Slu'U-Tiiiiiif'cts ai/ii I heir /''is/rii'ii/ioi/. 



45 



and hollow it was ;i had sii;ii ; but if clc^ai- and eii|)h()nic 

 all were cheered, and went off joyfully under the fjood 

 omen. In the island of Savaii a village god naimd Titi 

 usi (Glittering leaf girdle; was worshipped at the new 

 moon, and after prax'er and feasting a man went about 

 blowing a shell-trumi)Ct as a sign that the ceremonies 

 were over, and that the usual routine of village and family 

 life might be resumed.''^ A further use of shell-trumpets 

 noted b\- Turner in Samoa was to herald the approach of 

 some important personage. A chief of importance must 

 have one. or perhajis two, large shells in his canoe, to 

 answer the puri)osc of trumpets, to blow now and then as 

 the canoe passed along.''' 



In Manahiki, or llumphre)-'s Island, Turner states 

 that when the constellation Plcirules was seen there was 

 unusual jo\- ex[)ressed by singing, dancing, anil blowing 

 shell-trumpets.'"' 



In the Societ}- Is. large shells of Tritojt iritonis, L. 

 are used as trumpets, and these are blown when f)roces- 

 sions walk t(j the temple, or warriors march to battle, at 

 the inauguration of the king, during the worshij) at the 

 temple, or when a tabu, (>r restriction is imposcfl in the 

 name of the gods. EUi.s''" tells us that large shells were 

 selected for this purpose, and these^were sometimes above 

 a foot in length, and seven or eight inches in diameter at 

 the mouth. In order to facilitate the blowing of the 

 trumpet, a {perforation, about an inch in diameter, was 

 made near the apex of the shell. Into this a bamboo 

 cane, some three feet in length, was inserted, and secured 

 to the shell with fine braid. The outside of the aperture 

 was rendered air-tight b\- a resinous gum fi-om the bread- 



"* Turner, op. iil.. pp. 27. 54. 60. 



'•° Ibid. pp. 165-6. 



'•* //'/(/. p. 279. 



'■" ••Polynesian Kcscarclics," i., iSj6, \\<. 196-7. 



