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and having consulted the Preists — if they give a Favourable answer War is then the Word and the party who think themselves most Injured send out a Slinger to the Boundary line, where having Charged the Sling he discharges it over the Heads of the Opposite party Crying out ’W’affwa te Vye ay O’ which Signifies the War is declared but litterally ’The Water has borne down its banks’. This is answerd by a Slinger from the other side who slings a Stone and Calls out in the same manner; they then Cry out to each other ’Yowrye t’Eatooa te Tamye ra’ — ’God save you in your War’ — they then return home seemingly in peace, and make a War Feast, killing a Number of Hogs for the Warriors, and sometimes make a human Sacrifice & Next morning repair to the Appointed Ground. They are always attended by inspired priests who before they come to the Charge encourage them to Fight manfully and there is no fear of Victory and Spirits them up by blowing their Conch Shells which they always use on these Occasions having a bamboo tube which they blow through like a Trumpet. They always send or offer conditions of Peace to those which are deemd the weakest party which if they refuse & they are Worsted they are drove from their posessions and the Conquering Chief puts a Subordinate Chief of his own in to Command the Conquered Country and if the Vanquishd people will promise to pay obedience to the New Chief they are permitted to remain and enjoy their lands as before, but this they seldom will do, they having so great an affection for their Chiefs that they had rather partake of his disgrace and loose their Estates then enjoy their property under another. Should they act otherwise they would be very meanly lookd on, be made a by word among their Countrymen, and their lives be a torment to them afterwards.
They take No Captives nor give any quarter, unless a man falls in with one who has formerly been His adopted friend, a breach of which they were never known to make — they are not forced to Fight any longer then they please, and a man never obtains the Name of a Warrior tho he kills his Man, should he receive any wound himself, as they think that a Man Who suffers himself to be wounded does not know how to defend himself, and tis more Honor to return with whole bones then broken ones. Tho they are not Imediately under the Authority of the Chief in Battle, yet they Fight furiously knowing that in case of being Vanquishd they loose all their posessions. Yet tho this seems of small account where it is but ask and have, yet they all prefer the having
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Indigenous Histories |  |
© Derived from the 1935 Print Edition edited by Owen Rutter, page 174, 2004
Published by kind permission of the Library
To cite this page use: https://paulturnbull.org/project/southseas/journals/-morrison-045.html