IDNO

P.99970.VH

Description

F.H. Dufty studio portrait of a Christian “soldier” or sotia in war or review dress, his only concession to uniform being the Armed Native Constabulary belt with its attached cartridge boxes. This photograph, among others, suggests that the Armed Native Constabulary practise of parading and being reviewed in such garb, as well as its practise of wearing it when on active service, had, like that of its predecessor of the early 1870s, the Royal Army of the Cakobau government, a strong influence that manifests itself in the photographic record of the mid 1870s, particularly at and about the time of the 1876 war, when auxiliary forces were raised in various parts of Fiji to subdue “rebel” Viti Levu highlanders, often passing through Levuka and being reviewed en route. Essentially his dress consists of the usual old time malo loincloth, girded high up under the ribs in the challenging malowala manner and fitted with a looped maloyara train, screened from the hips down by a calf-length liku overskirt. In this case the fringes of his braided black vesasausauwai arm and leg wrappings are liberally beaded about his calves, but left unbeaded about his arms. At his throat is a highly fashionable itaubebatinivuaka or boar tusk pendant. The arcing fretted hair ornament probably mimics the arcing tail feathers of the jungle fowl cock (see also P.99972.VH for this detail). He is holding a totokia club.
Circa 1875-1876. [Fergus Clunie, 14/7/2003]

Physical Condition: Print mounted onto card.

Place

Oceania Polynesia; Fiji; Ovalau Island; Levuka

Cultural Affliation

Named Person

Photographer

Dufty, Francis Herbert (Dufty Brothers, Levuka)

Collector / Expedition

von Hügel, Anatole (Baron)

Date

circa 1875 - 1876

Collection Name

von Hügel Collection

Source

von Hügel, Anatole (Baron)

Format

Print Black & White Mounted

Primary Documentation

Other Information

P.99726.VH to P.100050.VH were in the belted folder now numbered C539/3/. This was formerly kept in paper archive Large Box G; VH1/4/5. It has now been transferred to the photo archive. The lists describing the contents of this box have been returned to the Paper Archive.

Related Image: This print or negative appears to be a unique image within the MAA Photograph Collections. [JD 26/1/2012]

This print has been catalogued with the support of the Getty Grant Fund. [A. Nadin, 13/10/2003]