Best. — Maori Marriage Customs. 15 



little ceremony, but nevertheless deliberately and properly 

 adjusted. 



The description of such customs, &c., pertaining to court- 

 ship, betrothal, marriage, divorce, and other matters as will 

 hereinafter be described has been obtained entirely from 

 members of the Tuhoe Tribe of Maoris, who have inhabited 

 for centuries the rugged district situated between the Bay of 

 Plenty and Te Wairoa, on the East Coast. This article does 

 not assume to be a description, or even a compendium, of the 

 marriage customs of all the native tribes of New Zealand. 

 Differences in customs, &c., are sure to be found as between 

 different tribes. 



The system of ethology, or code of ethics, of the Maori 

 in former times was suited to a communistic and primitive 

 people, and, like their religion, was more closely adhered to 

 and upheld than the systems, moral and religious, of many 

 more-advanced peoples. To marry any one of closer kinship 

 than a third cousin was deemed incest, and great excep- 

 tion was taken to such unions. They were severely con- 

 demned. 



In order to understand the following notes on the Maori 

 marriage system it is necessary to have a clear idea of the 

 tribal organization of these people, and their system of con- 

 sanguinity. 



The natives of New Zealand base their tribal organization 

 on their descent from the last and most important migration 

 of Polynesians from the isles of the Pacific, although they are 

 also descended from the ancient tribes of the land, a prior 

 migration of a similar ethnic people. This latter origin is, 

 however, not much heard of, as the mana (power, prestige, 

 <fec.) of the old-time people passed away and was replaced by 

 that of the descendants of the last migration, which arrived 

 at New Zealand about the middle of the fourteenth century. 

 Thus, the Tuhoe Tribe, although principally of aboriginal 

 blood (of the earlier migration), have long discarded their 

 ancient and more applicable tribal name of Nga-Potiki for 

 that of Tuhoe-potiki, who was a chief of the descendants of 

 the latter migration. 



The collection or group of peoples, termed iivi (tribes) by 

 the natives, are subdivided into hapu (sub-tribes or clans), 

 and these again into %\\h-hapu or family groups (also termed 

 hajm) . 



Edward Jenks, in his " History of Politics," says that the 

 tribe " is a large group, consisting of several hundred indi- 

 viduals, the fully qualified among whom certainly believe 

 themselves to be descended from a common male ancestor. 

 But in most cases the common ancestor of the 

 tribe is a fictitious person," &c. The other social unit he 



