52 
THE TWO RACES WHICH PEOPLED POLYNESIA. 
9. Dinga Pennu resides upon a great rock or mountain, 
called Grippa Valli, or leaping rock, in the region beyond 
the sea from which the sun rises ; the leaping rock is per- 
fectly smooth and exceedingly slippery, with a black un- 
fathomless river flowing around it, to it the souls of men 
speed straight after death, and it derives its name from the 
desperate leaps which they are compelled to make, to reach 
and secure a footing upon its surface, which they con- 
stantly fail to do ; with the Maori, their Reinga is a rock 
with an extremely narrow ridge leading to it, situated at the 
northern extremity of New Zealand ; this is the road the 
spirits of the dead have to travel along to reach the infernal 
regions; from the top of that rock they leap into Po, or 
Hades, hence it derives its name Te Being a, the leaping 
place. 
10. They have groves, which are kept sacred from the 
axe, hoary rocks, the tops of hills, fountains, and banks of 
streams, which are in their eyes the fittest places for worship. 
The sacred grove was found throughout New Zealand, sacred 
rocks and trees as well, to which every traveller uttered a 
prayer, and left behind some memento of his visit. 
1 1 . One of the chief offices of a priest is to discover the 
cause of sickness, which is held to arise from the decree of 
Dinga, from the especial displeasure of some god, or from 
the magical arts of an enemy. It was exactly the same with 
the Maori. 
12. The priest becomes full of the god, shakes his head 
wildly with dishevelled hair, and pours forth a torrent of 
incoherent words. The Maori priest did the same, foaming 
at the mouth and distorting his body in a most extraordi- 
nary manner ; the words he uttered whilst in that state were 
considered to come from the god. 
13. We are told by Mouhot, who passed some time 
amongst the Stiens, the wild mountaineers of Siam, that 
they believe in an evil genius, and attribute all diseases to 
him ; if any one be suffering from illness, they say it is the 
demon tormenting him, and with this idea they make all 
night and day an insupportable noise round the patient. 
