Goldie. — Maori Medical Lore. 5 



-gods and demons, and their greatest efforts were made to 

 appease their anger by offerings, and to remove the con- 

 tinuance of its effects by incantations, charms, and mystic 

 ceremonies. If their karakia rites and remedies were found 

 unavailing, the atua (demons) were considered implacable, 

 and the diseased person was doomed to perish. In such 

 cases the Maoris treated their sick with rather more con- 

 sideration and kindness than many other branches of the 

 Polynesian race. It cannot be denied that the unfortunate 

 sufferer was often expelled from the village and left to die of 

 starvation, as was also the custom among the Hawaiians. 

 New Hebrideans, Tahitians, and Savage-Islanders ; yet we 

 have no evidence to show that the Maoris ever murdered 

 their sick, as was a common practice in certain Polynesian 

 and Melanesian island groups. Thus, Ellis, :;: writing of the 

 Society-Islanders, points out that these savages sometimes 

 buried their sick alive. " When this was designed they dug 

 a pit, and then, perhaps, proposed to the invalid to bathe, 

 offering to carry him to the water, either in their arms or 

 placed on a board ; but instead of conveying him to the 

 place of bathing they would carry him to the pit and throw 

 him in. Here, if any cries were made, they threw down 

 large stones in order to stifle his voice, filled up the grave 

 with earth, and then returned to their dwellings." In other- 

 cases murder was perpetrated with heartless and wanton 

 barbarity. " The spear or club was employed to effect what 

 disease had been too tardy in accomplishing. All the persons 

 in the house when these deeds of horror were performed were 

 called out, and the friends or companions of the sufferer, 

 armed with spears, prepared for their savage work. It was 

 in vain the helpless man cried for mercy ; instead of attend- 

 ing to his cry, they would amuse themselves in trying which 

 could take best aim with the spear they threw ; or, rushing 

 upon him with spear in hand, they would exclaim ' Tui i 

 raho' (Pierce through), and thus transfix him to the couch 

 on which he was lying. "t Such barbarities as these are not, 

 however, found exclusively among Polynesians, for in Eussia 

 the Tchuktchi slowly strangle aged members of the community, 

 while the followers of Makaroff, in the Government of Saratoff, 

 prematurely bury their sick relatives and friends. 



Legends concerning the Origin of Disease and Death. 



General. 

 To woman is attributed diseases and death. The follow- 

 ing interesting note was sent to me recently by Mr. Elsdon 

 Best. It refers to a subject on which our knowledge is ex- 



* " Polynesian Researches," vol. iii., p. 49. f Ibid, p. 48. 



