Page:Hawaiki The Original Home of the Maori.djvu/95

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THE LOG-BOOKS OF THE MIGRATIONS.
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drawn for Captain Cook and first published by Forster[1] in 1778 shows the extent of their geographical knowledge, but it is confined to the Pacific.

We, therefore, pass on to the "log" of the Marquesan migrations, which, as has been said, is more complete than any other. It is taken from the documents of the late Mr. T. E. Lawson, who collected a large amount of matter from the Marquesan natives, which has not yet been published, except the following table in brief form by Judge Fornander in his work "The Polynesian Race." There are thirteen different chants relating to these stopping places of the Marquesans (or "Take," as they call themselves) describing various incidents of their residence in each; and two accounts of this "log" have been preserved—the Atea account, and the Tani (or Tangi) account—by different tribes.

In the table below, the Atea migration does not enumerate those marked with an asterisk, and the Tani "log" omits Havaii. As these people do not sound the letter "r" and omit the "g" when it precedes "n," (as do Hawaiians) and often the "k," I have given in a second column the probable equivalents in Maori, so as to admit of comparison. The "log" is in the form of a recitation like that of the Rarotongans, with a somewhat similar chorus: the words, "the Take wandered, or spread" following each name. It is headed "Te tau henua o Te Take," or "the lands of the Take."

  1. "Observations made during a Voyage round the World," by J. R. Forster, LL.D., F.R.S., &c., 1778. In "The Reports of the Australasian Association for the Advancement of Science" for 1898, I republished this chart, and identified most of Tupaea's names.