Chapter Twenty-four

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

IDEAS SUGGESTED BY THE FEAST OF CALABASHES--INACCURACY OF CERTAIN
PUBLISHED ACCOUNTS OF THE ISLANDS--A REASON--NEGLECTED STATE OF
HEATHENISM IN THE VALLEY--EFFIGY OF A DEAD WARRIOR--A SINGULAR
SUPERSTITION--THE PRIEST KOLORY AND THE GOD MOA ARTUA--AMAZING
RELIGIOUS OBSERVANCE--A DILAPIDATED SHRINE--KORY-KORY AND THE
IDOL--AN INFERENCE

ALTHOUGH I had been baffled in my attempts to learn the origin of
the Feast of Calabashes, yet it seemed very plain to me that it
was principally, if not wholly, of a religious character. As a
religious solemnity, however, it had not at all corresponded with
the horrible descriptions of Polynesian worship which we have
received in some published narratives, and especially in those
accounts of the evangelized islands with which the missionaries
have favoured us. Did not the sacred character of these persons
render the purity of their intentions unquestionable, I should
certainly be led to suppose that they had exaggerated the evils
of Paganism, in order to enhance the merit of their own
disinterested labours.

In a certain work incidentally treating of the 'Washington, or
Northern Marquesas Islands,' I have seen the frequent immolation
of human victims upon the altars of their gods, positively and
repeatedly charged upon the inhabitants. The same work gives
also a rather minute account of their religion--enumerates a
great many of their superstitions--and makes known the particular
designations of numerous orders of the priesthood. One would
almost imagine from the long list that is given of cannibal
primates, bishops, arch-deacons, prebendaries, and other inferior
ecclesiastics, that the sacerdotal order far outnumbered the rest
of the population, and that the poor natives were more severely
priest-ridden than even the inhabitants of the papal states.
These accounts are likewise calculated to leave upon the reader's
mind an impression that human victims are daily cooked and served
up upon the altars; that heathenish cruelties of every
description are continually practised; and that these ignorant
Pagans are in a state of the extremest wretchedness in
consequence of the grossness of their superstitions. Be it
observed, however, that all this information is given by a man
who, according to his own statement, was only at one of the
islands, and remained there but two weeks, sleeping every night
on board his ship, and taking little kid-glove excursions ashore
in the daytime, attended by an armed party.

Now, all I can say is, that in all my excursions through the
valley of Typee, I never saw any of these alleged enormities. If
any of them are practised upon the Marquesas Islands they must
certainly have come to my