Page:Williams and Calvert, Fiji and the Fijians, New York, 1860.djvu/200

 170 FIJI AKD THE FIJIANS. rial representations of his gods, or to pay actual worship to the heaven- ly bodies, the elements, or any natural objects. It is extremely doubt- ful whether the reverence with which some things, such as certain clubs and stones, have been regarded, had in it anything of religious homage. The native word expressive of divinity is kalou, which, while used to denote the people's highest notion of a god, is also constantly heard as a qualiiicative of anything great or marvellous, or, according to Hazle- wood's Dictionary, " anything superlative, whether good or bad." Un- less — as seems probable — the root-meaning of the term is that of wonder and astonishment, this latter use of it presents an interesting analogy to the similar form of speech in Hebrew. Often the word sinks into a mere exclamation, or becomes an expression of flattery. " You are a kalou ! " or, " Your countrymen are gods ! " is often uttered by the natives, when hearing of the triumphs of art among civilized nations. In this case, however, it is a courteous way of declaring un- belief, or their own disinclination to attempt an imitation of what they admire. It is remarkable that the gods of Eastern Polynesia seem to be un- known to the Fijians, in whose polytheistic mythology, the objects of worship are divided into two classes ; Tcalou vie, gods strictly so called, and kalou yalo, defiled mortals, like the daemons of classic Greece. The exalted individuals of the first grade are supposed to be abso- lutely eternal ; but those of the second order, though raised far above humanity, are subject to its passions, wants, accidents, and even death. These are the spirits of Chiefs, heroes, and friends. But monsters and abortions are often ranked here ; and the list, already countless, is ca- pable of constant increase, every object that is specially fearful, or vicious, or injurious, or novel, being eligible for admission. This seems further to support the hypothesis advanced above as the origin of the title kalou. The god most generally known in Fiji is Ndengei, who seems to be an impersonation of the abstract idea of eternal existence. He is the subject of no emotion or sensation, nor of any appetite, except hunger. The serpent — the world-wide symbol of eternity — is his adopted shrine. Some traditions represent him with the head and part of the body of that reptile, the rest of his form being stone, emblematic of everlasting and unchangeable duration. He passes a monotonous existence in a gloomy cavern — the hollow of an inland rock near the N. E. end of Viti Levu — evincing no interest in any one' but his attendant, Uto, and giving no signs of life beyond eating, answering his priest, and changing his position from one side to the other. There are points in this de-