In colour, features, and language, they bear fuch affinity
to the people of the more weftern ifles, that no one will
doubt that they have had the fame origin. It is extraordinary
that the fame nation fhould have fpread themfelves over
all the ifles in this vaft ocean, from New Zealand to this
ifland, which is almoft one-fourth part of the circumference
of the globe. Many of them have now no other knowledge
of each other, than what is preferved by antiquated tradition
; and they have, by length of time, become, as it were,
different nations, each having adopted fome peculiar cuftom,
or habit, &c. Neverthelefs, a careful obferver will foon fee
the affinity each has to the other.
In general the people of this file are a {lender race. I
did not fee a man that would meafure fix feet; fo far are
they from being giants, as one of the authors of Roggewein’s
voyage afferts. They are briik and active, have good features,
and not difagreeable countenances, are friendly and
hofpitable to ftrangers, but as much add idled to pilfering as
any of their neighbours. .
1 ‘atowing, or pundturing the fkin, is much ufed here. The
men are marked from head to foot, with figures all nearly
alike; only fome give them one diredtion, and fqme another,
as fancy leads. The women are but little pundtured; red and
white paint is an ornament with them, as alfo with the men;
the former is made of tamarick, but what compofes the latter,
I know not.
Theircloathingisa piece or two of quilted cloth about fix
feet by four, Or a mat. One piece wrapped round their loins,
and another over their fhoulders, make a complete drefs.
But the men, for the molt part, are in a manner naked,
wearing
wearing nothing but a flip of cloth betwixt their legs, each
end of which is fattened to a cord or belt they wear round
the waift. Their cloth is made of the fame materials as at
Otaheite, viz. of the bark of the cloth-plant; but, as they
have but little of it, our Otaheitean cloth, or indeed any fort of
it, came here to a good market.
Their hair, in general, is black; the women wear it long,
and fometimes tied up on the crown of the head; but the men
wear it, and their beards, cropped fhort. Their head-drefs
is a round fillet adorned with feathers, and a ftraw bonnet
lbmething like a Scotch one ; the former, I believe, being
chiefly worn by the men, and the latter by the women.
Both men and women have very large holes, or rather flits,
in their ears, extending to near three inches in length. They
fometimes turn this flit over the upper part, and then the
ear looks as if the flap was cut off. The chief ear ornaments
are the white down of feathers, and rings, which
they wear in the infide of the hole, made of fome elaftic
fubftance, rolled up like a watch-fpring. I judged this was
to keep the hole at its utmoft extenfion. I do not remember
feeing them wear any other ornaments, excepting amulets
made of bone or fhells.
As harmlefs and friendly as thefe people feem to be, they
are not without offenfive weapons, fuch as fhort wooden
clubs, and fpears ; which latter are crooked flicks about fix
feet long, armed at one end with pieces of flint. They have
alfo a weapon, made of wood, like the Patoo patoo of New
Zealand,
Their houfes are low miferable huts, conftrufled by fet-
ting flicks upright in the ground, at fix or eight feet diftance,
then bending them towards each other, and tying them to*
P p 2 , gether,