T. H. Smith. — On Maori Implements and Weapons. 433 



bage-palm), and handed round. By this mode the food is 

 steamed, which, excepting broiHng or roasting, was the only 

 one known or practised by the Maori. Not having any ves- 

 sels which would stand the fire, baking could not be attempted, 

 and boiling could only be accomplished by putting hot stones 

 into water in a kicmete, or trough hollowed out of a solid block 

 of wood. Tliis method of heating liquids was resorted to 

 occasionally, in exceptional circumstances or emergencies. 



The p)<^oi, or wooden pestle for breaking or pounding the 

 roi or anihe (fern-root), was an instrmnent in daily use in the 

 Maori kitchen. The preparation of this root for eating con- 

 sisted in roasting it on the fire and then pounding it with the 

 paoi upon a flat stone. This was generally the work of the 

 female part of the establishment, and took up a good deal of 

 time when the members of the family dining together were 

 numerous. 



For general purposes the shells of both the lyipi and the 

 huku, or mussel, were constantly in request. In the prepara- 

 tion of the flax for making garments both these shells were 

 used : the pipi for making the transverse cut across the back 

 of the leaf, and the kuMi for stripping, by which the boon, or 

 worthless vegetable matter, w^as separated and left behind. 

 Again, in the hands of a Maori Adonis, a pair of huhu shells 

 served the purpose of tweezers for the removal of superfluous 

 hair from the face, which, in his case, meant all the hair ap- 

 pearing there, more especially when the face was adorned 

 with a fine specimen of the work of an artist who handled the 

 uhi, or tatooing instrument. The Eev. Mr. Taylor says, in his 

 book, "New Zealand and its Inhabitants," "To allow the 

 beard to grow was regarded as a sign of old age, and a proof 

 that the bearer had ceased to care for his appearance." The 

 cultivation of a beard certainly could not consist with the full 

 display of the exquisite moho, and it must therefore be sup- 

 pressed. 



In the hand of a bond fide, or professional, mourner at a 

 tangi, or weeping function, a sharp fragment of such a shell 

 judiciously selected and scientifically applied would soon 

 convert the person of the operator into a mass of blood, tears, 

 and other secretions calculated to excite mixed feelings, pity 

 or disgust predominating according to the idiosyncrasy of the 

 spectator. In poetic strain the bereaved or forsaken one calls 

 for the kuku-moe-toka (the rock-sleeping mussel) with which 

 to lacerate the soft skin which had lately known the tender 

 caresses of the departed or beloved one. 



A flake chipped off a block of tuJma, or obsidian, also made 



a very handy and useful cutting instrument, and was applied 



to a variety of purposes. Among others it was used for the 



pitre, or cutting of hair, which was a far more serious, tedious, 



28 



