'Hold the leaves of the ti-plant before picking them, and say: "O hosts
of gods! awake, arise! You and I are going to the ti-oven to-morrow."
'If they float in the air, they are gods, but if their feet touch the
ground they are human beings. Then break the ti-leaves off and look
towards the direction of the oven, and say: "O hosts of gods! go
to-night, and to-morrow you and I shall go." Then wrap the ti-leaves up
in han (Hibiscus) leaves, and put them to sleep in the marae, where they
must remain until morning, and say in leaving:
'"Arise! awake! O hosts of gods! Let your feet take you to the ti-oven;
fresh water and salt water come also. Let the dark earth-worm and the
light earth-worm go to the oven. Let the redness and the shades of fire
all go. You will go; you will go to-night, and to-morrow it will be you
and I; we shall go to the Uum-Ti." (This is for the night.)
'When the ti-leaves are brought away, they must be tied up in a wand and
carried straight to the oven, and opened when all are ready to pass
through; then hold the wand forward and say:
'"O men (spirits) who heated the oven! let it die out! O dark
earth-worms! O light earthworms! fresh water and salt water, heat of the
oven and redness of the oven, hold up the footsteps of the walkers, and
fan the heat of the bed. O cold beings, let us lie in the midst of the
oven! O Great-Woman-who-set-fire-to-the-skies! hold the fan, and let us
go into the oven for a little while!" Then, when all are ready to walk
in, we say:
"Holder of the first footstep!
Holder of the second footstep!
Holder of the third footstep!
Holder of the fourth footstep!
Holder of the fifth footstep!
Holder of the sixth footstep!
Holder of the seventh footstep!
Holder of the eighth footstep!
Holder of the ninth footstep!
Holder of the tenth footstep!
"O Great-Woman-who-set-fire-to-the-skies! all is covered!"
'Then everybody walks through without hurt, into the middle and around
the oven, following the leader, with the wand beating from side to side.
'The Great-Woman-who-set-fire-to-the-skies was a high-born woman in olden
times, who made herself respected by the oppressive men when they placed
women under so many restrictions. She is said to have had the lightning
at her command, and struck men with it when they encroached on her
rights.
'All the above is expressed in old Tahitian, and when quickly spoken is
not easily understood by the modern listener. Many of the words, though
found in the dictionary, are now obsolete, and the arrangement of others
is changed. Oe and tana are never used now in place of the plural outou
and tatou; but in old folk-lore it is the classical style of addressing
the gods in the collective sense. Tahutahu means sorcery, and also to
kindle a fire.'
* * * * *
So far Miss Henry, on this occasion, and the archaic nature of the hymn,
with the reference to a mythical leader of the revolt of women, deserves
the attention of anthropologists, apart from the singular character of
the rite described. In the third number of the Journal (vol. ii.) the
following editorial note is published:
'Miss Tenira Henry authorises us to say that her sister and her
sister's little child were some of those who joined in the Uum-Ti
ceremony referred to in vol. ii. p. 108, and in the preceding note,
and actually walked over the red-hot stones. The illustration of the
performance given in the last number of the Journal, it appears, is
actually from a photograph taken by Lieutenant Morne, the original of
which Miss Henry has sent us for inspection.--EDITOR.'