48 Transactions. — Miscellaneous. 



" Then a procession of people of the village appears on the 

 scene, each bearing a basket of cooked food, and all singing a 

 weird song as they slowly advance. They place the baskets 

 in a row before the tvhare pahavha and retire. Then our 

 party leave the house and, seating themselves before the 

 food, proceed to satisfy their hunger. 



" In addition to the above cooked food given to our party, 

 there is also a supply of food presented to us, and which we 

 can either use during our stay at Te Whaiti or take home 

 with us when we return. This food is brought into the house 

 in baskets, &c., and placed before us. The interior of the 

 house is now quite free from tapti, the bringing of this food 

 into it is the last act of the ichahanoa, or freeing from tapu. 

 This latter supply of food is often termed kai kotore, and is 

 for the relatives of the young wife. It is composed of the 

 best sorts of food, such as preserved birds. On the following 

 dav a large heap of food is stacked up in the marae and pre- 

 sented to our party. This is termed a tahuaroa. 



" After the kai kotore is brought in the village people then 

 carry in their presents of clothing, fine cloaks, capes, aprons, 

 as also greenstone and shark's-tooth ornaments, &c. ; and, in 

 modern times, horses also, which, however, are left outside. 

 These are placed in front of the young couple, who are seated 

 together. Probably no formal or lengthy speech is made ; 

 each person bearing a gift lays it down, outspread if a 

 garment, saying, ' Tenet te taonga ki a koe.' For these gifts 

 are to the husband. 



" When these gifts are all presented the young husband 

 rises and presents them all to his wife's people, to myself and 

 relatives, who have escorted him and his wife from Rua- 

 tahuna to this place. He keeps none of the gifts for himself, 

 nor yet any for his wife. If he did so he would be considered 

 an ignorant, low-bred sort of fellow. Kuti ki a raua ko te 

 mdvd — the prestige of the thing is enough for them. 



" Sometimes at these functions a turanga-a-tohu would 

 be performed, usually the day after the arrival of the visitors. 

 This is a kind of war-dance, but simply given as an exhibi- 

 tion. 



" Our party would stay a few days at Te Whaiti as the 

 guests of my son-in-law's people, or possibly a week. Pro- 

 bably the young couple would stay there for some time, 

 possibly until the return feast came oli' at Rua-tahuna, when 

 they would, of couise, attend tiiat, and perhaps settle down 

 there. 



" The return feast mentioned is known as a whakahoki 

 pakmvha. We, the relatives of the young wife, give this feast 

 to mv son-in-law's people. A special house might or nught 

 not be built by us for the event, and the description already 



