SEAT OF THE AFFECTIONS. 423 
the thought of the bowels , or within the bowels; 
te hinaaro o te aau, the desire of the bowels; 
te riri o te aau , the anger of the bowels . 
Although bowels is, perhaps, the best single word 
for obu or auu, in the signification of which we 
have not been able to discover any difference, it 
does not convey the full meaning of the word aau . 
In some places it might be rendered heart accord¬ 
ing to our idiom, as in the thoughts of the heart 
or mind—the desire of the mind, or soul—or, the 
anger of the soul. For soul and spirit, however, 
they have distinct terms, varua , and the ancient 
word vaiti; but it does not appear that they were 
accustomed to consider the soul or spirit as ex¬ 
periencing, in conjunction with the body, either 
mental or moral sensations. All the varied 
passions and the mental exercises of which they 
were sensible, they spoke of as connected with the 
aau or obu , a term literally signifying the whole of 
the abdominal viscera—for each separate organ in 
which, they have a distinct name. 
To the head they attributed nothing in con¬ 
nexion with intellect, nor to the heart with regard 
to moral feeling. To the organ which in the lan¬ 
guage of anatomy would be called the heart, they 
attributed no other susceptibilities than those 
which are common to other parts of the body. 
This led them generally to contend that the 
thoughts were in the body, and not in the brain; 
stating, in proof of the accuracy of their opinion, 
that the bowels or stomach were affected or agi¬ 
tated by desire, fear, joy, sorrow, surprise, and 
all strong affections or exercises of the mind. 
They were, probably, confirmed in this definition 
by the fact of such being the belief of their 
ancestors. 
