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province of an inferior order of supernatural beings. The 
names of the principal oramatuas were, Mau-ri, Bua-rai, 
and Tea-fao. They were considered the most malignant 
of beings, exceedingly irritable and implacable; they 
were not confined to the skulls of departed warriors, or 
the images made for them, but were occasionally sup¬ 
posed to resort to the shells from the sea-shore, espe¬ 
cially a beautiful kind of murex, the murex ramoces. 
These shells were kept by the sorcerers, and the peculiar 
singing noise perceived on applying the valve to the ear, 
was imagined to proceed from the demon it contained. 
These were the kinds of beings invoked by the wizards 
or sorcerers. Different names were applied to their 
arts, according to the rites employed, or the effects pro¬ 
duced. Tahu, or tahutahu, natinatiaha or pifao, were the 
general terms employed, both for sorcery and the per¬ 
formance of it. Tahu^ in general, signifies to kindle, and 
is much the same in import as ahikuni, the word for 
sorcery in the Sandwich Islands. The application 
of fire was common to both. Natinati signifies in¬ 
volved, entangled, and knotted : aha^ is cinet; and the 
persons afflicted with this, were supposed to be possessed 
by a demon, who was twisting and knotting their in¬ 
side, and thus occasioning most excruciating pain and 
death. Pifao signifies a hook or barb; and is also indi¬ 
cative of the condition of those, under the visitation of 
evil spirits, who were holding them in agony, as severe 
as if transfixed by a barbed spear or hook. 
Incantations sometimes commenced with an impreca¬ 
tion or curse, either by the priest or the offended party, 
and it was usually denounced in the name of the gods 
of the party, or of the king, or some oramatua. This 
was generally employed in revenge for an injury or 
