This article was downloaded by: [Purdue University] On: 12 April 2015, At: 11:42 Publisher: Routledge Informa Ltd Registered in England and Wales Registered Number: 1072954 Registered office: Mortimer House, 37-41 Mortimer Street, London W1T 3JH, UK

Journal of Geography Publication details, including instructions for authors and subscription information: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/rjog20 The W. G. Foye a a Wesleyan University , Middleton, Conn Published online: 14 Feb 2008.

To cite this article: W. G. Foye (1921) The Fiji Islands, Journal of Geography, 20:4, 129-143, DOI: 10.1080/00221342108984510 To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00221342108984510

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THE FIJI ISLANDS W.G. FOYE Weslcyan University, Middleton, Conn. The firmly established idea that the Fiji islands are the remote homes of a cannibal race seems destined soon to be laid peacefully to rest with other legends of the past.. An iiit,ernat,ional scientific con- gress niceting in Honolulu during the suimier of 1920 iiiarshalled facts to show that the key to t,he past geologic arid zoologic history of t.he Pacific would probably be found in these islands. The congress urged the British government, to make a detailed map of Viti J,evu, and it is understood that the work will soon be begun. IAer the islands will he t,horoly studied by a group of Brit,ish and Australian scientists. The Fiji islands are situat.ed somewhat west of a direct linc between IIonolulu and . They are about as far south of t.he equa- t,or as the Hawaiian islands are n0rt.h of that line. The 180th meridan passes t,hru tlhe of Taviuni, but t.he international date line lies wcll to the east of t,he group. It, is related in Taviuni that, before the iiit,ernationa,ldate line was eshblished in its present position, a Scot,chnian built a st,or.eexactly OJI the meridian. He sold whiskey in t,he western half uiit.il 12 o’clock Saturday night, and then shifted his stock to t,he eastern half where he could enjoy his Saturday trade over again. There are over two hundred islands, large and sinall, in the group, of which only eighty arc? inhabited. It will be seen from the accorn- panying chart (Fig. 1) t.hat (Great Viti) and Variua Levu (Great Lalid) are the dominating la.nd masses. These islands are each about. 80 to 100 rides in lengt,h from east to west, but the widt,h of Downloaded by [Purdue University] at 11:42 12 April 2015 Vanun Tlevu is niuch less than that of Viti Levu. The great irrcgu- larity of the coast.lincof Vanua Levu aids, also, in making its total area not much more than half that of Vit,i Levu. Searly all the islands of Fiji are oceanic in t,ype. They were built up from the ocean dcpt,hs by volcanic eruptions. In numerous cases the volcanic cone is now hidden beneath a veneer of coral limestone, which was deposited (luring a period in which the cone was submerged. A large nurnber of veneered cones have been elevated with respect to the ocenri level, and! occasionally, erosion has exposed the volcanic rocks beneath t;he liinestoiie cover. It is genera.lly believed by geolo- gists that the island of Vjti Levu is a fragtrierit of an old continent,al 130 THE JOPRSAL OF GEOGRAPHY VOL. 20 land mass extending from the Fiji group northwestward toward New Guinea. Nevertheless the rocks of even this island were largely erupted from volcanic vents of relatively recent date. The Fiji archipelago may be subdivided into six subdivisions. (1) Viti Levu is probably the oldest island, and has an extended geologic histoiy to reveal in its rocks. (2) Vanua Levu, tho nearly as large as Viti Levu, is less complex in its structure, and is composed almost entirely of erupted lavas and ash. (3) The islands of the , of which Taviuni, Koro, Gnau, and ilIoala are the most prominent, are,

FIGURE1. Chart of the Fiji Islands. Scale approsimately 100 miles to 1 inch. Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool., Vol. 33 (1899), Plate 2 Downloaded by [Purdue University] at 11:42 12 April 2015

in general, separate volcanic cones of basalt, maturely eroded by rivers. (4) The Lau, or Eastern, islands are a group of very old volcanoes which have been elevated and depressed a number of times, and have re- ceived veneers of coral limestone. (5)Kandavu is a string of volcanoes of varying ages, joined into an elongated island. At its extreme south- ern end is the most recent volcano in Fiji. It should be stated that there are no active cones in the islands at the present time, but there are native legends which point to volcanic activity within historic times. (6) The Yasan-a islands have a history very similar to that of APRIL,1921 THE FIJI ISLANDS 131

the Lau group, but they are more recent in origin, and have but one or two uplifted masses of coral limestone in their midst. THECLIMATE The archipelago has a tropical, oceanic climate. Temperatures sel- dom exceed 90" F. and rarely drop to 170" F. The thermograph curve usually oscillates about 80". Natives shiver if the temperature drops to 70". Lying within the belt of the southeast trade winds, the islands have excessive moisture along their southeastern shores. The southeastern slopes of the interior mountains of Viti Levu are clothed in a gor- geous drapery of trail- ing mosses and tall tree ferns. Clouds float al- most con tinously over the summits of the mountains. The barren red soils of the northwestern slopes are in sharp contrast with the scenery just described. Typhoons fre-

Downloaded by [Purdue University] at 11:42 12 April 2015 quently visit the group. Fortunately their destructive ef- fects are confined to only a few islands each year. The banana crop is easily destroyed by FIGURE2.0 Turanga-ni-koro uf TvuthS and family the less violent storms, and the trees are laid low by storms of only moderate violence. The coconut tree comes into bearing about five to eight years after it starts to grow, and the planters consider themselves fortunate if their groves are not destroyed within that space of time. Were it not for typhoons the coconut industry would be very profitable. 132 THE JOURSAL OF GEOGRBPHY VOL. 20 , situated at the southeastern corner of Viti Len, has a very high percentage of cloudy days. Since the city is the port of call of the Canadian-Australian Royal Mail boats, most visitors go away with a poor impression of the archipelago. The sunnier islands of the Koro and Lau groups are much more attractive. The writer, a native of New England and accustomed to the high humidity of the August days of that latitude, did not find the heat of Fiji at all oppressive. THEFAUNA -4ND FLORA OF THE ISLtlNDS No large animals are to be found in Fiji. A few snakes of the constrictor family oc- cur but no poisonous varieties. Large frogs hare been found in Taviuni and are inter- esting evidence of the continental origin of the islands. The introduction of the mongoose by the sugar planters has has- tened the extinction of the native birds. Bril- liant green and red parrots are occasion- ally seen in Kandavu. Near twilight the most

Downloaded by [Purdue University] at 11:42 12 April 2015 common bird note is that of the dove, moanfully cooing in the distant forest. During the day the myna bird, common to most of the Pacific islands, makes a bois- terous noise on every FIGURE3. Group of natives showing dress and house hand. construction The natives are good botanists. There are few plants among the island flora which they cannot. name for you. Mangrove bushes abound along the lagoons of the irregular coastline. Coconut trees and a spreading tree resembling an oak, the ndongo, border the white sands of t,he seashore. The pandanus palm is frequently seen. Most of t,he larger islands have tropical hardwood trees. The Fijian is t,he best carpent,er in the south- ern Pacific. The Polynesians from Sanioa and Tonga came to him for their war canoes because their islands were destitute of good woods. A dark, heavy wood resenibling mahogany, is obtained, especially from Kambara and Wangnva. A blue gum wood is prized by Euro- peans for furniture manufacture. The Met,hodist, mission school, on the Rewa river above Suva, has taught its pupils to make very artistic t.ables and bureaus from this wood. Landscape gardening is a hobby with most nat.ires. The walks thru the centers of t,heir villages are lined wit.h shrubs. Many of these have leaves with variegat,ed colors. The iriany colored varieties of the hybiscus are also abundant,ly used. NATIVEFOODS The Fijian’s diet consists of vegetables and fish for the most part. The famous Captsin Cook is mid to have released a nuiiiber of pigs on the islands, and t.heir descendants are the only wild game which at- tracts the nat.ive. Chicles conducting a party thru t,he bush are certain to disappear if a wild pig is scemtcd. Cattle arc prized for their flesh (called nibulamakau, a corruption of bull and cow), but the natives are never provident, enough to kecp them. It, is int.erest,ing to note that the Fijian docs not like cow’s milk, and inakes no use of it for his children. The commoner vegct.ables eaten are the ndalo (t.aro), hpioka, kumala, bread fruit,, arid bananas. The Eur0pea.n soon comes to ap- preciat,e t,he ndalo, a st,archy root, t,hree or four inches in thickness, Downloaded by [Purdue University] at 11:42 12 April 2015 resembling an Irish potato in taste but not in shape. Tapioka is like- wise a starchy root, rather flat. in taste, and filled with iriany shreds. The kumala is a variety of yani. It is t.oo salvy when boiled, but when fried is very acceptable. Bread fruit, roasted in the coals, tast,es like roasted chestnuts. Ripe bananas are not. considered fit to eat, and they are boiled while green. Their hard texture and bitter t.astc are not agreeable to most Europeans. There are few animals along the seashore which t,he Fijian does not eat. The wonien spend hours picking up periwinkles. These small shell fish are then boiled, picked out of their shell by a pin, and two or t.hree quarts per person are eat,en at a meal. They are as t,ough as 134 THE JOI-RS.IL OF GEOGRAPHY VOL. 20

leather, but the native likes to exercise his jaws. Chickens are only appreciated when they are old, and are cooked for only half an hour or so. Kative fruits are few in number. The kavica resembles a rosy apple in color and in taste, but has the structure of a fig. The coconut has nunierous uses. Its milk is used as a beverage. The fleshy part of its fruit is used for puddings, or its oil is extracted for anointing purposes. The shell of the fruit makes a drinking cup. The bark of the tree makes rope, and the leaves are woven into a thatch, or carrying bas- kets. Most of the coniinon fruits eaten are not native to the islands. The paw-paw, the mummy apple, the mango, and the tomato are most conimonly seen in the villages.

FIGURE4. Nbkb girls and leader, Samoan Mb!%6,Lorna Lorna EXPORTS Downloaded by [Purdue University] at 11:42 12 April 2015 There are four main articles of export from the islands, copra, raw sugar, bananas, and cattle. Attempts have been made to raise sisal hemp and the rubber tree, but without marked success. The sithi shell, from which pearl buttons are made, is gathered by native divers and sold to traders. Copra, or the dried kernel of the coconut, is produced by natives and Europeans alike. If a native wishes a little pin money, he goes to the tribal lands, gathers a few , and prepares them for the mar- ket. European and Chinese traders maintain stores on most of the inhabited islands. Canned mbulaniakau and canned salmon are exchanged for copra which is then sold to central agents at Suva or APIUL,1021 TIlE PIJI ISLANDS 135 Levuka. (Ijevuka is t.he former capit,al of the group, situat.et1 on the beautiful volcanic! slopes of and overlooking one of t.he most picturesque harbors of t,he Pacific ishnds.) A few plant,ers who acquired a just title to land before the British took over t,he islands are engaged in the copra trade. It has been the Brit.ish policy to retain the lands for t,he natives. Title to property is, therefore, very difficult to obtain. The land belongs to tribal groups, and the permission frnni each rnember of the group niust be obtained, as well as t,he pemmission of t,he govcrnment, before t,hc title passes t.0 a foreigner. The governrnent gave a few Australian sugar companies leases to large tracts of land soon after the islands were acquired by Great Britain. Many hust,raliaiis have rnaint,ained that the are allowing their laid t.o go to waste, and that the British policy should be liberalized. It is probable that and Kew Zealand will have greater influence in the determination of the insular policy of Great, Britain in the ycars to ooine. Up to 1016, however, the policy of Do\vning Street, was to reject further requests for leases of land. Many Fijians realize that tho fertile flood plains of their chief rivers arc leased to foreign capitalists, and a niovcment of Fiji for the Fijians has resulted. Nothing serious has come of t,he niovement in the past bccsuse of the land policy of Great Britain, but., if exploit,ation wcre to replitce this policy, serious results may be expected. At present, nearly all the sugar exported is raised by Australian com- panies and is sent to Australia or Vancouver for refining. The native does little work in t,he cane fields, antl East Indians are brought in under indent.ure to meet the labor shortage. The large fruit companies of New Zealand and Aust,ralia buy ba- nanas from the natives antl from small plantation holders. Special agents visit, nat.ive villages and ofhr to replace the cust.ornary grass Downloaded by [Purdue University] at 11:42 12 April 2015 huts wit,h dwellings of corrugated iron, if the nat.ives will promise their banana crop to their particular company. The offer is attractive to t,he native, but the dwellings are insufferably hot as compared to the nat,ive huts with their thick grass thatch. During 1916, a bunch of bananas was sold for a shilling at the docks where t,hc fruit companies’ liners cnllcd for t.hcm. Most of the crop is grown in Viti Levu, and is brought down from the int,erior in small sco~~s.Many East Indians, relcascd from indenture, haw acquired the lease of srriall tract.s of land and raise bananas arid rice. The larger part of the island of Taviuni was acquired by a few Europeans many ycars ago. They have made of it the garden spot of 136 THE JOI-RSAL OF GEOGRAPHY VOL. 20 Fiji. The island resembles the roof of a house. Its slopes rise abruptly to a ridge, twenty miles or more in length, dotted by a number of crater lakes. Over these slopes large herds of cattle range. It is one of the sights of the inter-island excursion to see the cattle loaded at a harbor of Taviuni. A few of the other volcanic islands have been ac- quired by Europeans, and are used for cattle raising. The industry promises to develop in the future, but now the surplus is almost con- sumed within the group. THEPEOPLE OF FIJI The primitive people of Fiji were undoubtedly of Melanesian stock. Clans with negroid features, and long, kinky hair now inhabit the more remote portions of the islands. But in the Lau group, and near the larger centers of trade, there is a considerable admixture of

FIGURE5. Village on Ongea Levu showing native vegetation and typical houses

Downloaded by [Purdue University] at 11:42 12 April 2015 Polynesian blood from Tonga and Samoa. The weird, monotonous music of the more primitive race is replaced by music of the Hawaiian type, now so popular in America. The islands were discovered by Tasman in 1643, but were little known by white men till the American whaling vessels began to visit the group about the year 1800. During the greater part of this interval, investigations show that the population was scattered in small, tribal villages. Towards its end, however, certain villages began to conquer their neighbors and extend their borders. Cannibalism did not be- come widespread until the spirit of conquest became dominant. An American sailor, Charley Savage by name, shipwrecked on Viti Levu APHIL, 1921 TIHE: FIJI 1SLANDS 137 in 1809, phtyed a prominent part in the history of that island. For some unknown reason he was not eaten, but \vas adopted by a sniall tribe inhabiting a villagc near the present city of Suva. By his aid the tribe soon acquired asccndency in the warfare for supremacy. Their chief victory was in a battle with a tribe from the northeastern part of the sanie island. Savage had a barrel-like affair built for him which was impenetrable to spears and arrows. .hied with an ancient flint- lock he was put ahhorc almost alone in this contrivance. Manipulat- ing it something after the manner of the “Monitor,” he succeeded in vanquishing his foe. Thakonibau, whose name still lives in the isktnds, W:H the fanious chief of this tribe. At first a cannibal, he later adopted Christianity, but his oppression nearly lost him his throne. Had he not given his domains to England just when lic did, the Tonga chief, hIaafu, would probably have wrested then1 from him. As it was, Maafu conquered the , and his tomb may still be scen at Lakemba. Certain of T1iakomb:tu’s vassals burned thc home of the American consul, Williau~s. Williains originally demanded $3000 in payment, but, as Thakonibau refused to settle, the sum grew until in 1858 thc United States demandcd 545,000, threatening to bombard Thakom- ’s village, if the sum ivere not forthcoming. group of Australian sharpers agreed to pay the amount in return for a large grant of land. The mother country, England, u ould riot allow the transaction, and in lS59 Thakonibau agreed to cede the islands to Britain, if she would pay the debt. dlcommission visited the islands, but returned an ad- verse verdjct. The claim of the United States was allowed to drop during the Civil War, and has not been rc1newed since. Later Great Britain was convinced that the islands needed its rule, and they were annexed in October, 1874, virtually being given to the empire by akoi Downloaded by [Purdue University] at 11:42 12 April 2015 Th nbau. The evils of caniiibalisiii persisted till shortly after England took over the control of the group. The itiissionsries of the Australian Wes- leyaii church have been very influenlial in raising the moral tone of the pcople, and :iIiiiost all the adults belong to its communion. FLJIUmcrt BRITISHCONTROL The government has ils seat at Suva. The governor is appointed by England, and is also Lord High (lonimissioner of the Southern Pacific Islands. He is surrounded by an executii~ccouncil of eleven n~e~ribers,consisting of five commissioners appointed from Downing Street, London, three native chiefs, and three €Curopeails electcd by 138 THE J0L:RSSL OF GEOGRAPHY VOL. 20 the planters and traders. The balance of power thus rests with the appointees from Downing Street, a fact which leads to considerable dissatisfaction among the Australians. The islands are divided into seventeen districts, over twelve of which district commissioners are placed, while the other five are ruled by native chiefs. The duties of a district commissioner are multifar- ious. He has to direct the activities of a native judge, a native police officer, and a native doctor. He must be familiar with the law, since he is frequently called upon to review involved cases, sent up to him by the native judge. He must find work for the native prisoners, oversee

FIGCRE6. Framework of a Tongan house, Loma Lorna, a village on Vanua Mbalavu.

Downloaded by [Purdue University] at 11:42 12 April 2015 Reproduced by permission from Geog. Rev., Vol. 4, p. 382 a district hospital, perform marriages, grant divorces, give out dog licenses, apportion and collect the taxes, oversee the native boats, making sure that they do not sail with too many passengers, or take too great risks in typhoons. He is, indeed, a whole government within himself. Under his control is the native government which manages the village life. Very little that a Fijian possesses may be called his own. Land is held in common, and each family is assigned a plot from the public gardens. Here the government requires that the head of the family shall plant each year a fixed number of coconuts and a sufficient APRIL,1921 THE FIJI ISL.1TiI)S 139

variety of other vegct a,bles to insure :%gainstfuture farnine. Surplus land is cont.rolled by t,lic head of t.he village who is elected by popular vote. Hc suporintends the gathoring of coconuts from the wild lands, and sells them to tho t.raders. The proceeds are placed in a village fund which is often unwisely used to purchasc a village boat wherein the whole coniniunity ssils away to a neighboring island, and t,here con- sumes the food supply nccessary for periods of drought. Thus, in spite of the gowmxeiit, famine often visits the land.

'JHE INDEST1:ItE SYSTEM 'There are now in thcl islarids 88,000 I'ijisns, 62,000 East Indians, of whom 5700 are under indciiture, ant1 3700 Kuropeans. The nat,ive population was greatly dcplcted by nieasles and consumption about' the Iiiiic t.hc islands were takcn over by Great 13rilain, and the recent epicleinic of influenza reduced it,s numbers by 4000 or inor(:. The East, Indisris prcsent a problem in t.hetiisclves. They are gathered from the streets of Madras aid other largc cities of . They are indonturecl for :t period of six years at a fixed rate of coin- penstt ion, and for a ccrt.:tin :~dticdperiod of service are given a free return passage to India. 'The sugar gt~owersarc depcndent on t,heir labor. Profits in this industry in the old clays n.ct*e \'cry good, but now restrictions cont.idling the punishnwnt, and hours of service or inden- tured laborers have cut. 1.h~profits badly. Various commissions ha\.e visit.ec1 the islands to investigate the contlitioiis of the indentured labor of Fiji. The recomiiicridat~ionsof certain commissions from India have tended t.o cut down the supply of coolies. The planters say the coolie is much bet.t,er off in Fiji than he is in his na.tive land, and it nould appear lo be true since few return to India, altho t.hey can obtain free passage, if they so desire.

Downloaded by [Purdue University] at 11:42 12 April 2015 If the Australian government assunies cont,rol of the Brit.ish posses- sions of the southern Pacific, the importation of Hindu 1:tbor nil1 prob- ably cease autoinatic:tlly, because of its attitude towaid the black raccs.

TRAVELLIKGAMOKG THE ISLANDS-'1 TIUP TO MIWNGA In conclusioii, it niag be interesting to follow the writer on one of his excursions amoiig the islands. I had hardly arrived at Suva before Ah-. Steivait, Assistant ScwxAary of Sative Affairs, invited me to ac- company him on a tour of inspection to t,he island of Mbcnga, lying twel1.e miles southwest of Suva. I gladly accepted his invitation. 140 THE JOl'ltS.SL 01.'GEOGIt.\PHE- Vor.. 20 We did not ~oyagein a stearn launch with shining brass rails. In- stead we hired a native cutter, and sailed leisurely t,oour destination. It is not. dignified to t.rarel in Fiji without. a servant., and, as servants may be had for a pound a 111ont.h and board, t,he servant. question is not troublesome. Hosea Ndruandrua, my boy, piled a, native rug of bra.ided bark, a mosquito net, a st,earrierrug, a pillobv, and a few canned goods on his head, proudly walked aboard t,he cutter, and we Ivere ready to cast off. 1 later experienced riiany hardships on board nat,ive cutters. Sa- t.ive captains were slways rea.dy to find sonic excuse for visit.ing each island they passed by. Long delays by calms and unfavorable winds exhausted our food supply. I was forced to eat, the native fare, con- sist,ing of boiled cunialas seasoned Jvith bitter salt., boiled from sen water. I was crowded into small cabins with oil cans and ii:tt,ive wreaths made from oncc fra.grant.flowers, while t,he ~7avcsbeat. wildly without. But. this first voyage was made in a few hours during the mid- dle port;ion of the day and was very enjoyable. The sky 1va.sperfectly clear. The tropical waters were sapphire blue, and from t,inie to time we sailed over submerged benches of corals tinted green, pink, and scarlet,. We could dimly discern fish of brilliant. hues siviinining among the branching heads, and occasionally a large indigo starfish might, be seen. As we neared the island the coconut, trees first, came into view, but it was not until we ciame quite close to the shore that we were a,ble to distinguish t:he grass huts of the natives. We sailed i1it.o a. pocket- harbor whose crescentic beach of white coral sand shelved gradunlly beneat.11the wat.ers. A dingy was pushed overboard and our iriata-ni- vanua (eye-of-the-land), or nat.ive spokesinan, was sent ashore. It is not customary for a person of aut,hority t,o nialie a speech in Fiji. A professiona.1speech-maker is aln.ays :it.his side to spcak for him. Downloaded by [Purdue University] at 11:42 12 April 2015 It was found that. the head man of the village, or the mbuli, was in- spect,iiig a village at the other side of the island, and ~vouldnot he back for some time. The elders of the village conferred, and advised his wife to prepare her house for our reception. The house was very e1aborat.e in that it. ha.d two compartments inst.cad of one. The larger room con- t.ained a t.able, a ha.nging lamp and a Chinese wooden chest-the family wardrobe. The floor of the room was covered with a mat of coarsely \voven bark. A large n-ooden bo1v1, two or t,hree feet in diam- eter, hung 011 the u.a.11, and a section of R log, half hollowed out, stood be11eat.h it,. Three easy-boy chairs, 1vit.h extended strips of NY~at- tached to each arm upon ivhicli to rest the feet,, \\-erebrought. in for our convenience. The sinaller room was the bed room, and was practi- cally filled by two benches covered with hay and nat,ivc mats, above ivhich mosquit,o nets were suspended. The nibuli’s family nio\.ed out, and, when all was prepared, we came ashore with as much t1ignit.yas possible to one riding ast~-addlethe back of a l’.j*‘1 ian. We had not been long ashorct when a procession of women formed outside the house. They came in one by one, their arms ext,ended before t,hcm, bearing trays of braided coconut lcaves covered over by banana leaves. The trays were placed in rows before us and the bearers wit.hdrew. The last lady carried an iron pot, which looked like a relic of cannibal cla.ys, and we knew that food was before us. After the withdrawal of the ladies, the elders of the town who ha,d been sitt.ing in a row on t,lie floor clapped their hands, and one of t.hcir number ~nadea speech of presentation to which our mats-ni- vanua replied. The latter official then peeked under t.he banana lcaves and assigned the delicacies to t.he several groups present.; the sailors received a part, our servants a part, mid we resewed a small port.ion for ourselves. I \\.as anxious to learn 11-hat u-as in the pot. I learned later t,liat it usually contained a chicken boiled for half an hour with lit.t,lebut t.he faathers renioved. The Fijian likes hugh chicken as he likes tough periwinkles. But on this occasion the pot contained prawns, or cray fish, cooked in coconut oil, and they are dolicious. After lunch lye sauntered out into the yillagc. The bushy hair of t.he native, standing straight up fixmi the head, attracts the attcn- tion first,. Very frequently it is bleached a door-mat. red by t,hc use of much lime water. The clothes consist of a sulu, a piece of calico cloth, wrapped about t,he loins after t,hc nianner a Turkish towel is sometimes Ivorn. A ba1l)riggaii undershirt usually completes thc outfit, although a I’anania coat is not, infrequent.ly seen, and is almost of was Downloaded by [Purdue University] at 11:42 12 April 2015 always worn on Sunday. lllbenga is the island fire-walkers. I unable to see a display of the niagic, but. ;Ilexander Agassiz describes the ceremony in an account, of his visit t,o the island. Stones are heated red hot and placed in a large open pit. The nati\m, single file with anklets of inflammable ferns, walk slowly over t,hc st.oncs. The ferns are scorched but; the natives are unharmed. For our benefit a garnc of Rugby football was played. The con- testants were barefooted and wore a variety of running paiit,s of many hues having a triangular fringe about t,he leg. It is marvellous what the human foot can endure if accust.onied to it.. Kicks which would cripple a European for life are considered as nothing. The game finished, we withdrew to the house and soon t,he elders began to assemble again. One by one they crouched outside t.he door, ut.t,ereda gutt,ural sound, clapped t,heir hands, and were told to enter by Ihe niata-ni-vanua. At last one came bearing a huge root, with queer stalks whose joints looked as tho they were swollen with rheunmtism. This is the ceremonial yangona or kava root. iidignified speech of pres- ent.ation is made by the eldest nmn in town, which is responded to by a spokesman. The root, is then t,aken outside nncl cut into cubes. These bits are brought in again and pounded to a pulp in the hollow-log nior- hr,a section of iron pipe being used as a pestle. In the old days t.he bits were chewed by the prctty inaidens of the t.own and spat into the large wooden howl. The pulp is then placed in t,he bowl, taken from the wall, and wat.er added. The rope by which it. was suspended is carefully extended t.oward the honored guests. The maker of t.he grog kneeds t,he pulp in 1.hwater with his hands. After a time he passes a fibrous mass of ba,rk from the hybiscus bush thru the liquid, t,hus filtering out the sc:tt,t,ered bits of ~voodpulp, leaving simply the infusion. At last, t.he liquid is clear and the grog maker rolls t,he fibre into a ball in the palm of his hmd, claps four t,irnes sloivly, then twice rap i d 1y . Half coconut. shells which hold about a pint arc brought. The rnata-ni-vaniia calls the IIR~CSof the persons to receive the cup in order of their rank. The person designated responds by clapping his hands. The grog niakcr then wrings out t,he fibre filled 1vit.ht,he liquid int.o a cup held by a serving iriaii. The lat>ter,in a beiided posture,

carries the cup to the one who is to 13 ive it, and, as he presents it, claps his hands. It is then drunk after t,he nrord, L‘Mhula,7’“L4 health to you!” is ut,tered. It. is very improper not. to drain t.he cup dry at the first attempt. 1 as i*idiculed because I sipped yangona as t,ho it were t.ea. But, a pint of liquid which looks like clam choivder a.nd which produces an effect similar t.o an electric shock on the tongue, is not, easily disposed of att t,he first. s\\-allo\v. ils the last. drop is Downloaded by [Purdue University] at 11:42 12 April 2015 drained from the cup, the drinker blows the froth from his lips and flings the cup spinning back to t,he grog inaker, uttering a toast, which is usually considered a huge joke. The audience clap their hands, shout. ";\laths," “It is dry,” and the cerernony is repeated. In the evening someone suggestcd t.hat the maidens would give us a “1ii4li&,” or native mot.ion dance. Soon they came crouching in thru the door, thcir skins liberally coated \vit.h coconut’ oil, their faces daubed with larnp black, but here and there a beauty spot of scarlet, or yellow ochi-e. Their naked breasts were covered by gay wreat.hs of fragrant. flowers. They sit down in a row, their legs akimbo, across one end of the room. A boy beats a nieaxure on a hollow section of bamboo. The “inCkC.” begins with a monotonous dirge wit,hout niothns. Soon the song liirens and the real dance begins. The mot.ions are rapid and graceful. The arms are extended in ent,reaty, the bodies sway from side to side, or back and forth, in perfect rhythm, t,he shoulders are shrugged, and the fists beat the ground. The “rnbkks” are varied in subject. Home describe King George’s visit to India wit,h nat.ive embel1ishnxnt.s. Ot,hers relate an incident in t,he World War, a battle of airplanes, or the blowing up of a warship. Usually the war “mkk6” ends with a grand “I-Iip-hi~,-liooray.” I soon found that, once started, a “nikkk” continues for a limitless length of time. It, was a riiarvellous thing 1.0 me to see how long a Fijian could sit in one place antl perform such violent exercises. If one docs not understand the words the whole performance soon be- conies tedious. I wished to go to’bcd but I could Iiardly t.urn iiiy hosts out, of the house. Mr. St.ewart.reniortd his slioes and I followed suit,. He dozed, and so did I, but the “mkkb” went, joyfully on. Indeed it did not stop until \ye lid i*et.iidto our mosquito nets; then t.he performers reluctarit.ly wit.hdrew. After all 1va.s quiet., we arose and walked out. in the moonlight for a bi~athof fresh air before ret,iring. We had not gone far when b1.e were greeted by the nibuli rct,urned from his journey. Sothing would do but we must receive his ofTicial greeting to the island, and so, long aft.er midnight., the crowd reassemhled, antl a whale’s tooth, the symbol of fealty, was presented t.o Mr. Stewart. You may well imagine that I did not. acconiplish much gcological n-ork while in the coiiipany of t.hc Kative Secretary. Indeed, thriiout my stay in the islands, I was inore or less hampered by social functions. It was a pleasure, neverlheless, to find a people so hospitable and so honest.. They are very childlike antl must. be pampered with gifts of tobacco which even the women smoke. Rut life is easy antl t.hcre are

Downloaded by [Purdue University] at 11:42 12 April 2015 few cares. The watch\\~ordof the islands is “nialua,” “wait, a minute or two.” It, is difiicult to say what. the future has in store for a people who can live wit.hout work. If their lands are gu:w:tntecd to them, t.hcy undoubtedly will continue to multiply for generations to come. But, if the utilitarians t,ake t,heir lands, t.hcy will vanish as have other backward races. Britain’s educational policy is one of e\wlution. As a people comes to desire Icarriing, give it to them. Thc Philippines have learned that the schoolhouse follows t.he stars and st,ripes. It is difficult to eva,liiate the two policies. There are st.rong arguments in favor of either. But the main question is, will a communist race, even tho educated, ever be able to care for it.self in the midst, of a self- ish world.