Best. — Maori Eschatology. 181 



the precipitous rock cliffs at Nga Wahine-kai-awatea proved a 

 difficult place for the roadmen to work at — so much so, indeed, 

 that it was found necessary to use life-lines (ropes secured at 

 the top of the cliff and allowed to trail down the rock-face) 

 for the security of the workmen. At once the Natives renamed 

 the place Taura-tukutuku (the trailing ropes), and the original 

 name seems to have been discarded. 



A koangaumu, or human sacrifice, was sometimes made in 

 olden times in order to take the tapu off the whare potae (i.e., off 

 the mourning) and its inmates the mourners. The act of so 

 sacrificing a person would not break up the tapu, but such a 

 sacrifice was always with the idea of imparting force, prestige, 

 effectiveness to a religious function. 



When Taupoki died at Te Whaiti a slave named Tapuku 

 was slain as a koangaumu for the mourners. The body was cut 

 up, a portion thereof sent to the Whirinaki people as a present, 

 and the rest was cooked at Wai-kotikoti, just where the police- 

 man's cottage now stands. 



" Ka mate te tupapaku, ka patua he tangata hai koangaumu 

 mo taua tupapaku, ka kainga e nga whanaunga o te tupapaku. 

 Ko taua patunga tapu hai heuenga mo te whare potae. Kaore e 

 tangi te tangata i a ia e noho ana i roto i te whare taua. Kia 

 koangaumutia te tupapaku ; katahi ia ka puta ki waho, ka tangi. 

 Ko te koangaumu hai whakanoa." ("When a person dies, a man 

 is slain as a koangaumu for the deceased, and is eaten by the 

 relatives of the dead. That sacrifice is for the purpose of dis- 

 persing the mourners. A person does not wail for the dead 

 while he is staying within the house of mourning. When the 

 sacrifice has been made, then he will come forth and lament. 

 The sacrifice lifts the tapu.'") Here is an allusion to the fact 

 that practically no crying or wailing for the dead is indulged 

 in by mourners while in seclusion, but only when they are sur- 

 rounded by others, and have an audience. The Maori believes 

 in public grief, he cares not to weep in private. 



The person slain as a human sacrifice for the lifting of the 

 tapu from the whare potae would be taken from another hapu 

 or subtribe. After this rite was over the mourners emerged 

 from the house of mourning and returned to their usual avoca- 

 tions. Although usually merely a metaphorical or figurative 

 expression, yet it would appear that sometimes a mourner 

 nearly related to the dead would remain within the "house of 

 mourning" (by staying in his own hut) during the period of 

 mourning. In the legend of Pou-rangahua it is stated that 

 Kanioro bis wife so mourned for Pou when he was thought 

 to be dead, and on his return he found her still secluded within 

 their house, which had become overgrown with mawhai. 



