Believed ‘Cursed’ Child Beyond Medical Aid

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30745, 8 May 1965, Page 3

Believed ‘Cursed’ Child Beyond Medical Aid

GVeu’ Zealand Press Association)

WAIROA, May 7.

A twoyear-old Maori child had died, suffering "torture and pain” because her guardian believed her cursed and beyond medical treatment, the Magistrate’s Court at Wairoa was told today.

In sentencing the guardian of the child to one week’s gaol, Mr L. N. Ritchie, S.M., attacked the practice of makutu —the placing of a curse.

He said he condemned the “whole silly, stupid, malignant business. The practice of makutu by anyone is wrong and its effectiveness to a normal being is ridiculous.”

Before the Court was Rangi Paea Horomoko, aged 29, who earlier had pleaded guilty to a charge of failing to provide the necessities of life whereby a two-year-old child was permanently injured. Senior-Sergeant N. C. Waters said that a post-mortem examination carried out on the child, Tina Marie Gilbert, disclosed a series of 10 bone fractures which had probably occurred over a 12-months period.

The Court had been told earlier that, in keeping with a Maori custom. Tina had been given as a baby to Horomoko as she had no daughters. She had four other children and was expecting another. Backward Areas

Defence counsel, Mr C. S. Evans, said it was not a case where there was a complete lack of interest in the child's injuries. Horomoko genuinely felt she was doing her best for the child. He maintained there were “still people in the most remote areas where Maori medicines and curses are used to the exclusion of proper medical treatment, and where there is an obvious reluctance on the part of these people to accept European methods of treatment.

“There should be others standing here with her, those who typify her race and still practise and condone these dark superstitions. “Difficult as it might be to accept, the fact that these conditions do prevail should be a challenge to the Maori people to pursue some policy of enlightenment for their people in the more backward areas," said Mr Evans.

The Magistrate said the cause of the child’s death was “in no way related to any act of commission or omission

iby the defendant, and It is j to her credit she realised [these injuries were beyond [her knowledge to deal with ’and she sought medical assistance.” “1 am told many of the Maoris in the Tuai, Waikaremoana and Ruatahuna areas still cling to Maori medicines rather than call in medical assistance. Met Reticence “The probation officer in his investigations has apparently met with reticence from many Maoris he Interviewed.

However, he gleaned this terrible belief. That you and others consider there is a strong possibility someone put a curse on you and that this curse accounted for this

child’s injuries and death." The Magistrate said that if the identity of the person or persons who invoked this curse could be ascertained, they could be standing in the Court as parties to the crime.

“If such superstitions and curses and makutu are prevalent in any part of New Zealand at this time it is strange indeed, and 1 am most alarmed to learn of them. “It is my duty to warn you against them or their powers over you or anyone else.” “1 tell you emphatically, and without any reservation of any kind, that makutu nowadays is nonsensical and of no real force and effect unless the person receiving such a curse is stupid and superstitious enough to be alarmed." Deletions From Act The Magistrate said he had noted that sections of the Crimes Act, 1908, concerning the pretension of practising witchcraft had not been reenacted in the new Crimes Act 1961. and that the Tohunga Suppression Act, 1908. was repealed in 1962. “Possibly this was because witchcraft and tohungaisin was considered as dead as the dodo in New Zealand. But apparently in this place of your?, tradition dies hard and the authorities may have to have another look at things ”