Maori Religion and Mythology Part 6

Afterwards her b.r.e.a.s.t.s become painful, and she calls out to the _tohunga_ "my b.r.e.a.s.t.s itch and are painful, they are full of milk." Then the child is brought to the mother. See what power the _karakia_ of the _Maori_ possessed.

This is a word, a thought of mine. There has not been any remarkable sign of late years, from the time of the arrival of the Rongo-pai (=Gospel), like the signs seen in this island when men were _tapu_, when _karakia_ had power. One sign seen in this island was the Ra-kutia (=the closed sun). At mid-day there was darkness, and the stars were seen.

After two hours perhaps of darkness, daylight returned. Our fathers saw this sign: but there are now no signs like those of former days.

CEREMONY OF TUA.

When a male child is born to a Chief, all his tribe rejoice. The mother is separated from the inhabitants of the settlement, to prevent her coming in contact with persons engaged in cultivating the _k.u.mara_, lest anything belonging to the mother should be accidentally touched by them, lest the _k.u.mara_ should be affected by her state of _tapu_; for the sacredness of any _rehu-wahine_ is greatly feared.

When the child is about a month old, and strives with its hands to reach its mother's breast, the ceremony of _Tua_ takes place. Two fires are kindled; one fire for the _Ariki_, one fire for the _Atua_. The food to be cooked on the fire is fern-root. Then the _tohunga_ takes the child in his arms, and repeats this _karakia_:-

Breathe quick thy lung, A healthy lung.

Breathe strong thy lung, A firm lung, A brave lung.

Severing8 for your bravery, * * tilling food, Severing for wielding the weapon, * * warding off, * * seizing the first man, * * storming the _Pa_.

&c. &c.

&c. &c.

The boy infant is stept? over, * * * * climbed? over, * * * * lifted in the arms, The boy infant is free from _tapu_, He runs freely where food is cooked.

Cause this _karakia_ to flow gently, To the _Pukenga_, To the _Wananga_, To the _Tauira_.

8 The severing of umbilical cord is here referred to.

? The female _Ariki_ at these words steps over the child, and then takes it in her arms.

When this _karakia_ ends the ceremony of _Poipoi_ (=waving) follows. The _tohunga_ takes up the fern-root cooked for the _Atua_, and waving it over the child repeats these words:-"This is for the _Tipua_, for the _Pukenga_, for the _Wananga_. Eat it. It is the food cooked for you to eat." The cooked fern-root is then deposited on the sacred place.

Afterwards the child is taken in the arms of the female _Ariki_, who waves over it the fern-root cooked on her fire, and touches with it different parts of the child's body. The _Ariki_ is said then to eat this fern-root, but does not do so in fact. She only spits on it, and throws it on the sacred place.

If there are several female _Ariki_ of the same family of whom one is absent, a figure is made with weeds to represent her. Then part of the fern-root is offered to the figure and is stuck in it. All these ceremonies take place on sacred ground. The part of the ceremony-that of touching the body of the child with the food to be eat by the _Ariki_-is named _kai-katoa_. After this the child is free from _tapu_, so that persons of the family may take it in their arms.

No further ceremony takes place till the child arrives at youth, when his hair is cut, and the young person is released from _tapu_. The hair must be cut in the morning in order to insure a strict observance of _tapu_; for it is not only the _tohunga_ who must be _tapu_ on this occasion, but also the whole tribe. This _tapu_ commences in the morning, and no one must eat food while it lasts. Should any one eat during that time it will be discovered; for if the skin of the child's head be cut while cutting the hair, it is known at once that some one has eat food. This is a sure sign. After the hair is cut the ceremony of _Poipoi_ is again observed, and the _tohunga_ then raising up his hands repeats this _karakia_, and the young person is free-

These hands of mine are raised up, And this sacredness here.

Tu-i-whiwhia, Tu-i-rawea, Your freedom from _tapu_ Make sure the obtaining.

Make sure the freedom.

Make it sure to Papa.

Give me my _tu_: Lift up the sacredness: Lift it up: it prevails.

My hands here are raised up, To Tiki there these hands of mine, To Hine-nui-te-po these hands of mine, These now free from _tapu_.

Freedom. They are free.

As to the custom of raising aloft the hands while praying to the G.o.ds, compare Hom: Il. Lib. 3 273, and other numerous examples.

CEREMONIES FOR THE DEAD.

When a man dies his body is placed in a sitting posture, and is bound to a stake to keep it in a good position. It is seated with its face towards the sun as it rises from its cave. Then every one comes near to lament. The women in front, the men behind them. Their clothes are girded about their loins. In their hands they hold green leaves and boughs, then the song called _keka_ commences thus:-

------------------------------------------------------------------ _Tohunga_ chants It is not a man, All { It is Rangi now consigned to earth, { Alas! my friend.

_Tohunga_ My evil omen, All { The lightning glancing on the mountain peak { Te Waharoa doomed to death.

After the _keka_, the _uhunga_ or lament commences. The clothes in which the corpse should be dressed are the _kahuwaero_, the _huru_, the _topuni_, and the _tatata_. The lament ended, presents are spread to view, greenstone ornaments, and other offerings for the dead chief. A carved chest, ornamented with feathers, is also made, and a carved canoe, a small one resembling a large canoe, which is painted with _kokowai_ (=red-ochre); also a stick bent at the top is set up by the way-side, in order that persons pa.s.sing by may see it, and know that a chief has died. This is called a _hara_. The carved chest is called a _whare-rangi_. The corpse only is buried, the clothes are placed in the carved chest which is preserved by the family and descendants as a sacred relic.

On the morning following the burial, some men go to kill a small bird of the swamps called _kokata_, and to pluck up some reeds of _wiwi_. They return and come near the grave. The _tohunga_ then asks "Whence come you?" The men reply, "From the seeking, from the searching." The _tohunga_ again asks "Ah! what have you got? ah! what have you gained?"

Thereon the men throw on the ground the _kotata_ and the _wiwi_. Then the _tohunga_ selects a stalk of _toetoe_ or _rarauhe_, and places it near the grave in a direction pointing towards Hawaiki to be a pathway for the spirit, that it may go in the straight path to those who died before him. This is named a _Tiri_, and is also placed near where he died, in order that his spirit may return as an _Atua_ for his living relations. The person to whom this _Atua_ appears is called the _kaupapa_ or _waka-atua_. Whenever the spirit appears to the _kaupapa_ the men of the family a.s.semble to hear its words. Hear the _karakia_ of the _kaupapa_ to prevail on the spirit to climb the path of the _Tiri_.

This is your path, the path of Tawaki; By it he climbed up to Rangi, By it he mounted to your many, To your Thousands; By it you approached, By it you clung, By it your spirit arrived safely To your ancestors.

I now am here sighing, Lamenting for your departed spirit.

Come, come to me in form of a moth, Come to me your _kaupapa_, Whom you loved, For whom you lamented.

Here is the _Tiri_ for you, The _Tiri_ of your ancestors, The _Tiri_ of your _Pukenga_, Of your _Wananga_, Of me this _Tauira_.

THE REINGA OR HADES.

When the spirit leaves the body it goes on its way northward, till it arrives at two hills. The first of these hills is a place on which to lament with wailings and cuttings. There also the spirit strips off its clothes. The name of this hill is Wai-hokimai. The name of the other hill is Wai-otioti: there the spirit turns its back on the land of life, and goes on to the Rerenga-wairua (Spirit's-leap). There are two long straight roots, the lower extremities of which are concealed in the sea, while the upper ends cling to a _pohutukawa_ tree. The spirit stands by the upper end of these roots, awaiting an opening in the sea weed floating on the water. The moment an opening is seen, it flies down to the Reinga. Reaching the Reinga, there is a river and a sandy beach. The spirit crosses the river. The name of the new comer is shouted out. He is welcomed, and food is set before him. If he eats the food he can never return to life.

Spirits on their way to the N. Cape are said to be clothed in the leaves of the _wharangi_, _makuku_, and _oropito_.

Vid. similar account. "Traditions and Superst.i.tions of the New Zealanders," p. 150, et seq.

TALE OF TE ATARAHI.

There was a man named Te Atarahi, who remained five nights and five days in the Reinga, and then returned to life. On the fifth day after this man died, two women went out to cut flax leaves. While so employed they observed the flower stalks of the flax springing up every now and then, at a little distance from them. Then one of the women remarked to her companion-"There is some one sucking the juice of the _korari_ flowers."

By degrees this person came nearer, and was seen by the woman, who said "the man is like Te Atarahi, why, it surely is Te Atarahi." Her companion replied-"It cannot be Te Atarahi, he is dead." Then they both looked carefully, and saw that the skin of the man was wrinkled and hanging loose about his back and shoulders, and that the hair of his head was all gone.

So the women returned to the _Pa_, and told how they had seen Te Atarahi. "Are you quite sure it was Te Atarahi?" said the men of the _Pa_. And the women answered, "His appearance was like Te Atarahi, but the hair of his head was all gone, and his skin hung loose in folds about his back." Then one was sent to look at the grave where Te Atarahi had been buried. He found the grave undisturbed, so he returned and said "Sirs, the body is well buried, it has not been disturbed." Then the men went, and examined the place carefully on every side, and found an opening on one side, a little way off. Then they went to the place where Te Atarahi had been seen by the women, and there found the man seated on a _ti_ tree. They at once knew him to be Te Atarahi; so they sent for the _tohunga_. The _tohunga_, came and repeated a _karakia_, after which, the man was removed to the sacred place, and the _tohunga_ remained with him constantly repeating _karakia_, while the people of the _Pa_ stood without looking on. There the man remained many days, food being brought for him. Time pa.s.sed, and he began to have again the appearance of a _Maori_ man. At length he recovered and got quite well.

Then he told how he had been in the Reigna, how his relations came about him, and bid him not to touch the food, and sent him back to the land of Light. He spoke also of the excellence of the state in which the people of the Reigna dwelt, of their food, of their choice delicacy the _ngaro_, of the numbers of their _Pa_, and the mult.i.tude of the dwellers there, all which agreed with what the _Atua_ have said, when they visit men on earth.

NGA PATUPAIAREHE OR FAIRIES.

One day while Ruarangi was absent from his house a Patupaiarehe or Fairy came to it, and finding only the wife of Ruarangi within, carried her off to the hills. When the husband returned home his wife could not be found. He, however, traced footsteps to the hills where the Fairies dwelt, but saw nothing of his wife. Then he felt sure she had been carried off by the Fairies, and returned sorrowing and thinking of some plan to recover her. At length, having thought of a plan, he summoned the _tohunga_ of the tribe-those skilled in bringing back love-those skilled in _makutu_-in short all the _tohunga_. When these all a.s.sembled before him, he said to them "The cause of my calling you is this. My wife has disappeared." The _tohunga_ replied "When it is night, all of you leave your houses." So when night came every one came forth from his house as the _tohunga_ had ordered. Then the _tohunga_ skilled in restoring love stood up, and after some while discovered that the lost woman was with the Fairies. So he commenced a _karakia_ to make her love for her _Maori_ husband return.

What wind is this blowing softly to your skin: Will you not incline towards your companion, To whom you clung when sleeping together, Whom you clasped in your arms, Who shared your griefs.

When the wind bears to you this my love, Incline hither thy love, Sighing for the couch where both slept.

Let your love burst forth, As the water-spring from its source.

When the _tohunga_ had ended this _karakia_ he said to the husband "Go, fetch your wife. When she meets you, be quick to rub her all over with _kokowai_ (red-ochre)." So the man went, and when night came he lay down to sleep by the way side. While he slept he saw his wife coming to meet him. With this he awoke knowing well that the _tohunga_ had spoken truly. At day-light he went on his way, and after some time came in sight of the _Pa_ of the Fairies. No one was within the _Pa_. All had gone forth to look at the _Maori_ woman. Now a great desire towards her _Maori_ husband had come to the woman borne to her by the _karakia_ of the _tohunga_, so the woman said to her Fairy husband "Let me go and visit my new brothers-in-law." This she said deceitfully; for when her Fairy husband consented, she went straight away to meet her _Maori_ husband, who, as soon as she came near, rubbed her all over with _kokowai_, and hastened home with her.