Best. — Maori Marriage Customs. 37 



the opposite sex to entertain affection for the operator. It 

 was also used to influence an absent lover, wife, or husband, 

 and to cause such to return to the lone one. In conjunction 

 with the atahu obtained a singular custom of sending a bird, 

 the miromiro, to carry the love and desire of the operator to 

 the distant woman, wife, or husband. If the rite was properly 

 performed it would cause a woman to come to her lover how- 

 ever distant he might be, or however much her friends might 

 try to prevent her from going. The atahu or iri is a karakia 

 (charm, spell, ritual, invocation, incantation) to cause a person 

 of the opposite sex to love the repeater. When Tamatea-rehe, 

 of the Children of Awa, saw first his (future) wife, Manawa, 

 he was much struck by her, and this feeling increased so that 

 eventually he despatched a miromiro bird to convey his love to 

 that dark-skinned maid. At the same time he utilised the fol- 

 lowing iri in order to influence the affections of Manawa, and 

 to " bind " her to himself. It is also termed a karakia lohaka- 

 piri, a " fastening charm " : — 



Iri kura, iri kura 



Iria te tupua , 



Tupua nuku 



Te whakamaua mai Manawa 



Ki toku tinana 



Whiti ora a te tahito 



Hotu nuku, hotu rangi 



Tukia te papa i raro i a Manawa 



Te pukenga, te wananga 



Whakamaua ki tahito o te rangi 



Iri toro, iri toro 



He— i. 



The following atahu was given by a member of the Ngati- 

 raukawa Tribe. He says, " This is an atahu used to cause a 

 woman to desire a man or a man to desire a woman. When 

 the shades of evening fall the tohxinga (priest) goes to the 

 waterside and, having used the water in ancient form, he per- 

 forms the atahu rite, repeating the following charm : — 



" Tu te urunga, hau te urunga 

 Maniania te moenga 

 Hakune atu te po, hakune atu te ao 

 Ko tou aroaro i tahuri mai ki ahau 

 Ko toku aroaro i tahuri atu ki a koe 

 He miromiro taku manu ka tukua atu 

 Hei hiki mai i a koe, E te ipo. 



The applicant gives to the priest some article, such as a 

 garment (in modern times often a pipe), in order to give 

 mana (power, prestige, or effectiveness) to the rite." The 

 expression ipo here used is equivalent to a term of endear- 

 ment. It means "pertaining to love": He waiata ipo = a 

 love-song. The two last lines render thus : " My bird sent is 

 a miromiro, to bring you hither, love ! " 



