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The entire morning was spent in hearing one half
of the men read; there was an interval at midday
for a meal, after which the remainder recited, the
whole performance lasting till evening. Fights
occasionally ensued from people scoffing at those
who failed. Ngaara would then call Te Haha's
attention to it, and the boy would go up to the
offenders with the maru in his hand and look at
them, when they would stop and there would be no
more noise. When the function was over, the Ariki
stood on a platform borne by eight men and
addressed the rongo-rongo men on their duties,
and doing well, and gave them each a chicken.
Another old man, Jotefa, gave a different account
of the great assembly, by which the Ariki sat on
his stoep and the old men stood before him and
"prayed"; according to this version they either
did not bring their tablets or their doing so was
voluntary. In addition to the great day, there
were minor assemblies at new moon, or the last
quarter of the moon, when the rongo-rongo men came
to Anakena. The Ariki walked up and down reading
the tablets, while the old men stood in a body and
looked on.
Ngaara used also to travel round the island,
staying for a week or two in different localities
with the resident experts. Another savant on the
south coast was said to be "too big a man to have
a school," and also went about visiting and
inspecting learned establishments in the same
manner.
Ngaara, before the end, fell on evil days.
The Ngaure clan was in the ascendancy, and carried
off the Miru as slaves; the Ariki was taken to
Akahanga on the south coast with his son,
Kaimokoi, and grandson, Maurata. They were there
five years in captivity, and the "Miru cried much";
at the end of that time the clan united with
the Tupahotu and rescued the old man. He was then
ill, and died not long afterwards at Tahai, on the
west coast, near Hanga Roa, while living with his
daughter, who had married a Marama. For six days
after his death everyone worked at making the
sticks with feathers on the top (heu-heu), and
they were put all round the place. He was buried
in the ruined image ahu at Tahai, his body being
carried on three of the tablets, and followed
through a lane of spectators by the rongo-rongo
men; the tablets were buried with him. His head
paid the penalty of its greatness, and was
subsequently stolen; its whereabouts was unknown.
Ten or fifteen of his tablets were given to old
men; the rest went to a servant, Pito, and
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