EFATE, NEW HEBRIDES. 729 



stripping off from their bodies tatoo marks and presenting 

 them to liim ; these marks were sometimes cut into their 

 flesh in mourning for the dead, and sometimes in the worship 

 of a being called Wote, as it seems— certainly in the former 

 case. Another curious practice was, at the death of a chief, 

 to kill a dog, which dog was to accompany him and " Koha 

 Sara," that is, to drive away Sara, so that his master might 

 pass unharmed into Hades. 



Though the spirit has been admitted into Hades, it is still 

 able to revisit its former abode in this world, and to punish 

 men for faults. Thus, a man is sometimes doomed by the 

 nntemate for desecrating the grave of a chief by merely 

 walking over it ; or for spitting near ?,on\efatu tabu, " sacred 

 stone ; " or some man and woman are both doomed for com- 

 mitting adultery in some sacred place, alia tabu, to which 

 they have gone, so that men should not see them (such places 

 being much feared and avoided). Again, if a man is wicked 

 and oppressing others, the natamole tabu goes to the grave, 

 " namatigo tabu" of the chief, and presents an offering and 

 beseeches the natemate to destroy him for his wickedness ; 

 such a man's fate is evil, — a shark eats him, or his canoe drifts 

 or founders, and he is drowned, or he falls from a tree and is 

 killed. A man in fear or distress calls upon the natemate ; 

 thus, if one is out in his canoe and a storm arises, he ]>rays 

 to them, saying, " Mama (as the case may be, or lolo =^ 

 maternal uncle) father, cause this storm to cease, and bring 

 me safe to shore, and T will kill a pig (in sacrifice, or to 

 appease your wrath) to you," the idea being that the 

 threatening ruin is coming upon him because he has offended 

 by his deeds. So, if he is sick, or in pain, he calls upon the 

 natemate, and is willing to make any sacrifice to appease 

 their wrath {tia-i namaieto ni natemate = appease the wrath 

 of the natemate). 



Abokas, or Hades, is a dark place, and contrasted with 

 this (the upper) world which is called Emeromina, that is, 

 " place of light." It is gloomy and sad. There is a great 

 stagnant pool in it, or marshy place, called Ra-les, gloomy 

 place, or lake. It is considered, as above indicated, that 

 death is a punishment. Accordingly, when a man is behav- 

 ing wickedly, they say, " they (Le. the /?a/e«ia^e) have already 

 planted for him the nales (a plant with thick dark leaf) on 

 Ma-les" or, " his soul has rlready gone to Wora Tuk " 

 ( = place of the pit). Everything is shadowy and unreal 

 in that fearful place. When the natemate makes an oven 



