of men, and was known to be in the interest of Toobo Toa. The prince concluded by saying, "But let us wait as quietly as possible, "till the burial of my father, and then we shall "have a different scene in the affairs of Va"vaoo: when all promoters of civil discord "are banished, the earth shall be cultivated, "and shall appear again flourishing; for we "have had war enough!" To which every body present replied, " 'Tis all we wish for." From the above sentiments of the two chiefs, it will appear to be their intention to confine the new sovereignty to the island of Vavaoo, and its neighbouring isles, without receiving tribute (unless voluntarily paid, which was not at all likely to be the case), from the Hapai islands, now in possession of Toobo Toa, against whom the prince had no intention of waging a new war, and shedding more blood for the mere purpose of obliging him to continue that tribute as heretofore. The conference being ended, the two chiefs turned their attention to the removal of the body of the late How to Félletóa to be buried, as there were no fytócas at Neáfoo but such as belonged to the family of Tooitonga; and it would have been contrary to custom to have buried an individual of the How's family in a grave belonging to that of Tooitonga. CHAP. XIII. Ceremony of Finow's burial—Grief of his widows—Self in flictions of the mourners—Funeral procession to Felletoa—The policy of the prince—Description of the grave, and ceremony of interment—Ceremonies after burial— Respect paid by persons passing the grave—The prince's intimation to Voona that he should exile himself—The prince receives authority as How at a cava party—His noble speech on this occasion—Farther exhortations to his chiefs and matabooles respecting the cultivation of the country—Half mourning commences—The ceremony of the twentieth day after burial—Description of the dance called Méë too Buggi—Heroic behaviour of two boys at the grave—The late How's fishermen exhibit proofs of their affection for the deceased—Moral and political character of the late How—His personal character—A brief comparison between the characters of the late and present How. All the chiefs and matabooles were now assembled on the marly' at Neafoo. Among the rest was Voona, to whom the prince went up, and intimated the necessity of removing the body of his father to Félletóa. It would have been thought very disrespectful if he had not mentioned this to Voona before he issued orders respecting it, because Voona was a very great chief, even greater than Finow himself, and such a reserve on such a public occasion, towards a superior, would have been an act offensive to the gods. It may appear strange that Voona was a greater chief than the son of the king, yet it is a frequent occurrence, that the king is chosen from a family not of the highest rank, on account of his superior wisdom or military skill, and this was the case with the present royal family; so that the king is often obliged to pay a certain ceremonious respect (hereafter to be noticed), towards many other chiefs (even little children), who are greater nobles than he. The company were now all seated, habited in mats, waiting for the body of the deceased king to be brought forth. The mourners (who are always women), consisting of the female relations, widows, mistresses, and servants of the deceased, and such other females of some rank, who choose, out of respect, to officiate on such an occasion, were assembled in the house, and seated round the corpse, which still lay out on the bales of gnatoo. They were all habited in large, old, ragged mats, the more ragged, the more fit for the occasion, as being more emblematical of a spirit broken down, or, as it were, torn to pieces by grief. Their appearance was calculated to excite pity and sorrow in the heart of any one, whether accustomed or not to such a scene: their eyes were swollen with the last night's frequent flood of grief, and still weeping genuine tears of regret; the upper part of their cheeks perfectly black, and swollen so that they could hardly see, with the constant blows they had inflicted on themselves with their fists; and their breasts, also, were equally bruised with their own misplaced and untimely rage. Among the chiefs and matabooles who were seated on the marly, all those who were particularly attached to the late king, or to his cause, evinced their sorrow by a conduct, usual, indeed, among these people at the death of a relation, or of a great chief (unless it be that of Tooitonga, or any of his family), but which, to us, may well appear barbarous in the extreme; that is to say, the custom of cutting and wounding themselves with clubs, stones, knives, or sharp shells; one at a time, or two or three together, running into the middle of the circle, formed by the spectators, to give these proofs of their extreme sorrow for the death, and great respect for the memory of their departed friend. 66 66 The sentiments expressed by these victims of popular superstition were to the following purpose: "Finow! I know well your mind; you have departed to Bolótoo*, and left your people under suspicion that I, or some of those "about you, were unfaithful; but where is the proof of infidelity? where is a single instance "of disrespect?" Then, inflicting violent blows, and deep cuts in the head with a club, stone, or knife, would again exclaim, at intervals, "Is this not a proof of my fidelity? does this "not evince loyalty and attachment to the me 66 66 mory of the departed warrior?" Then, perhaps, two or three would run up, and endeavour to seize the same club, saying, with a furious tone of voice, "Behold! the land is "torn with strife! it is smitten to pieces! it is split by revolts! how my blood boils! let us "haste and die! I no longer wish to live! your 66 66 death, Finow, shall be mine! but why did I "wish hitherto to live, it was for you alone! "it was in your service and defence, only, that "I wished to breathe! but now, alas, the country is ruined! Peace and happiness are at an end! your death has insured ours! "henceforth war and destruction alone can * Paradise. |