Best.— Maori Escliatology. 157 



thetic manner. One does not notice in the Maori so situated 

 any of the keen desire and struggle to live so often noticed among 

 white people. His mind is too deeply imbued with fatalism 

 for that. When stricken with illness, real or imaginary, the 

 gloom of Te Po seems to already envelop him. More especially 

 is this noticeable when a Native believes that he has been be- 

 witched. Once let him get this idea fixed in his mind and his 

 doom is sealed ; he will surely die ere long. I have known 

 such cases in this district during the past few years. 



When a person fell ill he was almost invariably taken a little 

 way from the village, and either a miserable shed of brush or 

 palm-leaves erected over him, or he was simply left in the open. 

 He would not be allowed to die in his house, on account of the 

 intense tapu which pertained to death. If he did so, then the 

 house could no longer be used, for it would be tapu, and would 

 simply be left to decay. In former days, when fighting was of 

 common occurrence, it often happened that a fortified village 

 would be deserted on account of the blood of its occupants 

 having been spilt there while defending the same against an 

 enemy. In such a case, if no local priest was deemed sufficiently 

 high in his profession to lift the tapu from the blood-stained 

 defences, then the garrison deserted that place and built another 

 fort elsewhere. When Te Kanapa and others were shot at the 

 Mana-tepa Fort, at Ruatahuna, in the early forties, that strong- 

 hold was deserted by the garrison on account of blood having 

 been shed therein. The forts known as Te Tawai and Te Kape, 

 in the same valley, were deserted on account of certain people 

 having been buried therein. 



For the reasons above stated, the Maori usually died in the 

 open air. When death was seen to be near, the sufferer was 

 generally carried to the marae, or plaza, of the village, and there 

 laid on some mats on the ground, either without covering (if 

 fine weather) or with but a rude shed over him, which shed 

 would probably be open at the sides. At the present time a 

 tent is usually used for the purpose. But often they die ab- 

 solutely in the open. 



In many cases when nearing his end a person would say 

 that he would die at a certain stated time, which he usually 

 contrived to do. The people of his village, as also others, pro- 

 bably, from adjacent settlements, would gather at such time 

 on the plaza before the dying man's couch and there await his 

 dying words — i.e., his advice, injunctions, behests, &c, as also 

 his farewell greeting to his tribe. Such speeches are termed 

 " oha," " poroaki," or " poroporoaki." 



When old Whakamoe lay sick unto death by the shores of 

 Waikare-moana, a Native Land Comm ssion was expected to 



