416 
POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
The morning star they call fetia ao, star of day; or 
horo poipoiy forerunner of morning. The Pleiades they 
call 7natarii, small eyes. But one of the most remarka¬ 
ble facts is, that the constellation called the Twins is so 
named by them; only, instead of denominating the two 
stars Castor and Pollux, they call them 7ia ainanu^ the 
two ainanus; and to distinguish the one from the other, 
ainanu above, and ainanu below. The nebulae near the 
southern pole, called the Magellanic clouds, are denomi¬ 
nated mahUy mist or vapour, and are distinguished in the 
same way, one being above, the other below. 
Like most uninformed persons, they supposed the 
earth was stationary, being borne on the shoulders of a 
god, fixed upon a rock, which they called the rock of 
foundation supported by pillars, and that the sun, moon, 
and stars, moved from one side of the arched heavens to 
the other. When we at first endeavoured to impart to 
them more correct ideas of astronomy, and exhibited to 
their view a terrestrial globe, explanatory of the shape of 
our earth, and illustrative of those of the moon, of the 
planets, and other heavenly bodies, they were greatly 
surprised; but when we called their attention to a celestial 
globe, and represented to them the relative position of 
the heavenly bodies, and explained the motion of the 
planets of our system round the sun, they were invariably 
sceptical at first. It could not possibly be, they said, 
that the earth went round, as all things remained sta¬ 
tionary during the twenty-four hours; which would not 
be the fact, if the earth on which they stood moved. 
Frequently they have said, if such was the fact, we should 
fall from our beds, and all our vessels of food, &c. would 
be upset. Finding, however, that we persevered in the 
expression of our sentiments to the contrary, they would 
