lia, the Torres Straits Islands, New
Guinea, and Melanesia. In the present volume I take up the subject at
the point at which I broke off, and describe the corresponding belief
and worship among the Polynesians, a people related to their neighbours
the Melanesians by language, if not by blood. The first chapter formed
the theme of two lectures delivered at the Royal Institution in 1916;
the other chapters have been written for lectures at Trinity College,
Cambridge, in 1921 and 1922. But in the book the lecture form has been
discarded, and the treatment of the subject is somewhat fuller than
comports with the limits imposed by oral delivery.

Should circumstances allow me to continue the work, I propose in the
next volume to treat of the belief in immortality and the worship of the
dead among the Micronesians and Indonesians.

J. G. FRAZER.

NO. 1 BRICK COURT, TEMPLE,
LONDON, _19th July 1922_.

CONTENTS

PAGES

PREFACE v

TABLE OF CONTENTS vii-ix

CHAP.
I. THE BELIEF IN IMMORTALITY AMONG THE MAORIS 1-51

Sec. 1. The Polynesians 1-5
Sec. 2. The Maoris of New Zealand 5-10
Sec. 3. The Beliefs of the Maoris concerning the Souls of
the Living 10-19
Sec. 4. The Beliefs of the Maoris concerning the Souls of
the Dead 19-37
Sec. 5. Taboo among the Maoris 37-50
Sec. 6. Conclusion 51

II. THE BELIEF IN IMMORTALITY AMONG THE TONGANS 52-147

Sec. 1. The Tonga or Friendly Islands 52-57
Sec. 2. The Tonga Islanders, their Character, Mode of
Life, and Government 57-63
Sec. 3. The Tongan Religion: its General Principles 64-68
Sec. 4. The Primary or Non-human Gods 68-73
Sec. 5. The Temples of the Gods 73-77
Sec. 6. Priests and their Inspiration 77-79
Sec. 7. The Worship of the Gods, Prayers, and Sacrifices 79-84
Se