Tree Bark Used Instead of Fig Leaves Since the invasion of the missionaries into the South Sea Islands in the early days, and the! subsequent influx of tourists and settlers, the natives have buried their war clubs and stone hatchets and have endeavoured to pattern after the Palangie (white man) in their dress as well as their customs. This is more true of the larger and more important islands. One can visit the smaller islands and still find, few if any white people, and the natives dressed in their primitive forms.
All of their clothing, in the primitive days, was made from the bark of the trees. Some of their clothing to-day is still made from the bark, but on more modern lines. It takes from 30 to 50 pieces of} bark to make three yards of "tapa"' cloth. The raw bark must be buried in the reef for two weeks to take out all foreign matter and bleach it well. It then requires
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.