POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
209 
temple, and the prayers of the supplicants, which have 
been frequently presented to Tamatoa, the present king 
of Raiatea. The only motives by which they were 
influenced in their religious homage, or service, were, 
with very few exceptions, superstitious fear, revenge 
towards their enemies, a desire to avert the dreadful 
consequences of the anger of the gods, and to secure 
their sanction and aid in the commission of the grossest 
crimes. 
Their worship consisted in preferring prayers, present¬ 
ing offerings, and sacrificing victims. Their uhus^ or 
prayers, though occasionally brief, were often exceedingly 
protracted, containing many repetitions, and appearing 
as if the suppliants thought they should be heard for 
their much speaking. The petitioner did not address 
the god standing or prostrate, but knelt on one knee, 
sat cross-legged, or in a crouching position, on a broad 
flat stone, leaning his back against an upright basaltic 
column, at the extremity of a smooth pavement, usually 
six or ten yards from the front of the idol. He threw 
down a branch of sacred mero on the pavement before 
the image or altar, and began his tarotaro^ or invoca¬ 
tion, preparatory to the offering of his prayer. Pure is 
the designation of prayer, and haamore that for praise, 
or worship. 
Small pieces of niau, or cocoa-nut leaf, were sus¬ 
pended in different parts of the temple, to remind 
the priest of the order to be observed. They usually 
addressed the god in a shrill, unpleasant, or' chanting 
tone of voice, though at times the worship was ex¬ 
tremely boisterous. That which I have often heard in 
the northern islands was peculiarly so and on these 
occasions, when we have induced the priest to repeat 
II. 2e 
