HoNGi. — Maori 'Numeration. 



635 



The harvest month is the month of March (the Maori year commences in 

 June), which is the tenth month of the Maori year. Nga-huru, therefore, 

 has become the name for and commonly indicates the tenth month, and 

 from this fact it apparently derives that secondary meaning of tenth which 

 is commonly used in rituals of thanks-offering to the gods, in religious sub- 

 jects generally, and especially in matters bearing upon food-crops. The 

 term nga-huru, then, is used for the tenth month, for a tenth portion of 

 food, for the tenth heaven, and so on. It is to be found in the rituals to 

 Tane, as lord of the year ; to Eongo, as lord of the harvest ; also to the 

 divinity Tawhaki. That explanation is intended to illustrate that the 

 term nga-huru is semi-religious in its functions, that its use is special and 

 restricted, and that it is not applied to ordinary numeration by those who 

 understand its true mission. 



The following original Maori terms for the four seasons of the year — 

 Ao te tau, Wa o te tau — show the true place and meaning of nga-huru : — 



HotoJce or mahariri = piercing colds — Avinter. 



Ma-huru or koanga = returning warmth, digging-time — spring. 



Raumati = leaf-crumpler, water-evaporator — summer. 



Nga-huru = fulness of abundance, harvest-time — autumn. 



Tahurua = midwinter. 



Rehua = midsiimmer. 



Each separate month {marama) has also its characteristic name. I 

 present one set, which is useful to the purposes of this inquir5^ The Tama- 

 tea here (lit., " Bright son ") speaks of the sun itself ; the tu (lit., " to stand ") 

 speaks of the change of position which the sun monthly takes up in his 

 annual progress :— 



Tamatea presides over the first (month). 

 ,, second ., 



third 

 ,, fourth ,, 



fifth 

 ,, sixth „ 



,, seventh ,, 



„ eighth 



,, ninth 



„ tenth 



„ tenth and oue=eleventh (month). 



,, tenth and extended two = twelfth 



(month). 



That table shows the true use of yigahuru as a factor of numeration. 

 I present another table, which treats of the months by numbers only, 

 in a form which answers the question, " What is the number of this 

 month ? " 



The following ritual is based on the ancient myth of the ascent of 

 the divinity Tawhaki to the tenth heaven, and, as the heavens are set 

 out numerically, it is of interest to note the process. Its burden is that 



