MAORI MEMORIES

Taranaki Daily News, 23 June 1934, Page 13 (Supplement)

MAORI MEMORIES

CURSES AND CURES

(By

J.H.S.—Copyright).

Tribal and family kanga were the most frequent causes of resentment and bloodshed. A Maori curse was really a desire to work evil, made potent by the credulity of the victim and the one who uttered the malediction. To the pakeha, a curse is merely the utterance of words to which we attach artificial significance of evil thought. The typical Maori curse “Up oko kohua” (may your head be cooked) had moral, spiritual, and physical meaning, signifying intent to convey .disgrace, sorrow, and suffering upon its victim. Other forms of curses, equally virulent in the. eyes of these sensitive and credulous people were, “Apiti” or comparing them with some noa (common) article such as “Your skull will be my calabash, I will make fishhooks of your bones,” etc. “Kai Upoko” (eat your head), or “Kai roro” (eat your brains) conveyed even greater insult and significance because the head of a Rangatira, Tohunga, or Ariki must never’ be touched or even mentioned by one of lower rank. A chief, jealous of Rauparaha’s prestige, said he would beat his head with a paoi (a food pounder). A disastrous war followed, as it did when a jealous woman of another tribe said she would rip him open with the tooth of a manga (barracouta). Absurdly Intricate ceremonies by the Ariki were used to secure the removal of a curse, and in accord with our most modern philosophy that “an imaginary remedy will cure an imaginary disease,” these were always effective. So deeply rooted was the Maori belief in sorcery that unless relief was given by the chief Tohunga in this way, he invariably died under the influence of a kanga. Even to-day among cultured people we have practitioners, cults, and creeds who cure our imaginary and “nervous” diseases.

The modern form of kanga (curse) among the pakeha is scandal, backbiting, and petty prejudice. An infallible “reprisal,” which I have often tried and can recommend, is to hurt the feelings of the offenders by paying them delicate compliments and conferring little favours upon them and theirs. But no Maori could understand the subtlety of this form of attack. Offerings. Propitiatory sacrifices of the Maori are apt to be regarded by the average European as mere acts of savage and ignorant barbarians. Before passing judgment upon our worthy hosts of only a century ago, we should look to the Sabbath teaching of ten thousand pulpits to-day, concerning the symbolic sacrifice. Not of the victim, but of those who offered their best beloved. The simple Maori offered his dearest and most treasured possessions, to appease the just anger of the Wairua, or spirit that watches over and regulates the affairs and affections of men. Similarly they presented to the chiefs of their own or rival tribes the treasures of the store house, manu, ika, taro, and kumara to ensure a corresponding benefit for their own people. In offerings to unseen deities only the spirit of the gifts was accepted. In presents to each other the actual substance was taken and a corresponding response anticipated. Simplicity and implicit faith marked their sacrifices to gods or men. A floating canoe of raupo (bulrush), laden with small stones to represent men, and stores of food, would be set adrift as an offering to the ancient gods of Hawaiki.

Terrible indeed were the sacrifices made to Tu, the god of war, by this warlike people. Washing their bodies in the blood of the tribe before battle, and gifts of heads or hearts of enemies were parts of the Whangai Hau (ceremonial song of the slain). A war chief would offer the heart of his beloved son to. the war gods and then his own life as bribes for the victory of his tribe. The industrious Tregear, who has assimilated and epitomised every available source of Maori history, deems it impossible to reconcile our ideas of the simple, cheerful, industrious, and affectionate Maori with such barbarity; but man’s nature is full of anomalies. It can at least be placed to the credit of the Maori that little children were neveroffered as victims. An educated Maori, referring scathingly to our cars, wealth, and eating, says, “Each modern community claims a daily victim to the evils of speed, greed, and feed. The Maori was never half as cruel.”

Weaving. In view of the advent of the long overdue textile industry in the midst of our wealth of natural grown fibre plants harekeke, whanaki, kiekie, and nikau, the subject now has special claims to our attention. The Maoris were skilled weavers. The products were suited to their purpose, well designed, hygienic, and durable. The articles were ornamented in excellent taste, black, brown, dull red or white. The colour sense was as perfect as their sense of form hi canoe building. Harakeke (New Zealand flax) was the most suitable and plentiful. Over fifty varieties were recognised. The best were tihoi, oue, rongo-tainui, paritaniwha, rukutia, and huru-hika. The flax was cut in winter, dried in the sun, bundled, and carried to the kainga where the outer skin was scraped off with a pipi shell. The muka (fibre) was rubbed and beaten with a stick, and bleached. The finest mats were silver white, with borders and fringes coloured red with dye from tanekaha bark, black from hinau, orange from karamu, and dark purple from tutu, each as readily produced as our tannin from willow. Whanaki (cabbage tree), producing abundant annual crops of leaves, having even stronger and more lasting fibre, was much appreciated by the Maori; but vre have not yet learned to recognise its value and its reproductive power of growth when cut. A valuable mat would engage a skilled woman’s waking hours for three years, and a proficient weaver was much sought as a desirable wife. Taura (rope or cord) of two to nine plaited strands were made of ha-rakeke, as also were the enormous seine fishing nets up to 800 yards long. The flat kawe (shoulder straps) for carrying babies and bundles were plaited whanaki and kiekie leaves. The safe cord for attaching the little apron which formed the sole summer costume of a young lady was also of whanaki, that being the strongest known fibre. Durable mats and beautiful “.Panama’’ hats were also made from it.