Joseph Banks - Endeavour Journal, 25 August 1768 - 12 July 1771 - No. 0326
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[Page 326]
Otahite
granted tomorrow therefore I am to be smutted from head to foot & to do whatever they desire me to do. Bread fruit has for some time been scarce with us about 10 days ago the trees were thinnd all at once from their being a great shew of fruit every one was employd in making Mahie for about a week where the breadfruit we now have comes from we cannot tell but we have more than the woods in our neighbourhood can supply us with probably our consumption has thinnd the trees in this neighbourhood as the Dolphins who came here about this time saw great plenty all the time they stayd if this is the case what we now get may be brought from some neigbouring place where the inhabitants are trees are not yet exhausted
10. This evening according to my yesterdays engagement I went to the place where the medua Lay where I found Tubourai Tamio Hoona the Meduas daughter & a young Indian prepard to receive me Tubourai was the Heiva the three others & myself were to Nineveh he put on his dress most Fantastical tho not unbecoming the figure annexd will explain it far better than words can. I was next prepard by stripping off my European cloths & putting me on a small strip of cloth round my waist the only garment I was allowd to have but I had no pretensions to be ashamd of my nakedness for neither of the women were a bit more coverd than myself they then began to smut me & themselves with charcoal & water the Indian boy was compleatly black the women & myself as low as our shoulders we then set out Tubourai began by praying twice one near the Corps again near his own house we then proceeded towards the fort it was nesscessary it seems that