MAORI MEMORIES

Wairarapa Times-Age, 4 January 1940, Page 2

MAORI MEMORIES

REPRISAL NOT THEFT. . (Recorded by J.H.S. for “Times-Age.”) ; Until we introduced the custom of i "theft,” and interpreted their word ! muru (reprisal or restoration) as such it cannot be regarded. All. persons of equal rank were entitled to share alike, except where the tohunga or the ariki I (priest or high priest) had made any place or article fapu (forbidden). When a tangata noa (commoner ) or a slave (pononga) appropriated the property of a person of rank or a tapu article, even by mistake, death followed. Only persons of the same rank were entitled to exercise the law of muru on each other. In every instance if one objected to the loss of an article, its return must be effected within three days. No other penalty was imposed. Certain articles were entirely free from such laws, among them being the personal weapons of war and the putorino (flute). Women and their personal. belongings were fully protected. Rare cases of infringement of this protection were punished by the tribe. Even where the culprit was known to be porangi (mad), death was sudden and summary. The priest realised the value of this, and eventually insanity was almost completely eliminated by it.

When ’the"son of one of Marsden's chief Maoris died, great difficulty was experienced in preventing the father's friends from offering the lives of several slaves as sacrifice (whakahere). Certain of those pononga who were inefficient or idle could be eliminated in this way, thus improving the rank and file of the workers. Death had no mental fears, especially with regard to future punishment.