Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-02-10


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| X~ the time when the Vi
S kings were perform
| ing such nautical ex-
ploits in the North Atlantic ocean. naviga-
! tors Of another race were making even
greater achievements on the other side Of
the world. These men, Of Malayan stock,
having started from southeastern Asia.
were discovering and populating the archi-
pelagoes Of the South Pacific. which up to
that time had been uninhabited. They were
| the ancestors of the Polynesians of today.
They had invented the deep-keeled canoe,
| with sail and oatrigger. The boat was
sharp at both ends. Sometimes 1t was dug
out of a single log; or. If there was not a
| big enough tree handy. planks were sewn
| together with braid of cocoanut fiber called
''sinnet."
One of the most important features of the
craft was the outrigger. by which 1t was
stand up against the wind. When 1t blew
hard the sailors would climb out upon this
appendage to steady her. just as men man
euver for the same purpose on board Of a
modern yacht.
1t is easily imagined how the race which
originally populated the archipelagoes Of
Oceanica began the business Of voyaging
| In small way, padding about from one
coral island to another at easy distances.
| AS their skill In navigation increased they
ventured further on the sea, and thus group
after group was discovered and peopled,
each new island becoming a fresh starting
point for exploration.
| When people have improved their appar-
atus beyond their opportunities, they seek
larger opportunities. These savages found
| themselves at length provided with means
| LOT making voyages of indefinite duration
with SAFETY So the time arrived, in the
twelfth century. when more than one Poly
nesian Columbus deliberately set forth in
MS frail canoe across thousands Of miles
| OF unknown and trackless sea in search Of
| new lands.
At Home ON the Water.
These "Norsemen Of the Pacific" as Prof.
Otis 7. Mason calls them. did not fear the
sea. Why should they? Being as much at
home In the water as on land, If the boat
upset they would right her. bail her out
with cocoanut shells and get aboard again.
They did not hesitate to attack the biggest
man-eating shark in the fish's native eIe-
ment. Having learned to make -four from
the taro root. they could carry in small
compass provisions for a long voyage
The ocean upon which they thus Jared
forth Is 1000 miles wide. Compared with
1t the Atlantic Is a mere pond With only
the sun, moon and stars to steer by. 1t Is
having once come upon such isolated bits
| Of terra firma as Easter Island and. the
Hawaiian group should have been able to
find their way home and make trips to and
FRO, as they did. carrying new colonists On
| each voyage out.
Possibly they may have been guided orig
tnally to the discovery Of these and other
lands by the flight Of birds; The people
who first landed upon the Hawaiian Is
lands came all the way from Tahiti-,a voy-
age to the north of more than 1890 miles,
Conceive what the subsequent passenger
traffic between those islands and Tahiti
the population Of 100000 souls which Capt
Cook found when he visited Hawaii!
Similarly. Easter Island. though but a
block Of lava thrown up from the depths of
the sea and having an area of only thirty
two square miles. once had a population Of
10000. 1t Is literally honey combed with
caves formed by bubbles of expanding gases
during volcanic action, in which the in
habitants formerly dwelt. When they died
their bones were stored In the caverns
great numbers of which today are found
crowded with innumerable skeletons. Gi-
gantic stone images and other works of art
left behind by this vanished people remain
an enduring evidence Of a wonderful semi
civilization.
May Have Discovered America.
BY the time Of Capt Cook this adven-
turous race had occupied every island In
the Pacific that was capable Of supporting
| life. New Zealand was discovered and
populated by them. They actually made
voyages to Madagascar. the present inhabi-
tants Of which. the Hovas, are their de-
| scendants. Many scientific men are Of the
opinion that they were the first discoveries
OF America-the ancestors of the ancient
Peruvians and other tribes Of South Anerl-
ca, II not of the North American Indians,
There are marked ethnic differences be-
tween the ancient Peruvians and the Poly
resians. but the general type is the same
A Saxon and an Irishman do not look much
alike, but they are Of the same race never
theless. People coming from tropical is
lands and undertaking to exist on a DESC
late coast. where there was no RAIN would
be apt to undergo considerable modification
In the course OF generations. The men Of
the archipelagoes of Oceanica belong to the
same grand division Of mankind as the
North American Indians, being of q cop
perry color, with black eyes and straight
and black hair.
These originators Of the commerce of the
Pacific commonly employed for long voy-
ages double canoes, which were built like
modern catamarans. They sailed very
swiftly, and each Of the two boats served
IN the place of an outrigser for the other.
SUCH craft would carry sixty or seventy
people. The builders had every suitable
material at hand for construction-big tim
Der, cocoa-fber for Irvine. and gum for
caulking. In fact the islanls of the South
SEQ OF linz 81 iudIiy SdrueHS OF EQen, Iur-
nlsh1ng their occupants with everything
they want without much labor
typical canoe Of the sort described was
painted black and rugged with a mast and
triangular sail Of braided pandanus leaf
which was placed with the apex downward
When the wind was contrary or the wealth.
er very rough. the mast and sail were
probably unshipped. folded up, and dashed
to the cross-pieces which held the two
canoes together Progress would then de-
pend on the paddle. There were seats for
forty paddlemen, sitting two on q bench
Midshtps was a raised platform screened
by mats. for the chief his family and the
officers. Among the last were a priest, an
astronomer and navigator, a sailing ma ster
and a trumpeter. 1t is very interesting to
compare this description with that Of
Viking ship.
The period embracing the twelfth and
thirteenth centuries was one of great I'M
rest and commotion throughout the island
world Of Polynesia Some ferment was at
work to stir up the energies and passions
of wild and primitive men. 1t may have been
the pressure of invading expeditions ar
irving from the west. or perhaps the out
break of mutual jealousies and harryings
of contiguous and hostile tribes. The land
must have been witness to a great conten-
ton and violence-the ocean to many
scenes of sudden departure and disastrous