For some reason, unknown to the ordinary layman3, the Church has taken a dislike to nearly all forms of savage4 dancing, and many missionaries5, brave and good fellows though they be, have seen evil in these performances where other less cultivated men have seen nothing that suggests immorality6. But often what appears immoral7 to the Western mind is quite free from any such suggestion to the mind of the savage. I do not say that these natives are paragons8 of virtue9 and morality, but in deference10 to them it is only fair to say that they stick to their code of morals, though it is not ours and may seem rather lax to us.
A KAIVAKUKU, RORO TRIBE, CENTRAL DIVISION, BRITISH NEW GUINEA
Owing no doubt to the missionaries disliking certain dances, the natives are now very shy about permitting a white man to witness them; some, however, can still be seen, and these I will try {49} to describe. There are several different dances in New Guinea, all distinct in their movements, in the costumes worn at them, and the music accompanying them; there are the war dances, the marriage dances, the fishing, festival and agricultural dances, and for all these the costumes vary, some of them being unique, for there is no island in the world which can rival its assortment11 of ceremonial regalia. In some of the dances the women are most strangely attired12, whilst in others the grotesque13 costumes of the men are startling.
When the fish dance, or any other semi-religious dance is to be held the men wear masks, for the making of which they are famous, and then the performance is indeed weird14. In the Mekko district, south-east of Port Moresby, most elaborate masks of hideous15 design cover the heads of the dancers, whilst their bodies are concealed16 by capes18 which are nearly two feet thick and cover the wearer completely, leaving only the lower part of the legs visible, and these, in contrast to the bulk above, look strangely thin and out of place. The heat and weight of these costumes must be enormous, but the natives would undergo any discomfort19 rather than be without them.
The masks, which vary in shape and size, are {50} generally not shorter than three or four feet, and occasionally they run to six or seven. They are held in position on the man’s head by a cross-bar which he grips between his teeth, and they are constructed on canework frames, and shaped like an enormous hock bottle. A thin bark covering is stretched over the frame, which is then completely smeared20 with white lime, and a hideous face is generally worked or painted on the front of it, with the mouth and eyes enormously big and distorted. When one considers that these masks and their attendant costumes are also used for blackmailing dances their thorough ugliness is warranted.
Blackmailing is a favourite pastime, and when they are intent on it they don their ugliest masks and steal round to the hut of the man or woman from whom they wish to extort21 money, or frighten, and in the dim moonlight begin a weird and unearthly dance accompanied by horrible noises, which they continue until the desired effect has been obtained, and the man is frightened out of his wits and ready to agree to his assailant’s proposals. This dance is closely allied22 to the dook-dook dance of New Britain. In New Guinea when the mask and cape17 are worn the steps of the dance are slow, and the movements are supposed to be majestic23 and {51} awe-inspiring, making the performances more like stately processions than dances. One of the most interesting of these is the festival dance for a successful agricultural season. It is considered a kind of prayer to the gods of agriculture, and it generally takes place once a year and is conducted by different tribes on each anniversary.
HARVEST DANCE, NEW GUINEA
When the yams and bananas are ripe, the natives hold a celebration, in which as a rule men dance in close formation with the girls on the flanks. Occasionally a girl edges her way in and takes the arm of a man, as is seen in the illustration, where the red head-dresses are those of women. The white plumes24 of the men denote that they have slain25 an enemy in single combat. The streamers down the back of the man on the left are those of his head fillet. Behind the dancers are the bananas suspended on a scaffold. The celebration takes place in the summer.
The dancing ground having been picked, the villagers squat26 by their huts, or form a large ring on the ground, and then when all is ready a troop of men strangely dressed, each carrying his drum, comes prancing27 on to the ground.
From the back of their heads long waving strings28, made of leaves, are hung, flying out behind them and touching29 the ground. Their woolly hair is gaily30 festooned with bright-coloured feathers, white and red, pure white, pure red, and reddish brown and green; and above these there is often a brilliant red cockade which stands straight up.
Armlets adorn31 their arms, and a narrow belt with a scanty32 attachment34 suffices for the covering of the lower part of their bodies. Long streamers of palm leaves hang, in some cases, from both armlets and leglets. Their drums are also gaily decorated with strings and streamers.
On arrival on the ground they form up in rows {52} and begin a peculiar35 crouching36 movement by bending their knees and rising on toe and heel, to the accompaniment of a monotonous37 dull thumping38 on the drums. Every now and then a different beat is sounded, and instantly the men change their positions. Whilst this peculiar shuffling39 movement is going on a crowd of girls appears and begin to dance in and out among the men, and then vanish again almost as quickly as they appeared. Their costumes are equally quaint40, the chief adornment41 being a mat hung round their waists and open on one side. The remaining portions of their bodies are nude42, with the exception of necklaces and curious feather adornments on their heads.
Fine creatures some of them are, and as they prance43 about in striking attitudes, dodging44 in and out of the rows of men, swaying their skirts backwards45 and forwards, they present a fascinating picture and, as they warm to the dance, the continued shuffling movements of the men, the swirling46 of the women’s skirts, their swaying bodies, and glimpses of elaborately tattooed47 legs, and the measured beating of the drums, the only sound that breaks the silence, a giddiness steals over the spectators and a weird feeling of monotony takes hold of them.
READY FOR THE DUBU DANCE
{53}
Then suddenly the whole scene will change, the girls, who a few seconds before were swirling round the men, vanish, the drumming ceases, the long rows are broken up, and the men too disappear, leaving only the crowd of eager spectators who remain gazing at nothing.
A wonder comes into one’s mind if it is all a dream, for throughout the whole dance no sound has escaped the performers, and the silence and the half-darkness produce a scene of peculiar uncanniness. But soon all is movement again and other performances have to be gone through. New figures are introduced as in our round dances, but there seem to be no set places for the girls; they appear and dance independently in and out of the rows of men as if to show off their fine figures, their beautiful skins, and bewitching ways, some dancing and acting48 more or less demurely49, whilst others throw themselves about with an abandonment and coyness that it would take a most practised Western flirt50 to excel.
Every attitude and every movement seem to be accompanied by an action of the apron51 or skirt, which is swerving52 with a perfect rhythm backwards and forwards, or from side to side. But this is not the women’s dance, they are merely adjuncts to the performance and use their admission to it more for {54} love-making than anything else. Their real dance comes later when they mount the Dubu, and this is the dance so strongly objected to by the missionaries, but, strange to say, the natives themselves seem to take very little interest in it; they call it “the dance belong women”; and were it such an immoral proceeding53, surely the men would crowd to see it.
The ordinary Dubu is a rough platform about four feet high and built upon stout54 piles. More elaborate ones are to be seen in some districts, and these are decorated with weird designs and strange carvings55, with flanges56 reaching out right and left and long beams carved like gigantic bullocks’ horns and decorated with gaudy57 tassels58 that add a quaintness59 to them; they stand some ten feet off the ground, whilst others have posts rising fifteen feet above the ground and ending in a half-moon design, but these bigger ones are not used for the girls to dance on, but are kept for ceremonial purposes.
THE DUBU AT RIGO, BRITISH NEW GUINEA
A score of girls, dressed up to the nines in their twine60 skirts (reaching about as far down as a Parisian ballet girl’s dancing costume) and completely tattooed, suddenly begin prancing through the village, swinging in their hands a long string at the end of which is a ball. By practised movements {55} they make it curve in grotesque shapes around their bodies, and all the time this is going on they are swinging their skirts backwards and forwards by a peculiar movement of their bodies, from their waists. This extraordinary performance of pirouetting maidens61 goes on for some time to the accompaniment of drums. Then, at a given signal, they mount the Dubu and discard their skirts, and stand unadorned before the spectators who, as I said before, are nearly all women. Then married women anoint them, whilst others bring them baskets of areca nuts and yams. The yams they cut up in pieces, and whilst doing so go through graceful62 movements which display their figures to the best advantage. Then suddenly, at another given signal, they start pelting63 the onlookers64 with the nuts, which are scrambled65 for by the women amid laughter and screams of delight; they are like children at a fair, and almost as simple. When all the nuts are finished the girls slip on their skirts and jump down, and so ends this, the most terrible dance of the modest maids of Papua. There is another famous dance which takes place on the departure of the Lakatois for the annual trading expedition up the Gulf66.
Professor Haddon, in his book the Head Hunters, relates an amusing thing he saw at Veifaa, {56} of which this dress incident reminds me. He says that though the natives in this place are never seen in any but native costume, the missionaries have insisted on the women wearing calico gowns whilst attending divine service, and it was an amusing sight, he continues, to see the girls and women arriving at the church, for—on entering the courtyard—they pulled these European costumes over their half-nude bodies; but it was still more comic to see the way they pulled themselves out of them directly the service was over. He adds, that in spite of their scant33 clothes and the above peculiarity67, the women are extremely modest.
Tattooing68 cannot be said to be as general in New Guinea as in many other places, but in some districts the women are particularly well tattooed, the whole of the upper part of their bodies being completely covered with intricate designs. The methods of making the patterns vary, but as a rule, the woman lies on the ground whilst two others work them out with a stick dipped in burnt resin69. When the whole is finished it is pricked70 in by means of a sharp thorn attached to a stick and bound tightly to it with fibre. Most of the women have extraordinary designs on their thighs71, which they make a point of showing when they are dancing.
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1
blackmailing
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| 胁迫，尤指以透露他人不体面行为相威胁以勒索钱财( blackmail的现在分词 ) | |
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censured
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| v.指责，非难，谴责( censure的过去式 ) | |
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layman
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| n.俗人，门外汉，凡人 | |
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savage
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| adj.野蛮的；凶恶的，残暴的；n.未开化的人 | |
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missionaries
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| n.传教士( missionary的名词复数 ) | |
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immorality
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| n. 不道德, 无道义 | |
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immoral
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| adj.不道德的，淫荡的，荒淫的，有伤风化的 | |
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paragons
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| n.模范( paragon的名词复数 )；典型；十全十美的人；完美无缺的人 | |
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virtue
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| n.德行，美德；贞操；优点；功效，效力 | |
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deference
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| n.尊重，顺从；敬意 | |
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assortment
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| n.分类，各色俱备之物，聚集 | |
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12
attired
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| adj.穿着整齐的v.使穿上衣服，使穿上盛装( attire的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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13
grotesque
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| adj.怪诞的，丑陋的；n.怪诞的图案，怪人（物） | |
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weird
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| adj.古怪的，离奇的；怪诞的，神秘而可怕的 | |
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hideous
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| adj.丑陋的，可憎的，可怕的，恐怖的 | |
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concealed
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| a.隐藏的，隐蔽的 | |
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cape
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| n.海角，岬；披肩，短披风 | |
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capes
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| 碎谷； 斗篷( cape的名词复数 )； 披肩； 海角； 岬 | |
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19
discomfort
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| n.不舒服，不安，难过，困难，不方便 | |
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20
smeared
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| 弄脏； 玷污； 涂抹； 擦上 | |
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extort
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| v.勒索，敲诈，强要 | |
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allied
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| adj.协约国的；同盟国的 | |
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23
majestic
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| adj.雄伟的，壮丽的，庄严的，威严的，崇高的 | |
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24
plumes
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| 羽毛( plume的名词复数 )； 羽毛饰； 羽毛状物； 升上空中的羽状物 | |
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25
slain
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| 杀死，宰杀，杀戮( slay的过去分词 )； (slay的过去分词) | |
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26
squat
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| v.蹲坐，蹲下；n.蹲下；adj.矮胖的，粗矮的 | |
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27
prancing
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| v.（马）腾跃( prance的现在分词 ) | |
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strings
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| n.弦 | |
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29
touching
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| adj.动人的，使人感伤的 | |
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30
gaily
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| adv.欢乐地，高兴地 | |
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31
adorn
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| vt.使美化，装饰 | |
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32
scanty
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| adj.缺乏的，仅有的，节省的，狭小的，不够的 | |
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33
scant
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| adj.不充分的，不足的；v.减缩，限制，忽略 | |
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34
attachment
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| n.附属物，附件；依恋；依附 | |
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peculiar
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| adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的 | |
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36
crouching
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| v.屈膝，蹲伏( crouch的现在分词 ) | |
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monotonous
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| adj.单调的，一成不变的，使人厌倦的 | |
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38
thumping
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| adj.重大的，巨大的；重击的；尺码大的；极好的adv.极端地；非常地v.重击(thump的现在分词)；狠打；怦怦地跳；全力支持 | |
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39
shuffling
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| adj. 慢慢移动的, 滑移的 动词shuffle的现在分词形式 | |
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40
quaint
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| adj.古雅的，离奇有趣的，奇怪的 | |
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41
adornment
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| n.装饰；装饰品 | |
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42
nude
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| adj.裸体的；n.裸体者，裸体艺术品 | |
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43
prance
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| v.（马）腾跃，(人)神气活现地走 | |
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44
dodging
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| n.避开，闪过，音调改变v.闪躲( dodge的现在分词 )；回避 | |
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45
backwards
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| adv.往回地，向原处，倒，相反，前后倒置地 | |
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46
swirling
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| v.旋转，打旋( swirl的现在分词 ) | |
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47
tattooed
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| v.刺青，文身( tattoo的过去式和过去分词 )；连续有节奏地敲击；作连续有节奏的敲击 | |
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48
acting
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| n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的 | |
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49
demurely
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| adv.装成端庄地，认真地 | |
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50
flirt
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| v.调情，挑逗，调戏；n.调情者，卖俏者 | |
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51
apron
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| n.围裙；工作裙 | |
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52
swerving
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| v.（使）改变方向，改变目的( swerve的现在分词 ) | |
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53
proceeding
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| n.行动，进行，(pl.)会议录，学报 | |
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55
carvings
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| n.雕刻( carving的名词复数 )；雕刻术；雕刻品；雕刻物 | |
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56
flanges
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| n.（机械等的）凸缘，（火车的）轮缘( flange的名词复数 ) | |
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57
gaudy
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| adj.华而不实的；俗丽的 | |
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58
tassels
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| n.穗( tassel的名词复数 )；流苏状物；（植物的）穗；玉蜀黍的穗状雄花v.抽穗， （玉米）长穗须( tassel的第三人称单数 )；使抽穗， （为了使作物茁壮生长）摘去穗状雄花；用流苏装饰 | |
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59
quaintness
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| n.离奇有趣，古怪的事物 | |
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60
twine
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| v.搓，织，编饰；（使）缠绕 | |
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61
maidens
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| 处女( maiden的名词复数 )； 少女； 未婚女子； （板球运动）未得分的一轮投球 | |
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62
graceful
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| adj.优美的，优雅的；得体的 | |
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63
pelting
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| 微不足道的，无价值的，盛怒的 | |
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64
onlookers
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| n.旁观者，观看者( onlooker的名词复数 ) | |
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65
scrambled
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| v.快速爬行( scramble的过去式和过去分词 )；攀登；争夺；（军事飞机）紧急起飞 | |
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66
gulf
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| n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂 | |
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67
peculiarity
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| n.独特性，特色；特殊的东西；怪癖 | |
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68
tattooing
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| n.刺字，文身v.刺青，文身( tattoo的现在分词 )；连续有节奏地敲击；作连续有节奏的敲击 | |
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69
resin
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| n.树脂，松香，树脂制品；vt.涂树脂 | |
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70
pricked
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| 刺，扎，戳( prick的过去式和过去分词 )； 刺伤； 刺痛； 使剧痛 | |
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71
thighs
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| n.股，大腿( thigh的名词复数 )；食用的鸡（等的）腿 | |
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