The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1877-09-20
FIJI ISLANDERS.

a corresponding WTlUcS rs IOJlOWS
from Fiji, in the South Pacific ocean /:
1t was amusing in the morning to
watch the country people streaming
INTO the town in large and small parties
in canoes or along the paths on the
banks of the river. They had their
smart dancing dresses tied up in bundles,
some with their faces already painted,
and their hair done up in tappa in the
oldest way possible. All the time the
lall (native wooden drums) were MAX
ing great row in the square, and when
all the people were assembled we went
and sat down under n canopy of mats
which had been put up to screen us
from the sun. First came the school
children. They passed us in single file,
and passing inside the advancing file
coiled themselves up in the center of the
square. Each child as it passed halted
and read verse from the Bible. Then
they unwouud themselves, and came up
in the same fashion with their writing
on states. Then came dance on the
"meke." They retired little, divided
into bands and then came forward in a
sort of dance, turning first to the one side
and then the other, moving in the most
perfect time, and chanting as they came.
All their movements were graceful, and
the way in which the tune, if one
can so call it, was first of all sung by
those in front, and then taken up,
third lower, by those behind, was very
effective. If have time 1 will trans
late the "meke" " for you. 1t was "com-
posed for the OCCASION" When they
had come close enough, on signal they
all sat down and began geography les
son. The native teacher called out the
name of country, as Peritania,"
(Britain), and one of the children, in a
low minor key, began to chant "Peri-
tania as matanitu" britain is a king
DOM. Then third higher some other
words, where Britain is, ETC., and then,
with swaying motion of their bodies
and a rythmjcal clapping of hands,
sometimes beating the ground, some
times pointing on one side, sometimes
on the other, and sometimes joining
hands overhead, they all joined in
chant descriptive of the extent, govern
mcnt, ETC., of the British empire in
fact, school geography turned into q
rather pretty song. In this way they
went through nearly all the countries
il Europe.
Then came the event of the day, the
great State "meke." The first was the
Flying Fox Dance" From the half
hidden roads leading out of the corners
of the square came two bands of men
dressed in "likus "a sort of kilt of
green and colored leaves. These were
beautifully made, the leaves lying very
thick one above another, and reaching
below their knees. The men were very
fine specimens of humanity; some had
their faces blackened or painted black
and red, and their heads done up in the
most elaborate way with white tappa.
Garlands of flowers and leaves hung
round their necks, and they had garters
aud armlets of bright-colored leaves on
their arms and legs. To describe the
dance is far beyond M power. There
must have been over 200 mel and about
sixty children taking part in it. The
two parties approached each other in the
usual "meke" form, an odd mixture of
march and dance, and after various
evolutiOns every man threw away the
huge palm-leaf fan which he carried in
his hand. This was the end of the first
act. In the next part the flying foxes
proceeded to rob Il banana tree. A pole
was set up in the middle of the square,
aud on the top of it banana plant, with
bunch of artificial fruit made of husked
cocoanuts full of oil. The two bands
advanced, and seemed to consult, and
then messengers were sent from either
party, to see, 1 suppose, that all was
safe. They went flying around the
square with their arms stretched out.
making noise like flying fox. With
n ,E L
approached the tree, and one of them
climbed up, while the little flying foxes
circled round, and tiually clustered
under the tre', crying with delight at
the sight of the fruit. The fox in the
tree hung by his legs and tapped his
arms, when another climbed after him,
and they bit and scratched and squalled
just as big bats do, and the tirst-comer
was turned out. The whole dance lasted
about half an hour, and between each
figure there was slight pause. The
time was swonderful-everys swish of their
likus was in unison, and they were most
clever in adapting themselves to any
inequality in the ground. There was a
musical accompaniment of native drums
and hollow bamboos, played by about
twenty gaily-dressed old gentleman.
Next came a club dance: The square
was urrounded-except on one side,
where stood the great church-as / ought
before to have mentioned, by plantations
of bananas and bread-fruit; 80 that one
saw nothing of the preparations and
formation, but heard the chant of the
dancers before they came in from diff
ferent paths. From either side advanced
party, each about eighty strong,
marching three abreast, armed with
short spears made of bamboo, cut into
fantastic shapes at the end, or with the
shafts painted OF covered with mating
of reeds. AS the two parties approached
each other-very, very slowly-they
chanted, and swung their bodies from
side to side, thrusting and parrying with
their spears, which were held overhead;
every hand and every foot moving exactly
together. When about twelve yards
from each other, each body wheeled away
from us, and we saw advancing between
them from some distance another body
OF men, of about the same strength as
both the others, but twelve abreast, and
armed with clubs. This "meke," in
which over 800 men we're dancing, was
wild and picturesque, and the men fine,
well-made fellows, as they were all chiefs,
or men of high birth. The dresses in
this dance were even more brilliant than
in the last Each man had liku OF
strips of pandanus leaf, dyed black,
yellow, and red in strips. Their bodies
and faces were elaborately painted black
and red, and their heads were done up