1769. edges are not ftraight lines, but indented. Thefe arches are their pride, and are fhewn both by men and women with a mixture of oftentation and pleasure; whether as an ornament, or a proof of their fortitude and refolution in bearing pain, we could not determine. The face in general is left unmarked; for we faw but one inftance to the contrary. Some old men had the greatest part of their bodies covered with large patches of black, deeply indented at the edges, like a rude imitation of flame; but we were told, that they came from a low island, called NooυOORA, and were not natives of Otaheite.

Mr. Banks faw the operation of tattowing performed upon the backside of a girl about thirteen years old. The inftrument used upon this occafion had thirty teeth, and every stroke, of which at least a hundred were made in a minute, drew an ichor or ferum a little tinged with blood. The girl bore it with most stoical resolution for about a quarter of an hour; but the pain of fo many hundred punctures as fhe had received in that time then became intolerable: fhe first complained in murmurs, then wept, and at laft burst into loud lamentations, earnestly imploring the operator to defift. He was, however, inexorable; and when he began to ftruggle, fhe was held down by two women, who fometimes foothed and fometimes chid her, and now

and

and then, when she was moft unruly, gave her a fmart blow. Mr. Banks ftaid in a neighbouring house an hour, and the operation was not over when he went away; yet it was performed but upon one fide, the other having been done fome time before; and the arches upon the loins, in which they most pride themselves, and which give more pain than all the rest, were still

to be done.

It is ftrange that these people should value themselves upon what is no diftinction; for I never faw a native of this ifland, either man or woman, in a state of maturity, in whom thefe marks were wanting: poffibly they may have their rife in fuperftition, especially as they produce no visible advantage, and are not made without great pain; but though we inquired of many hundreds, we could never get any account of the matter.

Their clothing confifts of cloth or matting of different kinds, which will be defcribed among their other manufactures. The cloth, which will not bear wetting, they wear in dry weather, and the matting when it rains; they are put on in many different ways, just as their fancy leads them; for in their garments nothing is cut into fhape, nor are any two pieces fewed together. The drefs of the better fort of women confifts of three or four pieces: one piece, about two yards wide, and eleven yards long, they wrap feveral

1769.

1769. times round their waist, so as to hang down like a petticoat as low as the middle of the leg, and this they call Parou: two or three other pieces, about two yards and an half long, and one wide, each having a hole cut in the middle, they place one upon another, and then putting the head through the holes, they bring the long ends down before and behind; the others remain open at the fides, and give liberty to the arms: this, which they call the Tebuta, is gathered round the waift, and confined with a girdle or fash of thinner cloth, which is long enough to go many times round them, and exactly refembles the garment worn by the inhabitants of Peru and Chili, which the Spaniards call Poncho. The drefs of the men is the fame, except that, instead of suffering the cloth that is wound about the hips to hang down like a petticoat, they bring it between their legs fo as to have some resemblance to breeches, and it is then called Maro. This is the drefs of all ranks of people, and being univerfally the fame as to form, the gentlemen and ladies distinguish themfelves from the lower people by the quantity; fome of them will wrap round them feveral pieces of cloth, eight or ten yards long, and two or three broad; and fome throw a large piece loosely over their fhoulders, in the manner of a cloak, or perhaps two pieces, if they are very great perfonages, and are defirous to appear in

state.

1769.

state. The inferior fort, who have only a small allowance of cloth from the tribes or families to which they belong, are obliged to be more thinly clad. In the heat of the day they appear almost naked, the women having only a fcanty petticoat, and the men nothing but the fash that is paffed between their legs and fastened round the waift. As finery is always troublefome, and particularly in a hot country, where it confifts in putting one covering upon another, the women of rank always uncover themselves as low as the waift in the evening, throwing off all that they wear on the upper part of the body, with the fame negligence and eafe as our ladies would lay by a cardinal or double handkerchief. And the Chiefs, even when they visited us, though they had as much cloth round their middle as would clothe a dozen people, had frequently the reft of the body quite naked.

Upon their legs and feet they wear no covering; but they fhade their faces from the fun with little bonnets, either of matting or of cocoa-nut leaves, which they make occafionally in a few minutes. This, however, is not all their head-drefs; the women fometimes wear little turbans, and fometimes a drefs which they value much more, and which, indeed, is much more becoming, called Tomou; the Tomou confifts of human hair, plaited in threads, fcarcely

thicker

1769.

thicker than sewing filk. Mr. Banks has pieces of it above a mile in length, without a knot. These they wind round the head in such a manner as produces a very pretty effect, and in a very great quantity; for I have seen five or fix fuch pieces wound about the head of one woman: among these threads they ftick flowers of various kinds, particularly the cape-jeffamine, of which they have great plenty, as it is always planted near their houses. The men fometimes ftick the tail feather of the Tropic-bird upright in their hair, which, as I have observed before, is often tied in a bunch upon the top of their heads: fometimes they wear a kind of whimsical garland, made of flowers of various kinds, ftuck into a piece of the rind of a plantain; or of fcarlet peas, ftuck with gum upon a piece of wood: and sometimes they wear a kind of wig, made of the hair of men or dogs, or perhaps of cocoa-nut ftrings, woven upon one thread, which is tied under their hair, fo that these artificial honours of their head may hang down behind. Their perfonal ornaments, befides flowers, are few; both fexes wear earrings, but they are placed only on one fide: when we came they consisted of small pieces of fhell, stone, berries, red peas, or fome small pearls, three in a string; but our beads very foon fupplanted them all.

The