RACES BIBLIOGRAPHY COMMITTEE. 345 
The eva, or dirge, and the mourning dance succeeded. Of this 
dirge, four varieties are known. They invariably took place by 
day, occupying from ten to fifteen days, according to the rank of 
the deceased. Sometimes ‘“‘a death-talk ” was preferred, consisting 
of sixty songs in honour of the dead, mournfully chanted at night 
in a large house built for the purpose, and well lighted with 
torches. Each adult male relative recited a song. A feast was 
the inevitable fiza/e. 
Each island of the Hervey Group had some variety of custom 
in relation to the dead. Perhaps the chiefs of Atiu were the 
most outrageous in mourning. I knew one to mourn for seven 
years for an only child (a woman), living all that time in a hut in 
the vicinity of the grave, and allowing his hair and nails to grow, 
and his body to remain unwashed. This was the wonder of all 
the islanders. In general, all mourning ceremonies were over in 
a year. 
SPIRIT WORLD. 
Spirit-land proper is underneath, where the sun-god Ra reposes 
when his daily task is done. It is variously termed Po (Night), 
Avaiki, Hawaii, Hawaiki, or home of the ancestors. Still, all 
warrior spirits, z.e., those who have died a violent death, are said 
to ascend to their happy homes in the ten heavens above. 
Popularly, death in any form is referred to as ‘“ going into night,” 
in contrast with day (ao) z.e., life. Above and beneath are 
numerous countries and a variety of inhabitants—invisible to 
mortal eye; but these are but a fac-simile of what we see around 
us now. 
The Samoan heaven was designated Pudotu or Purotu, and was 
supposed to be under the sea. The Mangaian warrior hoped to 
“leap into the expanse,” “to dance the warrior’s dance in Tairi” 
(above), ‘to inhabit Speck-land (Poépoé)” in perfect happiness. 
The Rarotongan warrior looked forward to a place in the house 
of Tiki, in which are assembled the brave of past ages, who spend 
their time in eating, drinking, dancing, or sleeping. The 
Aitutakian brave went to a good land (Iva) under the guardianship 
of the benevolent Tukaitaua, to chew sugar-cane for ever with 
uncloyed appetite. Tahitians had an elysium named “ Miru.” 
Society Islanders looked forward to ‘“ Rohutu noanoa,” 7.e., “sweet- 
scented Rohutu,” full of fruit and flowers. 
At Mangaia the spirits of those who ignobly “died on a pillow ”* 
wandered about disconsolately over the rocks near the margin of 
the ocean, until the day appointed by their leader comes (once a 
year), when they follow the sun-god Ra over the ocean and 
descend in his train to under-world. As a rule, these ghosts 
were well disposed to their own living relatives; but often 
became vindictive if a pet child was ill-treated by a step-mother 
* I te urunga piro, i.e., a natural death. 
