Page:American Anthropologist NS vol. 22.djvu/244

 232 AMERICAN ANTHROPOLOGIST [N. s., 22, 1920

Aumakua, the term used for ancestral deities of the private cult; the apparent use of flexed burial by the lower classes only ; the use of the kuahu shrine and employment of shamanistic workers ex- clusively, and the use of the oven largely, in private ceremonial; evidences of former cannibalism; and so on.

To sum up, therefore, the hypothesis is presented that the cultural stratum, of which the use of stone slab seats was charac- teristic and which was represented by the chiefs in New Zealand and elsewhere in the southern and central part of the area, was submerged in Hawaii, being represented there by commoners; and that another cultural stratum, of which the use of large stone construction was characteristic, was spread over the central region and Hawaii but influenced the Cook group and New Zealand only

to a very slight extent.

Ill

An analysis of the elements constituting the religion of Poly- nesia and a study of these with regard to their distribution led to the following grouping of these in association with the use of stone slab seats and large stone construction. Unfortunately time and space do not allow me to give my reasons for this classifi- cation, to present my evidence, or even to give adequate references. How much of this classification will stand, how much of it will be found erroneous in the light of future information, is unknown. It is offered at this time, however, in the hope that it may be suggestive and perhaps stimulating to others interested in the Polynesian problem, and in the problems of the other related areas to the westward where lie the routes by which the Polynesians must have migrated.

Simply for the sake of having some designation for the peoples to whom belonged these several cultural strata, those who brought the use of stone slab seats have been called Slab Users, and those who utilized stone construction, the Stone Builders. The Slab User elements are to be found most clearly defined in New Zealand, while the Stone Builder elements are dominant in Hawaii. In the central region they are combined in various ways.

It may be pointed out that certain important elements stand

�� �