166 ETHNOGRAPHY. 



At Fakaafo we were told of an island existing somewhere, called 

 Pukapuka ; these people recognised the name at once, and assured 

 me that it was an island well inhabited.* This was the only name 

 mentioned by them which we were not able to identify. 



" We asked who was the god of the island, and where he lived. 

 They told us that his name was Foilape, and that he resided on 

 shore. We asked if Tui-Tokdau also lived there, and they replied 

 immediately in the negative, saying that he was the god of Fakaafo. 

 When the name of Tangaloa, the great divinity of Polynesia, was 

 pronounced, they appeared to be both surprised and annoyed ; at 

 last, one of them said that Tangaloa was a god tabu to their country, 

 and refused to speak further about him. 



'' They informed us that ten vessels had visited their island, and 

 added that a ship of rvirvi people had lately spent some days about 

 the island in fishing. As the term rvirvi is that applied by the New 

 Zealanders to the French (from their word of affirmationf), we 

 thought it probable that the case might be the same for these islands. 

 It is known that French whaling-vessels resort chiefly to this part of 

 the Pacific for their cargoes. 



" The only eatables which the natives had with them were cocoa- 

 nuts, and the fruits of the pandanus. But they assured us that taro 

 (Arum esculentum) grew on shore, and also a much larger root, called 

 pulaka (probably Arum macrorhizum}. Later in the day, a root of 

 taro was brought off to us, proving the correctness of their assertion ; 

 otherwise we might reasonably have doubted whether a plant, which 

 requires, above all others, a rich muddy soil and fresh water, could 

 be produced on one of these low rocky islets. Yams and bananas 

 they knew by name, but had none; of pigs, they said there was 

 abundance on the island of Vaitupu, but they had no knowledge of 

 fowls. 



" As we sailed by one of the islets, a considerable town was seen 

 on shore, situated on an open space between the trees and the 



* There is an island of this name in the Paumotu archipelago. It is hardly probable, 

 however, that it can be the one referred to. 



j" This mode of designation, though it may appear whimsical at first, is yet that which 

 was adopted, in former times, by the French themselves, as appears in the appellations 

 of Langue de out and Langue cToc given to the northern and southern divisions of their 

 country, and marking the difference of dialect between them. It is not very flattering to 

 our national pride to know that the Americans, as well as the English, are distinguished, 

 in some of the islands, by a name derived from their most common imprecation. 



