52 ETHNOGRAPHY. 



According to the universal belief of the natives, the supreme deity, 

 and governor of their island-world, is a being termed Ndengei. He is 

 represented as having the form of a serpent in the head and one side 

 of the body, while the rest is made of stone, by which he is rendered 

 immortal. His residence is in a cave, in the mountains of Viti-lcvu, 

 at a place called Nakauvandra, nearly opposite to Mbua, or Sandal- 

 wood Bay. Earthquakes are supposed to be produced by the god 

 shifting his position, and one of the thimbis, or distichs, which the 

 natives frequently sing in their dances, refers to this belief: 



Vukivuld ko Ndeyei, Ndengei turns over, 



lavala a vanua. The earth trembles. 



The natives say that an earthquake is invariably followed by a season 

 of fertility ; and they believe that when Ndengei is prevailed upon, by 

 their prayers, to put an end to a famine, he does so by turning himself 

 over, and thus causing the earth to shake. Scarcities they suppose to 

 be produced by the malign interference of the inferior deities, who 

 pray to Ndengei for food, until the trees are stripped of their fruits to 

 supply them. 



No one knows the origin of Ndengei. He was first seen on the 

 beach at Ra, in the form of a man, dressed in the native girdle of masi, 

 or paper-cloth, with long trains of it hanging to the earth, as is the 

 custom among the chiefs. Not being recognised and worshipped at 

 that place, he went to Mbengga, where he was first discovered to be 

 a god. But the land was stony, and he did not like it. He looked 

 towards Kandavu, but would not dwell there. He then went over 

 to Rewa, and took up his abode in that district. Soon after this, a 

 powerful god, by name Wairua, came from Tonga to Rewa, and to 

 him Ndengei resigned the government of that town, on condition of 

 always receiving for himself the choicest parts of all kinds of food 

 (such as the head of the pig and tortoise, &c.) After living awhile in 

 this situation, Ndengei had an attack of leprosy, and determined to 

 remove to Verata, which has ever since been considered impregnable. 

 Here he resolved to be no more seen by men, and for this purpose 

 took the form of a serpent, as before related. 



According to one account, the natives hold that Ndengei created 

 the first man and woman, though of what materials they do not say. 

 This story, however, is directly opposed to the general belief that the 



