Goldie. — Maoii Medical Lore. 39 



adversary, and he must either call to his aid a capable sorcerer 

 or die. 



When, then, a man believes he has been cursed or bewitched 

 by a powerful magician he is taken by his tohunga to the sacred 

 stream, and, making mounds of earth beside it, the priest sticks 

 a twig of tangeo (Tetranthera calicaris) into the bank ; then they 

 immerse themselves in the water, the sorcerer repeating this 

 incantation, while the gods are supposed to come and rest upon 

 the mounds, and dance upon the twigs set up : — 



Now are the mounds made, 



On the side of the dark stream, 



By the place of thy wanderings, and of thy curse. 



Now stands the twig by the mound : 



It is the twig of revenge, 



To hurry onward my power, 



Emblem of the gods and their power. 



Now is the power of this incantation, 



Of these sons and of these emblems. 



The water is flowing to this place of sorcery : 



It flows on to this sacred spot. 



Thou son of evil words and this curse, 



Thou who didst defy the priests with a curse, 



By these emblems, fall thou, die thou 



With suddenness be thy death : 



Die quickly for thy curse and evil word. 



This done in the water, they return now to the settlement and 

 make a space clear of grass or weeds as an arena on which the 

 gods (atua) may alight. While clearing the ground the tahinga 

 invocation is repeated : — 



Sweep, sweep an open space 



For the god of power 



On which to sow death, to revenge these sons. 



Tu* the powerful, and Rongo,* 



Itupaoaf, and Ihungaruf, come, 



Sow death for this word and curse. 



Darkness, come from the world below. 



From the gods below, 



IVom the worm below, and smite these sons. 



Within the open space the sorcerer digs a hole (rua haeroa) about 



2 ft. long, which is intended for a grave for the spirits (wairua) 



of those who cursed, and while digging it this karakia is 



repeated : — 



Now is the pit dug to the depth of Nuku, 

 To the limbs of the earth, to the depth of Papa, 

 To the uttermost darkness below, to the long night, 

 To the utmost darkness, to the power of these priests, 

 To the darkness of the gods of these sons and emblems. 



* National gods. 



t Tribal gods formerly kept at Mokoia (Rotorua). They weie brought 

 roro Hawaiki at the time of the Maori advent to New Zealand. 



