Best. — Maori Eschatology. 329 



him and his family of their portable personal property. This 

 was also done sometimes at the death of a person ; his family 

 would thus lose their food, &c, which would be seized and taken 

 by the plundering party, who o'ten acted in a very rough 

 manner. Colonel Gudgeon attributes this peculiar custom to 

 the communistic mode of life of the Maori. A man's life, 

 energies, knowledge, &c. were tribal property primarily, and 

 his relatives had no right to let him die or be injured. 



Suicide. 



Te Mauniko. wile 01 Te Ahuru. shot herself when their son 

 Kawaua died. 



Mautini committed suicide by jumping into a pool of boiling 

 water at Tikitere, because her husband had deserted her. She 

 could not stand the jeers of the people. 



Ridicule was a frequent cause of suicide among the Maori. 



No difference was made as to the burial of suicides. 



The Maori Hades. (Maori Ideas concerning the Spirit- 

 world.) 



No paper on Maori eschatology would be worth notice unless 

 it contained some explanation of the Native conception of the 

 spirit, or soul, of man, as well as their ideas concerning the 

 spirit - world. Hence some description of these matters here 

 follows. Lest, however, their briefness cause comment, I may 

 state that they are purposely curtailed, and for two reasons. 

 In the first place, I have already published many notes on these 

 subjects in my paper on "Spiritual Concepts of the Maori,' 

 and also I propose to leave other matter, not yet published, for 

 a paper on " Maori Religion," should I ever be able to summon 

 courage to attempt to describe such an intricate system. More- 

 over, methinks this paper is already quite long enough to try 

 the patience of the hapless reader. 



As observed, I have already attempted to record the Maori 

 conception of the spiritual nature of man. This has been ap- 

 proached with no preconceived ideas of primitive religions, 

 nor yet with any fanatical leaning towards any religion, primi- 

 tive or otherwise. I have no pet theory to bolster up, nor do 

 I wish to identify the Maori with the Lost Tribes. I would much 

 rather they remain lost. The world can well spare them. Hence 

 I hope to compile a truthful, if meagre, account of Maori be- 

 liefs. 



The wairua, or spirit, of man was, according to Maori belief, 

 equivalent to the ha of the ancient Egyptians, the shadowy 

 self which leaves its physical basis (as- in dreams) and wanders 



