Best. — Maori Eschatology. 171 



join in it all stand up, usually grouping themselves together, 

 and always facing the opposite party. 



The people of the place where the dead person is lying are the 

 first to rise after the wailing is over and deliver speeches. The 

 principal persons only of either side deliver such formal speeches. 

 When the first speaker has finished another arises, and so on. 

 When the last speaker of the home people has finished there is 

 a short pause ere the first speaker of the visitors arises. This is 

 to make sure that the home people have finished speaking. 



The speakers of the home people will first address the visitors 

 somewhat in this strain : " Haere mai, haere mai, haere mai. 

 Haere mai i> iwi ; haere mai nga rangatiratanga ; haere mai 

 nga mana ; mere mai hi te mihi hi to tatou papa e takoto nei. 

 Kua hinga to tatou rata whakamarumaru. Ko te manawa ora 

 kua riro, ko te ahua anahe i waiho. Ko tenei, haere mai ; haria 

 mai nga mate o era kainga, utaina mai ki runga hi nga mate o tenei 

 kainga. Ko tatou he morehu no aitua," &c. (" Come hither, 

 come hither, come hither. Come the people ; come the rank, the 

 prestige ; come and greet our father who lies before us. Our 

 sheltering tree has fallen. The breath of life has departed, the 

 semblance alone is left. So now come hither, welcome ; bear 

 hither the troubles of other homes, join them to the afflictions 

 of this place. We are but the survivors of misfortune.") 



When a speaker of the visitors rises he will first address 

 the home people : " Call to us. Call the troubles of other homes. 

 Call to the people who sympathize with you. It was said of 

 old that man shall be caught, one and all, in the snare of the 

 Goddess of Hades, that he shall be mourned and wept for. 

 Hence we come hither. By tears and grief alone shall [a na- 

 tural] death be avenged," &c. Then, turning slightly, so as to 

 immediately face the dead, the speaker addresses the body in 

 the second person : " Toku papa, haere. Haere, haere, haere, 

 haere. Haere ki te Pc — haere ki te Po — haere ki te Po. Haere 

 ki ou tupuna. Haere ki Haivaiki. Haere ki ou matua. Haere 

 ki Paerau. Haere ra, te maioro te karia, te whakaruru hau. 

 Haere ki Taivhiti-nui, ki Tawhiti-roa, ki Tawhi-ti-pamamao. 

 Taku toi kahurangi, haere. Marua ana te whenua i a koe kua 

 riro i te tari a Hine-nui-te-Po. Kua kore he tangata hai arai i 

 te kino, i te aha, i te aha, i te aha," &c. (" My father, fare- 

 well. Go, go, go, go. Go to the spirit-land — to the spirit- 

 land — to the spirit-land. Go to your ancestors. Go to Hawaiki. 

 Go to join your elders. Go to Paerau. Farewell, the breast- 

 Avork of the people, the shelterer from piercing winds. Go to 

 Tawhiti-nui," &c. "My protector, farewell. Defenceless is the 

 land since you were caught in the toils of the Goddess of Death. 

 Remains none to avert evil," &c.) 



