T. H. Smith. — On Maori Implements and Weapons. 447 



nephrite, and is said to occur in the Hartz, in Corsica, in 

 China, in Egypt, in New Zealand, and in other islands of the 

 Pacific 



" Here [at Waikouaiti] I saw for the first time, on a large 

 scale, the native method of grinding the pounamu, or green- 

 stone, from the rough block into the desired shape. The 

 house belonging to the chief Koroko was like a stonecutter's 

 shop. He and another old man were constantly to be seen 

 there seated by a large slab of sandstone (hoanga), on which 

 they by turns rubbed backwards and forwards a misshapen 

 block of pounamu, while it was kept moist by water, which 

 dropped on it from a wooden vessel. While one rubbed the 

 other smoked. They made, however, so little progress on ix, 

 during my stay that it seemed probable that it would be left 

 for some one of the next generation to finish the work. It is 

 not, therefore, to be wondered that what has cost so much 

 labour should be regarded as the greatest treasure of the 

 country. Here also I saw the drill with which holes are 

 bored through this stone. It is formed by means of a straight 

 stick, lOin. or 12in. long, and two stones of equal weight, 

 which are fastened about its central point, one on either 

 side, opposite each other, so as to perform the office of the 

 flywheel in machinery, and to exert the required pressure. 

 One end of the stick — or, as we may call it, shaft of the 

 instrument — is applied to the pounamu where the hole is to be 

 bored. Near the other end are tied two strings of moderate 

 length. One of these is wound round the shaft, close to the 

 point of its attachment, and its extremity is held in one hand 

 while the extremity of the other string is held in the other 

 hand. A motion is now given by pulling on the former string, 

 which, as it unwinds, causes the instrument to revolve, and 

 the other string becomes coiled round the shaft. This is then 

 pulled on with a similar result, and so the motion is kept up 

 by alternately pulling on either string. The point of the in- 

 strument can thus be made to twirl round, backwards and 

 forwards, as rapidly as the point of a drill moved by a bow, 

 and merely requires to be constantly supplied with a little fine 

 hard sand and water in order to eat its way through the 

 pounamu or other stone, on which steel would make no im- 

 pression." 



In the vocabulary at the end of his book Dr. Shortland 

 gives the names mania o^ndi papa for a "thin lamina of sand- 

 stone used for cutting the pounaimi. The natives fasten them 

 in frames after the manner of a stonecutter's saw " ; and " a 

 hard sandstone, found in thin slabs, used as a saw to cut the 

 pounamu." 



In using the mere-younamu the warrior tries to seize his 

 adversary by the hair with the left hand, and, having his 



