in a modern situation.

The Place of Religion Fear is an early and important ingredient in the life of the individual and the race. Man's life, bracketed between the two oblivions, is haunted by fear—of enemies, of nature, of sickness, poverty, ostracism and most of all of death. In the early Maori situation, everything that could not be explained was attributed to some deity or other. Anything which needed protection, either from the elements or from man, was dedicated to a deity, and the law of Tapu functioned with unusual effectiveness. The Maori deities were not only providers of good but also dispensers of evil, so that the codes regulating behaviour possessed a heavy religious content, based on a system of rewards and punishment. Generally, this meant that the reward was a reprieve from death, and the punishment was the withdrawal of such a reprieve. Elements of this type of religious concept lingered through the years, and even though pagan religion was replaced by Christianity so long ago, today we are apt to find quite a number of Maoris reverting to this old pattern to explain some deep and disturbing phenomenon which might befall either himself or some near kin. This is particularly evident in the field of mental health and the Maori patient. When Christianity replaced his old religion, the Maori was still in his pre-dispersal days. The Christian churches evolved a very effective pattern for religious practice, so that the Maori found it a comparatively simple process to apply these new religious values in a particularly meaningful way.

Old Signposts Have Become Inadequate Today however, he is finding in his dispersal that the old signposts which provided direction to his religious impulses have become inadequate, and tend to increase his sense of insecurity. He is surrounded by a whole set of religious groups which vie for his allegiance, and the basic result is increased confusion. Basically, he is by nature still a very religious being who despite all confusion, in moments of crisis manifests this fact in many different ways; although he is often unaware that his approach to his Deity is to a large extent determined by his sense of need. This need is vividly outlined in the supplication so frequently raised by those who are unable to cope with disturbing and overwhelming situations in the words: Guide me O Thou great Jehovah, Pilgrim through this barren land. I am weak but thou art mighty, Hold me with thy powerful hand.

Amazing That There Are Not More In conclusion may I say that considering the tremendous upheavals which, from the turn of the century, the Maori has had to face— 1. Dispossession of his lands. 2. Depletion in numbers from disease and warfare. 3. The dispersal and detribalisation of his society. 4. The new predominantly juvenile component of his race. 5. His comparatively limited economic resources. 6. The breakdown of his social patterns. 7. His living by permission of the dominant group. 8. His loss of appreciation of the religious concept. 9. His lack of skills and knowledge of how to adjust to a new and oft-times hostile society. 10. Plus the extreme hazards which he faces along with all other adolescents. Considering all this, the amazing thing is that more of them do not become delinquents who require the attention of the law, since they are by nature and inheritance, so utterly group-orientated. Any programme of any institution of any kind therefore should have as one of its principal aims, the promotion of a sense of belonging not merely to a local village, a local neighbourhood or a racial group, but to a nation, and ultimately to all ethnic groups and all humanity. Finally may I say that I have presented the extremist view, in order to promote controversy and stimulate discussion. However, I do contend that it is not what the Maori has inherited from his past that makes him a potential delinquent, but what he has lost; for he comes almost empty-handed to this modern, post-Christian era of the organisation man. This article is the text of a talk given by the Rev. Manu Bennett at a meeting of the Whakatane Prisoners' Aid and Rehabilitation Society.