Samoa, A Hundred Years Ago And Long Before Part 10

11. Sina looked at the shadow and was struck with its beauty.

"That is my husband," said she, "wherever I can find him."

etc.

12. Then Sinaleuuna wept and uttered in soliloquy: "Oh, Sinaleuuna, Sinaeteva, you are enraged!

Where is our brother? 'Tis for him we are here and slighted."

etc.

13. Sina called out to the villagers for all to come, All the beautiful young men to a.s.semble and find out Of whom the figure in the water was the image.

etc.

14. They sought in vain, they could not find.

The shadow was bright and beautiful and compared with no one.

When Maluafiti turned about in his own land, The shadow wheeled round and round in the water.

etc.

15. But Sina heard not the weeping of the sisters of Maluafiti.

Again their song rang out, "Where is our brother?

'Tis for him we are here and slighted."

etc.

16. "Oh, Maluafiti! rise up, it is day; Your shadow prolongs our ill-treatment.

Maluafiti come and talk with her face to face, Instead of that image in water."

etc.

17. Sina had listened, and now she knew 'twas the shadow of Maluafiti.

These are his sisters too, and I've been ill-using them.

etc.

18. Sina reproached herself: "Oh! I fear these ladies; I knew not they were seeking a wife for their brother Maluafiti.

etc.

19. "Come, oh come," said Sina, "forgive me, I've done you wrong."

Sina begged pardon in vain, the ladies were angry still.

etc.

20. The canoe of Maluafiti arrived.

He came to court Lady Sina, and also to fetch his sisters.

etc.

21. He came, he heard the tale of his sisters, And then up flew implacable rage.

etc.

22. Sina longed to get Maluafiti; He was her heart's desire, and long she had waited for him.

etc.

23. Maluafiti frowned and would return, And off he went with his sisters.

Sina cried and screamed, and determined to follow swimming.

etc.

24. The sisters pleaded to save and to bring her, Maluafiti relented not, and Sina died in the ocean.

etc.

In a story about another lady called Sinasengi, we are told about her wonderful pool. She had "caught the shadows" of a variety of scenes, and imprinted them on the _water_. A problem this for the photographers! Night-dances, races, club exercise, battles, public meetings, and some of the ordinary employments of daily life were all there. The pool was covered over, but by the removal of a stone this "chamber of imagery" could be all seen. Everything seemed so real that a man one day was so enraptured with the sight of one of his favourite sports that he jumped in to join a dancing party. But, alas!

he bruised his head and broke his arm on the _stones_ which he found under the surface, instead of the gambols of living men.

Stories also of wifely and husband affection and the reverse are preserved in song. Take the following as a specimen. The original runs through twenty-six verses, but I abbreviate and give the substance:--

There was a youth called Siati noted for his singing. A serenading G.o.d came along, threw down a challenge, and promised him his fair daughter if he was the better singer. They sung, Siati beat, and off he went to the land of the G.o.d, riding on a shark belonging to his aunt.

They reached the place. The shark went in to the sh.o.r.e, set him down, and told him to go to the bathing-place, where he would find the daughters of the G.o.d, the one was called Puapae, "White Fish," and the other Puauli, "Dark Fish."

Siati went and sat down at the bathing-place. The girls had been there, but had gone away. Puapae had forgotten her comb, returned to get it, and there she found Siati. "Siati," said she, "however have you come here?" "I've come to seek the song-G.o.d and get his daughter to wife." "My father," said she, "is more of a G.o.d than a man--eat nothing he hands you, never sit on a high seat lest death should follow, and now let us unite." Siati and Puapae were united in marriage, but they were sent off to live elsewhere.

The G.o.d sent his daughter Puauli to Puapae to tell her husband to build him a house, and that it must be finished that very day, under a penalty of death and the oven. Siati cried, but his wife Puapae comforted him, said she could do it, and off she went and built the house, and by the evening was weeding all around it.

In came another order, and that was for Siati to fight with the dog.

The fight took place and Siati conquered. Next the G.o.d had lost his ring, and Siati must go to the sea and find it. Again Siati wept, and again his wife cheered him. "I'll find the ring," said she; "only do what I tell you. Cut my body in two, throw me into the sea, and stand still on the beach till I come." He did so, cut her in two, threw her into the sea, she was changed into a fish, and away she went to seek for the ring.

Siati stood, and stood, sat and lay down, stood again, and then lay down, and went off to sleep. Puapae returned, she was thrown up by the fish and stood on the sh.o.r.e. Siati awoke by the splash of the sea on his face. She scolded him for not keeping awake, and then said, "There is the ring, go with it in the early morning," and in the morning off the two went to her father.

That very morning the G.o.d called his daughter Puauli and said, "Come, take me on your back, and let us seek Siati that I may eat him."

Presently they started back, Siati and Puapae were coming. Puapae and Siati threw down the comb and it became a bush of thorns in the way to intercept the G.o.d and Puauli. But they struggled through the thorns. A bottle of earth was next thrown down, and that became a mountain; and then followed their bottle of water, and that became a sea and drowned the G.o.d and Puauli.

Puapae said to Siati, "My father and sister are dead, and all on account of my love to you; you may go now and visit your family and friends while I remain here, but see that you do not behave unseemly."

He went, visited all his friends, and then he forgot his wife Puapae.

He tried to marry again, but Puapae came and stood on the other side.

The chief called out, "Which is your wife, Siati?" "The one on the right side." Puapae then broke silence with, "Ah Siati, you have forgotten all I did for you;" and off she went. Siati remembered it all, darted after her crying, and then fell down and died.

CHAPTER VIII.

FOOD--COOKING--LIQUORS.

_Animal and Vegetable Food._--Bread-fruit, taro, yams, bananas, and cocoa-nuts formed the staff of life in Samoa. The lagoons and reefs furnish a large supply of fish and sh.e.l.l-fish, of which the natives are very fond; and occasionally all, but especially persons of rank, regaled themselves on pigs, fowls, and turtle. A detailed account of the flora and fauna in this and other groups in Central and Eastern Polynesia will be found in the published volumes of the United States Exploring Squadron of 1838-1842.

Taro, cocoa-nuts, and 'ava were said to have been brought from the heavens by a chief called Losi. When on a visit there he was pleased with the taste of taro, and tried to get some to take down with him.

He found a young shoot about the cooking-house, concealed it under his clothing, but the Tangaloans were on the watch. They made him take off his roundabout, s.n.a.t.c.hed the plant from him, pulled his hair, scratched and cut his skin, and back he came to the earth in a great rage.

He engaged six of the G.o.ds to go up with him again and be avenged on Tangaloa and his people. He proposed to take up a present of fish.

They caught ten, and were up before daybreak, and laid down a fish on the doorstep of ten of the houses. When the people came out of their houses they stumbled over the slippery fish, fell and cut their foreheads. They cooked the fish, but ate it with bruised heads. And hence the proverb in times of difficulty, "To eat with a bruise."

Then followed a number of schemes on the part of the Tangaloans to kill Losi and his party similar to those described (p. 250). But all failed, and then up jumped Losi and his party, and ran at the Tangaloans, who fled and called out as they ran, "What do you want?"

"Cocoa-nuts," said Losi. "Take them all," was the reply. Losi again called to his party to _chase_, and they rushed after the Tangaloans, who again shouted back, "What do you want?" "Taro," said Losi, "to compensate for ill usage and the tearing of my skin." "Take it, your claim is just; take it and be off." Losi ordered still to pursue, and again the call came from the frightened Tangaloans, "What else do you want?" "I want 'ava," replied Losi. "Take it, all kinds of it, and be off." Losi conquered, had his revenge, and got what he wanted, and so came down from the heavens with taro, cocoa-nuts, and 'ava, and planted them all about.

For about half the year the Samoans have an abundant supply of food from the bread-fruit trees. During the other half they depend princ.i.p.ally on their taro plantations. Bananas and cocoa-nuts are plentiful throughout the year. While the bread-fruit is in season every family lays up a quant.i.ty in a pit lined with banana and cocoa-nut leaves, and covered in with stones. It soon ferments; but they keep it in that state for years, and the older it is they relish it all the more. They bake this in the form of little cakes, when the bread-fruit is out of season, and especially when there is a scarcity of taro. The odour of these cakes is offensive in the extreme to a European; but a Samoan turns from a bit of English cheese with far more disgust than we do from his fermented bread-fruit.