At this place we faw a very fingular curiofity: it was the figure of a man, constructed of basket work, rudely made, but not ill defigned; it was fomething more than seven feet high, and rather too bulky in proportion to its height. The wicker skeleton was completely covered with feathers, which were white where the fkin was to appear, and black in the parts which it is their custom to paint or stain, and upon the head, where there was to be a representation of hair: upon the head also were four protuberances, three in front and one behind, which we should have called horns, but which the Indians dignified with the name of TATE ETE, little men. The image was called MANIOE, and was said to be the only one of the kind in Otaheite. They attempted to give us an explanation of its use and defign, but we had not then acquired enough of their language to understand them. We learnt, however, afterwards, that it was a representation of Mauwe, one of their Eatuas, or gods of the fecond class. After having fettled our affairs with Omoe, we proceeded on our return, and foon reached Opoureonu, the north-weft peninfula. After rowing a few miles, we went on fhore again, but the only thing we faw worth notice, was a repofitory for the dead, uncommonly decorated: the pavement was extremely neat, and upon it was raised a pyramid, about five feet high, Ff 4 which 1769. Thurfd. 29. 1 1769. June. which was entirely covered with the fruits of two plants, peculiar to the country. Near the Thurfd. 29. pyramid was a small image of stone, of very rude workmanship, and the first instance of carving in ftone that we had feen among these people. They appeared to fet a high value upon it, for it was covered from the weather by a fhed, that had been erected on purpose. We proceeded in the boat, and paffed through the only harbour, on the fouth side of Opoureonu, that is fit for fhipping. It is fituated about five miles to the weftward of the ifthmus, between two small islands that lie near the fhore, and about a mile diftant from each other, and affords good anchorage in eleven and twelve fathom water. We were now not far from the district called PAPARRA, which belonged to our friends Oamo and Oberea, where we propofed to fleep. We went on fhore about an hour before night, and found that they were both abfent, having left their habitations to pay us a vifit at Matavai: this, however, did not alter our purpose, we took up our quarters at the houfe of Oberea, which, though fmall, was very neat, and at this time had no inhabitant but her father, who received us with looks that bid us welcome. Having taken poffeffion, we were willing to improve the little day-light that was left us, and therefore walked out to a point, upon which we had feen, at a distance, trees that that are here called Etoa, which generally dif tinguish the places where these people bury the bones of their dead: their name for fuch burying-grounds, which are alfo places of worship, is MORAI. We were soon struck with the fight of an enormous pile, which, we were told, was the Morai of Oamo and Oberea, and the principal piece of Indian architecture in the island. It was a pile of stone work, raised pyramidically, upon an oblong bafe, or fquare, two hundred and fixty-seven feet long, and eighty-seven wide. It was built like the fmall pyramidal mounts upon which we fometimes fix the pillar of a fun-dial, where each fide is a flight of steps; the steps, however, at the sides, were broader than those at the ends, so that it terminated not in a square of the fame figure with the base, but in a ridge, like the roof of a house there were eleven of these steps, each of which was four feet high, fo that the height of the pile was forty-four feet; each step was formed of one course of white coral stone, which was neatly squared and polished; the rest of the mass, for there was no hollow within, confifted of round pebbles, which, from the regularity of their figure, feemed to have been wrought. Some of the coral ftones were very large; we measured one of them, and found it three feet and an half by two feet and an half. The foundation was of rock ftones, which were also squared; 1769. June. Thurfd. 29. June. The 1769. fquared; and one of them measured four feet feven inches by two feet four. Such a structure, Thurid. 29. raised without the affiftance of iron tools to fhape the ftones, or mortar to join them, ftruck us with aftonifhment: it feemed to be as compact and firm as it could have been made by any workman in Europe, except that the steps, which range along its greateft length, are not perfectly strait, but fink in a kind of hollow in the middle, fo that the whole furface, from end to end, is not a right line, but a curve. quarry ftones, as we faw no quarry in the neighbourhood, must have been brought from a confiderable distance; and there is no method of conveyance here but by hand: the coral must alfo have been fifhed from under the water, where, though it may be found in plenty, it lies at a confiderable depth, never less than three feet. Both the rock ftone and the coral could be fquared only by tools made of the fame fubftance, which must have been a work of incredible labour; but the polishing was more easily effected by means of the fharp coral fand, which is found every where upon the fea-fhore in great abundance. In the middle of the top flood the image of a bird, carved in wood; and near it lay the broken one of a fifh, carved in ftone, The whole of this pyramid made part of one fide of a spacious area or fquare, nearly of equal fides, being three hundred and fixty feet by three three hundred and fifty-four, which was walled in with stone, and paved with flat ftones in its whole extent; though there were growing in it, notwithstanding the pavement, feveral of the trees which they call Etoa, and plantains. About an hundred yards to the weft of this building, was another paved area or court, in which were feveral small stages raised on wooden pillars, about feven feet high, which are called by the Indians Ewattas, and feem to be a kind of altars, as upon these are placed provifions of all kinds as offerings to their gods; we have fince feen whole hogs placed upon them, and we found here the fculls of above fifty, befides the fculls of a great number of dogs. The principal object of ambition among these people is to have a magnificent Morai, and this was a striking memorial of the rank and power of Oberea. It has been remarked, that we did not find her invested with the fame authority that she exercised when the Dolphin was at this place, and we now learnt the reafon of it. Our way from her house to the Morai lay along the fea fide, and we obferved every where under our feet a great number of human bones, chiefly ribs and vertebræ. Upon inquiring into the cause of fo fingular an appearance, we were told, that in the then laft month of Owarahew, which answered to our December, 1768, about four or five months before our arrival, 1769. June. Thurfd. 29. |