284 JOHN FKASEK. 



The Tongan group; which is placed as a stepping-stone between the 

 Eastern group and Fiji. That land ; ' lau-'ele'ele '; see notes on par. 13. 



34. This Manu'a • the land of the poet's birth. 



Move about ; ' f e-alu-mai/ — not the frequentative form this time. The 

 meaning is that Manu'a was too small an island, and so the land (' lau- 

 *ele'ele) of Savai'i was created. Therefore, in poetry, these two islands 

 are regarded as proceeding from the same act of creation. 



35. Got countries ; nu'u, ' lands/ Tangaloa, the supreme god, now goes 

 down to examine the lands just created. Cf. " And behold every thing 



that he had made was very good." Delighted in them, 'fia-fia/ intensive; 

 said, ' fetala'i,' a chief's word. 



Black cloud; ' ao-uli-uli'; this is not a rain-cloud ; in the book of Isaiah 

 (c. iv., 5), the day-cloud, which is a manifestation of Jehovah's presence, 

 a, cloud of smoke {'anan v'dshdn); cf. also 1 Kings, viii., 10. 



Trample upon; ' soli-soli/ reduplication. As man is now about to come 

 on the scene, the supreme god prepares the land for him to dwell in and 

 to cultivate. 



People to possess ; lit., ' people to people,' tagata e f a'a-tagata. 



Atu-sasae; 'atu' means 'group,' and 'sasae' means 'eastern.' Atu, 

 Sasae, Fiji, Tonga, are all personified here and become mythical person- 

 ages. Here, as elsewhere, Fiji, although Melanesian, is included in the 

 realms of Tangaloa, the Eastern God. 



38. Valu'a and Ti'apa ; these heroes are celebrated in another Solo. 



Pi and Sava ; a myth to account for the name Savai'i. Mr. Powell's 

 notes add : — " Such is the account given me by Taua-nu'u of Manu'a, the 

 legend-keeper (Oct. 21, 1870). He also stated that Fatu and 'Ele'ele 

 were the first pair who came from heaven ; they came down at a place 

 called Malae-a-Vavau, near the east end of the village of Taii; they 

 gave birth to a boy and a girl named Tia'pa and Valu'a, who went and 

 peopled Savai'i ; for they became the parents of a girl named I'i and a 

 boy Sava ; hence the name Savai'i." 



This side of the world ; ' lenei itu lalolagi.' 



39. As if he were making a prayer ; 'peiseai se talo-talo ua fai'; talo-talo 

 is an intensive reduplication of the verb tatalo, ' to pray '; talo-saga is ' a 

 prayer '; talo means ' to make signs to,' ' to beckon '; hence ' to stretch 

 out the hands in prayer.' 



Land of Upolu; Tutuila; 'land' here is lau-'ele'ele, not nu'u. 

 To rest ; malolo, ' to be quiescent/ ' to rest/ not ' to rest from work '; 

 lands, ' nu'u/ 



40. The Peopling Vine; le Fue-tagata; cf. the ' Solo o le Va/ (note 16). 

 Evidently this vine has some connection with the Sun. 



A council ground t that is, a malae. 



