Life On Isolated Puka Puka

Dr. E. Beaglehole Studies Conditions on Lonely Island in Northern Cooks

From Our Own Correspondent.

APIA, July 4.

A RRIVING in Apia on June 17 by the Makoa, Dr. and Mrs. Ernest Beagle hole have returned from Puka Puka (or Danger Island) in the Northern Cook Group, after eight months’ investigation, mainly anthropological research work, undertaken on behalf of the Bernice P.

Bishop Museum, of Honolulu, Hawaii.

Dr. Beaglehole is a noted scientist and anthropologist, and the research work just completed at Puka Puka forms part of a general survey of the Polynesian islands, stretching from Hawaii to New Zealand and far away Easter Island. By this general survey, material is gathered referring to all branches of the Poly nesian race, which will serve for com parative study for the fixation of their common and original characteristics.

This study may lead later on to more definite conclusions regarding the origin of the Polynesians, on which there has been much speculation ever since the discovery and exploration of the South Sea Islands.

Dr. Beaglehole has brought back ample material referring to all sides of the life and culture of the Puka Puka natives, of whom there are at present 626 on the Island. Owing to the remoteness of the island and the scant communication with the outside world (only 3 or 4 times a year), the island people form an excellent object for study, as they have kept their racial characteristics comparatively pure, no intermarrying having taken place and very little immigration of other islanders.

Of foreigners, only one white man (Mr.

K. D. Frisbie) lives permanently on the island, besides the Resident Commis sioner, Mr. Geoffrey Henry and his wife, who themselves are of part Rarotongan blood. A trading station, kept by Messrs.

Burns Philp (S.S.) Co. Ltd., has been closed for several years and the Island’s copra is taken and goods provided by occasional visits of B.P.’s trading schooner.

The island was called Danger Island by Commodore Byron, the submerged tail of the surrounding reef making it dan gerous for ships. The place is covered with luxuriant coconut groves; there are also a few tamanu trees and an ex tensive growth of the pandanus or screw palm. The only food crop, however, besides the coconut palms, is taro, grown in the numerous excavations on the Island. Another article of food for the natives, besides coconuts and taro, is fish, though the fishing round the island is not exactly abundant. The natives, however, are expert fishermen, and manage to catch sufficient for their needs.

Pigs and fowls are killed only at cere monial functions and feasts.

The population of the island was much larger in ancient times, probably reach ing 1000 or more. Slaving ships from Peru carried off a great number, and about 200 years ago a tidal wave wiped out most of the inhabitants, only 14 families surviving. In 1914 the taro patches on the island were destroyed by a seismic wave, and a serious shortage of food resulted: the Cook Is. Adminis tration eventually had to transport part of the population to Rarotonga. Owing to a deficiency of iron in the soil, only

limited cultivation of foodstuffs is pos sible and the island cannot support much more than its present population.

The natives of Puka Puka are and always have been a people of primitive habits, contented, honest and industrious.

They are skilful in the manufacturing of mats, hats and basketware from pan danus leaves, though owing to a lack of demand this industry is stagnant. The

houses of the natives are mostly roofed with pandanus, too.

Puka Puka is governed by the Resident Commissioner with an advisory council of native representatives (two members of every village), who have the power of ariki. The supreme chief at the present time is 90 years old. All the natives are Christians, having been converted originally by the London Missionary Society; at present the Seventh Day Adventist and the Catholic Missions have many adherents on the islands.

A Government school for all children on the island is conducted by Mr. and Mrs. Henry, who, in addition to many

other activities, also keep a dispensary and treat cases of sickness. The islanders are generally healthy and strong, and sanitary conditions are good. In contrast other Polynesian islands, yaws, apart from some after effects, have practically disappeared, owing to inoculation by a medically trained Samoan some years ago. There are, however, cases of fever, filaria (probably introduced from Samoa), ulcers (owing to the unvaried diet of nuts and taro and a scarcity of fresh water for washing), also venereal disease and, in consequence, cases of blindness or eye disease among children.

Though the Commissioner and his wife

do their best to alleviate suffering being unqualified they cannot in many cases correctly diagnose the diseases. Many natives therefore consult native “doctors” first and, these failing, later seek Mr.

Henry’s aid. The Cook Islands Adminis tration, spends very little on the ad ministration of Puka Puka, but there is a pressing need for the Government to send a properly trained medical man there to attend to the medical needs of the islanders.

An interesting feature of native life is that there are no less than four different dialects spoken on the island. There is first of all the old original Puka Puka language, nowadays in use only by some of the old people, then the modern lan guage of Puka Puka in common use.

Further, there is a mixed Puka Puka and Rarotongan language, gaining prepon derance at present, and lastly the Raro tongan language, used officially in court, church and school. The pure Puka Puka language is being abandoned gradually and Dr. Beaglehole intends to compose a grammar and dictionary of the language for preservation.

According to Dr. Beaglehole, the advent of the depression with low prices for copra, and the difficulty of obtaining clothing and the small luxuries the na tives have been used to previously, have had a bewildering effect on the Puka Puka islanders. Of European foodstuffs, they mainly used rice in supplementing their own native food, but now they get along quite well without it. Taught by the missionaries that their ancient ways of dressing were sinful and immoral, the natives became immensely embarrassed when their European singlets, dresses and loinclothes became tattered rags and they were unable to buy new ones to replace them. But gradually on Puka Puka the old fibre skirts are appearing and in place of the lime-walled house of modern times the open air hut of former years is again constructed, probably to the physical benefit of the islanders.

In gathering the voluminious and com prehensive material on the islanders, which is contained in a stack of note books, and the sifting and preparing of which requires an immense amount of work, Mrs. Beaglehole, the attractive young wife of the scientist has been of great help and assistance to her husband.

Especially, as she has compiled a great deal of valuable data regarding the children and women, in the latter’s out side and domestic, work, their fashions, talk and beliefs, thus materially assist ing in the general survey of Islands culture.

Dr. Beaglehole will submit his reports, when written up in proper form, to the Bishop museum, which will probably publish them in the Museum’s Bulletins and thus make them available to the in terested public and the scientific world.