POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
211 
hensions have often been manifested by others, and we have 
seldom induced any to recite their idolatrous prayers. 
Their offerings included every kind of valuable property: 
the fowls of the air, the fishes of the sea, the beasts 
of the field, and the fruits of the earth, together with their 
choicest manufactures, were presented. The sacrifice 
was frequently called Taraehara^ a compound term, sig¬ 
nifying disentangling from guilt; from tara^ to untie or 
loosen, and hara^ guilt. The animals were taken either 
in part or entire. The fruits and other eatables were 
generally, but not always, dressed. Portions of the 
fowls, pigs, or fish, considered sacred, dressed with 
sacred fire within the temple, were offered; the remain¬ 
der furnished a banquet for the priests and other sacred 
persons, who were privileged to eat of the sacrifices. 
Those portions appropriated to the gods were deposited 
on the fata or altar, which was of wood. Domes¬ 
tic altars, or those erected near the corpse of a de¬ 
parted friend, were small square wicker structures} 
while those in the public temple were large, and usually 
eight or ten feet high. The surface of the altar was sup¬ 
ported by a number of wooden posts or pillars, often 
curiously carved, and highly polished. The altars were 
covered with sacred boughs, and ornamented with a bor¬ 
der or fringe of rich yellow plantain leaves. The pigs, 
&c. when presented alive, received the sacred mark, 
and ranged the district at liberty | when slain, they were 
exceedingly anxious to avoid breaking a bone, or disfigur - 
ing the animal. One method of killing them was by 
holding the pig upright on its legs, placing a strong 
stick horizontally under its throat, and another across 
upon its neck, and then pressing them together until the 
animal was strangled. Another plan was, by bleeding 
