RELIGIOUS WORSHIP. 
73 
little distance from it, leaning against a tuahu, a short stone 
pillar, stuck in the ground in a slanting position, and holding 
the string in the hand, he gave the god a jerk, to arrest his at¬ 
tention, lest he should be otherwise engaged, like Baal of old, 
either hunting, or fishing, or sleeping, and therefore must be 
awaked: having thus secured the attention of the god, he repeats 
his first karakia, in a quick singing tone ; this being finished, he 
took a short piece of fern stalk, which he stuck into the ground; 
he then gave the god another pull, uttered another karakia, 
and stuck another bit of fern stalk into the ground ; and thus 
he continued until he had repeated all his karakias, which he 
counts by fern stalks, the same as they do by beads in Rome 
and Thibet. The god is supposed to make use of the priest’s 
tongue in giving a reply. Image worship appears to have 
been confined to one part of the island. The atua was sup¬ 
posed only to enter the image for the occasion. The natives 
declare they did not worship the image itself, but only the 
atua it represented, and that the image was merely used as a 
way of approaching him. 
The natives have a very great unwillingness to repeat their 
karakias, and seldom do so to strangers; hence the little accu¬ 
rate information to be obtained from the works of casual 
travellers. Very little of their account of the rites and 
ceremonies of the natives can be depended upon, unless ac¬ 
quired through the medium of those who have lived for years 
amongst them. The heathen natives think there is such 
power in these spells, that they cannot be repeated without 
taking effect; and the Christianized natives are afraid that 
the mere repetition would give the evil spirit power over 
them ; and certainly it is not desirable that this knowledge of 
heathen rites should be perpetuated amongst them. The 
priest, when inspired, was really thought to have the spirit of 
the god in him; his body was then violently agitated, he 
writhed about as though in great pain, rolled about his eyes, 
his arms quivering, and seeming insensible to all external 
objects; then every word spoken was attributed to the god; 
when the answers were given, the symptoms gradually sub¬ 
sided, and the priest regained his usual composure. 
