[All Rights Reserved.] THE SOUTH SEA ISLANDS

Otago Witness, Issue 2817, 4 March 1908, Page 87

[All Rights Reserved.] THE SOUTH SEA ISLANDS

NATIVE CHARACTERISTICS.

GRUESOME .STORIES.

Bt Rev. Frederick Stttbbs

In a series of articles which I contributed to the New* Zealand journals last year I took occasion to Tefer to the many excellent traits of character exhibited by the inhabitants of the South Sea6 — their courtesy, generosity, hospitality, rever* ence, self-control, etc. But it is only fail? to remember that there is another and lees amiable side to their character, and this I ehall endeavour to exhibit by means of the following illustrations. For example, as illustrating the Fijian's callousness, an old resident told me that' he knew of n case in which a white lady's child was in charge of a native girl who was subject to fits. On one occasion, this girl took the child down to the river 6ide to play, and whilst there had one of these seizures, during which her charge rolled into the river. On coming down t« the river bank the mother found her child drowning, whilst a Fijian man who was passing at the time looked on unmoved.! The lady implored him to save her child.. . "How much will you give me?" hfl| asked. '" I will give you anything," re« plied the distracted mother, " if only you will 6ave my little one." " Then give it! me now," he said. She had nothing at the moment to give, and despite her, frantic entreaties, the man stood there and let the poor child drown. Ido not' suppose for a moment that such cruelty, and rapacity is common amongst tho natives. Indeed, at the present day, such an incident as that which I have recorded would be generally reprobated:! Thß influence of Christianity has made' the natives nujre humane. But 40 or 50 j years ago cannibalism was still rife, and] cases of cruelty and brutality -were com: ' mon enough. The great ambition of a/ young Fijian was to become a murderer,' whether of man, woman, or child, io, mattered not, so long as he succeeded im killing someone. On one occasion a nura- ' her of chiefs were boasting of their, cruelty, of which they were very proud,' when one of them declaimed that he w aS so free from feeling that he could kill 'lust' own mother ; to which another replied* that he was harder -hearted still, for he would not only kill his mother, but eatl her afterwards." And, said my informant," lie meant it too, for he was quite capableof doing so. But though fierce and cruel, the Fijiana were not, and are not, naturally a brave race — not nearly co brave, e.g., as the Tongans, as the following narrative will 1 show. A gentleman whom I knew in-! formed 'me that on one occasion he was living in the island of Ovalau when some,, trouble arose with "the natives, and a? party of six white men one day saw 400^ natives advancing armed with old muskets.i' The whites gave the alarm, and, along with a few others who joined them, theyj quickly cut down 6cwne saplings and made a stockade. The Fijians approached, and! shouted out that they would kill every,' white man in the place. The majority^ of the whites gave themselves up for lost,' but one of them who knew the native* well went outside the stockade and! called to them to take good aim, for it they failed to kill them they (the whites)! would kill everyone of the natives, for, they had deadly rifles, and their bullets' were so powerful they would go through! 50 men. It was, of course, a sheer piece' of bluff ; but the natives wavered, and( after consultation finally retired without? firing a shot. The next morning theyi came to the handful of white men andi apologised — they had been very foolish, ana were now sorry, and if the white men. •would forgive them they would never give trouble again. The ■whites affected to* hold off for a time, and some, in order; to impress the natives, argued that iheyj 6hould destroy every Fijian in the district, but eventually — as if with reluctance — they made peace, on condition that/ the natives gave up their muskets, which? having been done, there was never any further trouble. I have spoken of the cruel and blood-! thirsty nature of the Fijian. This is," of course, now held in check, and gradu* ally being changed, under the influence of Christianity and civilisation ; but the most terrible scenes have been witnessed even within the memory of living met.. I myself have seen at Bau the nuge> stone against which the bTains of men. and women were dashed out, and a tree covered with notches marking the number, of human victims that had been cooked! and eaten. The tribes were ever at waT, and as a matter of course captives vrete) tortured, slain, and eaten. Even children were sometimes hung up by their feet from the masthead of a canoe thatr the Tolling of the vessel might dash them' to death. On several occasions I have; conversed with men who remember, not. without inward satisfaction, I fear, the 1 taste of human flesh ; and some clubs which lie on the table before me, and! which I obtained from a mountain village, were almost certainly used to bring about! the victims' death. It is a gruesome "business, and there are white men in Fiji' who believe that among the mountaintribes cannibalism is still not entirely unknown* though I doubt it myself, aa I think the news would be sure to filter through to the missionaries, and through them to the Government. Another unlovely trait in the character t of the natives throughout the islands 10. their ingratitude, or, to apeak more accurately, the absence of gratitude. H do not wi»fa it to be inferred thai ther« is no such thing as gratitude among %h* natives — no doubt many individual ia< stances might be given to the oontraTy.t But, generally speaking, Taowever mud? kindness you may show a niltive you will Ml to make any permanent impression of obligation ; and should you at some fe&re time require a service from him W will

almost certainly demand dn* payment ] before rendering it. Gratitude is one of the highest virtues, by no means universal even amongst white races; and probably it requires years of moral training before it is developed to any great extent Amongst a people. I believe this almost total absence of the sense of ffratitude has been observed amongst nearly all native faces, Including the Maoris (vide stories of the war), a fact of much interest to ; the anthropologist-. I remarked it re- j peatedly in my own travels. On one occasion I remember I gave a sailor some -tobacco ; the next day he came back ajid asked for a pipe, and looked quite displeased when I informed him that I had oß>t got one. I heard repeatedly from mißsaonaries and others that if one gave a -native medicine he would expect food sdfiO; If food, clothing; and would feel tfjtrite offended if it were not given him. But the worst illustration that I know oi ibis native characteristic occurred many gnears ago, when the captain of a trading vessel took a wounded man on board, nursed him for two months, and then put Brim on shore. Instead of thanking the captain, the native on leaving urged that as n» bed remained on board co long a mwket should be given him, and on this ( being refused he was co enraged that on t!h* following night he set fire to the captain's house ! ' "One of the most interesting features of , uafcv* life in past times was the power of the chiefis— now rapidly declining , \flbeiher this declension is altogether for wood is doubtful, for it at least constituted an authority universally recognised end obeyed, and by its means European settlers were often able to obtain labour or protection. The missionaries, too, ©wed not a little to this chiefly influence in the spread of Christianity. The power of the great chief was in former times absolute, and ev,en now is very great. l A chief thought nothing of putting a man to death or taking from him his mropertv or a member of his family. On one occasion a Rewa chief asked for a ihoe belonging to a native, and on this being refused, took the man's wife. Had b© taken his daughter too. the man would have had no redress. On another occasion the chief of Samososo, wishing the people to move nearer to him, told >th« officer to hake anyone who refused 1 Home villagers brought the King of Bau fewer building reeds than he expected, ■whereupon he immediately burned their village, a child perishing in the fire. Very 6light or even unintentional offences, 6uon a 6 some breach of native etiquette, weve cruelly punished. Offences committed by a common man were considered very serious; those committed by chiefs very . trivial. Murcter in a chief was regardtsd as of less account than a petty theft in an ordinary villager. There is a widespread belief that the' same dietinctfion is frequently observed, in white men's countries: but amongst natives it is universal. Only last year I accompanied the highest chief in Fiji in his annual visitation of his province. We were followed by quite a retinue of servants, who waited on U6 hand and foot. We rode on horses ; these men were all on Soot, and yet they had to carry all our baggage, and be careful Jto keep np with onr party and be at hand when wanted. . 'As we passed along the road any man we met or overtook would immediately leave the road and squat down on their haunches aB we passed. When we entered a village or town, all the men met us at the entrance, prostrating themselves and shouting words of welcome, while the •women and children would be gathered together in a group further off. Sitting in a chief's presence was forbidden, and whilst on this expedition in Fiji I noticed that a native seldom ventured to walk across the floor of the house in which the chief 6at. Upon entering the doorway he immediately Bank on his hands and knees and crawled across the floor, j These marks of reverence will appear j nbject to my readers, but they do not j appear so to the natives. They ar« Bunply customary marks of respect, to ■■ omit which would be considered by everyone a groes breach of etiquette; and although in these days of British government and Christian missions no very severe penalty would be exacted, as formerly, yet they are almost universally rendered, and so far as I could see, no one was one penny the worse. On the whple, I believe that it is a good thine that these signs of respect for recognised rank and authority should be kept up, but the same cannot be said for all the exercises of chiefly power — e.g, a chief can order his people to build a house or boat, and keep them at work for weeks or months without any pretence of payment. which often involves jjreat hard- | ship both for the men and their families ; | or he will requisition his follower's pro- ! perty or even aßk for his daughter. But I have said enough on this eubiect, and notwithstanding all the faults I have 'described in this article, I still like and admire these native Taces, and bave (happy recollections of their hospitality 'and kindness. It must be remembered tbat this article is designedly one-sided — the other and brighter side of native character having been exhibited in former articles. In a subsequent issue of this journal I hope to describe some of the quaint and peculiar customs and observances that- still exist. It ia the commercial traveller who finde the many changes of climate and water trying. The experience of Mr Chas. G. Chapman, who represents a large Brisbane concern, is not the exception. He bad been troubled for year with chronic diarrhoea, fend was especially bad when in North ■Quensland. On one of his trips a fellow traveller recommended him to try Chamberlain's Colic, Cholera, and Diarrhoea which he did, and what he has to Bay is most interesting : — "I procured a ixittle the first oportunity, and experienced "great relief after taking a few doses, a-nd ■wae cured before the bottle was finished. I Tia-ve not been troubled since, and wish to recommend this wonderful medicine tc anyvjne suffering from the same comp-' tint." "For sale everywhere.