E—No. 7

LECTURES ON When a man or woman has been tattooed, the Tohunga is Tapu, as is also the settlement, from the fact of blood having been on the hands of the Tohunga, and of his washing them in the settlement. To take the Tapu off each, there are three Maori ovens (Hangi) lighted, which are called " Umu Parapara;" one of these is for the Tohunga, and one for the person tattooed, and the people generally; and one for the gods. To take the Tapu off the settlement and himself, the Tohunga, after washing his hands, takes a hot stone out of the oven intended for the gods; and after throwing it to and fro from one hand to the other, he puts the stone again into the oven: the tapu is thus transferred to the stone, and it being used to cook the food for the gods, the food receives that tapu, and is thus given to the gods. When the food in the oven for the gods is cooked, it is put into a new basket, and hung up on a tree in a sacred place. The superstitions connected with tattooing are these:—The person being tattooed must not eat fish, or shell fish, without first holding some of it up to each and every part of his face; in doing this, they reverence Tangaroa, by letting him see the tattooing first; whale-bone being used as the principal agent in marking the face, for the use of which, and also to be allowed to eat fish of all kinds, they thus appease him. If they neglect this, Tangaroa, the god of fish, will make the tattooing all out of proportion. Another superstition is, that if children tattoo a Hue (calabash) it must not be eaten, as the Hue is then as the head of a man, and to eat it would be a curse on man. The time allowed being past, I must conclude: yet it ought to be stated, that what you have heard this evening, is but the preface to what might have been said. In fact, to relate the superstitious which held the New Zealanders in servile bondage, would require the time allowed for three or four lectures. Could we also have described the superstitions which relate to their wars, sacrificial offerings, witchcraft, burying the dead, and exhuming them, building houses, making war canoes, and fishing nets we should have been able to have shown the numerous trials and difficulties our Missionaries have had to contend with, and the lasting obligations we owe to them, under Divine Providence, for suppressing them. But we have heard sufficient this evening to prove that there is even in the Maori traditions a striking similarity to the Jewish and Christian records, while their abominations ought to inspire a heart-felt gratitude in the breast of all, that we have been born in a land where the pure and ■unmutilated word of God is possessed.

PAET 11. In a former lecture delivered in this Hall on the superstitions of the Maori race, we gave tha principal details of their belief in the creation, and the flood; then slightly noticed the different migrations to this country; and concluded by noticing certain of their ancient ceremonies, to one of which we would particularly recall your attention, namely, the initiatory rites of priesthood, as being immediately connected with the 'subject which is to engage our attention this evening, viz., "Maori Priesthood, Witchcraft, and War." Much that we'shall relate of their ceremonies is unavoidably absurd, and especially the incantations, the language of which to a cultivated mind is extremely nonsensical. Yet even these absurdities will no doubt cause a Christian heart to feel regret, that a people endowed with such minds as the New Zealanders, should have been held foe so many generations in a labyrinth pf superstitions, so servile in practice, and so degrading is their tendency. It may be said, that the New Zealander of the present day—he who walks our streets with the produce of his own industry on his back, complying as far as possible with the usages and language of the Europeans —does not resemble in manner or appearance the people whoso superstitions and customs we shall give this evening. The savage who will pass in review before us would not on any account go near our cook shops, nor would he come near a baker's cart, as the air passing such would bear pollution with it, and such a feeling of horror as in many cases to cause death. That the New Zealanders were bound by a superstitious dread to observe omens, we shall have ample proof. It was not the chiefs and priests alone who were superstitious: the whole Maori race, from the child of seven years of age to the hoary head, were guided in all their actions by omens; nor was it the chiefs and priests alone who had a knowledge of the incantations : the people in general were well acquainted with some of them, which they used for certain purposes, repeating them without the assistance of the priest. Of those, we shall proceed at once to give a few examples. For instance, if while men are on a voyage from settlement to settlement, one of the party in changing the paddle from side to side, accidentally lets the outer end of it come into the canoe, it is an omen of an abundance of food, to be given to them on their arriving at their destination. Again, in travelling, if the feet get filled between the toes with fern, this is also an omeu of food in abundance; but on their arrival,! to ensure this omen's fulfilment, this incantation is repeated:—"Omen of sweet food, hold: go thou to the hangi (oven), that I may arrive ere it be opened." But there are counter-omens to this. If any one feels hungry when food is cooking, it is an omen that strangers are on the road. Hence the proverbial warning repeated by such, that the people of. the settlement may partake at once of the food by themselves : —" Though partly raw, it is wholly our own; if fully cooked, we shall get but a part." Again, if a person's chin itches, this implies that they are shortly to partake of something oily, such as fat, eels, dog, rat, or whales' blubber. Also, if a .party travelling should hear the bird called "Tiraueke" cry to their right hand, this tells of something of feasting ; op if to the left, of war or murder. Let it not be supposed that the neglected, decrepit uui joinaie slaves were deficient of omens in their unsophisticated art of cooking; for if