146 JOHN FKASEK. 



33. Rod or staff of office. 



Ez. xxi., 10 et al. It contemneth the rod of my son. 

 Samoa. — The Samoan to'o-to'o, 'a rod or staff of office,' is a sign 

 of authority. 



Names of the Samoan Months. 1 

 January — Tagaloa-fua. 2 



February — Fa'alele; 3 Ta'afanua; 6 Nua ; Papu. 

 March — Tulia ; 4 a feast to that god. 

 April — Le-XJnu ; 5 a feast to him. 

 May — Ta 'af anua- 6 tele. 

 June — Malelega. 7 

 July — Sina. 8 

 August — Yaenoa. 



September — Lau-popo; 9 a feast to him. 

 October — Le-Fanoga ; * ° a feast to him. 

 November — Tagaloa-ta'u ; 11 a feast to him. 

 December — 'Ite; 12 a feast to him. 



Notes. 



1. A ' month ' or ' moon ' is masina. 



2. Fua means ' fruit/ This is the season for great offerings to Tangaloa; 

 all the priests were wont to assemble then, and the food which had been 

 tabued for them was presented. 



When they trampled on a thing made sacred, that is, when the tabu was 

 violated, people were afraid and said : — c By and by a calamity will spring 

 up, or a famine, or drought (lit. ' the sun '), or war/ &c. 



3. ' The flying of the pigeons;' fa'alele, ' to cause to fly/ 



4. Tulia means ' driven/ but here * Tulia" is a god. 



5. JJnu is a kind of ' tree/ Le-TJnu is probably one of those whom the 

 Greeks and Romans called ' Dryads/ 



6. Ta'a, ' to run about on'; fanua tele, ' the big land/ 



7. Malelega, ' the flight of the tame pigeon/ 



8. Sina means ' white ' and is probably the moon. 



9. Lau-popo ; lau, ' leaf/ popo, ' dry '; the end of the dry season. 



10. Le-Fanoga, ' destruction/ See the myth about him, p. 107. 



11. Ta'u means e renowned/ 



12. 'Ite, ' to know"; 'i'ite, 'to predict/ hence, 'a prophet/ 



