760 PROCEEDINGS OF SECTION F. 
Polynesia,” says, ‘They worship two gods whom they call Maui- 
tikitiki and Tamakaia, and to whom they trace the origin of all 
things.” If Maui-tikitiki and Tamakaia are to be called “ gods,” 
they are no otherwise gods than other Natemate (literally, spirits 
of the dead), and it is quite erroneous to regard Maui-tikitiki as 
the chief god, or object of worship of the Efatese. I have only 
found one man who knew anything about Maui-tikitiki being 
worshipped ; he said that Maui-tikitiki’s grave is on Mai, and 
that he had heard of fowls being sacrificed at his grave. The 
Natemate were the deities of the Efatese, and their religion a 
form of ancestor-worship. A general name “Supe” (‘ the ancients 
or the ancient, the ancestors or ancestor’), may be used either to 
denote ancestors or ancients, considered as men in this world 
(that is before they died), or as natemate dwelling in Hades (after 
they died). And hence such mythological persons as Maui-tikitiki 
are sometimes either individually or collectively spoken of under 
this name. As this word occurs in some of the following stories, 
what has just been said may sufice as to its meaning. We now 
come to the story itself :— 
Efate (or Mai, as the case may be) was at the beginning the 
only land in existence, and Maui-tikitiki, his wife, and grandson, 
were the only human beings in existence. Maui-tikitiki used to 
give Tamakaia food, but concealed from him where he got it. 
He determined to watch carefully and find out for himself. At 
last he discovered that Maui-tikitiki had in a carefully enclosed 
place, shut in above as well as around, one banana plant and one 
yam plant. There were no other plants in existence, and, of 
course, no weeds. When the banana bunch was plucked off this 
plant, another bunch always replaced it, and so with the yam. 
A yam taken away was immediately replaced by another. Maui- 
tikitiki and Tamakaia bilulw ki nafanwa—that is, strove for 
mastery in the world. Tamakaia said Vamanau ba wora, ‘ grass 
{or vegetation), spring up,” and it did so. When Maurtikitiki 
saw these plants growing where none had been before, he began 
to pluck them up, but as he went on clearing they immediately 
sprang up behind him again. Tamakaia charged him with being 
lazy, and said he did not want on this account to have e any plants 
in the land except the one banana, and the one yam. Maui- 
tikitiki replied, ‘‘ You will be the master of the world, #f you can 
cover the face of the earth with vegetation (nafurafura).” Tama- 
kaia did so. There was then a contest between them as to which 
of them should be the master of birds and fishes. Tamakaia 
called a bird, and in response to his call it came to his hand. 
Maui-tikitiki called it in vain. Tamakaia in like manner called 
to the fishes in the sea, and they came to his hand. Mauitikitiki 
tried this also in vain. The next point of contest was as to the 
drawing up of the land out of the sea. Tamakaia made a 
