GENERAL ACCOUNT HEDLEY. 47 



islands in the group. The group of atolls seems to have been 

 filled with sacred places and shrines." 



Erivada related that in a dream he was instructed by seven* 

 spirits to make a god of a red stone, obtained by diving in the 

 passage, wrapped in pandanus leaves and placed in a case, " fe'ou," 

 like (as O'Brien described it) a hen-coop. If anyone fell sick the 

 stone was taken out and beseeched to relieve or cure the sufferer. 

 Erivada also manufactured from coloured pandanus leaves and 

 shells the sacred casket, " bourou," supposed to be worn like a hat 

 by Firafi. O'Brien, on his arrival, saw a ceremony performed by 

 the priest, or as he termed him the "devil-master," to induce the 

 spirit to send abundance of fish. This consisted of the bourou 

 being taken out of the temple and carried thrice around it, 

 followed by a procession of men and women stripped naked for 

 the occasion. "Foilape," writes Turner, "was the principal god, 

 and they had a stone at his temple. There was an altar also on 

 which offerings of food were laid. At the order of the priest the 

 altar was carried about the settlement, and as the god was 

 supposed to be on it, the people danced in front and all around 

 to please him." On Nukufetau, "Occasionally, after a death for 

 instance, the people assembled, and in honour of the god paraded 

 about the settlement, carrying shoulder high the box containing 

 his treasures."! 



No fisher would use his catch till an offering was made to the 

 temple. Receiving the first fruits of every haul, the priest would 

 walk around the temple, and calling each of the numerous spirits 

 by its name, would deposit upon post after post for each his fish 

 in sacrifice. A barracouta was always appropriated by the 

 temple, presenting this perquisite was called "greasing the mats 

 of the temples." 



Such valuables as fine mats or pearl shell fish-hooks were 

 frequently offered. When any new or wonderful object was 

 acquired, if for instance a bottle or tin came ashore, it was at 

 once taken to the temple. In Nukufetau, Turner tells usj 

 that " Any rare beads or other fancy articles from a ship were 

 presented. If concealed, the god knew it, he was omniscient, 

 and brought death on the culprit." At Fotuna, "It forms 

 an important part of the religion of this island to consider 

 everything that arrives there, whether of great or little value, as 

 the property of the gods, no matter whether it be a largs canoe 

 or a log of wood." 



* Referring to this mystic number, Newell writes (loc. cit.) of the 

 ransom for a child's life upon Nukufetau of seven bowls of faausi, " So 

 far as I know this is the only instance of the number seven being con- 

 sidered the number of completeness, as in the Hebrew Scriptures." 



t Turner loc. cit. J Turner loc. cit., p. 205. 



Mariner Tonga, i., 1817, p. 318. 



