174 Transactions. 



The following is equally as extraordinary as the foregoing. 

 When several men of the Ngati-Tawhaki clan of Tuhoe -were 

 killed in the fight at Mana-te-pa, at Rua-tahuna, about 1840, 

 one Tu-kai-rangi evolved the following scheme as a lament for 

 the dead, and to banish the sadness and gloomy feelings of 

 the survivors. This proceeding would be said to avenge, or 

 equalise, the deaths of the friends of the performers. Tu-kai- 

 rangi erected two moari, or swings (giant's strides), one near 

 Mana-te-pa and one at Kiri-tahi. The following song was 

 composed and sung while the swings were used. Grasping the 

 ropes of the swing, the performers sang a verse of the song 

 given below and then swung off round the pole, one after the 

 other. When they stopped another verse was sung, and again 

 the people whirled round the pole, and so on. 



Tu-kai-rangi, hangaa he moari 

 Baa rere au i te taura wkakawaho 

 Kai te pehi Hiri-whakamau 

 Na wai takahia. 



(2,) 

 Taku aroha ki a Te Haraki — e 

 Nga whaiaipo a Te Hiri-whakamau 

 Na waitakahia. 



(3.) 

 He taura ti — e 

 He taura harakeke 

 Nga taura o Te Hiri-whakamau 

 Na wai-takahia. 



Another token of mourning in former times was the cutting 

 of the hair. One way was to cut off all the hair very short with 

 the exception of one patch, of perhaps 2 in. diameter, on the 

 left side of the head. This was left the original length, of 

 perhaps 2 ft. or less, and was allowed to hang down. It was 

 called a " reureu." I have seen a woman with her hair so cut 

 when mourning for her dead child. This latter case, however, 

 would probably not have occurred in former times, as Native 

 women appear to have worn their hair short. Men, however, 

 wore their hair long. A widow or widower would have all the 

 hair cut off short. The hair cut off is biiried with the corpse. 



When a Maori dies, almost always a lament (tangi) is com- 

 posed by relatives and sung during the period of mourning, usually 

 when speeches aie being made. Sometimes several are so com- 

 posed for a single individual, if a person of consequence. Many 

 old-time laments have been preserved for centuries, and are 

 often extremely interesting, on account of containing allusions 

 to the ancient history of the race. In fact, the laments and 

 lullabies seem to be the most interesting of Native songs, and 

 for a similar reason. Native laments of modern composition 



