Best. — Maori Eschatology. 209 



their place among the village people who have gathered to receive 

 our party. Then followed a long period of weeping (tangiJianga), 

 which we have already described. This lasted for about two 

 hours (a very long tangikanga). After this the village people 

 — i.e., some of the leading men — stood forth and made speeches 

 in a loud voice. One big-framed bushman fiercely denounced 

 the old chief for taking the child away to die through contact 

 with the white people. " I do not stand forth to welcome you, 

 but to blame you for the death of our child. You took her away 

 to bring life to the Maori people ! Not so : it was to bring death. 

 We sent her living body forth from here : the semfrance alone 

 returns. We saw you take her alive and well : you return 

 us a piece of wood [the coffin]. Why do you bring this piece 

 of timber here ? I do not want it. Take it away and give me 

 back my grandchild." So he continued for some time ; and then, 

 dropping the fierce tone of voice, he greeted the child as though 

 she were still living : " Come back, maid ! Come back to the 

 home of your fathers. Return here to Maunga-pohatu, to your 

 mother who greets you, greets you by the sign of the drifting 

 mists. The breath of life has departed from you, the personality 

 alone remains. Behold yon mountain !— the mountain that 

 brought you into the world of life, and which greets her child 

 as she returns to rest with her ancestors. Welcome. Come, 

 child, though you be covered with the garment of death which 

 descends upon all mankind, come and sleep with your fathers 

 who await you," &c. 



That night the coffin was placed in a rude shed constructed 

 for the purpose on the plaza. The mother and aunt of the child 

 remained all night with the coffin. Every time I awoke during 

 the night I could hear them wailing for the dead, crooning forth 

 old laments in tones most doleful to hear. 



Mourning and speech-making were continued the following 

 day. The parents and aunt (the latter seemed to act as chief 

 mourner — her part was the tangi ivhakakurepe) took food only 

 after darkness fell. The young men who had carried the child 

 from Te Whaiti had the tapu removed from them at an ad- 

 jacent stream in the manner already described. 



The second night of our stay, two of our party slept in a shed 

 adjoining my own camp. I heard them rise about midnight and 

 leave the place. It appeared that they had heard a whistling 

 sound which frightened them, as they imagined it to be made by 

 the ghost-spirit (kehua or whakahaehae) of the dead. Therefore 

 they took up their blankets and fled to the large sleeping-house, 

 where most of our party were, and there passed the remainder 

 of the night. 



On the second morning after our arrival the child was buried 



