Sometimes they notch the Outward bark with a stone and wrap the Plants in leaves for two or three Days before they Strip them which makes the Cloth beautifully Clouded with several shades of Brown. They also Mix the Cloth plant with Breadfruit bark, but this is of a Coarser kind and does not bleach so well tho the Cloth is equally strong — Some of this Cloth is very fine and neck cloths made of it might be mistaken at a small distance for the labour of the Loom. If a landed Man wants a large quantity of Cloth made at once, he informs his Tennants when he means to Cut his plants and on the Day appointed all the Weomen attend with each their Beam & Beetle and a proportion of Breadfruit being prepared they bring the Work together and some times to the Number of 200 strike off together, making as much noise as so many Coopers. The piece is finishd in one Day and is sometimes 40 or 50 fathoms long and 4 fathoms wide.

They make another sort of several Thicknesses which are not placed regular or above half beaten, this is Calld Marro; of this they make their Upper Garments by Striping from one part and pasting on to another till they bring it to a regular breadth & thickness and trim the Fragments off with a piece of split bamboo which answers the purpose of a knife — These they Paint with Mattde, a Beautiful red extracted from Berries of that name, & leaves before discribed, which they prepare thus — the Berries & leaves being gathered several hands begin & Nip them till they emitt a drop of Yellow Juice which they out on a leaf and so proceed till all are done the leaves with the juice on them are then put into a platter and sprinkled with Water when they are wrought up by squeesing till they become red and after they are sufficiently squeesed they are thrown out and the Juice put into a shell for use, a Bunch of the Fibers of the Mo’oo is then procured to dip in the paint and Wet the leaves and Sprigs they mean to imprint on the Cloth which being placed on it and pressd by the hand leaves the print behind and in this manner they paint it in many fanciful forms.

Beside this method of Painting they dye the Hoboo of Several Collours — as Brown of several shades from the Bark of several trees, scraped off & infused in Cold water into which they dip the Cloth

Indigenous Histories