Pacific Islanders and their Ways.

Auckland Star, Volume XVIII, Issue 88, 15 April 1887, Page 7

Pacific Islanders and their Ways.

o[f^ ttS Go!«he, formerly Chief Justice VdLf cently gave a f:hatfcy lecfcurc afc lutU m "Mei «ories of Many Lands." U^ °f his remarks he .said :- speaking ab a meofc*«uCX" al >out Fiji. He was a clergylost extrp^ y> and there they have the tl" 16 notions about the native H'ngat T»^ ive races are on'y worfch 10theft ';™ lnk, when they are dressed to ,^ essea; they look becoming "^peopleUc J look Picturesque. But « eydney no sooner get tlic

native race down to their town than they compel jixem to take off their own clothing and p U t on European clothing. If yos think of_ it as I do you will consider that that is simply a step in an entirely wrong direction. The clergyman had Been the son of Thakombau, t&> king of the group, and he said: « When I saw that man walking about Sydney with Lady Robinson, tho wife of Sir Hercules Robinson, tho Governor, with nothing on but a white shirt and some of hia native cloth round his loins, I was perfectly ashamed." I had to get up afterwards -I had to reply about something - and I said I could assure this clergyman from Sydney that I had seen tho same gentleman, whom I had the pleasure ot knowing, without his shirt in a lady's drawing-room (laughter), and he never looked more of a gentleman. I say with perfect good faith and honesty that the notion that these people are to be improved simply by putting them in European dresses, and that they will look better than 111 their own native costumes, is something marvellous. That was a fine man, upwards of 6ft. in height, and in his bronze skin he looked remarkably well. No one could ever doubt he was a chief, from his bearing and manner. I have seen these chiefs from all parts of the group. They have sat down at table and never committed one single mistake of etiquette. They watched quietly and in a dignified way to sec now others would use spoons or knives and forks. They had used wooden forks when human flesh was eaten, but no knives and forks. Thoy sat with tho utmost composure and grace. They were men who had never sat down at a European table before. The native dress is really the native cloth tied round the loins, and a kilt coming down below the knee, and when they are dressed for festivals they hang themselves about with lianes and sweet-smelling; boughs, both men and women. The hybisous flower is a great favourite with the Fijian ladies ; it suits them remarkably well the red, single hybiscus— and it suits their complexion and their hair, and makes a very nice ornament for them. Their hair is something like the hair of a negro frizzly —but they ornament it differently, because when they dress, it is covered with soft lime that lias been mixed with water soft lime such as a mason would work with (laughter) and their head is all covered over with this stuff. It makes them exactly like what the powdered flunkeys were at Homo in tho last generation. You soon get accustomed to it, and it hnd a remarkable effect upon the hair, and I wonder that some of the people here do not try it. (Laughter.) The effect of it was this : When tho lime got dry and had to be shaken off in the morning like a dry powder, it did not hurt tho hair -it might European hair, which is softer, but not their hair; but it gave the women's hair a beautiful golden colour, and some of it was really beautiful just On that account, because of tho dressing with lime. The lime was very cheap, because tho whole of the islands are surrounded by coral reefs, and thoy simply take some of the coral and burn it, and they have lime ready to their hands.