The New Orleans crescent. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1866-1869, 1869-04-18

spirituslists of the most advanced kind. They do
have they any notions Of religious worship but
for them all nature is the domain OF spirits. They
say, "Spiriis al around u.s. only we cannot see
them" Could the Dodworth Hall spiritualists be
diums, too-"TAboomen,n as they are called,
Who Is Is sometimes the case In New York, ar
rive at great wealth and dignity in the exercise OF
their profession II chief dies, il Is considered
little news regarding the unseen world. Accor.
dinghy, the medium Is called, and an interesting
scene of mingled incarnation and spiritual entresty
follows, the medium gets fea,faly excited; and
finally delivers his ghostly intelligence amid the
solemn wonder OF his auditors.
THE DEAD.
They do not eat their dead friends. but hang
them up in the sacred incosure, until the body il
thoroughly dried. The skull Ia carefully pre-.
served as an heirloom in the family. The rest of
the remains are left to take their chance. II Is a
mark of quality TO possess great number OF
skulls and when the islanders attack the town OF
another tribe their most eager desire Is to rifle the
houses of al the skulls they contain. These are
borne off in triumph and added to their own pri-
vate collection of crania.
CLOTHING, ETC.
These people wear very little clothing. What
they have Is made of material called tdpd. ID
is manufactured from the bark of tree, beaten
or pounded with stones to any required thick
ness. Some of 1t is made as thin as the finest
drapery of leaves. Their huts are built with q
few upright posts, and are then matched with
leaves. The floors are covered with mats, In the
weaving. or rather plating, Of which they display
admirable skill. Some Of the mats are plated
with thousand strands. The strands are made
of different degrees of fneness or coarseness, ao.
cordng to the quality Of the material required.
Their utensils mostly large sea shells and CO.
| coanuts. OF course they have cooking imple-
ments of metal. The only other manufacture
| they essay is the following out Of logs to form
| canoes and Tho carving of paddles.
TArTooIHG.
Itmsy be curiously inquired whether any form
| OF art aourished among these ssvages. In reply
it may be stated that they display the artistic in.
| stinct under many barbarous forms. The most
primitive kind of art Is the adornment or the hu-
| man body, which, among savage nations, usually
| takes the form of tattooing. In Owen jones'
| Grammar Of Ornament Is figured tattooed hu-
| man head, the lines of ornsmentstion upon which
are made to follow the contours OF the face 80 In
| gepiousy that the author pronounces 1t TO be the
| chef dGUrre Of its kind. Both men and women
| are tattooed among the Marquesans. A chief who
was tattooed according to the regulations which
| render him admissible to the most select festivi-
ties, must have his body entirely covered, and his
face-not like the fascinating Psu-puk wsg mis-, in
| Hiawaths, "barred with streaks of red and yel.
| low" but, nevertheless, barred across forehead.
nose and chin with multtudinous punctures Of pur-
| pie. The ladies' are tattooed more sparingly.
| There are no marks upon their faces, but line
| passes under each ear, from the jaw to the side
| Of the neck. Their legs and arms are also orna.
| mented. There are persons who practice tattoo
| ing as q profession. To produce the pigment
| used in the operation. they burn small shrub
| called ldtcd, and collect the SCOT Of the fame
water, and PROBABLY also with some glutinous
substance to give 1t consistence, and Is then
| ready for use. In commencing the operation the
| pattern is first traced upon the skin, and guam
tity of the ld,cd rubbed upon it. The operator
| then takes q stick, upon the extremity OF which
are fixed a number Of small sharp teeth Of some
species OF fab, and these he drives into the skin
| by means OF slight blows from small mallet. or
The pain is too great TO the tattooee to adj
NIT of much being done at one sitting. After the
| puncture more ldtcd is rubbed on the parts, and
III is allowed to dry in with tie blood. Az soon as
the woands heal, it Is found that the new skin has
inclosed portions CT the ldted, which now COM
| municstes TO all these mafkr dark purple APP
pesrance, similar to that caused ~ ts,tSol1E With
on children at about six or eight years Of aga,
TIE girls are mostly married 1T eight years and
as tsii55srg may be said, in dguretive sense, to
form ipdkp anssoe part OF the bridal trousseaus
the operation mus be completed quite early in
The natives carve something resembling . sun
or star upon the prous Of their csnocs ekcl Also
inlay portions Of these vessels With pearl shea:
The paddles are also Sometimes elegantly carved
l and fnlsid. The neerest approach TO high art
which these people. make is IN the carving ~
huge figures for the ~
these are not idols. and that there - no laoe of
fetish worship among the MsrQuesans-at least
this Is Stars statement. The ieanders also carve
large figures of birds with which they ornament
the roofs of their sacred houses; and also figures
of pigs placed on the "taboo" grounds.
| PoLYGMAY.
Polygsmy is extensively prscticed among the
| Marquesans. Starr had fourteen regular wives
upon Oitshu, besides several assistant wives on
the adjacent Islands. II one chief wishes TO COM
mend himself favorably 10 another, he makes him
9 present Of his daughter, or even one Of his own
wives. AS has already been stated. the girls are
mostly married at very early age The marriage
of girl of eight years is very common, and
much younger child is frequently presented to the
person Of whom she is at future period to be-
come the wife. Sometimes the chiefs give away
their wives, while yet virgins, to others.
/ STARTS RETURN HOME.
Among this singular race OF people Starr tar
ried, and made laws and dispensed justice fer
nearly thirty years. He made frequent voyages
| among the Marquesas, Society, Friendly and
Navigator Islands, and was intimate with most of
their chiefs. Two years ago his longing to revisit
bis native land became so intense that he shipped
in the only craft he could find, German brig for
Hamburg, reached there a year ago last Christmas.
went thence to Liverpool, lost all his money,
sailed for San Francisco to I'LL his pockets and
escape the uncomfortable cold, and In July last
shipped for New York es common sailor on
board the Volunteer. The captain was mean
and tyrsnnical officer, and when the Volunteer
landed at Mazstlan to take In her cargo OF log
wood he drove the mate ashore, took In hum
| OTeO DAYS pfOyslOub OF Tue moet uiherdDic Cnhf-
scter, and started on six months voyage.
His three principal officers were mere striplings,
ignorant OF navigation. The bostswain in parti-
cular was highly supercilious youth, and one
day the captain ordered Starr 10 DO some little
duty that his boatswain had shirked. He did not
understand at first, and the order was sngrily re-
pested, when he instantly obeyed. Look out,
Starr, - whispered one of bis mates. 4" the captain
| will be afoul OF you directly" He'd better be
afoul Of some Of these gentlemen that are too
| proud to do their duty" responded Starr. For
| this indept ndent remark the captain ordered him
in irons, which Starr vehementy resisted but
being ultimately overpovered, was forced to sub.
| NIT. He was confined In q wretched hole, not
more than three feet high, and seems to have been
very cruelty treated. On the arrival of the Volun-
teer in the port Of New York, he was taken before
the United States commissioner on charge OF
mutiny, but released on $500 bail. He Immediate
ly went to Messrs. Smith Rowan. attorneys, No.
New Chambers. street, and stated his case. These
gentlemen, with great deal OF generosity, took
the matter up, employed leading counsel for the
defense and are prepQred 20 contest IN asa verv