Journal of Edwin H. Bryan, Jr. while with the Whitney Expedition of the American Museum of Natural History on the schooner France, February to October 1924
Page 273
Image from the Biodiversity Heritage Library. Contributed by American Museum of Natural History. | www.biodiversitylibrary.org
Transcription
Roll 36:2 Native climbing a tall coconut palm after green nuts to open for me. With typical kou, puka vai, puka vaka, and noni trees behind. Roll 36:3 How the banana plants are enclosed in mulch, protected by covering (11430) of coconut husks to conserve moisture. Talotalo plants on left. Roll 36:4 A typical large taro patch. The smaller arrow-head shaped variety (11431) is called tamupolaka. Saw a small dark-red brown sphinx moth hanging to the under side of a kou branch, but failed to catch him. Ran across three boys related to the owner of the island, who presented me with a bunch of bananas, shared my lunch and entertained me with a Siva. Roll 36:5 The three small boys doing a Siva, with the native man, Hono and two children looking on. Roll 36:6 (Overexposed) Their canoe, in which we sailed back to Fakafo. On the way back I asked them the names of parts of the canoe and other common objects to get a sample of the Tokelau language. Common Tokelau Words Parts of the canoe:- Paddle - foi, bailer - tata, outrigger - ama, canoe proper - nafoa, sail - la, mast - tela, side of canoe - vaka, seat - foa, crospieces to outrigger - kiato, and little uprights - tutuki, prop for the mast (which rests at an acute angle) - toku, guy rope - tuku, sheet - fafa, cord holding outrigger to canoe - kafa, loops of line holding sail to mast - fakafo. Other Common Words Hat, - pualo, husked coconut - sua, cemetery - te afua, fishing - sisi, coconut husk - pulu, sea - te tai, boy - tama, girl - te imi, coral - fatu, sand - noone, sea slug - loli, lagoon - ika, cloud - lagi, schooner - lualua, lavalava - kie, camera - ueata, shirt - fofutino, house - fale, coral head - punga, take said down - tulu tuku. Back to the government house and attended a meeting of the chiefs and old men. Roll 37:1 Government house, with chiefs etc.:- left to right Aviu (chief) Apete (11432) (chief) Seanoa (Magistrate), Veniale (chief), Lemaka (chief of police, Uikilifi (Capt. of military company).