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
The chief employment of the men seems to be that of fishing and killing
land or sea animals for the sustenance of their families, for we saw few
of them doing any thing in the houses; whereas the women were occupied
in manufacturing their flaxen or woollen garments, and in preparing the
sardines for drying, which they also carry up from the beach in twig
baskets, after the men have brought them in their canoes. The women are
also sent in the small canoes to gather muscles and other shell-fish,
and perhaps on some other occasions, for they manage these with as much
dexterity as the men, who, when in the canoes with them, seem to pay
little attention to their sex, by offering to relieve them from the
labour of the paddle; nor, indeed, do they treat them with any
particular respect or tenderness in other situations. The young men
appeared to be the most indolent or idle set in this community, for they
were either sitting about in scattered companies, to bask themselves in
the sun, or lay wallowing in the sand upon the beach like a number of
hogs, for the same purpose, without any covering. But this disregard of
decency was confined to the men. The women were always properly clothed,
and behaved with the utmost propriety, justly deserving all commendation
for a bashfulness and modesty becoming their sex, but more meritorious
in them, as the men seem to have no sense of shame. It is impossible,
however, that we should have been able to observe the exact mode of
their domestic life and employments, from a single visit (as the first
was quite transitory) of a few hours. For it may be easily supposed that
on such an occasion, most of the labour of all the inhabitants of the
village would cease upon our arrival, and an interruption be given even
to the usual manner of appearing in their houses, during their more
remiss or sociable hours when left to themselves. We were much better
enabled to form some judgment of their disposition, and, in some
measure, even of their method of living, from the frequent visits so
many of them paid us at our ships in their canoes, in which it should
seem they spend a great deal of time, at least in the summer season; for
we observed that they not only eat and sleep frequently in them, but
strip off their clothes and lay themselves along to bask in the sun, in
the same manner as we had seen practised at their village. Their canoes
of the larger sort are, indeed, sufficiently spacious for that purpose
and perfectly dry; so that, under shelter of a skin, they are, except in
rainy weather, much more comfortable habitations than their houses.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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