Identifier: islandsfarawayfi00king (find matches)
Title: Islands far away; Fijian pictures with pen and brush
Year: 1921 (1920s)
Authors: King, Agnes Gardner
Subjects: Fiji -- Description and travel
Publisher: London : Sifton, Praed & Co.
Contributing Library: University of California Libraries
Digitizing Sponsor: MSN

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one enters. The perfect sim-plicity, the symmetry, the fine proportions, and the tastefuland harmonious use of natural materials, satisfy the mind likebeautiful Gothic or Norman architecture, and it is very sadto think how ephemeral these buildings must necessarily be.There is nothing used in the construction which can defy time,,and a house only lasts ten or fifteen years, or at the mosttwenty years. The whole house is constructed without the use of a singlenail, all the joints and beams and cross bars being carefullyfitted and bound together wdth sinnet, a strong string madeof coconut fibre. The natural colour of the string varies,from light terra cotta to deep rich brown, and when soakedin the muddy ooze of the sluggish streams, it takes a goodblack. In binding, these colours are skilfully worked togetherso as to form symmetrical and beautiful patterns, in greatvariety, and, each town having its own design, the design in-dicates the habitat of the artificer. Sometimes a hundred or
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X fc-Ji^fSJ-jf! 26 Islands Far Away. more men are employed at one time in building a house, andhow they manage to work without hopelessly incommodingeach other is a mystery. When a house is to be built, the chief sends round to hispeople in the various surrounding villages and commands themto come and do it. If a council house, or chiefs house, or anj^house of importance be required, with much elaborate work-manship, workers are brought in large numbers and from veryconsiderable distances. They get no pay, but are handsomelyprovided for, as long as they are at work. They enjoy itimmensely, and do not hurry, so it often proves a very ex-pensive business, and when at last they finish and go home,there is not much left to eat in the town. The place mighthave been swept by a swarm of locusts, only that the locustswould have spared the pigs, while the builders clear off thesetoo. Tree trunks and branches form the frame work of all thehouses. These are not cut or squared, but only barked an

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