j66 



REMARKS ON T H E 



RELIGION, undccayed, I am far from thinking that the people in the South 



Sea derived their fepulchral rites, and their opinions relative to the 



V 



J 



foul from Egypt, for I have frequently obferved that the fame 



cufloms are obferved at very diftant pi 



It is therefore polTible 



that mankind may have accidentally employed upon certain occa- 

 fions the fame cufloms w^ithout having an opportunity of borrowing 



*- 



chem from places fo very remote. 



- I 



In the Friendly illes, (though we twice vifited them) we made 

 a very fhort flay, fo that we could not make many obfervations ©n 

 their religion and the rites and ceremonies that are in ~ any ways 

 related to religion ; however we find they ufed the word Eatobca, 

 we faw one of their priefts perform fome rites, and heard him 

 repeat a long prayer, oppofite to one of their burying places,, 

 called bj them Affayetooca. * I was told that they buried the 

 remains of their deceafed friends within the houfe or Affayetooca^ 

 which was filled with pieces of coral flone, I found in the houfe 

 two rude figures of a man fimilar to the Teehee at Taheitee. I 

 inquired whether they called it an Eatohcaj they faid no j I again 



\ 



;afked how they called it, and I was told Teeghee ; I inquired 



L - ■ 



whether they prayed to it, this they denied, and kicked the figures 

 with their feet, to fhew that they did not pay the leafl rcf^-^Oi to 



In 



them. 



"* The name Jffayetooca feems to fignify the houfe of God: for fane is a houfe in the 

 Friendly-ifles and E-cUocca is the name of God, which would form tlie word E'/aru-to:ca or 



y 



