ii8 



THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY 



A Tahitian Carrying Bunches of Wild Plantain " Fei." The man had come 

 several miles down the mountain side bearing this enormous burden. 



for tradition stated that two mythical hrothers, the Taheeai, were canni- 

 bals but were finally killed through trickery by a Tahitian Hercules, 

 greatly to the joy of all men then living. Also at the time of Cook's 

 visit, the eye of the human sacrifice was placed within the lips of the 

 high chief, and the original name of the late " Queen Pomare " was 

 Aimata, " the eye eater." 



As with the Aztecs, these sacrifices appear to have become more 

 numerous immediately succeeding the coming of the white man. Crim- 

 inals, or slaves who were captives taken in war, were immolated in times 

 of public ceremony as upon the occasion of the inauguration of a 

 new Ariirahi, but the common sacrifices were pigs whose bodies were 

 left to decompose upon the altars as food for the gods who came in the 

 form of carrion birds. 



As elsewhere in Polynesia, the worshiped beings were the spirits of 



