A62 PROCEEDINGS OF SECTION F. 



of the people were poljtheistic. When reading Andrew Lang's 

 " Making of KeHgion," I could not see my way to accept his idea that 

 the original cult of piimitive peoples was of a monotheistic type, and 

 that these faiths later degenerated into polytheism, to again work 

 towards monotheism among such races as made a considerable advance 

 in general culture. There may, however, be some truth in this theoiy. 

 Quien sabe? 



In a cosmological genealogy collected by Major Mair, Te Ahau o 

 te rangi (the Aliau of the Heavens) is given as another name of lo, who 

 had Rangi and Papa. This word ahau (or au), in the vernacular, is 

 the first personal pronoun, singular. 



Maori religion was remarkable for its veiy numerous rites, its 

 ritual or ceremonial fires, feasts, and offerings. Human sacrifices of a 

 ceremonial nature took place at certain important functions, as at the 

 erection of a large house, the launching of a large canoe, the tattooing 

 of a chief's daughter, the ending of the period of mourning for the 

 dead, &c., &c. In most cases of human sacrifice, the flesh of the 

 victim was cooked and eaten at a ceremonial feast, but there were 

 exceptions to this rule. The sacred or ceremonial fires, at which 

 religious rites were performed, were kindled by tlie friction process : 

 they could not be made by procuring firebrands from any common fire. 

 The priest or his pupil assistant must kindle a special fire. Any place 

 where such a ta2nf fire had been kindled remained sacred, and must 

 not be trespassed on by the people, or punishment would be inflicted 

 by tlie gods. This state of sacredness pertained to any place where 

 religious ceremonies were performed. 



Religious ceremonies were usually performed at the TUAHU or 

 sacred place of the hamlet, or at the sacred water. The former was 

 not a temple or building of any kind, but simply some secluded spot 

 used as a place for ritual performances. The sacred water of a hamlet 

 might be a stream, spring, or pond. At this water were performed 

 many rites, including those wherein participants were sprinkled with 

 water by the priests. Of these latter we may note peculiar ceremonies 

 performed by priests over newly-born children, and over members of a 

 war party before lifting the' war trail and on their return fi'om a 

 foray. 



At the ritual feasts the food was prepared in different ovens, each 

 of which had its distinguishing name. The food for the priest was 

 cooked in a special (jven (steam oven) by itself. That for the first-bom 

 male member of the leading family was also prepared in a similar one, 

 as was that for the priestess employed in the ceremony. Another oven 

 would contain food for the proved fighting men, the elder warriors, 

 and so on down to the largest oven of all, which contained food for 

 the common people. 



A Maori priest was termed a tohunga. This word simply implies 

 an adept, not necessarily a priest, hence some qualifying expression is 

 often employed to denote the speciality of the adept. A toliimga 

 Tuanuku was a warlock, a wizard, one versed in the deadly art of 

 black magic. A tohunga iaua was a member of the highest class of 

 the priesthood, a head priest who attended to matters of importance 

 concerning the welfare of the tribe. The tohunga kehua was of the 

 lowest class, an inferior kind of shaman, who possessed but little know- 

 ledge of the occult sciences, and seems to have only appealed to the 



