same few .of blue lines resembling stockings from the middle;
of thg thigh tp ^ e ankle, tb^ ,e|pRC^ £gg|becoming, and in a
great measur^., |destr9ys the appearance of nakedness. The
patterns which most improve the shape, and, which ^appear to
me mpst peculiar to this, gpaupe, are those which extend from
the armpits to the h,ips, and, are drawn forward with a curves
which seems to contract th e , waist, and a t a . short distances
gives the .figure ap, eleganpeof outline not. unlike that , of the
figures seenvon the walls- of the. Egyptian tombs. % It would
be useless to dpscrihe the various fanciful attempts .to^efface
the natural, colour o fth e ,skin;, the roost common only will
be noticed* A , cross, about eight inches in diameter^
Ipft white on each side,.is on the latjssinaus dorsi, and a, smaller
ope on each shoplfjeri or on, the upper part of the area; also
a narrow stripe passes, from onevshpulder to the other in a
curved fine.oyeri the lower part of the neck, uniting the-tattooing
over, the fleahypart of the deltoid muscle, and in many so
joined as to leave the; natural skin in. the form of a cross in
the middle*. Imitations,, of blue pantaloons, | or breeches are
also very common, apd sleeves which divide at the wrist and
extepd along ,the convexity of the metacarpal * bonest io-the
tips o|. tbm fingers, and . thumbs, ?leaving; a, space, between; the
thumb and forefinger on which the mark ,V is, -pundturedv
The chief .had,this mark, .the crosses, the slender waist, and
the pantaloons. The. wife of the chief had an amulet on
each, arm * a female who came with her.t had a square upon
her bosom, and some few had stockings.’iijd
Two islands in the most remote part of this, archipelago * are
those termed Serle Island and Clermont de Tonnere. The
latter js |Oije pf. the low flat coral islands^ clothed with coconut
trees. The inhabitants, as Captain Beechey assures us,
are a very inferior race compared with the people of Gambier’s
Islands. They resemble the natives of Mungea and New
Caledonia; yet there is among them great diversity of complexion.
0 In one of the canoes was a man nearly as dark
as an African Negro, with woolly hair tied in a knot, like the
Radakers; and another with a light complexion, sandy hair,
and European features; Both sexes were naked excepting
the - marby and without ornament dr tattooing.”* “ The
people bf Sbtofe Island? Were' 'of'the Mine dark swarthy colour
as those of Clefihoht de Tonherte. A similar account was
given by Captain BeechCy "of'the natives of Lagoon Island
and Egtoont Island.^ This writer cbhtrasfe the inhabitants
of the Society Islands Hite! deep-coloured
Indians inhabiting th to1 coral intends in general.f,\ ' 1
In summing1- tfp %is bfetot^Miofi^1 oh ’ the MttVes^^bf the
Paumotuan Archipelago, iC^.pthin Reech'ey?%dVeft6‘ again to
the history of the pebple^ and he here Seemh on the whole to
regard their difference of completion and other characters a4
depending on local eonditibnfebatherthan bn d i# rs iif of5 r& ^ !
^ Of the thirty-two islands which h a ^ ■
in successioni only twelve &re ’Inhabited;"ihBlukihj^ittoaim
Island, and the amount of population altopthetoc^hiibf pbs-
sibly exceed 3100 souls, bf- which' lObf lj0 ^ h ^ io tMe
Gambier groupe, and 1260 to Easter Island, leavingr 840
pei-sons only- to occupy the other thirty ?slands.M
He adds: u All the natives bf these islands O^phiffeThtly*
profess the same re%ibii: all s p e ^ - t h e ^ ^ f i i p M ^ h h ’a :
are in all essential points the kme pebpfe.’* He sajyh thdt
there is a great diversity of feature and complexion betweeh
those inhabiting the volcanic
comb formations, the former beihg a taller UndMr&tnceP
This may be attributed to a differeiic^ oF'feod,
Comfort; the one having to seeh a dailybtohsTMteflcl ui&ttthb
reefs, exposed to a burning sum and tb ;thn ^afeful glare of
a white coral beech, while the other enjoys plentifully the
spontaneous produce of the earth, reposes- befieath the genial
shade of palms or bread-fruit groves, and passes a life of
comparative ease and luxury.”
Section Y IIL—Natives o f Waihou, Tettpi, oto Easter
Island.
Easter Island, or Waihou, is situated at no great distance
* P. 119. + P. 204. t P. 219, 212.
§ P. 221.
VOL. V.
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