360 REPOBT— 1891. 



favoured meaibers of the human family, possibly such 

 answers as they were able to give had no less influence on 

 their lives and general character. 



To give some idea of these views on these universally im- 

 portant matters is the object of this paper. 



Amongst the Maori generally, the universe was held to be 

 divided into three great states — namely, Eangi (or the heavens). 

 Papa (or the earth), and Te-po (or darkness). Eangi com- 

 prised twenty minor divisions, each having its presiding deity, 

 with attendant spirits (or gods). That most remote from the 

 earth, called Te-rangi-a-mai-waho, was deemed to be the 

 abode of To, or A, the great creator of all things. Here, they 

 believed, w^as the great temple called by some Nahe-rangi, 

 and by others Tu-warea. Hither ascended all the spirits of 

 the offerings of gratitude or praise, and all petitions for aid ; 

 and hence were dispensed blessings to the upright, and punish- 

 ment to the disobedient, to the spirits of the other regions of 

 Eangi, or to men of Papa. Each successive region below, 

 counting from twenty to one, was the abode of beings 

 diminished in perfection and excellences in proportion to its 

 distance from Te-rangi-a-mai-waho. These successive regions 

 were respectively called — 



Eangi-whakaka, or Wairua. 



Tama-he-rangi, or Au-kumea. 



Tama-rau-tu, or Au-toia. 



Eangi- whaka-ipi-pu, or Nga-atua. 



Tama-nui-a-te-ra, or Nga-tauira. 



Tama-nui-a-rangi, or Hau-ora, or Wai-ora-a-tane. 



Haumia, or Nga-roto. 



Maru-tawhiti, or Wakamaru. 



Moehau, or Kiko-rangi. 



Te-rangi-whaka-upoko. 



Eangi-ma-kawekaw^e . 



Te-rangi-o-nga, or Te-rakanga. 



Tihinga. 



Eangi-nanao. 



Eangi-pua-kaka. 



Pou-tu-te-rangi, or Eangi-a-whai-tu-tahi-a-iwa. 



Taketake-nui-a-rangi, or Eangi-o-tama-i-te-oko-tahi. 



Whiti-rangi, or Eangi-o-tane, or Eangi-pohutu-kawa. 



Eangi-o-tane, or Ure-nui-o-rangi, or Te-rangi-o-rehua. 



The soul of man w^as generally believed to be a ray from 

 the mana (power, or glory) of A, or, as he is sometimes called. 

 To, which became detached, as it were, in the heaven 

 Tama-rau-tu or Au-toia, or Te-rangi-whaka-ipi-pu or Nga- 

 atua ; and, after an existence there equal in duration to the 

 average life of man on earth, to have reached a state of de- 

 velopment which fitted it for the next lower, thus descend- 



