740 Transactions. 
farther east, the balance-pole is in universal use. In New Zealand it is 
entirely absent. That the old-time Maori was acquainted with it a study 
of the words connected with that form of transport would seem to indicate, 
The Polynesian root word for carrying on the shoulder is amo. In the - 
Samoan dialect amo means “ to carry on the shoulder," and the name for - 
the balance-pole is also amo. A burden is amoga. In Tongan, haamo is - 
to carry on the shoulder burdens suspended from each end of a stick, and — 
the burden carried as above is haamoga. In western Polynesia the Poly- - 
nesian ng sound is represented by the letter g. In Niuean, to carry on - 
the shoulder is hahamo, and the balance-pole is lakau hahamo. The Niue 
dialect has more aspirates than the Maori, as indicated in such words as 
uha, mohe, and tahi, which have the same meanings as the Maori ua (rain), 
moe (sleep), and tai (tide or sea). In Hawaiian, to carry а burden on ti 
shoulder is amo; the burden so carried is also amo; and the balance-p 
is auamo. the Marquesan and Mangain dialects amo also means “К 
carry on the shoulder," and in the Moriori dialect of the Chatham Island. 
amo is "to carry on a pole." Returning to New Zealand, in the Maon 
dialect amo means definitely “to carry on the shoulder.” In his Comparatwe | 
Dictionary Tregear gives as one meaning of amo “ to carry in any manner, 
and quotes as an example, “ Amo ake au i taku toki nei.” The phrase 
certainly means “ to carry an axe,” but if any Maori were asked how the 
axe was carried he would unhesitatingly reply, “ On the shoulder." The 
literal meaning of the phrase is, “ I carry up on my shoulder this my axe. 
ask a man to shoulder his axe by using the words “ Me waha to toli 
would be quite wrong. There is a special word for shouldering, Wa 
and the алии waha with a similar meaning. Тһе two ше 
carrying are here distinguished by different words; but in Samoa 
Tahiti fafa and vaha apply more to carrying persons on the back 
ordinary burdens. 
It is clear from these comparisons that, though the balance-pole 2 
woul "Me amo,” and the handles of the stretchers Were. 
tatingly hoisted up on to their shoulders. “ Ме ато” mea 
shoulder it.” Sometimes, when time pressed and material was 
