MAORI TOHUNGAS.

Marlborough Express, Volume XLIII, Issue 139, 10 June 1909, Page 2

MAORI TOHUNGAS.

Dr. Buck, M.P., lectured at Auckland on Thursday on the traditions, songs and poetry of the Maori. In the course-of his lecture he said that a little while ago a Tohunga Suppression Bill was passed because of the evil effects of their quackery on the natives, but it was needless to say that the tohunga of the present day was utterly different from the learned priest of olden times. The pupil remained in the house of learning, while the old tohunga droned incessantly the tribal incantations and rituals, and the pupil had to remember what was said, and remember very carefully. During certain rites, if the tohunga, when invoking the aid of the gods., forgot or misplaced a single word, immediate death was supposed to descend on him from the powers whose ritual he had forgotten. Dr. Buck mentioned that at the opening of Mr Nelson's carved house at Whakarewarewa some few years ago, a famous tohunga from Taupo made a slip in some of the incantations. During the evening the visitors were the guests of the Arawas at Ohinemutu. The old tohunga. had been a -famous warrior, and, armed with his

taiaha, he described the deeds of the' pastjand never before had he. shown' j such agility, lie resumed his1 seat,.j and soon" afterwards, when one of huf! friends-spoke to. >bim, the old tohunga j was fo'iind to be'dead. This, said the ! Maoris, was a manifestation of ' the ; divine law. Europeans would probably | say that the old man had heart; disease, and had taken top violent exercise. When the pupil's education was completed, he had to prove his mana by killing a flying bird, split-! ting a stone, or killing a man by | means of his incantation and witchcraft. Personally his impression was • that these qld tohungas possessed a j certain power over the people of the tribe, by reason of their studies and investigations of the various arts and sciences with .which they were familiar. Thus, the old tohungas possessed the power of hypnotism, not j only over one, but over crowds of people.