ANCIENT MAORIS.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19615, 20 October 1925, Page 11

ANCIENT MAORIS.

BURIAL CAYES DISCOVERED

MUMMIFIED REMAINS FOUND

(From Our Own (Jobbebfokdent.)

AUCKLAND, October 19. When searching for sheep which had disappeared in the thick undergrowth at the foot of the Te Waiherere cliffs, near Kennedy Bay, Coromandel, Mr S. M. Hovell, of Waihi, found the entrance of a volcanic deft which subsequent investigation proved to be a Maori burial cave of 1 considerable antiquity and importance. Mr Hovell explored the cleft, the entrance to which is only about 3ft By 4ft. A candle lowered on the end of a rope showed that the depth of the cavity w’as considerable, Mr Hovell and a Maori lad climbed down into the cave by means of ropes. It was only when their feet had touched solid rock and they had'' lighted ' their candles again that the size of the cave became apparent. Irom the entrance, 90ft above their heads, it widened gradually. The ledge on which they found themselves was' fully 20ft wide and 50ft long. Heaped on either side were hundreds of Maori skeletons all in an excellent state of preservation. The sight must have been an eerie One, showing the grinning skulls of the dead of many generations ago, of warriors and wahines who, long before the foot of the white man had trod their native land had “drunk their cup a round or two before, and one by one crept silently to rest.” Among the remains were many skeletons of younger children. Closer investigation showed that the cave was of larger extent than Mr Hovell had at first thought. The ledge on which the remains were discovered ended abruptly and when a candle was lowered it showed that there was another drop of from 30ft to 60ft. The dim light revealed at the bottom of this other heaps of skeletons, Mr Hovell decided to explore the newly discovered portion of the cave at a later date. A search of the first ledge revealed the mummified body of a Maori woman. Portions had apparently been eaten by rats, but sufficient evidence remained to prove that the preservation of their dead had been one of the ancient Maoris most skilled arts. A little finger nail, still intact, is in Mr Hovell’s possession, ■ and clearly demonstrates the remarkable manner in which the dead were mummified and preserved by the smoking process. , The discovery is all the more important in view of the fact that the only other known case of mummified, remains being found was at Whangaroa. It is believed the remains must be those of a chieftainess of considerable importance. Other relics brought to light by the search were « carved wooden ornamental slab a calabash containing the remains of red ochre, stone axes, a number of shell fishhooks and three large wooden fish hooks about 6in long and 3tin across at the bend. No greenstone was found. Fishhooks are not as a rule placed in burial caves. The wooden ones, which are fairly well preserved considering their antiquity, are rare. The ornamental slabs were painted with red ochre and were in good state of preservation. Many of the skulls had fine sets of teeth. One skull which Air Hovell brought back to Waihi with him possesses a complete and remarkably well preserved set which has not even become discoloured with age. The unusually dry nature of the cave, Mr Hovell believes, accounts of the state of preservation of its contents. He estimates that the cave has not been used for 300 or 400 years, and that it was the burial place of a tribe which died out very long ago. None of the. oldest Maoris in the district had any idea that it existed. Mr Hovell intends to explore the cave thoroughly at Christmas. Another important discovery in the locality was the well-known Taiharuru cave, from which Mcsrs Hovell and R. W. Bell collected 82 well preserved skulls, and forwarded them to Professors Pickerill and Bell, of Otago University.