Newman. — On Maori Dredges. 143 



thirds, and from the junction of each third ascended a beam. 

 Each beam was a hook, and the hook embraced the base, and 

 oy its projection formed an additional but shorter tooth. Each 

 beam was about f in. wide. For about its final inch it laid flat 

 against the side, and was tightly fastened by passing plaited 

 flax through a hole in the side. Near where each upright beam 

 touches the side ran a beam parallel with the base, and crossing 

 the upright beams at right angles. This beam reached from 

 side to side, being firmly lashed to each side and to each beam 

 the three beams making the dredge far stronger. 



The Carved Figures on the Dredge. 



My ancient Maori dredge and all the older ones were adorned 

 with carvings of human figures, almost certainly in all cases 

 representing a deity. Both the ends of the sides near where 

 the directing-pole was tied carry a carved figure, the head of a 

 man. On either side of the base is carved the figures such as 

 one sees on a greenstone heitiki. The carving on this dredge 

 is very clean, and a Maori expert declares it to be very fine and 

 old. 



Europeans often think these carved figures were placed 

 there for mere decoration, and because the Maori loved art and 

 liked to have pretty things about him. In the vast majority 

 of Maori carvings, however, they were done not for decorative 

 but for religious purposes. Figures on bone and greenstone 

 tikis always depicted an ancient god or a revered half-deified 

 ancestor. An ancient Maori's whole life was immersed in re- 

 ligion and religious ceremonies. If he went to war, or got mar- 

 ried, or was baptized, or planted a kumara, or went rat-catching 

 or fishing, he or his priests performed religious rites and chanted 

 figures. He scarcely made any move without performing some 

 act of religion — to give him success or to avert disasters. The 

 old Maori world was peopled with gods whom he did not love, but 

 whom he feared. His gods were nearly all cruel gods. These 

 roukakahi carvings, therefore, were representations of some 

 ancient Maori god or gods. In the " Transactions of the New 

 Zealand Institute " Best gives a hymn sung by the Maoris 

 when about to eat the shell-fish dredged by the roukakahi. It 

 was sung when the shells were brought to the feasts — " Tane 

 roukakahi e " — and thanks Tane for giving such a liberal supply 

 of food. Best's translation reminds one of the harvest hymn — 

 Lord of the harvest, once again 

 We thank thee for the ripened grain. 



My more modern dredge with net attached has no carving. 

 The old one was carved when Maoris began a fishing excursion 

 with religious rites : he took a dredge with these half-human. 



