OCEANIC MIGRATIONS. 181 



people, as usual in such cases, would take to their canoes, and spread 

 the Samoan race and language over the distant islands of the Pacific. 



If the Tonga fugitives, as thus supposed, found the islands in 

 which they took refuge already partially settled, and reduced the 

 inhabitants to subjection, it would account for the fact that the dis- 

 tinction of classes or caste is maintained with much more rigor among 

 them than on any of the other groups of Polynesia. Besides the three 

 classes of riki, matabuk, and mua, (or chiefs, councillors, and common 

 people,) all of whom are free, and capable of holding land and office, 

 there is a fourth class, called tua, who are serfs, affixed to the soil, 

 and incapable of rising above their actual position. 



Another peculiarity in the social system of the Friendly islanders 

 may be explained in accordance with the views here expressed con- 

 cerning their early migrations. There is on this group a chief called 

 Tui-tonga, who is esteemed divine, and believed to be descended from 

 a god of Bulotu. He takes rank before all the other chiefs, the king 

 not excepted, and receives from them peculiar marks of reverence, 

 though his actual authority is less than that of many others. Tui- 

 Tonga means " Lord of Tonga." The word tui (lord) is seldom used 

 alone, but generally with the name of a place following it. This 

 place, so far as our information extends, is never a group or large 

 island, but always some dependent islet or district. Thus there is no 

 Tui-Viti, Tui-Vavau, Tui-Upolu, but we have Tui-NdreJcete, Tui- 

 Belehaki, Tui-Aana, these being districts on the larger islands. We 

 may suppose that while Tonga was merely a district of Viti-levu, its 

 chief would be termed Tui-Tonga, and he would most probably be 

 a descendant of the leader under whom the first emigrants came from 

 Bulotu. In the great changes which would naturally be produced 

 by their expulsion and flight to the Friendly Islands, some other 

 chief might seize the supreme power, leaving to the dispossessed 

 sovereign his title, rank, and the respect which he would derive from 

 his supposed descent. 



A fact which gives probability to this supposition is the custom 

 which exists of strangling the wife of Tui-Tonga, at the burial of the 

 latter. This is, as has been stated, the regular custom among the 

 Feejeeans at the burial of a chief, and the wife considers it disgraceful 

 to survive her husband. If, while the Tonga people lived on the 

 Feejee Group, their head-chief was accustomed, from motives of 

 policy, to seek the alliance of his dusky neighbors, it would account 

 for the custom being introduced into his family ; and, once introduced, 



46 



