Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-04-06

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try they have had the good fortune to visit. All
talking over, the hosts generally depart, leav-
ing the visitors to their own devices. One, or
perhaps two, of the party then go among the
girts and loudly proclaim their quantity and
description, and they are then quickly distrib-
uted. Many a serious fight in Samoa hs1 had
its origin in the distribution Of the gifts at
| ''talolo."
POLITICS IN THESE ISLANDS.
One OF the most curious systems Of soliciting
political support is to be found in these islands
Ii some great political movement is in contem-
| piatlon. and an important family or section of
the community refuse to join or. perhaps
waver as to which side they will take in the
approaching struggle, then the head men of
| the new movement will go to the abode of the
people In question that is, if their assistance is
OF some importance, and sitting down in the
| front of the principal house in the dust and
| sun. undergo every sort of humiliation known
| to Samoans. This they will endure sometimes
| for days until, at last, they get some sort of
promise from the family thew have been boring
SO persistently. This proceeding very rarely
Tails TO elicit some kind of favorable answer.
| a hat refusal would be equivalent to a procla-
nation of actual opposition; but what that
| forced promise is worth is soon discovered
when the movement becomes an open one.
MANUFACTURE OF NATIVE CLOTH.
The natives manufacture kind Of cloth,
| called 'tapa," from the bark of the mulberry
tree, which is cultivated especially for the pur-
! pose This tree is raised from cuttings, and is
| OF very rapid and upright growth. putting
| forth few lateral branches. When it is about 4
! inches in circumference it is cut down and car
| rled into the village by the men. From this
point it is handed entirely over to the women
| for preparation and manufacture. The bark is
now completely stripped from the sticks from
| which, when freshly cut it separates itself
| readily. as does also the inner white bark from
| the valueless outer skin. The former Is then
stepped into water, generally being anchored
down III the river with stones all night in order
| to soften the fiber. The next day will be seen
| scattered in every direction along the stream,
| sitting in the water with all sorts of sun-shade
| contrlvances, picturesque groups of girls and
women of all sizes and ages, with sloping
| boards in front of them on which each strip of
| bark Is successfully placed, and with constant
| application OF water, scraped with a
| cookie shell until all the vegetable mu-
| cuous Is separated from it. and there remains
nothing buta spongy, white material. ready for
the next process. 1t is now taken to the house
and in a rounded, hard wood log, kept for that
special purpose, is pounded with wooden
| beetles, both ribbed and smooth. until the bark
| is greatly expanded. and which can be increased
to any reasonably desired extent, of course,
| proportonate to the thickness wanted The
| sound of fifty or sixty OF these mallets, all
| going at the same time in one village. is by no
means unpleasant to the ear. the resonant clash
| OF the hard wood producing somewhat musical
notes. Often, previous TO knocking off work
| for the night, irregular concert will be arranged
| IN which all will join from one end of the vii
| lage to the other, with a pleasant and most
| novel effect
| Each piece. when hammered out to the re-
| qulsite thickness, is spread on the stones in
front of the house to dry, and when a sufficient
| quantity is ready the ladies proceed to fasten
| the pieces together with arrow-root gum, layer
| over layer. and overlapping, side by side, until
| a cloth of proper thickness and size is manu-
| featured. 1t is then painted with the various
| pigments at their disposal of any color and OF
any design that may be thought tit, made up
| into large rolls and deposited on the root
beams for future personal use or barter when
ever 1t may be required.
MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS
Before the introduction of the Jews harp
and the penny tin whistle the only sound-giv-
| ing instruments in use by the Samoans were
the wooden drum and the conch shell. but
| whether these articles can be classed among
| musical instruments is a matter Of grave
| doubt. The former consists of an oblong
block of some resonant wood, rounded of
| canoe-shaped at either end. but followed out
| leaving considerable thickness of wood all
| round. These drums are made of various sizes
and every village of any consequence has its
drum for summoning the inhabitants at the
| chiefs will, or to give warning that something
unusual Is taking place. The small ones are
carried in the hollow of the arm, and are
struck with hard stick. These are only used
in schools to call the scholars to attendance.
The conch-shell is used, it is all over the Pa
| citic islands, more as a war trumpet than any,
| thing else. The Jews'-harp to Samoan has a
| use beyond it's musical properties Two ma
| tlves may be sitting in the same room with YOU,
innocently as you may suppose, lost in rapture
| In the seductive strain breathed through this
| old time instrument. You, in your simplicity,
would never suspect these two ingenious saw
ages were communicating with one another
| through the medium of this harmless article of
South Sea barter; but, nevertheless, they are
| doing so.
RELIGIOUS oBsERvANCEs.
Sunday is a great day with all the natives
and, with the exception of the intervals OF
sleep, SO necessary to their existence. HYMN
singing is INDUCED in from morning tonight.
Really the Sunday, in and about the schools,
| begins on Saturday evening, when, as a rule,
| they carry on practice to late hour. The
natives, as is the case in more civilized parts,
| take advantage of church going to parade ali
| their tinery, audit is with a good will they do
so. AT about $50 in the morning the bell rings.
and off all troop, with Bible and PRAYER book
| carefully wrapped up in a clean handkerchief
to the church for morning prayers; returning
| in about the course of an hour to their homes
| when a few hymns are INDUCED in, and per-
| haps an exhortation from the head of the
house. Domestic affairs and gossip now fill up
| thesnterval, until it is time to prepare for the
| regular morning service. About half an hour
| before church time, all is hustle and hurry
among the dark fair ones; rush is made for
the bushes and the house soon presents the APP
| pearance Of q very much disorganized MILL
| ners shop. If there is not sufficient accommo-
dation for dressing within the house,
the outside will do just as well. They are not
In the smallest degree inclined to sacrifice their
| once-a-week chance of displaying their finery
| to any naduUdiSe hOnte. The native costume is
soon thrown aside, when the preliminary snow
white garment takes its place, to be followed
| by petticoats, and over all long, flowing dress.
| generally of some gay-patterned muslin; and
| in course of time, amid the almost deafening
laughter, chatter, chatting and hooking and
| tying one another up, the bevy of damsels
stand completely metamorphosed in semi
| papatagi (foreign) costume, resplendent with
| every hue and color of the rainbow and all
looking and feeling as proud of themselves as
| they well may. After careful but insidious i'll
| spection of each other, and good deal of good
| hundred comments as to relative appearances
| and sly references to the donors of such and
| such ornaments, during which one good-na-
| tured girl may often be seen stripping herself
| of some little finery of her own to adorn a CON-
| panion, they troop off to church, the smallest
ones leading, the largest bringing up the rear.
| SOME OF THE SUNDAY DRESSES,
more especially the simple white-fowing mus
lin ones, suit these girls to perfection, and show
off their always good never-ugly, and
| frequently very handsome brown faces to great
advantage. The whole pleasing effect. how
ever, is often woefully discounted by the afro
- - le..A. A.