TONGATABOO. 23 
against the higher gods is sacrilege, committed towards their temples, 
or an improper use of the offerings. They call their oldest god 
Maui, and say that he drew the world or islands out of the sea with a 
hook and line: the first he drew up he named Ata, which is referred 
to Pylstart; the next was Tonga, with all its group of islands; then 
Lofanga and the other Hapai islands; and last, the Vavao Group. 
After he had finished his work, he came and fixed his residence at 
Tonga. In those days the sky was so near the earth that men were 
obliged to crawl. One day Maui is represented as having met an 
old woman with water in a cocoa-nut shell, of whom he begged 
some drink, which she refused until he promised to send the sky up 
high, which he did, by pushing it up, and there it has remained ever 
since. To Maui is ascribed the origin of that most useful tree called 
toa, the iron-wood (Casuarina), which in time reached the sky, and 
enabled the god called Etumatubua to descend. Maui had two sons, 
whom is not known. Kijikiji obtained some ae from the earth, and 
taught them to cook their food, which they found was good, and from 
that day food has ae cooked which before was eaten raw. In order 
whence it is now obtained by friction. They further say, that during 
the time old Maui was on the earth, the only light was like that of the 
moon, and that neither day nor night existed; that Maui and his two 
sons live under the earth, where he sleeps most of his time; that 
when he turns himself over, he produces earthquakes, which they call 
“ mofooeke.” Maui is not now worshipped by any tribe, nor is he 
loved or feared. 
Tangaloa, their second god, is thought to be nearly as old as Maui, 
and equal to him in dignity. He resides in the skies, which the 
Tongese believe to be very numerous. Hikuleo is the god of spirits, 
and is the third in order of time; he dwells in a cave in the island. 
Bulotu is most remarkable for a long tail, which prevents him from 
going farther from the cave in which he resides than its length will 
admit of. In this cave he has feasts, and lives with his wives, by 
whom he has many children; he has absolute power over all, and all 
are forced to go to him; he is a being without love or goodness ; 
to him the spirits of the chiefs and mataboles go, becoming his 
servants, and are forced to do his will, and to serve for what purpose 
he pleases; he even uses them to make fences of, or as bars to his 
gates; and they have the idea that his house and all things in it are 
made of the spirits of people, where they continue to serve without 
end. They never pray to Bulotu, except when some sacrilege has 
