POLYNESIAN TYPES

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 239, 29 December 1927, Page 13

POLYNESIAN TYPES

nR BUCK’S ADDRESS IN VK - SAMOA

ORIGIN OF PACIFIC PEOPLE

peter Buck, former Director of j Hygiene in New Zealand, was J °sDeaker before members of the ‘ 6e . Society In Apia earlier in the Sainoa rnOliil^' Or Buck, who Is now associated with ,1,8 BishoP Museum at Honolulu, made strong appeal to the Samoan people to assist him freely in his ethnological investigations. He explained the four distinct types of the Polynesian race according to the admixture with other races. Their religious rites, their social organisation a chief at its head and its many complications, their material culture all Ma r out one source of origin. With regard to their material culture, that 1, the manufacture of various articles an opposed to social culture-—learning _Dr Buck declared that the earliest tool was the stone adze, of which no one has yet explained how it was ground to a cutting edge. COLLECTION OF ADZES There was a collection of 70 stone adzes and 100 chisels from Tutuila and Manila in the Bishop Museum. He explained the different types of houses and their construction, and the Samoan round house, he said, was peculiar to Samoa. The builders’ guilds had preserved the original designs, about the original architects of which little could be learned. The Maori people had a song which made reference to the round house of Tigilau and the origin of that song might have come from the same source as the first designers of the Samoan house obtained their ideas. In connection with the song of Tigilau there is in Maori the person called Kai who is the same person as the Samoan ’Ai associated with song. Dr. Buck deprecated a tendency to use the present day “k" in place of the "break” in Samoan words, although originally there was a “k” where the break is now. The softness of the language is being destroyed by the use of the harsh k’ when speaking,” he said. The making of sinnet was then explained and its various uses and also the building of canoes. Dr. Buck surprised his hearers with his knowledge various technical terms used by the of the trades of the Samoan and the workmen and the Samoans generally (says the Samoa "Guardian”). The Samoan round house, lie insisted, was the result of local development. EARLY CANOES He epoke of the early canoes such as the ’’Alia” and the “Taumualua” and deplored the loss of the great Alia a few years ago at Mulinuu. People did not realise the significance of these early works. There could be learned much from an inspection of them. It was thus Impossible to solve many o fthe problems concerning the early people of Polynesia and their chief characteristics. The difficulties the ancient craftsmen met with in constructing their houses, canoes, etc., proved the great mentality of the people, and Dr. Buck asked the assistance of all people who are in the position to give information to tell him without any diffidence whatever. They should not withhold any information because some one else had written or expressed himself on- these matters previously. Hs desired to obtain more light into the inner meaning of the social organisation of the people and he felt there were people bom in Samoa who could supply him with the material he hoped to obtain while he was in Samoa. It was the intention of the directors of the Bishop Museum to send others to Samoa after Dr. Buck to pursue catarrh into the original people who have occupied the Samoan Islands.