Their Method Of Proceeding, When They
Cannot Sail, Is By Sculling, And For This Purpose There Are Holes In The
Boarded Deck Or Platform.
Through these they put the sculls, which are of
such a length, that, when the blade is in the water, the loom or handle is
four or five feet above the deck.
The man who works it stands behind, and
with both his hands sculls the vessel forward. This method of proceeding is
very slow; and for this reason, the canoes are but ill calculated for
fishing, especially for striking of turtle, which, I think, can hardly ever
be done in them. Their fishing implements, such as I have seen, are turtle-
nets, made, I believe, of the filaments of the plantain-tree twisted; and
small hand-nets, with very minute meshes made of fine twine and fish-gigs.
Their general method of fishing, I guess, is to lie on the reefs in shoal
water, and to strike the fish that may come in their way. They may,
however, have other methods, which we had no opportunity to see, as no boat
went out while we were here; all their time and attention being taken up
with us. Their canoes are about thirty feet long, and the deck or platform
about twenty-four in length, and ten in breadth. We had not, at this time,
seen any timber in the country so large as that of which their canoes were
made. It was observed that the holes, made in the several parts, in order
to sew them together, were burnt through, but with what instrument we never
learnt. Most probably it was of stone, which may be the reason why they
were so fond of large spikes, seeing at once they would answer this
purpose. I was convinced they were not wholly designed for edge-tools,
because every one shewed a desire for the iron belaying-pins which were
fixed in the quarter-deck rail, and seemed to value them far more than a
spike-nail, although it might be twice as big. These pins, which are round,
perhaps have the very shape of the tool they wanted to make of the nails. I
did not find that a hatchet was quite so valuable as a large spike. Small
nails were of little or no value; and beads, looking-glasses, &c. they did
not admire.
The women of this country, and likewise those of Tanna, are, so far as I
could judge, far more chaste than those of the more eastern islands. I
never heard that one of our people obtained the least favour from any one
of them. I have been told that the ladies here would frequently divert
themselves by going a little aside with our gentlemen, as if they meant to
be kind to them, and then would run away laughing at them. Whether this was
chastity or coquetry, I shall not pretend to determine; nor is it material,
since the consequences were the same.[4]
[1] Mr G.F. says their dress was very disfiguring, and gave them a
thick squat shape. He describes it much like Captain Cook. According
to him, these women's features, though coarse, expressed great good-
nature; they had high foreheads, broad flat noses, rather small eyes,
and very prominent cheek-bones. His reflections on the degraded state
in which these women live, as subservient entirely to the arbitrary
will and necessary purposes of their husbands, have not so much
originality as force, but possess, however, enough of both to deserve
a place here. "They commonly kept at a distance from the men, and
seemed fearful of offending them by a look or gesture; they were the
only persons in the family who had any employment, and several of them
brought bundles of sticks and fuel on their backs. Their insensible
husbands seldom deigned to look upon them, and continued in a kind of
phlegmatic indolence, whilst the women sometimes indulged that social
cheerfulness, which is the distinguishing ornament of the sex. Thus,
in every country, mankind are fond of being tyrants, and the poorest
Indian, who knows no wants but those which his existence requires, has
already learnt to enslave his weaker help-mate, in order to save
himself the trouble of supplying their wants, and cruelly exacts an
obedience from her, which has been continued among savages as a curse
upon the sex. Considering these humiliations and cruel oppressions of
the sex, we have sometimes the greatest reason to admire, that the
human race has perpetuated itself, and that the Creator has wisely
planted a motive in the female breast, which stands the test of every
outrage, which makes them patient to suffer, and prevents their
withdrawing from the power of their tyrants." This indeed is one of
the most striking and important instances that can be adduced, of what
has been called final causes, the determinate choice of an end, and
the skilful adaptation of means to the accomplishment of it. A nation
of women, we may confidently say, is as much a chimera, as a nation of
two-headed men; and that individual has little acquaintance with
herself that knows not, there is an insuperable objection to so
anomalous an occurrence. With whatever abuses of authority, therefore,
the other sex may be chargeable, it is not to be denied, that they
assert their superiority on the ground of natural constitution, and
that they cannot be considered as usurpers. Admitting this, it is
important to enquire, what is the principle common to both, on which
their mutual welfare depends, and which is as certainly violated by
unfeeling rigour on one side, as by peevish rebellion on the other.
Several principles might be mentioned, claiming in part this
distinction, but none will answer all the conditions, except a right
sense of their entire and common dependence on the source of their
being and judge of their conduct, which is indeed the essence of
religion and morality.
Enter page number
PreviousNext
Page 212 of 235
Words from 215206 to 216205
of 239428
