The New Zealanders Ideas of a Future State

Maori Messenger : Te Karere Maori, Volume 3, Issue 71, 11 September 1851, Page 4

The New Zealanders Ideas of a Future State

They seem to have fully believed in the existence of a spiritual world and a future state. They have their place of departed s pirits said to be the Reinga, near the North Cape. The spirit leaps into the sea and emerges into an lilysium situated in the island of the Three Kings. What a strong presumptive proof of the soul's immortality we have in this fact. All nalions, savage and civilized, have the idea that there is a spirit in man that never dies. Whence onmo this idea 1 Did not the great Creator himself communicate the knowledge of this fact to nil nations ? Did he not writo this great truth on the human mind so deeply that nothing can erase it ? Southey, in his tongs of the American In. dians, makes the path of the Indian lo his final abode much more intricate than that of the New Zealander, "To the country of the dead. Long and painful U the way. O'er rivers wide and deep Lies the road that must be past, By bridges narrow wall'd, Where scarce the soul tan force its way While the loose fabric totters under it." The New Zealander has but to leap into the sea, and he emerges into his final abode. Their ideas about the spirit's journey to the land's end are eome-whnt earthly. They thought he would have rivers to cross, and would need food for his journey; and a small canoe was placed by his side, with a paddle in it, and a keie of kumeras to eat by the way. The idea was, that the spirit of the canoe would enable him to ferry himself across the rivers, and the spirit of the food support him. Some of the tribes do not seem to have practised a custom so common in many other islands, that of killing slaves and strangling wives to attend their chief to the world of spirits ; though this practice was common at the North. They suppose ihe spirit often lingers on its journey to look upon them ero it reaches its final abode, and sings as its travels—"l am flying to the winds of the Reinga, But still awhile I linger and prolong my flight. I hover on the mountains looking south, And taVe a last farewell of husband, child, and friend J For they are about to pierce mo with a spear. To treat me as a plebinn, And cat m» as their food." The last expression refers to the prevailing notion, that they go to the Reigna as food for the gods. The following Lsmtfnt contains the same idea on the subject of the spirits journey. Our idea, learned from infallible Scripture is, that spirit's flight to its final abode is quick as thought : " Absent from the body, present with the Lord." But the Nsw Zealrnder docs not calculate on so quick a transit. " Weep, weep ye tides of Hokianga, for my Kura. These were thy walks, and these thy favourite haunts, eh! Kura. But Kura is not here : , She is traversing the path that leads to tho land of spirits. Lovoly in life was the form of thy visage, oh ! Kura. Wo sea thy beauty no more. Tby attendants now aro the guardians of tho dead. Alas I my Kura."