I7*?‘_r tened beinS ftruck, by quick fmart blows, with a flick fitted
to the purpofe, they pierce it, and at the fame time carry
into the pundture the black compolition, which leaves an indelible
flain. The operation is painful, and it is fome days
before the wounds are healed. It is performed upon the
youth of both fexes when they are about twelve or fourteen
years of age, on feveral parts of the body, and in various
figures, according to the fancy of the parent, or perhaps the
rank of the party. The women are generally marked with
this ftain, in the form of a Z, on every joint of their fingers
and toes, and frequently round the outfide of their fee t: the
men are alfo marked with the fame figure, and both men
and women have fquares, circles, crefcents, and ill-defigned
reprefentations o f men, birds, or dogs, and various other
devices imprefied upon their legs and arms, fome o f which
we were told had fignifications, though we could never learn
what they were. But the part on which thefe ornaments are
lavifhed with the greateft profufion, is the breech: this, in
both fexes, is covered with a deep black; above which, arches
are drawn one over another as high as the fhort ribs. They
are often a quarter of an inch broad, and the edges are not
flrait lines, but indented. Thefe arches are their pride, and
are fhewn both by men and women with a mixture of often-
tation and pleafure ; whether as an ornament, or a proof o f
their fortitude and refolution in bearing pain, we could not
determine. The face in general is left unmarked; for we
faw but one inftance to the contrary. Some old men had the
greateft part of their bodies covered with large patches of
black, deeply indented at the edges, like a rude imitation of
flame; but we were told, that they came from a'low ifland
called Noouoora, and were not natives of Otaheite.
Mr. Banks faw the operation of tattoiving performed upon
the backfide of a girl about thirteen years old. The inftrument
ment ufed upon this occafion had thirty teeth, and every , .
flroke, of which at leaft a hundred were made in a minute,
drew an ichor or ferum a little tinged with blood. The gill
bore it with moft ftoical refolution for about a quarter of an
hou r; but the pain of fo many hundred pundtures as flie
had received in that time then became intolerable: fhe firft
complained in murmurs, then wept, and at laft burft into
loud lamentations, earneftly imploring the operator to defift-
He was, however, -inexorable ; and when fhe began to
ftruggle, flie was held down by two women, who fometimes-
foothed and fometimes chid her, and now and then, when
fhe was moft unruly, gave her a fmart blow. Mr. Banks
ftaid in a neighbouring houfe an hour, and the operation
was not over when he went away; yet it was performed but
upon one fide, the other having been done fometime before;
and the arches upon the loins, in which they moft pride
themfelves, and which give more pain than all the reft, were
ftill to be done.
It is ftrange that thefe people fhould value themfelves upon
what is no diftiniftion; for I never faw a native of this ifland^
either man or woman, in a ftate of maturity, in whom thefe
marks were wanting: poflibly they may have their rife in
fuperftition, efpecially as they produce no vifible advantage,
and are not made without great pain ; but though we enquired
of many hundreds, we could never get any account
of the matter.
Their clothing confifts of cloth or matting of different
kinds, which will be defcribed among their other manufactures.
The cloth, which will not bear wetting, they wear in.
dry weather, and the matting when it rams; they are put
on in many different ways, juft as their fancy leads them -r
for in their garments nothing is cut into fhape, nor are any
■ two