song is not that now spoken; bearing the same relation to the living tongue as the Greek of Homer does to that of Xenophon. The myths and prayers (karakia) are believed to be of great antiquity. The dirges and clan-songs are modern, but are doubtless echoes of older compositions. Should the present volume meet with acceptance, a collection of "Prehistoric Sketches," with illustrative clan-songs, may hereafter appear. W. W. GILL. LEWISHAM, January, 1876. CONTENTS. Derivation of the Polynesian word for God. Tiaio, king and god. Tane-Ngakiau. Tekuraaki. Song of the shore-king, high priest of Rongo. Derivation of Polynesian word "atua," or god. A human priesthood needed. Dedication of infants. Naming of children PAGE A chase that never ends. Song of the twins. Matariki, or Pleiades. The fire-god's secret. The fire-god's song. The sky-raised; or, the origin of pumice stone. The sun made captive. The wisdom of Manihiki. Māui enslaving the sun. The sky raised. Māui's last The myth of the cocoa-nut tree. Tahitian myth of the cocoa-nut tree. The iron-wood tree. Ono fells a famous tree. Wanderings of Ono Ina's voyage to the Sacred Isle. Song of Ina. Final stanza of the Numeration and the art of A bachelor god in search of a wife. Echo; or, the cave fairy. The 888 VIII.-HADES; OR, THE DOCTRINE OF SPIRIT-WORLD. Aitutakian hell. Aitutakian heaven. Dramatic song of Miru. Sneezing. A farewell chanted at a reed-throwing match for women. IX.—VEÊTINI; OR, THE IMMORTALITY OF THE SOUL. Vaipo's dirge for Veêtini. The closing or day-song for Tenio's fête. X.-ADVENTURES IN SPIRIT-WORLD. An escape from spirit-land. The adventures of Ngaru. The drama of Tapairu; or, fairy women and men. A song in honour of Mauapa. Ghost-killing. Death-talks. Eva, or dirge-proper. Karaponga's dirge- proper in honour of Ruru. Arokapiti's dirge-proper in honour of Ruru. "Blackened face" dirge-proper for Atiroa. The first murder Why human sacrifices were offered. over a human sacrifice to Rongo. sacrifice. A "crying" song for Maruata. The death of Ngutuku. XIV. THE SEASONS, PHASES OF THE MOON, ETC., ETC. The seasons. Changes of the moon. The mariner's compass of Poly- MYTHS AND SONGS FROM THE SOUTH PACIFIC. CHAPTER I. MYTHS OF CREATION. THE BEGINNING OF ALL THINGS. THE universe of these islanders is to be conceived of as the hollow of a vast cocoa-nut shell, as in the accompanying diagram. (See next page.) The interior of this imaginary shell is named Avaiki. At the top is a single aperture communicating with the upper world, where mortals (ie. Mangaians) live. At various depths are different floorings, or lands, communicating with each other. But at the very bottom of this supposed cocoa-nut shell is a thick stem, gradually tapering to a point, which represents the very beginning of all things. This point is a spirit or demon, without human form, and is named Te-aka-ia-Roê, or The-root-of-all-existence. The entire 1 Roê = thread-worm. The idea is of a quivering, slender, worm-like point, at which existence begins, i.e. the extremity of the thread-worm. B |