Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1885-05-08
SOUTH SEA ISLANDERS.
Some Noteworthy Character
istics OF the Feejees.
A Finely-Formed Peoples their Houses
Food, Language and Habits

ASOJOO ACeSCA W eAO CnA = AdnI1oSO
Chronicle. that the South Sea Islanders
are all cannibals and that the islands
are filed with wild beasts. Such is not
the case. There are no quadrupeds
there except pigs, and cannibalism
has ceased to exist except in the most
remote and unapproachable of the is
lands. The natives are indoIent and
far from being savage, and in their re-
lations with the whites are easy going
and simple. There is little romance
and less adventure in exploring these
Southern archipelagoes. The islands
are all of volcanic origin, and in the
lowest strata show no evidence of ores
or minerals. The vegetation is tropi-
cal and luxuriant and the forests a.
bound in every variety Of birds.
1t is common supposition that the
islanders are physically dwarfs and the
women shriveled and hag-like in APP
pearauce, resembling the Indian squaw.
The truth is, however, that no finer
race exists in the world as regards ply
steal structure. The men are tall and
well formed The women have mag
nifcent proportions. pleasing faces. are
neither tlabby nor fat, and the contours
of their bodies are harmonious. BY ac-
tual measurement they approach the
Venus of Milo nearer than the Euro
pean.
Their houses are built of a frame
work of saplings, put together without
any nails, fastened by sennit made
from the cocoanut fiber, and matched
with a long grass to the thickness of
several feet. The sides and ends are
filled with lattice-work of reeds that
admit the air. The floors are covered
with soft grasses to the depth of sever
al feet, over which are spread mats.
One end of the floor is raised about one
foot above the rest, and is used as a
bed, upon which is laid from fifty to
one hundred of the softest mats. One
corner is reserved as small fireplace.
consisting of bare ground and few
stones, where are always kept smolder-
ing few c0coanut husks, used for the
purpose of making the sulstsG, or ma
tive cigarette. The tobacco which they
smoke is simply the raw leaf dried in
the sun. They hold the leaf over the
fire until it is crisp and then roll it in
dried banana leaf to sharp point at
one end and broad at the other. One
cigar usually does for several persons,
each taking few whiffs and passing
it to the next.
The food staple of the natives is
fruit, but they have more sumptuOus
edibles prepared by their own ingenui-
ty. The chief of these is the modroS,
made from any fruit, yams. taro, or
bananas, pounded into thick paste
and buried on the shore between high
and low water mark. There it is left
to decompose for year, when it is dug
up and steamed in large pot. When
unrolled from the dried banana leaves
the odor is that of bad sourkrout sliced
with Limburger cheese. The natives
relish this condiment as masterpiece
of their art and eat it without even
holding the nose It is sweet to the
taste and easily digestible. Another
Polynesian delicacy is raw fish about
the size Of a sardine. which the natives
scoop out of the water and bolt while
the fish is still wriggling. They taste
like sardines.
The natives are very polite in their
intercourse with each other. When
one sneezes his companion says. 'Sabu-
la your health; the person sneezing
replying. 'Moli." thank you. They
never meet in the morning without
saying, ''Sa yandra." it is awake. and
in departing say, ssSa la'ki moce," 20
to sleep. The common term in their
language for white men is akai para
lagi," the first word meaning "of the
race Of. and the last. abeyond the ho-
rizon-" The POlynesians have words
to express even metaphysical ideas.
and the language is flexible enough to
sannwns nav v.f.ksr.s.u ~rv1,.v, f3..-k $1,000.