HYPNOTISM WAS WELL KNOWN TO ANCIENT MAORI

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 14, Issue 95, 8 February 1950, Page 3

HYPNOTISM WAS WELL KNOWN TO ANCIENT MAORI

Of the people who saw the hypnotist, who recently visited Whakatane, in action many were obviously impressed by some of his -seemingly inexplicable actions, which seemed to be shrouded in mystery. But new as it may appear to many people hypnotism was practised by ancient man fairly widely and was well known to the old time Maori, even if under a different name. According to Mr Orewa Haddon, Taihape, the Maoris were adept at the art of hypnotism. Was Well-Known Strange though it may seem, the cult of ‘Mana-makutu-oho mauri’ (hypnotism) with all the s mystic ‘mumbo-jumbo’ of present day stage hypnotism was practised by the ‘gala-gala’ ‘hoo-doo’ boys through ancient Polynesia, Mr Haddon says. “Mental telepathy, optical illusions and ventriloquism all contributed to the mana and prestige of those ancient Polynesian mystics. “Maui, the demi god of ancient Polynesia, was the first' and foremost exponent. His many legendary exploits are accredited to his powers of mana-oho-mauri—hypnotism. The tragedy of his death at the height of fame resulted in his attempt to oho-te-mauri (hypnotise) and woo the beautiful Hine-nui-te-po, goddess of death. His attempt was frustrated by the antics of ‘Pirairaka’, a fantail, who distracted his powers of concentration by alluding to the charms of the unsuspecting beauty. Had Maui achieved his purpose, his boast was immortality for man. \i First Introduced “Mataora was the first of the Tohunga-ta-moko artists. To him is accredited the introduction of hypnosis (oho-te-mauri) as an anaesthetic. A little slow music by way of the measured beat of an ancient chant, the lightly tracing with the fingers of the design over the part to be tattooed, then gradually a little pressure and pinching of the skin as the subject collapsed under the spell. The incision of the cutting instrument, a shark tooth chisel, was made by lightly-' tapping if with a small bone mallet. Maori tattooing is carved into the flesh, not pricked in as is the pakeha method. “Tooth extraction (oho-Tunga), bone setting, amputation and midwifery all came under the spell of the Tohunga oho-mauri the priestly hypnotist. What is often alluded to as a ‘Maori bullet’: — Makutu—was executed by acquainting the victim of the fact that he was ‘for it.’ Psychological Affect His ‘mauri whaka-oho’ in time, a psychological weakening of jthe victim’s mind invariably resulted, followed by a period of coma with fatal results. To the Maori mind, this is understandable. It has often been stated that a Maori could just lie down and die. “Medical science endeavoured to probe the mystery. Legislation introduced by the late Rev Tahupatiki Haddon and the late Dr ; Sir Maui Pomare, resulted in the passing of the Tohunga Suppression Act.”

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