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Historical Records of New Zealand Vol. II.

The Dress of the Inhabitants

The Dress of the Inhabitants.

The men's dress consists of a sort of pelisse made out of a more or less finely woven fibre, and which I consider superior to that of our colines (“Collines,” evidently a missprint for “colonies”). This garment is sometimes trimmed with dogs' hair, and with the feathers of various birds, according to the rank of him who wears it. The pelisse of the chiefs is usually made of dogs' skin, which gives them a great advantage when they use it to ward off the spears. The women's garment is of the same stuff as the men's, but it is differently made. It is a species of mantle which covers the shoulders, and comes down as far as the waist. The women have a second garment which covers their private parts. They are painted like the men, the roots of the hair being daubed with red paint dissolved in fish-oil.

page 473

We have not noticed anything in their dress which stood for a sign of mourning. The only exterior sign exhibited by either sex were incisions which they made upon their faces, from the centre of the forehead up to above the ears.