Goldie. — Maori Medical Lore. 107 



generally twice — once soon after the child is born, remaining 

 exposed to the steam for about the space of an hour, and repeat 

 it for the same length of time on the following day ; they also 

 drink at the same time warm water in which a small fish, called 

 mohi, has been soaked. This is. I presume, a substitute for 

 chicken-broth or beef-tea, and is taken as nourishment. The 

 wife of an ancestor named Uiroa brought forth a son, who was 

 called Tahito-tarere. The people of Te-we presented warm 

 water to her : hence this is provided by the relatives in all 

 similar cases.* 



If the breasts fail to secrete milk the woman sends her 

 husband for the medicine-man, and the mother and child are 

 carried to the sacred pool, where the tohunga dips a handful of 

 weed into the water and sprinkles the mother and child with 

 the " holy water." The child is taken away from the mother 

 by the priest-physician, who then repeats this invocation : — 



Water springs from above give me 



To your on the breasts of this woman; 



Dew of heaven give me 



To cause to trickle the breast of this woman, 



At the points of the breasts of this woman. 



Breasts flowing with milk, 



Flowing to the nipples of the breasts of this woman. 



Milk in plenty yielding ; 



For now the infant cries and moans 



In the great night, in the long night. 



Tu the benefactor, 



Tu the giver, 



Tu the bountiful, 



Come to me, to this tauira. 



After this the child is dipped in the water, and the mother and 

 child are kept apart, in order that the incantations may take 

 effect. The woman remains alone in her house, while the to- 

 hunga, seated outside, repeats his karakia. The tohunga also 

 instructs the woman thus : '' If the points of your breast begin 

 to itch, lay open your clothes, and lie naked." Some time after 

 her breasts begin to itch, and the woman knows that the karakia 

 has taken effect. Soon her breasts become painful, and she 

 calls out to the tohunga, " My breasts itch and are painful ; they 

 are full of milk." Then the child is brought to the mother. 

 Such is the power of the incantations of the Maori. If the 

 mother has an insufficient supply of milk the child may be suckled 

 by friends, and friends calling to see the lying-in woman, if they 

 themselves were suckling a child, invariably gave the breast to 

 the new child. Maori women who have never been pregnant 

 occasionally suckle children. Dr. Batty Tukef knew of one 



* " The Ancient History of the Maori," vol. 1, p. 33. 

 t Edin. Med. Journ., vol. ix., p. 726. 



