THE ANCIENT MAORI

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 256, 17 July 1918, Page 6

THE ANCIENT MAORI

9 HIS LAWS AND CUSTOMS LECTURE BY MR. ELSDON BEST. "The Social Usages of the Manri" was the subject of a lecture given by Mr. Klsdon Best in the Masonic Uall last night, under Iho auspices of tho Workers' Educational Association. Professor Hunter presided, and there was a fairly largo attendance. The lecturer spoke for an hour .and a half, and was listened to with keen interest. M'r. Best said that when European voyagers first reached New Zealand they fouiid the Maori living ill tho stone nge. Ho was ignorant of the use of metals, of Ihe written word, and of all the higher arts of civilisation, but lie had worked out for himself a system of social organisation and industrial method. He had a, form of civil law, evolved from tho precedents of centuries, and was swayed by age-old myths and beliefs. The Maori lived his religion, which was related to tho simpler faiths from which I the faiths of civilisation had arisen. Ho 1 had his gods ever in mind in his daily life, his tribal relationships, and hia wonderful voyages over the then uncharted wastes of the Pacific. Many of the beliefs and customs of tho Maori apI pe-.ired at first sight to be inimical, but closer investigation showed that the.v were suited to the peculiar conditions under which the Maori lived. Mr. Best proceeded to refer to the social usages of the Maori in some detail. He mentioned that the Maoris, in pre-European times, had been divided into tribes, their numbers depending on environment, food supply, and prowess in war. The northern parts of the North Island naturally had been the most closely populated, ' since the climato there was generous and the products of the .soil were easily obtained. The tribes were divided into clans or hapus, and the clans into family groups. These groups were comprised of several generations, and might contain some scores of persons. In fact, a family group might be sufficiently large to becomo a hapu. The family could, contain men and women introduced by marriage, but, generally speaking, it would be descended from n common ancestor. Tho group would settle within itself in communistic j fashion questions that concerned it, ineluding politics, marriage, and food production. Questions too large to be handled by the family group, such as warfare, were the concern of the clan. The bounds of moral duty did not extend beyond the tribe. In matters of defence, every man was ready as a matter of course to fight for tho tribe. Tho Second Division men did not wait to ask for extra pay—in fact, "Mrs. Second Division" often went along too, to help and support her husband in battle. Mr. • Best referred to the peculiar spiritual beliefs of the Maori and to the change and regeneration that had been produced by the introduction of civilised habits and the weakening of the tribal organisation. The powers of nubliii opinion in Maori life had been marked and far-reaching. The customs of the tribes made it impoasiblo for any man long to disregard the disapproval of his relatives and neighbours. Thqre was no escape for the individual from the pressure of oommunal wish and belief. After discussing the Maori laws of consanguinity and mentioning tho rules of nomenclature, Mr. Best said that, civil law as white people understood it tfas replaced Ijy religious belief, regard for public opinion and the communal sniril. The law of topu was a very real thing to the Maori. Topu was in effect a belief that sin and wrongdoing of all kinds were punished in this world. The Maori was never taught that punishment was allotted in the spirit world. Ho believed that if he offended the gods his punishment, would como swiftly and certainly. That was why an ablebodied Maori, having sinned against the l"w of topu, could turn his face to the wall and dio withi" 24 hours. It might be said that his death was produced | mereiv by superstition. But the truth ' was that all religious beliefs were true as long as they were believed. Tho Maori who had sinned knew that he must suffer unless he could propitiate the offended gods through the .priests. The eradication by the missionaries of the belief in the old gods had undoubtedly deprived the Maoris of an influence that had served them well on the moral side. I'lle complicated laws of topu had supplied restraints anil prohibitions that could not be removed without injury to a people unablo to absorb at once the beliefs, and moral code of the white race. Mr. Best proceeded ttf'sketch the Maori deities, which were headed by a Supreme God residing in the uppermost or twelfth heaven. Tho gods descended in scale of importance to mere family gtfds, familiar spirits, who represented dead ancestors. "There is one parent of all things," said a great Maori priestess. "There is one soul of all things, one God of all things. Therefore, all things are one. All things are one, and all sprang from the Supreme God." The Maori had been a true democrat, There could bo no secret diplomacy, and no decision affecting the public weal without public discussion. Tho family and the tribe discussed, approved, and rejected the proposals of the chiefs. All questions of importance were the subject of public discussion. Tho lecturer outlined the Maori system of land tenure, and emphasised the native spirit of hospitality, which was a natural outcome of the social commune. He referred to the ritual connected with the ' cultivation of the soil, and to the division iif labour, showing the beginnings of specialisation. The Maoris had no commerce. They were in the stage of barter, but the fact that tho prized greenstone was found only in ono district of New Zealand gave the system oi barter definite importance. Etiquette was much esteemed by the Maoris, and politeness was universal. In conclusion, Mr. Best said that tho .study of Maori life and usages (hrew_ light upon the structure of modern civilisation. Tho Maoris understood that certain rules-of life were necessary to the well-being of ' the community. They knew that a lack of moral fibre would spell the downfall ! of the family or of the tribe. They , had been capable of formulating rules for ' their own guidance, and of practising a ' form of natural morality that command- | ed respect. They cared for the aged, j and they never dreamed of religious persecution. It was not possible to gauge how far the Maoris would have travelled along tho path of progress if the white man had not arrived. They had ideals, f character, and a belief in the existence of a Supreme Being with whom evil could not be associated. The life as a people conveyed to modern man a message j io march on. In answer ,to questions, Mr. Best said ] there had been no apparent tendency towards individualism and private land , ownership among the Maoris. Their spirit of communism had been very | strong, especially in relation to land tenure. ' The meeting accorded the lecturer a hearty vote of thauks. r m" ■ <■