GENEALOGY OP THE SUN — A SAMOAN LEGEND. 447 



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THE GENEALOGY OF THE SUN— A SAMOAN LEGEND. 

 By the Rev. G. Pratt, Sydney. 



(Communicated by the Secretary of the Section.) 



This Legend I obtained from Mr. S. Wilson, who lived among 

 the natives, and, as a native, got it from them. That was about 

 1835. He also paraphrased some of the more difficult passages, 

 and I have followed his suggestions. 



The first part explains the Origin of the Sun. In those ancient 

 times there was much intercourse between the inhabitants of 

 heaven and earth ; pi'obably before the time, when, according to 

 their tradition, the skies were raised from lying low down near to 

 the face of the earth, into their present position. The tale gives 

 a perfect picture of Samoan life ; the courtship at first by proxy, 

 with a present of food ; followed up by the coming of the lover 

 himself, the quarrels of the lovers, and the angry departure of 

 the offended lady ; the reconciliation and marriage through the 

 influence of friends ; the dowry of fine mats, and property 

 given in exchange by the husband's friends ; the desertion of the 

 wife and subsequent reconciliation and re-union ; all these are 

 events of daily occurrence, or were so up to a recent period. 



The scope of the second part is not so clear as thai: of the first 

 part. It seems merely to relate the miraculous powers of the 

 Fly Hook given by the husband's friends, up to its final loss. 

 These hooks are made out of pearl shell, cut in the shape of a 

 small fish. To this was lashed, through small drilled holes, an 

 unbarbed hook made from tortoise shell, and small feathers were 

 added to imitate tins. The time and labour consumed in making 

 these fly hooks, when men had no iron tools, must have been very 

 great, and the value of the hooks was in proportion. Tliere were 

 many superstitious observances in all preparations for fishing, but 

 especially with regard to the bonita. The person who attached 

 the hook to the fly must first bathe his body, then put on the 

 fisherman's apron of cloth, then seat himself on a mat, and thus 

 solemnly set to work. Only by a strict observance of these 

 particulars could success be looked for in the subsequent use of 

 the hook. 



The element of fable is noticeable : the rat watching the work 

 observes that the hook is not fastened exactly according to rule, 

 and he runs off to tell it to a fish found near the margin of the 

 beach. That fish again tells a fish living further out to sea, and 

 that one tells the most interested party, the bonita, only found 



