116 RELIGION. [PART i. 



of their having fished up the island, as well as 

 E Pani, for having introduced the kumara, are the 

 principal persons in the mythology of the people. 

 Although tradition says that they have been mor- 

 tals, they have undergone some sort of apotheosis, 

 and live in the memory of their descendants as 

 beings endowed with supernatural powers. Of 

 Maui the tradition says that he gave them the 

 forms of their houses, canoes, and so on, and was 

 therefore the real benefactor of his people ; but 

 there is no sort of worship paid to his memory. 

 Their belief in spiritual agencies more nearly ap- 

 proaches the nature of religion, and has taken its 

 rise in an intuitive feeling of the influence of bene- 

 volent or mischievous spirits, or of the souls of 

 their relations and ancestors, over all their actions. 

 These spirits are called Atua and Wairua. It is 

 difficult to define the meaning of these names, but 

 it may be observed that Atua, although qualified to 

 assume many different forms, and represented as so 

 many separate spirits, is the divinity ; Wairua, which 

 word signifies both soul and dream, are the spirits 

 of the deceased, invisible, and capable of acting be- 

 nevolently or in a hostile manner upon men. The 

 native language joins to Atua both the definite and 

 indefinite article and the plural number, He-atua, 

 Te-atua, and Nga-atua ; but, notwithstanding this, 

 although separated in appearance and actions, the 

 gods of the New Zealander are emanations of the 

 st Unknown," and seem to be based upon a former 



