212 Transactions. 



of the peoples to whom such dead belong is called for the pur- 

 pose of taking up the bones and conveying them to burial caves 

 or trees. This ceremony has ever been deemed by the Maori 

 an extremely important one, and those who disentomb the 

 dead or handle their bones are under very heavy tapu until 

 the ceremony is over and the tapu removed by means of the 

 pure rite. It often happens that some of the dead have been 

 buried for a space of time considerably longer than four years. 

 Others, again, may not have been buried for more than half of 

 that time, or even less. 



Many people collect at the larger meetings held for this 

 purpose, caused by different clans being related through inter- 

 marriage, and by the fact that Natives enjoy these meetings 

 on account of the facilities they afford for social intercourse. 

 There is much wailing for the dead when the bones are disin- 

 terred. At an exhumation which took place in this district 

 some time back there were five men engaged in disinterring 

 the bones, under an elderly man who acted as tohunga (priest, 

 adept). As the delvers took out the bones they were wiped 

 with handfuls of grass by the principal person of the party, 

 and laid aside in little heaps, the bones of each body being kept 

 separate. One of the bodies, that of a child, had only been buried 

 a few months, and many objected to its being disentombed, 

 but they seem to have been silenced. This hahunga was a 

 lengthy one, and continued for some time, hence the working 

 party could not go foodless for the period of the ceremony, 

 hence .just before each meal they had to be cleansed from the 

 dread tapu before they could eat. They went down to the river- 

 side and immersed their bodies in the waters thereof each time ; 

 the karakia whakanoa, or cleansing invocation or charm, would 

 complete the removal of tapu until they recommenced their 

 task. In days of yore this ceremony was always conducted 

 by the priests, assisted by their pupils (neophytes). The bones 

 of each body were wrapped up and placed on a stage, termed 

 a " whata puaroa" or " atamira" where they remained until 

 all were disinterred, and were then taken away and deposited 

 in the burial-cave. This latter task fell to the lot of the relatives 

 of the dead. 



The priests erected the stage on which the bones were placed, 

 and also put them on it, repeating as they did so, — 



Ka iri ki te whata no Hotu 

 Hotu tu nuku, Hotu tu rangi 

 Hotu tu kai tau. 

 Ka iri ki te whata 

 Whatu nui, whatu roa 

 Ka eke Id te whata 

 Whatu Tangaroa. 



