The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1894-07-24

"gnato." OF this they make rner
clothes, or rather the long wisp
which is fastened about the waist and
hangs in graceful folds as low as the
knee.
The Tongans are very fond of orna-
ments, IN which men women and chill.
dren delight. One of the cheapest and
most effective is made from q scarlet
Towering creeper, which they fasten
with most graceful effect about the
head, meek, arms and bust; but the
ornaments most valued are earrings
made from the ivory-like substance Of
the whales teeth. These teeth are
from one to four inches in length, and
worn on strings like a necklace.
Although there has not been a war
in Tonga for many years, yet the men
make and carry arms, and all the vii
lagos are fortified by means of pail
sades.
Formerly, whenever an old man got
so sick in Tonga that he could not
move, it was the custom for his rela
tives and friends TO carry him off and
bury him alive. The missionaries and
the English government put an end TO
this cruel practice; but strange TO say,
the people who most lamented the abo-
lition of the custom were the old men
themselves.
Fruit and fish are so abundant in
Tonga that hunger may be said TO be
unknown, and as there is now no war.
and it does not require much work to
sustain life, the people give their spare
time, of which they have an abundance,
to games, sports and semi-religious fes-
rivals.
The Tongens living near the sea
shore, as 1t may be said that most of
them do. as the islands are small, are
among the most expert swimmers in
the world. They have a game re-
played with a large floating ball. which
is tossed in between two contesting
parties, each side aiming TO carry it to
the goal of their opponent. In this
game men, women and children par
ticipate with the greatest enthusi-
asm, accompanied by the continuous
shouts of delight. Before reaching
Tonga 1 had seen some wonderful
swimming in the Sandwich islands and
in Samoa; but l must confess that the
Tongans exceeded in their skill all the
swimmers l have ever seen. They
leaped through the water like so many
dolphins, and the swimmers and the
ball were more than half the time IN
der the surface.
The Tongans are very fond of sing
ing, some of their ballads which have
seen rendered into English show that
they have the poetic gift to an unusual
degree. i can not say, however, that |
particularly admire their singing,
though must say that their voices are
low and sweet, and that they have
some conception of tune.
The Tongans are very fond of story
telling and men gifted with the art are
among the most popular in the islands.
It is not unusual to find one of these
old story-tellers seated in the shade OF
a breadfruit tree, surrounded by scores
of breathleSs listeners, while he tells
some story which they may have heard
hundred times before, or, if he
has the talent, invents some tale,
which is always sure to amaze and de-
light them.
On the whole, like the Tongans.
They are bright and vivacious with in
telligence. The missionaries have es-
tablished schools all over the island,
and now nearly every boy and girl can
read and write in his native tongue,
and many of them can talk English,
and even French, depending altogether
upon their teachers.