islands that are advancing rapidly—native houses with modern improvements—a horrible method of getting rid of the old men, and other burial ceremonies.
there is a remarkable difference between the natives of the new hebrides group and any of the inhabitants of the adjoining islands. in character, disposition, mode of living and religion, they are in many respects far ahead of their neighbours, and, strange to say, so are the islands. the soil is better and the climate is more to the liking of the european, and, owing to the proximity of the islands to sydney, they are better served and more up-to-date. port vila in sandwich island, the chief centre, is only five days’ sail from that city.
settlement in the new hebrides has been going on for some time, and the white population has nearly doubled itself within the last few years. in 1901, the french residents and traders far out-numbered the english, but to-day another tale is {144} told, and british enterprise and power of colonisation have made a difference in this group; so much so that they are hardly recognisable, and they only need careful legislation to enable them to overcome the obstacles mentioned earlier in this book.
where dense, uncleared bush grew a few years ago in tangled confusion, blocking out even the light by its thickness, acres of cultivated ground can now be seen, which bring to their owners results worthy of twice the toil that has been expended on them.
the hebrides is a veritable paradise for the pioneer settler who loves the wild freedom of island life and is not afraid of work.
a good deal of the prosperity of these islands is undoubtedly owing to the strenuous efforts of the missionaries, the australian government, and that gigantic trading firm of messrs. burns philp, who have established a monthly service of steamers, which call at all the important islands to deliver and take away produce. throughout the south seas they have trading stations, but in new hebrides their success has met with better returns than elsewhere, owing to the greater number of settlers who have gone there and made their homes in these beautiful islands.
the rapids, williams river, island of eromanga, new hebrides
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the chief industry is, as in the solomon islands, copra, but coffee, maize, tobacco, bananas, pineapples, and many other tropical products, are being cultivated successfully, and each year shows some new advance in agriculture; it is safe to say that before long these islands will not be far behind the west indies.
another feature that has assisted the prosperity of this group is the fact that those natives who have served their three years on the plantations in queensland have not gone back to idleness, as the solomon islanders have, but, in the majority of cases, have set to work on a patch of ground of their own, from which they have earned good money and so have assisted the prosperity of their country.
it is needless to say that with all these changes the ancient customs of the natives are fast dying out, which in some cases is rather sad; but, as may be supposed, in others it is a good thing, and the sooner their worst ceremony, that of burying the old men alive, is wiped out the better.
even to-day, in malekula, this custom, which has prevailed evidently since the beginning of the race, is only kept alive by the old men; the younger ones show an absolute distaste for it. {146} directly a man or woman shows signs of decrepitude or helplessness, those who are nearest to that stage themselves tell him that his time has come, and that his burial will take place on such and such a date.
on the arrival of the day, the grave for the intended victim is dug, and, in front of a large crowd, the old man is led or carried to it—if he be too weak to get into it himself. he is then stretched out at full length, and, whilst incantations are sung, the earth is thrown over him, and willing hands soon have the ground level and solid above him, and the old man is left there to die. the spectators of this ghastly scene then adjourn to a feast, which is to many of them the most important part of the ceremony.
mount marion, the active volcano, island of ambryn, new hebrides
in some cases the buried man has had sufficient strength left in him to upheave the earth and rise out of his grave, and has even attempted to join the feast, but he has been still considered dead, and no one has given him food. if he be strong enough and can obtain food for himself, he is buried again and again, until at last he has to die from pure exhaustion, if nothing else. should, however, a very tough customer be met with, and it is found that he refuses to die, and each time gets out of {147} his grave, he is strangled before being buried again; for once his death sentence has been passed it must be carried out—he is a dead man from that hour and nothing can save him. i may add that directly the man is buried his property is divided amongst the villagers, so that if he were allowed to come back he would be a homeless wanderer, and no one would have anything to do with him.
in deference to the other islands it is only fair to state that malekula is the most savage one of the group. from a missionary point of view the island of tanna is perhaps the worst, as it is stated that, after sixty years of labour on this island, the converts to christianity can all be counted on the fingers of two hands.
aoba and sandwich islands are both beautiful spots and more favoured than any of the other islands, when beautiful scenery is required. there are two fine volcanoes, which add considerably to the interest of the new hebrides. one of them is at ambryn, which almost rivals etna, and is generally belching forth fire and fumes and now and then a heavy stream of lava, which makes it somewhat dangerous—as was proved not a dozen years ago by an eruption there which played havoc with the place, absolutely destroyed a whole {148} village, and discoloured the sea for miles round. the roar of the other one at tanna can be heard quite distinctly at port resolution. one of the peculiarities is that an eruption occurs systematically every five minutes, though it is not a bad one. the walk to the volcano through the dense forest from port resolution is very beautiful, and if one keeps on the weather side of it, so as to avoid the fumes, a more enjoyable half-hour’s climb cannot be found. on reaching the top the full view of the enormous chasm is appalling, and the rugged, torn, and blistered sides, the curling smoke and fumes, and the great gulf, present a picture rivalling our worst ideas of the lower regions. the explosion which shakes the whole mountain puts a finishing touch to the scene.
in spite of their more civilised condition the new hebrides natives are intensely interesting, owing to the fact that they can speak english, and like to boast about their acquaintance with englishmen in queensland, and therefore think it necessary to speak the english language to show they have been there. this enables a visitor to get information regarding their customs and ceremonies much more easily than in the other groups.
a village in santo, new hebrides
in the foreground are seated two men, the one on the left with a bow. the women behind them have their heads shaved in the usual way, with only a mane down the top of the head. on the ground are ordinary native pots. the long poles in the thatch are for the purpose of keeping it from being blown off, and the poles in front are a defence against pigs and dogs, one of which is seen coming round the corner.
the natives themselves, taking them as a whole, {149} are better built and of a more striking appearance than those of the solomon islands. they resemble more nearly the fijian type than any of the inhabitants of the sister islands.
a peculiarity most noticeable in the villages is that there is greater cleanliness and order; the houses are mostly built in groups of four or five, and are low, broad, barn-like huts in which you have to climb up a few feet and down again in order to gain admittance to the living rooms. they are built on the ground and not on piles, and each group is surrounded by a coral wall on which are stuck long bamboo canes. these take root immediately, as the wall is built when the coral is soft, and present an interesting sight. the bamboo canes form a fine high fence, which, unfortunately, in time totally obscures the houses.
a gap in the wall is left for the residents of these queer compounds to pass backwards and forwards. between the houses and the wall a large cleared space is left where the pigs, the dogs, and the babies play.
the interiors of the houses are not quite as pleasant or artistic. the whole place inside is blackened with smoke and soot, owing to the smoke from the fire having no proper outlet. the {150} fire is usually lit as near the door as possible, but as the doors are very low the smoke has first to fill the room before it finds its way out. the thatch being thicker than is usual there is very little room for escape in that quarter. bamboo is used chiefly to build the frames on which to thatch the grass. forked sticks of a stouter material bear the main weight of the roof, flimsy bamboo canes are bent right over the ridge pole about six inches apart, and secured to another stout pole near the ground, lathes are then run across the bamboo and lashed to them with fibre, and on this framework the outside of the house is made.
the floors are covered with mats on which the natives squat by day and sleep at night. screen mats also divide the interiors of the huts and cut off the sleeping apartments. a few cooking utensils and worn-out, soot-begrimed weapons are generally to be seen lying about, but beyond these articles and the natives themselves, nothing else takes up any room in these dark abodes.
each island has its own particular way of building a house, and those in malekula are perhaps the best and most modern. light is admitted to them through a window at the back, which is boarded up at night or in rough weather.
chief’s house, ambryn, new hebrides
round these houses are dry-built stone or coral walls. i saw more huts on this island encompassed in this way than on any other. the large shell hanging from the pole is a sign of a tapu.
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the usual custom of natives to build near a fresh-water stream is not carried out in the new hebrides; they seem to object to fresh water and seldom, if ever, drink it.
occasionally they bathe in the sea; but here again they show a marked difference to the other islanders, for they seldom swim except when necessity compels them to do so, and so averse are they to water that they will actually walk an extra half-mile to avoid having to wade or swim through a creek.
the sanitary arrangements of the village are, of course, conspicuous by their absence, and were it not for the crowd of dogs, pigs, and fowls, no visitor could go near them. the work of the missionaries, however, has done much to improve the home life of the natives, and in many villages their influence shows itself in the better construction of the houses and the greater neatness of the villagers; and much as the searcher after “original conditions” might object to these improvements, he must declare that from an artistic point of view, if from no other, these villages surpass those where the missionaries have not been able to make headway.
the blending of savage ideas and european {152} methods makes a quaint and interesting picture. a thatched squat native house with a neat coral path is infinitely better than the muddy, sloppy places of the past, and a hut where one can see when inside it, and where one is not blinded by the smoking fire, is surely much better than one in its native condition, smoke-begrimed and smelling, however natural its former condition was.
the tambu houses are more carefully constructed here, and are thatched with banana leaves. they are of course much bigger than the living houses, and are to be seen close to the dancing grounds in each place. in them are kept all the accessories to the dances, for dancing plays a more important part in the life of the new hebridean than it does elsewhere, and very elaborate grounds, houses, and regalias are used. but this side of the life we will leave for another chapter, as to understand it a further insight into their other ceremonies is necessary.
