INSULAR A USTR. \L. /.SY. /. 



'277 



fortification of this kind at liea, that Captain Croker, of //.//.. I /..S'. J-'arouritc, was killed 

 in 1840. All prisoners taken in war became the bolnilas, or slaves, of the conquerors, 

 and were often treated with great cruelty. In times of peace the men were employed 

 in fishing, agriculture, house-building, and especially in voyaging. They were bold and 

 daring sailors, and in their large double-canoes often made voyages to Samoa, Fiji and 

 other places. Women in the Friendly Islands occupied a very exceptional position ; they 

 did no field-work, and never even cooked the food of the family. Their chief work was 

 to make native cloth (the tappa of Polynesia), baskets, bags, fans, etc. The Tongans 

 were very fond of dances, boxing and wrestling matches, and canoe races, and these 

 rilled up most of their spare time. Many barbarous customs 

 were observed on the death of any great chief. The hair was 

 cut off, old and torn mats were worn, cuts, bruises and burns 

 were inflicted, and the amount of respect or 

 affection for the deceased was shown by the 

 pain ami injury which was self- 

 imposed. Polygamy was common, 

 the number of a man's wives de- 

 pending only upon his inclination 

 and his ability to keep them. The 

 aged people were well cared for, 

 and no cases of burying the old 

 and infirm alive, such as were com- 

 mon in Fiji, were ever known in 

 Tonga. Cannibalism no doubt ex- 

 isted in former days, as described 

 by Mariner in his valuable and 

 interesting book, but it was never 

 practised in Tonga to the same 

 extent as in other places. 



The religion of the Tongans was similar to that of most of the Eastern Polynesian 

 races. The principal gods were Mani, Hikulco, Tangaka and Hcnwana-iilhtli. Mani is 

 said to have drawn up the Islands with a hook and line, and those which he did not 

 tread clown and make smooth are still mountainous and rugged. We find in Tonga the 

 same legends about Kijikiji as in other groups. He it was who first obtained fire 

 from below, and, in order to preserve it, caused it to enter into certain trees, from 

 which it may be obtained by friction. Mani it is who resides under the earth and 

 bears it upon his shoulder. When he nods there is an earthquake, and so the natives 

 used to stamp and shout to awaken him. lest in his troubled dream he should upset 

 the island altogether. Hiknlco is the god of spirits, and resides at Jinlotn. The spirits 

 of chiefs and men of rank go there and do his will, but where the spirits of the 

 common people go is not certain. Sacrifices were offered to Hiknlco when any sacrilege 

 was committed, and the spirits of chiefs were regarded as intercessors with the gods, 

 and prayers were made to them. Tangaloa was the Tongan Jupiter, who sent forth 

 thunder and lightning ; Hcinoana-ulinli governed the sea. In nnlotn was to be found 





THE STONE ARCH, Ml'TOTA, TONGA. 



