The Marquesas

Remnants of a Once Numerous Race

of the lonely Marquesas (most 11 easterly group of the South Pacific Islands) comes per Captain E. T.

Fletcher, of the United States freighter “Rattler.”

“Rattler” was headed homeward last year when she was urgently called to the port of Tiaohae, in Nuku Hiva, where the Liberty ship “August Merrimon” lay, with 17 of her boiler tubes burned out. While first aid was given the Liberty ship, the crews of both vessels, and the “Rattler’s” few passengers, spent ten happy days in roving across the barren, broken hills and verdant valleys of Nuku Hiva.

When Cook saw the Marquesas, there were at least 100,000 attractive, hospit able, light-skinned Polynesians there, grouped by tribes in the rich valleys of the main islands. By 1930, they were reduced to a miserable renmant of less that 2,000. That was the effect of “Euro peanisation” on a clean and healthy com munity which had bred no resistance to the white man’s diseases and vices.

Captain Fletcher found the small native community very friendly, hospit able and clean. There were only two Europeans in Taiohae—Robert McKit trick, an old trader, who had married a Marquesan woman and had several child ren, and a Catholic missionary.

The ships were soon short of fresh food, and they ate up most of what was avail able in Taiohae. Captain Fletcher there upon went around the coast, in a lifeboat, to the Valley of Taipi—made famous in Melville’s classical work—and there he loaded up with oranges, water-melons, rockmelons, pawpaws, bananas, pine apples, and various other excellent fruits and vegetables.

The people seemed healthy—he saw only one case of elephantaisis—and there now is little evidence of the tuberculosis which once decimated that large and happy population. The notorious Mar quesas sandfly was not much in evidence in Taiohae—although sand-mites caused some unhappiness—but it manifested it self in Taipi. There are no longer any port facilities in the almost land-locked harbour of Tiaohae—the dock has disap peared.

“Although there are not many people there now, they still have their battles beween the valley tribes” said the captain.

“They go up onto the hilltops, and throw rocks and spears and insults at each other, and have a good time. Then they call it a day, and go home.”

There is increasing talk of an air-line which will cross the Pacific, between South America and Australia. If that should come, the Marquesas may gain in importance. But the route suggested is considerably southwards of the Marquesas —from Chili along the Tropic of Capri corn to Easter Island, thence via Pitcairn Island to the Gambiers and Tahiti.

Mr. K. H. McColl, who in pre-war days was manager of Agita plantation in the Western Islands, New Guinea, and who later was attached to ANGAU. has taken over the management of W. R.

Carpenter’s Emira (Squally Island) estate.

Mr. H. A. Wall, and his son H. B. Wall, both of whom are mechanical engineers, went with him when he returned to the Territory.

Mr. Peter Reid has now returned to the Rabaul district of New Guinea, where he will take up plantation duties for W. R.

Carpenter & Co. He was a well-known plantation manager in the Territory be fore the war.