CHAPTER IX

MYTHOLOGY AND SPIRIT-LORE

The religious system of the later generations of theSamoans differed widely from that of still older gene-rations, and also from the religious worship of theTahitians and other groups surrounding. They hadno idols or teraphim, neither were they accustomed tooffer human sacrifices to their idols; still, they wereburdened with superstitions which were most oppressiveand exacting.

It is difficult to arrive at anything like a clear andconnected account of their mythology, as native state-ments are often vague and conflicting. I give someparticulars which I gathered from intelligent natives,and which I think may be relied upon, as I tested themcarefully, and moreover they were the outcome of morethan one testimony. These accounts were collectedmore than fifty years ago, i. e. before the natives hadhad much intercourse with Europeans, and before theirrecords had become mixed and unreliable, as they arelikely to have been in later years.

The Samoans had several superior divinities and ahost of inferior ones, ‘ lords many and gods many,’ andthey were also accustomed to deify the spirits of deceasedchiefs. In addition to the homage paid to these,