46 Transactions. — Miscellaneous. 



In these lines occur the words " house," " garment," " bed," 

 " lands." Should the patient gasp when any of these lines 

 were repeated the cause of the sickness would be known : if 

 at the word " bed," then he has trespassed on the sleeping- 

 place of some tapu person ; if at the word " house," then a 

 sacred house, or the site thereof, has been desecrated by him. 



When the cause of the illness has been the offence termed 



Lai hau, or wrongful giving away of another's property, then 



the patient would expire when these words of the hirihiri were 



repeated : — 



Kotahi koe ki te taonga o (mea) 

 I whiua ketia e koe te utu. 



The expressions " Kotahi koe ki konei, kotahi ki Whakatane," 

 &c, in the above karakia really mean, " You are lying here 

 stricken by illness, while the mauri ora which can save you is 

 at Whakatane." It will thus be seen that the hirihiri rite has 

 two bearings. In the first place it is a species of divination 

 employed to discover the cause of illness, and in the second 

 place it implies a protection of man, his life, vitality, vigour. 

 &c, against influences of a supernatural nature, such as witch- 

 craft, the consequences of disregarding tapu, &c. 



When the priest has- performed his hirihiri rite over the sick- 

 person, and has found the cause of illness is witchcraft, he will 

 say, " You have been meddled with. So-and-so has bewitched 

 you. I see him [i.e., his wairua or spirit] standing by your 

 side. What shall be done with him I ' Should the victim 

 of his machinations reply " Patua atu " (Destroy him), then the 

 tohunga will, by his counter-magic, cause the attaking sorcerer's 

 death. Ere long, the news will arrive that he is dead. The 

 following is an example of a karakia used for this purpose : — 



Haere i te po uriuri 

 Haere i te po tangotango 

 Haere i te po te hoki mai 

 Haere i te po te oti atu 

 Muimui te ngaro 

 Totoro te iro 

 Mini ka oti atu 

 Oti atu ki te po. 



Another mode of treatment in cases of sickness diagnosed 

 as being due to witchcraft is for the tohunga to take his patient 

 to the sacred pool, and, after sprinkling him with the " holy 

 water," to repeat this invocation : — * 



Rise all ye powers of tliis eart.i, 

 And let me sec the gods. 

 Now I am main Hi; over the earth, 

 May the gods be pre vented 



* " Maori Customs and Superstitions," John White, 1801. 



