International studio (25.1905)

With the less bloodthirsty tribes a white man,
having pipes and tobacco, can generally make
friends ; however, when a friendly native makes a
gift, it is understood that he is to receive an
equivalent, and " tambak," as he pronounces it, is
a useful form of currency.
The Solomon Islanders wear little clothing, their


A RT IN THE SOLOMON IS-
/\ LANDS. BY C. PRAETORIUS,
r-^F.S.A.
THE hostility of a few coast tribes in the Solo-
mon Islands has, to some extent, been overcome
by the good influence of missionaries and traders.
In the larger islands there
are vast tracts of the
interior inhabited by
fierce, treacherous tribes,
who forbid all approach ;
unceasing hostility exists
between the bush tribes
and the natives who live
on the coast, and the
only safe places for bush
people to live in are the
summits of hills, or high
on the mountain sides.
Many villagers live in a
state of terror, knowing that an)' day may see
an attack and wholesale murder, to supply the
material for the cannibal feast. The successful
raids of chiefs in the Island of San Cristoval cause
the neighbouring villages continual uneasiness.


PRKI'ARK)) HUMAN SKULL FROM RONONGO ISLANDS
118

CANOE FROM RUBtANA I.AHOON
only garment being a piece of matting fastened
round the waist. The hair is often stained yellow,
white, or red, while a process of bleaching is
practised, as with the Fijians.
Owing to the heavy rainfalls, the atmosphere
is humid, and the monsoon causes an enervating
season. To a traveller these evils are fully com-
pensated for by the magnificent views of huge
mountains with peaks which pass through the
clouds; high up on the mountain sides live
natives who have not yet seen white men.
Of all islanders in the South Pacific, the
people of the Solomon Islands excel in the
building and decorating of canoes; they are quite
the best built by what we call a savage people.
The graceful lines and appropriate decoration
of a large war-canoe, manned by eighteen
paddle-men, is evidence of a sense of savage
pageantry. The small details in the ornament
on the canoe, and the graceful lines of the
whole structure, are of good design. A new war-
canoe, which often takes two years to build, is
not considered invested with mana, zL. super-
natural power, until some unfortunate man has
been killed by the crew ; any wanderer is hunted
down and murdered for the purpose, and white
men have occasionally been the victims of these
canoe inauguration expeditions.
Dug-out canoes are rarely seen in the Eastern
Islands of the Solomon group, but are met with
only on creeks or sheltered waters. The best
canoes are all built, and no outrigger is used.
The small canoe in common use by the natives