Best. — Food Products of Tuhoeland. 95 



The priest then lifts the piece of food to his mouth and 



repeats : — 



E kai tatau ! 



E kai ! E kai ! 



Kai atu tatau ki nga ihi i te rangi 



Ki nga rnana i te rangi 



Ki nga tapu i te rangi 



Kauaka e turoua. 



Kai atu koe ki te ihi 



Kai atu koe ki te rnana 



Ki nga rua tupapaku 



Ki nga rua koiwi 



Kauaka e turoua 



Mate rourou tiritiria makarnaka 



Kia kai mai te ati tipua 



Kia kai mai te ati tawhito 



E kai ! E kai ! 



Kia kai nuku tatau (for tatou) 



Kia kai rangi tatau 



Kia kai matamua tatau 



E horo, E horo o tatau kaki 



Takoto ki raro 



Ki to kauwhau ariki. 



The ivhangai is another kind of whakau, and is also con- 

 nected with food. When persons were about to start on a 

 journey, and were fearful of being bewitched by the people of 

 the lands they were going to travel through, they would cook 

 some food and eat of it. The remains of such food they 

 would place in their belts and so carry with them. That food 

 would ward off any magic spells, &c, which might be directed 

 against the travellers. 



When a present of food was received from another tribe or 

 place the superstition and caution of the Maori were in evi- 

 dence ; hence the following ceremony, with its invocations, 

 was performed in order to make common {pure) the food, to 

 remove from it the rnana (power, prestige) of the givers, and 

 to prevent or avert any spells or rites of witchcraft that might 

 have been performed over it. 



The food arrives. The priest arises and performs the 

 takiwhenua — that is to say, the pure. Because the food has 

 come to us on (under the influence of) the rnana of other 

 peoples. Now, lest disaster assail us. There may be evil 

 influences at work in regard to that food. The priest arises 

 and repeats the takiwhenua. He takiwhenua tenei, he pure 

 (this is a takiwhenua, a making common) : — 



Ka waere 



Ka waere makere ti 



Ka waere ki runga o rnakere ta 



Ka waere ki waho o makere ta 



Kia haramai makere ti 



Kaikai kutu makere ti 



Kaikai riha makere ti 



Te roua atu, te kapea mai 



