i62 A V O Y A G E T O 



'777- prepared, and Ibme ftoncs heated, the Tahoiia puts the pre- 



' ' puce between two of them, and fqueezes it gently, which 



removes the thicknefs. They then return home, having 

 their heads, and other parts of their bodies, adorned with 

 odoriferous flowers; and the Tahoua'is rewarded for his fer- 

 vices by their fathers, in proportion to their feveral abi- 

 lities, with prefents of hogs and cloth ; and if they be poor, 

 their relations are liberal on the occafion. 



Their religious fyftem isextenfive, and, in many inftances, 

 ftngular ; but few of the common people have a perfeft 

 knowledge of it ; that being confined chiefly to their priefts, 

 who are pretty numerous. They do not feem to pay refpcdt 

 to one God as poflefling pre-eminence; but believe in a 

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

 this cafe, as different parts of the ifland, and the other iflands 

 in the neighbourhood, have different ones, the inhabitants 

 of each, no doubt, think that they have chofen the mofl 

 eminent, or, at leaft, one who is inverted with power fuffi- 

 cient to prote<5l them, and to fupply all their wants. If he 

 Ihould not anfwer their expectations, they think it no im- 

 piety 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 fliould 

 fuppofe, becaufe he is the protestor of a people who have 

 been vidorious in war; and as, fmce they have made this 

 change, they have been very fuccefsful themfelves againd 

 the inhabitants of Otaheite-nooey they impute it entirely to 

 Oraa, who, as they literally fay, fights their battles. 



Their affiduity in ferving their Gods is remarkably con- 

 fpicuous. Not only the ivhatfas, or offering- places of the 



» We have here another inftancc of the fame word being differently pronounced by 

 cur people. Captain Cook, as appears above, fpcaks of 0//*, as the Bolabola God. 



moraist 



