QUEER COURTS I HAVE SEEN

Hokitika Guardian, 1 July 1929, Page 8

QUEER COURTS I HAVE SEEN

BY .JACK McLAREN, THE FAMOUS SOUTH SEA author. When 1 read that many people have been presented to royalty in the impressive setting of St. James’s, my mind goes back to some of my own presentations. But my Courts were away in the wilds, and the. royalties primitive and strange. One of them was a woman, called by many Malutia—which means Good Friend —ruler of a region on the northern c-odst oT New Guinea, who sent for me to come and ho presented to her. I did not think the time quite propitious, for a little while belore one of my carrier-natives had fought with one of her subjects and injured him severely.

But in the end I went, and found Malutia a gracious and truly queenly woman, seated on a pile of mats in the centre of a large room in a beautifully -thatched house. Around her was a circle ol native girls in waist-to-kne© fibre skirts, each looking straight before her and never moving. Al tall man with his legs painted with white clay, and his face oulined in patterns like swastikas, announced me.

My presentation took about two minutes, and consisted chiefly of a speech of welcome to her domain by Malutia. There was about her man ner and the way she uttered the speech a very definite not© of formality. Nevertheless I am sure she was sincere and deserved her name of Good Friend. ( • Another ruler-was a chief in a village near the mouth of the Rewa, Fiji’s largest river. He had been schooled in England, hut the pull of his blood was too strong, and ho lived in native fashion, clothing, food and all.

Me lie treated as an equal, offering me whisky, and freely helping himself—so freely indeed, that before long lie was calling me "old man” and “dear boy.” But with the natives who .were presented to him he was all the time til© chief, receiving them with dignity and they in their , turn bowing, deeply and walking backwards from his presence. It was a queer situation.

Another was Narakad, a far-north Australian aboriginal chief, in whose domain I lived, the only white man, for eight years. !

The first time I met him bo was standing liofore his lean-to bark hut, having introduced to him visitors from other tribes: His warriors stood about him, all armed with spears and clubs. He was ,a bushy-bearded man, strong, tall, and erect, and, though nude, had a personality which claimed my respect. The next time I met him was when 1 was about "to leave for civilsation. He said lie was sorry I was going and gave me a message of greeting for the King of England. Then, in the Gilbert Islands, there was an old man who was called King of the Sea, and at the change of the seasons lie held a remarkable Court. For the people who came to it wore headdresses made to look like porpoises, sharks, and other fish. Each bowed to the King, who spoke a set phrase. They looked like pantomime figures; hut somehow I didn’t want to laugh. It was the King of the Son receiving the homage of his subjects.