WITCHCRAFT. 
89 
at all crooked, it turned off where they diverged, and ran into 
the forest. 
The rat was formerly prized for food, and is said to be very 
fat and delicate eating; much oil was extracted from it. 
Nearly allied to these supposed charms or spells, was ma- 
kutu, or witchcraft. 
When a native had received, or fancied he had received, an 
injury from another, he sought the destruction of his enemy 
by witchcraft, if he could not obtain it by other means. If he 
had a pig stolen, he would say, Go away, my pig, my pig, with¬ 
out a payment. He then took a branch of a tree, and went to 
a spring of water, and used incantations to his atua, until the 
person who had injured him appeared before him. When this 
was the case, the bewitched person was sure to die; but then 
it also endangered the other’s life as well. The person who 
wished to bewitch another, sought to obtain something be¬ 
longing to him—a lock of hair, a portion of his garment, or 
even some of his food ; this being possessed, he uttered certain 
karakias over it, and then buried it; as the article decayed, 
the individual also was supposed to waste away. This was 
sure to be the case if the victim heard of it; fear quickly 
accomplishing his enemy’s wish. The person who bewitched 
another, remained three days without eating ; on the fourth he 
eat, and his victim died. 
The natives were very fearful of their food being bewitched. 
If a person had enmity towards those he eat with, and be¬ 
witched their food by a secret karakia, they die, but he is 
found out by his living. When they embraced Christianity, 
they were very particular in asking a blessing on it, to prevent 
the evil wishes of their enemies from taking effect.* 
Persons might makutu themselves, by unconsciously using 
any article belonging to a sacred character, as to an ariki 
or great tohunga. When Taunui, a principal chief of Mokau, 
* A native put a question to me relative to food on which a blessing had 
been asked,—Is it right to give even a bone of food thus sanctified to a dog ? 
I replied, that we only asked a blessing on the portion we consumed, and not 
on what we left. He might therefore give his dog the fragments. 
