Smith. — On the Tohunga-Maori. 261 



It was, I believe, a rule that the priesthood descended 

 from father to son, generation after generation. It was the 

 duty of the father, or sometimes the grandfather, to teach the 

 young pupil. Failing either of these the uncles would do so ; 

 but in such cases the remark applies more particularly to the 

 education of chiefs rather than that of the priests. There 

 are cases on record wherein the pupil went to priests of 

 another family, or even another tribe, to acquire their educa- 

 tion, and presumably this was in default of either father or 

 grandfather. In such cases as last mentioned the inference is 

 that the whole of the teacher's knowledge was not communi- 

 cated to the pupil. There were certain branches of knowledge 

 and karakias that were family or tribal property, and these 

 were not communicated. Amongst the warriors of the tribe 

 also there were certain things that belonged to the individual 

 which were not communicated to others. Such were the ki- 

 tao, or reo-tao, the prayers said over weapons to make them 

 efficacious — these were secrets only known to each family. 

 Several of this species of prayer have been preserved, for 

 after the old-fashioned weapons became obsolete there was 

 no longer any objection to the prayers becoming known. 



It was at about the age of twelve that boys were first taught. 

 So far as can be gathered, the first lessons took place in the 

 tvhare-maire, which was a carved building used especially for 

 the recitation of the tribal history, and which was very sacred. 

 Here the origin and history of the tribe was taught, the genea- 

 logies of the ancestors down to the time of teaching — always 

 considered very sacred — were recited, and tribal wrongs that 

 required a blood vengeance enumerated. There were initiatory 

 ceremonies connected with the first entry of the pupil into the 

 tvhm'e-maire, but these I am not acquainted with, beyond 

 that there were special karakias for the purpose. During the 

 whole time of teaching the pupils were not allowed to leave 

 the precincts of the house, food being brought to them by the 

 women and left at the palings surrounding the house, for no 

 female was allowed to enter the house whilst the course of 

 instruction was proceeding — it was very strictly tap2c. It is 

 clear that certain karakias were also taught in the zuhare-maire, 

 but some, I believe, were only learned in the woods and 

 mountains, away from all habitation. These were probably 

 some of the most powerful incantations pertaining to the 

 priesthood alone. Here let me say that the knowledge of 

 karakias was not confined to the priests ; it was common to 

 all, but there were certain classes of karakias used by the 

 priests alone. 



Accounts vary as to the length of each session of teaching ; 

 but they were not of long duration, probably not more than 

 ten days at each sitting. The effect of the karakias on the 



