TAPU. 
57 
had been gone through, even a woman could not enter ; the 
chief being sacred, had his food to himself, generally in his 
verandah, or apart from the rest. No chief could carry food, lest 
it should occasion his death, by destroying his tapu, or lest a 
slave should eat of it, and so cause him to die. A chief would 
not pass under a stage or wata (a food store). The head 
of the chief was the most sacred part; if he only touched 
it with his fingers, he was obliged immediately to apply 
them to his nose, and snuff up the sanctity which they had 
acquired by the touch, and thus restore it to the part 
from whence it was taken. For the same reason a chief could 
not blow the fire with his mouth, for the breath being sacred, 
communicated his sanctity with the fire, and a brand might be 
taken from it by a slave, or a man of another tribe, or the fire 
might be used for other purposes, such as cooking, and so 
cause his death. The chief power, however, of this institution 
was principally seen in its effects on the multitude. 
In former times, life in a great measure depended upon the 
produce of their cultivations, therefore it was of the utmost 
importance that their kumara and taro, should be planted at 
the proper season, and that every other occupation should be 
laid aside until that necessary work was accomplished: all, 
therefore, who were thus employed, were made tapu; so that 
they could not leave the place, or undertake any other work, 
until that was finished ; so also in fishing and hunting; and 
this applied not only to those thus employed, but to others: 
the kumara grounds were tapu; no strange natives could 
approach them. Even the people of the place, if not engaged 
in the work, were obliged to stand at a distance from the 
ground thus rendered sacred by solemn karakia. Doubtless 
this was a wise precaution to avoid interruptions, and to keep 
them from stealing. No one but the priest could pass in front 
of the party engaged in gathering in the kumara ; those who 
presumed to do so, would be either killed or stripped for their 
temerity. The woods in which they hunted the rat were tapu, 
until the sport was over, and so were the rivers ; no canoe could 
pass by until the rahue (generally a pole with an old garment 
tied to it) was taken down. In the early days of the Mission, 
