Page:Hawaiki The Original Home of the Maori.djvu/133

Rh for a long time inhabited parts of Samoa. It is said that the Tongans occupied the south side of Savāi'i, whilst the Fijians resided on the north; and it must have been the same in Upolu, for Samoan story says that the ruins of the stone foundations of the houses, roads, enclosures, &c., in the interior of Upolu are remains of their ancient habitations during the time the Tonga-Fijians occupied the coasts. The close of this occupation was at the time known in Samoan story as that connected with the "Matamatame," when, after the defeat of the Tonga-Fijians at Aleipata, east end of Upolu, and when they were chased along both coasts by Tuna and Fata, chiefs of Samoa, peace was made at the west end of the island, and the King (ruling chief) of Tonga engaged not again to return to Samoa except in peace. It was at this time the first Malie-toa took his name. From a mean of five genealogical tables given by Messrs. Bülow and Stuebel (varying from twenty-three to twenty-eight) we may take the period of this Malie-toa as twenty-four generations ago, or about the year 1250. This occupation of Samoa may therefore be said to have extended over some 550 to 600 years, and a very important period in Polynesian history it was, as we shall see. The year 1250 is about the date of Karika's leaving Samoa to settle in Rarotonga, of which more anon.

It was probably at the time of this spreading of the people from Fiji to Samoa and Tonga, and when they were in alliance in their occupation of these groups, that they visited other islands to the west, as quoted by Fornander in the following note, vol. i, p. 34: "We now know, from New Caledonian traditions, as reported by Dr. V. de Rochas ('La Nouvelle Caledonie,' &c.), that in olden times