Nineteen years in Polynesia: missionary life, travels, and researches in the islands of the Pacific . and, on occasions, sometimes had itraised and stiffened with a mixture of scented oil andthe gum of the bread-fruit tree. It was fashionable, 206 NINETEEN YEARS IN POLYNESIA. also, for young women to have a small twisted lockof hair, with a curl at the end of it, hanging from theleft temple. The men wore their hair long andgathered up in a knot on the crown of the head, alittle to the right side. In company, however, andwhen attending religious services, they were carefulto untie the string, a
Nineteen years in Polynesia: missionary life, travels, and researches in the islands of the Pacific . and, on occasions, sometimes had itraised and stiffened with a mixture of scented oil andthe gum of the bread-fruit tree. It was fashionable, 206 NINETEEN YEARS IN POLYNESIA. also, for young women to have a small twisted lockof hair, with a curl at the end of it, hanging from theleft temple. The men wore their hair long andgathered up in a knot on the crown of the head, alittle to the right side. In company, however, andwhen attending religious services, they were carefulto untie the string, and let their hair now behind, asa mark of respect. Gay young men occasionally cuttheir hair short, leaving a small twisted lock hangingdown towards the breast from either temple. Theirhair is naturally black ; but they were fond of dyeingit a light brown colour, by the application of lime,which they made by burning the coral. To dye hair,and also to rub and blind the eyes of pigs whichtrespassed into neighbouring plantations, were theonly uses to which they applied lime in the time The beard they shaved with the teeth of theshark. Armlets of small white shells were worn by CLOTHING. 207 the men above the elbow-joint. Some pierced theirears with a thorn, and wore a small flower for anearring; bnt this was not very common. A longcomb, made from the stem of the cocoa-nnt leaflet,was a common ornament of the women, and worn inthe hair behind the ear. For a looking-glass, theysometimes nsed a tnb of water ; but in arranging thehead-dress, they were more frequently guided by theeyes and taste of others. The tatooing, which wedescribed in a previous chapter, was also consideredone of their principal ornaments. Changes of Modern Times.—Soon after the arrivalof the missionaries, a marked change took few exceptions, the men cut their hair short,abandoned the short and narrow leaf-apron, wore,while at work, the deep leaf-girdle of the women,
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade186, booksubjectmissions, bookyear1861
