ANCIENT MAORI FOOD.

Auckland Star, Volume XXI, Issue 165, 15 July 1890, Page 5

ANCIENT MAORI FOOD.

POND'S LECTURE.

It is an unfortunate facb that lectures connected with the Auckland Institute are expected <*o be dry and uninterestingly scientific. Hence the poor attendance last evening at the Museum to hear Mr Fond lecture on " Foods of the Ancient Maoris ;" ! but it was pleasing to see that a number of boys and girls had been attracted by the chance of learning something about their own country. And Mr Pond's lecture was not a bit dry and uninteresting. On the contrary, it was most bright and enjoyable, while full of information that is little known. How many people in Auckland know any particulars regarding the great number of vegetables used by the Maoris, their mode of cultivation, or of cooking ? Yet Mr Pond tells us that the Maoris used the kumara, the taro, the huia or gourd, the cabbage tree, the karaka berry, the fern root, hinau, kahikatea, rimu, and matai berries, the pawa or common sow thistle, nikau seeds, raupo pollen, and as sweets or confections had kurukuru berries, tupaki juice, flax juice, rohutu, kawakawa berries and otbere. Then for animal food they had the delicate native rat, the white or yellow native deg, the bat, and on the coast the seal and. the whale. Human flesh was used, but probably only on war parties when the men were hungry, and their fern root gave out* Then they had the moa, pigeons, mutton birds, kaka, tui, bell bird, pukaki, weka, ducks, bittern, sea-fowl and eggs, tuatara lizard (which they wouldn't eat now). Their fish were eele, taken in great weirs in enormous quantities, whitebait, dried and stored, crayfish, in fresh water and in salt water, the shark, kawhai, schnapper, hapuka, shell-fish. Then they'also ate wood grubs. The above is a dry enough looking list, but Mr Pond gave flesh to the dry bones by his descriptions of the method of cultivation and cooking the vegetables, and of catching the animals. He showed that the Maoris had to get their food by hard and unremitting labour. Tney were, by stern necessity, an industrious race of people, and those who didn't work had to go to the wall. In their proverbs may be seen evidence of the fact that they considered laziness a crime. They had two months of the year during which it was not necessary to work. Those two months were omitted from their calendar as being unworthy of notice. They attained to great knowledge of the best methods of cultivation, and of the properties of their vegetable products. They were wonderfully clever at snaring birds and catching fish. The introduction of European food had a baneful effect on Maori life, because it gave the natives the opportunity for laziness. As an example of the hard work necessary in early Maori life, Mr Pond described the method of cultivating the kumara, the fern root, etc. The ground for the kumara had to be dug with wooden spades, and kept carefully tilled. Yet a village of a hundred inhabitants would have 100 or 150 acres of ground in cultivation. Then the times of burning and digging the fern-root had to be most carefully known. The fernroot had to be mosb laboriously roasted, pounded, and stored for use, as had the kumara, the taro, and other foods. There were many varieties of fern-root, of kumara, and of taro, and the natives were very, attentive to the growth of new varieties. Their cleverness was well shown in their use of the karaka berry. The kernel: contains a poisonous oil, which can, however, be volatilised and driven off at a certain low heat. They had found the right degree of heat, and could drive off the oil so that the good part of the berry was left and could be caked into food. Reference was also made to the commerce in food that went on between the coast and inland Maoris. The lecture was illustrated with examples of food, spades, gourds for potting birds in then;own fat, snares for birds, etc. Mr Pond also .quoted from Domett's poetry and various books.' He pointed out that the information hid to be gathered from various sources, as no book was specially devoted to the matter. The President of the Institute, Mr J. Stewart, C, E., occupied the chair.