NIGHT SPEAKING. 
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they are received with a loud welcome, and afterwards a 
person, who acts as master of ceremonies, having a rod 
in his hand, marches slowly along the line of food, which 
is generally placed in the mcirae , or chief court of the 
pa, and then names the tribe for which each division is 
intended, striking it with his rod : this being done, the 
chief of the party receiving the food, sub-divides it amongst 
his followers, it is then carried off to their respective homes ; 
the calabashes are often tastefully ornamented with carv- 
ing, red ochre, and feathers : these feasts are generally 
political meetings ; both before and after the division of 
food many speeches are made, the speaker walking up and 
down a space left for him by the crowd ; he only speaks 
as he goes one way, walking back in silence, and as he 
becomes animated, moves with increased celerity. On 
the occasion of a marriage, the friends of the bridegroom 
provide the feast for him, and those of the bride for her; 
but the two do not eat together. When a chief intends to 
give a feast, he sends some member of his family as a herald 
to summon those for whom it is intended. As he passes 
through each village, he sings, Uea uea i te ypou o tou whare, 
Ida wiriwiri, Ma tutangatanga wakairi Tcapua naku, ki rung a 
moeahau taku kira ka tongia e te anu matao e tahu e — nau 
mai e waha i taku tua he karere taua , he karere wainga. If it 
be a feast to invite the individuals thus summoned to war, 
the words he karere taua are used ; if to a feast only, the 
words he karere wainga are spoken. If those invited do not 
wish to partake of the feast, they reply, Penu ki taku kainga, 
e kore au e tae atu kahore aku jparemata talii utu ki a koe. 
Night Speaking. 
Night is the favorite time for the Maori orator to make 
speeches ; he waits until all is still in the pa, and then steps 
forth from his house and marches about in front of it, or walks 
into the marae, and then in a loud shrill tone sino-s some old 
song which bears on the subject he is going to speak upon. 
When this is finished he commences his speech, which, when 
