224 
POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
across their forehead, and round the back of the 
head. 
The most singular head-dress was that worn by 
Buhia, one of the chiefs of Maeva. It was a 
kind of wig, consisting of long and yellow beards, 
fastened in a sort of net-work fitted to the head. 
Whether they were the beards of vanquished ene¬ 
mies, that had been taken as trophies by his an¬ 
cestors, as the Americans are accustomed to pre¬ 
serve the scalps of their prisoners, I did not learn. 
The singularity of his appearance was greatly in¬ 
creased by two or three small whales' teeth, the 
roots of which were fixed to the net-work, while 
the points projected through the hair like very 
short horns : one was placed over each eye, and, I 
think, one over one of the ears. The other parts 
of his dress were altogether those of an ancient 
warrior; and his appearance was so singular, that 
I could not forbear stopping him a moment, to 
examine his head-drees, and inquire about it. He 
informed me that the hair was the beards of men, 
and that the design of it was to excite terror. On 
my inquiring what the horny appearances were, I 
was informed that they were the neho or tara of 
taehae tahito , teeth or horns of ancient cannibals 
or wild men. I informed him they were young 
whales' teeth; but he seemed inclined to doubt it. 
I could not but think, as I looked at him, that he 
certainly had succeeded tolerably well in rendering 
himself a terrible object. One of his attendants, 
Maro, a plump-bodied, round-faced, good-natured 
looking man appeared in perfect contrast with his 
chief, and it was impossible to behold him without 
a smile. His person was rather stout and short, 
his hair was cut close to his head, the upper part 
of his bodv was uncovered, but round his waist he 
