Wild Life in Southern Seas. 
48 
“ tapiti,” or “ Oroa,” they sometimes engaged 
in wrestling, but never in boxing ; that would 
have been considered too degrading for them. 
Dancing, however, appeared to have been their 
favourite and most frequent performance. In 
this they were always led by the manager or 
chief. Their bodies, blackened with charcoal 
and stained with “ mati,” rendered the exhibi¬ 
tion of their persons on these occasions most 
disgusting. They often maintained their dance 
through the greater part of the night, accom¬ 
panied by their voices, and the music of the 
flute and drum. These amusements frequently 
continued for a number of days and nights 
successively at the same place. The “ upaupa ” 
was then terminated, and they journeyed on to 
the next district or principal chieftain’s abode, 
where the same train of dances, wrestling, and 
pantomimic exhibitions was repeated. 
Several other gods were supposed to preside 
over the “ upaupa ” as well as the two brothers 
who were the guardian deities of the Areois. 
The gods of these diversions, according to the 
ideas of the people, were monsters in vice, and, 
of course, patronised every evil practice perpe¬ 
trated during such seasons of public festivity. 
