220 
EITES AND CUSTOMS EELATING TO THE DEAD. 
they were put in a hollow trunk; or conveyed to a cave or 
fissure of the rocks, where they were finally left ; but it was 
not uncommon to burn them, when that was done, it was 
called the tahunga, or burning. 
When a person died; food was placed by his side; and 
some also with him in the grave; as it was supposed the spirit 
of the deceased fed on the spirit of the food. 
At Taranaki the child of a chief was buried in the whare 
ta'pUj i.e.j its father’s house; in the middle of which a grave 
was dug; and covered over with boards, on which the family 
slept, the child had a taro placed in each hand, so that if he 
descended into the Reinga, he might have food ; when the 
relatives thought that the body was sufficiently decomposed, 
they dug it up and scraped the bones, which were placed in 
an ornamented basket, and suspended from the ridge-pole 
of the mahau, or verandah, and from time to time the priest 
karakied over them, to assist the soul in ascending through 
the different heavens, if it did not reach the eighth heaven, 
its abode was not very comfortable ; the tenth was regarded 
as the chief residence of the gods ; every prayer uttered 
over the bones was supposed to aid the soul in its ascent ; 
when asked why they placed the taro in the hands, if 
they thought the soul ascended to heaveu, the reply was, 
they were not sure whether it ascended or descended; 
they knew the body descended, and thought it probable 
the soul did the same ; therefore a seed taro was placed in 
the grave, that, should such be the case, they might be right 
both ways ; many of the Taranaki natives, however, had no 
faith either in the ascending or descending of spirits :* they 
thought the dead always remained near the bodies, that the 
* Whakaeke, a karakia to facilitate the ascent of the spirit : — 
I ei ! tena te huri, 
Te huri ka whakarawe, 
Te huri e whano ai koe, 
Ki to tini, 
Ki to mano, 
Ki to kauariki, 
Whakairi atu, 
To ara ki te rangi. 
Alas ! this is the turning over, 
The severing the link of life. 
The turning over that you 
May join the many, 
The multitude, 
The ariki gone before. 
Ascend the road 
To heaven. 
