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.

I. MYTHS OF CREATION.

The Beginning of all things. Dramatic song of creation

II. DEIFIED MEN.

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

III.-ASTRONOMICAL MYTHS.

A chase that never ends.

...

Song of the twins. Matariki, or Pleiades.

The sun and moon. The woman in the moon. Eclipses. A

celestial fish-hook. A day-song for Maaki's fête

IV.

...

THE EXPLOITS OF MAUI.

PAGE

I

23

40

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.

and greatest achievement

Māui's last

51

V.-TREE MYTHS.

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

VI.-INA, THE FAIRY VOYAGER.

Ina's voyage to the Sacred Isle. Song of Ina. Final stanza of the

day-song for Tenio's fête. The voyage of Ina. The taairangi, or

porpoise. The finny subjects of Tinirau. Numeration and the art of

fishing invented. The origin of dancing. A song for Tenio's fête ...

VII.-MISCELLANEOUS MYTHS.

A bachelor god in search of a wife. Echo; or, the cave fairy. The

prince of reed-throwers. The origin of kite-flying. A kite

song for Tenio's fête.

Uti's torch; or, will-a-wisp. Mosquitoes.

77

88

"The-long-lived." Human arts and inventions.

Origin of pigs at Rarotonga. Seeking for light.

Prayer or charm for a thief or a murderer

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.

Veêtini meeting his father. Dirge for Vera. The ghosts led by

Vera preparing for their final departure. Puvai leading a band of

ghosts to the shades. Koroa's lament for his son Kourapapa.

Another lament for Kourapapa. Death lament for Varenga. Lament

for Mourua. A spirit-journey. Introduction to the fête of Riuvaka

X.-ADVENTURES IN SPIRIT-WORLD.

An escape from spirit-land. The adventures of Ngaru. The drama of

Ngaru. The ball-thrower's song. A journey to the invisible world

XI.-FAIRY MEN AND WOMEN.

Tapairu; or, fairy women and men. A song in honour of Mauapa.

Prologue to the dramatic fête of Potiki. The fairy of the fountain

XII.-DEATH-TALKS AND DIRGES.

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

and the first battle

XIII. HUMAN SACRIFICES.

The drum of peace. Prayer

Prayer for peace. Kirikovi's

The death of Ngutuku.

Why human sacrifices were offered.

over a human sacrifice to Rongo.

sacrifice. A "crying" song for Maruata.

Makitaka's lament

...

...

...

XIV. THE SEASONS, PHASES OF THE MOON, ETC., ETC.

The seasons. Changes of the moon. The mariner's compass of Poly-

nesia. Polynesian plurals. Polynesian numeration

...

152

181

221

256

268

289

316

MYTHS AND
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,1 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