Evening star., 1923-06-04
MOVIES GIVE YAP
REGION ODD PHASE
Vie With Sword Dance in
Caroline Isles, Where U. S.
Marine Officer Died.

Death of an American marine or1-
c.r in the Caroline Islands brings to
attention a region of the Pacinc
which was conspicuous when zap
was discussed and when the confer
ence on the limitation of armaments
wc5 sitting.
'.Sown in the form of an inverted
r. the Pacific islands u1der japanese
mandate stretch 2.462 miles east and
west. just north of the equator, says
a bulletin from the headquarters of
the National Geographic Society.
.'They extend from Lord North Is
land, the westernmost OF the caro-
lines to Mile Atoll, the easternmost
of the Marshalls. and l'lfo miles
most northern of the Marianas. to
Greenwich. in the Carolines. Small
as they are, they stake out apoul
/ 100000 square miles in the nortn
Pacific
Life Among the Natives.
Life among the natives is described
in a communication TO the society py
Junius B. Wood, which follows, In
part:
"Ponape is about the center of the
Japanese mandatory islands. Its life
and customs may be taken as a stand
ard for all the others. Those VINO
have uasSed their lives along this
border Of the equator say it is the
oleanest, healthiest and happiest
Conditions and habits vary in the
others; some are better and some
are worse. according to the 1ndi-
vidual tastes
Each group of islands has lam
guage of it's own. The years are not
long past when each was petty
kingdom. and the stranger cast up
on its shores was hailed as gift
from the gods. whose head quickly
adorned the doorpost of the first
islander to greet him.
Missionaries Fashion Arbiters.
THE extent of American missionary
activity can be gauged by the length
of the women's skirts. In zap. which
missionary influence has hardly
touched. the fluffy fiber upholstering
clngs precariously on the fat hips.
In the Marianas and middle Carolines,
skirts start above the waiStltne. In
kusaie the easternmost of the Caro-
lines. they reach to the shoulders in
one-picce wrappers. In the Mar
shalls, where the missionary work
has foUrished without interruption.
the long trained wrappers, sweeping
up the dust, are further ornamented
with high ruffle collars and wrist
length sleeves.
Formerly the natives were walk
ing pictorial histories. After the
missionaries came, tattooing was dis
couragcd. not caring to be tattooed
themselves. and in recent years it has
been prohibited. 1t was considered a
sign of courage. without which
young man or young woman was not
worthy to marry.
when Beauty Entails Courage.
The young people still practice an
fnfa Of hn D1I aCfc 1f
courage by pricking cicatrices. or lit
tie raised welts. on their flesh. Most
of the girls prefer the right shoulder
for the adornmeht. though some have
them on their breasts. The boys
adorn shoulders and chests.
THE welts, which are formed by
making fairly deep cut in the flesh
and keeping it open until the new
skin grows into a ridge, are usually
about an inch long and a quarter of
an inch wide. Sometimes they are
arranged in straight lines one for
each admirer. like the bangles on a
high schoolgirls friendship bracelet:
again they may make an asteriSk or
are scattered indiscriminately over
shoulders, breast and back.
The older people still show the old
adornment, the lobes of the ears
stretched into loops until they touch
the shoulders, and bodies and limbs
tattooed, the most distinctive effect
being broad parallel stripes of solid
black from ankles to thighs How
ever, they follow modern conveniences
and wear the long loops wrapped
around the ears close to the head
when they work, while skirts drape
the gaily tattooed legs of the social
leaders of former days.
Movies and Sword Dancing.
"One night 1 attended open-air
movies and Japanese sword dancing
by sailors and couple of proficient
native boys on the lawn of the official
resident. Visitors and dignitaries had
chairs. while the others stood or
squatted or the cool grass.
Movies We're a novelty to the ma
tives, but comparatively few had the
energy to walk the quarter mile from
the settlement to the grounds. An
American comic of an indestructible
man wrecking furniture and pictures
of Japanese warships. including a
boat crew feverishly lowering a cut
ter, were the hits of the evening"