Joseph Banks - Endeavour journal, 25 August 1768 - 12 July 1771 - No. 0323
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[Page 323]
Otahite
June 1769
success as Mr Green & the Captn could wish the day having been perfectly clear not so much as a cloud interveining we also heard the melancholy news that a large part of our stock of Nails had been purloind by some of the ships company during the time of the Observation when every body was ashore who had any degree of comand one of the theives was detected but only 7 nails were found upon him our of 100 Wt & he bore his punishment without impeaching any of his acomplices. This loss is of a very serious nature as these nails if circulated by the people among the Indians will much lessen the value of Iron our staple commodity
5. During our absence at Imao an old woman of some consequence a relation of Tamio was dead & was plac'd not far from the fort to rot above ground as is the custom of the Island I went this morn to see her a small square was neatly raild in with Bamboe & in the midst of it a Canoe awning set up upon two posts in this the body was laid coverd with fine cloth near this was laid fish &c. meat for the gods not for the deceasd but to satisfie the hunger of the deitys least they shoud eat the body which Tubourai told us they would certainly do if this ceremony was neglected in the front of the square was a kind of stile or place lower than the rest where the relations of the deceasd stood when they cry'd or bled themselves & under the awning were numberless rags containing the blood & tears they had shed within a few yards were two occasional houses in one of them some of the relations constantly remaind generaly a good many in the other the cheif male mourner resided & kept a very remarkable