24 Transactions.—Miseellaneous. 
hand to any thing.* This is clearly seen in Tongan, where tufunga means 
any kind of workman as tufunga ia maka, a mason ; tufunga fer cava, a 
barber. In an early stage of society, such men naturally take the place of 
leaders, and if they could add a little superstition to their other abilities, 
this would help them all the more to keep down the common people. 
Another custom very prevalent in the Polynesian Islands, though not 
strictly confined to them, was that of cannibalism. It is true that, im 
Australia, with a population quite as savage as can be found anywhere else, 
as also in Micronesia, man-eating was not practised,—moreover, that it was 
less frequent in the Navigator's Friendly Society and Sandwich islands 
than in New Zealand, the Marquesas, etc. Still, there can be no question 
that the practice was occasional everywhere and involved no loss of caste or 
character on the part of those addicted to it. In some places, too, it would 
seem that the victims, generally slaves or captives were fattened previously 
to being killed. Much has been written on this subject, and it has been 
held up to view as the most atrocious act that man can commit: it seems, 
however, to me to be, but one more instance of the entire disregard of any- 
thing sacred in the human body or in human life, which the stories in the 
works of Mr. Mariner and Mr. Ellis show to have been so generally 
prevalent in the Pacific Islands. It is not pleasant to call hard names, but 
there can be no doubt that, till very recently, murder daily and under every 
form, was the characteristic practice of all these Island populations. To 
eat portions of a body so slain—especially, if slain with the view of 
propitiating some evil spirit, is not unnatural, and has been done in modern 
times and by people calling themselves Christians. Another custom, like 
most of those I have mentioned, very universal among these Islands, 
though, not absolutely restricted to them was that of Tattoo ;—the carving 
on the outward surface of their bodies,—and, especially of their faces, 
certain patterns, generally curves, and forcing into the skin thus incised, 
various pigments most frequently of a blue colour. This custom, though 
partially practised by some of the Tribes now living in the Eastern outskirts 
of India, cannot, I believe, be traced to India itself, The word used for it 
~ is nearly the same in most of the dialects. Thus, Tahit., tatau ; (with 
two ete semement words given — Monkhouse and Cook for tattooing in different 
* The oldest English name is esersoapice to be Pratt (the family name of Lord Camden). 
This is “ praet,” the “ ready 
t So lately as in the insurrection of 1848, in the public streets of Palermo, and, during 
Garibaldi’s war of independence, at Messina. A Sicilian Brigand just slain, is stated to 
have eaten the hearts of the people he murdered (Daily News, October 18, 1865.) 
+ sad 5 
