Maik. — The Early History of the Morions. 159 



being the predominant feature. According to their ideas it was 

 very evil to cause the death of another, or to take from a man 

 his land. The various tribes were constantly exchanging visits, 

 and when they occupied each other's lands for a time they never 

 attempted to claim what did not belong to them. The work of 

 the present day would indeed have appeared evil, and quite 

 opposed to their customs. For integrity and uprightness the 

 works of the present generation cannot compare with those of 

 our forbears. Their laws were founded absolutely on justice 

 and truth, and were promulgated by Rangimaiwhenua, ever 

 in ancient days, hence our unwarlike and inoffensive nature, 

 for we followed the teachings of our ancestors, Rongomaipapa, 

 Rongomaiheri, Marupuku, Tutarangimarama, Minoi, Te Timo, 

 Moari, Hamatirikaka, Rakiroa, Tupeneke, Tamangarue, Maru- 

 hokote, and Ke. The offspring of those ancestors was Nunuku. 

 He it was who established the law that men should cease to 

 slay one another, at the time when man-eating was prevalent 

 consequent on the coming to these islands of the warrior Moe 

 and his tribe Te Rauru in the canoe " Oropuke." Those people 

 were consumers of human flesh till Moe was slain. Nunuku's 

 descendants multiplied and perpetuated the covenant which 

 he had established, when he said " After me, through all 

 generations, all evil is to be laid aside. Even if blood be shed, 

 no one must be put to death." (7 muri i au hi tera whakapapa- 

 ranga, hi tera whahapaparanga, ho te patu me taputoahe.) It 

 was from the teachings of Nunuku that peace came upon the 

 land, and the Morioris lived in peace and happiness from the 

 time of their ancestors Matanga, Maruhoanga, and Tamaturangi. 

 They were, moreover, a very sacred people, and obeyed most 

 strictly all the laws relating to tapu, &c. For instance, the 

 women and men never ate together, nor would the young people 

 eat in the presence of their arihis, or the chiefs with the ple- 

 beians. They were very strict in all their religious observances, 

 and prayers were invoked every time food was partaken of. 



The food of the Morioris consisted of eels, fish, karaka-berries, 

 birds, fern-root, paua, pipi, porure, whitebait, &c. Thus did 

 these people live from one generation to another. Their god 

 was Hatitimatangi. He appeared in the stormy winds, and his 

 attributes were to cure all ills and heal all diseases that mankind 

 is heir to, and to cast out devils. And so it came to pass in the 

 days of a certain generation, a man was born who was afterwards 

 called Moturangi. He lived at Kaingaroa, and the god Hati- 

 timatangi descended upon this man and abode with him in his 

 dwelling, and revealed to him that shortly a child would be born 

 into the world. Now, the people awaited the fulfilment of this 

 prophecy and the appearance of the promised stranger. And 



