MAKUTU MAORI.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXI, Issue 9611, 8 September 1894, Page 1 (Supplement)

MAKUTU MAORI.

OLD TUHOTO, THE TOHUNGA OF TARAWERA. It was my lot—in some senses fortunately —to* be in Rotorua districb during the eruptions of Tarawera and Rotomahana. Amidst the sad surroundings of desolation and death, which so severely marked the innsr radii of volcanic action, it was amusing to listen to the many and various theories propounded by the Maori as ' to the cause of the thermal outburst. Bub each and all ulbimately agreed that the devastation was caused in some mysterious way by the agency of makutu or witchcraft. The sense of awe pressed heavily on the native mind. ' : . ' • / , . : The fearful scene witnessedthe peril experiencedhad in a superlabive degree impressed the ersbwhile savage; and as civilised man hunbs for precedents on all occurring mabbers of momenb, so the Maori, lately emerged from the thraldom of savage life, cast round for some cause for ,the awful phenomena. . To his mind anything profound or ; incomprehensible was connected with makutu, and by his reasoning whab mighb be more probable than that the tohunga (priest) really possessed the power ' the pakeha scoffed at, and had invoked the aids of his Atuas (Gods) in performing a manifestation of his sacred powers ? The Tuhourangi and Rangitihi tribes, who resided chiefly at Te Wairoa, had a tohunga of the old, old' school. He was very aged. His people asserted thab he remembered seeing Captain; Cook. That may be true. At the. least, I should say he was 100 years old. His decrepitude was extreme, and for many years, through fear, he had been much; neglected by his people. Poor old Tuhoto ! Often was I touched by his pitiable condition. Residing only with his old infirm spouse, living a secluded life, his wants were badly attended to. He was far too sacred a personage for the younger people even to converse with, and many a lighthearted, frolicsome maid and boy hushed their mirth when coming in sight of the old seer. -I often visited the old fellow, and sat by his side for long spells, endeavouring by little presents of tobacco and other luxuries to ingratiate myself, and obtain from him some narration of the stirring old times, when in his health and power he wielded over his tribe such despotism as could only be exerted by the tohunga. Buib Tuhoto's ideas were very vague. He dwelt in the long past—his thoughts were with those long since journeyed to the Reinga. His speech was almost confined to the ancient karakia, or incantations ; and the being of to-day who crossed his vision was to him what the skimming bird is to us, simply an animate object— more. Listlessly the old priesb spenb his days calmly waiting for the Spirit of Death to summon him to the bourne of his compeers. June 10, 1886, starbled the slesping inhabitants of Te Wairoa with terrible earth trembles, and reiterated shrieks of Nature's imprisoned forces. The houses fairly reeled —intense cold prevailed, the air was filledwith electricity, darkness covered all as with a pall; fear approaching paralysis seized upon all—when, in the midst of the; mighty struggle, Tarawera, the sacred rest-f ing place of generations of dead, burst into; volcanic activity, and whab had been known| as the World's Wonderland, wherein reposed] the matchless terraces, was laidl in devas-| tation ! | Added to Tarawera's eruption, Rotoma-| hana vomited over tho doomed showers of mud, which speedily razed the dwellings, and consummated the work of destruction. It is impossible to imagine the horrible time spent by the terror-stricken inhabitants, who, huddled in their various whares, waited till daylight would disclose the ravages of the volcano, and till they could leave their ruined homes. Slowly and sullenly day broke, and so marked were the changes wrought?, .that many could scarce credit that they were gazing on whab had been their beautiful kainga. . "- : •_ ... ... With grief-stricken hearts, and fearful of further volcanic outbursts, the descendants of Tuhourangi and Rangitihi plodded laboriously their ways through the piercingly cold volcanic mud to Ohinemutu, where they were received with sympathetic greetings by their neighbours and relatives of Ngatiwhakaue. Two days later, the European residents in Rotorua formed expeditions to cross Lake Tarawera, in search of the inhabitants of Te Moura and Te Ariki kaingas. Ib was on the Monday, four days after tho eruption, I was helping to lower over the Wairoa precipices the two boats, which crossed the Lake and brought back the dismal tidings that the sites of To Moura and Te Ariki wero completely obliterated from the earth's surface.

Whilst at our labours we were startled by loud shouts. Hastily repairing a short distance, we observed a few Europeans digging excitedly round a gable end of a whart jusb showing above ground. The few scattered visitors to the place speedily gathered round the workers, and from beneath the ground muffled human sounds were audible. Spades were quickly in requisition, and highly eager workers tossed furiously away the debris covering the whare. Whilst the exhumation was progressing I learnt from an old friend who was directing operations, that it was old Tuhoto that they were unearthing. Learning from the refugees at Ohinemutu that amongst those missing was old Tuhoto, and for whom they were determined nob to search, as many firmly ascribed to the aged tohunga Tarawera's outburst, my friend became filled with an unconquerable desire to obtain a very old and valuable whakakai, or greenstone pendant, which was suspended to the venerable priest's ear. I think only two Maoris were amongst the searchers ab Wairoa, and these two pointed oub where Tuhoto's whare had been. Prodding through the debris and mud, the searcher was electrified to hear gruntings from underground, and immediately became alive to the fact thab Tuhoto, though buried, was still amongst the living. Very little time sufficed to clear the hidden whare, in which Tuhoto was observed squatting, and eager hands soon had the old man in open air. His appearance and expression when rescued were most interesting. Gazing round, and unable to recognise in the altered surroundings any of the old landmarks, he somewhat fearfully scanned our countenances, and becoming assured thab he was still in the land of his birth, gubburally enquired, "Where am I? What portion of the earth is this?" We had no time to enter into a narration with the old fellow, but we one and all carried and escorted him with greab rejoicing bo the ruins of Mcßae's Hotel. Fortunately, some enterprising souls had just arrived in cne of Carter's brakes, and to the popular Jehu, Mac, we consigned his seership for conveyance to the Sanatorium at Rotorua.

Ib was some days after, when having returned from the Kotomahana expedition, that I Again saw Tuhoto. The Maoris had distinctly refused to have him amongst them, so Dr. Ginders, the Government medical officer, had made room for the old fellow in the hospital buildings, I should have mentioned that one of Tuhoto's chief features was his hair. It was abundant, and stood in spikes six inches or more long, and as I am sure ib had neither been washed nor dressed for a generation, one can easily imagine it was more than tapu. The genial doctor mirthfully told me that through Tuhoto he had become unwittingly literally steeped in tapu, to such an extent that the Maoris had quitted coming to his dispensary for medicines. On the iohunga's arrival at the Sanatorium, after a cursory examination, the doctor decided that Tuhoto must have his hair shorn and undergo washing with disinfecting fluid before he could be placed in a bed. In a twinkling, shorn the old fellow was, and to those acquainted with Maori lore it is unnecessary for me to Bay that the bead of any person of rank, and particularly that of a tohunga, is essentially tapu. I found the rescued old man most comfortably cared for. f The matron and attendants were assiduous in their attentions.. All that could minister to the old man's comfort was bestowed on him. But no Maori visited him, and ib seemed heartless

thatJie, lying in foreign surroundings, had none of his tribe to tend and soothe his latest days. Daily I visited him, and kepb his pipe well supplied with torore (native tobacco), bub in response to enquiries as to anything he liked or wanted, the ancienb priest grunted a negative. A few weeks passed—day by day the old man .-had grown weaker and weakerat last he refused food, and on my last visit I found .him! calmly, unconsciously, passing away to the spirit abode of his progenitors. On his demise word was sent to his tribe. They; ■>; speedily returned answer that his rescue was due to the pakehas, and that if they chose to succour men steeped in witchcraft, they must expecb the ills abtending such to fall upon them; and now that the old man ' was dead, and his evil spirit hovering round his body, the pakehas must face the danger and bury him < themselves. So the old man obsequies were a la pakeha. The' Government authorities; ; attended to his .interment. In place of' the ancient karakia, the beautiful Church of England service for the burial of the dead was recited over his remains, and without a solitary member of his race to mourn his death, poor old Tuhoto was interred in God's, acre ab Roborua. So : was rescued, and so died, Tuhoto, a high priest of his people to whom his tribe had paid homage, and reverenced, —perhaps the greatest tohunga of his time. , Panoo.