The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1899-07-26
FEMININE DRESS IN SAMOA.
Startling Effect. OF Blending Native
and European Garments.

Startling Effects OF Blending Native
and European Garments.
LII spite of the simplicity of national
attire-thc single 1apa lava lava. or loin
cloth. worn by all. both sexes alike
the Samoans spend a great deal OF
their time in beautifyng themselves.
The body is creased with cocoanlt Oil.
white lime and reached up pompadour
style, giving it when dry the effect OF
the judicial wig worn by English bar
risters. The lime is washed off at
night and renewed from day TO day
The result is gradual change in the
color Of the hair, which in undergoing
the bleaching process passes from 81
coarse coal black through red brick 10
bright yellow. The effect Of this
brilliant contrast with their shiny cop
per skins is grotesQue in the extreme.
but in their eyes SURPRISINGLY brani-
full.
No Samoan belle of my circle Of ac-
quaintance would use such a torture
and unnatural deformity as stays and
corsets to make her sylphlike and viii
lowy, though she is quite ready IN
puncture her nose to wear Il jewcch
ornament. Their hair, however, is The
Samoan women's pride, and mass OF
yellow spongelikc stuff carefully tied
up. on top OF their heads is the envy of
every one for miles around-"a thing
Of beauty and L JOY forever In COM
mon with this strange fancy the Salno-
ans quite share the European ideas in
regard to beauty. They particularly
admire tall persons, and it is quite
common for 4 stranger, especially if
above the ordinary height, to find him
self followed by an admiring throng of
unobtrusively Obtrusive natives. wor-
Shipping in silence.
Neither sex is overburdened with
clothes. The common dress for both
men and women is the already NEIL
toned lava lava, 4 kind Of kilt or piece
Of drapery wound about the waist in Il
manner whose adjustment seems to
foreigners nothing short Of miraculous.
Tie adults, however, seem to have no
difficulty in keeping the lava lava in
place, but the children are less expert
and careful Of theirs and often lose the
scant scrap Of cotton stuff that serves
as an out Of door costume. Children
OF all ages indoors. and babies in arms
everywhere. wear no clothing at ALL
This kind Of garment-Or lrapery. per-
haps. would he Il better word for its
in slightly varied form. common 10
most south sea islanders as well as i'll
habitants Of the Indian archipelago
and the southern countries of Asia. 1t
is called by the Malays Il sarOng. and
its name 'iffers in the different groups
Of Polynesia. The Malays and Kings
of Singapore. CeyIon and the Malay
sian peninsula wear it loose or straight.
while the Burmese and Sialncse tuck
it up, something after the manner Of
the we'll known infantilc accessory.
The finery and grimcrack adorn-
ments of civilization are now gaining
foothold in Samoa, as elsewhere in
the track OF commerce, particularly
with the feminine heart, and it is not
unusual to see q Samoan lady gor-
geously arrayed in fine mat lava lava
combined with a ball gown waist or
velvet basque cut v necked or with her
hair done UP empire style and wearing.
to complete her toilet, string of ferns
about her waist and necklace OF
sharks teeth around her dusky throat.
But there is one shackle Of civilization
they positively refuse to accept-shoes
and stockings. Perhaps, however, this
is because they can find no covering
large enough for the aboriginal "tril-
bies." Nevertheless, in one Of the
fights in which our native allies partic-
ipated 1 observed one warrior proudly
wearing a pair of 1G button black silk
stockings extending above the knees,
with his huge black feet protruding be-
yond the soles, which were worn
through. He had doubtless looted
them from some European house,
whose owner fed when hostilities be-
pan-Son Francisco Chronicle