low rank, was sure of
patronage as the _haku mele_, "sorter of songs," for some chief; and his
name was attached to the song he composed. A single poet working alone
might produce the panegyric; but for the longer and more important songs
of occasion a group got together, the theme was proposed and either
submitted to a single composer or required line by line from each member
of the group. In this way each line as it was composed was offered for
criticism lest any ominous allusion creep in to mar the whole by
bringing disaster upon the person celebrated, and as it was perfected it
was committed to memory by the entire group, thus insuring it against
loss. Protective criticism, therefore, and exact transmission were
secured by group composition.[3]

Exactness of reproduction was in fact regarded as a proof of divine
inspiration. When the chief's sons were trained to recite the
genealogical chants, those who were incapable were believed to lack a
share in the divine inheritance; they were literally "less gifted" than
their brothers.[4]

This distinction accorded to the arts of song and eloquence is due to
their actual social value. The _mele_, or formal poetic chants which
record the deeds of heroic ancestors, are of aristocratic origin and
belong to the social assets of the family to which they pertain. The
claim of an heir to rank depends upon his power to reproduce, letter
perfect, his family chants and his "name song," composed to celebrate
his birth, and hence exact transmission is a matter of extreme
importance. Facility in debate is not only a competitive art, with high
stakes attached, but is employed in time of war to shame an enemy,[5]
quickness of retort being believed, like quickness of hand, to be a
God-given power. Chants in memory of the dead are demanded of each
relative at the burial ceremony.[6] Song may be used to disgrace an
enemy, to avenge an insult, to predict defeat at arms. It may also be
turned to more pleasing purposes--to win back an estranged patron or
lover;[7] in the art of love, indeed, song is invaluable to a chief.
Ability in learning and language is, therefore, a highly prized chiefly
art, respected for its social value and employed to aggrandize rank. How
this aristocratic patronage has affected the language of composition
will be presently clear.

_Footnotes to Section III, 1: Aristocratic Nature of Polynesian Art_

[Footnote 1: Jarves says: "Songs and chants were common among