TKANSACTIONS 



OF THE 



NEW ZEALAND INSTITUTE 



18 8 1. 



I.— MISCELLANEOUS. 



Aet. I. — Historical Incidents and Traditions of the Olden Times, pertaining to 

 the Maoris of the North Island, (East Coast), New Zealand; highly 

 illustrative of their national Character, and containing many peculiar, 

 curious, and little-knoion Customs and Circumstances, and Matters firmly 

 believed by them. Now, for the first time, faithfully translated from old 

 Maori Writings and Recitals ; with explanatory Notes, Part IL* 

 By W. CoLENso, F.L.S. 

 {Read before the Hawke's Bay Philosophical Institute, 9th May, and 12th June, 1881.] 

 Last year I had the honour and pleasure of reading some historical and tra- 

 ditional papers before you respecting the ancient Maoris of this East Coast. 

 At that time I did so with some diffidence ; for, first, I did not knoAV how 

 you might receive them ; and, secondly, I did not know whether such papers 

 would be published by the Parent Society. Now, however, we know, that 

 those papers, read here and approved of by you, have been also published 

 in the forthcoming volume (xiii.) of the " Transactions of the New Zealand 

 Listitute ; " and this encourages me to bring some others of the same class, 

 and obtained from the same sources, before you, during this winter's session ; 

 only these are still more ancient, and, I think, more cmious and interesting. 

 Of course I have only very recently known of those papers having been 

 printed. Had I earlier known of it, or of their having been approved of, I 

 might have got some more ready during the autumn ; for, I confess, the 

 translating of some portions of them is exceedingly difficult, being written 

 (or handed down) in language which, in some places, contains words and 

 phrases that are very old, and have almost become obsolete.! 



* For Part I. see " Trans. N.Z. Inst.," Vol. XIII,, p. 38. 

 f Particularly in the matter of charms, spells, invocations, exorcisms, etc. ; — also, 

 owing to their allusions (often by a single word) to still more ancient events, persons, 

 (ancestors and semi-deities), and things ; and to their largely abounding in ellipses and 

 aposiopesis ; — as I have formerly observed when on this subject. 



