The Three Voyages of Captain Cook Round the World. Vol. II. Being the Second of the First Voyage — John Shaqi
The Three Voyages of Captain Cook Round the World. Vol. II. Being the Second of the First VoyageCook, James
History
The Three Voyages of Captain Cook Round the World. Vol. II. Being the Second of the First Voyage
Cook, James
Cook, James, 1728-1779 -- Travel; Explorers -- Great Britain -- Biography; Voyages around the world -- History -- 18th century
I have already observed, that in personal cleanliness they are not quite
equal to our friends at Otaheite; because, not having the advantage of
so warm a climate, they do not so often go into the water; but the most
disgustful thing about them is the oil, with which, like the islanders,
they anoint their hair: it is certainly the fat either of fish or of
birds, melted down, and though the better sort have it fresh, their
inferiors use that which is rancid, and consequently are almost as
disagreeable to the smell as a Hottentot; neither are their heads free
from vermin, though we observed that they were furnished with combs,
both of bone and wood: these combs are sometimes worn stuck upright in
the hair as an ornament, a fashion which at present prevails among the
ladies of England. The men generally wear their beards short, and their
hair tied upon the crown of the head in a bunch, in which they stick the
feathers of various birds in different manners, according to their
fancies; sometimes one is placed on each side of the temples, pointing
forwards, which we thought made a very disagreeable appearance. The
women wear their hair sometimes cropped short, and sometimes flowing
over their shoulders.
The bodies of both sexes are marked with the black stains called Amoco,
by the same method that is used at Otaheite, and called Tattowing; but
the men are more marked, and the women less. The women in general stain
no part of their bodies but the lips, though sometimes they are marked
with small black patches on other parts: the men, on the contrary, seem
to add something every year to the ornaments of the last, so that some
of them, who appeared to be of an advanced age, were almost covered from
head to foot. Besides the Amoco, they have marks impressed by a method
unknown to us, of a very extraordinary kind: they are furrows of about a
line deep, and a line broad, such as appear upon the bark of a tree
which has been cut through, after a year’s growth: the edges of these
furrows are afterwards indented by the same method, and being perfectly
black, they make a most frightful appearance. The faces of the old men
are almost covered with these marks; those who are very young, black
only their lips like the women; when they are somewhat older, they have
generally a black patch upon one cheek, and over one eye, and so proceed
gradually, that they may grow old and honourable together: but though we
could not but be disgusted with the horrid deformity which these stains
and furrows produced in the “human face divine,” we could not but admire
the dexterity and art with which they were impressed. The marks upon the
face in general are spirals, which are drawn with great nicety, and even
elegance, those on one side exactly corresponding with those on the
other: the marks on the body somewhat resemble the foliage in old chased
ornaments, and the convolutions of fillagree work; but in these they
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