Travers.—On the Traditions and Customs of the Mori-oris. 23 
pronouncing his or her name. The idea evidently was to secure a publie 
recognition of the god and clanship of each of the rising generation—for 
their own guidance in the ceremonial of heathen life, and for the guidance 
of priests and chiefs afterwards. The greatest possible sin in heathenism 
was ‘ta atua, ie., to kill a fellow worshipper by stealth. In general, it 
might be done in battle. Otherwise, such a blow was regarded as falling 
upon the god himself; the literal sense of ‘ta atua ’ being, god-striking or 
god-killing. Such crimes were generally the consequence of ignorance; to 
prevent the priests and chiefs from such blundering, these occasional 
*namings' were appointed. In the event of war, and a consequent re- 
distribution of lands, the favour of all the principal gods must be secured 
by favours shown to their worshippers—at least to a selection of a few to 
keep up the worship of each idol. A great feasting invariably succeeded 
this ceremony of ‘ naming.’ " 
Mr. Mair, in the paper already referred to, says that the Mori-oris had 
neither songs nor chants; but in this he is undoubtedly in error. Mr. 
Shand has made, I am told, a considerable collection of their chants, which 
I hope he will soon publish. It appears, indeed, that in all their principal 
ceremonies chants, or karakias, were used. 
Their modes of burial were various. While living, they almost in- 
variably selected their own spot for interment; sometimes on a high hill 
commanding a view of the sea, some atua rock, or the vicinity of their food- 
yielding miko. Others were lashed to young trees, and some were bound 
' in a canoe and sent to sea. The most common mode, however, was this: 
When a person conceived the approach of death to be near, he would select 
a long piece of the heart of ake ake, about the thickness of a man’s wrist, 
and sharpened at one end. Upon the top he would rudely carve the figure 
of a bird or a fish. He would then go toa particular spot, and kindle a fire 
with brushwood. Where the fire died out, he would stick in the ake ake, 
and that was to be the place of his sepulture. When dead, the arms were 
forced back against the chest, and securely bound there with plaited green 
flax ropes ; the hands were bound together and drawn over the knees, and à 
stick was then inserted between the arms and knees. This was the 
orthodox method of trussing a body, and it was sometimes a work of great 
diffieulty ; for, when the body became rigid, the efforts of many men were 
required to bring it into a proper position. This being done, the dead 
was enveloped in plaited flax matting, and interred as far as the knees, the 
upper portion of the body being invariably above the soil. To this very 
day, clearing away land, one frequently lights upon leg and arm bones 
pointing upwards. Others, again, would be bound to two or three young 
trees growing closely together, in which case the body would be placed in 
