The Three Voyages of Captain Cook Round the World. Vol. VI. Being the Second of the Third VoyageCook, James
History
The Three Voyages of Captain Cook Round the World. Vol. VI. Being the Second of the Third Voyage
Cook, James
Cook, James, 1728-1779 -- Travel; Explorers -- Great Britain -- Biography; Voyages around the world -- History -- 18th century
Amongst the articles which they brought to barter this day, we could not
help taking notice of a particular sort of cloak and cap, which, even in
countries where dress is more particularly attended to, might be
reckoned elegant. The first are nearly of the size and shape of the
short cloaks worn by the women of England, and by the men in Spain,
reaching to the middle of the back, and tied loosely before. The ground
of them is a net-work upon which the most beautiful red and yellow
feathers are so closely fixed that the surface might be compared to the
thickest and richest velvet, which they resemble, both as to the feel
and the glossy appearance. The manner of varying the mixture is very
different; some having triangular spaces of red and yellow, alternately;
others, a kind of crescent; and some that were entirely red, had a broad
yellow border, which made them appear, at some distance, exactly like a
scarlet cloak edged with gold lace. The brilliant colours of the
feathers, in those that happened to be new, added not a little to their
fine appearance; and we found that they were in high estimation with
their owners; for they would not at first part with one of them for any
thing that we offered, asking no less a price than a musket. However,
some were afterward purchased for very large nails. Such of them as were
of the best sort were scarce; and it should seem that they are only used
on the occasion of some particular ceremony or diversion; for the people
who had them always made some gesticulations which we had seen used
before by those who sung.
The cap is made almost exactly like a helmet, with the middle part, or
crest, sometimes of a hand’s breadth; and it sits very close upon the
head, having notches to admit the ears. It is a frame of twigs and
osiers, covered with a net-work, into which are wrought feathers, in the
same manner as upon the cloaks, though rather closer and less
diversified, the greater part being red, with some black, yellow, or
green stripes on the sides, following the curve direction of the crest.
These, probably, complete the dress, with the cloaks, for the natives
sometimes appeared in both together.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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