Manilla, understood and explained the greatest part of their
words.” We learn from Mr. Mariner’s account of the Tonga»
Islands that the language of the Hamoan: people, as he
terms them, is unintelligible to the Tongahs. This1 fhct,
taken- in connection With the Observation of La PetousC,
gives reason to suspect that the Hamoan race are more nearly
allied to the Tagalan or some other branch of the Indo-
Malayan division of this great family than they are to the
Polynesians of the Pacific Ocean.
The writer of the American Exploratory Voyage assures
us that the Samoan language is similar in' construction to the
Tahitian. Yet it is not easily understood by the natives
of the Society Islands. The Samoans say they never can
acquire the Tahitian, and the missionaries familiar with the
Tahitian have great difficulty in speaking it. The same waiter
observes that it is the only Polynesian dialect- in which the
sibilant consonant occurs. In this point it agrees with the
Fijian. Jn pronouncing the words of other dialects' the
Samoans use l for r, s for h, and p for b.
Their physical characters are thus described by La P 6 rouse.
“ They arc the tallest and best-made islanders we have hitherto
met with, their usual height being 5 feet 9> 10j o r 11
inches, but their stature is less surprising than the colossal
proportions of their limbs.” He adds that they were much
superior to the French in trials of strength. “ They may-be
said to be, when compared with Europeans, what the Danish
horses are, compared with, those of the provinces of France.”
“ The bodies of the men are painted or tattooed, so that they
might be mistaken for clothed, although almost naked. They
have only a girdle of sea-weeds round their loins, which hangs
down to theit knees, and reminds us of the river-gods of
fabulous history which are delineated with rushes hanging
round them. Their hair is very long, and they twist it many
times round their heads, thus adding to the fierceness of their
expression. The size of the women is proportionate t6 that
of the men t they are tall and slender, and not devoid of
grace, but' they' lose this at an early age. Their gross
effrontery and the indecency of their expressions and motions
renders them d• isog ustinog.” 1
La Perfuse, thought there, was a mixture in the population
o f . these.. islip4$t hetyreep,, fhe Polype&iaps, and the people of
the ]NTew Hebrides,, because the .colour of some was much
darker than th^fp-f ethers. But this,.supposition is . scarcely
compatible with the factvthat they jbave;long flowing, hair.
He a d d s “ Thopg^odc^pdaq^p q f . JVJalqy^rs they hqv,e
acquired in , these islands a vigour, strength, \ staturq, and
propprtipns , .whi,ch they.flo from ” their forefathers,
but which is undoubtedly ©yvripg. tp|thp,abundanq§-:pf
I?fpQd>.j the mildness of the climate, apd ipfipeupe of, physical
pauses, Tyhich during a {long series pf, years .have..been constantly
in; actipn,” It mustvb§;pbseEve4 that, ^hesefiiflpnds
abound in pigs,, dogs, fowls, birds,'-ppdldst* an<l %ewi§e
in; .cqco-muts, .guava and banian trpe§i and in sugap-
,canes.;n!
f;i%»ugaipVilIe says the colour of theses isjandep is .that ; of
bronze^ h e pew but one „man, who was whiter tl^aii thp. > rest.
They?,<.ape, a very dark-colopre4l^’ac%r:jTvpp ipdit iduajs who
were some time since in Englandf with .the-Bev^jM^ Hearfi
p f ^ L o n d o n Missionary igjgEpitie
men, ? of an olive complexion. They, appeared: to me Considerably
.darker than most Mul5attpSH. ;i
The hest acepunt of the Samoans is tip be found in the
;ExplQrqtpiy^$yage.^,, “ Amoqg
the Polynesian islanders, the men o f»Samoa rank in j point of
personal appearance second only to: fhe Tongans, and many
specimens of manly beauty are* to . be seen, among them.”
“ The women are rather ill-formed and stout. When very
young, sometof them are pretty, and their colour is*.light,
being little darker than that of a brunette or. South American
Spaniard. The girls, are> lively, have a good, oppression of
countenance, and what is rare in Polynesia, some degree of
bashfulness.”
“ The average height of the men ia,5s feet IQ inches, and
some of the chiefs whose limbs are well-rounded would be
called fine-looking men in any part of the world. Their
features, are not in general prominent,.but are well marked
and distinct, and are all referable to a common type.-” This
type is thus minutely described.