Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1910-08-19


you submit to extortion rather than
take any unworthy advantage over
an ignorant savage. you will be 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
Samoan wishes to build house he
utilities the services of all his "aigas,"
or relatives, and everything is manu-
featured from the crude material
gathered from the hillsides. The floor
| rlan of the house is of an oval shape.
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 secured
in an upright position. reaching to al
| height of about six feet. In the cen-
! ter two or three large upright polesJ
usually about one foot in diameter BY
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 method of making a
very seryiceable 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
q sx.t-
great rolls. These rolls are cut from
as needed THIS, then, Is the means
of binding and lashing the roof to-
gether and securing it 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 shingling a
house, allowing the caves to extend
! over distance OF two feet This
tween the Samoan and his country's
prOdigious rainfall.
A Samoan house has the advantage
over an American home, inasmuch as
it 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 2sA feet apart and a curtain
is formed for each individual space
| thus created by using small mats.
| similar m tho fhafch;pu Yoafu avoapk
| that these are made of cocoanut
| leaves instead of sugar cane. These
| little mats are arranged over the
! openings in such 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 "fia-fa." OF
feast
Aside from chests. boxes, etc, for
the storage of personal property, the
furnishings consist only of the pre-
requisites of peaceful slumbsi, tai
namus,' sleeping mats. and bamboo
pillows.
A "tainamu" is a mosquito protec
ton, box shaped and about 6b fee
in length by four feet in width b.
six feet In height To this small loop.
are fastened along the tops of tn,
two sides and through these loop.
two cords are stretched, allowing sew
eral feet extra at each end of tn,
"tainamu" to extend and tie to tn,
| sides of the house, at level with tn,
tops of the uprights, thereby suspend
, ing the "tainamu" directly over TIL
| sleeping mats. During the day tn
{ sleeping mats are rolled up and sc
aside and the bottom of the "tains
/ mu" is twisted and thrown over tn
l taut top. The sleeping mats diffe
r from those used during the day. in
D asmuch as they are softer, fine
r woven and much larger
l. ne betuApuO pttibN HlIOuEly II
d minds me of the days of the SPANS
d inquisition. but custom and naturi
Il inclination have taught the Samoa
Y to LAY me down and sleep" In an
II old place and at any old time. 7
y make these pillows piece
d straight bamboo about two feet b
three inches In diameter is obtaine
y into which are driven two tsma
II pegs at each end in the manner
@ an inverted "" The pillow is the
re complete and when used In slespir
"a throws the neck into an angle
ur about foTty-fve degrees from Il
ht body. This may be comfortable to
a. Samoan, but | think an America
r. used to bodily comforts when be do
rs rest. would prefer some scrap iron