46 
MYTHOLOGY. 
witch of Endor agrees most remarkably with the witches of 
New Zealand. 
Besides gods, the natives believed in the existence of othei 
beings, who lived in communities, budt pas, and weie occupied 
with similar pursuits to those of men. These w^ere called 
Patu-'paearehe. Their chief residences were on the tops of 
lofty hills, and they are said to have been the spiritual occu¬ 
pants of the country prior to the arrival of the Maori, and 
to retire as they advance. The Wanganui natives state, that 
when they first came to reside on the banks of the river, 
almost all the chief heights were occupied by the Patu-pae- 
arehe, who gradually abandoned the river, and that even until 
a few generations ago, they had their favorite haunts theie. 
These may be accounts of an aboriginal race mixed with fable; 
there are several things to warrant the idea that the Maori 
were not the first inhabitants of the land. 
The Patu-paearehe were only seen early in the morning, 
and are represented as being white, and clothed in white gar¬ 
ments of the same form and texture as their own; in fact, 
they may be called the children of the mist. They are sup¬ 
posed to be of large size, and may be regarded as giants, 
although in some respects they resemble our fairies. They 
are seldom seen alone, but generally in large numbers; they 
are loud speakers, and delight in playing on the putorino 
(flute); they are said to nurse their children in their arms, 
the same as Europeans, and not to carry them in the Maori 
style, on the back or hip. Their faces are papatea, not 
tattooed, and in this respect also, they resemble Europeans. 
They hold long councils, and sing very loud ; they often go 
and sit in cultivations, which are completely filled with them, 
so as to be frequently mistaken for a war party; but they never 
injure the ground; the only harm they appear to be guilty 
of, is that of entering the whare puni, or hot-houses of the 
natives, and smiting the inmates, so that for a time they 
appear to be dead; it is only the Mata Kite, or seers, who 
are able to discern them. These quick-sighted gentry were 
not aware of the noxious effects of the fumes of charcoal, with 
which their houses were heated. 
