Water-springs from above give me,

To pour on the breast of this woman.

Dew of Heaven give me,

To cause to trickle the breast of this woman;

At the points of the breast of this woman;

Breasts flowing with milk,

Flowing to the points of the breast of this woman,

Milk in plenty yielding.

For now the infant cries and moans,

In the great night, in the long night.

Tu the benefactor,

Tu the giver,

Tu the bountiful,

Come to me, to this [tauira].

After this the child is dipped in the water, and the mother and child are kept apart. One whole night they are kept apart, in order that the karakia may take effect. The mother remains alone in her house, while the tohunga seated outside it repeats his karakia. The tohunga also instructs the woman thus—“If the points of your breasts begin to itch, lay open your clothes, and lie naked.” Some time after her breasts begin to itch, and the woman knows that the karakia is taking effect. Afterwards her breasts become painful, and she calls out to the tohunga “my breasts itch and are painful, they are full of milk.” Then the child is brought to the mother. See what power the karakia of the Maori possessed.

This is a word, a thought of mine. There has not [pg 40] been any remarkable sign of late years, from the time of the arrival of the Rongo-pai (=Gospel), like the signs seen in this island when men were tapu, when karakia had power. One sign seen in this island was the Ra-kutia (=the closed sun). At mid-day there was darkness, and the stars were seen. After two hours perhaps of darkness, daylight returned. Our fathers saw this sign: but there are now no signs like those of former days.

CEREMONY OF TUA.

When a male child is born to a Chief, all his tribe rejoice. The mother is separated from the inhabitants of the settlement, to prevent her coming in contact with persons engaged in cultivating the kumara, lest anything belonging to the mother should be accidentally touched by them, lest the kumara should be affected by her state of tapu; for the sacredness of any rehu-wahine is greatly feared.

When the child is about a month old, and strives with its hands to reach its mother’s breast, the ceremony of Tūa takes place. Two fires are kindled; one fire for the Ariki, one fire for the Atua. The food to be cooked on the fire is fern-root. Then the tohunga takes the child in his arms, and repeats this karakia:—

Breathe quick thy lung,

A healthy lung.

Breathe strong thy lung,

A firm lung,

A brave lung.

Severing[28] for your bravery,

* * tilling food,

[pg 41] Severing for wielding the weapon,

* * warding off,

* * seizing the first man,

* * storming the Pa.

&c. &c.

&c. &c.

The boy infant is stept[29] over,

* * * * climbed[29] over,

* * * * lifted in the arms,

The boy infant is free from tapu,

He runs freely where food is cooked.

Cause this karakia to flow gently,

To the [Pukenga],

To the [Wananga],

To the [Tauira].

When this karakia ends the ceremony of Poipoi (=waving) follows. The tohunga takes up the fern-root cooked for the Atua, and waving it over the child repeats these words:—“This is for the [Tipua], for the [Pukenga], for the [Wananga]. Eat it. It is the food cooked for you to eat.” The cooked fern-root is then deposited on the sacred place. Afterwards the child is taken in the arms of the female Ariki, who waves over it the fern-root cooked on her fire, and touches with it different parts of the child’s body. The Ariki is said then to eat this fern-root, but does not do so in fact. She only spits on it, and throws it on the sacred place.

If there are several female Ariki of the same family of whom one is absent, a figure is made with weeds to represent her. Then part of the fern-root is offered to [pg 42] the figure and is stuck in it. All these ceremonies take place on sacred ground. The part of the ceremony—that of touching the body of the child with the food to be eat by the Ariki—is named kai-katoa. After this the child is free from tapu, so that persons of the family may take it in their arms.

No further ceremony takes place till the child arrives at youth, when his hair is cut, and the young person is released from tapu. The hair must be cut in the morning in order to insure a strict observance of tapu; for it is not only the tohunga who must be tapu on this occasion, but also the whole tribe. This tapu commences in the morning, and no one must eat food while it lasts. Should any one eat during that time it will be discovered; for if the skin of the child’s head be cut while cutting the hair, it is known at once that some one has eat food. This is a sure sign. After the hair is cut the ceremony of Poipoi is again observed, and the tohunga then raising up his hands repeats this karakia, and the young person is free—