A FAMOUS MAORI WIZARD.

Press, Volume XLIII, Issue 6491, 13 July 1886, Page 3

A FAMOUS MAORI WIZARD.

I * THE MYSTE&IES OF "TAPU." The " New Zealand Herald " gives an interesting account of Tohoto, the Maori priest who was dug out alive at Wairoa after being buried for 104 hours, but who subsequently died in the Botoma Hospital. From the tact that Tuhoto turvivtd an imprisonment of this length of time, without food or water, beneath a mass of cold mud, his case is a remarkable one enough, but he has other claims to celebrity and fame. He was said to be over 100 years ot age, and > certainly be could nos be much, yoanger, because Natives who are old say that he was an old man while they were young. But Tuboto's greatest claim to renown taa not yet been put forward, although there has been a good deal said about him since be waa dug out. He was the last of the and—it Maori priests or tohuugas, who, before the advent of Christian missionaries, had charge of all ihe religious concerns of the Maori rice. Thece men have passed away, and have left no,

=g=gg~g~?" ~ ",'.'l ', ..'J ...ill 1 ~ ..'"S" 1 -. suc—svors. Since the death of Te Ac Katoa, in Waikato, about a year ago, Tuhoto haa been alone. In ancient time-, the tohunga waa tbe moat import—nt man amongst the Maori people. These priests were specially educated from an cany age. Several young men of the tribes would be selected, ot good birth and of intelligence, and they attended a kind of college, under care of some venerable priest, who a—«d as professor. Those young mtn who displayed ability, and who took a deep interest in their studies, were carried on from the lower to the higher grades, while others who did not give so much promise were dropped out, and were never entrusted with the profoundest Beorets or the moßt awful incantations. What might be called, to adopt Masonio phraseology, regular "lodges of instruction" were held. The tohunga had enormous Kwer, and had life and death iv his nd. He it was who cast the omens when a war party went out, and read whether the warriors would be successful or not. He it was who imposed the mysterious power of tapu, and he alono could remove it. He performed the ceremonies when a new house was opened; he pronounced the necessary incantations when the kumara or taro were planted. Tbe Maoris, while still heathenß, had baptismal ceremonies when a child was a few days or weeks old, and these were directed by the tohunga. The introduction of Christ—nity made a considerable change in the power and influence of the tohunga. But still, after the lapse of fifty years, the Maona have not got rid of their old ideas. The tohunga was a man having "uncanny" powers, and he alone could do certain things. The Natives believed in tapu, and wnen, only a year or two ago, tho Ohinemutu Natives deoided to give a piece of land at Botorua en which to bulla St. Faith's Church, they sent for Tuhoto to tho Wairoa, and he, by certain ceremonials, removed the tapu. Ie might have been interesting to have got from Tuhoto his early r< c—lections. He haa lived through mighty changes. He knew tho days before Cbristiauity prevailed, he could repeat the ancient incantations to the gods, and had much knowledge which in a philological paint of view, would have been greatly valued by European savants. He remembered the old Maori wars, 'and the time when Tuhouiangi, their land then .-visited by tourists, was a great and powerful tnba. And he lived to see the event of a million years—the great explosion of Tarawera and _otomanana, an event such aa thote of whioh geologists tell us. Ono wanders what Tuhoto thought of it all! That the belief in tapu and the dread of iv power are still strong amongst the Natives was shown when Tuhoto was dug out. The natives would not touch him, or give any assist—nee,.not because of any hatred towards him, but because they dreaded they might do something which would bring upon them the anger of the unseen powirs. So Tuhoto bad to be brought in to the Hospital at -otorua entirely by Europeans, the Natives even would not feed him while there. He appeared to be wondoif ully hole and healthy when in the hospital at -oiorua, and good tor some years to come, i'oseaibly his prolonged burial had had a greater effect than appeared. Possibly that, and the entire change of surroundings, wero too muoh for tne old man. The Natives will say that when he got amongst the pakehas, and ate the food prepared by them, and administered by I—em, all __ powers of tapu and magic passed away, and so he died.