1808 — 1809
Kau Moala went out to the Fiji Islands with a number of young men, for the sake of an excursion, and to mingle in the wars of those people; sometimes at one island, sometimes at another, from the same motives probably as actuated Tu’ihalafatai. After having been absent about two years, he set sail on his return home, and having arrived within sight of Vava’u, the wind became unfavorable to land, and the sea running very high, he was obliged to change his course, and make for Samoa; but the wind soon increasing to a heavy gale, drifted him to the island of Futuna, situated to the N.W. of Samoa. [The island of Futuna lies due west of Samoa, a distance of about 240 nautical miles.] As soon as the natives of this place observed his approach, a number of small canoes (for they were not in possession of sailing canoes), came from the shore to meet him; and, consistently with the laws and customs of the island, took possession of his canoe, and all his property. It forms an important part of the religion of this island to consider everything that arrives there, whether of great or little value, as the property of their gods; no matter whether it be a large canoe, or a log of wood. It is first offered to the gods by the priest, with an appropriate address, and is afterwards shared out among the chiefs. This is the method of making offerings to the gods in Tonga; and, as Kau Moala made no mention of anything particular in this ceremony, among the people of Futuna, I presume it to be conducted in the same way.
This spoliation is believed to be necessary for the welfare of the country; lest the gods should send a sickness among them, and cut them off, for infringing upon this great doctrine of their religion. This seems a very arbitrary law, and likely to have been invented for the purpose of plundering strangers, under the mark of religion; this, however, is not absolutely the case; for although they strip all strangers, without distinction, that come within their power, yet in return they fit them out with other canoes (entirely at the expense of the chiefs who shared the plunder) and supply them with so much of the produce of the island as may be necessary to support them in their way home, together with presents of their ngatu, mats, tortoise-shell, etc.; and withal behave very kindly. But not one single article that has been taken from them, however small the value, is again returned, even with the most earnest entreaty. Kau Moala’s canoe was laden with sandalwood, esteemed a very rich commodity at Tonga, but not one splinter of it was ever returned to him; although the natives of Futuna could make no use of it, not having adopted the practice of oiling themselves.
Map 4. Chart of the south-western Pacific Ocean. Credit: Author’s collection.
Sandalwood is grown on one of the Fiji Islands, called Bau, and at only one spot upon this island, called Vuia. It has, indeed, been planted upon other of the Fiji Islands, but without coming to any state of perfection. It has also been transplanted to the Tonga Islands, but with as little success; for the wood thus produced possesses little or no scent, and consequently is unfit for their purpose, to perfume the oil with which they anoint themselves.
His canoe was dragged on shore, broken to pieces, and offered up to the gods; afterwards the planks were shared out among the chiefs, who devoted them to the purpose of building smaller canoes, one large canoe making four small ones. They seem to have no inclination to visit distant islands, and never therefore build large canoes for themselves; and consequently have no personal knowledge of any country but their own, except a few individuals among them, who have gone away with strangers from motives of curiosity, in large canoes built for the purpose.
Kau Moala described their method of fighting, (for it appears they cannot do without civil wars) which is conducted, according to his account, in two different modes, that is to say, with spears and with shark’s teeth. When a man pierces his enemy with a pike, he endeavors to lift him up from the ground on one end of it, or if opportunity will allow, he calls some of his comrades to his assistance, who thrusting their pikes also into him, they lift him high in the air, and carry him in triumph. The mode of fighting with shark’s teeth is as follows. The teeth being fixed in three rows on the palm and fingers of a species of glove made of the plaited bark of the hiapo [the paper mulberry. Ngatu (tapa) is made from the bark of this shrub.], and both hands being armed in this manner, every man endeavors to come to a close scuffle with his antagonist, and to tear open his bowels with these horrid weapons. [See illustration of one of these shark-toothed gloves brought back to Massachusetts and now in the Peabody Museum at Salem.] The supreme chief in Kau Moala’s time was a man of remarkable bodily strength, and was always accustomed to fight with this sort of gauntlet in preference to the pike, not however to tear open the bowels of his enemy, but merely to catch a firmer hold of him while he threw him on his face; he would then place his foot upon the small of his back, and, seizing fast hold of the hair of his head, so bend his spine as to break it. With little men or boys however he would not take so much trouble, but laying them across his knee, as one would a stick, break their backs without farther ceremony! By way of defense from the pikes of their adversaries, they wear on the left side a species of armor made of the husk of the coconut plaited thick, and stuffed and quilted on the inside with the loose husk, picked fine. This reaches from the axilla down to the hip. Their wars generally originate in quarrels about hereditary right, or the exaction of tribute.
Some time before Kau Moala arrived, an European vessel, according to their description, (or an American) came to an anchor there. The natives as usual put off in their canoes, with a view to take possession of her according to the authority with which they were invested by the gods. The crew readily allowed them to come on board, supposing them to be governed by the usual spirit of curiosity; but showed very strong symptoms of opposition when they began, without ceremony, to plunder, and opened such peals of thunder on them that they were obliged to jump overboard and swim to their canoes with all expedition, sustaining the loss of 40 men. If this account be true, it would argue that they had not seen a ship before, or they certainly would have known her power, and not have made such an attempt. There is no ascertaining the point of time when this happened, for the natives keep no account of years, much less of months.
I do not know how long Kau Moala remained at Futuna, but it must have been at least a twelvemonth, to have afforded him time to build another large canoe fit for his voyage. Having at length accomplished this, he again set sail, with presents of ngatu, mats, etc. and a sufficient quantity of provisions for his voyage, and directed his course for the Fiji Islands, for the purpose of laying in another cargo of sandalwood. He had now on board thirty-five of his own people, including fourteen or fifteen Tonga women, besides whom he had four male natives of Futuna, who begged to go with him that they might visit distant countries. In his way he touched at the island of Rotuma (about a day’s sail from Futuna) a place noted for the peaceable disposition of the inhabitants, and where he was received with an uncommon degree of respect. [Rotuma is an isolated island about 560 miles northwest of Futuna, more than a “day’s sail.” It is possible that Rotuma somehow became confused with the island of Alofi, which is in fact a days sail from Futuna. Although north and west of Fiji, the inhabitants of Rotuma are Polynesian.] As they were little accustomed to the appearance of strangers, they were greatly surprised at the sight of so large a canoe, and considered this chief and his men as ‘Otua (gods) or superior beings, and would not suffer them to land; till they had spread on the ground a large roll of ngatu, which extended about fifty yards, reaching from the shore to the house prepared for them. At this island Kau Moala remained but a short time. During his stay however the natives treated him with very great respect, and took him to see some bones which were supposed to have belonged once to an immense giant; about whom they relate a marvellous account, which is current at Tonga as well as at Rotuma.
“At a period, before men of common stature lived at Tonga, two enormous giants resided there, who happening on some occasion to offend their god, he punished them by causing a scarcity on all the Tonga Islands, which obliged them to go and seek food elsewhere. As they were vastly above the ordinary size of the sons of men now-a-days, they were able, with the greatest imaginable ease, to stride from one island to another, provided the distance was not more than about a couple of miles; at all events their stature enabled them to wade through the sea without danger, the water in general not coming higher than their knees, and in the deepest places not higher than their hips. Thus situated, no alternative was left them but to splash through the water in search of a more plentiful soil. At length they came in sight of the island of Rotuma, and viewing it at a distance with hungry eyes, one of them bethought himself that if this small island was never so fruitful it could not supply more food than would be sufficient for himself at one meal, he resolved therefore wisely, out of pure consideration for his own stomach, to make an end of his companion. This he accordingly did, but by what means, whether by drowning him, strangling him, or giving him a blow on the head, tradition does not say. When he arrived at Rotuma he was no doubt very hungry, but at the same time he felt himself so sleepy that he was resolved to lie down and take a nap, particularly as night was fast approaching, and to satisfy his hunger the next morning. Very lucky it was for the poor natives that he did so, (for it appears this island was inhabited at that time). He accordingly made a pillow of the island of Rotuma, and not choosing to lie in the water, he stretched his legs (for so the story goes) over to the island of Futuna, making a sort of bridge from one place to the other. [The neighboring island of Futuna is Alofi. It appears that Mariner thought from Kau Moala’s report that Rotuma was Alofi, the neighbor of Futuna.] By and by he snored to such a degree that both islands, particularly Rotuma, were shaken as if by an earthquake, so as greatly to disturb the peaceable inhabitants. The people of the latter island being roused from their slumbers were greatly alarmed, and well they might be, at this unseasonable and extraordinary noise. Having repaired to the place where his head lay, and discovering that it was an immense gigantic being fast asleep, they held a consultation what was best to be done; and came at length to a resolution of killing him, if possible, before he awoke, lest he might eat them all up. With this intention every man armed himself with an axe, and at a signal given they all struck his head at the same moment; up started the giant with a tremendous roar, and recovering his feet he stood aloft on the island of Rotuma, but being stunned with the blows, he staggered and fell again, with his head and body in the sea, and being unable to recover himself, he was drowned, his feet remaining upon dry land; and thus the great enemy was destroyed.”
The fable that the giant came from Tonga probably indicates that the islands of Futuna, Alofi, and Rotuma were originally settled by people from Tonga. Although the people of Futuna had lost the skill to make ocean voyages, they recalled the name and the island of Tonga.
As a proof of these facts they show two enormous bones, which, as they say, belonged to this giant, and the natives in general believe it. The people of Tonga, however, are not quite so credulous with respect to this story, which they generally tell in a jocose way. I asked Kau Moala what sort of bones they were; he replied that they were enormously large, he could not well describe their shape. He was sure they were bones, though they were not at all like any human bones, and he supposed they must have belonged to some fish. To any new comer from Rotuma the first question is, “Have you seen the giant’s bones?” But it would appear that communications with Rotuma were not very frequent, since the inhabitants made so sad a mistake as to think Kau Moala and his followers gods.
Kau Moala shortly took his departure from Rotuma, with three of the native women on board, in addition to his other followers, and sailed for the Fiji Islands.
What puzzles many persons who have studied the question of how the Polynesian people came to populate the many specks of islands across the wide Pacific Ocean is: how could they navigate from one island to another without charts or instruments — not even the magnetic compass? That Kau Moala was actually at Futuna, Rotuma, and Fiji there can be little doubt because he accurately reported to Mariner the names and customs of these islands. When it came time for him to leave, how did he know which way to sail to reach Fiji, 300 miles away?
The answer to that question is lost because no one asked it soon enough. Probably Kau Moala used a system of navigation not unlike that so well described by Thomas Gladwin in his study of navigation systems in the central Caroline Islands. A very complete and rational study of all aspects of Polynesian navigation can be found in the works of Edward Dodd and David Lewis.
Owing to the wind he deviated a little from his course, but at length arrived safe at Viti Levu (as the natives call it, meaning, “large Fiji.” The word, “Viti” is corrupted by the Tongan to “Fiji,” one of the Fiji Islands, to the northwest.) Here Kau Moala took up his residence with the chief of the island, where he remained a considerable length of time, assisting in the war with other islands. The inhabitants of Viti Levu are much more ferocious than those of most of the other Fiji Islands; this, however, is not stated merely upon the authority of Kau Moala, who occasionally was apt to exaggerate a little. I frequently saw and conversed with some of Fiji’s natives, as well as with those of the other islands, who were at Tonga in my time. Besides which, I have since been at Bau, one of the Fiji Islands, and consequently was able to form some judgment. The inhabitants of Viti Levu are not only more ferocious, but they are much better skilled in war than those of the other islands, and are therefore much dreaded by them. To give themselves a fiercer appearance, they bore a hold through the soft part of the septum of the nose, through which, in time of war, they stick a couple of feathers, nine or twelve inches long, which spread out over each side of the face, like immense mustaches, giving them a very formidable appearance. The worst feature of their barbarism is the horrible practice of eating human flesh, which they carry to a greater extent than any of the other Fiji people. The chief of the island was reported to have a remarkable appetite in this way. We must not take him therefore as a sample for the rest; for he was not in the habit of sacrificing his prisoners immediately, (finding them perhaps too tough for his delicate stomach,) but of actually ordering them to be operated on, and put in such a state as to get both fat and tender, afterwards to be killed as he might want them. The hands and feet, particularly the latter, are considered the choicest parts.
It may here be remarked, that cannibalism is more or less practiced on all the Fiji Islands, and has its origin, no doubt, in the constant wars in which the people are engaged. Not that war among savage nations universally gives occasion to so horrid a custom (for indeed we have many instances to the contrary); but in those uncultivated nations, where a spirit of national hatred and thirst for revenge, on some extraordinary occasions runs very high, it appears to be an instinct of uncultivated nature, to crown the catastrophe by a feast at which civilized humanity revolts, particularly where a scarcity of provisions exists at the same time. At the Fiji Islands war and devastation are much more frequent than at the Tonga Islands, consequently scarcity is also much more frequent, and cannibalism accordingly much more practiced. The island of Viti Levu is more troubled by internecine wars than the other Fiji Islands, and the people are greater cannibals. At the Tonga Islands in particular, it may be remarked, that the island of Tongatapu is constantly in a state of war, and scarcity consequently is much more common there than at the other Tonga Islands; indeed, this inhuman habit is by no means so general as at the Fiji Islands, but then it has not been the scene of warfare for more than about twenty years, whereas the Fiji Islands have been familiar, more or less, with this scourge of the human race, from time immemorial.
The internecine wars in Tonga followed closely upon the three visits of Captain Cook to those islands in the years 1773, 1774, and 1777. Although there was at the time of Cook’s visits some interchange between the Fiji Islands and Tonga, testified by Cook’s discovery of Fijians in Tonga, and although the Fiji warriors had already instructed the Tongan men in the arts of warfare, Tongan tradition has it that those early days were peaceful ones. It may be that the visits of Captain Cook and later other European ships which showed the Tongan people manufacturing arts, tools, and weapons superior to their own, broadened their horizons, contributed to their restlessness, and led them in some way to abandon their former peaceful cultural patterns.
I had from good authority a circumstance that may be mentioned here as illustrative of the point in question. A certain man at Tongatapu had a violent hatred to another, whom he sought an opportunity of killing in battle; at length he succeeded; and, cutting open the body, dissected off the liver, and took it home to his house. He tied the liver up in a piece of ngatu, and whenever he wanted to drink water or coconut milk, he would dip it in, and then squeezing out some of the juice into his beverage, drink it to satisfy his revenge. This fact was universally known and spoken of, but with much disgust. The cause of his enmity was the ill usage which his wife had received on being taken prisoner by the other. I knew this man.
Now that I am upon this subject, I may mention, that at Tonga, the natives report that some time before I arrived among them, a European ship touched there, the boat of which, on landing near Ma’ofanga, had a quarrel with some of the natives, in consequence of which, three of her crew were killed and dragged up the country. These the natives emboweled and dressed the same as pork, and several ate heartily of them; but shortly afterwards they were all taken very ill, being attacked with nausea and vomiting to a violent degree, and three of them actually died. Some of the natives attributed this circumstance to an unwholesome quality in white man’s flesh, others to the superior power of the God of England, in the way of revenge for killing white men. They were strongly corroborated in their opinion of the superiority of the gods of England, by the circumstance that every man who had been actively concerned in the conspiracy against the Port au Prince, happened either to be killed in battle or to die of disease, during the time I remained at these islands; and they would often question me whether it were not owing to the interference of the English gods as a punishment; to which I always answered them in the affirmative, with a view to my own safety, and to inspire them with respect for the invisible powers, which according to their notions, presided over the welfare of England and of Englishmen. Some of the natives, in joke, used to say, that they would kill me, to see if the ‘Otuas (gods) of England would revenge my death, alleging their disbelief in the unsolicited agency of the English ‘otuas, and their opinion rather that I had been the cause of their death by my prayers, soliciting my gods to revenge the death of my countrymen. This, however, was a notion chiefly of the lower orders. The higher classes were of opinion, that the ‘otuas of England operated of their own accord, without any intervention or prayer. Finau was strongly of this opinion, observing that it was but fair to suppose that, in the same proportion as the white men were superior to them in knowledge, so were the ‘otuas of white men superior to their ‘otuas in devine power.
But to return from this digression. Kau Moala, after remaining a considerable time at Viti Levu, sailed with his people for Thakandrove which is a district on the western side of Bau, the largest of the Fiji Islands.
Viti Levu is actually the largest of the Fiji Islands. Mariner learned his Fijian geography second-hand, so his mix ups are understandable. Bau, although only a very small island, had great political importance. It was the residence of the high chiefs of Fiji. These chiefs held sway over much of eastern Viti Levu and their descendents contributed to the modern Fiji government.
Bau is much resorted to by American vessels, and vessels from Port Jackson, for sandalwood, which grows to perfection only at a certain part of the island, called Vuia. The principal market for this article is China; and the demand for it is so great, in proportion to the smallness of the place which produces it, that it is now growing scarce, and, consequently, dearer. Formerly they would give a considerable quantity for a few nails, but now they demand axes and chisels, and those, too, of the best quality, for they have gradually become judges of such things. Whales’ teeth are also given in exchange for it. The chiefs of the Fiji Islands very seldom oil themselves, and, consequently, require very little of this wood, the principal use of it being to scent the oil. The natives of the Tonga Islands, however, who require a considerable quantity of it for the above purpose, complain heavily of its scarcity; and what renders the matter still worse for them, is, that the Fiji people, demanding a greater number of axes and chisels for a given quantity of the wood, these implements are growing very scarce at the Tonga Islands, and plentiful at Fiji.
The iron implements that the Tongan people traded for sandalwood in Fiji could only be acquired by trade or stealth from passing European ships. The fact that the beloved sandalwood was costing the chiefs of Tonga more and more iron was one strong motivation for their attempting to capture European ships like the Duke of York the Union, and, successfully, the Port au Prince.
Before the Tonga people acquired iron implements, they usually gave whales’ teeth, ngatu, mats for sails, and plait; but whales’ teeth are exceedingly scarce, and the other articles are too bulky for ready exportation. The sting of the fish called stingray was also occasionally given, but these stings, which they use for the points of spears, are by no means plentiful. This fish is found in the greatest quantity at an island called Uvea which lies about mid-way between Vava’u and Samoa.
Mariner did not recall, or was not told, the correct location of this island. Uvea (Wallis Island) lies between Futuna and Samoa, a little to the north. The mention of the correct name of this island indicates that the Tongan sailors voyaged there to pick up a supply of stingay stingers. Tafahi and Niuatoputapu are the islands that lie about midway between Vava’u and Samoa.
Another article of exchange is a peculiar species of shell, which they find only at Vava’u, and is also scarce. The sandalwood tree will not bear to be transplanted to Tonga.
During the time Kau Moala was at Bau, a vessel was wrecked on a reef off that island, All the crew, except a couple, perished. The wreck was taken possession of by the natives; they got out of her a number of dollars, and a quantity of muslins, with some other East-India commodities. From these circumstances it would appear that she was an American smuggler on her return from Peru, with part of her original cargo undisposed of. One of the men was afterwards killed in a quarrel with the other. I could not learn the name of the vessel.
The people of Bau gave Kau Moala an account of an enormous lizard, which they supposed must have come from Pulotu, and sent by the gods. They stated that, late one evening, a canoe put in at a neighboring small island, to remain there for the night, being on her way to some more distant island. The weather being very hot, and the crew much fatigued, they resolved to sleep out the night upon the open beach. When they had been asleep some time, they were awakened on a sudden by the loud cries of one of their companions; starting up, they observed by the light of the moon, with the utmost astonishment, a prodigious lizard (as they termed it), plunge into the water. At this they were greatly alarmed, and, missing a man, they went farther up the country for safety. Early in the morning, one of them (a young lad), went into the sea to bathe, and was also snatched away by the monster. The whole island was soon in a state of alarm, everybody, on hearing the news, flocked to the beach, but no lizard was to be seen. In the course of the day, those who belonged to the canoe took their departure. A few days elapsed, during which the prodigy was no where to be seen, and they supposed it was gone away altogether, imagining it to have been a visitation from a god for some crime they had committed. One evening, however, while a woman was washing some taro root in a salt water lake, about a quarter of a mile from the beach, surrounded by thick rushes, the monster suddenly made his appearance, and, seizing the unfortunate woman, plunged with her into the lake. The people of the neighboring houses having given the alarm, all the inhabitants of the island were soon up in arms, and, running to the spot, uttered loud exclamations, and threw stones and various things into the lake; in consequence of which, the animal, being disturbed, rushed out, and made towards the sea, pursued by a number of men, who threw spears at him; but these were of no avail, his hard scales proved impenetrable to such weapons, and this circumstance, filling them with increased alarm and wonder, made them dreadfully afraid of him, and confirmed them in the opinion that it must be a god, for they saw him escape unhurt into the sea. In this way he had destroyed nine people at different places, partly on this island, and partly on another small island, close in the neighbourhood, when an old man, who had observed that he came on shore every morning at one particular place near the lake, in which he afterwards concealed himself, boldly devised a method to destroy him. Between the beach and the lake was a large fehi tree [A variety of hardwood tree. It does not grow in Tonga.]. The old man’s plan was this: to procure a long rope, and, passing it over a strong branch of this tree, to let one end, at which there was a running noose, hang near the ground, while the other end was to be in the possession of about fourteen or fifteen strong men, concealed at a little distance in high grass. The old man, who was a staunch warrior, and well fitted for such a perilous task, having engaged the solemn promise of his confederates to act their parts with steadiness and fidelity, undertook to walk about on the beach at the time the monster was to be expected, and, at his approach, to recede behind the noose, through which the animal must necessarily pass his head to lay hold of him; at which moment he would call out to them to pull the rope, and noose him tight. Matters being thus adjusted, the expected enemy made his appearance, and ran towards the old man, who took his station behind the noose, and, the moment the animal put his jaws through it, he sprang back, and gave the appointed signal; instantly the cord was drawn tight, and their prey was caught with his head and one paw through the noose; they soon secured the rope, and, running up, beat him about the head, and pierced him wherever they could, till, at length, after much hard work, they killed him. When their toil was over, the first thing they thought of (for these people have a strange genius), was, to try if he was good to eat. They accordingly cut him up, and, selecting those parts which they thought the tenderest, they baked a sufficient quantity, and, finding it very good, made a hearty meal. Kau Moala saw the bones of this animal, from the description of which, as well as what he had heard concerning the living animal, I suppose that it must have been a crocodile that, by some accident, had made its way from the East Indies. As it was the first animal of the kind the natives had ever seen, or ever heard of, we need not wonder that they supposed it to be a supernatural lizard, send by the gods from Pulotu, as a punishment for their offences.
Bau [actually, Viti Levu.] is decidedly the largest of the Fiji Islands, and much larger than Vava’u; but Kau Moala gave an exaggerated account of its size, describing it to be so large, that many of the people in its interior had never seen the sea, owing to their distance from it; and that the people living on the mountains, and who constantly resided there to avoid the frequent wars and disturbances on the plains below, very seldom came down; and when they did, and saw fish for the first time, would not believe but what they were ‘otuas, (gods,) and wondered very much to see people eat them. [Kau Moala’s account was not “exaggerated” at all. This was perfectly accurate reporting.] The mountains on the western side, called Tacownove, are the highest. On the base of one of these mountains are two hot springs, situated near together, at which a neighboring garrison generally boil their yams and plantains, by putting them into a vessel with holes in the side, and suffering the boiling water to pass through it.
The natives of the Fiji Islands are much more curly headed than those of the Tonga Islands; and all of them, both men and women, powder their hair with the ashes of the breadfruit leaf, or with powdered lime, prepared from the coral, or else with soot collected from the smoke of the tui-tui. The pulverized lime is only worn now and then with a view to stiffen their hair, which it does remarkably well. In using either of these substances, they plentifully diffuse it through water, in which they dip their heads; and when the hair is dry they dip again, repeating this operation three or four times. The hair becomes now replete with the powder, when quite dry they work it up with great care and attention, occupying three or four hours in frizzing it out with a sort of comb, to a considerable distance from the head, resembling an immense wig, from four to nine inches thick, being raised equally from the head, at the top, back and sides. Like the Tonga people, they generally go bareheaded; but to preserve this fine headdress from being injured by the dews of the night, they usually cover it with about a square yard of white tapa, beaten out very fine, so as to appear the more light and elegant; and this is quite sufficient to keep off the moisture. They tie it on with remarkable neatness.
At the Fiji Islands the boys and girls go quite naked, the girls till they are about ten years old, the boys till they are about fourteen. After which periods the girls wear the usual dress of the women, which consists merely in a sort of circular apron, about a foot or fourteen inches broad, worn quite round the waist. When they grow old, it is increased to about a foot and a half in breadth. At the age of fourteen the boy begins to wear the mahi, or usual dress of the men, which has been accurately described by Captain Cook, as seen by him at the Hawai’i Islands, where they use the same, though at the Fiji Islands it is of much greater length, being wrapped round the body many times. One end of it passes between the legs, so as to represent, when adjusted, what in surgery is called a ‘T’ bandage.
At these islands they perform circumcision at fourteen years of age, after the Judaic method, i.e. by drawing forward the prepuce, and cutting off a section. At the Tonga Islands they only make a longitudinal incision of the upper part of the prepuce.
Children are married by their parents (or rather betrothed to each other) when they are three or four years old. This circumstance gives rise to the complaint usually made by the natives of Tonga who visit Fiji, that they can find no woman but who is under the protection of a jealous husband. This Kau Moala sadly complained of; and it leads us to the inference, that the women there are very faithful to their husbands. A man may have several wives. The greatest wife, that is, she who is of the best family, is the principal wife; and in respect to her, if her husband dies first, she must be strangled on the day of his death, and afterwards buried with him. I know this fact from what happened at Vava’u, a short time after the peace with Toe’umu; and as I did not mentioned at that time, the present is a fit opportunity to relate it.
Among Finau’s followers, there was a certain chief, a native of Fiji, who about that period fell ill and died. His wife, who was also a native of Fiji, in accordance with the religious notions in which she had been brought up, considered it a breach of duty to outlive him; she therefore desired to be strangled. All her Tonga friends endeavored to dissuade her from what appeared to them so unnecessary and useless an act; but no! She was determined, she said, to fulfil her duty, in defect of which she should never be happy in her mind. The ‘Otuas of Fiji would punish her; and thus, by living, she should only incur fresh miseries. Her friends, finding all remonstrance in vain, allowed her to do as she pleased. She accordingly laid herself down on the ground by the side of her deceased husband, with her face upwards; and desiring a couple of Fiji men to perform their duty, they put a band of ngatu round her neck, and pulling at each end, soon ended her existence. In the evening they were buried together in the same grave, in a sitting posture, according to the Fiji custom. I happened not to be present when she was strangled, but arrived in time to see them buried, and to hear the account of the recent event from those who had been eye-witnesses. It used to be the custom at Tonga, when the diving chief, Tu’i Tonga, died, to strangle his chief wife; but this absurd practice was left off during my time.
Both sexes at the Fiji Islands adopt the custom of making an incision in the lobe of each ear, and introducing a piece, about an inch long, of the stem of the plantain leaf, to keep it distended: when healed, they introduce a thicker piece, and afterwards a still larger piece of the wood of the tree itself, so as to cause the lobe of the ear to spread and hang down considerably. This practice, as it is considered ornamental, the women carry to a much greater extent than the men; and at length introduce such large pieces, that the lobe of the ear hangs down almost as low as the shoulder, the opening thus made being about ten inches in circumference. Frequently, by overstretching the lobe, it splits; and there are many women seen with it hanging down in two slips! Their skins are by no means so smooth and sleek as those of the Tonga people, owing, probably, to the circumstance of their not oiling themselves.
The gods are consulted much in the same way as at Tonga. There are, indeed, some few trifling differences in the ceremony, but these I was not sufficiently acquainted with to state accurately. Although I was afterwards at Bau, I had not an opportunity of seeing this ceremony.
Close to Bau lies a very small island, called Sisia, which is in itself a fortress almost impregnable. The nearest part is not more than a hundred yards from Bau; and, at low water joins it by a ridge of sand. At the place where this ridge joins Sisia, there is a high rock, almost perforated by nature, and which art has rendered completely so. This rock is converted into a strong fortress, commanding the whole island, which, indeed, is rendered inaccessible in every part, by a heavy surf and dangerous rocks, except just to the left of the large rock, and that part is defended by a high fencing. On this small but strong island several natives of Tonga resided, for the chief was partial to them, because his wife was a native of that place; he therefore readily admitted Kau Moala and his men to come also and reside with him. Kau Moala took an active part with the chief of Sisia in his war against the people of Bau.
This war had been kept up for a long time, the people of Sisia constantly committing depredations on the people of Bau, without these being at all able to retaliate. From time to time they had taken a great number of prisoners, which were kept apart for a purpose directly to be mentioned. A few days before the period that Kau Moala had fixed on for his return to Vava’u, the chief of Sisia made a sortie from his strong hold, and gave a general battle to the people of Bau. The men of Sisia were victorious, and returned in triumph to their little island. The chief, elated by these victories, resolved now to have an extraordinary feast before the departure of Kau Moala. On the following day, therefore, a grand warlike dance was performed by the men, with bracelets of fringed bark under their knees, and of shells round their arms. Their bodies and faces were painted with various configurations, in black and yellow, producing, no doubt, a strange appearance. Each man was armed with a club and spear; and, thus equipped, the whole body of them exhibited various warlike attitudes, such as throwing the spear, striking with the club, etc. — shouting and singing alternately. When they had finished their dancing, they sat down to drink kava; after which the chief gave orders to his cooks to bring forward the feast. Immediately they advanced two and two, each couple bearing on their shoulders a basket, in which was the body of a man barbecued like a hog. The bodies were placed before the chief, who was seated at the head of his company, on a large green. When all these victims were placed on the ground, hogs were brought in like manner; after that, baskets of yams, on each of which was a baked fowl. These being deposited in like manner, the number of dishes was counted, and announced aloud to the chief. There appeared to be two hundred human bodies, two hundred hogs, two hundred basket of yams, and a like number of fowls. The provisions were then divided into various portions, and each declared to be the portion of such a god; after which they were given to the care of as many principal chiefs, who shared them out to all their dependants, so that every man and woman in the island had a share of each of these articles, whether they chose to eat them or not.
It would be perhaps increasing the horror of this picture beyond the truth to state that every person present partook of human flesh. These unfortunate victims were sacrificed and cooked more for a matter of form, probably, than anything else; but it must be confessed that the chiefs, warriors, and more ferocious part of the company, partook of this inhuman diet; and several of them feasted on it. Such, at least, was the account of Kau Moala; and I had too much reason to think it true, because I afterwards heard the same account from several of the natives of Sisia who visited Tonga.
A few days afterwards Kau Moala set sail for Vava’u, where he arrived safe with about fifty attendants, as formerly noted, consisting of Tonga people, natives of Fiji, and others. As soon as his arrival was made known to Finau, he issued orders to the owners of the different plantations of Vava’u to bring to the mala’e at Neiafu whatever they could afford, as presents to Kau Moala and his companions. It is always customary to make presents in this way to any newly arrived party, particularly to persons much respected, as was Kau Moala, or who have been long absent.
On this occasion there were wrestling, fighting with clubs, kava drinking, etc., as formerly described. It must be remarked, however, that when these great exhibitions of wrestling and fighting are shown on account of the arrival of visitors or persons who have been long absent, it is customary for the new comers to be challenged by anyone or everyone of the island who chooses, so than in the end they are pretty certain of getting a thorough beating. No man, however, is obliged to accept the challenge, nor is it thought dishonorable to refuse it. In short, as they merely beat one another in a friendly way, it is considered a sport for general entertainment, in which any man may take an active part, if he feels himself at all so disposed. In these encounters they frequently get their arms broken; but this gives no one any concern, scarcely even the party who suffers, who immediately gets it set by anyone in the company, (and they are all tolerably expert at this from frequent practice,) and bound up with bandages of ngatu, using splints made from the coconut tree.