470 REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1889. 



Gnomes, ghouls, and goblins were believed to inhabit inaccessible 

 caves and niches in the rock and to have the power of prowling about 

 after dark. The small wooden and stone images known as : ' household 

 gods," were made to represent certain spirits and belong to a different 

 order from the gods, though accredited with many of the same attri- 

 butes. They occupied a prominent place in every dwelling and were 

 regarded as the medium through which communications might be made 

 with the spirits, but were never worshiped. The Great Spirit Meke- 

 Meke is represented by a bird-like animal as referred to in the descrip- 

 tion of sculptured rocks and paintings at Orongo. 



SUPERSTITIONS. 



The islanders were superstitious to an extent that was extraordinary, 

 and they were constantly under the influence of dread from demons or 

 supernatural beings. Fish-hooks were made of bones of deceased fish- 

 ermen, which were thought to exert a mysterious influence over the den 

 izens of the deep. Fishermen were always provided with the stone god 

 that was supposed to be emblematic of the spirit having cognizance of 

 the fish. Eocks in certain localities were believed to be under spirit 

 taboo, and persons who walked over them were punished with sore feet. 

 The leaves of several harmless plants were regarded as prophylactic 

 against disease. Stones were buried beneath the doorways of houses 

 to guard against evil influences. The native priests were simply 

 wizards and sorcerers who professed to have influence with evil spirits 

 sufficient to secure by incantations their co-operation in the destruc- 

 tion of au enemy, or by occult means gain their aid and good-will for 

 the protection of property, crops, etc. The system of taboo corre- 

 sponds with the same thing practiced throughout the islands of the 

 South Sea, and included a prohibition in regard to persons as well as 

 property. The symbol of the taboo on crops properly consisted of a 

 small pile of stone placed in the form of a pyramid, or piled one on top 

 of the other. The natives have a way of divining the future by means 

 of a flower, common enough in more civilized countries but not observed 

 before in Polynesia. u Ae" and "Aita" are repeated as the petals are 

 thrown away, and the signification appears to be equivalent to the 

 "yes," and u iio" of Goethe's Marguerite. 



SACRIFICIAL STONES. 



In the rear of some of the best-preserved platforms are stones said to 

 have been erected for sacrificial purposes. These altars consist of a 

 single shaft, generally of vesicular lava, but in some cases cut from the 

 material of which the images and crowns were made. They range in 

 height from 5 to 10 feet, squared to 3i or 4 feet on each face, and stand 

 in the center of a terrace paved with smooth bowlders. The sides and 

 plinth were covered with figures sculptured in low relief, but are now 

 too much weather-worn to be traced. These altars are said to have 



