Best. — Food Products of Tuhoeland. 97 



omen for them ; they have disregarded Tahu (kua takahi i a 

 Tahu). But if those people are in a hurry to proceed on 

 their way it is sufficient if one of them takes a portion of the 

 food, however small, cooked or raw, and eats it. That will 

 avert the evil omen. 



Here the food is personified in Tahu (see above), who must 

 not be disregarded or trouble will surely follow. 



The remains of food left after a tapu person, such as men- 

 tioned above, has partaken of a meal are extremely dangerous, 

 and if eaten by any rash or unwary person he will become 

 weak, listless, and good for nothing until he is cured either by 

 the priest or the person whose food he ate. Should this act 

 be committed in war-time, then the offender will be afflicted 

 by tu-mata-relmrehu — i.e., he will become faint-hearted and 

 apprehensive, and of no account on the field of battle. 



A good way to slay a person by witchcraft (makutu or 

 whaiwhaia) is to obtain one of the cooking-stones from his 

 oven and take it to a competent wizard, asking him to repeat 

 a spell over it. Have this stone returned to the oven of your 

 enemy and await results. Any one eating of food cooked in 

 that oven will know death. Another method of bewitching a 

 person through the agency of food is known as mdtdkai. It 

 has been fully explained in a former paper. 



The following is a charm repeated over a person who is 

 choking. The person is slapped on the back while the words 

 are being said : — 



Kaitoa ano koe kia raoa 

 Nau ka ngau mai, ngau mai 

 Nau ka ngau atu, ngau atu 

 Te horo a te kawau 

 Horo mania, horo panuku 

 Puwhaina mai ki waho. 



Here is another charm for choking. It comes under the 

 generic term of whai : — 

 Te whai 



Whiti raoa, tapa raoa 

 Kaitoa koe kia raoa 

 Na to kai tu, na to kai rere 

 Na to kai haere 

 Na to kai tama wahine 

 E hia ou kai? 

 E rua ou kai 

 I horomia e koe 

 Ko nini, ko nana 

 Ko te patari o Wahieroa 

 Tama wahine, whakaruakina 

 Raoa ki waho 



Hokaikai ana ou ringaringa 

 Hokaikai ana ou waewae 

 Hotu nuku, hotu rangi 

 Hotu pakia 

 Whakaruakina ! 

 Nau mai ki waho. 



