Joseph Banks - Endeavour journal, 25 August 1768 - 12 July 1771 - No. 0379
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[Page 379]
Ulhietea
August 1769
their cloth these the people opned with some perswasion & in them we found complete skulls with their lower jaw bones in their proper places perhaps these were the skulls of those of the victorious party who died in battle & the jaw bones fastnd on the outside were those of the conquerd but for this conjecture I had no authority from the Indians who seemd to avoid as much as possible any questions upon the subject.
3. This day went along shore in the opposite direction to that we took yesterday intending to spend most of our time in purchasing stock which we have always found the people readyer to part with at their houses & selling cheaper than at the market. in the course of our walk we met a set of stroling dancers Calld by the Indians Heiva who detaind us 2 hours & during all that time entertaind us highly indeed They consisted of 3 drums 2 women dancers & 6 men these Tupia tells us go round the Island as we have seen the little Heivas do at Otahite but differ from those in that most of the people here are principal people of which assertion we had in the case of one of the women an undoubted proof
I shall first describe their dresses & then their dances the women had on their heads a quantity of Tamou or plaited hair which was rolled & between the interstices of which it flowers of Gardenia were stuck making a head dress truly Elegant Their shoulders arms & breasts as low as their arms were bare below this they were coverd with one roll of black cloth & under each shoulder was placd a bunch of black feathers much as our ladies