POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
221 
an image of Tebuakina^ three sons of Rongo^ a principal 
deity in the Harvey Islands. The name is probably 
analogous to Orono in Hawaii^ though distinct from Oro 
in Tahiti. No. 6. exhibits a sacred ornament of a canoe 
from the island of Huahine. The two figures at the top, 
are images worshipped by fishermen, or those frequent¬ 
ing the sea. The two small idols at the lower corners of 
the plate. No. 7- are images of oramatuas, or demons. 
The others are gods from the Harvey Islands. The gods 
of Rarotogna were some of them much larger; Mr. 
Bourne, in 1825, saw fourteen about twenty feet long, 
and six feet wide. 
Such were the objects the inhabitants of these islands 
were accustomed to supplicate; and to appease or avert 
the anger of which, they devoted not only every valuable 
article they possessed, but murdered their fellow crea¬ 
tures, and offered their blood. Human victims were 
sacrificed to Taaroa, Oro, and several others. It has 
been supposed, that the circumstance of the priests’ offer¬ 
ing the eye, the most precious part of the victim, to the 
king, who appeared to eat it, indicated their having 
formerly devoured the men they had sacrificed. I do 
not regard this fact as affording any very strong evi¬ 
dence, although I have not the least doubt that the 
inhabitants of several of the South Sea Islands have 
eaten human beings. 
From the many favourable traits in their character, 
we have been unwilling to believe they had ever been 
cannibals; the conviction of our mistake has, however, 
been impressed by evidence so various and multiplied 
as to preclude uncertainty. Their mythology leads them 
to suppose, that the spirits of the dead are eaten by the 
gods or demons; and that the spiritual part of their 
