study has yet been undertaken, of the significance of action songs and posture dances in present day Maori society14. The articles referred to include Jones, 1959, Hill, 1964, Martin, 1961.. So far as is known to the present writer, no psychological study of Maori chant has ever been undertaken. The sociological and aesthetic dimensions of Maori chant are also virtually untouched fields of study. However, although Maori chant has been neglected in the past, present indications show that this is changing. Articles published in Te Ao Hou and in the Journal of the Polynesian Society15. Dodge, 1945, McLean, 1968. attest to an increased interest in Maori chant. The publication of the Nga Moteatea series by the Polynesian Society has contributed to the upsurge because now there are more data available for study. Coincident with the increase in scholarly interest of Maori chant is a corresponding upsurge in popular interest. Maori chant is becoming fashionable as a part of New Zealand culture and it is acquiring a new respectability. The New Zealand Broadcasting Corporation which has one of the best archives of Maori music in the country, broadcasts several weekly programmes of Maori music and they employ one of the most successful modern exponents of Maori action songs16. Mr W. Kerekere, who was leader of the Waihirere Group of the Gisborne district. to help with these programmes. This is one line of evidence for the popularity of Maori music. Another is the fact that the first two volumes of Nga Moteatea, which deal wholly with Maori chant, have sold out. University student numbers have not been large enough to account for the sale of all copies; thus, it must be assumed that the general public is responsible in part. On the other hand, Maori chant has always been popular amongst the older members of Maori society. It has continued to be a vital part of Maori ceremonial life. Maori chants can be heard in proper context at numerous gatherings all over the country, for example, at tribal gatherings, during opening ceremonials for meeting houses and during mourning ceremonies (tangihanga). Though the full range of traditional chants has been reduced and though the occasions for its use are more restricted than previously, the fact remains that the Maori chant of today is a continuation of an ancient traditional which was brought to New Zealand by the original East Polynesian inhabitants of the country. The remarkable persistence of Maori chant through the centuries, suggests that this kind of music has some deep cultural significance for the New Zealand Maori. An objective of future studies is to discover what this significance is.

BIBLIOGRAPHY Anderson, Johannes, C., 1934: Maori music with its Polynesian Background. New Plymouth, Polynesian Society. Armstrong, Alan, 1962: ‘Maoritanga in the Mire?’ Te Ao Hou 40: 23–24. Armstrong, Alan & Rupena Ngata, 1960: Maori Action Songs. Wellington, A. H. & A. W. Reed. Barrow, T., 1965: Traditional and Modern Music of the Maori. Wellington, Seven Seas Publishing Pty. Ltd. Best, Elsdon, 1925: Games and Pastimes of the Maori. (Dominion Museum Bulletin, No. 8). Wellington, Whitcombe and Tombs. Colenso, W., 1880: ‘Contributions toward a better knowledge of the Maori Race’. Transactions of the New Zealand Institute 13: 57–84. Dodge, Ernest & Edwin T. Brewster, 1945: ‘The Acoustics of three Maori Flutes’. Journal of the Polynesian Society 54: 39–61. Grey, Sir George, 1853: Ko Nga Moteatea me nga Hakirara o Nga Maori. Wellington, Robert Stokes — 1857. Ko Nga Waiata Maori. London, George Willis. Hill, A. Mihi, 1964: ‘Some thoughts on the future of the Maori chant’. Te Ao Hou 48: 38–40. Jones, Pei Te Hurinui, 1959: ‘Puhiwahine, Maori Poetess’. Te Ao Hou 28: 11–15, 29: 17–21. Martin, Mary, 1961: ‘Primitive Music in New Zealand’. Te Ao Hou 36: 22–24.