SOME FOLK-SONGS AND MYTHS FKOM SAMOA. 117 



Chief in the house ; thus A-Ui announces himself ; he calls himself a 

 'chief/ The word ali'i, ariki, 'a chief/ as to its etymology, means, f a 

 lofty one/ one who is ' before ' others. 



Page 98. 



The women of the household ; usually young girls. 



The stem of a cocoa-nut leaf; a blow from this is enough to crack a 

 man's skull. 



Mother of both spirits and men ; this is referred to in another Solo of 

 this series. 



Made an oven ; see note 8 of the ' tala ' about Mafui'e. 



Page 99. 



They sing and are happy ; fall asleep, Sfc; this is said of the natives of 

 the New Hebrides, and may be true of other islanders ; certainly the 

 Polynesians do not become quarrelsome in their cups. 



Frenzy; oracle; similar experiences show themselves among the African 

 tribes ; cf. the effect of the intoxicating vapour on the Pythia of the 

 Delphic Apollo ; there also, as here, presents were offered by inquirers ; 

 cf. also Aeneid VI., 44-50. 



Page 100. 



Removing of ' tabu '; this proves that the plant had sacred uses. 



Privileges of men ; to drink ; something analogous exists among the 

 tribes of Australia ; after the young men have passed through the ' Bora/ 

 they have certain privileges as to food and other things. 



They place the fibre in the 'kava' bowl. It has been said that the girls 

 spit into the bowl, or spit the chewed fibre from their mouths into the bowl. 

 Now, I have made diligent inquiry as to this, and those who know Samoa 

 well assure me that that statement is not true, so far as the Samoans are 

 concerned. The chewers there take the pellet from the mouth with their 

 fingers and throw it into the bowl, which is at some distance in the 

 middle of the circle ; if the pellet rebounds from the sides of the bowl, 

 it is regarded as well-chewed ; if, being sodden with saliva, it falls flat, 

 the hava is badly chewed. An old chief told Mr. Pratt, that the Jcava 

 should be masticated so as to make the fibre loose and dry, and that they 

 nauseate the presence of saliva in it. Attached to a chief's household, 

 there is an a'amaga, a company of young men and young women, whose 

 duty it is to chew the hava. 



Page 101. 



Highest in rank ; the Samoan islanders are very ceremonious j some 

 chiefs, belonging to families now in humble circumstances, are yet of 

 very high rank in the fonos. A European, in addressing a company of 

 chiefs, must be very careful to give to each the proper amount of respect, 

 in act and word, which is due to him. 



Circle of chiefs ; cf. the circle of ambassadors at a European Court, 

 when the emperor or king approaches. 



