324 Migrations in the Pacific Ocean. 
wrong according to the meaning which those gentlemen ascribed to the 
words; while the islands whose position they knew, (the Marquesas and 
Paumotus,) are placed exactly as they should be, according to their mis- 
taken meaning, but altogether out of the proper bearings when these 
are rightly understood. This, of course, makes great confusion, which 
can only be rectified when its origin is perceived. 
“The westernmost group on this chart consists of eight islands, with 
compound names, all beginning or ending with hitte, as Hitte-potio, 
Teamaroo-hitte, &c. Hitti is the form which the Samoan word Fiti 
(Feejee) would take in Tahitian. One of these islands, Ohiteroa, an- 
swering to Viti-levu, has been removed from its proper place, as will 
be shown hereafter, by the same sort of correction as was applied to 
the Marquesas and Paumotu groups. 
“To the east of this row of islets is another still larger, with the 
names Weeha, Rotooma, Heavai, Ooporroo, Wouwou, Tootooerre, and 
Ouwhea.* These are evidently Uiha, (one of the Habai cluster.) Ro- 
tuma, Savaii, Upolu, Vavau, Tutuila and Uea, (Wallis’s Island.) The 
first and last from the similarity of names, seem to have become con- 
fused together; and Vavau is laid down out of its place,—but there is 
reason to believe that it was formerly considered as belonging politi- 
eally to the Navigator group, to which it approaches nearest of any 0 
the Friendly Islands. It should be observed that on many of the prin- 
cipal islands Tupaia made brief descriptive observations, which are 
given by Forster. Heavai is laid down five or six times the size of 
any other island, and Tupaia stated that it was larger than Tahiti, add- 
ing this remarkable observation,— it is the father of all the islands.” 
‘Combining these various traditions, we shall probably be thought 
justified in supposing that the first settlers of the Society Islands came 
originally from the Samoan group, and landed or established themselves 
at the place now called Opoa, on Raiatea, which they named Havait 
after the principal island of their native country. Oro (or more prop- 
erly Koro) may have been their chief at the time of migration. Con- 
cerning the probable period at which this occurred, we shall offer some 
considerations in another place. 
“ Additional evidence that the earliest Tahitian traditions are of Sa- 
moan origin may be derived from the work of Mr. Moerenhout, (for- 
merly American consul at Tahiti,) entitled, ‘ Voyages aux Iles du Grand 
Océan,’ in which we find an ancient mythological code, obtained from 
* These words are written by Cook sdooiiting to English yeas tc while 
those in the following sentence have the orthography which is now u the 
Pacific. Uiha in Polynesian is pronounced weeha ; Upolu, oopoloo, or ane 
different dialects ; Uea, oowea; Vavau, vahvow. 
* 
all 
