SAMOAN TRADITION OP CREATION AND THE DELUGE. 163 



I was also forcibly reminded of another tradition of the Samoans which, I 

 believe, embodies, in a very mythic form, Mr. Boscawen's subject — viz., the 

 migration of the family of Abrara. The pith of it is this : That a family 

 of five fled, in a south-westerly direction, from a region called Atafu, where 

 human sacrifices were offered to Ea, the sun. They fled for fear of being 

 oftered in sacrifice, although one of the family, a female named Ui, had 

 obtained a promise from Ea that these sacrifices should cease, and by him 

 had become enceinte. Her child, half man, half god, became the individual 

 whom I recognise as Abram, and whose mythic history is very long. 

 Here we have, then, apparently independent of each other, three streams of 

 reference concerning the Creation, the Deluge, and the Migration of Abraham 

 — viz., the Bible record, the Assyrian inscriptions, and the Samoan traditions. 

 Let those who think that these have no basis in true history, prove their 

 point, if they can. Our opinion is, that the collateral traditions confirm the 

 truth of the Bible history. 



The Chairman (Rev. R. Thornton, D.D., V.P.). — It is now my pleasing 

 duty to return the thanks of the meeting to the Eev. Mr. Powell for the 

 very interesting paper he has put before us on a subject quite new, and 

 consequently, one of fresh interest to us. We shall now be very glad 

 to hear remarks from any one who has aught to say upon the subject, and I 

 would suggest that I think a very fair opportunity is afforded us for interro- 

 gating Mr. Powell, who, having lived for forty years in Samoa, necessarily 

 possesses a large amount of information in regard to the group of islands 

 bearing that name, and will, therefore, be able to give us every informa- 

 tion upon the subject.* 



G. A. Shaw, Esq., F.Z.S. — I did not come here this evening either to 

 interrogate Mr, Powell, or to ofi"er any further information than he has given 

 with regard to the islands of Samoa. I was only there for a short time, at 

 any rate, for so short a time that I do not regard myself as a competent 

 authority to speak on a subject so special as that which Mr. Powell 

 has brought before us, which would naturally require considerable know- 

 ledge, not only of the manners and customs of the Samoans, but of their 

 language also. As I was only in Samoa some eighteen months or so, the 

 pleasure of inquiring into the ancient traditions and folk-lore of the 

 natives was not granted to me. When, however, reference is made to 



* Three letters were received in regard to Mr. Powell's paper, the first 

 commenting on the interest attaching to written records of those Samoan 

 traditions which have now all but died out ; the second expressing hesita- 

 tion in agreeing with a portion of Mr. Powell's arguments ; the third was as 

 follows : — " Tangaloa seems to me to be possibly derived from the Arabic 

 d!Uj (Tangala, if ain c 'must be transliterated by ng). alxj is the Arabic 

 for ^t'^I? of Genesis xiv. ' The Most High God.' Also in Daniel, &c., and 

 is to this day, in Palestine, the common appellation for ' God.' " 



