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[Page 419]

Manners & Customs of South Sea Islands

down upon the ground within a few yards of each other turn their faces different ways & make their meals without saying a word to each other

The women carefully abstain from eating with the men or even any of the victuals that have been prepard for them all their victuals are prepard seperately indifferently I beleive by either men or women by boys & kept in a shed by themselves where they are lookd after by little the same boys who attend them at their meals notwithstanding this when we visited them at their houses the women with whoom we had any particular acquaintance or freindship would constantly ask us to partake of their meals which we often did eating out of the same basket & drinking out of the same cup The old women however would by no means allow the same liberty but would esteem their victuals polluted if we touchd them in some instances I have seen them throw them away when we had inadvertently defil'd them by handling the vessels which containd them

What can be the motive for so unsocial a custom I cannot in any shape guess when ask especialy as they are a people in every other

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