How Queen Salote Was

Received in Fijian Island of Lakemba

THE landing of the Queen of Tonga at Lakemba. in the Lau Group, Fiji, on October 11, to take part in the Metho dist Mission centenary celebrations, was described by Rev. A. Wesley Amos in a recent article in a Melbourne newspaper.

The Queen, who had been in Australia, travelled specially from Sydney in the Katoomba to be present at this func tion. She was met at Lakemba by her own yacht, which had brought several of her people from Nukualofa.

In the old days, there was much fight ing in the Lau Islands between Tongans and Fijians, and the present inhabitants are a mixture of the two races.

Four hundred visitors arrived at the little island in the Katoomba, and their disembarkation occupied four hours. They were accommodated in picturesque shel ters of bamboos and foliage.

The last to come ashore (said Mr.

Amos) was Her Majesty Queen Salote Tubou (Dame, C.8.E.), of Tonga, who is distantly connected with the chiefly tribes of this group. Her boat carried her to a large new canoe in the bay, which ferried her to the sandy beach, where the sturdy Fijians lifted the canoe bodily and carried the royal visitor up to the en trance of the town.

Here she entered a gaily decorated arch and stepped on a newly woven mat of honour held by two rows of women over the whole length of some 400 yards.

Accompanied by chiefs and Tongan visi tors, the procession moved slowly forward, passing the Langis (tomb) where the chief Finau was buried last year.

Wearing a mourning mat, the Queen paused, while her Tongan courtiers chanted a dirge. The procession led to her quarters, where she was received by Randi ni Nayan—the widow of the chief. Thence she was conducted to the Native Council House for a series of most interesting celebrations. * The presentation began with 10 whales’ teeth —the symbolic instrument of Fiji and accompanied by much ritual. Then followed the offering of the bunch of coconuts, typifying the fruit and food of the land, the platter borne by comely maidens, carrying lighted torches, sig nifying their readiness to serve Her Majesty.

The elaborate ritual concluded with the ceremonial drinking of the Kava ( Piper Methysticum) .

This was followed by a great exchange of goods. The Queen’s yacht from Tonga had brought 1,000 bottles of aromatic coconut oil, much prized for the anoint ing of faces and bodies, and many hun dreds of woven mats and fathoms of tapa (paper cloth). In return, many huge wooden bowls, fine samples of native craftsmanship, were presented to the Queen and her party.

After presentation of large quantities of native food—turtles, pigs, bullocks, fish, yams, taro, tapioca, etc.—the even ing meal followed.

Mr. William R. Smith, who for 10 years was manager of the Aitutaki branch of Messrs. A. B. Donald and Co. Ltd. in the Cook Islands, recently resigned owing to ill-health. He has now opened a store at Te Aroha, a town in the Waikato farm ing district of New Zealand.