MAORI BURIAL CUSTOMS

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 312, 29 June 1912, Page 2

MAORI BURIAL CUSTOMS

A CURIOUS STORY. By Cable—Prosg Association—CopyrightAuckland, Thursday. A curious tale of Maori burial customs was told in the Magistrate's Court yesterday morning by a witness who was the white husband of a Maori wife. He explained that he owned some land at Riverhead, on which' he allowed his wife's parents to live. One morning, about three years ago, when he was in town, he received a telegram from some natives telling him that they were bringing a body down from Wa'imate North. On making some inquiries he learned that they had gone up to the harbor with the body, their destination being his place. He followed as soon as possible, and on arriving at Riverhead found a large gathering of natives holding a tangi over the body, which was in a frightful state. They" explained that 'death had taken place a week previously, and they intended eventually to bury the body at Taupiri. The irate landowner naturally entered a protest, and he arranged to have the body buried at once in a grave a few yard's from where it lay. "There was no cemeterv within miles," he explained, "and the only thing to <]6 was to bury the body at once. As for taking it o Taupiri I am sure the Railway Department would bave refused to carry it. I didn't like the job, and the grave has always been a blot on the place for me ever since."