26 Virginia Shropshire Heath 



hunters bringing meat home from the chase," are secretly placed 

 in the nest. All this is to insure security and the good things of 

 life not only to the Child, but to the whole generation which he 

 represents. 



"The entire act means that the clan or tribe of the Son shall in- 

 crease in peace and security in a land of fatness. This is the 

 promise of Tirawa through the Hako." 



A thank offering of sweet smoke brings this ritual to a close. 



Now comes the public interlude, the part open to the intensely 

 impressed, almost awe-stricken people outside. Before the lodge 

 the two bands, that of the Fathers and that of the Sons, perform 

 a dance of thanks to song accompaniment. After this, gifts are 

 distributed, exploits are recounted and sometimes acted out among 

 the people themselves. Especially are battles dramatized at this 

 time. The whole occasion is one of festivity and of good fellow- 

 ship, a genuine respite from the overcharged atmosphere of the 

 serious rituals. It serves to reinstate the world of reality. 



After this, the prominent members of the Band of Fathers and 

 of the Band of Sons, return to the lodge for the formal conclusion 

 of the mystery play. Behind the holy place in the ceremonial 

 lodge, a song of blessing is sung over the Child : 



" All that I have been doing to you, little child, has been a prayer 

 to call down the breath of Tirawa-atius to give you long life and 

 strength and to teach you that you belong to him, that you are his 

 child." 



The Child is now unveiled, the symbolic paint removed and all 

 the articles employed in the ceremony made into rolls to be pre- 

 sented to the Son. Then the Father addresses the Son. When 

 he has finished speaking, he puts the bundle in the arms of the 

 Child and leads it back to its father, the Son. The latter receives 

 the offering, and "the child runs off to play." Shortly'after this 

 the Sons also withdraw and the Fathers are left alone to make a 

 final distribution of gifts, the concluding feature of the entire 

 Hako. 



402 



