TRANSACTIONS OF SECTION E, 28S 



to me a more reasonable number to allow, and, if so, then the 

 date at which the people entered the Pacific must be altered to 

 about the beginning of the eighth century — at any rate, so far 

 as the hclce which first settled at the Sandwich Islands is con- 

 cerned. Whilst, however, believing that the migrations from 

 island to island have gone on almost uninterruptedly up to within 

 quite rectot times, it would appear from the many traditions 

 we possess that there was a period in which, from some cause 

 or other, a very great activity took place, resulting in many of 

 the principal groups becoming settled, or having fresh acces- 

 sions to their numbers from without, or in which mutual and 

 frequent visits took place. This period, which denotes that at 

 which the race had arrived at its highest powers of na\dgation, 

 was between the twentieth and thirtieth generations back 

 from the present time, or, in other words, during the fourteenth 

 and fifteenth centmdes. Since then the intercourse seems, be- 

 tween many groups, to have ceased. 



There is another cause of difficulty in reconciling the names 

 given in the traditions, but it is one that may be overcome as 

 further knowledge is gained ; and this is, that the names of 

 islands and places change from time to time, or have additional 

 names given to them. It does not therefore follow that the 

 present names are those by which they were known at the time 

 of some of the migrations, and hence, unless the ancient names 

 are known to the present inhabitants, they would only be re- 

 tained by the emigraiats. The causes of these changes are not 

 always apparent, but are probably due to the well-known 

 custom which obtained amongst all branches of the Polynesians 

 of altering the name of any thing or object when such name 

 entered into that of one of their tapuccl chiefs or ariki ; or, on 

 the other hand, it may have been due to the occurrence of 

 some notable event in the history of the people. 



Frequently these several names are in use at the same 

 time ; at others, one becomes more popular, and replaces the 

 older one. As instances of these double names may be cited 

 Havaii, loretca, and Baiatca, all belonging to one of the Society 

 Islands. In New Zealand the North Island is called To Ika a 

 Maui, the South Island Tc Wai Pounamu ; and both are in- 

 cluded in the general name of Aotcaroa, which, however, appears 

 to have been simply Aotea originally, for the Moriori of the 

 Chatham Islands, who undoubtedly migrated from New Zea- 

 land, know it only under the latter form, just as they know 

 the South Island by the name of Aroi)aua, and not Te Wai 

 Pounamu. Nukuroa and Ukurangi were also ancient names of 

 New Zealand, which have now become quite obsolete. (See 

 note No. 40.) 



There is a further difficulty which should be mentioned, due 

 to the changes in the languages — or dialects — themselves since 



