90 Transactions. — Miscellaneous . 



axe — you should instantly rub the axe on the wound and re- 

 peat the charm known as " ivhai fnotu." If in walking you 

 trip and hurt your foot, repeat the words " Tina ora." 



Mawake, of Kawerau, waxed old and died. He was buried 

 at Waitaha-nui. After some time one Manaia was strolling 

 past that spot and possessed himself of Mawake's jaw-bone, 

 out of which he fashioned himself a fish-hook. One day 

 Manaia and his people went out to sea to fish. As they lay 

 fishing on the banks a fish leaped from the sea and dropped 

 into the canoe of Manaia. That fish was an alio. Then the 

 demons of the sea rose and utterly destroyed that people. 

 Behold the power of the gods ! 



The custom of protecting crops or fish or forest products, 

 or flax or ochre springs, &c, by means of a rahui was wide- 

 spread in Maoriland — in fact, a universal custom. A post, 

 termed pou rahui, would be set up and a bunch of fern or weeds 

 tied thereto as a token of the rahui. Sometimes the head of a 

 slain enemy was so used. When Tuhoe slaughtered Ngati- 

 rangitihi at Eere-whakaitu they brought back to Sua-tahuna 

 the heads of many chiefs. That of Tionga was taken to Tara- 

 pounamu and there used to guard a famous bird-snaring tree. 



The above post had no power in itself to punish poachers, 

 but an object, such as a stone or branch, &c, was used as a 

 whatu (kernel, an object to absorb the magic power), and was 

 termed a " kapu." Over this the incantations were repeated 

 which had the power of destroying any person who interfered 

 with the things protected by the rahui. The kapu, or ivhatu, 

 was concealed near the pou rahui. 



Waro rahui is another term used. "Waro" means a pit 

 or chasm. A Maori would say, " A waro was dug that those 

 who went to steal might descend thereby to death." It by 

 no means follows that any pit was dug. The pit was the 

 power of the spells of magic by which poachers and thieves 

 were slain ; that was the real pitfall. Such is one of the 

 beauties of the Maori tongue. A person often means some- 

 thing totally different from what he says. 



But, apart from the rahui, if it was found that poachers 

 were snaring birds in a forest where they had no right, an 

 offence known as " kai haumi," search would be made for 

 some of the feathers that may have fallen from the birds 

 taken. These would be taken to the priest of magic, to act 

 as an ohonga, or medium, between the incantations of the 

 priest and the subjects ; and trouble lay before the kai 

 haumi gentry. 



The causes of magic spells being employed were innumer- 

 able. Among others were quarrels concerning women, con- 

 tentions between men as to items of ancient history, etc., 

 jealousy, envy, and other causes too numerous to mention. 



