File:Samoa 'uma, where life is different (1902) (14596699808).jpg

Identifier: samoaumawherelif00chur (find matches)
Title: Samoa 'uma, where life is different
Year: 1902 (1900s)
Authors: Churchill, Llewella Pierce, Mrs. (from old catalog)
Subjects:
Publisher: New York, Forest and Stream publishing company
Contributing Library: The Library of Congress
Digitizing Sponsor: The Library of Congress

View Book Page: Book Viewer
About This Book: Catalog Entry
View All Images: All Images From Book
Click here to view book online to see this illustration in context in a browseable online version of this book.

Text Appearing Before Image:
h Sa-moan stories involve themselves. You just ought totry to follow out the thin and fragile thread of truthin a narrative which it is to the interest of a Samoanto make tortuous. This tale of Laulus hunt is reallyvery direct and straightforward. Its action is com-prised entirely within one night at the full of themoon. It is like a well-written piece of music, for itends on the very note with which it began, namely,a shirt. It was really hunting, for I was called out bythe hunting shout in the early dawn to receive abonito presented on a gleaming paddle. That it in-volves more than a slight suspicion of political ambi-tion and jealousy is unavoidable and inherent inhuman nature. There»was one luxury in Samoa which we could in-sist upon as no more than a necessity, and that wasto keep-clean and to look clean. This involved severalchanges a .day, and in the same proportion requireda wardrobe of considerable magnitude, though of ex-tremesimplicity. Having two adult male persons to 236
Text Appearing After Image:
Tonga and Laulu THE TALE OF LAULUS HUNT. look after—and no mere man knows how helpless heappears when he puts up the cry, Wheres a cleanshirt for me?—I had my sufficient task set outin keeping track of the shirt supply of the house-hold. Samoan laundry methods of cleaning clothesin a stream by throwing jagged rocks at them as theylay spread out on one another and a flat stone weresufficiently mangling in their tendency to account fora certain large decrease in the shirt stock of the house-hold. But the deficit was larger than could be ac-counted for on any principle of laundry mutilation.Then I discovered that the official head of the house-hold was by way of providing shirts for a considerablegroup of Samoan chiefs. He solemnly declared thateach shirt so expended would produce a tenfold cropof friendly alliances among the island politicians. Notbeing myself official, I made up a firm mind that itmust stop. If the interests of the United States inthat shabby kingdom demanded the e

Note About Images