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being of an individual rather than of a national character; 
each one being independent of his neighbour, and at liberty to 
follow his own ideas; although there were persons called to- 
hungas, or priests, who officiated on certain occasions, such as 
before their entering upon a war expedition, the planting or 
reaping of the kumara, fishing or hunting ; still this did not 
interfere with each one’s individual right to use whatever 
karakias he might think fit, and whenever he pleased. In this 
respect they differ from most nations, which in general are so 
tenacious of any interference with the rights and privileges of 
the constituted priesthood. 
This freedom in spiritual matters naturally caused a great 
diversity of rites and customs ; often what was practised in one 
place, would be quite different from that in another. 
This diversity chiefly depended upon some individual, 
whether a tohunga or not, who was supposed to be more 
gifted in one department than another; for instance, the 
chief of Waitotara was considered to be profoundly wise in 
the stars, knowing all their names and powers. His people 
therefore became the chief worshippers of the heavenly 
bodies, and there the only resemblance to a stated period of 
worship existed, for each star had its karakia when it was in 
the ascendant; so also was it with the moon, which the chief 
of another place was supposed to be the best acquainted with ; 
he had a karakia, when the new moon appeared. In one 
place, the hurihanga tau, or new year, was celebrated with a 
karakia. In another, the most sacred day of the year was that 
appointed for hair cutting; the people assembled from all the 
neighbouring parts, often more than a thousand in number; 
the operation being commenced with karakia, the operator and 
his obsidian (substitute for scissors) being thus rendered pecu¬ 
liarly sacred. 
The piece of obsidian too, with which the hair was cut, had 
this karakia uttered to render it efficacious :— 
Mori mori ta kiki, 
Mori mori ta kaka, 
I te waruhanga a te mata, 
Ko i to ko ata 
I taku ipu waka iroiro. 
The hair is gone, 
The hair is shorn, 
By the cutting of the stone 
The head is as hare 
As the calabash. 
