Captain Cook's Journal During His First Voyage Round the World
PERSON OF THE NATIVES.
With respect to their persons the Men in general are tall, strong-limb'd,
and well shaped. One of the tallest we saw measured 6 feet 3 inches and a
half. The superior women are in every respect as large as Europeans, but
the inferior sort are in General small, owing possibly to their early
Amours, which they are more addicted to than their superiors. They are of
various Colours: those of the inferior sort, who are obliged to be much
exposed to the Sun and air, are of a very Dark brown; the superiors
again, who spend most of their Time in their Houses under Shelter, are
not browner than people who are born or reside longer in the West Indies;
nay, some of the Women are almost as fair as Europeans. Their hair is
almost universally black, thick, and Strong; this the Women wear short
Cropt Round their Ears. The Men, on the other hand, wear it different
ways: the better sort let it grow long, and sometimes tying it up on the
Top of their Heads, or letting it hang loose over their Shoulders; but
many of the inferiors, and such who, in the exercise of their
professions, fishing, etc., are obliged to be much upon or in the Water,
wear it cropt short like the women. They always pluck out a part of their
beards, and keep what remains neat and Clean. Both Sexes eradicate every
hair from under their Armpits, and look upon it as a mark of
uncleanliness in us that we do not do the Same.
They have all fine white Teeth, and for the most part short flat Noses
and thick lips; yet their features are agreeable, and their gaite
graceful, and their behavior to strangers and to each other is open,
affable, and Courteous, and, from all I could see, free from treachery,
only that they are thieves to a man, and would steal but everything that
came in their way, and that with such dexterity as would shame the most
noted Pickpocket in Europe. They are very cleanly people, both in their
persons and diet, always washing their hands and Mouth immediately before
and after their Meals, and wash or Bathe themselves in fresh Water 3
times a day, morning, Noon, and Night.
The only disagreeable thing about them is the Oil with which they anoint
their heads, Monoe, as they call it; this is made of Cocoanutt Oil, in
which some sweet Herbs or Flowers are infused. The Oil is generally very
rancid, which makes the wearer of it smell not very agreeable.* (* Other
voyagers have, on the contrary, described the odour of this sweetened oil
as agreeable.) Another custom they have that is disagreeable to
Europeans, which is eating lice, a pretty good stock of which they
generally carry about them. However, this custom is not universal; for I
seldom saw it done but among Children and Common People, and I am
perswaided that had they the means they would keep themselves as free
from lice as we do; but the want of Combs in a Hot climate makes this
hardly possible. There are some very fine men upon this Island whose
skins are whiter than any European's, but of a Dead Colour, like that of
the Nose of a White Horse; their Eyes, eyebrows, hair and beards are also
White. Their bodys were cover'd, more or less, with a kind of White down.
Their skins are spotted, some parts being much whiter than others. They
are short-sighted, with their eyes oftimes full of rheum, and always
look'd unwholesome, and have neither the Spirit nor the activity of the
other Natives. I did not see above 3 or 4 upon the whole Island, and
these were old men; so that I concluded that this difference of colour,
etc., was accidental, and did not run in families, for if it did they
must have been more Numerous. The inhabitants of this Island are Troubled
with a sort of Leprosy, or Scab all over their bodys. I have seen Men,
Women, and Children, but not many, who have had this distemper to that
degree as not to be able to walk. This distemper, I believe, runs in
familys, because I have seen both mother and Child have it.
Both sexes paint their Bodys, Tattow, as it is called in their Language.
This is done by inlaying the Colour of Black under their skins, in such a
manner as to be indelible. Some have ill-design'd figures of men, birds,
or dogs; the women generally have this figure Z simply on every joint of
their fingers and Toes; the men have it likewise, and both have other
differant figures, such as Circles, Crescents, etc., which they have on
their Arms and Legs; in short, they are so various in the application of
these figures that both the quantity and Situation of them seem to depend
intirely upon the humour of each individual, yet all agree in having
their buttocks covered with a Deep black. Over this Most have Arches
drawn one over another as high as their short ribs, which are near a
Quarter of an inch broad. These Arches seem to be their great pride, as
both men and Women show them with great pleasure.
Their method of Tattowing I shall now describe. The colour they use is
lamp black, prepar'd from the Smoak of a Kind of Oily nut, used by them
instead of Candles. The instrument for pricking it under the Skin is made
of very thin flatt pieces of bone or Shell, from a quarter of an inch to
an inch and a half broad, according to the purpose it is to be used for,
and about an inch and a half long. One end is cut into sharp teeth, and
the other fastened to a handle. The teeth are dipped into black Liquor,
and then drove, by quick, sharp blows struck upon the handle with a Stick
for that purpose, into the skin so deep that every stroke is followed
with a small quantity of Blood. The part so marked remains sore for some
days before it heals. As this is a painful operation, especially the
Tattowing their Buttocks, it is perform'd but once in their Life times;
it is never done until they are 12 or 14 years of Age.
[Clothing of Tahitians.]
Their Cloathing is either of Cloth or Matting of several different sorts;
the dress of both Men and Women are much the same, which is a Piece of
Cloth or Matting wrapp'd 2 or 3 times round their waist, and hangs down
below their Knees, both behind and before, like a Pettycoat; another
piece, or sometimes 2 or 3, about 2 yards or 2 1/2 yards long, with a
hole in the Middle, through which they put their heads. This hangs over
their Shoulders down behind and before, and is tied round their waist
with a long piece of thin Cloth, and being open at the sides gives free
liberty to their arms. This is the common dress of all ranks of people,
and there are few without such a one except the Children, who go quite
naked, the Boys until they are 6 or 7 years of Age, and the girls until 3
or 4. At these Ages they begin to cover what nature teaches them to hide.
Besides the dress I have mentioned some of the better sort, such as can
afford it, but more especially the Women, will one way or other wrap
round them several pieces of Cloth, each 8 or 10 Yards long and 2 or 3
broad, so much that I have often wondered how they could bear it in so
hot a climate. Again, on the other hand, many of the inferior sort during
the heat of the Day, go almost naked, the women wearing nothing but the
Petticoat aforementioned, and sometimes hardly that. The men wear a piece
of Cloth like a Sack, which goes between their thighs, and brought up
before and behind, and then wrapped round their waist. This every man
wears always without exception, and it is no uncommon thing to see many
of the better sort have nothing else on, as it is reckoned no shame for
any part of the body to be exposed to View, except those which all
mankind hide.
Both sexes sometimes shade their faces from the Sun with little Bonnets
made of Cocoa-Nut leaves. Some have them of fine Matting, but this is
less common. They sometimes wear Turbands, but their Chief Headdress is
what they call Tomou, which is human Hair plaited scarce thicker than
common thread. Of this I can safely affirm that I have seen pieces near a
mile in length worked upon one end without a Knott. These are made and
worn only by the women, 5 or 6 such pieces of which they will sometimes
wind round their Heads, the effect of which, if done with taste, is very
becoming. They have Earings by way of Ornament, but wear them only at one
Ear. These are made of Shells, Stones, Berries, red pease, and some small
pearls which they wear 3 tied together; but our Beads, Buttons, etc.,
very soon supply'd their places.
[Customs of Tahiti.]
MANNERS AND CUSTOMS.
After their meals in the Heat of the day they often Sleep, middle Aged
people especially, the better sort of whom seem to spend most of their
time in eating and Sleeping. Diversions they have but few, shooting with
the Bow and Wrestling are the Chief; the first of which is confin'd
almost wholy to the Chiefs; they shoot for distance only, kneeling upon
one knee and dropping the Bow the instant of the Arrows parting from it.
I have seen one of them shoot an Arrow 274 yards, yet he looked upon it
as no Great Shotte.
Musick is little known to them, yet they are very fond of it; they have
only 2 Instruments--the flute and the Drum. The former is made of hollow
Bamboo about 15 inches long, in which are 3 Holes; into one of them they
blow with one Nostril, stopping the other with the thumb of the left
hand, the other 2 Holes they stop and unstop with their fingers, and by
this means produce 4 Notes, of which they have made one Tune, which
serves them upon all Occasions, to which they sing a number of songs
generally consisting of 2 lines and generally in rhime. At any time of
the day when they are Lazy they amuse themselves by singing these
Couplets, but especially after dark when their candles are lighted, which
are made of the Kernels of a Nutt abounding much in oil; these are stuck
upon a Skewer of Wood one upon another, and give a very Tolerable light,
which they often keep burning an hour after dark, and if they have
strangers in the House much longer. Their drums are made of a hollow
block of wood covered with Shark's Skin, and instead of Drumsticks they
use their hands. Of these they make out 5 or 6 tunes and accompany the
flutes.
The drums are Chiefly used at their Heivas, which are a set of Musicians,
2 or 3 Drums for instance, as many flutes and singers, which go about
from House to House and play, and are always received and rewarded by the
Master of the family, who gives them a Piece of Cloth or whatever he can
spare, for which they will stay 3 or 4 hours, during which time his house
will be crowded full, for the people are extravagantly fond of this
diversion. The Young Girls whenever they can collect 8 or 10 Together
dance a very indecent Dance, which they call Timorodee, singing most
indecent songs and using most indecent actions, in the practice of which
they are brought up from their earliest childhood; in doing this they
keep time to a great nicety. This exercise is generally left off as soon
as they arrive at Years of Maturity, for as soon as they have form'd a
connection with man they are expected to leave off dancing Timorodee.
One amusement or custom more I must mention, though I confess I do not
expect to be believed, it is founded upon a Custom so inhuman and
contrary to the Principles of human nature. It is this: that more than
one half of the better sort of the inhabitants have enter'd into a
resolution of injoying free liberty in Love, without being Troubled or
disturbed by its consequences. These mix and Cohabit together with the
utmost freedom, and the Chilldren who are so unfortunate as to be thus
begot are smother'd at the Moment of their Birth; many of these People
contract intimacies and live together as man and wife for years, in the
course of which the Children that are born are destroy'd. They are so far
from concealing it that they look upon it as a branch of freedom upon