The author, in the original 1851 edition of this book,
wanted to be known only as "A Lady."
She was, in fact, Mary Davis Wallis, wife of well-known sea
captain Benjamin Wallis of Salem, Massachusetts. During the 1840s and early
1850s this florid, forceful Yankee captain dominated the dangerous but
lucrative Fiji-Manila trade in beche-de-mer -- otherwise known as sea
cucumber
Fortunately for posterity, but to the wonder of his fellow
trading captains and frustration of his crew, Captain Wallis took his
piously eccentric wife voyaging to the Fiji's from 1844-1849 aboard the bark
Zotoff.
Mary Wallis has a lot to say about native life. Her account
is always lively, sometimes feminist, and usually opinionated. She wasn't
always appreciated by her husband's crew, either. On one of the many
occasions when their boat was boarded by natives eager to trade, she
observed
The whole conduct of this people was boisterous, rude,
and immodest in the extreme. The girls came on board for the vilest of
purposes, but stated that the purposes were not accomplished, as the
sailors were afraid of "Captain's Woman."
She often alludes to practices "too horrible to
describe," but what she includes is graphic enough. She spend much of
her time, for example, with practicing cannibals.
...dead bodies were brought to Bau as often as twice
and sometimes three times in a week.. They were taken to a "buri"
where a chief named Rotuimbau divided them, after which they were cooked,
and then each portion sent to its destination. If they had more than could
be devoured in Bau, portions were sent to other towns. The hearts and
tongues are considered the choicest parts, and are claimed by the cheifs.
The hands are usually given to the children.
Captain Wallis played a central role in Fiji history through
his dealings with high Fijian chiefs, but his wife also left her indelible
mark on Fiji. Even today Walesi and Merewalesi are popular girl's names.
This is a classic true woman's adventure of the South Seas.
|
View Large