38 CAPTAIN COOK'S VOYAGES 



The last district in Tiarrabou, in which they landed, was 

 governed by a chief named Omoe. 



Here they saw one of their eatuas, or gods ; it was made 

 of wicker work, and resembled the figure of a man ; it was 

 nearly seven feet in height, and was covered with black and 

 white feathers ; on the head were four protuberances, 

 which the natives called tate ete, or little men. 



They were now near the district, named Paparra, which 

 was governed by Oamo and Oberea, where they intended to 

 spend the night. Mr. Banks and his company landed about 

 an hour before it was dark, and found that they had both 

 set out to pay them a visit at the fort. They, nevertheless, 

 slept at the house of Oberea, which, though not large, was 

 very neat ; no inhabitant but her father, who showed them 

 much civility, was now in possession of it. They took this 

 opportunity of walking out to a point, upon which they had 

 observed some trees called Etoa, which usually grow on the 

 burial-places of these people. These burying grounds are 

 called Morai, which are also places of worship. They here 

 saw an immense edifice, which they found to be the morai 

 of Oamo and Oberea. 



It consisted of an enormous pile of stone work, raised in 

 the form of a pyramid with a flight of steps on each side, 

 and was nearly two hundred and seventy feet long, about 

 one-third as wide, and between forty and fifty feet high. 

 As the Indians were totally destitute of iron utensils to 

 shape their stones, as well as mortar to cement them when 

 they had made them fit for use, a structure of such height 

 and magnitude must have been a work of infinite labour 

 and fatigue. 



In the centre of the summit was the representation of a 

 bird, carved in wood ; close to this was the figure of a fish 

 which was in stone. This pyramid made part of one side 

 of a wide court or square, the sides of which were nearly 

 equal ; the whole was walled in, and paved with flat stones. 

 At a little distance, to the west of this edifice, was another 

 paved square, which contained several small stages, called 

 by the natives Ewattas, which appeared to be altars ; upon 

 them they place provisions as sacrifices to their gods. 



The inhabitants of the island of Otaheite seem in nothing 

 so desirous of excelling each other, as in the grandeur and 

 magnificence of their sepulchres ; and the rank and 

 authority of Oberea was forcibly evinced upon this occasion. 

 The crew of the Endeavour, it has been observed, did not 

 find Oberea possessed of the same power as when the 

 Dolphin was at this place, and they were now informed of 

 the cause. It seemed that, about four or five months 

 before Captain Cook's arrival, the inhabitants of Tiarrabou, 



