St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1894-06-17
A TONGAN VILLAGE.

aDunQance, 10 games, sports and SEMI.
religious festivals. A description of one of
the latter which had the good fortune to
see may serve to giveo you a better idea of
these interesting people,
The festival of first fruits, or the Inachi, as
they call it, is one OF the great events in
Tonga, and always takes place about the
middle of July. The might preceding the
Inachi sleep was impossible, for all the
Tonga boys persisted in blowing on conch
shells, which after all make a noise no more
excruciating than that which American boys
can produce with the aid Of tin horns.
Early the next morning a great fire was lit
in the open space in the centre of the village
and to this the men and women proceeded,
! carrying baskets full of fish, young pigs
ready for roasting, and yams of yellow color
and monstrous size, which looked like
exaggerated sweet potatoes.
After the baskets were set down near the
fire, great shout was heard in the distance
announcing that the chief was coming, and
at once hundred tawny urchins began to
blow on the conch shells, with as much vigor
of lung as if they had not been INDUCING in
the same exercise all night. The chief, a
very dignified man, with a huge red turban
on his head, was accompanied by body
guard of hundred or more men, all armed
with spears, and the war clubs peculiar to
all these islands.
pretty feature of this great occasion was
the presence Of swarming children, all SO
enveloped in wreaths of many-colored
flowers that,as they fitted about, they looked
for all the world like so many animated
bouquets.
After the arrival of the chief, the women at
once began making preparations for the
feast. Beds were made in the hot ashes, and
in these yellow yams were placed. The fish
and young pigs were trussed and barbecued,
as we call it, before the blazing fire. While
the cooking was going on, scores of young
girls were heard singing in the distance. and
soon they appeared to view, dancing rather
than walking, and carrying baskets and
huge masses of flowers. Following them
came an equal number of boys laden with
oranges, bananas, lines, and many other
of the fruits for which the Tonga Islands are
noted.
1t is unnecessary to describe the feast that
followed; ), but I can say, though these people
are ranked as savages, that they showed as
much good breeding in their eating, and as
much courtesy in their manner toward each
other, as if they were college students in full
dress. I, as stranger and guest, was urged
by every one to eat, though it was not con-
sidered an offense when at length was
forced to Decline. 1T was impossible
for me, however, to refuse the ropes of
flowers that were fastened about me by the
girls and boys, till at length they covered me
like garment.
The games of the Tongans are many OF
them peculiar to themselves, and remind US
OF those that were in vogue in England in
the days of Robin Hood. Ball is with them
a popular game. though they do not playit as
we do in this country or in Europe. The
ball itself is made of shhrk.skin and is quite
elastic. After tossing it from one to the other
with great rapidity and skill, it was at length
thrown to the ground between two contesting
parties, each of which was armed with
crooked sticks, something like those with
which our boys play Skinny. The rule was,
not to force the ball along the ground, but to
strike it a blow which would send it into the
air in the direction of the opponents goal,
when the first man who reached it after 1t
fell had the return blow, so that much Of
the skill Of the game depended on the swift
ness OF the runners. The Tongans are expert