ON THE MAORI WORD FOR THE IMMORTALPRINCIPLEIN MAN.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXIII, Issue 7656, 5 June 1886, Page 1 (Supplement)

ON THE MAORI WORD FOR THE IMMORTALPRINCIPLEIN MAN.

An opinion on the abovenamed subject has been forwarded by Mr. Charles Hardy, of Dairy Flat, based on an article written by me, and published in the New Zealand Herald of the Bth inst. I thank Mr. Hardy for writing, as it enables,me to supply certain omissions in my former letter. Before citing Mr. Hardy's sentiments in relation to the ancient faith of the Maori people in respect to the "immortal principle in man," I may be allowed to observo that there are no clear grounds at present for my deviation from the opinion first put forth by me. I then considered that tho Maori word "wairua" (spirit) is composed of three distinct words, each having its distinctive signification, as— " wa" (time, present, past, future). 1. " Te wet uei ano" (the present time, or cycle, or period, or age). 2. "Te wa o mua" (the past time, or cycle, or period, or age). 3. " Te wa o muri ake nei" (the future time, or cycle, or age, or period). Secondly : The word "i," which takes various forms of importance in Maori composition, as— "I tenei ra" (On this day), " Kau mai » kena" (swim hithor from thence), "I te whakawakanga whakamutunga" (At the final judgment;), " Ka oho whakarere te ao t te putanga mai o te Karaiti" (the world will be suddenly startled when the Advent of Christ takes place), "/te mate kite ora" (From death unto life), " I ahau e baere ana i te ara ka tau taku kuri" (As I was walking along the road my dog barked), "I rongo hakiri" (Was indefinitely heard), " I taku kitenga i a fu, ka uhunga maua" (On the occasion of my seeing Tu, we both wept), " I taku ohonga i te moe kua awatea ke" (When I woke up from sleep the day had far advanced), " 1 patua ahau, i tftia, i takahia," (I was beaten, tvaz dragged, was trampled upon), " Me ake ka maratria i te tihi o te puke," (It will soon be light on the summit of the hill), "I pangia e te ringa » kara ai" (It became a transgression because the hand touched it), " Ko ta te tangata inohiotanga i ahu mai t te Atua" (The wisdom of men was derived from God), " Pai ake tenei i tena," (This is better than that). Thirdly, " rua" (two) : " E rua nga mea a te tangata e mohiotia ana ko te tinana, ko te wairua" (There are hto things known in respeot to man, the body and the spirit), " E rua Dga iwi e noho nei i roto i nga hapu Maori, ko Te Heke> tanga a-rangi, ko te Ilapu-opeone" (There are two peoples living within the Maori tribes, namely, the Heavenly descendants, and the Earthly tribe), " Ki ai nga kahika e rua nga kainga hei huinga i te maunntanga o te wairua ina moe te tinana i tana moenga roa, ko te rangi i a Tawhaki, kei runga, ko te rcinga kei raro riro" (Our ancient forefathers told us that there are twa places where the spirits congregate when the body is left to sleep its long sleep, namely, the heaven above where Tawhaki is, and Hades in th great depths beneath), " £ korerotia mai ®

Inga tohunga Maori o nehe ko te mana o to ! tengata kei ta wairua" (The Maori priests of the olden times told as that the power of the man is concentrated in his spirit), "Ki ai hoki aua tohunga e rua nga takiwa mo. te tinana, ko te mate ko te marangatanga i te mate" (The same Maori priests told us also, that there are two in relation to the body, the death of the body and its resurrection). Although I have given utterance to the theory that the word " wairua" (spirit) embodies three words, and have endeavoured to strengthen the position taken by me by citations from Maori sayings, 1 do not presume to aver that lam right; and being open to conviction, I shall be too glad to be corrected by those who are better acquainted with these philological questions. I quote the following from Mr. Hardy's letter "I hope you will pardon me for pointing out that I consider the word 'wairua' points to what is called the Pythagorean doctrine, i.e, the doctrine of the pre-existence of spirits, and not to the future existence after this life as inferred by you. 1, ' Wa,' time present or past; 2, *i,' a particle denoting past time; 3, ' rua,' two in number or double. Here is certainly no reference whatever to future time, but clearly to the present and the past. I think that on reoonsideration you will accept this view of the.meaning of the word, and whioh is perhaps not leas interesting, as, if correct, it show# that the ancestors of the Maoris thoroughly believed that our spirits had an existence in another sphere before coming to this earth to take upon themselves mortal tabernacles ; and this doctrine, as you are doubtless aware, was held by the ancient Greeks and Egyptians, and to which Job replies when he says, ' Where was thou when the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy.'" In the quotations I have given above, there is nothing to show that the Maoris believed that our spirits had had an existence in another sphere before coming to this earth to take upon themselves mortal 1 tabernacles," neither am I acquainted with any song or tradition that lends oountenance to the theory that they held such an idea. On the other hand, there is abundance of proof that they held firmly to the belief in the continued existence of the soul after death. They did not learn this idea from the Europeans ; it is interwoven with all their most ancient poetry aud traditions. Further, it is remarkable that they distinguished between two states after death, one in Heaven, whither the god-man Tawhaki had ascended; aud the other place, Hades, in the depths below. But Te Reinga, or Hades, was never considered as a place of torture or punishment; nor was the other place regarded as being a place of supreme and continued happiness. C. 0. Davis,