﻿CoLENSO. 
  — 
  On 
  a 
  better 
  Knowledge 
  of 
  the 
  Maori 
  Race, 
  81 
  

  

  That 
  faculty 
  was 
  exliibited 
  in 
  many 
  ways, 
  e.g. 
  : 
  — 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  building 
  of 
  tlieir 
  war-canoes 
  with 
  all 
  their 
  carving 
  and 
  many 
  

   adornments 
  ; 
  and 
  that 
  ivitlwut 
  plan, 
  j^attern, 
  or 
  tools. 
  The 
  exquisite 
  re- 
  

   gularity 
  and 
  symmetry 
  of 
  both 
  sides 
  of 
  the 
  vessel, 
  including 
  even 
  that 
  

   difficult 
  one 
  of 
  carved 
  concentric 
  circles 
  worked 
  in 
  filagree, 
  were 
  astonishing 
  ; 
  

   and, 
  as 
  such, 
  borne 
  ample 
  testimony 
  to 
  by 
  all 
  their 
  first 
  visitors.* 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  building 
  of 
  the 
  highly 
  ornamented 
  houses 
  of 
  their 
  chiefs. 
  

  

  In 
  all 
  their 
  better 
  carvings, 
  with 
  which 
  every 
  article 
  of 
  wood, 
  of 
  bone, 
  

   of 
  shell, 
  or 
  of 
  stone, 
  was 
  profusely 
  and 
  boldly 
  adorned 
  — 
  fi'om 
  the 
  handle 
  of 
  

   a 
  working-axe, 
  or 
  spade, 
  to 
  the 
  baler 
  for 
  their 
  canoes. 
  Horace 
  truly 
  says 
  — 
  

  

  " 
  Pictoribus 
  atque 
  poetis 
  

   Qtiidlibet 
  audendi 
  semper 
  fuit 
  £equa 
  potestas," 
  

   to 
  which, 
  however, 
  I 
  would 
  also 
  add, 
  sculptoribm 
  ; 
  unless 
  such 
  may 
  be 
  

   considered 
  as 
  included 
  in 
  poetis 
  ; 
  for 
  Plantus 
  affirms, 
  " 
  Poeta 
  ad 
  earn 
  reni."i 
  

  

  In 
  theu" 
  tattooing. 
  

  

  In 
  their 
  weaving, 
  plain 
  and 
  ornamental, 
  of 
  many 
  kinds 
  and 
  patterns 
  

   (more 
  than 
  200) 
  of 
  textile 
  fabrics 
  ; 
  and 
  all 
  simply 
  done 
  by 
  hand! 
  

  

  In 
  then- 
  chequered 
  dogs'-skin, 
  and 
  ki-^i-feathered, 
  and 
  red 
  parrots'- 
  

   feathered, 
  cloaks. 
  

  

  In 
  their 
  making 
  and 
  twisting 
  of 
  threads, 
  cords, 
  lines, 
  and 
  ropes; 
  many 
  

   varieties 
  of 
  each. 
  

  

  In 
  their 
  ornaments 
  — 
  of 
  feathers, 
  | 
  of 
  greenstone, 
  and 
  of 
  sharks' 
  teeth. 
  

  

  * 
  Vide 
  Cook, 
  Forster, 
  Parkinson, 
  and 
  others, 
  passim; 
  also, 
  Nicholas' 
  " 
  New 
  Zealand,", 
  

   Vol. 
  I., 
  p. 
  48 
  ; 
  II., 
  p. 
  49. 
  

  

  t 
  " 
  One 
  of 
  the 
  arts 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  New 
  Zealanders 
  excel 
  is 
  that 
  of 
  carving 
  in 
  wood. 
  

   They 
  often 
  display 
  both 
  a 
  taste 
  and 
  ingenuity, 
  which, 
  especially 
  when 
  we 
  consider 
  their 
  

   miserably 
  imperfect 
  tools, 
  it 
  is 
  impossible 
  to 
  behold 
  without 
  admiration. 
  The 
  N. 
  Z. 
  artist 
  

   has 
  no 
  lathe 
  to 
  compete 
  with, 
  neither 
  has 
  he 
  even 
  those 
  ordinary 
  hand 
  tools 
  which 
  every 
  

   civilized 
  country 
  has 
  always 
  afforded. 
  The 
  only 
  instruments 
  he 
  has 
  to 
  cut 
  with 
  are 
  

   rudely 
  fashioned 
  of 
  stone 
  or 
  bone. 
  Yet 
  even 
  with 
  these 
  his 
  skill 
  and 
  patient 
  jjerseverance 
  

   contrive 
  to 
  gi-ave 
  the 
  wood 
  into 
  any 
  forms 
  which 
  his 
  fancy 
  may 
  suggest. 
  Many 
  of 
  the 
  

   carvings 
  thus 
  produced 
  are 
  distinguished 
  by 
  both 
  a 
  grace 
  and 
  richness 
  of 
  design 
  that 
  

   would 
  do 
  no 
  discredit 
  even 
  to 
  Euroj)ean 
  art. 
  Their 
  war-canoes 
  have 
  their 
  heads 
  and 
  sterns 
  

   elaborately 
  carved. 
  On 
  their 
  musical 
  instruments 
  much 
  time 
  and 
  labour 
  is 
  bestowed 
  in 
  

   the 
  shaping, 
  carving, 
  and 
  inlaying." 
  — 
  The 
  New 
  Zealanders, 
  pp. 
  129, 
  131. 
  

  

  X 
  Of 
  their 
  taste 
  in 
  feathers 
  ior 
  decoration 
  of 
  the 
  head, 
  we 
  have 
  notable 
  instances 
  

  

  recorded. 
  It 
  is 
  well 
  known 
  that 
  the 
  national 
  taste 
  in 
  this 
  respect 
  was 
  severely 
  simple 
  yet 
  

  

  graceful. 
  

  

  " 
  Simplex 
  miinditiis." 
  — 
  Hob. 
  " 
  Plain 
  in 
  thy 
  neatness. 
  "— 
  MtLTOisr. 
  

  

  The 
  New 
  Zealanders 
  preferring 
  the 
  snowy- 
  white 
  plumes 
  of 
  three 
  birds 
  in 
  particular 
  — 
  the 
  

  

  white 
  stork, 
  the 
  albatross, 
  and 
  the 
  gannet, 
  and 
  the 
  black 
  feathers, 
  tipped 
  with 
  white, 
  of 
  

  

  the 
  Huia 
  (Heteralocha 
  gouldi); 
  — 
  nothing 
  gaudy 
  or 
  of 
  strong 
  glittering 
  colours 
  was 
  

  

  approved 
  of 
  by 
  them 
  ; 
  otherwise 
  they 
  could 
  easily 
  have 
  manufactured 
  such 
  feathers 
  from 
  

  

  several 
  of 
  their 
  indigenous 
  birds. 
  AU 
  this 
  we 
  have 
  in 
  the 
  voyages 
  of 
  their 
  earhest 
  

  

  visitors, 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  plates. 
  But 
  in 
  the 
  principal 
  plate 
  (or 
  the 
  one 
  ostentatiously 
  intended 
  

  

  ft 
  

  

  