ETHNOLOGICAL NOTES OF TOKELAU, ETC., ISLANDERS. 607 
and gave them the victory over their foes in other lands ; his favour 
followed them on their numerous and hazardous voyages, and by that 
they were brought back in safety to their island home after many 
months’ adventurous journeying. 
So much we can still learn from the talafua (as they call their 
ancient songs) of this interesting people. Alas! there are but 
snatches of these ancient songs in the few legends that remain. 
These islands were depopulated by the Peruvian slavers in 1863. 
Almost all who would have handed on the ancient folk-lore of the 
race disappeared in that great calamity.* 
II. The Ellice Groui* comprises Nukulaelae (or the Mitchell 
Group), Funafuti (or Ellice Island), Vaitupu (or Tracey Island), 
Nukufetau (or De Peyster’s Group), Nui (or X etherland Island), 
Niutao (or Speiden Island), Nanumanga or Nanomanga (Hudson 
Island), and Nanumea or Nanomea (St. Augustine Island). 
I am unable in this paper to give notes of each of these eight 
islands or groups of islets. In most cases my time did not permit me 
to get reliable information as to the folk-lore of the island, if any 
distinct legends existed. Judging from results, I should conclude 
that the group is not so rich in ancient folk-songs as the Tokelau 
Islands. 
Seven of these islands or groups are probably Samoan in origin, 
with an admixture of Tongese. In some cases the Tongan was 
introduced at a late stage, in others the Tongan element was almost 
contemporaneous with the Samoan, but in all cases the Samoan 
preponderates so much as to have controlled the language. As far as 
I am able to judge from a comparison of the most familiar words, the 
Tokelau and the Ellice Island dialects have become practically 
assimilated to each other. Samoan largely prevails in the whole of 
the Tokelau and the Ellice Islands; it is the literary language, except in 
the Gilbert or Kingsmill Island colony of Nui, where the Gilbert 
Island dialect is spoken with a small admixture of Samoan or Ellice 
Island words and con struct ions. Even in Nui the Gilbert Island 
dialect is gradually giving place to the Samoan or Ellice Island 
dialect, which is spoken by the Nanomangans who have hereditary 
rights on a portion of the land of Nui. 
I visited Nui the second time after an interval of nine years, and 
I found that the Samoan language was much more widely understood 
than on my former visit. The young people are becoming so familiar 
with Samoan that divine service in that language is now frequently 
held on Sunday afternoon. 
As is well known, there is excellent anchorage at tw r o of the 
islands in the Ellice Group — namely, at Funafuti and at Nukufetau. 
At both these places there is water. 
Funafuti is a group of some thirty islets surrounding a lagoon 
twelve miles in length. The people are descended from Samoans, 
known to posterity as Lafai, Le Fe’e (cuttlefish), Sa Sere (the clan 
of Seve), and two others — five clans in all. They appear to have had 
more elaborate religious rites than other islands in the group. The 
group of atolls seems to have been filled with sacred places and 
* From Fakaofo 247 men, women, and children were kidnapped, of whom only 
one returned, to die of consumption shortly after his return. 
