Reverse

Tourism Goes Into Reverse Mo'orea Methods

From Our Own Correspondent

Papeete, Nov. 7.

A DAY or two ago, I had a conversa tion with a member of our Tahitian Armed Forces about Mo’orea.

Mo’orea, which lies 12 miles to the westward from Papeete, is reputed to be one of the most beautiful islands in the Pacific. It has “eye-appeal,” the photo graphs of its mountains and deep Days are entrancing; but no one, except natives of Mo’orea, ever goes there.

Mo’orea—although situated within sight of the most civilized centre in the South Pacific—is the most terrible cannibal island in all Polynesia.

The cannibals of Mo’orea are more fierce and numerous than are those othei world-famous anthropophagi who inhabit the hinterland of New Jersey in the United States.

This writer is competent to make the comparison, for he has passed many summers in the several districts of New Jersey and is hardened by many years of battle with the denizens of the Hackensack and Passaic meadows. This writer, therefore, believed himself to be immune against anything which might lurk in the romantic jungles of Mo’orea.

After three separate attempts, how ever, he was compelled to retire in ig nominious defeat. I have not set foot on Mo’orea since that year—l92o.

My soldier friend testifies that the mos quito pest on Mo’orea has not abated.

His battalion was taken there for train ing. They could not endure the massed attacks by the filaria armed cannibal hordes. They, too, were compelled to retire, in disorder.

The Polynesian natives of Mo’orea do not like Europeans, and take little trouble to conceal tneir displeasure toward the stranger who ventures to tarry on then island.

At a happier period, the natives dwell ing in the neighbourhood of MacFarlane’s guest-house were coldly polite. A fellow guest, a courtly Anglican archdeacon, deceived by this sham courtesy, under took an expedition to the nearby district of Haapiti. He returned to MacFarlanes full of righteous indignation; his speech lurid with that churchly but pungent invective possessed by all archdeacons.

We never learned precisely what had happened, but, from the experience of others, however, we could infer that the technique at Haapiti resembles, some what, Gandhi’s method of passive re sistance —which, of course, is vastly more exasperating than open hostility. Passive resistance has worked wonders, on other islands, in “liquidating” unwelcome visitors.

Another thing which hastened the archdeacon on his travels was a column of exploring red ants who discovered him while he was taking an afternoon nap.

The sounds which came from his quar ters were not altogether churchly. Mac- Farlane, who knew the symptoms, has tened to the rescue, bearing a bottle of turpentine.

Centipedes seemed to be attracted to the archdeacon also, as were the rats of Hamlin to the Pied Piper. They did not bite him; but used his sleeping quar ters as a sort of convention hall. The archdeacon blamed the witch-doctors of Haapiti for this.

MANY old residents in the Islands have been given native names. We are very proud of these —especially when one is endowed (as is this writer)

with an ancestral name bestowed by r very distinguished Tahitian family.

By virtue of his Tahitian name, this writer was given a glimpse into the native mind as regards Europeans.

He had come, by invitation, to a memorial service at one of the church meeting-houses. In the large assembly, he was the only European. The several speakers—in their customary salutation —included the writer, using his Tahitian name. This, of course, meant nothing to the members of a delegation from a distant district, which the writer had not visited for more than 20 years. Neither did they know that the writer under stands the Tahitian language.

When it came the turn of the leader of the delegation to speak, he glared and without salutation, said: “I see in this assemble one who has not the face of a Polynesian. What is he doine here?” At that noint, someone whispered in his ear, and he sat down.

The writer was amused and thoroughly symnathetic. He knew that the speaker’s district had been the site of, perhaus the most poisonous settlement of “Get awav from it” tribesmen (and women! that had ever invaded the Islands.