CEREMONY OF INAUGURATION. 107 
was the unapproachable elevation to which the 
superstitions of the people raised the rulers in the 
South Sea Islands, and such the marked distinc¬ 
tion that prevailed between the king and people, 
from his birth, until he was superseded in title and 
rank by his own son ! 
The ceremony of inauguration to the regal office, 
which took place when the king assumed the go¬ 
vernment, being one of considerable moment, was 
celebrated with a rude magnificence, though, like 
every other observance, it was marked with dis¬ 
gusting abominations, and horrid cruelty. There 
was no fixed period of life at which the youth 
were said to have arrived at years of manhood. 
Unaccustomed to keep even traditionary accounts 
of the time of their birth, there were but few whose 
age was known. The period therefore when the 
young king was formally invested with the regalia, 
and introduced to his high office, was regulated by 
his own character and disposition, the will of his 
father and guardians, or the exigences of the state ; 
it generally took place some years before he had 
reached the age of twenty-one. 
As it was one of the most important events to 
the nation, great preparation was made for its due 
celebration; and whatever could give effect to the 
pageant was carefully provided. The gods indi¬ 
cated the interest they were supposed to take in 
the transaction, by the miraculous events that 
occurred at this time. Among those might be 
mentioned the sacred aoa, a tree resembling the 
banian of India, that spread over the Faa-ape. 
This was said to have shot forth a new fibrous 
branch at his birth, and this branch or tendril 
reached the ground when he was to be made king. 
Taneua, a bamboo used on the occasion, was said 
