108 Transactions. — Miscellaneous. 



When the people were gathered at these meetings the 

 brighter side of the social life of the Maori was seen, and 

 many games and amusements were indulged in, the wharc 

 tapcre was largely patronised ; but such amusements have 

 already been described in a former paper. 



Here is another account of the arrival of guests and the 

 performance of the ue : "A house is built for a kaihaukai 

 (feast). The invited guests arrive and enter the house. The 

 people of the village are collected outside, and are seated 

 watching the visitors. The priest of the visiting party 

 clambers up on to the roof of the house and recites the ue 

 incantation. When he repeats the final words, Hid e ! 

 taiki c ! his party, who are seated against the walls inside 

 the house, all join in this chorus, and, seizing the uprights 

 of the house, endeavour by united effort to shake the build- 

 ing. If any part of the house gives way that is an evil 

 omen for the hosts ; they will take no further interest in the 

 meeting or feast — kua hiki o ratou mahara — their minds are 

 unsettled by the occurrence." 



The following account of the ue was given to me by a mem- 

 ber of the Ngati-Awa Tribe. It does not agree with the Tuhoe 

 account, but does so with a description given in " Te Ika a 

 Maui," page 343, 2nd ed. 



A hakari messenger to the people. As he approaches the 



village (of those he has come to invite to the feast), and before 



he has entered it, he chaunts the ue : — 



Uea! 



Uea i te poupou o te whare 



Uea i te pou tuarongo o te whare 



Kia tutangatanga 



Nau mai ! 



E waha i taku tua 



Ka haere taua 



He karere hakari 



He karere kaihaukai. 



As he finishes his chaunting of the above the people of the 



village reply with the following, which is, in the first place, an 



invocation to protect themselves and their food products from 



possible magic arts ; and, in the second place, a declining of 



the invitation : — 



Whenua a uta 



Kai a puritia 



Whenua a tai 



Kai a puritia 



Puritia ki tamoremore nui no Papa 



He aio 



E kore au e tae atu. 



The inviting messenger then chaunts : — 



Tuia ko te kawe runga 

 Ko te kawe o te haere. 



