Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1908-10-23
TRIP TO THE Orient
Clarence e. Edwards Touring the
Eastern Countries.
HE is OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT.

!. HE is OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT
. INTERESTINGLY WRITTEN in WEEE
LY LETTERS, WHICH WILL Al
PEAR IN The RECORDER.
Papeete, July 16:-The festivs
which celebrates the fall of Bastill
in Papeete is probably the mos
unique in the world, for here tn
savage race is making holiday o
an event of which they know moth
ing. The French governmentexer
cises a paternal relation over these
natives of the South Sea, and il
order that all of them may have
the opportunity to enjoy the spe.
cial occasion, it sends gun boat
around among the islands, and
gathers up all the people SO that
they may have free transportation
to Papeete, and then it takes them
all home again. Thus it is that all
the people Of the little islands for
hundreds of miles around gather
on this day at the capital of the
group for their annual outing.
By the way it must not be for
gotten that these people are to be
called clans and not tribes. So far
as tribal relationship is concerned
they are all of one tribe, but they
are separated into clans as distinct
TX separated as the clans of Scot
land. The result is that during
the celebration there isgreat rival
ry between the clans for the prizes.
Every district of the islands inhab-
tied by 8 different clan. For in
stance, the Papara district, of
which l shall have something to
say in another letter, belongs to
Tati Salmon, and the people of
that district belong to the Salmon
clan.
The central figure on the plat
form with the judges of events was
Prince Pomare; the direct descen-
dent of the king who sold the is
lands to the French government.
He draws a pension of something
like $10,0 900 year, and has the
right to pardon, consequently is
looked up to by his people as if he
were the reigning sovereign. The
Governor and his staff, and all of
the officials grace the occasion by|
their presence, and the natives feel
that they are really Of some impor-
lance in the general scheme of af-
fairs.
Immense placards are
posted all over the city and on the
roads over the islands, telling Of the
events which are to take place dur
ing the festivities, and announcing
the various prizes which are offered
for excellence. 1t is significant of
the way things are run to note that
there is prize for every clan that
enters into competition. The
events enumerated cover the sing
ng OF "himines," dancing, canoe
ng, spearing, racing, yacting, sham
lights and pyrotechnics. Of it all
here was nothing more interesting
than the singing of the himines.
This word, as may bereadily under
stood, is a corruption of the word
lymn of the missionaries, and if
one listens to the weird music in
The darkness of the night there is
something about it that makes the
flesh creep.
There is no native music in Tahi-
j, nor is there q native tune. Ev-
cry song or himine that / heard
1ad it's origin in some familiar tune
heard in other lands. Hymns
with dance hall tunes, and
t was no unusual thing to have a
solemn tune suddenly branch off
INTO the lively air of the French
lance hall. Even our own ok
e" found place in the repertoire,
md / must say that as much as
owe the old tune / felt that these