Page 44

Parkinson's Journal

Table of Contents On this day ... 21 - 26 April 1769 Endeavour Voyage Maps James Cook's Journal Ms 1, National Library of Australia Transcript of Cook's Journal Joseph Banks's Journal The authorised published account of Cook's Voyage by John Hawkesworth Otaheite References Index Search Contact us

Otaheite (continued) The cloth, worn by the natives of this island, is of a very singular kind, being made of the bark of a small tree which contains a glutinous juice, some of which we saw in our excursions. The mode of manufacturing it is very simple, though very laborious, and is mostly performed by women. After the bark has been soaked in water for a few days, they lay it upon a flat piece of timber, and beat it out as thin as they think proper with a kind of mallet of an oblong square, [see pl. XIII. fig. 5.] each side of which is cut into small grooves of four different sizes: they begin with that side where they are the largest, and end with the finest, which leaving longitudinal stripes upon the cloth, makes it resemble paper. These people have garments also made of matting, [see pl. IX.] which are chiefly worn in rainy weather. Voyaging Accounts © Derived from the London 1773 edition printed for Stanfield Parkinson, page 18, 2004 Published by kind permission of the Library To cite this page use: https://paulturnbull.org/project/southseas/journals/-parkinson-044.html

</