The Hawaiian gazette., 1895-10-11
Notes Made by Rev. Price During a
Cruise of Morning Star.
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES TO BY WOMEN.
Cord and Rope Manufactured From the
Cocoanut-aouses Rude and Without
Floors-Native Dress-Religious Be-
Ifef-supsrstitions of the Rainbow.

| lin connection with his report OF
the tour of the Morning Star through
the Mortlock group, made in January
and February last, Rev. F. NJ. Price
of Ruk sends the following notes con-
corning the islands, their products, the
manners aud customs of the people,
and their religious beliefs.
LOCATION AND POPULATION.
Our general field is the Central
Caroline Islands, comprising the Ruk
lagoon, the Mortlock group and other
islands scattered between and west of
these groups. The name atoll is given
to the islands which consist of ring
of coral reef surrounding lagoon, with
islands here and there on the reef and
also in the lagoon.
Ruk has a large lagoon with mean
diameter of twenty five miles, within
which there are about twenty high
islands. The mission station is on
Uela, beautiful high island, probably
fifteen miles in circumference, having
a diversified surface of high hills and
numerous brooklets, covered with a
thick growth of tall grass and weeds,
and in some places with fine woods.
1t is situated near the western side of
the reef, in latitude deg. 26 min.
north and longitude Isl deg. 50 min.
east, and has, by native estimate, a
population of 1000. The American
Board has about thirty acres of land
on the western side of the island, two
good dwelling houses, a modest,
though very pretty, seminary build
ing for the girls school, cottage, a
building for the boys school, and
few other smaller buildings for mis-
sion use. The location, selected by
Mr.. Logan and named by him Ana
pauo, is fine one, perhaps could not
be bettered; for, although it Is not in
the central part of the lagoon, it is
near the north passage and thus con-
venient for outside work and near
enough the other islands of the lagoon.
The Mortlock group consists of three
atolls and seven islets The largest,
Lukunor, is in latitude deg. 81 min.
north and longitude 153 deg % min.
east and is 10 miles southwest of
Uela. All the islands of the MOrtlock
group on the reefs are low, ri'iDg only
few feet above the level of the sea,
and some of them are swept over by
the waves when the sea is running
very high. The situation and popu.
lation of each island are as follows:
,,l,, 81 tat I'd
min. north and longitude l53 deg. %
min. east, and with Lukunor, pOru-
lation S25, and Ouiop, population 300.
Satoan atoll, latitude 5 deg. II min.
north and longitude 15S deg. 81 min.
east, with SstOan, population 725; Ia,
population $50; Kutu, population 400;
Nor, population 800.
Etal atoll, latitude deg. SO min.
north and longitude 153 deg. Al min.
east, with E,al, population of only
400, giving total population of the
Mortlock group of 1900.
Forty miles northwest of Etal, in
latitude 5 deg. SO min. north and
longitude 153 deg. Al min. east, is the
Namaluk atoil, with only one island,
having about one square mile of dry
land and population of 800.
The atoll of Losap is in latitude 6
deg. 81 min. north and longitude 152
deg. 43 min. east, sixty five miles
northwest of Namaluk, and comprises
two inhabi ed islands-Losap, with
800 people, and Peace, with 200 people
and a number of uninhabited islets.
Fourteen miles farther on in the same
direction is Mama, in latitude deg.
north and longitude l52 deg. 80 min
east, a lone island in the midst of the
sea, without lagoon, product of
some freak, one must suppose, OF the
builders, which must have separated
from their fellows long before the
flood. 1t is a small island with pop
utation of 800 and is forty miles from
the southern passage in the reef of the
Ruk atoll.
Thus we have the Mortloch group,
with Il population of $500, the four
inteUacent islands, population HOO,
and the Ruk lagoon, with $1,000 or
l6 900 people, making total Of more
than thirty islands aud 20 600 people.
There are still other islands lying to
the west of u, but as have rot visit
ed them | will not speak of them in
detail now.
PRODUCTS.
The products of these islands, though
abundant, are limited in variety. TIE
Dreadful is very wholesome food
which grows on large trees, is pre-
pared for eating by roasting or cook
ing on stones, is the staple article of
food, is gathered during the harvest
and put into underground cellars or
pits aud kept through the year. The
cOcoanut is also abundant and widely
scattered, and is the principal article
OF commerce and is also used for food.
The milk is very delicious if the nut
is gathered before it is too ripe, and is
about the only thing we can drink
when we visit the low islands. The
taro, resembling our potato, is also
wholesome food, though, unlike the
breadfruit and cocoanut, it must be
planted in carefully prepared beds.
Then there is the pandanus, unImpOr-
tant as food; and bananas are In Ruk
and some of the low islauds.
MANUFACTURES.
In the Mortlock Islands they manu-
facture q very god cord and rope
from the cOcOanut, a kind OF cloth
made from the fibre of species of
hibiscus, and very good sail and car
canoes. In Ruk they do not make
the cord, but they we've the cloth
and they prepare kind Of paint for
the body, which is used in the dance,
by warriors going to battle, and by