TE TANGI.

Putaruru Press, Volume IV, Issue 120, 11 February 1926, Page 3

TE TANGI.

OMAHINE CEREMONY

An Interesting- Event.

Pakehas often lack a full understanding- of the ancient custom of our Maori subjects of holding a tang'i, or feast, after the funeral rites.have been complied with (writes the Matamata Record). The Maori, however, has logical reasons for many tilings he does that may not be plain to the European. Te tangi serves the very good purpose of bringing- friends and relatives together, so that in the fellowship of the feast they may cheer up the despondent spirits of the bereaved, and enable them to win through the dark hours following the passage of the soul of a loved one to Tteinga, the hereafter of the dead. And at no time is the noted hospitality of our Maori friends more in evidence than at te tangi, for all are welcome to the feast, pakeha and Maori alike ; in fact, to join the gathering and leave without partaking of the food so well prepared would be offering a gross insult to the hosts —a tiling that no gentleman., of whatever race or stratum of society he belonged to, could do and still remain a gentleman.

Last Thursday a tangi took place at Omahine, following the obsequies upon the little daughter of Mr. Joseph Smith. There were about 100 persons present, including a few Europeans. Mr. Smith, who is a well-educated and very courteous man, and a practical dairy farmer milking a herd of 40 cows, welcomed the guests hospitably and with a politeness and dignity charming to come in contact with. The preparation of the feast is interesting and instructive of native customs that date away back beyond the dawn of Maori history in New Zealand ; they were brought here from certain Pacific islands by the firstcomers in the historical canoes after which the Arawas and other tribes are named. The first part of the process is to collect a heap of boulders, placingthem in a hollow scooped out in the ground, and upon this a fire is built and kept burning until the stones are red hot. The food is then placed upon the stones and covered with sacks (fern and brushwood were used in the old days), and earth is then piled on. The heat from the stones cooks the meat (often a whole bullock being used), and by this means the natural juices of the meat are retained. In the case of potatoes, or kumeras, water is applied, and the heat converts it into steam, and thus the tubers potatoes are steam cooked. The result is a meal far more appetising than what is obtained by the ordinary pakeha cooking methods. Moreover, as the host remarked to the writer, this kind of “ stove,” called a hangi, did not cost £2O or so, like the white man’s stove ; also, the Maori hangi was made in a few minutes, anywhere, at any time, was very suitable for campaigning-, could be made to cook for 500 people as easily as for 50,-and cooked the food with a better flavour than all the white man’s art could achieve. With g-reat care the top, coverings were removed when the “ chef ” (one Hirene in the present instance) considers that sufficient time has been given for the process. The food is then put on plates, and arranged on a long white cloth spread on the grass. The diners take their places on either side of the spread, and after a leading native lias said grace in the Maori tongue the guests fall to, and do justice to an excellent repast. The fare at Omahine consisted of roast pork, roast duck, trout, salads, jellies, trifles, dessert, tea and cordials, as well as cakes and sweets. To see the natives arriving in their motor ears to such a feast was a proof of abundance and general well-being. There was more than enough for the whole crowd. After the feast the guests formally took leave of the hosts and went home, having taken part in a typic-ally-native custom with an entire absence of anything unseemly, and having expressed their sympathy with the bereaved in a manner calculated to bring cheeriness back into the lives of the mourners.