G oldie. — Maori Medical Lore. 43 



at the patient, that his sickness is not attributable to the influence 

 of makutu (witchcraft), he merely repeats this incantation, with 

 certain contortions of his body, clawing the air with his hands 

 over the patient, sometimes standing, sometimes sitting ; but 

 no certain rules can be given, for the ceremonies in this case are 

 quite arbitrary on the part of the priest. Some of them never 

 come near the patient, merely repeating the incantation while 

 they are standing on the top of their own house, which is as 

 follows : — 



Breathe thou, breath thou, breathe, Rangi '. 



And thou Tu, give thy living spirit 



To create life, that the body and soul may live in the world 



Beat with life thou heart. 



The tree falleth, the tree of Atutahi.* 



Here the blow was given, the wind blew there, 



There is the tree of enchantment. 



Whakahokitu is a form of makutu used to counteract the 

 sorceries of hostile wizards. The following is a specimen of the 

 karakia used on such occasions : — 



Great curse, long curse, 



Great curse, binding curse, 



Binding your sacredness 



To the tide of destruction. 



Come hither, sacred spell, 



To be looked on by me ; 



Cause the curser to he low 



In gloomy night of ill-omen. 



Great wind, lasting wind, 



Changing wind of Rangi above, 



He falls ; he perishes. 



Cause to waste away the cursed tohunga 



Let him bite the oven-stones. 



Be food for me, 



The tapu and the tnana 



Of your atua, 



Of your karakia, 



Of your tohunga. 



Matapuru were a class of protective karakia used to ward off 

 witchcraft. The kai-ure charm belonged to this class. If a 

 man came to know that he had been bewitched, or that some 

 wicked sorcerer was trying by makutu to take his hau (vivifying 

 spirit), he would immediately procure some strips of harakeke, 

 or flax, and tie them carefully around his body and limbs — per- 

 haps to prevent the escape of the hau or the wairua. He would 

 then recite a matapuru, or guardian charm, to render harmless- 

 the spells of his enemy. 



* The star Canopus. 



