Wichita eagle., 1888-05-16
INTERESTING PEOPLE
WHO INHABlT TROPICAL ISLANDS
IN THE SOUTH PACIFIC.
Natives of the Gilbert Islands - Many
Specimens of Manly and Womanly
Beauty-A Curious Crowd-At Home in
the Water-A Shark.

| Specimens Of Manly and WomanIy
Beauty-A Curious Crowd-At Home in
the Water-A Shark.
A gentleman who has visited many Of
the out of the way corners of the world
gives the following account OF group of
South sea islands that are rarely visited
by white men:
There is race Of people living almost
exactly equidistant between the two con-
tinents of America and Asia, who, though
they dwell in the tropics and are not far
distant from lands which are types of the
righteousness of vegetation, the abund-
ance of moisture and the variety of Seen
cry associated generally with the equa-
torial regions of the world, still have no
words in their primitive language for
such natural features as river, stream,
lake, pond spring or other body Of fresh
water: or for mountain, hill valley, plain,
crag or bluff; for meadow, pasture, field
or grass plat of any kind for any four footed
animal, save, perhaps, species OF rat;
for any land bird; for but two or three
flowers or fruits, and for no minerals or
metals, simply because none Of these
physical features belong to their land.
None of the fauna and flora SO common
elsewhere are indigenous to that country.
This singular region is now called the
"Gilbert Islands, formerly known as the
'Kingsmill Group" and locally, as the
"Radick Chain'' of Coral Atolls. They
lie between 175 dogs. and III degs. w.
and 2 degs. S. and 80 MINIS N. Of the
| equator. On the isothermic charts they
are encircled by line of their own, with
in which prevails the highest average
temperature of any spot in the world, not
that it seems to be very ''hOt' there, but
tie temperature varies but little night or
| day, winter or summer.
The group is made up of some fifteen
! islands lying close to each other in a long
chain, running nearly north and south.
Each island is made of coral, built, prob
ably, on volcanic peaks. which are either
| the remains Of a sunken continent or the
| highest point of areas of slowly rising
land. Whichever hypothesis is correct
there, these wonderful islands are thou
sands Of miles distant from the nearest
| important bodies of land, each lying-to
| quote Professor Dana's words in his
Coral and Coral Islands" - ''like a
wreath thrown upon the water' in the
| illimitable waste of the Pacific.
| The Gilbert Islanders, while probably
| nearly related to the Hawaiians, are not
their equals physically or mentally Still
| they are fine looking people, and among
| them may be found many specimens Of
manly and womanly beauty. There is no
difficulty in noting their physical charac-
| teristics, as the ordinary clothing of
the men is short mat wrapped around
| the middle, and of the women q thick
| fringed belt tied about the hips just below
the waist. Sometimes the females-the
older Ones-are further screened by a
child carelessly thrown over the back or
riding astride of one hip, but this is only
done when the bowling youngsters refuse
to be left behind when the villagers rush
to the beach to see the white strangers.
The young girls often coquettishly
screen their heads and necks-from the
sun-with broad fans simply braided from
palm leaf One article of dress they
much affect are pretty little models of a
Eoman'S bonnet of the "coal scuttle'
pattern. These are not worn on the head,
where they would look ridiculous, being
only big enough for a small doll, but are
fastened to their coal black, glossy hair,
which is very abundant, and of which
they are very vain.
This rather scant costume is completed
by suspending about the neck fiat disk
cut from a pearly shell, but that this is
not strictly an essential part Of their dress
was proven by their taking off and giving
us several of them-for tobacco!
The crowd that mustered on the beach
as we landed was noisy and curious, but
good naturally SO. When, as happened
in a few instances, they were not accus-
toned to near view of white men,
they-the young witches of girls especially
-indulged in much merriment at our I'M
couth appearance. They made great fun,
our interpreter told us, of the heavy
"homes'' (broad leafed hats, we wore, Of
our being wrapped up in clothes, and Of
our feet being cased in little canoes (our
shoes, SO that we could hardly wade
through the loose, dry sand.
But when from the pockets of our
'1oose skins" we drew plugs of tobacco,
their ridicule changed to respectful ad-
miration, and hundred little attentions
were paid US. They knew what tobacco
was, and coveted it.
The Gilbert Islanders manage to have
good deal of fun. Being as much at home
in the water as they are on what land
they have, they all-big and little-go in
bathing at all hours of the day and moon
light nights. What they can't do in and
under the water isn't worth attempting.
In the serious business of fishing, too
they are up to oil sorts Of tricks. A man
Will provide himself with lot of water
tight cocoanut shells as floats, and from
each he suspendS three or four short lines
armed with fish hooks made out of sharp
fish bones. These he takes in his canoe,
and going out little way, bats his
hooks and sets the shells floating about.
Soon he will see one bob and whirl
around, and then, slipping overheard, he
disappears under the water for time.
While down he goes from float to float,
detaching the fish from the hook, slowing
them into a net hung around his neck:
bats the hook from a supply he carries in
his mouth, and eventually returns to his
canoe with his net crowded full. All this
he does without taking breath, appar-
emily.
At times they Will discover some spot
IN the lagoon where shark has estab-
lished himself They will feed him for
day or two with mixture of fish and
cocoanut meat until be is gorged. Then,
calling the village out to help in the sport,
thick rope Of cocoanut fibre is laid along
the beach, the noosed end being carried
oct in a canoe until over the sleeping
brute. One man then slides overheard,
and, quietly descending. manages 70 slip
the moose over the sharks tan and draw
it tight This being done, the signal is
given, and as the crowd Of Villagers,
chanting merrily, tramp over the beach
with the rope, the infuriated but helples.
shark is dragged backward on to the
shore, and there dispatched with clubs