92 POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
several parts on the death of Tamehameha, and 
distributed among the principal chiefs. 
It is known that the natives use several kinds of 
vegetable poison; and probably the wood of which 
the idol was made is poisonous. But the report 
of the virulence of the poison is most likely one of 
the many stratagems so frequently employed by 
the chiefs and priests, to maintain their influence 
over the minds of the people. 
A smaller image of the same god was formed of 
nioi, a hard yellow wood, of which idols were 
usually made. This was left at Morokai, the ori¬ 
ginal being always carried about by Tamehameha, 
and placed under his pillow whenever he slept. 
The following is the tradition given by the na¬ 
tives of the original idol. 
In the reign of Kamaraua, an ancient king of 
Morokaai, lived Kaneakama, a great gambler. 
Playing one day at maita, (a Hawaiian game,) he 
lost all that he possessed, except one pig, which, 
having dedicated to his god, he durst not stake on 
any hazard. In the evening he returned home, lay 
down on his mat, and fell asleep. His god ap¬ 
peared to him in a dream, and directed him to go 
and play again on the following day, and stake 
this pig on his success in a particular part of the 
play. He awoke in the morning, did as the god 
had directed, and was remarkably successful 
through the day. Before he returned home in the 
evening, he went to the temple of his idol, and 
there dedicated the greater part of his gain. 
During his sleep that night, the god appeared 
to him again, and requested him to go to the king, 
and tell him, that a clump of trees would be seen 
growing in a certain place in the morning; and 
that if he would have a god made out of one of 
