84 Transactions . — Miscellan eous . 



Epidemic Diseases (Pa-pa reti or Mate uruta). 



Terrible decimating epidemics have at various times, but 

 particularly during the decade 1844 to 1854, swept through the 

 Maori villages. 



In all probability infectious fevers were introduced by Euro- 

 peans, prior to whose advent epidemics were never experienced, 

 or but seldom. ' It is undoubtedly a fact that so soon as Euro- 

 peans arrived in New Zealand the native tribes were afflicted 

 bv very serious epidemics, which swept off great numbers of the 

 people. They perished by thousands, many villages being almost 

 depopulated, and many settlements were decimated on account 

 of the scourge. Natives of several parts of the North Island 

 have told me," says Elsdon Best, " that when the famous rewha- 

 rewha was ravaging the land the dead were often so numerous 

 that they were left in the houses unburied, while the survivors 

 fled in terror to seek a new home elsewhere. A village known as 

 Te Neinei, near my present camp, was so deserted, the survivors 

 settling at Pa-puweru. Some visitors coming to Te Neinei found 

 the dead lying in the huts, and partially consumed by rats. 

 Epidemics of this nature are termed by the Tuhoe people papa 

 reti, the name of a sort of toboggan formerly used by them. 

 The dying of many people was compared with the swift motion 

 of the toboggan down the slide. Or, as an old man explained it 

 to me, ' Tuhoe flowed like water down to Hades.' Pio says that 

 was on the second coming of Captain Cook that these epidemics 

 commenced their ravages, and that they spread all over the 

 island, numbers dying in every village. So many died that for 

 the first time the dead were all buried near the villages. When 

 an epidemic desolated the Rua-tahuna Valley in 1897 I was 

 informed that the cause of the visitation was the fact that the 

 hi f»< had been taken off the sacred house Te Whai-a-te-motu, at 

 Matatua. m order th.it visitors miglil lie entertained therein. 

 The gods had punished this act of pollution by sending the epi- 

 demic among the people. 



Epidemics such as influenza and dysentery were undoubtedly 

 introduced by white sailors, and were attributed by the Maori 

 to the displeasure of the foreigner's gods, or in some cases to the 

 gods of the missionaries, who were supposed to be annoyed 

 because the natives did not reject their heathen practices and 

 the worship of the gods of their ancestors. Influenza, dysentery, 

 coughs, certain skin affections, and venereal diseases were thus 

 accounted for. 



' The only epidemics I have heard of," says Best. " as prior 

 to the advent of Europeans were those caused by remaining too 

 long on a battlefield, and continued eating of human flesh in a 



