Wosters.—Mythology and Traditions of the Maori. 111 
son went to his father’s private house, and, resting his arms and chin upon 
the sill of the window opening, looked in. The father was uttering an 
invocation, and, when he had finished, the son said, ‘‘ Our mother is gone 
away with Tutekoropanga.’’ Again the father repeated an invocation, and 
then went to the house of his children. Here they all had a long ery, and, 
when they had done, the father asked, ‘‘ Why has your mother forsaken. 
you?” ‘ Because,” answered the children, “you are so plain looking. 
Our mother liked Tutekoropanga better, because he is such a handsome 
man.”’ The father then said, “Stay here quietly with your brother.” 
Then he went away, determined to see his ancestors, who had departed 
this life, and were living in the nether world, and to ask them to make him 
handsome. 
While he is on his way thither, it may not be out of place to give here 
a short description of what the Maoris thought of a life after death, before 
Christianity was introduced. It could not be called a belief, because they 
were not interested in it. It was but a vague conception, and none of the 
old wise men could give a clear description of the same. The following, 
however, may be taken as a general summary. When people died, their 
souls went toa place called the Reinga, somewhere under the earth, but 
not identical with the Po, which latter seems to have been a more ancient 
idea, and the abode of superior gods and very great chiefs. The Reinga 
was surrounded by hills, having a lake in the centre, round which, on the 
banks, the departed dead lived again in their bodily shapes. When a soul 
arrived, she alighted first on the top of one of the hills, and waited till ob- 
served from below. Then some one would call up, ‘‘ Dost thou belong to me?” 
If not, the soul would shake her head; but, if asked by a parent or relation, 
then she would throw her head back as a sign of yes. Then she would be 
asked to hover down, and when she reached the ground, she would be again 
in her former bodily shape. Rank, of course, would be respected ; but 
there was no reward or punishment for good or bad deeds done here; yet 
there were stages. People died there again, and then passed on to another 
stage ; and somewhere there was a passage through which they must go. 
Here stood two great spirits, called Tuapiko and Tawhaitiri, one on each 
side of the passage, bending over towards one another, and between them 
the departed soul had to pass. A light soul would fly through swiftly 
and escape, but a heavy and clumsy one would be caught by the two 
spirits, and destroyed. Dying again, and passing from stage to stage, it is 
not clear if some at last landed in the Po; but some, at least, when they 
had passed through about ten stages, made their appearance again in our 
upper world, some in the shape of blue-bottle flies, and some as candle- 
moths (the latter are still called ‘“‘ wairua tangata,’ man soul); this was 
