Greene County herald. (Leakesville, Miss.) 1898-current, 1921-04-08
ONE or GERMANY'S LOST



The former German samoan is
lands constitute one of the important
groups OF Pacific islands that have
fallen to the lot of Great Britain,
through New Zealand, as a result Of
the World war,
The Samoan group, called by form
er g~eographers "The Navigators'
Islands" from the skill in navigation
shown by its inhabitants, consists of
four principal bits of land lying in
the South Pacific, nearly midway be-
tween New Zealand and Hawaii. d
The number of islands in the group
may, by counting the smaller, be i'm
creased TO IL, jor ever IA, but only
Savii, Upolu, Tutuila. (owned by the
United States) and the three usually
included under the general term
Manua, are important. 1905 81
All are verdure-clad and inhabited,
and in appearance and shape resem-
BILE immense green hats, the interior
representing the crown being noun
famous, while the brim or shore Is
| covered with coconut palms, bread
fruit. banana and other tropical trees,
which furnish the native food.
At some prehistoric period the
| peaks of a submerged mountain chain
| running northeast and southwest have
been lifted from the depths of the
] ocean by the upheayal of volcanoes
now long extinct. Accommodations of
soil brought by heavy rains from the
mountains meet the. eyer-groWing reef,
which prevents easy approach to the
land except in those places Where
fresh-water streams, forcing their way
through, form openings in the coral
barrier. -.airG irH
Between reef and shore a lagoon.
varying in width from 200 yards TO
two or three miles, provides a secure
highway for coast and inter-island
traffic. The entire length of the group,
If Rose island be included, is little
less, than 800 miles, and tile gross area
of the islands is larger than the state
of Rhode Island by 30 square miles.
The native inhabitants of the
islands are of ~Polynesian stock and
are clearly related to the natives of
both Hawaii and New Zealand. For
| practical purposes these natives may
be divided into four classes. At the
head stand the chiefs, who are heredi-
tary in the sense that they must be-
long to certain families, but elective
I'm that they exercise authority by
virtue Of titles conferred on them.
The Tulafale, talking-man, is their
executive officer. who phrases their
1 thoughts in eloquent language, and is
frequently the central figure in the
district and the source Of authority.
Below him and above the lowest class,
composed of what are known as the
"common people" are the native
teachers and c%atechists, who wear
more clothes nnd-do less fighting than
the rest of the population.
There is nothing in the dress. OF
tearing Of a high chief which enables
a foreigner TO distinguish him, but he
Is isolated from the res Of the people
by a system Of rigid e%tiquette. No one
may hold up an umbrella or do Ger"
tain kinds of work JIM his presence
and a special vocabulary. is set apart
In which TO address him. The com
mon names for food, an axe, a pig
etc. are stabOoed in his presence, HIS
face, his anger and other attribute:
are described in an entirely different
ser of words from those used fol
ordinary men. " "a 'f"e .e 'a z. Fl
The powers and duties Of the talk
ing men, are considerable. They arr
men of much dignity of carriage, anC
as they stand leaning upon a stat
of office with a f'fue,'" or fiy-fap cas-
over one shoulder, with which oeca
sionaliy to emphasize their remarks
they compare favorably In appearance
with the orators Of a nation NOR,
civilized than themselves.
lEF.EH AAlFZ aRA 4sr.- na H..f..