46 



porter's journal. 



has oftentimes many significations ; as for example, the 

 word motte signifies I thank you^ I have enough, I do not want 

 it, I do not like it^ keep it yourself, take it away, &c. &lc, 

 Mattee expresses every degree of injury which can happen 

 to a person or thing from the shghtest harm to the most 

 cruel death. Thus a prick of the finger is mattee, to have 

 a pain in any part is mattee ; mattee is to be sick ; to be badly 

 wounded is mattee, aiid mattee is to kill or be killed, to be 

 broke ^when speaking of inanimate objects) to be in- 

 jured in any way, even to be dirtied or soiled is expressed 

 by the word mattee, Motakee, with slight variation of the 

 voice, signifies every degree of good, from a thing merely 

 tolerable, to an object of the greatest excellence ; thus it 

 is, so, so, good, very good, excellent : it signifies the qualities 

 and dispositions of persons ; thus they are tolerable, likely, 

 handsome, or beautiful, — good, kind, benevolent, generous, hu- 

 mane, Keheva, which signifies bad, is as extensive in its use 

 as motakee, and, by suitable modulations of the voice, has 

 meanings directly opposite. This is the case with many 

 other words in their language; indeed with all we became 

 acquainted with. Kie-kie signifies to eat, it also signifies g 

 troublesome fellow ; may it not also have many other signifi« 

 cations, with which we are unacquainted ? it may signify 

 to cut up, to divide, to sacrifice, to keep as trophies ; whether 

 it has these significations I am unable to say, and Wilson 

 could not inform me; but many circumstances induce me 

 to beheve they meant no more, when they informed me 

 they sometimes ate their enemies. That they offer the 

 bodies of their enemies as sacrifices to their gods, I had 

 more than once an opportunity of seeing, while I remained 

 on the island. Unfortunately the wars we were under the 

 necessity of carrying on against the hostile tribes furnished 

 them with too many subjects. Their fondness for their 

 bones as trophies, is evident to every person. Their skulls 

 are carefully preserved and hung up in their houses. Their 

 thigh bones are formed into harpoons, and sometimes are 

 richly ornamented with carvings ; their smaller bones are 

 formed into ornaments to be hung round their necks, re- 

 presenting figures of their gods : they are also converted 

 into fan-handles, form a part of the ornaments of their 

 war conchs, and in fact compose part of every descrip- 

 tion of ornament where they can possibly be applied. 



