The Walbu women were not only well treated by their husbands,
but they were highly respected. The men performed the agricultural
labour, and attended to the fishing operations ; the women managed
all the domestic affairs ; they did the cooking, took care of the children ;
prepared the tapa clotb, wove rush mats and rush bags, and knotted
fishing nets. The men were by no means jealous and readily yielded
up their wives to strangers for an adequate compensation ; and young
girls were at full liberty to favour their lovers and dispose of their
person at pleasure without losing caste among their class, or being
exposed to the censure of public opinion. 1 Some girls refused to be
bound to a man by marriage, but preferred to become public hetaeras
to enable them to offer their charms to their favourite lovers ; and on
account of their accommodating disposition they were very highly
respected. Adultery was very frequent, but the seducer generally
disguised himself by wearing the female costume, 2 and he perpetrated
the deed of wickedness without being detected. If the guilty parties
were caught in the act, and the woman was the wife of a chief she
was killed either by her husband or by his brother ; but ordinarily she
was simply flogged, and sometimes she was repudiated. The marriage
relation had no binding validity, for both the husband and wife could
declare that the union was dissolved, and henceforth they ceased to be
man and wife. Children were betrothed at an early age by their
respective parents, and the consent of the parties directly interested
was never asked. Polygamy was not practised, for as the number of
women did not equal that of the men, it was considered a good fortune
to secure even one wife. Social position and rank were important
considerations in concluding a marriage alliance. As soon as the
arrangements for a nuptial union were completed the young husband
tattooed on his breast the figure of a vulva as an indication that he



1 They offered their favours to all those who made them a present, and the men
insisted that their offers should be accepted. Some of them showed by example the
pleasure they were able to procure, and while the women were teasing our men they
snatched away our hats and picked the handkerchiefs out of our pockets. 