Atlantis Online
March 28, 2024, 09:26:52 pm
Welcome, Guest. Please login or register.

Login with username, password and session length
News: Update About Cuba Underwater Megalithic Research
http://www.timstouse.com/EarthHistory/Atlantis/bimini.htm
 
  Home Help Arcade Gallery Links Staff List Calendar Login Register  

Te Pito Te Henua, Or Easter Island

Pages: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 [8] 9 10 11 12 13 14 ... 42   Go Down
  Print  
Author Topic: Te Pito Te Henua, Or Easter Island  (Read 4326 times)
0 Members and 233 Guests are viewing this topic.
Jennifer Murdoch
Superhero Member
******
Posts: 5235



« Reply #105 on: February 27, 2010, 01:17:39 pm »

by a stem. From the coronet, a line extended around the outside edge of the ear, with a circle on the lobe. The lips were freely tattooed, after the manner of the Maoris, with lines curving around the chin and extending towards the cheek-bones; the entire neck and throat covered with oblique or wavy lines, with occasional patches of solid coloring; a broad, wide girdle (Fig. 4, a) about the waist, from which bands rise in front and behind, representing trees and foliage, surmounted by large faces on the breast and back, and smaller ones on each side of the body. Below the waist belt the lines were fine, like lace-work, and from the thigh to the knee the appearance was that of silk tights with variegated pattern. Below the knee there were various designs. terminating in a point at the feet.
Report Spam   Logged
Jennifer Murdoch
Superhero Member
******
Posts: 5235



« Reply #106 on: February 27, 2010, 01:18:11 pm »

SALUTATION.

The form. of salutation is "Kohomai," literally interpreted, "Come to me." This is always heartily expressed, and parties meeting often shout out the kohomai while some distance apart. The greeting is varied by the addition of a word of respect when addressed to a superior in rank, or a stranger, and by a term of endearment, when to a child or to a relation.
Report Spam   Logged
Jennifer Murdoch
Superhero Member
******
Posts: 5235



« Reply #107 on: February 27, 2010, 01:18:46 pm »

DRESS.

The costume of the natives is at present made up of the cast-off clothing obtained from ships of all nations that have called at the island, but principally old uniforms of the French, Spanish, and English vessels of war. Brass buttons appeal strongly to the native love for adornment, and many were made happy by the liberal contributions from the Mohican. Very little tappa cloth is made on the island at present, but specimens of the ancient handiwork are treasured up in every family. The mode of manufacture is quite similar to that practiced on the various groups of the South Sea, but the patterns are
Report Spam   Logged
Jennifer Murdoch
Superhero Member
******
Posts: 5235



« Reply #108 on: February 27, 2010, 01:18:59 pm »

much less elaborate. The bark is stripped from the branches of the Hibiscus, in a manner to obtain the greatest possible length, and rolled into coils with the inner bark outside, in order to make it flat and smooth. It is then scraped with a piece of obsidian to remove the bark, the coils being occasionally soaked in water to remove the resinous substances. The strips are laid across a log and beaten for many hours with a heavy mallet. The mallets are made of the heaviest and hardest wood that can be obtained
Report Spam   Logged
Jennifer Murdoch
Superhero Member
******
Posts: 5235



« Reply #109 on: February 27, 2010, 01:19:08 pm »

(toromiro), about a foot long and 3 inches on each face, some of which are smooth and others carved into grooves or ribs, to suit the different stages in the process of manufacture. Several strips of bark are beaten into one thickness of cloth, according to the purpose for which it was intended, some, being made quite fine and others coarse and heavy. No gum is used except that naturally contained in the bark, and the fibers adhere closely when kept dry. The fabrication of the tappa speaks well for the native

p. 468
Report Spam   Logged
Jennifer Murdoch
Superhero Member
******
Posts: 5235



« Reply #110 on: February 27, 2010, 01:19:20 pm »

invention and industry, but it is not very durable when compared with woven goods. The colors with which the decorations are made are procured from roots, leaves, and berries of indigenous plants and are prepared with considerable skill. Several kinds of earth are used for the dark colors, the pigment being ground down and boiled in the juice of the sugar-cane.
Report Spam   Logged
Jennifer Murdoch
Superhero Member
******
Posts: 5235



« Reply #111 on: February 27, 2010, 01:19:36 pm »

MATS.

The natives excel in the. manufacture of fine mats, specimens of which will be found in our collection. They are made of bulrushes obtained from the craters in the vicinity of the lakes formed by the collection of the rain-water. They are woven by hand, and fine specimens are highly prized.
Report Spam   Logged
Jennifer Murdoch
Superhero Member
******
Posts: 5235



« Reply #112 on: February 27, 2010, 01:20:12 pm »

AMUSEMENTS.

The amusements of the people were reduced to a minimum when the customs of their heathen forefathers were abandoned, and at present there is no general assemblage for the purpose of enjoyment except all occasional marriage feast or some accidental occasion, such as the arrival of a foreign ship. Prominent among, the ancient customs were feasts to celebrate the return of the different seasons and various anniversaries in their history, such as the landing of Hotu-Metua, at Anakena Bay. Upon the latter occasion the ancient traditions were repeated by recognized orators, and a prominent feature of all fetes was athletic sports, such as running, spear-throwing, and feats of skill and dexterity. Dancing was the most common of all. amusements and there was no assemblage without its appropriate dance.
Report Spam   Logged
Jennifer Murdoch
Superhero Member
******
Posts: 5235



« Reply #113 on: February 27, 2010, 01:20:32 pm »

THE NATIVE DANCE.
Just as the traditions are cherished and repeated from father to son, the native dances are remembered and held in esteem, although never publicly practiced. Mr. Salmon secured the services of the "star performers" and we were fortunately enabled to witness the peculiarities of the native dance at his house at Viahu, on the eve of our departure from the island. The music was furnished by three persons seated upon the floor, who accompanied their discordant voices by thumps upon a tom-tom improvised from old cracker-boxes, and the dance was performed by an old woman and a young
Report Spam   Logged
Jennifer Murdoch
Superhero Member
******
Posts: 5235



« Reply #114 on: February 27, 2010, 01:20:43 pm »

girl, the latter possessing some claim to symmetry of figure. The dancers wore a single loose garment, short enough to expose the bare ankles and sun-browned feet. Over the head and shoulders was thrown a white cloak, composed of a few yards of cotton cloth, which was sometimes spread open and occasionally made to hide the whole figure as they went through the various evolutions of the dance. This mantle was, not managed with any particular skill or grace and seemed to be identified with one particular

p. 469
Report Spam   Logged
Jennifer Murdoch
Superhero Member
******
Posts: 5235



« Reply #115 on: February 27, 2010, 01:21:03 pm »

dance, after which it was discarded for the small dancing-paddle or wand. The weird songs related the achievements and exploits of their ancestors in war, fishing, and love and the gestures of the dancers were upon this occasion perfectly proper and modest. Some of the movements were suggestive of a rude relationship to the dances performed by the geisha girls of Japan in their odori, and consisted of movements and attitudes calculated to display the elegance and grace of the performers. The peculiar feature of the native dancing is the absence of violent motion; there is no jumping or elaborate pirouettes, no extravagant contortions, and nothing that might be called a precision of step. The lower limbs play a part of secondary importance to the arms and the dancers
Report Spam   Logged
Jennifer Murdoch
Superhero Member
******
Posts: 5235



« Reply #116 on: February 27, 2010, 01:21:22 pm »

indulge in no dizzy gyrations. The feet and hands are kept moving in unison with the slow, monotonous music, while the dancers endeavor to act out the words of the song by pantomime. These islanders, like their sisters throughout Polynesia, have their hula-hula, or dances that partake of passion and abandon, and portray the old story of coquetry, jealousy, and ultimate surrender of the maiden. Soft swaying movements, a gentle turning away, timid glances, and startled gestures, gradually giving place to more rapturous passion, speak plainly enough the theme of the song, though the movements are less graceful and elegant than those which characterize the nautch dances of India. Among the diversified dances, some are performed by men and others by women, but the sexes rarely if ever dance together. Wands are usually held in each hand, but occasionally one and sometimes both are discarded. Feather hats and other ornaments are worn in portraying characters and some of the dances are said to be of obscene tendencies.
Report Spam   Logged
Jennifer Murdoch
Superhero Member
******
Posts: 5235



« Reply #117 on: February 27, 2010, 01:21:51 pm »

RELIGION.

Like most savage nations, the Easter Islanders had numerous superstitions and resorted to charms, prayers, incantations, and amulets to bring good luck and ward off evil. A thorough delineation of these superstitions might be instructive in the light of showing the real depth of the religious feeling of those who now profess, Christianity as well as the capacity of the native mind for entertaining a higher form of civilization; but, unfortunately, our brief stay on the island did not afford time to thoroughly investigate the subject.
Report Spam   Logged
Jennifer Murdoch
Superhero Member
******
Posts: 5235



« Reply #118 on: February 27, 2010, 01:22:03 pm »

The belief in a future state was a prominent feature in the religion. After death the soul was supposed to depart to the "place of departed spirits" to be rewarded by the gods or tormented by the demons. With this idea in view a small hole was invariably built in the wall the top of all tombs, cairns, and other receptacles, for the dead, by which the spirit of the deceased was supposed to find egress. Deified spirits were believed to be constantly wandering about the earth and to have more or less influence over the human affairs. Spirits were supposed to appear to sleeping persons and to communicate with them through visions or dreams.

p. 470
Report Spam   Logged
Jennifer Murdoch
Superhero Member
******
Posts: 5235



« Reply #119 on: February 27, 2010, 01:22:10 pm »

Gnomes, ghouls, and goblins were believed to inhabit inaccessible caves and niches in the rock and to have the power of prowling about after dark. The small wooden and stone images known as "household gods," were made to represent certain spirits and belong to a different order from the gods, though accredited with many of the same attributes. They occupied a prominent place in every dwelling and were regarded as the medium through which communications might be made with the spirits, but were never worshiped. The Great Spirit Meke-Meke is represented by a bird-like animal as referred to in the description of sculptured rocks and paintings at Orongo.
Report Spam   Logged
Pages: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 [8] 9 10 11 12 13 14 ... 42   Go Up
  Print  
 
Jump to:  

Powered by EzPortal
Bookmark this site! | Upgrade This Forum
SMF For Free - Create your own Forum
Powered by SMF | SMF © 2016, Simple Machines
Privacy Policy