346 COOK and cook: names of sweet potatoes 



Pani. Large sweet potatoes of a special form were sacred to 

 Pani and were not eaten. They were called "Pani's canoe" 

 and the finding of them was considered a special omen from the 

 goddess, presaging fertility. Boats were among the symbols of 

 Isis, and one of her names was Pania. 4 



In New Zealand, elaborate ceremonies were performed when 

 the kumara crop was planted, the seed tubers being selected with 

 the greatest care by a priest, as was also the place in which they 

 were planted. Over each tuber a special incantation was chanted 

 and it was placed in the ground with the head slightly raised 

 and pointed toward the east. One of the legends dealing with 

 the introduction of the kumara tells how those who went to get 

 them traveled toward the rising sun, and how their canoe was 

 kept by enchantment for many days in the same place in the 

 ocean, meaning, perhaps, that no land was sighted for many 

 days. 



Several times during the growth of the kumara crop religious 

 rites were observed, and when the roots were harvested still an- 

 other series of ceremonies was enacted, the first fruits of the 

 crop being given to the gods of kumara. 5 The extent to which 

 the religious precautions were carried is indicated by Tregear's 

 definition of the word whakamahunga: "The ceremony of mak- 

 ing sacred those who planted or dug up the kumara. After the 

 first-fruits had been offered to Pani, the cultivators became com- 

 mon (noa), or no longer under restriction." 



To judge from the facts noted in this brief review of the sub- 

 ject, the word kumara must still be accepted as the Polynesian 

 name of the sweet potato, notwithstanding that the same word 

 is applied to the same crop among the Quichuas of the eastern 

 valleys of the Andes, below Cuzco. In view of the general dis- 

 tribution of the plant and its name among the Polynesians, the 

 use of the leaves and the dried roots, and their special names, 

 the development and naming of numerous varieties, and finally 

 the many myths and traditions connected with the sweet potato, 



4 Teegear, E. Asiatic gods in the Pacific. Journal of the Polynesian Society, 

 2: 145. 1893. 



5 White. Ancient History of the Maori, vol. 3, preface. 



