Religion of the New Zealander3. 39 
tiii the ground, make nets, catch birds, and go out in their 
fcbais to fi'ftry and that the women dig up fern roots, colleft 
lobfters and other fheli filh near the beach, drefs the victuals, 
arid weave cloth : fuch at lead were their employments when 
we had an opportunity of obferving them, which was but fel- 
dom ; for in general our appearance made a holiday wherever 
we went, men, women, and children, flocking round us, either ' 
to gratify their curiofity, or to purchafe fome of the valuable 
merchandize which we carried about with us, confiding prin- 
cipally of nails, paper, and broken glafs. 
Of the religion of thefe people it cannot be fuppofed that r 
we could learn much ; they acknowledge rhe influence of fu- 
perior beings, one of whom is fupreme, and the reft fubor-' 
dinate ; and gave nearly the fame account of the origin of the 
world, and the produrilion of mank'nd, as our friends in Ota-. 
hfeite : T upia, • however, feemed to have a much more deep 
arid extenfive knowledge of thefe-fubjects than any of the people 
here ; and whenever he was difpofed to inftruft them, which 
he fometimes did in a long difeourfe, he was fure of a nume . 
rous audience, who liftened in profound filence, with fuch re- * 
verence and attention, that we could not but wifh them a bet- ’ 
tfer teacher. 
What homage' they pay to the deities they acknowledge we 
could not learn ; but we faiv noplace of public worfhip, like' 
the Morais of the South Sea iilands : yet we faw, near a plan- 
tation of fweet potatoes, a fniail area, of a fquare figure, fur- 
rounded with ftones, in the middle of which one of the fhar- 
pened flakes, which they nle as a lpade, was let up, and upon • 
it was hung a baikec of fern roots : upon enquiry, the natives - 
told us, chat it was an offering to the gods, by which the - 
owner hoped to rentier them propitious, and obtain a plenti- 
ful crop. 
As srj their manner of difpofing of their dead, we could form 
no certain opinion of it, for the uccou:: s that we received by 
no means agreed. In the northern parts; -hey tol 1 us t.L. 
they buried them in the ground ; ana n tb: V .ut'mm, that: 
they threw them into the lea: it is however certain, mat we 
faw no grave in the country, and that they affe&ed to conceal 
every thing relating to their dead with a kind of myftenous fc- 
crecy. Eat whatever maybe the fepulchre, the living are 
themfelves the monuments ; for we faw fcarceiy a hngie perfon 
of either lex vvhofe body was not marked by the fears of wounds 
which they had inflifted upon themfelves as a teftimeny of their 
regret for the lofs of a relation or friend' : fome of thefe wounds 
we faw in a ftate fo recent that the blood was fcarceiy {launch- 
ed,- which Ihows that death had been among them while we 
were upon the coaft ; and makes it more extraordinary that no 
funeral ceremony should 'have fallen under our notice : fome of 
D 3 the 
* 
