1920.] 
Andersen.—Maori String Games. 
' 89 
3. Bend the thumbs over the far string and insert them under the upper 
palmar string ; raise them, taking up the string on their backs. Turn 
the palms away from you, bend the wrists so that the hands bend inwards 
towards each other, the thumbs passing between the near and far strings. 
(Fig. 4.) Allow the near string to slip over the tops of the thumbs, and it 
will be caught on the crossing of the two palmar strings. Baise the hands 
to their original position. (Fig. 5.) 
Working of the toemi : Hold the strings taut (they should be held taut 
throughout the above movements) and by opening and closing the fingers 
and thumbs the toemi also is made to open and close. 
Moti, or Mouti. 
This figure, like toemi, is produced for the sake of the movement at the 
close. It is said to be the first of the string games taught to the beginner. 
Method. 
1. Opening A. 
2. Insert the index fingers from above into the little-finger loop ; put 
them under the far little-finger string, and straighten them to their original 
position, taking up on their backs the far little-finger string, but leaving 
the loop still on the little fingers. 
3. Turn the palms towards you, insert the index fingers into the thumb 
loop from above, and, taking up the near thumb string on the backs of 
the fingers, straighten them to their original position. (This leaves the 
thumbs free, and leaves three loops on the forefingers and one on the 
little fingers.) (Fig. 6.) 
Fig. 6.— Mouti. After movement 3. 
4. Put the thumbs under all the strings, bend the index fingers till the 
tips of the index fingers and thumbs meet, and slip the loops from the index 
fingers to the thumbs. Raise the hands to tfieir original position. 
5. Turn down the index fingers over the far little-finger string, catch 
up the string on the inside of the first joint of the fingers (fig. 7), and insert 
them into the thumb loop from above. Straighten the index fingers to 
their original position, letting the loops slip from the thumbs as the index 
fingers carry them away. (There are now a double loop on each index 
finger and a single crossed loop on each little finger ) 
