The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1895-10-11

the MOTtlOck group, made in January
and February last, Rev. r. NJ. Price
of Ruk sends the following notes con-
corning the islands, their products, the
manners and 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 a ring
of coral reef surrounding lagoon, with
islands here and there on the reef and
also in the lagoon.
Ruk has large lagoon with a mean
diameter of twenty-five miles, within
which there are about twenty high
islands. The mission station is on
Uela, a beautiful high island, probably
fifteen miles in circumference, having
a diversified surface of high hills and
numerous brookIets, 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. rs min.
north and longitude 15l deg. 80 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, a 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 a 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. IS min.
east and is l70 miles southwest of
Uela. All the islands of the Mortlock
group on the reefs are low, ri sing only
a 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:
Lukunor atoll, latitude deg. 81
min. north and longitude 153 deg. rs
min. east, and with Lukunor, poPu-
IatiOn S25, and OniOp, population 800.
SatOan atOll, latitude , deg. II min.
north and longitude 153 deg. 81 min.
east, with SstOan, population 725; Ia,
population $50; Kutu, population 400;
Nor, population 800.
Etal atOll, latitude ) deg. 36 min.
north and longitude l53 deg. Al min.
east, with Etal, population of only
400, giving total population OF the
MortlOck group of $500.
Forty miles northwest Of Etal, 10
latitude > deg. SO min. north and
longitude 1913 deg. Al min. east, Is the
Namaluk aton, with only one island,
having about one square mile of dry
land and a population of 800.
The atOlt OF Lo-ap is in latitude
deg. 81 min. north auG longitude 152
deg. 43 min. east, sixty five miles
northwest of Namaluk, aud comprises
two inhabited 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. SO min.
east, lone island in the midst of the
sea, without a lagoon, q 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
ulatIon of 800 and is forty miles from
the southern passage in the reef Of the
Ruk atoll.
Thus we have the Mortlock group,
with q population of $500, the four
inteIjacent islands, population HOO,
and the Ruk lagoon, with $1,000 or
5000 people, making total of more
than thirty islands and 10000 people.
There are still other islands lying to
the west of us, but as 1 have not visit
ed them L will not speak of them in
detail now.
PRODUCTS.
The products OF these islands, though
abundant, are limited in variety. The
breadfruit 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 a
wholesome food, though, unlike the !
bTeadfruit and cOcOanut, iU must be |
planted in carefully prepared beds. |
Then there Il the paudauuS, unimpOr- |
tant as food; and bananas are in Ruk |
and some of the low islands.
MANUFACTURES.
In the NIortlock Islands they manu-
facture a very good cord and rope
from the cOcOanut, n kind OF cloth
made from the fibre Of species OF
hibiscus, and very good sail and oar
canoes. In Ruk they DO not make
the cord, but they We've the cloth
and they prepare q kind OF paint for
the body, which is used in the dance, .