MEETING MOANA

Northland Age, Volume 26, Issue 8, 16 June 1926, Page 4

MEETING MOANA

Life in the South Seas is usually visioned as being one dose of quinine after another, with the eternal vigilance of the white man as extremely necessary as against the possible uprising of the native. The happier side of such an existence is hardly if ever portrayed, either in books, on stage or screen. The white man is invariably pictured as being a terror to the natives whilst they are depicted as being ever on the lookout to do damage or mischief.

j The incorrectness of the conception by i some folks of the home life and customs j of the South Sea natives is amply demonstrated in the Paramount picture, “Moana” which takes one to the islands of Savaii whereon dwell a peaceful crowd of natj ivos, with no white population whatsoever giving their life wherein industry is a big part.

The adaptability ot both the male and female among these people marked they securing their food and clothing direct from mother Nature. Fish are speared, wild hogs are trapped, and the fruit which grows in abundance is treated in as many ways as the European chef serves meat. Remarkable indeed is the manner in which a dress is fashioned and painted, the material being the product of tree bark, rolled, stripped, and lengthened and treated in many ways until it eventually becomes an article of personal adornment not bad to look upon. Even a small boy is sufficienty resourceful as to light a fire by friction, and smoke out a bil crab from a cave after the robbing crustacean has been dining off stolen cocoa nuts.

The ancient rites and customs of these people are not the least interesting part of the picture, included among these being that of tatooing, which denotes the marks ot maufioou, a very painful process for the courageous suoject. The film is most educational and decidedly entertaining.