Note on the People and Languages of New Ireland and Admiralty Islands Author(s): Sidney H. Ray Source: The Journal of the Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland, Vol. 21 (1892), pp. 3-13 Published by: Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/2842201 . Accessed: 14/06/2014 03:30 Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at . http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp . JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact [email protected]. Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to The Journal of the Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland. http://www.jstor.org This content downloaded from 195.34.78.242 on Sat, 14 Jun 2014 03:30:57 AM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions S. H. RAY.-The Peopleand Languagesof New Ireland. 3 Fromthe EDITOR.-Science. Nos. 413-417. AmericanAntiquarian. Vol. xiii. No. 1. Nature. Nos. 1107-1110. Revue Scientifique. Tomexlvii. Nos. 3-6. The Mlonist. Vol. i. No. 2. Physique. Vol. i. No. 1. - The Journalof Heredity. Vol. vi. No. 1. Mr. G. M. ATKINSONexhibited some sketches of horse orna ments,symbolic survivals. Mr. MARTINsuggested that the "fish" on horse ornaments coming from Delhi were probablythe arms of Ouidh-on the gates of Lucknowthe fish figureslargely-and this ornament wouldprobably prevail in Oudh,from whence it wouldbe conveyed to neighbouringcities. The PRESIDENTremarked on the great variety of pattern developmentdisclosed by Mr. Atkinson's long and patient copyingof a class of designswhich would be generallythought of but littlerange. In his opinion the next step in utilisingthis materialcould be best taken by Mr. Atkinsonendeavouring to arrangethe wholeseries of drawingsin sucha wayas to tracethe possibledevelopment of each patternfrom those precedingit, so as when possibleto arrive in each case at the natural object originallyrepresented. Mr. LEWIsalso joineCLin the discussion. Mr. RAYread a paper on the People and Languages of New Ireland and the AdmiraltyIslands, upon whichDr. CODRINGTON made some remarks. Note on the PEOPLEand LANGUAGESof NEW IRELANDand ADMIRALTYISLANDS. By SIDNEY H. RAY. (From lettersof the Rev. R. H. IRICKARD.) THE vocabularies here given were sent to me last year by the Rev. R. H. iRickard,of the Wesleyan Mission in New Britain. They were collected by him at Nusa, on the northern extremityof New Ireland,and at GreenIsland, in the Admiralty Group, in December, 1886, during an excursionround the BismarckArchipelago, made fromthe missionhead-quarters at Kabakada in the Gazelle Peninsula,New Britain. Mr. Rickard has joined to these a shortlist of wordsfrom the Western end B 2 This content downloaded from 195.34.78.242 on Sat, 14 Jun 2014 03:30:57 AM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions 4 S. H. RAY.-Note on thePeople and Languagesof of New Britain,opposite Huon Gulf,and forthe sake of com- parisonI have added the equivalelntsin the two best known languagesof the region,those of iRaluanaand Duke of York Island. An account of the New Ireland nativeswas read beforethis Institute,in 1886, by Mr. A. J. Duffield,as a supplementto which I condense the following from Rev. R. H. Rickard's letters. Nasa.-The people are nearly nude. The women wear an apron or leaf not larger than a leaf of the Australiangum tree, and long pealkedhats made of pandanus leaves sewn together. The men blackenhalf only of the top and bottomrow of their teeth,or in someinstances half the toprow and the oppositehalf of the lower. The men also shave parts of theirheads, leaving variousshaped locks-triangular,diainond shaped, &c. A chief's wifecame on board the vessel alone,a thingwhich would never have taken place in New Britain,and which points to a low state of morals. FisherIslants and St. John'sIsland.-The people hereare the same as at Nusa, speakingthe same language and having the same customs. They live in large villages. All the nativesof this districtare notoriouscannibals. In one place Mr. Rickard was assured that a tribe lived by fightingfor any partywho mighthire them,the only payment soughtbeing the bodies of the slain. Faed Group.-These consistof two circularlagoons about four milesapart, with several islands, but onlyone groupis inhabited. Cocoanutpalms are abundant,but the populationis small(about 200) and is fast dying out. The natives are light brown Polynesians, speaking a language allied to that of Lord Howe Islands and Stewart Islands. A Samoan could under- stand them in a veryshort time. The islanders are ruled by one man,and are in a verymiserable condition, with small huts and untidyplantations. (JarteretIslands.-The people here are black Melanesians, speakingthe language of Buka (Solomon Islands).' They are in as wretcheda conditionas the Faed Islanders. In the Journal of the Institute for 1877 will be founda detailed account of the natives of the AdmiraltyGroup by Mr. H. N. Moseley,the naturalistto the Challengerexpedition, chieflyrelating to T'Entrecasteaux Island and Wild Island. I extractthe followingfrom Mr. Rickard'sletters Admiralty Group:-" The inen were quite nude, with long I Buka Vocabulariesare given by H. Z6lIer-" Petermann'sMitteilungen," 36 Band, 1890, p. 127; and by C. W. Woodford-" A Naturalist among the Head Hunters,"p. 225. This content downloaded from 195.34.78.242 on Sat, 14 Jun 2014 03:30:57 AM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions New Ireland and AdntiraltyIslands. 5 combedhair, in whichis carrieda comb. They are of average height,none of thernstout, with sharp Jewish countenances; theirskin more coppery and brightthan that of the New Britain natives. They were keen traders,the articles most in request beingknives,'carpenter's tools and beads. Theygave in exchange flint-pointeddaggers and spears, carved bowls, ornamented gourds,large clay cooking vessels,and other articles.- In the island of Waikatu the houses were built on piles driven into the ro-ck. Some of these piles were eighteen inches thick and aboQiteight feet above the water. One house stood on thirtyor fort' piles,and was about fiftyor sixtyfeet long, twentyfeet wide, and ten feethigh. At each end was a large shutter. A loftcontained the inmate'shousehold treasures, which consisted chieflyof bowls and clay pots filledwith oil. The floor of the house was formledof the thick outer shell of a palm, and was reachedby a ladderfrom the platformnear the wate. " The canoesof theseislands are built of strongtimber, with a heavy but neat outriggerone side and a slanting platformon the other. They have a house on deck,and carryfire, food, and cookingutensils." (A detailed account of these canoes, with diagrams, was given by Mr. Moseley,see " Jour.Anthrop. Inst.," vol. vi.) While Mr. Rickardwas at Waikatu one of the king's wives lay dead. The corpse was embalmed in oil, and after it had lain ten days the skull would be scraped and cleaned, the remainderof the body being buried. The womenwore grass petticoats,and seemnedto have a good positionamong the men. The governmentseemed to be in the hand of one chief,as in Fiji, and not as in New Britain. The mneniof the whole village receivedtheir food from the chief,and the houses were built collectivelyfor the use of all, not as in New Britain,by a man and his wifealonie. The chief'sword was immediatelyobeyed. A boy wishedto go away with Mr. iRickard'sparty, but the chief'srefusal stopped him. VOCABULARIES FROM NEW IRELAND, NEW BRITAIN, AND ADMIRALTY ISLANDS. 1.-" Nusa, northend of New Ireland." By Rev. R. H. Rickard. 2.-" Raluana, Gazelle Peninsula,New Britain." From prayerbooks of the WesleyanlMission. 3.- "West end of New Britainand coast of New Guinea opposite." By Rev. R. H. Rickard. 4.-" Duke of York Island betweenNew Britainand New Ireland." From the Rev. G. Brown'sdictionary. 5.-" GreenIsland, AdmiraltyIslands." By Rev. R. H. Rickard. 6.-" Wild Island, AdmiraltyIslands." By H. N. Moseley. "Journal Anthrop.Inst.," vol. vi, pp. 387-390. This content downloaded from 195.34.78.242 on Sat, 14 Jun 2014 03:30:57 AM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions 6 S. H. IRAY.-Noteon thePeople and Lantguagesof New Britain. Duke of York m Iland English. Nusa. f Raluana. jWest End. Isad .Persons- 1. Man .... ..tawan ... tutana .. muana. 2. Woman .. naina .... vavina .... tebuan. 3. Boy . .. ...nalakai ... bul...... .... nat. 4. Ear . .. ...talanga-ra ... taliga .. .... taliga. 5. Eye ... matagi ... mata ... .... mata. 6. Foot ... ...kaka ..kaki .. .... kaki. 7. Hand ... ...biti-ra ...lima .... lima. 8. Nose. .. aisu-rak .... ....... gigiro. 9. Tooth ... ... gisa-ra ... .... lakono. Natural Objects- 10. Bamboo ...karisi .... kauru. .... 11. Bird ....... beo.... ..manu .... pika. 12. Cape (point of land) .. .... tubis .... kilkil. 13. Cocoanut ... .... lama niu ..... lama. 14. Day ... ayas ...bug, keake.. .... bug, keke. 15. Earth .... qunan magamaga... bual. 16. Feather ...ugi ..... .... lakua. 17. Flow of tide ... lubu-lubu ... lubu ... lubu. 18. Lime .... kabag .. wavu ... kabag. 19. Rain. lengit ... bata .... bata. 20. Reef .... mama ..mama ...luntaura. 21. Sea .... laman .... ta. ...das .... tai. 22. Smoke . .... mi... tabui .. mi. 23. Taro ....... pa .... mawa ... pa. 24. Water . ..... ta-va nanus ... danim. 25. Wind. ...are ... ...vuvu .... .i..l dadaip. 26. Yam ... .. .... wavua ... up. Imsplements- 27. Armlet.. .... lalai sasa...... lalai. 28. Canoe . .. tabul . waqa .... ahka. 29. House . .... pal .... luma, bali ... ruma. 30. Outrigger .. saman .... .... aman. 31. Spear ....... rumu ...gata ... bele. Verbs- 32. Come. ...ki la'ko mai arikai .... wan pat. ...ki 33. Overturn lilus ..tapuku .. .... tapuku. 34. Row (in boat) ... .... ... oli... 35. Sing ... ... .... kakaile toala ..kelekele. 36.