r e l ig io n , GentivCm: one o f them, called O r o m e t o o a , is o f a malignant
difpofition, refides chiefly near the Marais and Toopapous (places
o f burial) and in or near the boxes, -or little chefts, including the
heads of their deceafed friends, each o f which, on that account,,is
called 'T.e-swharre no te Orometooa, the houfe o f the evil genius
Orometooa. The people at Taheitee are o f opinion, that i f their
priefts invoke this evil genius, he will kill, by a fudden death, the
perfonon whom they intend to bring down the vengeance o f this
divinity. Their priefts are, I fuppofe, not the moft confcientious
perfons, and, i f bribed, will not fcruple to poifon the man who is
devoted to deftruftion, and afterwards afcribe the fudden death of
fttch a perfon to the malignity of Orometojoa; and this feems to be
the more probable, as I was told with the ftrongeft affeveration, that
it was not uncommon to fee the prayers of the priefts to their Orometooa
fulfilled. I heard likewife.of another genius, or inferior divinity,
called O r o m e h o u h o u w e , who had the fame power o f
killing men, with this difference only, that he was not addreffed by
prayer, but is only worihipped by hifling.* The laft kind o f genius
* It is remarkable that this mode of worlhipping the deity or a genius by hifling was like-
wife adopted by the Egyptian Priefts according to the teftimony of N icomachus GeraSenus
H armon. Manual; (1, ii. (/« Meibomii auBoribus Antiques Mujicce. mol, r. p. $?•)
Agfiovicc awoTEAEj fyeermets xett nherixct; ray Oeiav. ho or'ccv paMf-a m 9igmot (lege 0io£»pto»)
■to roiaroy (lege To 9stoy) atCet^oyren triypiotf Tt xect etctfiijot; kch ecav(t.tf>avon‘ n%oi$ o’VfllooMxvf iTnxuXovtTcu
n i u s i s c a l l e d T e e 'Hi h i t h e n a t i v e s t o ld u s , t h a t w a s t h e t h i n g r e l i g i o n ,
w h i c h f e e s , h e a r s , fm e l l s , t a f t e s , an d - f e e l s w i t h i n u s , w h i c h f o rm s
t h e t h o u g h t s , * a n d , a f t e r d e a t h , e x i f t s f e p a r a t e l y f r o m t h e b o d y ,
b u t l i v e s n e a r t h e b u r y i n g - p l a c e s , a n d h o v e r s a b o u t t h e c o r p f e o r
b o n e s , d e p o l i t e d t h e r e , i s 1 - ik e w i f e a n o b j e d t o f t h e i r r e v e r e n c e ,
t h o u g h a d d r e f f e d o n l y b y h i f l i n g : t h e y in f o r m e d u s f a r t h e r , t h a t
t h e f e Tiehees i n h a b i t c h i e f l y t h e w o o d e n f i g u r e s , w h i c h a r e e r e d t e d
n e a r t h e m a r a i s ; a n d a r e , a c c o r d i n g ( t o t h e f e x o f f . t h e p e r f o n d e -
c e a f e d j e i t h e r m a l e s o r f e m a l e s - : t h e y a r e l i k e w i f e d r e a d e d - ; f o r a c c
o r d i n g t o t h e i r b e l i e f , t h e y c r e e p , d u r i n g n i g h t , i n t o t h e h o u f e s j .
a n d e a t t h e h e a r t a n d e n t r a i l s , o f t h e p e o p l e f l e e p i n g t h e r e i n , a n d t h u s
e a u f e t h e i r d e a t h .
The inhabitants- o f Taheitee Ihew their reverence* to their
divinities in various manners, Jirft by the appropriation of certain
places for religious worlhip; which they- call M a-r a i . . Thefe
places are commonly on points projedting into the lea, or near it,
and confift- of a very large pile of- ftones, generally in the lhape of
an.
jcoeXai'T«». Harmonià perficit potejlàtes opératrices & diviriorum ejfeflivas. Square Theurgici^ cum fàncr-
tiffime colunt nutnen aliquod, invocant illudJihilis poppyfmis, fonifque qui articulationes & confonds,
non habent,
* The Taheiteans have no expreflîons for abftraét ideas. Thoughts certainly do not convey,
a corporeal idea, and required therefore a.peculiar turn in order to be- exprefled by words s
the Taheiteans have called, them par ou. no te o.boo words-of the belly..
-r j *