ofccafions, pfayïng for their friends when fcK , disking offerings'at
thé taonri, and perfortdingiothet■ religions ceMnotaies*. .
T he -prief&s havé plenty of' employment being called hr oti |®
occafiorfs, births'Of deaths,-r fèaAs or’ fiekrfefe; a id are' ïhe phyfidiinsi
as well as cletfgy o f the couhtiy. They arieS ter pbflfefs eRtrraorshnary
pobrcis, i& promote conception) or abortion,’ to -irrSiiS? difeafes ai tv*
move thèm at tltór pleafurey -and are: g tó t ly feared ofr tH^ ^ cw M .
They are fiippofed to’be able to praf tho;éVil/fpirrt 'Into the < food,« by
rubhing a htakan flcull with a piirt ^ttheiprOTrfinnv Fthey 'taiS^'lRid
fomtftimes to kill' meri-o&right. ;Thns. h*wt
died' by Mirifie Mmne’s cohjmmibm They aöknowlèdga thahmtor.aSs
cOdfr®ed
and our grandfather, which is nee'elfary. ' They gave ns-a fpecrmen
o f their conjurors in one o f our vifits to Temarre. ‘jjYmanpfefented
himfelf in an old blue coat turned'up. w ith red, his head Jiltefounded
with numerous feathers, fo-as to lnde his countenance entirely :*fiS >
ran up to us withnm unintelligible' jargon, '’m a k ih ^ a fqueakifig
noife, and actions fo wild, that we alked i f the man was^efinous'.f
The natives not feeing us at'411 M^HttnéJ,' laid it was Teni'arrc’1
the Etooa ete, the little god, which killed -Omiah and manyCorners—
Having with us ' a great 'dog, He fell upon* the prieft,'?^ho fled j ;at
which the natives feemed terrified, and faid he would kill |g> , After
a, WhAe, the prieft returned with a club in his hand,, driving like a;
fm j all before him. the women and children Ihriej^ing,, and the
natives trembling* Q o this ©ae o fib e brethren jumped up to. pröteét
the dog/ aga'inft whom las rage was directed, and wreft-in?g,the club
from him, turned, u f the feathered Cap,: afid difppyered aiwel-kncrwn
countenance, who had run away from MataVai after robbing. Pyetea.
We immediately charged him With the theft , on this he changed
countenance, and Ihewed the greateft terror. The natives nrterpofing
in his behalf, while we were telling them o f the man and his hn-
pofture, he gave us the flip, and fled j fo we faw no more o f him.
He feems to have been one o f thofe called tahowra Etooa, who
\ i .,,1
aftedt inspiration. O f thefe, feme pretend to belong to the particular
deity!!Others tbv many’;,’, fuoh .as claim acquaintance .with the three
fiipcrior eafooas are the, moll confequential, and procure high reverence
from. the part theyi prefume to adt i indeed they d » it with fa
much cunning andsaddrefe;. that the .Swedes whom we found on the
ifland, as well "as the mariners who- preceded them, really believed
the appearances,fapematuraly.and .that the .devil; actually , was the'
agent.: When" they are called) upon tq confnlt the deity they .affitme
am odd fantalfie. drefe, enriched w ith red.aiKkhlack feathers j to which
they* lay -the .'Eaiooaiisriq partial,. that on, their approach to him thus,
he defcends< to ’the-.egrih:atrtheir call in one o f the focred. birds which
frequent'the morais.oand'Jfeed'Onitbe facrifices. As ibon as the bird
lights-,.tony the ntorUt,Tthe|,: Eatoda quitsitlto b kd and enters the prieft.
Jph inuantly ibEgiris .tot ftretch and yawn,, and rub his arms,,legs.i
thighs, and body,,..which,, begins; to he.inftated as »if the {kin o f the
abdomen would . b.urft .j.-hi^: ey.es are thrown into various contortions,
i , haring .wide, then half clolM and finking' into ftijpor j
Whal${o ait dlherLtim.® j rthe' whole frame as agitated, and appears' to
have ruiidergode fome fudden and furprifing- ■ change. 'The, Ipeeeh
now becomes low , the .voree fqtieaking and interrupted j them on a
fuddhh .raifed to>an aftori-lhing degree. He now fpeaks intelligibly/
th^>Bgh;afl|ftwg not,to know whattheifiith, l®oi? theper^hs ©f thole
around him j but His(iWQBds; ;are regarded -as oracular, and whatever
he alks for the deity,’ or himfelft is never refufed, i f it cgn.be poflibly
procured. Cifthis, however, the adtor afihSs to have no' ©onfeiouf-
nelsj his .colleague .and afliflant, neyertheleife, takes care to numute
the claims o f the deity,: and. receives them ,&om the perfon on whole
account the' deity w is fo coAdjrfeending. 38 thus to appear: thefo
requirements are generally very large, i
When the deity quits the pretended in^ired tahowra, hodo<hi#t
with fuch cearvulfioms and; yiblfis®; as leave him mo^tonlefs on the
garound, andexhaufted i, and this is contrived: to. be at ,the moment
when the facred bird takes his flight from the morai. On coming,