MAORI SUPERSTITIONS.

New Zealander, Volume 8, Issue 620, 24 March 1852, Page 2

MAORI SUPERSTITIONS.

To the Editor bf the 'New-Zealander. Sin, — It is a well-known fact that the New Zealander, as a revenge, makes use of the bones of his fallen enemy vi many different ways. For instance, he makes a repu (a flute), the music of which bespeaks the ongin of the instrument; yet with which it is frequently known he gains the "lady of his love." The human bone is aldo used by him as a fork, with which to lift his food on certain occasions; also for the point of fishing-hook°, and for tbe barb point of a speur called a " here manu," with which be spears birds. It is believed, when a bird is pierced by one of these spears, if it make a noise, the person from whom the bone was taken was a noisy, talkniive fellow: should the bird, on the contiary, maKe little or no noise, be was a bilent, illnatuied person, it is also believed that the bones of a chief have a red or yellow cast, which those of slaves have not. It is said by tradition that the moon is a stolen firebrand from the other world, and was stolen as follows : Two females of an extraordinary inquisitive turn of mind, having also a good proportion of manly dai ing, wished to look into the world of spnits. The New Zea; landers' abode of the dead is situated on the Northern Island of New Zealand, about 14 miles north of Cape Maud Van Diemen. As seen from the sea, the land in the vicinity of the *' Reinga" i» ihickly covered with forest trees; beneath an abrupt headland which runs

out considerably beyond the iest of the coast, is situated the entrance of the Reinga. It is. said tliaton tins po;nf, in former days, giew a pohutuksnva tiee, the toot of wh,ch grew ovei the steep, do«n which the spirits, gently slid— not daring, as timid spirits seldom do, *'to take a leap in the daik," the natives say that lude travellers have in wishing to procure a piece of this tree, and not able to get nsar it, have so far cut the root by firing at it, as 10 cause it to decay and fall to the ground, at the s>ame time observing, " w hat matters now, since Europeans have come, our spirits must go another way." The two females, alter holding a long consultation as to how they should proceed in the next world, and how they should get back, descended the long, dark, steep cave, and after going a considerable distance they saw a light, and on comiLg neai it, they could see it was a fiie composed of three pieces of wood, and three old gieyheaded men sitting wanning themselves. The womrn thinking the fue of a more holy nature than fiieson eaith (theMiioiies hold certain fires sacred), wished to procure one ol the fiie brands; they watched an opportunity, and •when the old unearthly fellows weie looking aside, one of the females snatched one of the pieces of fire and ran back towards this world as last as "-lie could. The intrusion so astonished the old felloes that their Sfiiiitsliips sat aghast for, it may be supposed, some time, by which the females got some distance hack- but, as all know that spirits can outstrip thosa who have body and spirit combined, one of them overtook the thief as she was at the entiance of the lleinga, and not wishing to appear m daylight (a3 no modest spirits do), he had no alternative but to seize her by the heel : she, not wishing to lose her prize, after getting it so far, with a power worthy a giant threw the firebrand as far as she could out of the mouth of the cave, and after some time being spent in releasing heiself from the old fellow, what was her dstonfehment, on getting into this world, to find, she had thrown the fire with so much force that it had stuck in the sky, and so remains to the present day. The god of the sea (Tangaroa) was so enraged by this theft, that he placed a large loot of seaweed over the entrance to prevent in future -any connection of the living with the dead. — Youis, &c, John White.