Man of the Island of Tanna.

Rare engraving from the official British Admiralty sanctioned edition of the accounts of Cook’s second voyage. All other later copies made of this image by other publishers were unauthorised, usually smaller and inferior in quality.

Cook was at Tana between 6 – 20 August 1774.

Portrait of a man of Tana, on Hodges original painting a diagonal bluish stripe is depicted across the forehead and left eye; another across the nose, by rubbing over the chalk with pencil or charcoal.

‘their hair which is a good deal like what the people of the latter Island [i.e. Malekula] have. The general colours are Black and Brown, it grows to a tolerable length and is very crisp and curly: the[y] separate it into small locks and wold or cue them around with the rind of a slender plant down to about an Inch of the ends, and as the hair grows, the wolding is continued. Each of these cues or locks are something thicker than common whip Cord and looks like a parcel of small strings, hanging down from the crown of their heads.’Cooks Journal II, p.503 20 August 1774.

References; Beddie 1381-36, p.267. Joppien p.230, ill. pl.101, p.109

From Cook’s, A Voyage Towards the South Pole, and Round the World, performed in His Majesty’s Ships the ‘Resolution’ and ‘Adventure’, In the Years 1772, 1773, 1774, and 1775.