TE PITO TE HENUA, OR EASTER ISLAND. 519 



their faces brilliantly painted and wearing- their distinctive shell neck- 

 laces. 



The solemn ceremonies, attendant upon the declaration of war, were 

 performed by the assembled braves, in accordance with the ancient 

 customs handed down by their forefathers. Obeisance was first made 

 to the Sky, each warrior repeating the prayer, "May we be killed in 

 battle if we neglect to worship the Great Spirit." The ceremonies 

 concluded with obeisance to the god of feathers, each warrior wearing 

 the feather-hat of his clan — Era Nuku, the god of feathers, whose 

 costume consists of feathers for the head, feathers for the neck, and 

 feathers to be waved by the wind. He who brings good luck when 

 feathers are worn that are tied by a string of hair. He who protects 

 the yams and potato plantations when feathers are tied upon a stick, 

 and placed close together between the hills. He who keeps off the evil 

 spirit when feathers are planted over the burial-places. 



The god of feathers, whose wife is Manaua. Manana Take came 

 from the skies. She once visited the land in the shape of a fish, which 

 was captured and given to the king on account of its size and beauty. 

 Recognizing the divine nature of the fish, the king was thereafter 

 debarred from swimming in the sea. 



(The next hieroglyphics on the tablet are supposed to have been 

 written in some ancient language, the key to which has long ago been 

 lost. After this unknown section the translation is continued as fol- 

 lows) : 



When the island was first created and became known to our fore- 

 fathers, the land was crossed with roads beautifully paved with Hat 

 stones. The stones were laid close together so artistically that no 

 rough edges were exposed. Coffee-trees were growing close together 

 along the borders of the road, that met overhead, and the branches 

 were laced together like muscles. Heke was the builder of these roads, 

 and it was he, who sat in the place of honor in the middle where the 

 roads branched away in every direction. These roads were cunningly 

 contrived to represent the plan of the web of the gray and black- 

 pointed spider, and no man could discover the beginning or the end 

 thereof. 



(Here again are some sections of the tablet written in the characters 

 that are not understood, after which the following translation is 

 made:) 



In that happy land, that beautiful land where Itomaha formerly 

 lived with his beloved Ilangaroa, and where Turaki used to listen to 

 the voice of the fowl, and feed them with watery food. In that beau- 

 tiful land that was governed by gods from heaven, and who lived in 

 the water when it was cold. Where the black and white-pointed 

 spider would have mounted to heaven, but was prevented by the 

 bitterness of the cold. 



