MICRONESIA. 101 



part of the land, and all the political authority. The heads of families 

 are called uea, and the oldest uea of a town is the presiding chief (mo 

 n' te apa, literally, front of the land). The katoka are persons not 

 originally of noble birth, who, either by the favour of their chief, or 

 by good fortune in war, have acquired land, and with it freedom, 

 but who have yet no voice in the public council, in which all matters 

 of general import are determined. These are held in a large house 

 called the maniapa,* of sufficient size to contain all the men of the 

 place. In this, every noble family has its own seat along the sides of 

 the house ; the middle is open to the slaves and katokas, who have no 

 voice in the council. When any affair renders a meeting necessary, 

 the oldest or presiding chief sends out messengers, who summon the 

 people by the sound of conchs. The assembly being convened, the 

 chief proposes the question, and any noble who chooses to speak rises 

 and delivers his opinion. The discussions are sometimes very ani- 

 mated, and violent quarrels occasionally take place between different 

 speakers, who are with difficulty prevented from coming to blows. 

 Although no regular vote is taken, the sense of the majority is soon 

 apparent, and determines the result. In some of the islands and 

 clusters, certain chiefs have obtained, by success in war, a superiority 

 over the rest of the nobles, and made themselves sovereigns of their 

 respective countries. Kirby had understood that there was a king on 

 Taputeouea, but if so, his authority is not unquestioned, for two par- 

 ties were at war on the island when we visited it. There is a king 

 on the group of Apamama, and another on that of Tarawa, both of 

 whom have acquired their power very lately. 



On Makin there is also a sovereign chief, but the system of govern- 

 ment is, in some respects, different. There are, according to Grey, 

 three ranks, iomata or royal chiefs, tiomata or gentry, and rang or 

 common people. The first-named were originally of the same class 

 with the second. About a hundred years ago, Teouki, the grand- 

 father of the reigning king, and a mighty warrior, succeeded in con- 

 centrating in his own hands the sovereign power, which was before 

 lodged with the whole body of the gentry or petty chiefs. His 

 descendants constitute the iomata, and share among them the supre- 

 macy, though there is one that retains especially the title of head-chief. 

 Besides these, there is a bu-ni-matang, or chief judge, as Grey termed 



* This word was so written at the time ; we have since thought that it should perhaps 

 be uma-ni-apa, literally, house of the town, or town-house. 



26 



