The Washington critic., 1889-02-04
NEGLHCFHD COLLECTION
AN INTERESTING EXHIBIT At
NATIONAL MUSEUM.
IT is so HIDDEN ONE FAILS TO SEE IT.
some Specimens of Native Samoan
Work That are Now of More Than
Ordinary Interest-Prcsident
CIeyeiand's Donation.

Though everybody is talking about
Samoa, the exhibit of Samoan speci-
mems at the National Museum is al
most entirely hidden away in packing
boxes, or is in cases that are so hidden
behind others that casual visitor TO
the Museum would never see them.
They have very large collection
four or five thousand specimens--hid.
den away In boxes. because there is no
room to place them on exhibition.
The Steinburgcr collection Is there
entire, all packed away in boxes.
Colonel A. b. Steinburger was
Dutchman. who went to the Samoan
Islands(some years ago TO negotiate
treaty. So successful was he that the
supplemented Samoans-who seem TO
be always ycarning for new king
LNndo him their king. and lie reiened
Over them until the English captured
him and made him n prisoner. But
while he was there he made very in
terestipg collection of Samoan objects
Of virtu and gave them TO the National
Museum.
samoan mnidens wear % sort of short
kirtlc or skirt that reaches from their
hips TO their knees and is tied about
their wrists by q braided string. These
kiriles are made from the bleached
bark of trees, and Colonel Steinburger
made an extensive collection of them
which he turned over to the National
Museum with the rest of his collection.
The kirtles are hardly worn for pro-
lection by the Samoan maidens, for
they consist Of but fringe of plated
fib.e but more as badge.
Maidenhood plays large part in
Samoan domestic and ceremonial af
fairs, and its loss irregularly is regarded
with peculiar adherence by these
half.naked sayages.
The principal magical or rather cere.
monial drink Of these supplemented
people is ''kava" The making and
drinking of it partalles really Of the
solemnity of religious ceremonial
II is prepared from the root Of plant
piper metisicum). dried before its use,
and chewed by virgins to make the
kava drin,,, which is not Intoxicating.
Before using the kava virgin runs
the "fan'--an lnstrumentfor cleaning
urposes--through the fluid, in ord er
TO separate the chewed root from the
liquid. When the drink is ready for
use lit is taken in an "Oleipu tan kava a."
or the shell of cocoanut, getting by
long nd frequent use metallic Tor,
which makes It. in the opinion Of the
natives, all the more valuable
Some time ago King Malietoa pre-.
sented President Cleveland a lot of
Samoan art objects, and in the collec-
ton was kava bowl, and tho Presi-
dent rave 1T to the National Museum.
ana it Is there on exhibition now, ac-
companied by card setting forth the
method of preparing the kava by the
Samoan virgins.
, They have some Samoan gods over
at the Museum, too, that are carved
with such shocking fidelity to nature
that they are not likely to be put on
exhibition.
The Samoans are expert carvers in
wood. Their only implements are
sharpened fragments of sea shells.
The wood Is first roasted in hot
ashes to make 1t brittle and less
liable to split under the carvcr's shell
nife, and the carving is wonderfully
slow and laborious.
They have grim sort of humor,
too, these Samoan savagcs. One of
the most priced exhibits in the Ma
tional Museum collection is hand
somely-carved war club of mahogany,
the big end of which is studded with
human teeth that would cut and tear
an enemy's head in horrible fashion.
1t is one Of the most CHASTITY weapons,
with its cleaning white teeth shining
from the dark blood-stained wood that
the Museum has.
All the carving displays fanciful
art that is really remarkable In a race
OF savages. Everything they used is
ornamented If 1t possibly could be.
The kava bowl that President Cleve-
land sent to the Museum is polished
and stands on four slender legs,
artistically curved. the whole being
carved from one solid piece of close
grained wood. Repeated filings with
the root chewed by the Samoan vir-
gins have coated the inside of the bowl
with lining that shines with a peculiar
pearl-like lustre-for all the world like
the teeth of these round limbed Samoan
maidens.
They have complete model of
Samoan house over ut the Museum,
too, and some Of the Samoans' music,
In the Museum there Is less of tune
than Of rythm and one of the tunes
reproduces the rythm of Johnny Get
Your Gun" to beat.
Altogether, these Samoans are very
interesting people, the maidcns, with
their dresses of white fringe, and the
men, with no clothes at all. The
women display real artistic taste in the
arrangement of their straight black
hair, and their toilets are wonders of
beauty-considering how little room
they have to display taste in their
scant dresses, 1t is too bad that there
il not more room for the Museums
Samoan exhibit.
The Prince md the Page.