T14 PROCEEDINGS OF SECTION F. 
strange power of causing children to be conceived ; and when a 
woman proves to be barren she proceeds to that tree, and by 
embracing it she may become fruitful. She is accompanied by a 
priest, who, during the performance, repeats the necessary invo- 
cations. One side of the tree, that towards the rising sun, is 
known as the male. side, and that facing the setting sun is the 
female side. The sex of the child is determined by the side 
embraced by the would-be mother. 
When the cho of a child was severed and the end thrust back, 
then certain karakia were repeated in order to dispel ignorance 
from the mind of the child as it grew up, and to give it a quick 
understanding. 
URUURU-WHENUA. 
This is a ceremony performed by a person who, for the first 
time, ascends a mountain, crosses a lake, or enters a district 
never before traversed by him. The term implies “to enter or 
become of the land.” It is an offering to the spirits of the strange 
land. It is generally performed at a certain tree or rock situated 
on the trail by which travellers pass into the district. Every 
person on passing such places for the first time would pluck a 
twig or piece of fern and cast it at the base of the tree or stone, 
at the same time repeating a short invocation to the spirits of the 
land. After passing on such a person would never look back 
towards the tree ; it would be an evil omen were he to do so, 
OMENS AND SUPERSTITIONS. 
Their name is legion in Maoriland. It would appear that at 
no single moment during his life was the Maori free from the 
harassing and appalling array of evil omens, unlucky acts and 
‘words which might well have kept him in a constant state of 
nervous dread. Not even during sleep was he free from such, 
and good or even fortune was betokened by the movements of the 
limbs, twitching of the muscles, and other things equally absurd. 
Examples.—lf a traveller should see a lizard in the path before 
him, he would know that the creature did not come there of its 
own accord but had been sent by an enemy as an aitua (evil 
omen) for him and to cause his death. He, therefore, at once 
kills the reptile and gets a woman to step over it as it lies in the 
path. By this means the evil omen is averted. And he will also 
probably cast about in his mind to discover who the person or 
persons were who sent this dread object to bring misfortune to 
him. Then he will say, ‘‘ May so-and-so eat you.” Thus he will 
transfer the aitwa to that person so named. 
