58 Transactions.—Miscellancous. 
to supernatural beings; the uncertain relate to those tribes which have 
perished, and whose ouly memorial is contained in the fragmentary notices 
which occur in the story of those who superseded and survive them; the 
reliable comprise the history of Ngai Tahu during the last 200 years. 
But as the reliability of any oral tradition may fairly be questioned, I 
will endeavour to show why these may be considered worthy of credit, 
and also how, in the absence of a written language, the Maoris were 
enabled accurately to preserve their history. Every tribe was composed of 
hapus, and every hapu of families. Each family, hapu, and iwi carefully 
preserved the names of their ancestors, and their ancestors’ wives and 
offspring. In transmitting this knowledge, the greatest care was taken to 
avoid errors, because, as the Maoris were very punctilious in the matter of 
precedence, a mistake made on the occasion of any public assembly of the 
tribes might be construed into an insult, and result in a blood feud. Such 
mistakes were all the more likely to happen from the custom which pre- 
vailed, when speaking of a chief, of alluding to him as a relation—‘ Brother, 
uncle, son, grandson, nephew, brother-in-law,” etc., ete. A very accurate 
knowledge of tribal genealogies was therefore required to enable a speaker 
to apply to any given person that term which exactly described the rank to - 
which he was entitled in the tribe. This knowledge was not confined to a 
class of learned genealogists, but was possessed by every rangatira or native 
gentleman. To acquire it, each one from childhood up was obliged to make 
this subject a constant study; and the public recitals which were held at 
frequent intervals kept the names and the facts connected with them always 
fresh in their memories; for, besides the names of their ancestors 
it was held to be of equal importance to know the deeds for which they 
were distinguished. The value attached by the Maoris to land is too 
well known. From the time that the first arrivals from Hawaiki ascended 
the highest mountains to partition all the country they could see from 
thence amongst themselves, the title to land has been a fruitful source of - 
strife. Every part of the country was owned and named. Not only were 
the large mountains, rivers, and plains named, but every hillock, streamlet, 
and valley. These names frequently contained allusions to persons or 
events, and thus served to perpetuate the memory of them and to preserve 
the history of the past. Every Maori was required to know by what title 
the land elaimed by his tribe was held, whether by right of original occupa- 
tion, eonquest, purchase, or gift; and thus it happened that traditions 
relating to the same transactions were preserved by tribes whose interests 
were antagonistic; and several opportunities have been afforded in recent 
times of comparing these accounts, which have been transmitted for several 
generations through separate and independent channels, and they have 
