,■ 17691 . people fhould.be anticipated; to avoid repetition
Difpofat of therefore, I fhall only fupply deficiencies. Of the manner
of difpofing of their dead, much has been faid already. I
muft more explicitly obferve that there are two places in
which the dead are depofited;. one a kind of llied, where the
flefh is fuffered to putrefy; the other an cnclofure, with
creations of ftone, where the bones are afterwards buried.
Theflieds are called T up a raw ,.and the enclofures Morai.
The Morais are alfo places of worfhip.
As foon as a native of Otaheite is known to be dead, the
houfe is filled with relations, who deplore their loft, fome by
loud lamentations, and fome by lefs'clamorous, but more
genuine expreffions of grief. Thofe who are in the neareff
degree of kindred, and are really aflecTed by the event, are
filent; the reft are one moment uttering paflionate exclamations
in a chorus, and the next laughing and talking without
theJeaft appearance o f concern. In this manner the remainder
of the day on which they aflemble is fpent, and all
the fiiCcecding night. On the next morning the body is
fliroudcd in their cloth, and conveyed to the fea fide upon a
bier, which the bearers fupport upon their fhoulders, attended
by thé prieft, who having prayed over the body, repeats
his fentences during the procefliOri : when it arrives at
the water’s edge, it is fet down upon the beach; the prieft
renews his prayers, and taking up fome of the water in his
hands, fprinkles it towards'the body, but not upon it. It is
then carried back forty or fifty yards, and föon after brought
again to the beach, where the prayers and fprinkling are repeated
: it is thus removed backwards and forwards feveral
times, and while tliefe ceremoniesTiave been performing a
houfe has been built, and a fmall fpace o f ground railed in.
fn thé center o f this houfe, or Tupapow, pofts are fet up to
fupport the bier, which is at length conveyed thither, and
placed