158 Transactions. 



soon arrive at that place. The old man informed his people 

 that he would not die until he had welcomed the Commissioners. 

 Days ran into weeks, and the Europeans had not yet arrived. 

 But Whakamoe clung to life, and kept his word ; for one morning 

 the waiting people saw canoes crowded with people leave the 

 dark shadows under Huiarau and glide across the calm, bright 

 waters of the rippling sea. When the visitors — European and 

 Native — marched into the village plaza the world-weary old 

 warrior was waiting for them. He lay on his last couch, on the 

 ground, his relatives near him, and then was heard his voice 

 uttering the old-time greetings of the Maori people as he wel- 

 comed the visitors from the outer world and the vale of Rua- 

 tahu-na. After this greeting he addressed his tribesmen, advising 

 them as to how to conduct their affairs, and commending the 

 visitors to their care and hospitality. And then he bade farewell 

 to his people, and so fared forth upon the great unknown 

 ocean, like the children of Pani of old. 



A Native prefers to die in the open air : He mihi ki te ao 

 marama te take. Ka mihi ia hi te ao mamma ka whakarerea e 

 ia. The reason is, he likes to greet the world of life and being. 

 He greets the world he is about to leave. If a sick person asks 

 to be taken out into the open, that is viewed as a sign of death 

 being near. Sometimes, however, a person is not brought out 

 thus into the open. The passing-away of a person, the last 

 hour, is termed " whakahemohemo." But even if a person died 

 under shelter, yet the body would be exposed in the marae 

 (plaza, court) after death for the mourning ceremonies, the 

 lying-in-state — of which more anon. In the case of persons 

 of low birth {ware), many rites and customs were omitted. He 

 was a nobody, a person of no importance. But little ceremony 

 pertained to the death of a ware. 



Sometimes when a person of importance was nigh unto death 

 a human sacrifice would be made. One of his relatives would 

 slay a person as a " koanganmu," as it is termed, the body being 

 known as an '' ika koangaumu " (sacrificial fish, or victim). 

 The idea was an exaltation of the sick person. The body of the 

 sacrifice was eaten, a portion of the flesh being given to the 

 invalid. It is said that the act of slaying a person would serve 

 the purpose of allaying the grief of the sick person's relatives, 

 who expected soon to lose him. 



The Maoris believe in omens innumerable. Signs of coming 

 disaster, as a defeat in battle, or the death of a chief, are num- 

 berless. If a comet (known as " Tu-nui-a-te-ika ") was seen, 

 persons would ask, " Who is the striken one ? " — for such was 

 a sign of death. Some tribes or clans had tribal or family 

 banshees, such as Hine-ruarangi, of the Ngati-Whare people. 



