TIME. 
175 
with stones in the hands; the kai is a puzzle to undo a knot, 
or find out a riddle ; and many similar ones. 
* But the chief amusement of the females was, and still is the 
tangi, or crying. The ladies priding themselves on their doing 
this in the most affecting way, so that a stranger would be 
deceived, and not think it possible that it could be a mere 
mockery of woe, and yet it is nothing more; tears are shed in 
abundance, and the hands are wrung, as if suffering the most 
poignant grief, whilst the most heart-rending cries excite the 
sympathy of the company. The ladies have their heads adorned 
with fillets of leaves, or of dog’s hair, and so much joy do they 
experience in this exciting amusement, that they look forward 
to a good crying with the same desire a young lady in England 
does to a dance or ball. 
When a distinguished party of strangers arrives at a pa, 
before they enter, the females ascend some stage or elevated 
spot, and from it they wave a garment or branch, loudly in¬ 
viting their visitors to enter, with the cry liaere mai , haere 
mai, or nau mai, nau mai. They walk to the chief marae or 
court, and then the tangi commences; after it is concluded, 
the strangers rub noses with the inhabitants, or else speeches 
are made first, afterwards food is brought in procession by the 
inhabitants in little baskets, each carrying one in his right 
hand, stretched out, with the left thrown back, all singing the 
JPutu, or song of invitation, as they advance towards their 
guests, before whom they place the feast, and this concluded 
the entertainment. 
The New Zealanders, in former times, had no names for the 
different days, but only for the nights; for it was by moons 
they counted Time. Perhaps this arose from the idea that 
it was in the night everything grew. They have therefore 
* The natives have another amusement, which consists in rendering their 
conversation unintelligible to strangers, by adding one or more letters to each 
word as they may previously agree upon. So that only they who are in the 
secret, can understand what is said: thus, instead of saying kei te haere au 
ki reira, they would say te-ke-te-i te te-hae-fe-re te-n-te-u te -ki te-re-te-i-te- 
ra: few can find this out when spoken quick. This is called He Koivetewete. 
