A School For Castaways

Condensed from on Article in the Bishop Museum Report for 1943

By Peter H. Buck

rE Bishop Museum’s research through out Polynesia made possible the school for castaways which has been in progress since February, 1943, at the Museum.

Kenneth P. Emory of the Museum staff was detailed to devote his full time to giving instruction to groups of Army and Navy men at the Museum and certain camps in Hawaii; in June, Loring Hud son of the Kamehameha School volun teered his services to assist Mr. Emory;

and in December the Army supplied them with regular assistants to help in pre paring lectures and procuring and prepar ing material for demonstrations.

One of the exhibition halls of the Museum is entirely devoted to exhibits, illustrating the native foods which are found on islands and' coral atolls.

Atoll specimens include pigweed, pan danus fruit and coconuts. The foods of volcanic islands are represented by specimens such as sweet potatoes, taro, yam, breadfruit and bananas.

The marine foods are illustrated by casts of deep sea fish and rock-frequent ing fish that are found in the lagoons.

Specimens also of crayfish, crabs, sea centipedes, shrimps and land crabs. At tention is drawn to the poisonous animal of some cone shells and the danger of wounds inflicted by the worm shell, and to poisonous sea snakes and fish.

Implements used in procuring food are shown: fish spears, shell fish-hooks, nets, scoops, coconut-leaf torches for fishing, a model fish weir made of coral blocks.

There are also specimens of fibres made from coconut husk and the bark of the Hibiscus. Useful articles exhibited are eye-shades from coconut leaf, coconut leaf baskets, sandals of coconut husk and bark, climbing bandages, cups and water bottles from coconut shells, carrying poles and spades from pearl oyster shells.

Large photographs show the types of people inhabiting the southern and sputh-western islands of the Pacific— Polynesian, Melanesian, Papuan and Micronesian. A large central case con tains specimens of various species of sea birds and a chart gives the range of their flight from land—information that might prove useful to castaways on the open sea, PRACTICAL instruction is given in an open courtyard between Museum buildings. A native south sea setting has been created to form a fitting back ground, and a number of thatched huts are surrounded by food displays and cook ing equipment such as earth ovens, a husking stick, a three-legged coconut grater, and coconut-leaf platters. The methods of obtaining fluid from green coconuts by cutting with a machete or using a husking stick are taught. The mature nut is husked, cracked open with a stone and grated on the tripod grater to obtain the rich coconut cream which is expressed from the gratings. The sprouted nuts are hushed and cracked open to show the solid contents termed uto by the natives.

Instruction includes the technique of trimming husking stakes, and the mak ing of graters from pieces of mature coconut shell. They are taught also to plait roof sheets, mats, platters and coconut baskets from green coconut leaves. Roof sheets are used to demon strate building shelters and lean-tos. In struction is given in making sandals, spears, torches, in cooking food in the earth oven, in preservation of fire in a coconut husk and anything else that may be of practical use in the South Seas.

The introduction of a little anthro pological theory into the course gives the men an added interest. From their own difficulties they learn to respect the native peoples who can do so much with so little. The skill acquired by Army assistants and others is comparable to that of the natives themselves. In fact,

they would surpass many who have native blood in their veins.

A handbook, compiled by Mr. Emory and called “South Sea Lore,” embodying the information of the training course, had gone into a third edition before the end of the first year, and 23,772 copies were in circulation.

IT is gratifying to know that the Museum’s research work in Polynesian material culture, which once seemed purely academic, has been proved of prac tical value to people of a higher civi lisation. The knowledge acquired by these young soldiers and sailors may save lives or at least help to alleviate some of the inconveniences and hardships en countered in the jungles and atolls of the South-west Pacific.

Extraordinary as it may seem, the native crafts of a stone age culture have gone to war.