Best. — On Maori Maaic. 87 



Tangi atu au ki te ninihi nui o te moana 



Ki te p*rata nui o te moana 



Ki te taniwha nui o te moana 



Ki te paikea nui n te moana 



Kia hara mai, kia horomia hine 



Ko Hine whakaruru taua 



Kei a rawea e koe 



Tutakina ki te rangi taua. 



The toko-uri and toko-tea are said to be two posts or sticks 

 which are erected at the sacred place of a village. One is the 

 emblem of misfortune, sickness, and death ; the other is the 

 emblem of health, vigour, and life. The one is subjected to 

 magic rites that misfortunes may not assail the tribe — to 

 expel sickness, death, &c. The other is similarly treated to 

 cause it to retain the health, vigour, &c, of the tribe. 



It is excessively bad form to be inhospitable to a visitor. 

 Should he arrive while you are eating, ask him at once to 

 join you. Should you neglect so to do, thinking, perhaps, 

 that he is a person of low birth and an ignorant, yet he may 

 possess powers of magic and destroy you for slighting him. 

 Hence the old saying, " Kai ana mai koe he atua, noho ana 

 aha a he tangata" (You are eating there as a god; I am 

 sitting here as a man). 



When red war has siezed upon the land it is quite prob- 

 able that you will find yourself, spear in hand and patu in 

 belt, about to measure strength with an enemy ; or trouble 

 may arise in other ways, and it is decided that you settle the 

 matter by single combat. You first carefully perform the rite 

 of tuaimu, and repeat the spell or incantation known as a 

 " mata-rakau " or " hoa rakau." This has the effect of 

 rendering a thrust or stroke of your weapon most effective. 

 Before you commence to repeat the charm you must spit 

 upon your weapon. If you wish to kill your adversary you 

 add the words " Mau ka oti atu ki te Po, oti atu" (Away 

 to the shades for ever) to your tuaimu spell which is meant 

 to weaken your enemy. But, if your adversary is a relative, 

 you probably do not wish to slay, but merely to wound him. 

 Therefore the above words are omitted, and when you have 

 struck down your foe you stand over him, and, expectorating 

 upon your fingers, rub them over the face of the fallen man, 

 at the same time repeating : " Mau ka hoki mai ki te ao nei " 

 (Beturn you to the world of life). Understand, you yourself 

 are under tapu at this time, and therefore your spittle even 

 is, as it were, impregnated with that tapu. Therefore the 

 action just described has the effect of imparting mana, or 

 power, to your magic. 



BUA-ITI, OR BUA-TORINO. 



This is another method of destroying life by magic spells 

 acting upon the human hau. Ngati-awa Tribe describe the 



