Best. — Maori Forest Lore. 437 



The Maori looks upon several species of lizard with superstitious dreads 

 believing them to be endowed with strange powers : hence the placing of a 

 live lizard in some hollow place of a snaring-tree. 



Paitini says, " The mauri represents and protects the land and the birds 

 of the forest. If persons of another tribe come along they cannot interfere 

 with the land or meddle with the birds, because the mauri is hidden. But 

 should they discover the mauri, then they would be able to do these things." 



By " interfering " and " meddling " the old man meant that such persons 

 would be unable to render the forest unproductive as to birds, fruits, &c., 

 or to drive the birds away, by magic rites, so long as they did not discover 

 the mauri. 



It will be seen that the mauri of a forest acted as a talisman in protecting 

 the land, forest, and all forest and stream products. The mauri ora is the 

 living soul, the soul of life, of man, land, and many other things to which 

 the term is applied. The mauri ora of the Matatua vessel was kept at 

 Whakatane. Its visible form is said to have been a piece of fern {makaka 

 or rarauhe). 



Tamarau Waiari said, " The mauri of a forest is often a kira — that is, 

 the left wing of a kaka. This wing, together with a stone, is concealed 

 at the base of a tree. Sometimes a lizard is placed there to guard the mauri. 

 Now, should some unauthorised person wish to poach on such lands — that 

 ■ is, to snare or spear birds there — he would first endeavour to find the mauri. 

 If successful, he would then be able to take plenty of birds. When searching 

 for the talisman he repeats a charm known as kahau, which runs, — 



" Ka hail ki uta 

 Ka hau ki waho. 



After repeating the above he listens intently, and if he hears no sound 

 he turns and faces in another direction, again repeating the charm. Should 

 there be no response, he turns in yet another direction and tries again. 

 If he happens to be facing in the direction of the spot where the mauri is 

 hidden, then the lizard answers the charm by making a chattering sound. 

 Upon hearing this the talisman-seeker completes his charm : — 



" Tohi mauri, tohi tii.ki 

 Wetekia te hau e here nei i te mauri 

 Homai ki au kia whaugaia 

 Ki te toa, ki te ruahiue." 



In the above we see that a poacher on tribal preserves would endeavour 

 to find the mauri of such forest. If he wished to take birds on this land 

 he would search for the mauri, so as to insure success, because it was a 

 custom to offer the first bird snared at the shrine of the mauri. This was 

 to bring good luck. 



If the trespasser simply wished to cause the birds to desert the forest, 

 and perhaps to decoy them to the lands of his own people, he would still 

 wish to find the mauri in order that he might nullify its virtue and powers. 

 Paitini says that kira (the " i " sounded long) means the long feathers (pri- 

 maries) of a bird's wing (perhaps of the kaka only), and that the kira of the 

 right wing only are used as a mauri ; those of the left wing have no mana 

 (innate power of influence). He also said (8/3/1897), " This object, the 

 mauri, is for the purpose of holding, retaining, the hau of the tribal lands, 

 of the village home, of the forests and streams and the denizens thereof. 

 Only a very few persons of a village community were taught how to pre- 

 serve the hau of the home and lands ; the bulk of the people were ignorant 

 of such functions. Now, if a tohunga (wizard, shaman) of another tribe came 



