648 Transactions. — Miscellaneous. 



Tu karetu : This was a woman's belt, or waist-girdle. It 

 was formed of ten or twelve plaited strands (kawai or kaive- 

 kaice) of the leaves of the karetu, a sweet-scented grass. The 

 midrib (tuaka) is taken out from each leaf, or the leaves would 

 be too bi-ittle, and break when dry. The plait is usually of 

 the raiiru pattern. These plaited strands are only connected 

 at the enas, wliere they are fastened together by the tau, or 

 cord used for tying the tu round the waist. This cord is of 

 plaited dressed flax-fibre, usually dyed black and red. 



Tu-muka : This t^i is made of dressed flax-fibre. It is 

 composed of twelve strands, four being white, four black, and 

 four red, the whole forming quite a showy girdle. The ends 

 are plaited together to form the tau, or tying-ends. The 

 strands have a singular appearance. Each strand is com- 

 posed of two twisted threads (rniro), which are twisted together 

 by the rolling process before described, thus forming a karure. 

 The operator then holds tightly the end of one of these 

 threads, and pushes the other back {he mea koneke) until, 

 instead of enveloping the held strand in a long spiral, it 

 appears to be "seized" round it at right angles. {Ko te 

 kaivai, he mea parahuhu. Ka miro, a ka parahuhu.) 



Tu-maurea : This tu is made from the bright reddish- 

 yellow leaves of the maurea, but had a proportion of flax-fibre 

 mixed with the maurea in order to strengthen it. This and 

 the sweet-scented tic karetu were favourite material for belts 

 with women. The maurea is not found in Tuhoe Land, but 

 was obtained from the southern end of the Kainga-roa, near 

 Taupo. The karetu has been destroyed by stock about Eua- 

 tahuua, but may be found in the secluded gulches around 

 Lake Waikare-moana, and the wilds of the Parahaki, on the 

 Upper Waiau. A famous saying is, " He maurea kia lohiria." 

 Should a war-party be out on the trail, and encounter a stray 

 person, or come to a village on the line of march, and propose 

 to slay such person or persons, the latter will say, " Kaua e 

 kohiti te patu. He maurea kia lohiria " — that is, " Don't slay 

 us, the common weeds, but go on and secure the maurea." 



We observe a reference to the prized maurea in a lament 

 composed by one Tama-ruru for a dead child : — 



Taku piki kotuku-e. Taku mapihi maurea-e 



Tena ka mamate ra ki tua o nga roto e 



Ki taku kai kapua nana i ahuru e 



Nana ra i tekateka kia tu ki te riri-na 



Taitaia ra e te hune o te toroa 



Kia pal ai koe la te takoto i te kino-na. 



Another tu was known as tii-wharariki, which is said to 

 have been made pleasant to the young ladies of old by having 

 the sweet-scented kopuru moss inserted therein. Tw were 



