Two Things Contributed To The Forming Of Such An Idea;
First, Their Rough Mop Heads, And, Secondly, Their Besmearing Their Faces
With Black Pigment.
Their hair and beards are, in general, black.
The
former is very much frizzled, so that, at first sight, it appears like that
of a negro. It is, nevertheless, very different, though both coarser and
stronger than ours. Some, who wear it long, tie it up on the crown of the
head; others suffer only a large lock to grow on each side, which they tie
up in clubs; many others, as well as all the women, wear it cropped short.
These rough heads, most probably, want frequent scratching; for which
purpose they have a most excellent instrument. This is a kind of comb made
of sticks of hard wood, from seven to nine or ten inches long, and about
the thickness of knitting-needles. A number of these, seldom exceeding
twenty, but generally fewer, is fastened together at one end, parallel to,
and near one-tenth of an inch from each other. The other ends, which are a
little pointed, will spread out or open like the sticks of a fan, by which
means they can beat up the quarters of an hundred lice at a time. These
combs or scratchers, for I believe they serve both purposes, they always
wear in their hair, on one side their head. The people of Tanna have an
instrument of this kind for the same use; but theirs is forked, I think,
never exceeding three or four prongs; and sometimes only a small pointed
stick. Their beards, which are of the same crisp nature as their hair, are,
for the most part, worn short. Swelled and ulcerated legs and feet are
common among the men; as also a swelling of the scrotum. I know not whether
this is occasioned by disease, or by the mode of applying the wrapper
before-mentioned, and which they use as at Tanna and Mallicollo. This is
their only covering, and is made generally of the bark of a tree, but
sometimes of leaves. The small pieces of cloth, paper, &c. which they got
from us, were commonly applied to this use. We saw coarse garments amongst
them, made of a sort of matting, but they seemed never to wear them, except
when out in their canoes and unemployed. Some had a kind of concave,
cylindrical, stiff black cap, which appeared to be a great ornament among
them, and, we thought, was only worn by men of note or warriors. A large
sheet of strong paper, when they got one from us, was generally applied to
this use.
The women's dress is a short petticoat, made of the filaments of the
plantain-tree, laid over a cord, to which they are fastened, and tied round
the waist. The petticoat is made at least six or eight inches thick, but
not one inch longer than necessary for the use designed. The outer
filaments are dyed black; and, as an additional ornament, the most of them
have a few pearl oyster-shells fixed on the right side.
Enter page number
PreviousNext
Page 410 of 461
Words from 212782 to 213303
of 239428
