MAHOE LEAVES.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume II, Issue 75, 4 December 1862, Page 6 (Supplement)

MAHOE LEAVES.

Being a selection of Sketches of New Zealand and its Inhabitants, and other matters concerning them. Ill' THOMAS MOSER, ESQ. MAKU T U. In a copy of a very old book originally published at Newcastle, which purposed to give some of the receipts of the noble science of witch-craft as practised ou the Borders, among a lot of these receipts, the concoction and ingredients of which make the witches’ cauldron in Macbeth appear a pleasant sort of soup, I found the following : “ To see strange sights, anoint your eyes with the gall of a bat and (ho fat of a hen,” Without killing either bats or hens for- this said purpose, I have seen some strange sights in this country. I have seen the British Hag as it floats over these shores, instead of tough bunting, turn out to be sorry fustian, blown all to ribbons in the gale of rebellion ; I have seen English law and order set defiance by a pack of semi-barbarians ; military men with a couple of thousand bayonets at their disposal, bearded by a handful of half-naked savages armed with ohl muskets and fowling-nieces : and properly destroyed by a band of half-armed natives, under the nose of a garrison. The bats and fowls may go to Hades, before I slaughter them for the purpose of “seeing strange sights.” koine oi the strange sights 1 have seen, 1 have already chronicled in these sketches, and one of the strangest I now proceed to describe. The noble science of Makutu (witchcraft) as practised bv the inhabitants of “Our I’ah.”—Whether owing to bad sanitary regulations, personal uncleanliness, over eating, or the third plague of Egypt, I don’t know, but many of the inhabitants were “ taken worse” some time ago. One or two of the children died, old Lazarus was laid up, and so many complaining, that things began to look rather serious about there. A very ollensive tattoed party, whose name 1 did not enquire, so will here term him Beelzebub, (as being most appropriate to his calling), was sent for, he being a puropiti (prophet) ol the mysteries ot Makutu, who at once gave it as his opinion, that lizards were at the bottom of the mischief; the tapn on some land had been broken, and suggested the expediency of a kaiugarara forthwith. Except to a person well up in Maori, it is nut an easy matter to make out how the lizards are ta blame lor these evils ; but so far as I can understand, it appears that when old Maoris die, their shades haunt certain places in the form ot lizards ; and that parties walking over the spot where these lizards dwell, are forthwith bewitched. It the lizards are caught and killed, the enchantment is at an end, and no fear of any further mischief. This very likely is a very vague and unsatisfactory explanation, but no matter for that, Makutu exists as an institution, its practice is on the increase, and that is sulilcieut for me at present. Some days after receiving the intelligence ot the arrival of the poropiti, I was out near the pah, when 1 suddenly came upon a group of individuals promenading in a circle, apparently engaged in search of something, and arranged so that if the first man missed it, the next being close on his heels, might have a chance of finding it. It was Beelzebub, Maiacbi, and a number of people at work lizard-hunting. If lizards are vermin, and their object was simply to get rid of them, I have heard ot a simpler plan than this 1 am about to describe, which, while i remember I mav as well quote. Och ! Antrim hilt is very high, and so is the hill of llowlh too, B at 1 \ e heard of another hill that's higher than them hoth too, 'Twas on the toy of this high hill, St. Patrick jtrached his sarmiut. That drove the frogs into the hogs, and banished all the varmint. But St. Patrick was a saint, whereas Bcclzelmb is exactly the reverse, hence their systems differ. But to my tale. The circular promiuade continued for some time, when suddenly they came to a dead stop, and Beelzebub pounced like a tom cat on something in the fern ! This was unfortunate lizard number one. The procession continued, gradually contracting the limits of the circle, and by the time they bad finished, Beelzebub had caught two more. All (his time the greatest solemnity was observed. The poropiti then kindled a fire, and proceeded with the greatest coolness to roast these wretched reptiles ; repeating in a low moaning tone an incantation, as the poor lizards were slowly frizzling. The burden of this incantation I did not then know, but have since scon a translation of it. I can’t remember the exact words, but I can give a quotation from an American poet that will give the reader a fair idea of its import. The passage occurs in a chorus to one of I he songs of the Christy Minstrels, and rims as follows :—“Blip up in the seiclaraadinck jubo up in the jubin jube !” The lizards nearly calcined ; the poropiti sung out something, and the whole crowd at once covered their faces, and dropped into (bo altitude of prayer ; and I was subsequently led to understand that at this identical juncture, the souls of the departed, vacated the bodies of the lizards—as well they might. Whet her they became stars in the firmament, or entered the bodies of other lizards, I did not enquire. Beelzebub swore hard and fast “ that he saw them go so I suppose (hey did. Anyhow, the “ tapu” was gone, and no one going over that spot would catch the lumbago, colic, or any other disease. And, so far, the arrangement was satisfactory. After this, the poropiti produced some potatoes, which he proceeded to roast in the ashes, and during the process of cookery some sort of a hymn was sung, or rather chanted, the name of which I did not learn ; but the words sounded (sinking the finale) something like the chorus of in the B-u"' M Aristophanes, “ Brokkekkikex ! ’ Jvoax ! Ivoax!” Ihe above very senseless mummery was enacted by the most enlightened aborigines in the world, in the year of grace ISG2, in the forty-seventh of the introduction of Christianity among them, and close to a mission station. If this had been an isolated case, I do not know that I should have written anything about it; but as Makutu happens.to be in full force all over (ho country at present, ami is by no means confined to (bo “ old people, rather the reverse in fact, it is worth making a note of,” as Captain Cuttle would sav. Beelzebub shortly after tried his hand at curing a

sick man, not by electro-magnetism, but by Makutu. I bad the curiosity to have some conversation with him ou the subject. I found him to be excessively stupid, but he had sucli a lot of nostrums lor healing the sick, causing ladies favourable confinements, and banishing evils generally, that the disciples of Eeichenbacb, and Odic B'orce, may in future shut up—Beelzebub beats them hollow.—ln the course of conversation, I asked him if he was a Christian, and believed in the Bible ? which ho said “he did.”—“l asked him if he was not afraid of being punished for idolatry, as the Israelites were?” He replied “that I could not possibly understand the Maori god—my god was a very good god, but Maori gods were very (mauahara) revengeful, and that unless he looked out, and appeased them, the Maorics would suffer. It was a system far beyond my comprehension.” I did not bandy any further remarks with him.—A few days later, lie commenced his Makutu on old Lazarus. This very wretched old man had got the idea into his head that some lizard was in his inside, and preying on his vitals ; Beelzebub said it was the case likewise, so that between them it must have been so. Anyway, the lizard had to be got out, or whatever it was. Lazarus had been shifted about from place to place for many months, never stopping above a week or two at one spot, and wherever he went the lizard would persist in following him, at least so said Maluchi.—l am not naturalist enough to know what lizards feed ou exactly, but if they are partial to (leas, and other vermin, I can understand their following old Lazarus.—l happened to drop in upon him when the Makutu was going ou. Beelzebub sat alongside him, muttering away" and fumbling with two pieces of stick, while three or four women sat at some distance away from him, fangiing sotlo race. It was a particularly solemn sight; a trifle stupid perhaps, but that was nothing!_ They had read the Church prayers over him in the morning, and now they were doing a little Makutu.—Beelzebub said something about ‘ sacrificing a dog to Emarii, if Lazarus got no better,” being about the only sensible idea that I had heard from him : for Lazarus owns a vile cur, that it would be a o-ood riddance if lie were annihilated.—Anyway, tho devil, or ngarara, or whatever it was, was ultimately got out ol Lazarus—Beelzebub saw it go like a blue (lame, at least so ho said, and in throe mouths Lazarus was to be himself again. 'This was capital news for the old man, and ho gave himself an extra scratching on the strength of it. It is now six weeks since the Makutu took place, and, if anything, Lazarus is rather worse. He got much better tor a week, according to his own account from tho effects of Beelzebub’s incantation ; but tins temporary recovery I attribute to a good dose of Epsom salts that 1 gave him, and if he used a little soap and water, and left olf eating putrid com and other filth, 1 see no reason why tliere is not “life in the old dog yet.” 'This intensely insane system has been carried on throughout the country, at a great rate, during the past year. Strange effects have been produced by tho Boropitis and Arikis of Hie temple of Makutu. Peccant Magdalenes have divulged their liasons ; lovers their inamoratos ; theives given up stolen property, or been terrified into it; and no end of diseases cured. What does it all mean ? If I ask Clericus, he is down on me with every parallel instance he can gather, from the Israelites and tho Golden Calf, to the worship of idols bv the early Christians. Ho travels the wide world through, civilized and savage, and points out so much idolatry and superstition existing, that Makutu sinks into insignificance. This, of course, is very well, so far as it goes, and I may as well state here, that I am glad to sco Clericus setting manfully to to work to root out Makutu.—He falls foul of, and routs old Beelzebub and bis gang, whomever lie can catch them at their Makutu, or lizard bunts; and ho won’t admit any of them to his sacraments, when he finds them out; and so far I applaud him ; but I object to bis arguments altogether. I don’t believe- in Ids comparisons between Maorics and civilized nations. Ho lias no more right to compare them with those nations as a community, than he has to compare ginsies and the scum of Christendom, with the English Bench of Bishops. Ho may talk indeed of foolish old women hanging horseshoes to their doors, crossing knives in a thunderstorm, or believing in all sorts of messages from the other world, by coals Hying out of the grate, howling dogs, the dregs of a teacup, or flaring candlewicks—but because be finds so many foolisii old women in a community, is that any reason why the whole nation should be dubbed superstitious or benighted ? If darkness spiritual appears in the agricultural districts of England, or in the purlieus of English and continental towns, have the inhabitants had the same spiritual advantages as the Maoris? I rather doubt it. Has tho old religion of the Makutu been eradicated, or is it only’slumbering? In a word, are the religions opinions of the Maoris permanent? or do iheg possess ang ! We look with dismay at the Jesuit Missions and the system they adopted, where lour or five thousand Indians were baptized, a small crucifix suspended -from their necks, thereupon termed Christians, and enrolled among flic list of proselytes. This was a very melancholy and queer kind of evangelization. M hen Mrs. Grundy read it in a Missionary Magazine, she was shocked, and when an honest grocer at Beckham, with whom she deals, who is tho minister of the chapel of Little Bethel, next door to Airs. G’s., read it in the number she lent him, and foithvuth told it from the pulpit; there arose such a groaning from among the con nr rc rf ation (they can groan some—the Little Bethel folks can) that it was dismal to hear. Yet (he question is, are tho Maoris any better than these Indians? io iic. Civilization turning out Christianity? An obscure minister of the Church (of whom nobody has hcaid, of course), stated, at the commencement of the New Zealand Mission, that “ civilization must he the pioneer of ChrisUanil/f’ (vid a Life of the Beo. S. Marsden , p. 50—Peruse that boo'k, reader!) Have subsequent events proved him ;ig!u.' Are the who in anything move hy fit.s and starts, relapsing into their old religion ? I know that the worship of Bongo (tho god of crops) has been restored to the northward, and only a short time ago, a tribe had it under cousuleiation, übother (boy should not renounce Christianity altogether. These things.look rather

queer ! lu the midst of all these unpleasantries, however, it is a source of satisfaction not to have heard as yet, that the settlers are the cause of this. This (Makutu) is one of the very few evils that they have not introduced, (that is to sav, according to Clericus) —Wo have not introduced Makutu! AVhat a gratifying reflection! So much so that I can lay down my pen, and take leave of this subject, witli a conscience clear upon the point, that I have had nothing to do with it. Makutn and Cannibalism, appear to be the only two I am not blamed for, though 1 encouraged the latter by buying dried heads for my museums —I have been a horrid wretch to these Maories, and no mistake ! But lam clear upon one charge— I did not import Makutu ! —What a blessing !!