Corenso.—On the Maori Races of New Zealand. 355 
acknowledgment or equivalent for building a canoe, carving, &c., but always 
without any kind of stipulation or fixed price. Or he would make a present 
(always to be repaid) of a canoe, or a dress mat, or a stone war weapon, 
or a dog, to some other chief, generally to one of higher, or equal, rank 
than himself; but all without anything like price stated. And when the 
return gift was made, it was always stated to be such, for if not so stated it 
would not be so considered—want of knowing this has occasioned much mis- 
understanding between them and whites. A return gift was always expected 
to be a larger one than the one which occasioned it. Sometimes they sought 
to exchange one thing for another, especially with strangers visiting, but 
this was very rare. 
18. The four great yet ordinary events to a New Zealander, were birth, 
marriage, death, and exhumation ; to which may be added, the ceremony 
of naming, the arranging of betrothal, and tattooing. On all these occasions 
there was great feasting; particularly in the case of death and exhumation ; 
when, too, there was grievous lamentation, much of which was very often 
real. Time, however, will not permit of anything more at present than a 
passing mention of those matters. 
(1.) At the birth of a child, especially of the first-born of a couple of high 
rank, there was quite as much rejoicing as in more civilized countries. The 
maternal aunt or maternal grandmother of the infant was generally present 
and ruled on such occasions ; if not, then the paternal grandmother took 
her place. Sometimes the birth of a daughter was preferred to that of a 
son, for political reasons. Of course, the spot where the child was born (if 
` in fine weather in the open air), everything touched or used, and all who 
had anything to do at the birth, were strictly tabooed (tapu)—under 
customary restraint, or “legally unclean”—set apart for the time from 
every ordinary matter. The umbilical cord was tied with scraped flax, 
which sometimes slipping caused a protuberant navel, and not unfrequently 
hernia ; which latter, however, disappeared at adult age. The natives have 
been charged with compressing the infant’s nose, to flatten it; and while 
this has been commonly denied, it is evident that the nose salutations 
(hongi, nose-rubbing) it was continually receiving from its mother and 
relatives, must have had a great tendency that way: besides, flat noses were 
always admired. Soon after its birth they commenced rubbing down its 
knee joints, in order to reduce the inner part of the joint, and so make them 
“handsome.” For this purpose the infant was placed face downwards by 
its grandmother, or by one of the elder women, on her closed legs, and its 
little legs and knees rubbed downwards with pretty much squeezing of the 
inner knee; this operation was daily, or oftener, performed during several 
weeks. Female infants had the first joint of their thumbs half-disjointed, 
