Nineteen years in Polynesia: missionary life, travels, and researches in the islands of the Pacific . n length, and entwinethe inner bark of a certain tree round each separatecord, and dye the substance of a reddish colour,many of them put me in mind of the ancientEgyptians.—(Travels in South Africa, p. 624.) The Tannese pierce the septum of the nose, andinsert a small piece of wood or reed horizontally,but not so as to project beyond either nostril. They are fond of ear-rings also, but not of theusual tiny trinket description. They must have agreat tortoise-shell article, half an inch wide, a
Nineteen years in Polynesia: missionary life, travels, and researches in the islands of the Pacific . n length, and entwinethe inner bark of a certain tree round each separatecord, and dye the substance of a reddish colour,many of them put me in mind of the ancientEgyptians.—(Travels in South Africa, p. 624.) The Tannese pierce the septum of the nose, andinsert a small piece of wood or reed horizontally,but not so as to project beyond either nostril. They are fond of ear-rings also, but not of theusual tiny trinket description. They must have agreat tortoise-shell article, half an inch wide, andtwo, three, or four inches in diameter. Nor are theycontent with one of these dangling on each side;they have half-a-dozen of them sometimes, of varioussizes, in one ear. The weight of such things enlargesthe apertures fearfully : a childs hand might passthrough some of them. They do not tatoo ; cutting or burning somerude device of a leaf or a fish on the breast, or upperpart of the arm, are other modes of ornament. The women are pretty well covered with their 80 NINETEEN TEAKS IN long girdles, hanging down below the knee. Theywear them occasionally also over the shoulders. Theyare made from the rolled and dried fibre of the banana stalk, are yerysoft, and at first sightlook like hemp. But, alas for thepoor sons of Adam,their clothing is veryscant! They wear abelt round the waistan inch deep. Insteadof an apron of fig-leaves, they make alittle bit of matting, orrag of any kind, suffice. With this they form an ugly-looking bundle, the receptacle as well of anythingsmall which happens to come in the way—such asbeads, fish-hooks, or tobacco. The whole is tiedtightly together, by several turns of hair-cord, andone end pulled up through the belt in front. Theystrut about in this disgusting costume, and criticizethe Eromangans and others, as if they thought theirown aesthetics of dress were of the highest order. All wear some ornament round the neck. Beadsare in re
Size: 1538px × 1625px
Photo credit: © The Reading Room / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade186, booksubjectmissions, bookyear1861
