244 IOWA STUDIES IN NATURAL HISTORY 
Zealand and seem finally to have settled down into a peaceful and 
law abiding folk, although they gave trouble enough in the early 
days. 
When the first white explorers reached New Zealand they found 
tattooing, or rather face carving, carried to greater elaboration 
than anywhere else in the world, perhaps. Not a square half-inch 
of the face was unmarked and the cheeks, forehead, nose and chin 
were covered with deeply incised lines of most intricate designs, 
the spiral motif predominating. We were told that every line 
had its exact significance and that any departure from the pre- 
scribed patterns was a most serious offense. These deep lines were 
literally chiseled into the face with a chisel-like instrument and 
mallet. The accompanying photograph of a death-mask of a 
Maori chief given us by the Dominion Museum tells the story 
better than any written description. 
One shudders at the thought of the slow, lengthened torture 
borne by these men in being tattooed in order to impress the be- 
holder with the rank and dignity of these old chiefs. The cere- 
mony partook of a religious nature and was in conformity with a 
rigid ritual. The man operated on could touch no food with his 
hands during the long period while the artist was at work, but 
was fed by an attendant. A blue pigment was inserted into each 
incision to make the pattern stand out more prominently produc- 
ing a most hideous and terrifying effect. -Few living Maoris show 
this face marking in its perfection and the custom has almost en- 
tirely died out although even yet one occasionally sees a face with 
a few indistinct blue lines. But the carving on wood exhibits real 
art brought to a beauty and perfection scarcely to be excelled any- 
where. Before the introduction of metal tools it must have re- 
quired almost infinite patience and many years to turn out a 
masterpiece. I was told, for instance, that one of the elaborately 
carved stern-posts of their great war canoes employed several 
generations of artists before the design was completed and that 
much of the work was done after the canoe was launched. Now 
the original design must have existed in the mind of the one who 
commenced the work, as the finished product shows perfect unity 
of plan throughout. Moreover, the colors of the lower surface of 
the projecting eaves of their elaborately ornamented whare wha- 
kairo, or meeting house, are in patterns of very pleasing and 
graceful designs in red, black and white. 
Mr. Best informed me that the spiral designs are not found else- 
