University of Virginia Library

CHAPTER XXV.

Although I had been unable during the late festival to obtain
information on many interesting subjects which had much
excited my curiosity, still that important event had not passed
by without adding materially to my general knowledge of the
islanders.

I was especially struck by the physical strength and beauty
which they displayed, by their great superiority in these respects
over the inhabitants of the neighbouring bay of Nukuheva, and
by the singular contrasts they presented among themselves in
their various shades of complexion.

In beauty of form they surpassed anything I had ever seen.
Not a single instance of natural deformity was observable in all
the throng attending the revels. Occasionally I noticed among
the men the scars of wounds they had received in battle; and
sometimes, though very seldom, the loss of a finger, an eye, or
an arm, attributable to the same cause. With these exceptions,
every individual appeared free from those blemishes which sometimes
mar the effect of an otherwise perfect form. But their
physical excellence did not merely consist in an exemption from
these evils; nearly every individual of their number might have
been taken for a sculptor's model.

When I remembered that these islanders derived no advantage
from dress, but appeared in all the naked simplicity of nature, I
could not avoid comparing them with the fine gentlemen and
dandies who promenade such unexceptionable figures in our frequented
thoroughfares. Stripped of the cunning artifices of the

tailor, and standing forth in the garb of Eden,—what a sorry
set of round-shouldered, spindle-shanked, crane-necked varlets
would civilized men appear! Stuffed calves, padded breasts,
and scientifically cut pantaloons would then avail them nothing,
and the effect would be truly deplorable.

Nothing in the appearance of the islanders struck me more
forcibly than the whiteness of their teeth. The novelist always
compares the masticators of his heroine to ivory; but I boldly
pronounce the teeth of the Typees to be far more beautiful than
ivory itself. The jaws of the oldest greybeards among them
were much better garnished than those of most of the youths of
civilized countries; while the teeth of the young and middle-aged,
in their purity and whiteness, were actually dazzling to
the eye. This marvellous whiteness of the teeth is to be ascribed
to the pure vegetable diet of these people, and the uninterrupted
healthfulness of their natural mode of life.

The men, in almost every instance, are of lofty stature, scarcely
ever less than six feet in height, while the other sex are uncommonly
diminutive. The early period of life at which the human
form arrives at maturity in this generous tropical climate, likewise
deserves to be mentioned. A little creature, not more than
thirteen years of age, and who in other particulars might be
regarded as a mere child, is often seen nursing her own baby;
whilst lads who, under less ripening skies, would be still at
school, are here responsible fathers of families.

On first entering the Typee Valley, I had been struck with
the marked contrast presented by its inhabitants with those of
the bay I had previously left. In the latter place, I had not
been favourably impressed with the personal appearance of the
male portion of the population; although with the females, excepting
in some truly melancholy instances, I had been wonderfully
pleased. I had observed that even the little intercourse
Europeans had carried on with the Nukuheva natives had not
failed to leave its traces amongst them. One of the most dreadful
curses under which humanity labours had commenced its
havocks, and betrayed, as it ever does among the South Sea
islanders, the most aggravated symptoms. From this, as from
all other foreign inflictions, the yet uncontaminated tenants of
the Typee Valley were wholly exempt; and long may they

continue so. Better will it be for them for ever to remain the
happy and innocent heathens and barbarians that they now are,
than, like the wretched inhabitants of the Sandwich Islands, to
enjoy the mere name of Christians without experiencing any of
the vital operations of true religion, whilst, at the same time,
they are made the victims of the worst vices and evils of civilized
life.

Apart, however, from these considerations, I am inclined to
believe that there exists a radical difference between the two
tribes, if indeed they are not distinct races of men. To those
who have merely touched at Nukuheva Bay, without visiting
other portions of the island, it would hardly appear credible the
diversities presented between the various small clans inhabiting
so diminutive a spot. But the hereditary hostility which has existed
between them for ages fully accounts for this.

Not so easy, however, is it to assign an adequate cause for the
endless variety of complexions to be seen in the Typee Valley.
During the festival, I had noticed several young females whose
skins were almost as white as any Saxon damsels; a slight dash
of the mantling brown being all that marked the difference.
This comparative fairness of complexion, though in a great degree
perfectly natural, is partly the result of an artificial process,
and of an entire exclusion from the sun. The juice of the
"papa" root, found in great abundance at the head of the valley,
is held in great esteem as a cosmetic, with which many of the
females daily anoint their whole person. The habitual use of
it whitens and beautifies the skin. Those of the young girls
who resort to this method of heightening their charms, never
expose themselves to the rays of the sun; an observance, however,
that produces little or no inconvenience, since there are
but few of the inhabited portions of the vale which are not
shaded over with a spreading canopy of boughs, so that one
may journey from house to house, scarcely deviating from the
direct course, and yet never once see his shadow cast upon the
ground.

The "papa," when used, is suffered to remain upon the skin
for several hours; being of a light green colour, it consequently
imparts for the time a similar hue to the complexion.
Nothing, therefore, can be imagined more singular than the appearance

of these nearly naked damsels immediately after the
application of the cosmetic. To look at one of them you would
almost suppose she was some vegetable in an unripe state; and
that, instead of living in the shade for ever, she ought to be
placed out in the sun to ripen.

All the islanders are more or less in the habit of anointing
themselves; the women preferring the "aker" or "papa," and
the men using the oil of the cocoa-nut. Mehevi was remarkably
fond of mollifying his entire cuticle with this ointment.
Sometimes he might be seen, with his whole body fairly
reeking with the perfumed oil of the nut, looking as if he had
just emerged from a soap-boiler's vat, or had undergone the
process of dipping in a tallow-chandlery. To this cause perhaps,
united to their frequent bathing and extreme cleanliness, is ascribable,
in a great measure, the marvellous purity and smoothness
of skin exhibited by the natives in general.

The prevailing tint among the women of the valley was a
light olive, and of this style of complexion Fayaway afforded
the most beautiful example. Others were still darker, while
not a few were of a genuine golden colour, and some of a
swarthy hue.

As agreeing with much previously mentioned in this narrative,
I may here observe, that Mendanna, their discoverer,
in his account of the Marquesas, described the natives as wondrously
beautiful to behold, and as nearly resembling the
people of southern Europe. The first of these islands seen by
Mendanna was La Madelena, which is not far distant from
Nukuheva; and its inhabitants in every respect resemble those
dwelling on that and the other islands of the group. Figueroa,
the chronicler of Mendanna's voyage, says, that on the morning
the land was descried, when the Spaniards drew near the
shore, there sallied forth, in rude procession, about seventy
canoes, and at the same time many of the inhabitants (females,
I presume) made towards the ships by swimming. He adds,
that "in complexion they were nearly white; of good stature, and
finely formed; and on their faces and bodies were delineated
representations of fishes and other devices." The old Don then
goes on to say, "There came, among others, two lads paddling
their canoe, whose eyes were fixed on the ship: they had beautiful

faces and the most promising animation of countenance; and were
in all things so becoming, that the pilot-mayor Quiros affirmed,
nothing in his life ever caused him so much regret as the leaving
such fine creatures to be lost in that country."[5] More than
two hundred years have gone by since the passage of which the
above is a translation was written; and it appears to me now,
as I read it, as fresh and true as if written but yesterday. The
islanders are still the same; and I have seen boys in the Typee
Valley of whose "beautiful faces" and "promising animation of
countenance" no one who has not beheld them can form any
adequate idea. Cook, in the account of his voyages, pronounces
the Marquesans as by far the most splendid islanders in the
South Seas. Stewart, the chaplain of the U. S. ship Vincennes,
in his "Scenes in the South Seas," expresses, in more
than one place, his amazement at the surpassing loveliness of
the women; and says that many of the Nukuheva damsels reminded
him forcibly of the most celebrated beauties in his own
land. Fanning, a Yankee mariner of some reputation, likewise
records his lively impressions of the physical appearance
of these people; and Commodore David Porter of the U. S.
frigate Essex, is said to have been vastly smitten by the beauty
of the ladies. Their great superiority over all other Polynesians
cannot fail to attract the notice of those who visit the principal
groups in the Pacific. The voluptuous Tahitians are the
only people who at all deserve to be compared with them; while
the dark-hued Hawiians and the woolly-headed Feegees are
immeasurably inferior to them. The distinguishing characteristic
of the Marquesan islanders, and that which at once strikes
you, is the European cast of their features—a peculiarity seldom
observable among other uncivilized people. Many of their faces
present a profile classically beautiful, and in the valley of Typee,
I saw several who, like the stranger Marnoo, were in every
respect models of beauty.

Some of the natives present at the Feast of Calabashes had
displayed a few articles of European dress; disposed, however,
about their persons after their own peculiar fashion. Among
these I perceived the two pieces of cotton-cloth which poor
Toby and myself had bestowed upon our youthful guides the
afternoon we entered the valley. They were evidently reserved
for gala days; and during those of the festival they rendered
the young islanders who wore them very distinguished characters.
The small number who were similarly adorned, and the
great value they appeared to place upon the most common and
most trivial articles, furnished ample evidence of the very restricted
intercourse they held with vessels touching at the
island. A few cotton handkerchiefs, of a gay pattern, tied about
the neck, and suffered to fall over the shoulders; strips of fanciful
calico, swathed about the loins, were nearly all I saw.

Indeed, throughout the valley, there were few things of any
kind to be seen of European origin. All I ever saw, beside the
articles just alluded to, were the six muskets preserved in the
Ti, and three or four similar implements of warfare hung up
in other houses; some small canvas bags, partly filled with
bullets and powder, and half a dozen old hatchet-heads, with
the edges blunted and battered to such a degree as to render
them utterly useless. These last seemed to be regarded as
nearly worthless by the natives; and several times they held up
one of them before me, and throwing it aside with a gesture of
disgust, manifested their contempt for anything that could so
soon become unserviceable.

But the muskets, the powder, and the bullets were held in
most extravagant esteem. The former, from their great age
and the peculiarities they exhibited, were well worthy a place in
any antiquarian's armory. I remember in particular one that
hung in the Ti, and which Mehevi—supposing as a matter of
course that I was able to repair it—had put into my hands for
that purpose. It was one of those clumsy, old-fashioned, English
pieces known generally as Tower Hill muskets, and, for
aught I know, might have been left on the island by Wallace,
Carteret, Cook, or Vancouver. The stock was half rotten and
worm-eaten; the lock was as rusty and about as well adapted
to its ostensible purpose as an old door-hinge; the threading

of the screws about the trigger was completely worn away;
while the barrel shook in the wood. Such was the weapon the
chief desired me to restore to its original condition. As I did
not possess the accomplishments of a gunsmith, and was likewise
destitute of the necessary tools, I was reluctantly obliged
to signify my inability to perform the task. At this unexpected
communication Mehevi regarded me, for a moment, as if he
half suspected I was some inferior sort of white man, who after
all did not know much more than a Typee. However, after a
most laboured explanation of the matter, I succeeded in making
him understand the extreme difficulty of the task. Scarcely
satisfied with my apologies, however, he marched off with the
superannuated musket in something of a huff, as if he would no
longer expose it to the indignity of being manipulated by such
unskilful fingers.

During the festival I had not failed to remark the simplicity
of manner, the freedom from all restraint, and, to a certain
degree, the equality of condition manifested by the natives in
general. No one appeared to assume any arrogant pretensions.
There was little more than a slight difference in costume to distinguish
the chiefs from the other natives. All appeared to
mix together freely, and without any reserve; although I noticed
that the wishes of a chief, even when delivered in the mildest
tone, received the same immediate obedience which elsewhere
would have been only accorded to a peremptory command.
What may be the extent of the authority of the chiefs over the
rest of the tribe, I will not venture to assert; but from all I saw
during my stay in the valley, I was induced to believe that in
matters concerning the general welfare it was very limited.
The required degree of deference towards them, however, was
willingly and cheerfully yielded; and as all authority is transmitted
from father to son, I have no doubt that one of the effects
here, as elsewhere, of high birth, is to induce respect and
obedience.

The civil institutions of the Marquesas Islands appear to
be in this, as in other respects, directly the reverse of those
of the Tahitian and Hawiian groups, where the original
power of the king and chiefs was far more despotic than that
of any tyrant in civilized countries. At Tahiti it used to be

death for one of the inferior orders to approach, without permission,
under the shadow of the king's house; or to fail in paying
the customary reverence when food destined for the king was
borne past them by his messengers. At the Sandwich Islands,
Kaahumanu, the gigantic old dowager queen—a woman of nearly
four hundred pounds weight, and who is said to be still living at
Mowee—was accustomed, in some of her terrific gusts of temper,
to snatch up an ordinary sized man who had offended her, and
snap his spine across her knee. Incredible as this may seem, it
is a fact. While at Lahainaluna—the residence of this monstrous
Jezebel—a humpbacked wretch was pointed out to me,
who, some twenty-five years previously, had had the vertebræ of
his back-bone very seriously discomposed by his gentle mistress.

The particular grades of rank existing among the chiefs of
Typee, I could not in all cases determine. Previous to the Feast
of Calabashes I had been puzzled what particular station to assign
to Mehevi. But the important part he took upon that occasion
convinced me that he had no superior among the inhabitants of
the valley. I had invariably noticed a certain degree of deference
paid to him by all with whom I had ever seen him brought in
contact; but when I remembered that my wanderings had been
confined to a limited portion of the valley, and that towards the
sea a number of distinguished chiefs resided, some of whom had
separately visited me at Marheyo's house, and whom, until the
Festival, I had never seen in the company of Mehevi, I felt disposed
to believe that his rank after all might not be particularly
elevated.

The revels, however, had brought together all the warriors
whom I had seen individually and in groups at different times
and places. Among them Mehevi moved with an easy air of
superiority which was not to be mistaken; and he whom I had
only looked at as the hospitable host of the Ti, and one of the
military leaders of the tribe, now assumed in my eyes the dignity
of royal station. His striking costume, no less than his naturally
commanding figure, seemed indeed to give him pre-eminence
over the rest. The towering helmet of feathers that he wore
raised him in height above all who surrounded him; and though
some others were similarly adorned, the length and luxuriance of
their plumes were far inferior to his.

Mehevi was in fact the greatest of the chiefs—the head of his
clan—the sovereign of the valley; and the simplicity of the
social institutions of the people could not have been more completely
proved than by the fact, that after having been several
weeks in the valley, and almost in daily intercourse with Mehevi,
I should have remained until the time of the festival ignorant of
his regal character. But a new light had now broken in upon
me. The Ti was the palace—and Mehevi the king. Both the
one and the other of a most simple and patriarchal nature it must
be allowed, and wholly unattended by the ceremonious pomp
which usually surrounds the purple.

After having made this discovery I could not avoid congratulating
myself that Mehevi had from the first taken me as it were
under his royal protection, and that he still continued to entertain
for me the warmest regard, as far at least as I was enabled
to judge from appearances. For the future I determined to pay
most assiduous court to him, hoping that eventually through his
kindness I might obtain my liberty.