1777- THE pacific OCEAN. l5l 



services by their fathers, in proportion to their seve- 

 ral abilities, with presents of hogs and cloth ; and 

 if they be poor, their relations are liberal on the oc- 

 casion. 



Their religious system is extensive, and, in many 

 instances, singular ; but few of the common people 

 have a perfect knowledge of it ; that being confined 

 chiefly to their priests, who are pretty numerous. 

 They do not seem to pay any respect to one God, as 

 possessing pre-eminence, but believe in a plurality 

 of divinities, who are all very powerful ; and in this 

 case, as different parts of the island, and the other 

 islands in the neighbourhood, have different ones, 

 the inhabitants of each, no doubt, think that they 

 have chosen the most eminent, or, at least, one who 

 is invested with power sufficient to protect them, and 

 to supply all their wants. If he should not answer 

 their expectations, they think it no impiety to change ; 

 as has very lately happened in Tiaraboo, where, in 

 the room of the two divinities formerly honoured 

 there, Oraa *, god of Bolabola, has been adopted, I 

 should suppose, because he is the protector of a peo- 

 ple who have been victorious in war ; and as, since 

 they have made this change, they have been very 

 successful themselves against the inhabitants of Ota- 

 heite-nooe, they impute it entirely to Oraa, who, as 

 they literally say, rights their battles. 



Their assiduity in serving their gods is remarkably 

 conspicuous. Not only the whattas, or offering places 

 of the morals, are commonly loaded with fruit and 

 animals, but there are few houses where you do not 

 meet with a small place of the same sort near them. 

 Many of them are so rigidly scrupulous, that they 

 will not begin a meal without first laying aside a 

 morsel for the Eatooa ; and we had an opportunity, 



* We have here another instance of the same word being dif- 

 ferently pronounced by the people. Captain Cook, as appears 

 above, speaks of Olla, as the Bolabola god. 



JL 4 



