164 
A VOYAGE TO 
1779. iflands of thofe feas, from approaching. Mention hath been 
^ ch ' M already made, that women are always tabooed , or forbid¬ 
den to eat certain kind of meats. We alfo frequently faw 
feveral at their meals, who had the meat put into their 
mouths by others; and on our afking the reafon of this fin- 
gularity, were told, that they were tabooed , or forbidden, to 
feed themfelves. This prohibition, we underftood, was 
always laid on them, after they had aflifted at any funeral, 
or touched a dead body, and alfo on other occafions. It is 
necelfary to obferve, that, on thefe occalions, they apply 
the word taboo indifferently both to perfons and things. 
Thus they fay, the natives were tabooed , or the bay was ta¬ 
booed , and fo of the reft. This word is alfo ufed to exprefs 
any thing facred, or eminent, or devoted. Thus the king 
of Owhyhee was called Eree-taboo ; a human vidtim, tan- 
gat a-taboo ; and, in the fame manner, among the Friendly 
Iflanders, Tonga, the ifland where the king refides, is 
named Eonga- taboo 
Concerning their marriages, I can afford the reader little 
farther fatisfacfion, than informing him, that fuch a relation 
or compadt exills amongft them. I have already had occa- 
fion to mention, that at the time Terreeoboo had left his 
queen Rora-rora at Mowee, he was attended by another wo¬ 
man, by whom he had children, and to whom he was very 
much attached; but how far polygamy, properly fpeaking, 
is allowed, or how far it is mixed with concubinage, either 
with refpedt to the king, the Chiefs, or among the inferior 
orders, too few fadts came to our knowledge to juftify any 
conclufions. It hath alfo been obferved, that, except Kanee- 
kabareea, and the wife of the Orono, with three women 
whom I fhall have occafion hereafter to mention, we never 
faw any female of high rank. From what I had an oppor¬ 
tunity 
