The kohera, a starting of the arm and leg of one side of the body in an outward direction.
The peke, a starting of the arm outwards from the body.
The whawhati, a sleep in which the legs, the neck, and the head are bent doubled up towards the belly. This is very unlucky. The evil will not come to another person, but attends the man himself.
The former takiri do not necessarily denote evil to the individual sleeper, but to any of his companions.
[pg 38]
CHAPTER IV.
RELIGIOUS RITES OF THE MAORI.
Tantum Relligio potuit suadere.—Lucretius.
You ask me about the customs of Maori men, and their origin, how men came to learn them. This is the source whence men learnt them. Their knowledge is not from modern times. Papa, Rangi, Tiki were the first to give rules to men for work of all kinds, for killing, for man-eating, for karakia. In former days the knowledge of the Maori was great, in all matters, from this teaching, and so men learnt how to set rules for this thing and for that thing. Hence came the ceremony of Pure for the dead, the karakia for the new-born infant, for grown men, for battle, for storming a Pa, for eels, for birds, for makutu, and a multitude of other karakia. Tiki was the source from which they came down to the [tupua], the [pukenga], the [wananga], and the [tauira]. The men of antient days are a source of invocation for the [tauira]. Hence the karakia had its power, and came down from one generation to another ever having power. Formerly their karakia gave men power. From the time when the Rongo-pai (=Gospel) arrived here, and men were no longer tapu, disease commenced. The man of former days was not afflicted by disease. He died only when bent by age. He died when he came to the natural end of life.
My writing to you begins with the karakia for a mother when her breasts give no milk. After a child is born, if the mother’s breasts have no milk, her husband [pg 39] goes for the tohunga. When the tohunga arrives the mother and child are carried to the water-side, and the tohunga dipping a handful of weed in the water, sprinkles it on the mother. The child is taken away from the mother by the tohunga, who then repeats this karakia:—