[Chapter XV]
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CHAPTER XV.
EMPLOYMENT OF THE WOMEN.--METHODS OF IGNITING WOOD.--RECORDS OF THE OCCUPATION OF THE SEX.--AND ITS ANALOGY TO MARRIAGE.--METHOD OF PROCURING FIRE WHEN TRAVELLING.--FAMILIARITY OF DOMESTIC INTERCOURSE.--PICTURE OF A SLEEPING APARTMENT IN A VILLAGE FAMILY.--PRIMITIVE FURNITURE--EXTRA LODGERS.--CHANTICLEER AND HIS MISTAKES.--VILLAGE SCENES.--DOG CHORUSSES.--PURSUITS OF THE VILLAGERS.--OCCUPATIONS OF THE MEN.--THE TIMBER TRADE.--METHODS OF FELLING HEAVY TREES, AMD CONVEYING THE TRUNKS TO THE WATER.--TIME AND TIDE TO REMOVE THEM.--RIVERS IN NEW ZEALAND.
THE employments of the New Zealand females, are equally performed, by the superior chief or her slaves; 1 with the exception of cooking, cutting
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wood, and fetching water. Their occupation during one day will explain the usual routine throughout their lives; which to a European would be accounted extremely monotonous. The people rise very early, generally before day-break, when a slave is called to bring a fire-stick to light the grateful pipe, which from morning to night is in universal request; this is performed by two pieces of wood being taken out of a basket that hangs in
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the cabin; a groove is hollowed in one stick; the other being pointed; the latter is rubbed to and fro, with much vigour, when a smoke arises from the friction, and soon after ignition takes place. It is rarely that the fires are wholly extinguished in a village, as the people delight in sitting around a cheerful hearth: and it is usual when a family have their fires extinguished to send to their neighbours for some burning embers. Another method of obtaining fire when travelling is to place some priming (powder) in the pan of a musket-lock, closing up the touch-hole, against which a piece of old mat or dried flax is placed (previously made soft by friction), the trigger of the piece is pulled, which communicates some sparks to the novel tinder, and a flame produced by gently waving the flax to and fro. Should the morning be too early, or cold, the villagers sit round a fire in the hut, discussing the intended plans of the day, or relating the past. In addressing each other familiarly, the words friend, (ekoro ,) sir, (emara ,) my love, (ekoma ,} are interchanged, as among people boasting supreme civilization. Let us look around at the interior of a sleeping apartment in a village. At one side a board that formerly appertained to the side of an old canoe is placed on its edge by wooden pins on either side beat into the floors; answering as a division for the beds; the mattresses of which are formed of soft fern, or a couple of mats of rough flax. The sheets consist of a single mat,
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similar to split rattans, and a blanket covers the whole; a small log of wood, or a mat rolled up answers for pillow and bolster. These beds are ranged on each side the cabin floor; no fears disturbing any of the somnolent inmates from falling out. In addition to the parents and children, the favourite dogs are also permitted to sleep in the hut, which is often not above ten feet square, nor are these the only animals who partake of the indulgent caresses of their mistresses, as the upturned snouts of youthful grunters may be seen in contrast with the budding charms of the young ladies; their sleek black hides being closely fondled within arms, certainly fitted for more appropriate heroes. In some villages, English poultry are found, when the inhabitants of the village have the advantage of hearing sounded his shrill early matin, giving the signal to rise. At times this antipodal chanticleer makes a sad mistake in time, by crowing at three o'clock, preceding day-break by a couple of hours; on the natives rising and perceiving all dark before them, (which can only be done by opening the rush door, as the houses rarely have windows, and chimneys have not come into use;) the careless cock is soundly rated (like the ghost of Banquo), for murdering sleep; a bone, or whatever comes nearest to hand, is generally thrown at him, as a reward for deception, which raising the ire of the bird, he revenges himself by crowing with all his might, which is instantly answered by the sluggish
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neighbours of his own species, and thus the war cry "cock-a-doodle-do" resounds from one end of the village to the other, which is imitated by the slaves, who being minus of tobacco, turn to imitation, for want of thought. Such is the scene in the dark almost daily performed in a village at sunrise: the poet truly says
"Man's a strange animal, and makes use
Of his own nature and the various arts,
And likes particularly to produce
Some new experiment to show his parts. "
Don Juan, 1 Cant. 128.
Nor is the chorus confined to man and bird; the dogs (and each family in a village has five or six such retainers,) disturbed from sleep, and probably annoyed at having their own peculiar province invaded; added their brawling "long and loud" to the general chorus; and as some villages possess perhaps not less than five hundred to a thousand of such choristers; the general effect can scarcely be conceived, by any persons who have never experienced a similar serenade. In the season of planting, all the family leave the house before sunrise, and with implements in hand, the spade and hoe, repair to the field of their labour, where they remain all day. At sun-set, all return home, famished, to partake of the evening meal. At ordinary times, at sun-rise, the men pursue their occupations, which vary in manner and method in different districts of the country.
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Where timber is purchased by the Europeans, the proprietor of certain trees or forest land, arranges the price he has to receive in return for a single tree, or a number of trees; providing to deliver the same in the dock or timber-yard of the purchaser, who furnishes the use of blocks, tackles, &c. required to drag the ponderous loads from the forest to the water. The chief then summons his people to attend him to the forest; a survey is made as to the best method to convey the tree to the water; the nearest path, or that which presents least obstacles is chosen, and the road cleared of all small wood, and brush. Various methods are made use of to fell a tree, and when it is considered that many of them have a circumference of thirty feet; it requires some ingenuity to fell such gigantic tenants of the forest, with the simple implements and mechanical tact of the natives. A stage is generally erected about three feet from the ground, when, with a cross-cut saw, the party (chiefs included,) work in turn until the tree is levelled; care being taken to cut in such a manner as will cause the tree to fall nearest to the water. Another method, but of slow progress, is to collect a quantity of dry combustible wood at the base of the tree, and thus set fire to it, feeding the flames until the tree has fallen. This was the earliest method in use for forming canoes, but is now discontinued as the fire hardens the wood too much the cutting it afterwards into plank being a work
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of great difficulty. The usual method is to cut with axes near the base of the tree, when a party in turn are soon able to effect their purpose. They next attend to dragging the spar (tree) through the bush into the water; this consumes much time and labour; small round pieces of timber being laid down as "ways" for the spar to glide over. The time consumed in this work depends principally on the nature of the locality; some trees have taken no less than three months' continual work to remove from the place it has fallen to the water-side. Of late years, about the northern part of the country, the spars nearest to the water-side have been expended; and latterly, when placed in the creeks, it requires the aid of heavy freshes occasioned by long rains, to remove the buoyant timber from the shallow inlets. Great care is also required in performing this seemingly easy performance, as a river or inlet in New Zealand winds in various directions, round the compass 2 and has such acute angles, that often a spar has become fixed across a bend in the river, blocking up the navigation for canoes; and impossible to remove
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unless cut in the centre on annual repetition of another flood. In this manner a raft or single tree is often conveyed some miles down a river, previously to its being placed in the dock of the purchaser; to perform this, the spar-dealer must follow the advice of Shakspeare to "take at the tide the flood that leads to" the sale of his labour. The tides flows generally five hours at the flood, and seven hours at the ebb. The timber-dealer in conducting his raft down the river at flood tide (tai parre, ) drops an anchor, (a heavy piece of wood or bag of stones) at the end of the flood (tai pakoa ) in deep water, that he may be enabled to pursue his route at the finish of the ebb (tai timu .)
