POLYNESIAN RESEAUCHKS. 
217 
Altar a7id Unus. 
The hure arii^ a ceremony in which the king acknow¬ 
ledged the supremacy of the gods, was one attended with 
considerable pomp and show; but one of the principal 
stated festivals was the pae atua^ which was held every 
three moons. On these occasions all the idols w^ere 
brought out from their sacred depository, and ineheu, or 
exposed to the sun; the cloth in which they had been 
kept was removed, and the feathers in the inside of 
the hollow idols were taken out. The images were then 
anointed with fragrant oil; new feathers, brought by 
their worshippers, were deposited in the inside of the 
hollow idols, and folded in new sacred cloth: after a 
number of ceremonies, they were carried back to their 
dormitories in the temple. Large quantities of food 
were provided for the entertainment, which followed the 
religious rites of the pae atua. 
The most singular of their stated ceremonies was the 
maoa raa matahiti, ripening or completing of the year. 
This festival was regularly observed in Huahine; although 
I do not know that it was universal, vast multitudes 
assembled. In general, the men only engaged in pagan 
festivals; but men, women, and children, attended at 
