THEPACIFIC OCEAN. 167 



firfl appearance after the change, they are encouraged to >777- 

 engage in war, with confidence of fuccefs. 



They have traditions concerning the creation, which, as 

 might be expedled, are complex, and clouded with obfcu- 

 rity. They fay, that a goddefs, having a lump or mafs 

 of earth fufpended in a cord, gave it a fwing, and fcat- 

 tered about pieces of land, thus conftituting Oraheite and 

 the neighbouring iflands, which were all peopled by a man 

 and woman originally fixed at Otaheite. This, however, 

 only refpedls their own immediate creation ; for they have 

 notions of an univerfal one before this ; and of lands, of 

 which they have now no other knowledge than what is 

 mentioned in the' tradition. Their moft remote account 

 reaches to Tatooma and Tapuppa, male and female ftones 

 or rocks, who fupport the congeries of land and water, or 

 our globe underneath. Thefe produced Totorro, who was 

 killed, and divided into land ; and, after him, Otaia and* 

 Groo were begotten, who were afterward married, and pro- 

 duced, firft land, and then a race of gods. Otaia is killed, 

 and Oroo marries a god, her fon, called Teorraha, whom 

 fhe orders to create more land, the animals, and all forts of 

 food found upon the earth ; as alfo the fky, which is fup- 

 ported by men called Teeferei. The fpots obferved in the 

 moon, arc fuppofed to be groves of a fort of trees which 

 once grew in Otaheite, and, being deftroyed by fome acci- 

 dent, their feeds were carried up thither by doves, where they 

 now flourilh. 



They have alfo many legends, both religious and hiflo- 

 rical ; one of which latter, relative to the practice of eating 

 human flefli, I fhall give the fubftance of, as a fpecimen of 

 their method. A long time fince, there lived in Otaheite 



two 



