| Show in the heyday of his cial the polynesian erected great temples many of which contained stones al most as large as the stones of the temples of in the Marque sas islands today the traveler w 11 find great stone platforms and terraces which show a knowledge of leal laws of which the present natives are wholly ignorant some of these stones are from ten to fifteen feet long and five and six feet thick their sides are smooth altho agh they show the native language of the according to their pagan beliefs there were certain things which were taboo or sacred and which profane hands must not touch thus in the times antedating the advent of christ anity there the taboo prevented women from the use of canoes it was death for a woman even to enter a dugout when it had been hauled ashore the heathen polynesians still be alieves that only the noble classes are ancient bridge no print of the chisel on these cy clodean platforms or as they are called the natives now erect their bamboo huts and those who still refuse christianity say the gods put those great stones in place that the polynesian of today to day has degenerated from lad of com munica alon with the outside world is shown by the similar fate of domesticated an emals the horses and cattle that have been introduced sicken and die after a few generations dogs are plentiful but they are of a low mon grel type the legions of pies are said to be indigenous but according to some writers they were taken thither by early navigators the poly anesian pig however is a pitiful sped men when compared with the mighty porkers of the american prairie al though he Is treated by his native master as a pet accompanies his mis tress on her walks through the vil lage and sleeps with the rest of the family on a bed of cocoa leaves yet he shows no outward signs of his proud position their talk is loud though not un pleasant for there are hardly any con in their language the french yoke does not rest easily upon then necks and they contribute little revenue to their masters their chief tribute is derived from fines imposed apon them for the illicit manufacture of the fermented m ak of the cocoanut their love for this intoxicant Is so po tent that they persist in making and drinking it on every occasion because of the decreasing number of children due to infanticide it is a common practice for a childless couple to adopt as sons and daughters men and women almost as old as them selves som travelers say that two thirds of the children are killed as soon as they are born and ellis in his researches tells of women who had killed six eight or ten of their in cants for the reason that most of the children killed are females the proportion of wc en to men is about one to five a condition which enczur ages the practice of polyandry and promotes the disregard of those moral standards held sacred by christian na alons although cannibal sm has been sup pressed by the french since they con eastern polynesia in the early part of the last century nevertheless many relics of the custom have sur many of the ornaments of the natives consist of human hair good beard brings as much as dane ers adorn themselves with bracelets and garters of human hair and the natives of the austral isles adorn themselves with headdresses made of woven mustaches the french polynesian claims to be the most in the world none of the sailors who visit him can show such elaborate designs as he can execute before he heard the missionaries talk of christ and the one god the native of the mar taboo and go to heaven after death many of the polynesian subjects of france have partly adopted the dress of the caucasian choosing to wear that particular garment which pleases their fancy most one will be found arrayed only in a pair of trousers or a waistcoat or should the case be that of a woman a petticoat or a loose wrapper of all ohp mechanical in mentions vent ions brought them by europeans the sewing machine is their favorite even in huts in the interior of the wildest islands miss wilson found ewing machines to be almost the sole articles of furniture A sewing machine is a sine qua non in the native household she says and is generally found in those of the better class the desires of the feminine heart are gratified in the creation of new and tasteful or wrappers much ruffled and adorned with lace and also pillow cases stitched filed and variously adorned the natives of french polynesia live almost entirely on the breadfruit which according to many writers is deleterious to the health at certain seasons of the year and which Is the cause of sickness especially among children at these times the favorite dish made from the breadfruit Is pol which suggests the taste of sour paste to an american palate the inhabitants of french polynesia are akin in origin to the sandwich islanders and it Is believed their an came originally from india their number Is roughly estimated at 30 or one fourth the population found by the early spanish navigator mandano in the sixteenth century it is believed that since the french as fumed control of the islands in the middle of the last century the tion has died off one half abode of polynesian and the Paun noto islands re carded the tattoo as taboo or sa cred the higher a man s station the more extensively was his skin bunc turid the priests literally covered themselves with tattooed pictures A woman was not tattooed until she was married but should she have royal blood she let it flow from almost as many marks a the priest one queen Is said to have had her body covered alth such elaborate designs that chiefs from far away islands came merely to gaze at the wonderful work manship the english word taboo comes from ite aaste |
