Best. — Food Products of Tuhoeland. 89 



and dry wood piled on. Stones are placed on the top of 

 the wood, so that when the fire has burned down to a mass of 

 embers these stones are extremely hot. The stones are then 

 thrust aside with a stick, and the embers are raked out of the 

 hole. The hot stones are then arranged in the bottom of the 

 oven, and some water is sprinkled upon them until all ashes 

 have been washed off the stones ; or, if water be not used, 

 some fern- leaves are placed on the stones. Then the koronae 

 (or koropae), a woven band of mazer i, or kokaha, or flax leaves, 

 is placed so as to line the sides of the oven, thus leaving a 

 circular space into which dirt cannot drop from the sides. 

 The food is now placed on the stones within the koronae — 

 potatoes, greens, and fish, or meat, or birds, or whatever the 

 kinaki (relish) may be — and then water is plentifully sprinkled 

 over the food, finding its way to the hot stones beneath. 

 Then the food is covered with the rautao, a piece of matting 

 woven of flax-leaves. Over that is placed the tdkei, another 

 piece of matting, leaves of the ti kapu being the best material 

 for this. This last mat is also known as ritaka. The whole 

 is then covered with earth until no steam is seen escaping. 

 When, finally, the steam is seen to burst forth, that is a 

 sign that the food is cooked, and the oven is uncovered 

 (hukea) and the food taken out and put in baskets. 



The stones used for the ovens were carefully selected, a 

 hard stone not liable to be fractured by heat being sought for. 

 The stone termed turua is much esteemed for this purpose. 

 Suitable stones were often brought great distances. In cook- 

 ing while hunting or travelling any stones are used, and leaves 

 used for covering food in an oven. When opening an oven, 

 the earth is taken off, and then the covering-mats carefully 

 lifted, shaken, and put aside for future use. 



The umu tahanga nui is a term applied to permanent ovens 

 constantly in use, as those of a permanent home. 



The umu konao is an oven in which no fire is kindled. 

 The stones are heated at a separate fire and then conveyed 

 to the oven. This style of cooking is said to be superior to 

 the above, and was introduced from the north. 



Ovens figured largely in sacred rites of the Maori, food 

 being cooked for various ceremonies, such as lifting the tapic 

 from persons, houses, land, &c. These ovens seem invariablv 

 to be termed either umu or imu in this district, and never 

 hangi, hapi, kopa* &c. Certain persons were employed or 

 appointed in former times as kindlers and tenders of these 

 sacred ovens (umu tapu). Such persons were termed takuahi, 

 and they were thought to be taunga atua — i.e., they were 



* Eopa = a steam-oven (syn., hangi, hapi, &c). Probably the Euro- 

 pean term " copper Maori " comes from this name. 



