Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1910-08-24

you submit to extortlon ratner thdn
take any unworthy advantage over
an ignorant savage, you will De IN
vited to come again.
The furnishings of Samoan house
are simple in the extreme, and during
the day consist only of rough mats
spread upon the coral floor. When a
Samoan wishes to build house No
utilizes the services of all his "aigas,
or relatives, and everything is manu-
featured from the crude material
gathered from the hillsides. The floor
plan of the house is of an oval shape.i
This space is leveled off and covered
with broken bits of coral which are
gathered in abundance on the beach,
by the women. Surrounding this
floor space a set of poles are securedI
in an upright position, reaching to Al
height of about six feet. In the cen
ter two or three large upright poles1
usually about one foot in diameter byl
fifteen to twenty feet in length, are
secured, and from these to the tops
Of the outer supports the framework
of the roof is built.
AS the Samoans have no nails they
have devised a method of making a
very serviceable kind of fiber cord.
The old men collect a quantity of CO.
coanut fiber, which they roll between
hand and knee to the thickness OF
ordinary cotton string, after which
they braid and splice it together into
great rolls. These rolls are cut from
as needed This, then, is the means
of binding and flashing the roof to-
gether and securing 1t to the uprights.
Then sugar-cane leaves are gath
cred, doubled, laced, braided and fin
ished into little mats. about three
feet long by fifteen inches wide.
When a sufficient number OF these
are ready the roof is matched with
them after the method of shingIiny a
house, allowing the caves to extend
over a distance of two feet This
forms a most efficient protection be-
tween the Samoan and his ceuntry's
prodigious rainfall.
A Samoan house has the advantage
over an American home, inasmuch as
1t can be opened on all sides or on
any one side at the discretion of the
family The posts surrounding the
floor space are set at a distance of
about 2I1a feet apart and a curtain
is formed for each individual space
thus created by using small mats,
similar to the thatching mats except
that these are made of cocoanut
leaves instead of sugar cane. These
little mats are arranged over the
openings in such a manner that they
overlap and will readily fold up shut.
terwise. In this manner any Of the
spaces between these many posts can
be opened to or closed against the
weather by merely pushing up the
curtain and securing it or by unloos.
ing 1t with light pull at a bow knot
and letting it drop.
Mats are then spread over the coral
floor and the house is complete. II
is generally the custom to celebrate
the completion with a "fa-fa," or
feast.
Aside from chests, boxes, ETC., for
the storage of personal property, the
furnishings consist only OF the pre-.
requisites of peaceful slumber, "tai.
namus,' sleeping mats, and bamboo
| pillows.
| A "tainamu" Is a mosquito protec.
ton, box shaped and about 61% feet
| in length by four feet in width by
six feet in height. To this small loops
are fastened along the tops of the
two sides and through these loops
| two cords are stretched, allowing sew
eral feet extra at each end of the
"tainamu" to extend and tie to the
sides of the house, at level with the
tops of the uprights, thereby suspend
ing the "tainamu" directly over the
sleeping mats. During the day the
sleeping mats are rolled up and set
aside and the bottom of the "taina
mu" is twisted and thrown over the
taut top. The sleeping mats differ
from those used during the day. In
asmuch as they are softer, finer
woven and much larger.
The bamboo pillow strongly re-
minds me Of the days of the Spanish
inquisition, but custom and natural
inclination have taught the Samoan
to clay me down and sleep" In anI
old place and at any old time. To
make these pillows, piece O,
straight bamboo about two feet h,
three inches in diameter Is obtained
into which are driven two small
pegs at each end in the manner N
an inverted ~" The pillow is the.
complete and when used in sIeepin,
throws the neck into an angle a
about forty-five degrees from tn.
body. This may be comfortable to ,
Samoan, but think an American
used to bodily comforts when he does
rest. would prefer some scran iron