Best. — Maori Marriage Ctistoms. 51 



organizing a war expedition, as also to avenge a defeat. The 

 latter was a most peculiar thing. If a people did not consider 

 themselves strong enough to avenge a defeat they often built 

 a special house, after which they invited the people who had 

 defeated them to visit them, upon which they entertained 

 them in the new house during their stay — and that was their 

 revenge. 



Another purpose for which a special house was built we 

 will explain by means of a true illustration : When Warahoe 

 were defeated at Taupo, in the fight known as Kohikete, one 

 of their women who was taken prisoner was taken as a wife 

 by Te Eau-paraha. She never returned to her people, who, 

 after passing through many troubles, took refuge at Eua- 

 tahuna with the Tuhoe Tribe. But a few years ago her 

 grand-daughter visited the Warahoe people, now living at 

 Te Whaiti, in order to show herself to her grandmother's 

 people. After a time she returned to her home at Porou- 

 tawhao, near Levin. Then Warahoe decided to invite her 

 to pay them another visit. So they fell to and built a 

 house at Te Whaiti to mark the event, and prepared food 

 and also gifts for their guest, who duly arrived. She was 

 entertained in the new house for some time, numerous 

 presents were given to her, and she was escorted back to 

 her house by a party of Te Whaiti people. Hapurona said, 

 " Ko Laku kahui tara hai luhakakoki i a hoe " (" My flock 

 of tara (a sea-bird) shall escort you home "). The term kahui 

 tara implied a band of well-born persons. So that house 

 was named Te Kahui Tara. 



Nowadays there is none of the umu kotore ritual carried 

 out, and but little of the formal arrangements as of old, 

 though a modified form of pukuivha entertainments still 

 obtains. 



Adultery {Purevmi, toukohi). 



Among the Tuhoe Tribe the wife seems to be more fre- 

 quently guilty of adultery than the husband. An old warrior 

 of my acquaintance informed me that " if a married woman 

 was interfered with in former times it was the cause of 

 serious quarrels and fighting. Men lost their lives thus over 

 women. This fighting over women was not known in ancient 

 times. It began with Maui-tikitiki (thirty-five generations 

 ago), whose wife, Whatu-nui, was interfered with by Maui- 

 mua. That was the cause of Maui turning on Irawaru." 



Incontinence, if treated lightly in the matter of young 

 girls, was a serious offence in a married woman, and some- 

 times severe punishment, even death, was inflicted upon the 

 erring one. If a married man commits adultery both he and 

 his paramour are punished by his wife's relatives by means 

 of a taua. The taua (hostile party) would be composed of 



