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
This Island produceth 2 or 3 sorts of plants, of which they make the rope
they use in rigging their Canoes, etc.; the finest sort, such as fishing
lines, saine twine, etc., is made of the Bark of a Tree, and some from
the Kind of Silk grass. Their fishing lines and saines are in Point of
goodness preferable to any of ours. Their fishing Hooks are very
curiously made of Tortoise, Pearl Oyster Shells, etc. They have a sort of
Saine that is made of Coarse broad grass like flags; these are twisted
and tied together in a loose manner until the whole is as thick as a
large sack, and 60 or 80 fathoms long. This they haul in Shoal smooth
water; its own weight keeps it so close to the ground that hardly the
smallest fish can escape out.
I have before mentioned that the Island is divided into two districts or
kingdoms, which are frequently at war with each other, as hapned about 12
Months ago, and each of these are again divided into smaller districts,
Whennuas as they call them. Over each of the kingdoms is an Eare dehi, or
head, whom we call a King, and in the Whennuas are Eares, or Chiefs. The
King's power seems to be but very little; he may be reverenced as a
father, but he is neither fear'd nor respected as a monarch, and the same
may be said of the other Chiefs. However, they have a pre-eminence over
the rest of the People, who pay them a kind of a Voluntary Obedience.
Upon the whole, these people seem to enjoy liberty in its fullest
extent--every man seems to be the sole judge of his own actions and to
know no punishment but death, and this perhaps is never inflicted but
upon a public enemy. There are 3 ranks of Men and Women: first, the
Eares, or chiefs; second, the Manahoonas, or Middling sort; and lastly,
the Toutous, which comprehend all the lower-class, and are by far the
most numerous. These seem to live in some sort dependent on the Eares,
who, together with the Manahoonas, own most, if not all the land. This is
Hereditary in their families, and the moment the Heir is born he succeeds
the Father, both in title and Estate; at least to the name, for its most
likely that the latter must have the power during his Son or Daughter's
Minority.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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