Produced by Chris Whitehead, RichardW, and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive) THE SAVAGE SOUTH SEAS by Ernest Way Elkington AGENTS America The Macmillan Company 64 & 66 Fifth Avenue, New York Canada The Macmillan Company of Canada, Ltd. 27 Richmond Street West, Toronto India Macmillan & Company, Ltd. Macmillan Building, Bombay 309 Bow Bazaar Street, Calcutta [Illustration 1: OFF TO THE DUBU DANCE, BRITISH NEW GUINEA] THE SAVAGE SOUTH SEAS PAINTED BY NORMAN H. HARDY DESCRIBED BY E. WAY ELKINGTON PUBLISHED BY A. & C. BLACK SOHO SQUARE · LONDON · MCMVII [Illustration] NOTE There are various ways of spelling some of the place-names of the South Sea Islands, _e.g._ Samari, Tupusuli, and Elevera are so spelt in this book, but the forms Samarai, Tupuselei, and Ela-Vara are commonly met with. Ambryn, however, is a misprint for Ambrym. CONTENTS PART I BRITISH NEW GUINEA I • Chiefly historical—Concerning certain discoverers, their aims and ambitions—The story of New Guinea, the Solomons and New Hebrides, and some things that might be altered • 3 II • New Guinea natives—Port Moresby and its two native villages—Huts on poles and trees—Native superstition and its result on two tribes • 13 III • Natives who grow crops of hair—A word or two about the women—Duties of married women—How they carry their babes, and the philosophy of childhood • 25 IV • Concerning love and grief—How love is made in New Guinea, and some of the charms used to ensure love and constancy—The grief of a New Guinea widow • 37 V • Some native dances and queer costumes—Novel blackmailing methods—Woman’s vanity and a censured dance • 48 VI • Outrigger Canoes, their appearance and construction—The famous Lakatois—How the natives catch their fish; and a few words about fish that climb trees—A trip down the coast, and an unpleasant experience • 57 PART II THE SOLOMON ISLANDS VII • South Sea traders good and bad; their ups and downs—Nicolas the Greek—The Mambare river massacre—Some queer creatures with queerer ways—“A fitting end to a wasted life” • 71 VIII • Natives who have had no chance; their villages without streets and their curious huts—The tambu and canoe houses—An unlucky trader • 84 IX • Solomon Islands—Ingova’s head-hunters—How whole tribes were wiped out—Savage invasions and clever tactics • 94 X • Clothes and the men—Love of adornment—Natives who are not keen on eating—Methods of cooking their food—Betel-nut chewing • 104 XI • Some clever ways of catching fish—How the bonito is landed—Native nets—Pig-hunting—The sly opossum and the crocodile • 113 XII • A curious religion—Burying the dead, and some graveyards—Dances and music—Native artists and how fire is made • 124