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Name signifys a restless or unsettled Chief — this Societv is composed of a Set of Young Men of Wild, Amorous & Volatile dispositions who from their Infancy devote the youthful part of their lives to Roving, Pleasure & Debauchery. They are continually going from one Island to another and from one District to another in Companys of four or five Hundred together upon Partys of Pleasure, and as Nearly all the Chiefs are of this Society they ever Meet with the best entertainment from them all in their respective districts. So greatly are they indeed respected throughout all the Islands, that if any of the Members take a liking to the Cloaths which they see any person wearing they are never refused them or any thing else they may chuse to Demand, and are always sure to carry off the finest weomen in the Country — The Old Members of this Society are distinguishd by having a black Oval tattow’d under their left Breast, one on the right side of the back below the shoulder, their Legs & thighs entirely blackd from the Ancle to the short ribbs and their arms from the finger ends to the Shoulder — They are always well dressd, with the best Cloth that can be made, their hair Scented and Adorn’d with Various kinds of odoriferous flowers. The Younger Members, and indeed all in general being fond of variety, seldom remain any length of time with one Woman but are Constantly Changing and if any of their Wives prove Pregnant, they go away and leave them immediately on the first discovery, that they may not be obstructed in their future persuit and enjoyment of Pleasure by the domestic cares of a Wife and Child, and as it is deemd highly reproachful for a Child not to know who his Father is (which would be almost impossible in that Society) when they are Pregnant with a Child of which they know not the true Father, to prevent its being treated with Indignity in its passage through Life (and as it could have no inheritance without a Father) it is no sooner born then some one strangles the little innocent and burys it. These Areeuoy ladies of Pleasure easily agree to this as they think that Nursing Children spoils their Beauty in the prime of Youth and debars them from the Happiness of having so many Suitors as before.
If an Areeuoy preserves any of His Children (which they seldom do till they advance in Years & the Fire of their Youthful Passions is a little quench’d) they are not treated with so much respect as when Batchelors & are then denominated Areeuoy fwhanownow or a Childbearing Areeuoy and are not entertaind at the feasts till after the Batchelors are served tho they are always lookd on as part
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Indigenous Histories |  |
© Derived from the 1935 Print Edition edited by Owen Rutter, page 234, 2004
Published by kind permission of the Library
To cite this page use: https://paulturnbull.org/project/southseas/journals/-morrison-109.html