Child is acknowledged an Areeuoy immediately the Ceremony is over, and May Continue to follow their Methods while He or she thinks Proper.
There are many People who are not of this Society that kill their Children for this Reason—If a Man takes a Wife of inferior rank to himself and has a Child by her it is strangled immediately it is born to prevent its bringing disgrace on the Blood of His Family and tho he wishd to preserve its life himself his relations would oblige him to kill it or declare himself no longer of their Family—and it is the same if the Wife be superior in rank to the Husband both of which frequently happens. If the Child should chance to cry out in Coming into the World, or should the Mother Chance to see it before it is killd, Nature takes place of Custom and the Child is Saved.
Such was the Case with the present Tomaree, the only Child which Pbooraya Saved; being delivered by herself she saved the Child tho she had killd several others, both Her and Oammo being of the Areeuoy society; for which reason he left Her but they afterwards became friends & the Boy was acknowledged their Heir. And here it May not be improper to remark that the Idea formd of this Society and of the Inhabitants of this Island in general by former Voyagers could not possible extend much further then their own Oppinion, None having remaind a sufficient length of time to know the Manner in which they live and as their whole system was overturned by the arrival of a ship, their Manners were then as much altered from their Common Course, as those of our own Country are at a Fair, which might as well be given for a specimen of the Method of living in England— and such was always their situation as soon as a ship Arrived their whole thought being turnd toward their Visitors, & all Method tryd to win their Friendship. Mean time they were forced to live in a different way of life that they might the better please their new friends. Their general Notion of delicacy is undoubtedly different from Ours, perhaps from their want of refinement, without which many of our own Countrymen would be as bad if not worse then them, many of whom would not keep within bounds but for fear of the law.
A woman is not ashamed to shew her limbs at a dance, or when bathing, if they are perfect; if they are not, she will avoid being seen as much as possible, and tho the Men and Weomen frequently bathe together they are more remarkable for their decency then levity at such a time.
They have no Walls to their houses nor do they require any, Notwithstanding which they cannot be charged with holding Carnal Conversation in Publick and like privacy in such cases as much as we do, nor did I see any thing of the kind during our stay in the Islands tho they are not remarkable for their vertue. Yet this is not the General Charracter and the large Familys of some shew that there are some of that stamp.
Their Actions might possibly be for the sake of Gain—brought to a stile of what we call indecency, but where are the Countrys that do not produce Weomen of the Same discription—Iron is to them More Valuable then Gold to us, for the posession of which some of our own Country weomen would not stick at acts of indecency nor even horrid Crimes which these People would tremble to think of. Nay, they Challenge us with the Verry Crime and say we are ashamed of Nothing, using these things which we knew they were fond of to perswade them to commit such acts as their innocence had taught them to be ashamed of. If they can purchase Iron at the expence of their Beauty, or are able to get it by theft, they will. Neither of which Methods I hold to be a Crime in them. They know its Value and think no price to[o] great for it. Gold is preferd in Other Countrys and some, as fine Weomen as any in Europe, are said to prefer it to Virtue yet we upbraid these untaught and uncontrould people with such actions as we ourselves help them to Commit.
They lay no restraint on their Children because they are the Head of the Family and therefore do as they please; having no law nor Custom to prevent them they have a Number of Amusements which would not suit the Idea of Europeans, which however are dropd as they Grow up, when they become ashamed of these Childish sports but are not Compelld unless they think proper themselves—and as there are always sufficient in all Countrys to promote evil practices they who do not like them can only reform themselves, having no power over others; for which reason they are sufferd to proceed in their own way.
Those who Make a Trade of Beauty know how to value it, and when they come on board bring with them their Pimps or Procurers under the denomination of relations to receive and secure the Price and these ladys are as well qualified to Act their part as any of their profession in other Countrys and are no ways bashful in making their Demands—but if a Man Makes a friend that Friend can never have any Connection with any female of the Family except His friends Wife, evry other becoming His relations which they hold an abomination to have any Conexion with, nor can they be perswaded to alter that Custom on any Consideration, detesting as much as we do to have their own relations as wives. The Weomen of rank are Most remarkable for their licentious practices and Many of them have a Number of Favourites, in which they pride themselves, tho many of the lower Class are what may honestly be Calld Virtuous, never admitting a Second to share in their favours.
The Famous Queen Pbooraya being herself an Areeuoy, it is not to be wondered at that evry licentious practice was carried on by her followers and Attendants, her Court being filld with such as preferd the Rites of Venus to those of Mars and as she saw that they were also more agreeable to her Visitors (the general Case with Sailors after a long Voyage) they were no doubt practised and carried to the utmost verge of their lattitude, it being in all Countrys the Case that those in power always lead the fashions, let them be good or evil.
However the ladys who act these parts are not to be taken as a standard for the Whole no more then the Nymphs of the Thames or Syrens of Spithead are to be taken as Samples of our own fair Country Weomen.
Their Ceremonies have also been misunderstood by Former Voyagers—The Flys being Numerous they are forced to use fly flaps and when they have none they use branches of the first tree, and with these they are ever ready to supply evry stranger, especially if any Food is at hand; as they cannot bear to see a Fly toutch what they Eat, and have a number of Hands always employd to drive them away with these branches.
The other branches used in Ceremonies are the Rou avva and are Commissions borne by substitutes for Chiefs and evry person bearing one of them is treated in the same Manner as the Chief would be if he were present these Commissions or Emblems of truth are Never Assumed by any unless on such occasions as they would suffer death for such fraud, the Plantain as before mentioned being the only Emblem of Peace—When any person is sent with such a Commission he gives a leaf to each of the party to whom he is sent, on the receipt of which, and being informd who sent him, his word is never doubted.
Besides the different Classes & Societys already discribed they have a Set of Men Calld Mahoo. These Men are in some respects like the Eunuchs in India but are Not Casterated. They Never Cohabit with weomen but live as they do; they pick their Beards out & dress as weomen, dance and sing with them & are as effeminate in their Voice; they are generally excellent hands at Making and painting of Cloth, Making Matts and evry other Womans employment.
They are esteemd Valuable friends in that way and it is said, tho I never saw an instance of it, that they Converse with Men as familiar as weomen do—this however I do not aver as a fact as I never found any who did not detest the thought. The Manners and Customs of the other Islands are as Near the same as those of Different Countys in the Same Kingdom, and their produce nearly the Same & the Inhabitants of all the Society Isles are one and the same people— Taheite is by Much the largest and most powerful when the Strength of the Island is united, and is therefore acknowledged Mistress Paramount of the whole. They all distinguish their Language, Customs &c. by the Name of Taheite as well at home as when they are at Taheite and there are but few Men of Property who do not visit Taheite once in their lifetime and many visit it frequently.
It must be acknowledged that Captain Cook, when he first thought of stocking these Islands with Cattle, Poultry and the Fruits and Roots of Europe, intended it for the Good of Mankind, but these people knew not the Value of them and for want of Europeans to take Care of them they were soon distroyd, the Curiosity of the Natives to see such Strange Animals made each wish to have one by which means they were seperated and their Increase prevented; the Poultry soon became extinct—the Sheep, who did not as in Other Warm Climes lose their Wool, died for want of Sheering—the Black Cattle alone thriving tho kept Mostly seperate, the Seeds & Plants were destroyd by being removed as soon as they made their Appearance, evry one Wishing to posess some part of the Curiositys which they esteemd the whole and would part with the best Cow for a Good Axe, setting No Value on them for food tho they Killd several and eat part of them in the Wars, but having No Method of taking of the Hides they Cleand them as hogs but could not fancy they were good therefore took No pains to save a Breed.
The Rams & He Goats they could Not abide from their disagreeable Smell and Many of the Goats were banishd to the Mountains as their Flesh was not a Compensation for the Mischief they did to the Cloth plantations, those they keep now are always tyed if they are near one of these Plantations and at best are not esteemd equal to a Dog—this Method of treating them prevents the Island from being over run with them which it soon would be if they were suffered to range at large.
Notwithstanding their having lost all these Valuable Curiositys they still remember Captain Cook for bringing them and take More Care of his Picture then all the rest. They Made frequent enquiry after him & Sir Joseph Banks, both of whom will never be forgotten at Taheite—they were exceeding sorry when they heard of Captain Cooks death and Wishd that His Son might come and take possession of His fathers land, He being acknowledged Chief of Maatavye and will be as long as his Picture lasts. They were also very inquisitive about all their friends and were happy when we entertaind themwith an Account of their Welfare. Their Language is Soft and Melodious, abounding in vowels; they have only seventeen letters yet they can express any thing with ease, tho for want of the others which Compose our Alphabet they never could pronounce any English word which Contains them. They Count their time by Years of 12 Months which they have Names for and Calculat it by the Suns passing & repassing over their heads; they Call the Month Marrarna or Moon tho they do not always begin or end with the Moon—they have Names for evry day of the Moons age and can tell Her age to a Certainty at first Sight without the Assistance of Figures. As they never keep an account of their time they can easily reconcile any mistake in their reckoning at the end of the year when the Sun is over their heads—they devide the day and Night into 12 equal parts and can tell their time exactly by the Sun in the Day time and the stars at Night—they have also Names for evry Wind and are excellent Judges of a Change and can tell whether the Season will be uncommonly dry or Wet before it commences. They have No Method of Measuring distance but by the length of time it requires to pass it, but can Measure any depth of water with exactness by the Fathom, Yard or Span all of which they Name alike with the addition of longer or shorter. They are able hands at Conversing by signs and perfectly Masters of the Language of the Eyes at both of which I have seen a Dumb man so well learnt that he might be sent to the distance of 60 Miles with a Message and return with his answer as well as if he could hear & speak.
They are for ever Changing their Names from Making New friends and Many other Accidents, and tho they do not loose their former ones, it would be difficult for a stranger to know who they were talking of or what about or be able to find an old acquaintance by his Name—as No word must be used which Contains any of the Syllables of the Chiefs Name while he is alive—They Never compare any kind of Food to a Mans head, for which reason the Heads of Animals have a different Name, nor can they think of eating any thing that has toutchd a mans head and Nothing Can Offend them More then laying a hand on their heads. Brown, who was left here by Captain Cox, was thought worse then a Cannibal for Carrying Provisions on His head of which none ever partook with him—tho they were always ready to excuse him, saying he knew no better which In fact was Nearly the Case but it was his sole study to be Contrary to them in evry thing and he took more pains that way then in Conforming to their Ways which made him disagreeable to them all.
Such is the best account that I have been able to Collect of these Islands and their Inhabitants who are without doubt the Happiest on the Face of the Globe, and shall now proceed to give such a Vocabulary of their language as we were able to obtain during our Stay among these Islands.*
*[I suspect the vocabulary he refers to is that compiled by Peter Heywood (note the pronoun 'we',) which, if it still exists, I have not been able to find it.]
On Tahiti - Dress &c. Home James Morrison Peter Heywood