Identifier: persiangulfsouth00boeh (find matches)
Title: The Persian Gulf and South Sea Isles
Year: 1904 (1900s)
Authors: Boehm, Edgar Collins, Sir, bart., 1869-
Subjects: Persian Gulf Region -- Description and travel Oceania -- Description and travel
Publisher: London : Horace Cox
Contributing Library: University of California Libraries
Digitizing Sponsor: MSN

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g the bottom like gaudy Persianrugs; huge masses of coral like petrifiedsponges, of pink, brown, blue, and green, formhomes for several kinds of fish, one of themost conspicuous and lovely being a tiny fishabout the size of our minnow, which swim inshoals of a dozen or so, of the most exquisitebright sapphire blue, which in the sun becomesa soft turquoise green; there are also manyothers of various hues and sizes, the wholeforming a scene of ever changing colour, whichbecomes more fascinating the longer you gaze,taking you into a new world. It is with diffi-culty you are able to tear yourself away from thisenchanting miniature forest of maritime wonders.Another sight to see in Samoa is thenational dance called the Siva-Siva.There is a similar dance to be seen in theHawaian Islands called the Hula, whichis described in Over the World inthe notes on those islands, but it does notcome up in any way to the Siva ofSamoa. A party of about a dozen ofus witnessed the dance after dinner; lamps
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A Samoan Girl. Samoa. 143 were dotted about the lawn, which were,however, unnecessary, as the moon was atthe full, mats were spread out, on whichsquatted cross-legged a number of men andwomen—these were a sort of orchestra andchorus—then in the front rank sat eight natives,in the middle the prima donna, a pretty girl ofabout eighteen, daughter of a chief. On herhead she wore a curious metal arrangement, theshape and about the size of a violin ; her hairwas dyed auburn, a long necklace of red shellswas round her neck, and she wore around herwaist a short liki, or girdle of dried grassstained black, which came about half-way downher thighs, otherwise from her shoulders to herfeet she was quite naked, as were all the othergirls in the front rank. Their hair hung downtheir bare backs and their skins shone like glassfrom the plentiful supply of cocoa-nut oil whichthey always rub well over their bodies. It is apity that the women do this so much, as whenyou are near them the? smell is o

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