The Areois. 
45 
and spreading a moral contagion throughout 
society.” (Each band or section of the society 
was called a “ mareva,” corresponding with the 
Samoan “ malaga ”—a party of travellers ; and, 
indeed, in Australian parlance they might have 
been designated as larrikin “ pushes.”) “ Before 
the company set out great preparation was 
necessary. Numbers of pigs were killed and 
presented to the god Oro ; large quantities of 
plantains and bananas, with other fruits, were 
also offered upon his altars. Several weeks were 
necessary to complete the preliminary cere¬ 
monies. The concluding parts of these 
consisted in erecting, on board their canoes, 
two temporary maraes , or temples, for the 
worship of Orotetefa and his brother, the 
tutelary deities of the society. This was merely 
a symbol of the presence of the gods; and 
consisted principally in a stone for each, from 
Oro’s marae , and a few red feathers for each, 
from the inside of his sacred image. Into these 
symbols the gods were supposed to enter when 
the priest pronounced a short ‘ uba,’ or prayer, 
immediately before the sailing of the fleet. 
The numbers connected with this fraternity, and 
the magnitude of some of their expeditions will 
