Captain Cook's Journal During His First Voyage Round the World: Made in H. M. Bark "Endeavour", 1768-71Cook, James
History
Captain Cook's Journal During His First Voyage Round the World: Made in H. M. Bark "Endeavour", 1768-71
Cook, James
Oceania -- Discovery and exploration -- Early works to 1800; Voyages around the world -- Early works to 1800
The Houses or dwellings of these People are admirably calculated for the
continual warmth of the Climate; they do not build them in Towns or
Villages, but seperate each from the other, and always in the Woods, and
are without walls, so that the air, cooled by the shade of the Trees, has
free access in whatever direction it hapens to blow. No country can boast
of more delightful walks than this; the whole Plains where the Natives
reside are covered with groves of Bread Fruit and Cocoa Nut Trees,
without underwood, and intersected in all directions by the Paths which
go from House to House, so that nothing can be more grateful in a Climate
where the sun hath so powerful an influence. They are generally built in
form of an Oblong square, the Roofs are supported by 3 Rows of Pillars or
posts, and neatly covered with Thatch made of Palm leaves. A middle-siz'd
house is about 24 feet by 12, extream heigth about 8 or 9, and heigth of
the Eves 3 1/2 or 4. The floors are cover'd some inches deep with Hay,
upon which, here and there, lay matts for the conveniency of sitting
down; few houses has more than one Stool, which is only used by the
Master of the family.
In their houses are no rooms or Partitions, but they all huddle and Sleep
together; yet in this they generally observe some order, the Married
people laying by themselves, and the unmarried each sex by themselves, at
some small distance from each other. Many of the Eares or Chiefs are more
private, having small movable houses in which they Sleep, man and Wife,
which, when they go by Water from place to place, are tied upon their
Canoes; these have walls made of Cocoa-Nut leaves, etc. I have said that
the houses are without walls, but this is only to be understood in
general, for many of them are walled with wickering, but not so close but
to admit a free circulation of Air. The matts which serve them to sit
upon in the daytime are also their beds in the night, and the Cloathes
they wear in the day serve for covering, a little wood Stool, block of
wood, or bundle of Cloth for a Pillow. Besides these common houses there
are others much larger, 200 feet long and upwards, 30 broad, and 20 in
heigth. There are generally 2 or 3 of these in every district, and seem'd
not only built for the accommodation of the principal people, but common
to all the inhabitants of that district, and raised and kept up by their
joint Labour; these are always without walls, and have generally a large
Area on one side neatly inclosed with low pallisades, etc.
[Tahitian Canoes.]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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