SAMOAN TRADITION OP CREATION AND THE DELUGE. 169 



the theory correct. Now, if man did receive a revelation, we should not 

 be surprised to find that all mankind have a tradition of a God and of Creation, 

 and, further, of the dealings of God with man in the case of the Deluge and 

 various other matters. All mankind have this tradition — the Noachian 

 tradition has survived in various forms down to the present day ; and this, 

 I think, solves the difiiculty which presented itself years ago to the 

 missionaries of the Roman Church, who found, when they got abroad, 

 revealed truths mixed up with a great deal of error, and immediately put it 

 down to the devil, which is the easy way they have, even nowadays, of 

 getting over a difficulty. The fact, however, appears to be quite the other 

 way, for we find all the tribes we come in contact with in possession of 

 certain fragments of the primeval tradition, corrupted and distorted it may 

 be in almost every case, sometimes in one direction and sometimes in 

 another, but all showing some traces of the primeval truth. These myths or 

 traditions, which Mr. Powell has put before us, are exceedingly interesting 

 and valuable, and they are quite consonant with my theory. We have here 

 a tradition of Creation, and of the dealings of God with man, which really 

 looks like a very much paraphrased account of what we have more fully 

 stated in the Book of Genesis. The tradition is for that reason extremely 

 valuable, and we cannot but thank Mr. Powell for having brought it before 

 us. If we could get a collection of all the traditions of the various tribes of 

 mankind on difi'erent subjects, side by side, we should be able, by the process 

 of generalisation and by observation of the points on which they tallied or 

 diflered, to arrive at something like an account of that tradition which was 

 originally delivered by the Creator to mankind. We thank Mr. Powell for 

 the great pleasure he has afforded us, and I hope he will favour us with a 

 few concluding remarks on what has been said during the discussion on his 

 very able paper. 



The Author. — I should like to ask Mr. Shaw if the Hovas say they 

 have obtained the custom he has described from the Arabs ? 



G. A. Shaw, Esq., F.Z.S.— As a matter of fact, there is no tradition 

 which states whence they obtained the custom ; but they all admit that 

 they have been influenced in their national life and language by their 

 contact with the Arabs. Where the custom originally came from there is, 

 as far as I am aware of, no tradition to show. 



The Author. — There can be no question as to the fact that they have 

 all been greatly influenced by the Arabs ; but I should like to know whether 

 they consider that they brought the ofi'ering of the bullock with them or 

 obtained it from the Arabs ? That is a very important point. 



G. A. Shaw, Esq., F.Z.S. — I am sorry to say I have no information 

 upon that subject. 



The Author. — With regard to my paper, I may say that I did not 

 expect the views I have expressed would be endorsed in an initiatory stage 

 like the present, and I should not think of advancing such ideas as I have 

 suggested simply on a single Samoan legend ; but I am glad to say I have a 

 pile of these traditions of considerable bulk, and the paper I have read relates 



