Fishing.

Throughout the coral islands of the Pacific fish abound. So plentiful a food supply do they furnish that these specks of land have been able to support a population paralleled alone in density by the cities of civilisation. The two staples upon which human life in every atoll archipelago depends, and around which cluster their distinctive myths, traditions, customs, manners and habits, are fish and coconut.

Skilful fishermen as are the Ellice Islanders, they are surpassed by the inhabitants of the Northern Groups, who having less cultivatable land are probably even more dependent upon their dexterity for their livelihood. They employ in fishing, hooks and line, nets, crab-pots, and torch and spear.

Various hooks (which will later be described more fully in the appropriate section) were designed for different methods of angling. Large wooden hooks were baited with split fish and sunk scores of fathoms for the "palu" and other deep sea fish. Pearl shell hooks "bawonga," were trailed unbaited over the surface to tempt the bonito with their gleaming nacre. Large almost ringed hooks, the "matou tifa," were formerly carved out of pearl shell or hard coral, but these have passed out of use. Though special modes of fishing, as for palu and bonito, still engage the ancient types of hooks used by past generations, yet for ordinary sport the metal hooks of Europeans are in great demand and constant use. European fishing lines I did not see used, the (probably superior) native cord of Broussonetia being invariably employed. A favourite bait is the scarlet hermit crab which may be at any time gathered ensconced in a borrowed Turbo shell, among coral blocks and palm debris in the most barren parts of the islet. This in Funafuti is known as the "ounga koula," Mr. Whitelegge calls it Cenobita olivieri. My tutor in Funafuti fishing taught me to tie the crab bait securely to the hook with English thread.

An extraordinary bait, attractive where all others failed was the ink of the "Feki" or Sepia. This was preserved, dried to the consistency of tar, and before using was moistened with kerosene; it was esteemed more fatal if a little European perfume were added. For use, this was just smeared on the tip of an unbarbed hook. It was with some incredulity that I first received this; but experience soon showed that when fishing, not "for the pot," but for the Museum collecting drum, I could obtain numerous dainty species which declined a free passage to Sydney when lured by any ordinary bait. Fish are often devoured raw the moment they are pulled from the sea.^* The heavy toll taken by friends and relations when a successful angler returns sometimes induces him to snatch a meal while he may.

Two kinds of fishing nets were observed, a seine and a cast net. They were of the type common throughout the Pacific, and are well described by Turner, ^† As has been observed by Moresby in New Guinea, Turner in Samoa, and Guppy in the Solomons,^‡ the mesh and meshing are identical with European modes. A torn net belonging to one of our party was readily repaired by a native.

At low tide on the reef fish were speared by torch light at night. In the lagoon Flaming brands of dry palm attracted the gar fish and flying fish to the canoes. A scene described at Nukunau in the Gilberts by Webster,^† was often mirrored by the Funafuti Lagoon, "In the evening, the Island appeared to be completely illuminated along the margin of the beach; hundreds of little lights were in motion by the water's edge, and dancing in the surf. We presently discovered that the natives were busily employed catching flying fish, torches being carried in the canoes for the purpose of attracting them, when they were caught in scoop nets as they rose to the light." Eels in the shore pools were taken by hoop-nets, "titiesi." The "palolo" worm is not known in the Ellice Group.

A year or two ago considerable quantities of pumice drifted ashore, and the native mind linked this to the fact that a man died after a meal of fish taken on the outer reef. All fish from the outer beach were after this occurrence held to be unwholesome, but the fish from within the lagoon still continued to be eaten. At the time of our visit, it was yet considered unsafe to eat any fish from the ocean beach, though it was believed that at some future date they would again become fit for consumption.

The bright hued labroid fishes are eaten though poorly esteemed. A Giant Ray, Ceratoptera sp., was harpooned in shoal water in the Lagoon; the huge fins were cut off to make a meal for the families of its captors. As previously noted the barracouta in. former days was sacred to the priests. On Arorae in the Gilberts the Rev. W. W. Gill records in his Diary that sacred fish only eaten by the priests were the shark and the turtle.

Te ulu o te Fonu e soa,
Te ikamua e soa,
Te ikamuli e soa,
Te vaesiosio e soa,
Te alaya mua e soa,
Te matua tinae e soa,
Te pulou e soa,
Te matua tua e soa,
Te gakau e soa,
Te laukape e soa,
Te fatumanava e soa,
Te ate e soa,
Te mama e soa,
E kiukiu te fua.

For the following translation of the above I am indebted to Mr. John O'Brien, the resident trader:—

Incantation to Turtle.
The head of the turtle is alike,
The two fore flappers are alike,
The two hind flappers are alike,
The white and the green fats are alike,
The heart is alike,
The belly shell is alike,
The back shell is alike,
The guts are alike,
The yellow fat is alike,
The heart is alike,
The rump is alike,
The lights are alike,
Thousands and thousands of eggs.

At Tonga Mariner tells us that, "Turtle are considered almost a prohibited food, at least very few will venture to eat them without first offering a portion to some god, or sending some to any chief that may be at hand."^*

At Daudai, New Guinea, "Everything is eaten without regard to persons or occasions except the flesh of the porpoise."^†

Porpoises^‡ are occasionally captured by the men in a fleet of canoes, who drive a shoal of them to the beach in front of the village, and when penned in shallow water the women wade into the sea and haul them ashore. It is impossible, I am told, to grasp a porpoise by the tail, but by putting an arm round the animal's head, it may be dragged ashore with ease. Some women even capture two at once, and with one tucked under each arm successfully land them.

The following graphic description is from the pen of Dr. Gill:^§ "Shoals of porpoises are occasionally driven ashore by the Penrhyn Islanders; they think it poor fun if the result is less than four or five porpoises apiece. When a shoal comes in sight, as many boats and canoes as they can muster, each carrying large stones, go right out to sea to cut off their retreat. The porpoises are easily driven towards shore by the sight of approaching boats and the shouts of excited natives. On nearing the reef, some of the big stones are dropped into the sea to add to their alarm. Again and again great stones are dropped. When close in, numbers of natives dive down among them, until, in sheer terror, they rush through the boiling surf on the reef, and are at once despatched by those ashore."

With expressions of disgust, the natives received the information that beche-de-mer were eaten in some countries. Unlike the Samoans, the Funafuti Islanders were unacquainted with Echini as articles of food.