Newman. — On, an Image of a Maori, Eel-god. 133 



of a man, is quite unique— the only figure of an eel-god in ex- 

 istence in New Zealand. There is no other specimen resembling 

 it. It is 38 in. long by 10 in. wide. The head is very human, 

 with a singularly broad, flat, dome-like forehead. The size of the 

 forehead is the more remarkable because, as a rule, the forehead 

 is neglected in Maori carving. This has the effect of giving the 

 image a look of quite unusual intelligence. It is a forehead 

 denoting great ability, and therefore is quite unlike any modern 

 Maori carving. The mouth, as is usual in a god, is enormous 

 — wide open, cavernous. The tongue is visible, but small, and 

 does not protrude ; at each side of the mouth one incisor tooth 

 is carved — as is so often seen in old Maori carvings. The eyes, 

 like those of all ancient Maori gods, are slanting — Mongolian. 

 The nose is very flat. A thin line of tattooing is on each eyebrow, 

 all over the nose, and a thin single ring surrounds the gaping 

 mouth. This tattooing, as shown in the plate, is simple, and is 

 evidently the work of stone and not iron chisels. The figure 

 has two arms and two legs, each arm with three fingers and each 

 leg with three toes — the one unfailing, universal mark of a god. 

 Three fingers or three toes on each limb, a wide-open mouth, 

 and slant eyes are unfailing symbols of the prehistoric Maori 

 deity. The limbs, too, are tattooed with the double spiral. 

 At the point of the right elbow and right knee (the left elbow 

 and left knee are omitted from the carving) is a curious hollow, 

 and from the ends of each hollow is a curious tattooed little 

 figure like an inverted capital C, and at the junction a quaint 

 little knob. What this means I do not know. Something 

 like it is seen in other Polynesian images. Arms and legs are 

 covered with tattooing, chiselled out. but not fine and blackened 

 as in modern carvings. 



The Body. 



The remarkable feature is the raised, sinuous, lifelike body 

 of an eel, fat and big, arising from beneath the chin. The head 

 is aslant, looking over the left shoulder, as seen in many heitikis. 

 As the eel-like body then turns first to the right it may have been 

 thus carved to give another turn to the sinuous look of the eel ; 

 but it may have been turned to the left shoulder for the same 

 reason as heitihi heads are made to turn — a reason unknown 

 to us. The body, like that of a real eel. is fat and round, and 

 quite smooth, free from any trace of ornamentation. There 

 is no tail ; the body ends abruptly where the legs are set on, 

 and at the end of the body is a hole going right through the 

 board on which the figure is carved. This probably is meant 

 for the anal and other apertures. 



