SOLOMON ISLANDS.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19692, 20 January 1926, Page 12

SOLOMON ISLANDS.

STORY CF DISCOVERY. THE COMING OF THE SPANIARDS. HISTORY CONFIRMED. In the year 1568 Spaniards sailing from Peru discovered and named the Solomon Islands. They left an account of their voyage, but it was not till the middle of last century that the original manuscript was published. The reason for the withholding of it was fear of Drake, our English captain, who had appeared in the South Seas. Early in this century the journals were published in an English translation, with notes, by the Hakluyt Society. By the name they gave the islands the Spaniards seem to have thought that' they had discovered King Solomon’s Ophir. The journals themselves gave no clue, and it would appear that the name originated in “tavern talk” on the part of the crew and the soldiers of the expedition. They told travellers’ tales of the wealth to bo found in the islands, and they founded the tales on the discovery of gold-headed clubs in the island called Mala. Iheir leaders tried to persuade them that the material used was not gold, but the sailors and soldiers eagerly bought up the clubs. The same clubs exists in the present day, and there are several in the Melbourne Museum. The so-called gold is iron pyrites (“newchum gold”). A covering of plaited cane keeps tne metal in position, and the handle of the club is inlaid with pieces of the pearl nautilus. One club brought on board had the plaiting torn and the yellow metal was visible underneath. Ihere has never been any gold rush to the Solomons! Whvn visiting the Solomons recently I was able to investigate certain points connected with information that appears in the Spanish journals, writes the Rev. Dr Walter Ivens in •the Malboumo Argus. The harbour of Uhu, on the west coast of Mala, was visited by a brigantine commanded by Gallego, the pilot of the fleet. Both there and at Ulawa a native word, Mauriha, was recorded by the Spaniards, and the meaning they assigned to it was “chief.” The English editors have taken for granted that this was correct, and have instanced the word macraha, which Dr Codrington said was the term used for chiefs in the South-East Solomons, Such a word does occur on San Cristoval, but the Mala and Ulawa word for chief is araha or alaha. When translating a folk lore story of South Mala I came across the word mauriha, a living man, and this, I think, is the word which the Spaniards heard and recorded. It is used also on Ulawa. At both places the natives would be casting up in their minds whether their visitors were really human or were ghosts. Once they were satisfied they would exclaim mauriha ! In the folk lore story a man who suddenly appears from nowhere is asked, what he is. Is he a devouring beast, is he a sea spirit? “No,” he says, “I am a mauriha.” Elsewhere in Melanesia there is evidence that the natives regarded the first white men as ghosts, and when asked what they themselves were they replied, “Men.” CHIEFS AND FEASTS. It is the customary European practice when first visiting natives to inquire for the chief. This has often had very curious results, for the first person to push himself forward has been accepted as the chief of the place, when in reality he held no authority at all. In this way it came about that Kwaisulia. of North Mala, a fighting bravo, became accepted in the days of the labour trade as the king of the peoples on the artificial islands there. In negotiations wutli visitors it is the professional fighting man who arranges the preliminary business. The true chief does not expose himself. It is thus very unlike! v that the peoule of Uhu or-of Ulawa would have used, noticeably, a word mauriha with the meaning of chief. The site of thi village on Ulawa visited by the Spaniards is easily identified. The evidence of the journal is that the village was in two parts on a cliff and divided by a stream. It speaks of the people singu ;,' at night and being answered by their fellows on the other side. The ship anchored rigHft opposite the village, and the sinking and dancing were plainly heard. Ahia, at the south end of the island, is the only place possible. But the real interest lies in the fact that tho village was clearly en fete. There was a dance going on. and the people were all decked out in their shell ornaments. The Spaniards were short of food} and were desirous of buying pigs, and the irony of the situation is. that they seem to have missed a big feast by perhaps 24 hours ! When they landed they found an erection which they speak of as “a large rostrum or pulpit.” No pigs were about, but they saw “sheds in which they sheltered the pigs,” and in a house was “a basket, containing pigs’ flesh.’’ Ordinarily pigs are allowed to roam about quite free, but previous to a feast they are always nut inlo sties, and it is onlv at feast times that pork _ is eaten The “rostrum or pulpit” furnishes Ibe kev. It locks as if the Spaniards hart arrived just too late to share in the ceremonies connected with the boys who are called Malaohu Tho word means to initiate. or to do for the first time. It is customary for the peoples of the South-East Solomons to segregate boys for a period of several years in a canoe-house on the beach. The segregation is connected with a first ceremony catching by them of the fconito fish. At a given time, when a sufficient number of pigs is available, and a crop of yams and taro has been specially grown and thousands of coconuts gathered, a great feast is, held to celebrate the return of those boys to tho ♦illage. At such a time it is nothing unusual for ICO pig- to be killed. Visitors come from everywhere, and the food is soon oaten up. A large “rostrum or pul pit” is erected in the village, and on it the hoys are exposed to view. Their mothers and small brothers and sisters have not seen them during the period of their seclusion. Tho “pulpit” is ornamented with carvings of swordfish, hointo. sharks, and sea birds. The custom baa survived till the present time. The pulpit is built In front of the village clubhouse and this house the journal spoke of a.s “a large and broad temple.” Over it there were carvings of “demons, which were painted with horns.” These were wooden, finials fastened to the end of tile ridge-pole. They are representations of sea spirits, called akalo ni matawa. They are uncreated beings, who live in th© open sea. These spirits arc represented as part man, part fish, and their “horns” are fishes, flying fish, and the big garfish,, which spring from their knees and elbows “ and bocks. They hold bows in their hands, and both bow and arrow are formed by carvings of garfish. With these the spirits are supposed to shoot fishermen. A man returns from fishing, and complains of a pain in the bade of the neck. He foams at the mouth, rolls about in a fit, and remains unconscious. A divination establishes the fact that he has been shot by a sea spirit, and recourse is had to the priest to make a propitiatory offering to save him. ..There was a regular worship of these spirits, and they were installed as protectors of the clubhouse and canoo-house and also of the gardens. TJicv not only kept out human thieves, hut they were a guard against any malignant ghosts who wanted to harm their people. The one in the illustration is named Roaring Bravado. When seen at sea- lie has a fish’s head and carries a bow; on land lie appears as a fire. PERSONAL, ADORNMENT. The journal speaks of the women of the place wearing “stars of shells” and “white roses” in their cars. Both of these references are satisfied bv the white clam shell ornaments called olio, which men as well as women wear in their ears. Clam shell is very hard, and even a file makes little impression on it, and tho only tools used in making these ear ornaments are pieces of flint. Coral sand is used to rub them smooth. Infinite patience and plenty of timo are absolute necessities in their making. Narrow slits radiate from the centre like the markings of a compass, and three rows of tiny holes are bored close to the rims. They are decorated with bats’ teeth and .tiny red discs of shell money strung on eight strings and fastened through tho top row of borings. A single string of shell money passes through tho centre of each and hangs down under tho chin. The lobe of the ear is pierced, and is much distended. One has at time scon Ulawa natives the lobe, of whose ears hung so low that it was possible to put one’s fist through. 'J he decorations hang in front, and the “stars of shells” themselves are behind the ear. These are especially ornaments worn at a festival. They are not generally removed for a day or two. The evidence from them, from the statement that the people -wore singing at night, from the “rostrum or pulpit,” hut especially from tho sties all points to a Hjj feast having just been celebrated. As it was there were exchanges between Spaniards and the natives, and several pocolo on shore wwo IdUod. Had Hoc

Spaniards arrived a Hay or so sooner anH found the sties full of pigs and the people unwilling to part with them, as would assuredly have been the ease, many more lives would have been taken. They state further that the chief earns on board. They recognised him as such by the many ornaments ho wore. Here again they wore thinking in European fashion. Anyone who was wearing a profusion of ornaments must undoubtedly be a chief I Bearing in mind that it was not the custom for the chiefs to court public notice by thrusting themselves forward, and that the people would ho loath to let one of their chiefs adventure himself at close quarters with thoso of whose nature, whether man or ghost, they wore not certain, we. can say with certainty that the decorated person who came aboard the ship was not, the chief. Chiefs as such, unless they are young, unmarried _ men, arc not distinguishable by a profusion of ornaments. The elder men wear only a couple of shell arm rings. But the Malaolm boys made a goodly sight, and it may well have l-een that it. was one of thorn who came aboard wearing his full (pinta of shell ornaments. A decorated eornb in his hair, a string of white cowries on his forehead, necklace and bolt of shell moneys, armlet and wristlet and anklets of red and white shell discs worked into patterns along with black heads. Three and a-half centuries have passed since the Spaniards recorded these things, and tire, life in the Solomons ho-'i 'hanged but litUo in all that tijno