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BC’s Tales of the Pacific |Arthur Grimble and his concubine
A CONCUBINE is a woman who is given to a man of prominence for his pleasure, whether it be food, companionship, or recreation. In many cultures they are considered substitute wives. Sometimes a man has no interest in a concubine but ends up with one anyway, and Arthur Grimble, a humble middle-class government employee, was the least likely person on earth to have a concubine. So how did he wind up with one?
Just over a hundred years ago, Grimble and his wife, Olivia, were sent to the Gilbert Islands, now Kiribati, as colonial administrators. The Gilberts were part of the British empire at the time, and Grimble shouldered the task of helping both the empire and the islanders improve their lot.
When Olivia became pregnant, the news traveled far across Micronesia. At that time, very few islanders had seen white people and none of them had ever seen a white baby, so the expected birth caused a great sensation. Entire villages made plans to travel to the Grimble’s house to see the white child, and it was during a dinner party late in the pregnancy that Grimble made a most unfortunate error.
He heard that a young island girl named Voice of the Tide liked one of the perfumes that Olivia often wore. In fact, the girl always knew when she used it and complimented her on the lovely fragrance. Grimble then presented her with a small bottle of it as a gift, and the girl’s reaction was a mix of delight and nervous anticipation.
The next evening, Voice of the Tide showed up unexpectedly at the Grimble house, crying and dejected. “I come to speak. I come to say…”
“What is it, Voice of the Tide, what is the matter? Why are you crying? Are you hurt?”
The young girl said she understood what was meant by the gift of the perfume. The Grimbles had chosen her to be Arthur’s concubine. She explained that, when a woman is in the final stages of pregnancy, she often chooses a single woman from the village to be her husband’s nightly companion, to look after his, well, needs since the robust wife could not. Such things must be handled with delicacy and tact, so a small gift is given to the woman to indicate who the wife had picked. The whole village took this as the meaning of the perfume. No dignified girl would refuse such a high honor, and in fact no girl ever had in the history of the Gilbert Islands.
Voice of the Tide went on to explain that it was quite an honor to be picked, but she had a boyfriend already, and they planned to marry soon. Serving as a concubine for Grimble, no matter how it came about, just would not do. She was in a fit over how to solve the dilemma.
The Grimbles explained as tactfully as possible that no such meaning accompanied the perfume. In fact, they were entirely ignorant of the custom of choosing a concubine; otherwise, they would not have given the gift, waiting until after the birth instead.
“But what of Mr. Grimble?” the girl asked. Who would take care of his nightly needs? Arthur explained that he was quite capable of surviving the remaining weeks of the pregnancy as a celibate, but he appreciated the offer just the same. He asked Voice of the Tide if she did not have a sweetheart, would she have felt differently about it. She replied, “You are very kind, but…” and burst into giggles.
Some sentences are better left unfinished.
BC Cook, PhD lived on Saipan and has taught history for 20 years. He currently resides on the mainland U.S.
BC’s Tales of the Pacific |Arthur Grimble and his concubine
A CONCUBINE is a woman who is given to a man of prominence for his pleasure, whether it be food, companionship, or recreation. In many cultures they are considered substitute wives. Sometimes a man has no interest in a concubine but ends up with one anyway, and Arthur Grimble, a humble middle-class government employee, was the least likely person on earth to have a concubine. So how did he wind up with one?
Just over a hundred years ago, Grimble and his wife, Olivia, were sent to the Gilbert Islands, now Kiribati, as colonial administrators. The Gilberts were part of the British empire at the time, and Grimble shouldered the task of helping both the empire and the islanders improve their lot.
When Olivia became pregnant, the news traveled far across Micronesia. At that time, very few islanders had seen white people and none of them had ever seen a white baby, so the expected birth caused a great sensation. Entire villages made plans to travel to the Grimble’s house to see the white child, and it was during a dinner party late in the pregnancy that Grimble made a most unfortunate error.
He heard that a young island girl named Voice of the Tide liked one of the perfumes that Olivia often wore. In fact, the girl always knew when she used it and complimented her on the lovely fragrance. Grimble then presented her with a small bottle of it as a gift, and the girl’s reaction was a mix of delight and nervous anticipation.
The next evening, Voice of the Tide showed up unexpectedly at the Grimble house, crying and dejected. “I come to speak. I come to say…”
“What is it, Voice of the Tide, what is the matter? Why are you crying? Are you hurt?”
The young girl said she understood what was meant by the gift of the perfume. The Grimbles had chosen her to be Arthur’s concubine. She explained that, when a woman is in the final stages of pregnancy, she often chooses a single woman from the village to be her husband’s nightly companion, to look after his, well, needs since the robust wife could not. Such things must be handled with delicacy and tact, so a small gift is given to the woman to indicate who the wife had picked. The whole village took this as the meaning of the perfume. No dignified girl would refuse such a high honor, and in fact no girl ever had in the history of the Gilbert Islands.
Voice of the Tide went on to explain that it was quite an honor to be picked, but she had a boyfriend already, and they planned to marry soon. Serving as a concubine for Grimble, no matter how it came about, just would not do. She was in a fit over how to solve the dilemma.
The Grimbles explained as tactfully as possible that no such meaning accompanied the perfume. In fact, they were entirely ignorant of the custom of choosing a concubine; otherwise, they would not have given the gift, waiting until after the birth instead.
“But what of Mr. Grimble?” the girl asked. Who would take care of his nightly needs? Arthur explained that he was quite capable of surviving the remaining weeks of the pregnancy as a celibate, but he appreciated the offer just the same. He asked Voice of the Tide if she did not have a sweetheart, would she have felt differently about it. She replied, “You are very kind, but…” and burst into giggles.
Some sentences are better left unfinished.
BC Cook, PhD lived on Saipan and has taught history for 20 years. He currently resides on the mainland U.S.