120 ETHNOGRAPHY. 



probable, therefore, that by following this clue, the different tribes of 

 Polynesia might all be referred back to their original seat. On com- 

 municating these views to Mr. Williams, (but a few weeks before his 

 lamented death,) he informed me that he had long entertained the 

 opinion that the Samoan Islands were the source of population to the 

 other groups of Polynesia. His intimate acquaintance with the lan- 

 guage and traditions of three of the principal groups, and his general 

 information on this subject, gave particular weight to his opinion. 

 During the remainder of the voyage this investigation was pursued, 

 and the results were found to accord perfectly with the view here 

 expressed. In the writings of former voyagers many statements 

 were found incidentally confirming the conclusion thus formed, and 

 the more valuable as they were made with no reference whatever to 

 such a supposition. 



Before proceeding farther, a word of explanation becomes neces- 

 sary, with regard to the name of the island above-mentioned. 

 Throughout Polynesia, with the exception of Samoa, all the prin- 

 cipal groups are known to the people of the other groups by the 

 name of their largest island, used in a general sense, as we commonly 

 say England for the whole group of British Islands. Thus the 

 Sandwich Islands are termed Hawaii, the Marquesas, Nukuhioa, 

 the Society Islands, Tahiti, the Gambier Group, Mangareva, and 

 the Friendly Islands, Tonga. The Navigators, only, have a distinct 

 name for their group. This word, Samoa, signifies in Malay all; it 

 probably had originally the same signification in this dialect, and was 

 applied to the group, as we use the word " Union," in speaking of the 

 United States. In process of time it lost its general meaning, as an 

 adjective, and became a mere appellative. At present, the only term 

 for all, in this idiom, is uma, which means, properly, finished, com- 

 plete. Before, however, the name Samoa came into general use, or 

 while it retained its primary sense of all, some other means of 

 designating the group must have been necessary, particularly for 

 natives of other islands. It is reasonable to suppose that the same 

 mode was adopted here as elsewhere, and that the name of the prin- 

 cipal island was used for this purpose. 



By referring to the table of dialectical changes, given in the Com- 

 parative Grammar, \ 2, it will be perceived that this name would, 

 as has been already intimated, undergo certain alterations in the 

 various idioms. The following are the regular forms as they may 

 be deduced from the table : 



