CoLEXso.-^O-i ilte Maori Races of New Zealand. 355 



acknowledgment or eqnivalent for building a canoe, carving, &c., but always 

 without any kind of stipulation or Used i^rice. Or be 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 otber cbief, generally to one of bigber, or equal, rank 

 tban 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 JSTew 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 Avhere 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 

 (Jiongi, 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. Pemale infants had the first joint of their thumbs half-disjointed, 



