Goldie. — Maori Medical Lore. 45 



(2.) Hirihiri (the Diagnostic or Prognostic Rite). 



Having the invalid stripped at the waterside, the tohunga, 

 clad in scant girdle of green branchlets, enters the water, and 

 with his wand sprinkles water over the sick man's body, and re- 

 peats an invocation termed a hirihiri, for the purpose of finding 

 out the cause of his patient's illness. A Tuhoe seer would ivha- 

 kahirihiri thus : — 



Kotahi koe ki konei 



Kotahi ki a Te Reretautau 



Kotahi koe ki konei 



Kotahi ki nga ariki. 



Kotahi koe ki konei 



Kotahi ki nga matamua. 



Kotahi koe ki konei 



Kotahi ki nga wananga 



Kotahi koe ki konei 



Kotahi ki nga tapu 



Kotahi koe ki konei 



Kotahi ki a Te Haraki. 



This is a special form of hirihiri. When the seer repeated the 

 name of Te Haraki, a noted wizard of the Ngatiawa, if the patient 

 gasped, his limbs stiffened, his eyes turned, his last breath was 

 expelled like unto a long sigh, and he died, then it was known 

 that the wizard Te Haraki had caused his death. Had he 

 expired when the name of the sorcerer Te Rere-tautau was 

 mentioned, then his death would have been attributed to that 

 magician. Had he died when the word tapu or matamua, &c, 

 was being repeated, then it would be clear that some transgres- 

 sion of tapu had caused his death. For instance, had he in- 

 advertently eaten food prepared for a matamua, or first-born 

 member of a high family — a most sacred individual — that 

 would have been the cause of his death, and he would have 

 expired when that word was pronounced. 



The Tuhoe tribe often used the following hirihiri : — 



Kotahi koe ki reira 



Kotahi ki te manuka[i Whakatane, &c, 



the manuka at Whakatane being the great mauri, or talisman 

 of life and health, of the Matatua tribes. When Kahungunu 

 wandered away to distant lands and knew that Tamatakutai 

 was trying to bewitch him, he saved himself by repeating — 



Kotahi au ki konei 



Kotahi ki te manuka i Whakatane. 



Another example of the hirihiri runs thus : — 



Kotahi koe ki te whare 

 Kotahi koe ki te kakahu 

 Kotahi koe ki te moenga 

 Kotahi koe ki nga whenua, &c. 



