The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1891-05-30
men WEAR P%ETT|C0ATS.
Some or the Oddities That Distin-
guish Inhabitants Of the
Samoan Islands.
The Men Wear Very Little Cloth
ing and the Women Wear
Even Less.
A Dance That Would Not Pass Muster In
Polite Socisty-"YOu NY Flen
Men,"

The samoans have no word for female
virtue, but that is simply because they do
not possess terms for things abstract. The
women of the islands are more chaEte than
those of any other race in the world. One
reason for this ia that from time immemo-
rial the most tremendous penalty has been
dealt out for any lapse in this regard.
In the old days a girl found guilty was
promptly killed, usually with a war club IN
the hands of her father. Even now the
p~unishment is utter disgrace. The few
Samoan women who are not altogether re-
spectacle are, every one Of them. deserted
wives of foreigners. who have married them
by native rites and deserted them afterward.
Though 80 entirely v%irtuoua the women of
Samoa have little modesty in the sense in
which the quality is understood among civ
ilized people. Their native costume is sim
ply a petticoat of bark cloth, but remote
from the large villages it does not embar-
rass them much apparently to be seen with
out evon this garment, simply because they
are free from any imsgininRs of improperly
in the matter.
The men wear similar short petticoats,
but under the influence of the missionaries
they have, to some extent, adopted shirts
also. while the females in the towns very
generally appear in small ponohos, after the
Mexican fashion, with a slit in the middle
to put the head through.
The missionaries have done their best to
do away with = certain highly improper
national dance Of the Samoans, called the
muli-pa'i-pa'i. performed always by girls.
1t is exceedingly suggestive in its nature,
and those who participate in it divest them
selves of all their clothing incidentally.
But the muli-pa'i-pa'i is still danced on the
sly. A Samoan and his wife will say to you:
I'VE missionary people; no have null
pa'i-pa'i. But after a little We 90 to bed.
and then our daughters will dance the null
When you arrive in a harbor Of the Sa-
moan group your ship is at once surrounded
by scores Of native canoe the occupants
of which make earnest offers of friendship,
says a writer in the Washington Star. The
common expression, whether the person
making the appeal Of amity lisa man or a
woman. is: "You my fen me; me my fen
you"
II you assent to one of these offers an ex-
change of presents is in order between
yourself and your new friend. Every
stranger ia supposed to have one such friend
only among the natives, though he may be
agreesbly acquainted with any number in
addition. He must give to this friend many
presents from time to time-such things in
particular as tobacco, needles, thread, scis-
aors, knive., cotton stuffs, .hatchets. bright
colored handkerchiefs, perfumery, of which
last the islanders are extremely fond. In
return for gifts 80 bestowed you receive
bark cloth, bark of pandanus leaves, shaggy
mats of the fibre of a nettle like plant, fans
of cocoanut leaves, war clubs of iron wood,
spears and sea shells.
Also your friend keeps you supplied dut-
ing your stay with fruit and other fresh
food. But you must on NJ account give
the smallest article to any ono but this
friend, because 1t will be bitterly resented.
Upon learning Of your gift your friend will
say: Bad you; you give presents to other
girl. She no your friend; she Mr.. Smithy's
friend.'
Among the presents you get in this way
nome have much value except the fine mats,
which are worth on the islands from $50 to
500, according to their age. The older the
mat, the more it is worth, because of the
reverence which tho natives have for any
thing that ia ancient and for their ances-
tors. When these mats are torn they are
carefully mended, and often one that is
covered with patches will sell for the high
est price.
The history of each mat is carefully re-
corded. 1t takes two women sometimes as
much as two years to make a single mat six
feet square. Pandanus leaves are split for
the purpose, and cured by soaking in salt
water and drying in the sun. Frequently
these braided mats are ornamented with
borders of red feathers from the breast of
the Fijian parroquet, imported to Samoa in
great numbers, kept alive in cages, fed On
fruit and plucked regularly twice a year.
In all this Interchange of presents the OBJ
ject of the native is to get as much as pos
sible and to give as little in return. The
islander is very shrewd. 1t is custom now
adays. having entertained strangers at
his house with dances, to fina!lv place a
wooden bow or some such receptacle in the
middle of the floor and throw a silver dol
lar into it, after which each guest is ex-
nected to do IikcXisa.