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MOHAI. 
18. Te paki turi, the lower thigh. 
19. N(ja tata, the adjoining part. 
The following are female tattoos :— 
1. Taki tahi, lines from the breast to the navel. 
2. Hope hope, the lines on the thighs. 
3. Waka te he, the lines on the chin. 
Connected with tattooing, is the art of embalming. This 
was done in order that great warriors might show the heads 
of all the distinguished chiefs they killed But this art was 
not employed for that purpose alone ; it enabled them to 
preserve the heads of those who were dear to them, and to 
keep these remembrances of beloved objects ever near. It 
was no uncommon thing to embalm in this way the head 
of a beloved wife or child. I have seen several instances 
of this kind. 
To prepare them for drying was called paki paki, or popo, 
which signifies the taking out of the brain ; they were then 
subjected to repeated steamings in the oven. After each 
steaming, the heads were carefully wiped with the flowers of 
the kakaho, or reed, and every portion of flesh and brain was 
removed. A small thin manuka stick was thrust between the 
skin and bone of the nose to preserve its form. When this 
process was ended, they were dried in the sun, and afterwards 
exposed to the smoke of their houses. One of the first things, 
however, was to extract the eyes, and fill the sockets with flax, 
and then sew the lids together. These heads, thus prepared, 
seemed to be exempt from the attack of insects, being 
thoroughly impregnated with pyroligneous acid. In former 
days the preparation of heads was very general; they were 
done for sale to the Europeans, and so great was the demand, 
that many a murderous attack has been made solely to 
obtain heads for the market; and those who were the most 
finely tattooed, were chiefly sought for. How many of the 
sins of these savage islanders have been participated in by their 
European visitors ! Few are aware to what extent this abomi¬ 
nable traffic has been carried, but it has now totally ceased. 
I have, however, been assured, that not a few of the heads 
thus preserved were those of Europeans, and some of them of 
