104 THE " TAPU." [PART i. 



come sulky, and never touch the food, even though 

 they may have become Christians. 



The head, or rather the hair, of the New Zea- 

 lander is the part most strictly " tapu " of his body. 

 It must not be touched by another, nor must any- 

 thing be carried over the head. The cutting of the 

 hair of a chief is a process always accompanied by 

 solemnities. The dissevered hair is collected and 

 buried, or hung up on a tree. This sanctity extends 

 even to the wooden bust of a great man. In one of 

 the houses of Te Puai, the head chief of the Wai- 

 kato, I saw a bust, made by himself, with all the 

 serpentine lines of the moko, or tattooing. I asked 

 him to give it to me ; but it was only after much 

 pressing that he parted with it. I had to go to 

 his house to fetch it myself, as none of his tribe 

 could legally touch it ; and he licked it all over be- 

 fore he gave it to me, whether to take the " tapu" 

 off, or to make it still more strictly sacred, I do not 

 know. He particularly engaged me not to put it 

 into the provision-bag, nor to let it see the natives 

 at Rotu-rua, whither I was going, or he would 

 certainly die in consequence. Payment for the bust 

 he would not take ; but had no objection to my 

 making him a present of my own free will, which I 

 accordingly did, presenting him and his wife with a 

 shirt each. 



If men or women are " tapu," they are not allowed 

 to touch their food or drink, but are fed by others 

 until the " tapu " is taken off, which is done by the 



