New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-01-22
THE people, OF THE SAMOAN ISLANDS

thought there could be no question
TIE people, OF THE SAMOAN ISLANDS
WAYS AND MANNERS OF THE GENTLE sAFA'N
PRODUCTS OF SAMOA.
Lying in the Pacific Ocean, about 3,ooo mnes
southwest from San Francisco. are the samoan
The rich ana fertile country which, through German
,.s..s and the neglect of other interested Powers
b.ve Cor year rast suffered the of civil war ana
n,sr,,e The natives are hardly more than semi.
civilized but are tractablc and intelligent ana u
properly treated could be easily and happnS soN
rrned They are singular people ana nave many
add customs In appearance they resemole inc
MaIav race Of which. in fact, they are branch.
For the most part they are of fine physique. straight
and broad shouIdered, and have powerful muscu-
,ar develoument Their color is light brown.
Many of the women very handsome, poin IN ioiin
and feature and almost all are hne LOOKING. ono
thing which detracts from their appearance Is inc
wav In which the greater portion Of them wear their
hair Az 8 rule this is worn in huge bushy mass,
having n reddish tinge. This, however, Is not nat
url their hair by nature being line, pisck anu
straight With strange peryersity OF tas'e 'he h%
lives cover it with kind Of lime until II Is rendered
harsh and s5f and the color is ehanseo Aron Dia0A
to reddish brown.
Their habits of life simple, hunting ana nshlns
and little filling of the soil being thcr ehici
occupations. They raise few pigs ana lo"l pu'
for the most part indoent, depending chehy ior
~~N~'
nishes them with in the shape of bread irm' Cocoa
nuts. bananas oranges pneappes and other troplcal
fruit This simplicity of living extends 10 ther
houses and the furnishing OF them Iher "naseS
are mere collections of hus, though IN the maui 'es0
huts are neat and comfortable. Not much regdfu 10
paid 10 the laying Of Streets the houses seeming
TO be thrown together almost at random, In some
nlaees buddled together in groups of two or hree'
INIT usually standing detached, with oftentimes
little pebblsd yard In front
NIr1yE ARCHITECTURE AND FURNITURE.
The house Is a mere framework of poles covered
with roof Of thateh, made from long grasses anu
f,om the Leaf of the cocoanut palm. The roof is I'M
pervous TO rain and nothing more is required INC
sides of the house may be drawn up or ict uo"i az
will being composed of number OF curtains inauo
of plated grass. In fine weather these curtains
which are very pable and durable, are kePe rais0"
during the day, but at night and during the rainy
season they are drawn closely down, making very
snna interior The furnishing of the house CORE
snonds In simplicity with the house ITSELF AZ consists
chiefly of mats on which to lie little blocks OF wood
with four short legs stuck In them for pillows OF res
for the head and hole In the earth, hned wath roehS
used as stove or place TO cook Thus they arc
provided with eating and sleeping accommoaatiohs'
and beyond this they care for little. In all tina huts
wing round about may be war clubs, spears,
etc. rude nets and fishing implements, drinking gouos
and rough wooden bowls of various forms ana sizes
and occasionally sn old fowling piece, which some
white man has given them Their war clubs are
very handsome aud much ornamcnted Ihey are
made from hard wood beautifully carved, sometimes
in regular and sometimes in odd and fantastic de-
signs, and their shapes are as numerous as their
carvings When finished they are soaked In cocoanut
OIL which ia time turns them black, so that the older
clubs have the appearance of being made from ebony
On the mats depend their claims TO birth and lineage
Old mats handed down from generation TO generation
are cherished as ancient and valuable heirlooms
These are not tho mats that seen lying about
the floors OF the huts for everyday use. The old
and valuable ones. which are preserved very care
fully. are plated very hne, sometimes from grass
and sometimes from some wood fibre THOSE Tor
use however. for the most part eoarsely plated
and lack the elaborate finish Of the old ones They
are generally about feet long and three or four
feet wide
FEATURES OF THE NATIVE DRESS.
The dress of the natives consists, at most, of
tvro nteces-the "lavarlava5 and the tupuka."
Before the coming of the missionaries and calico
the lavalaya sufleed. This is sometimes made from
reeds and grasses sometimes from tapa7 cloth and
sometimes fom calico 1t is nothing more than
sheet wrapped around the loins with one end tnced
In 10 sccnre H. and reaches 10 the knee or TO the
ankle, according TO the taste OF the weareE Tho
more primitive made from reeds and grasses
forming fringe, IT were from loin to knee, and
are fastened with wooden pin. Many are made
saplngs of peculiar wood The bark IL removed
and the wood is beaten TO a pulp. This pulp IS
then rolled out into sheets. and when dry the
sheets are glued together, forming large pieces Of
any desired size. 1t is firm and strong in texture,
and resembles tough wood pulp paper OF parchment
more than il does cloth, although It becomes quite
soft and pliabIe by USE They paint this cloth In
fsntastIc designs I'm colors black dark brown,
the paint being made from clays mixed With nsh
or cocoanut oil Since the islands have been opened
TO trade calico has taken the place OF native cloth
10 great extent The other article Of dress. the
stupukaa consists Of piece Of cloth about eighteen
inches wide and Of varying length with 3 hole In
the middle large enough to put the head through
This they wear over their shoulders the ends falling
down over the back and breast This Is almost ex-
ciusiyely feminine garment. Nowadays, however.
n is not rare 10 sec worn by the women calico
dresses pure and simple
since the advent Of missionaries they have become
extremely religious. They earnest in their re-
iieon and tbs great majority of them arc proiessed
Christians Nightly In their rude butts they read
their native Bibles aud sing hymns and IN their day
Life they live well mp to inc teachings Of tho Bible
70 moro chaste or honest set Of people can DO found
All this applies the people they appear In their
native villages and does not apply TO Apla, where,
under the civilzlng influence of the white man. thar
morals have degenerated In justice, however, IL
must be said that this lowering Of the standard OF
morality is due to the class of white men that the
native sees most Of In Apia namely, rough sailors
and low traders.
THE DANCE AND THE TATTOO.
On gala occasions. native dances called @svas7
ara great feature In the old days they very
immoral but they have been much toned down since
tho coming Of the missionaries, and do not occnr
often Tho performers ia the dance, mostly Young
girls seat themselves In semorele they arc dressed
Only in the ava-layan and their dark bodies sesrcd
with cocoanut oil, glisten in the Hight Of the lamps
Their hair and shoulders decked with garands OF
flowers aud grasses. On the mats before them they
drum with their fingers Iccping most peculiar time
suddenly one Of the performers leaps TO her feet and
to the time of tho beating lngcs goes through series
of fantast tic steps, receding now advancing and
swnying and writing the music rises dies away.
Another ono Joins her, and sometimes two or three,