CHAP. VII.] THE ATUA. 117 



purer belief of monotheism. The Atua, although 

 immaterial, can assume certain forms, as that of a 

 bird, or a lizard, or a cloud, or a ray of the sun ; a 

 beautiful green lizard, called kakariki, is especially 

 dreaded, as being a metamorphosed Atua. Not to 

 those earthly forms of the Atua, however, but to the 

 spirit itself, prayers are addressed for favourable 

 winds and fine weather, for success in war, for 

 averting diseases, for punishing on the offender the 

 breaking of the " tapu," and so on ; and the eyes of 

 the priests are raised to heaven during these invo- 

 cations. 1 I must, however, observe that their idea 



1 Such prayers, for instance, are as follow: 

 He karakia mo te ra kia witi ai. 



A Prayer for Sunshine by a Party who suffer from Cold. 

 Tenei tenei toa nine te ai tia nei e maua ko te ao nunui ko te 

 ao roroa upoko upoko witi tera. 



A Prayer for Wind. 



E topa ra e rere ra e tae koi ki te puke re warewa au hia mai 

 koe ke ai tou ariki koau koau ko rereha e ware hoki rereha ko 

 pouri awa ano pea kia uhia mai koe ki te kahu keke kapai koe te 

 rere atue kareo kareo. 



A Prayer at the. beginning of a Fight. 



Teke teke pari kou haramai kato notono katonotono karerei te 

 kapu a taku ingato. 

 Kia toa ! kia toa ! 



A Prayer in Fishing for Crawfish. 



Totoke na hia tura kiwahona kai mai ai e hiana e rawe ana e 

 taki ana niho koi tara ko kia u o niho huimai nga koura pura kau 

 o te ratahara ko taku tokuke. 



Another. 



Ngau mai ngau mai e ngue ki taku matira nei e ngu e ki taku 

 nmtira nei e ngue ki taku matira wakataratara ka hika ra kei to 

 hara e tangaroa kia u. 



