ORIGIN OF TATAUING. 263 
made paliio, or kept in a kind of enclosure, and 
constantly attended by her mother. Intent on her 
seduction, the brothers invented tatauing, and 
marked each other with the figure called Taomaro. 
Thus ornamented, they appeared before their 
sister, who admired the figures, and, in order 
to be tataued herself, eluding the care of her 
mother, broke the enclosure that had been erected 
for her preservation, was tataued, and became also 
the victim to the designs of her brothers. Tatauing 
thus originated among the gods, and was first prac¬ 
tised by the children of Taaroa, their principal deity. 
In imitation of their example, and for the accom¬ 
plishment of the same purposes, it was practised 
among men. Idolatry not only disclosed the 
origin, but sanctioned the practice. The two sons 
of Taaroa and Apouvaru were the gods of tatauing. 
Their images were kept in the temples of those 
who practised the art professionally, and every 
application of their skill was preceded by a prayer 
addressed to them, that the operation might not 
occasion death, that the wounds might soon heal, 
that the figures might be handsome, attract ad¬ 
mirers, and answer the ends of wickedness de¬ 
signed. 
Tatauing, which must have been a painful opera¬ 
tion, was seldom applied to any extent at the same 
time. There were tahua , professors of the art of 
tatauing, who were regularly employed to perform 
it, and received a liberal remuneration. 
The colouring matter was the kernel of the 
candle-nut, aleurites triloba , called by the 
natives tiairi. This was first baked, then reduced 
to charcoal, afterwards pulverized, and mixed 
with oil. The instruments were rude, though in¬ 
genious, and consisted of the bones of birds or 
