50 FUNAFUTI ATOLL. 



whom we conversed) goes through his incantations, and, husking 

 the nuts with a stick kept for the purpose, drinks the water and 

 eats the kernel, and then puts newly-plucked nuts in their place. 

 Each new act of worship necessitates the tying of a fresh leaf 

 round the post, and another round the arm of the worshipper. 

 Four old coconuts lay at the foot of this queer post god. In 

 another idol house, we saw on a swinging tray, a smooth round 

 pebble worshipped as a god. Offerings of green coconuts lay 

 near it, with the sacred leaflet." 



Of the same island, Niutao, Moresby observed :* " Native 

 missionaries have been two years at work here, but half the 

 people are as yet devil worshippers, and adore the evil spirit 

 under the form of coconut leaves, skip jacks, and wooden posts. 

 Every heathen family has a small devil hut, in which a tiny 

 grass hammock is slung for the evil spirit to sleep in, and where 

 offerings of fresh nuts are brought him every morning ; many of 

 these huts were in full use, but we were pleased to find others 

 forsaken." 



Turner informs! us that " Kulu was the principal god in 

 Niutao, and at the evening meal was prayed to for rain, coco- 

 nuts, fish, freedom from disease, &c. Offerings to Kulu were 

 eaten only by the priest, or by any stranger to whom he might 

 hand a share." 



The same author says of Nanomana, | " Foelangi and Maumau 

 were the principal gods. They had each a temple ; and under 

 the altars, on which were laid out in rows the skulls of departed 

 chiefs and people, were suspended offerings of pearl shell and 

 other valuables. Foelangi had an unchiseled block of stone to 

 represent him, something like a six feet high gravestone. The 

 household gods were incarnate in the fish. Offerings of food 

 were taken to the temples, that the gods might first partake 

 before anyone else ate anything. While visiting one of these 

 temples I saw a number of fresh plucked and husked coconuts 

 laid down, one before each skull. After a time the nuts were 

 taken away and eaten by the family who laid them there. Clubs 

 and great double edged wooden swords, fifteen feet long, and 

 edged with sharks' teeth, were kept in the larger temples for 

 display on festive occasions in honour of the gods, and taken 

 occasionally to the rocks at the landing place to flourish about 

 and frighten away any party from a ship or from another island 

 attempting to land, until at least special permission from the 



* Moresby New Guinea, 1876, p. 78. 

 f Turner Samoa, 1884, p. 288. 

 J Turner op. cit., p. 289. 



In Nanomana " On a ' paata ' ( = shelf) were laid human skulls and 

 jawbones." Dr. Gill's MS. Diary. 



