The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1899-03-07

Seen In the office ten or fifteen miles
away. the hrst view Of q coral island
SHOWS grove OF trees growing apparently
rom She water said Capt. byron Snow
VINO tor years commanded trading
schooner sailing among the islands OF
Aicronesia, 10 = New York Sun reporter
Nearer At hand the white line Of break
ers against The reef appears. and lastly
the low land. rising from four To ten
feet above the surface Among the trees
are the scattered houses of the people.
and. "A the Gilbert group OF islands. the
great manabea, or council house. II your
amp Is TO touch al the island you End
the channel leading from the open sea
into the central lagoon. and II wind and
currents are favorable, sail easily in and
drop. anchor IN smooth, sheltered hay
en- Except In Certain piraticai islands
xnicn you are supposed 10 have sense
Hospitality and invite You into their
houses. where they offer you palm juice.
fresh or fermenfrd, molasses and water.
or green coeoanuts. which you eat with
= spoon The high-pltched roofs of the
houses. matched with pandanus leaves,
rest on low posts, and there are no sides
20 that when you sit down on the mat
spread Tor you on the floor the interior
arrangements Of all the other houses in
the village are open to your view.
In the days when l traded among the
Aicronesian islands cocoanut oil was the
Rs0CaRdi tElHK the natives eau 10 tFaIuS
with They obtained IL by scraping CO.
coanut meat fine with knife or shell
and then pressing the oil out in = rude
handpress operated with a long lever.
Hail dozen natives would sit on this
lever. like American country boys on the
top rail OF fence. while the oil dripped
down into calahAsh set to catch IL It
vas a job that suited exeeilentiy their
IDEAS OF labor. But their way OF getting
the cocoanut from the tree in the first
place was something 10 strike a white
man az work that he would rather let out
than try to do himself. OF course. they
mad to climb for them. and TO get up the
NIFTY feet or so Of sfnooth-barked trunk
20 where the nuts were they used several
different methods. The usual one was to
cut notches In the tree large enough TO
give q hold to the great toe. and up these
the islanders would walk as easily and
surely as a sailor would climb the ratlines.
The nrst climbing of the tree, the work
OF cutting notches. took some little time.
but after that the native looked on the
palm trunk as ladder.
Another way was for the climber to
tie his feet together few inches apart.
Then. putting one hand around the trunk
with the other he would push himself
away. at the same time dra wing his feet
up. one after the other. and keeping the
tree to keep him from slipping back. Then
he would straighten himself up for a
fresh start. In this manner man would
work himself up tree trunk very fast.
climber TO use no helps, but simply clasp
the trunk with both hands to keep from
falling backward and walk straight up the
tree; Most Of The young men made point
haste to give the cocoanuts or II people
were looking on. The cocoanut oil that
they obtained the natives bartered with
large knives. scented oils. beads and to-
eacco. In recent years the preparation
of copra for shipment has taken the place
of the production OF oil. and a greater
variety OF goods is demanded In the Mi
cronesian trade. owing TO the civilization
introduced by American missionaries. To-
bacco the Christianixed natives never use.
known by his pipe. which. when not In
use. Is carried about stuck through hole
In his ear.
Were II not for the three species OF in
digenous wild trees that grow on the coral
OF for the means OF living. The soil IL
poor, often barren, and the only cultivated
Plant n species OF taro. a variety OF
form OF poi. There are no streams.
springs or wells on the coral islands, and
for water the inhabitants have to dauend
on rain pools As they are in the mo.st
day OF the year this water supply is rea-
sonabiy safe and certain. bat the salt
spray of the ocean, driven into the pools,
often makes them brackish. From the
coeoanut tree the ISLANDERS obtain food.
drink and fbers far use In wsasins.
Breadfrut is a staple food. and the trunk
Of the tree on which Il grows serves, when ne
canoes and prcas in which the natives
make their voyages. The drupes Of the
pandanus treea are used 10 some extent as
leaves are sewn into garments and sails.
plated into hats and mats ami used for
the matching OF houses. Fish are caught
IN abundance though care has to be taken
ffrxxr IN he
varieties found about the reefs are poison
cts To eat Cattle. sheep or goats paced
on these islands soon die. Pigs mana &c
nng dogs. are the only domestic quad
Yupeds kept by the natives. There are
few land birds and fiowere on the coral
these ISLANDS ind the conditions very try
Ing Ia health
although the natives OF the Mlcrones sian
coral islands are naturally warllke and
given 10 killing one another In private
Quarrels they have never been known az
cannibais. The enconverted Islanders are
grea, liars and thievish. They are kind 10
children. but treat their women cruelty
beating Or siahbing them little or ma
provocatIon. Old people receive but little
consideration among them. The bodies OF
adults Of both sexes are eabaratsly tax
toned. except IN the generation that has
grown up in The Marshall AMI Gilbert ISL
ards since Germany and England seizei
upon the respective groups some nffesn
or sixteen years ago. Now the IfiAffgEr Oh
tattooing seems dying OH In islands here
Europeans reside, and none o! the convert
ed natives undergo IT,
Among the heather natives OF the Gil
bart islands a strange burial custom pre-
walls When man mas died his body Is
brought to the mancaha great council
house and il iaia cat liz state Women sic
by il day after day for weeks. Nest 0f she
time ths body "a covered by = mat. and fire.
uusrfly beneath the same mat lies the dead
mans wife mourning over her loss When
at last tire corpse tS about 10 be- buried the
widow often keeps tins skull ard makes
IL her constant companion. carving "a with
her " lsreyer sac GOES A man Is generally
buried under his OWN hagse. and only "a
few inches below the surface IL the
ground owing 30 the belief % ire sur
vlvors that y there should he rooms Ists
far another corpse above him there woslli
soan be another 30 Eli the place. But
sometimes he body IS rolled up in ira =
ard laid away In IaeE 81 the house. TIE
religion Of the AkcroHsstans "a soTs es
srsrs:lsri IN which persons pretend 20 nSl1
intercourse with disea1nodled spirits shs.
manifest themselves. Ret by knocking or
table tipplngs. bat 5y whlsiiing.
All the eaxevnees 20 gpab4e Up the Mi
crcnesian ssla nds whish 6:ernsauy Eagsasai
ard Sgssr have in Fez@rt years fts3sssYe.i
~ a playing fer position in ere werids war
fare with fgse ARA 10 sessszTe IA val ard tab .
graphic bases rather than develop prssf8e-
lion An4 COM sseree In the Islands them