MAORI MEMORIES

Wairarapa Times-Age, 20 January 1940, Page 3

MAORI MEMORIES

STRANGE CUSTOMS.

(Recorded by J.H.S. for “Times-Age.”)

Marsden regarded Tamihana as a man who was remarkably well informed in regard to his country, his people, and the Christian faith, and thought him on the whole io be a sensible man except in his theology. Cruise, however, wrote of this venerable Maori personage a few months later, and rather upset his reputation for sanctity. “During Tamihana’s stay on our ship as pilot there was nothing sacred about him. He was the wildest of his company. On the morning of his departure he was found to have a coat stolen from a soldier hidden under his mat. His Maori companions threatened to knock him on the head; but were dissuaded by us.”

In those days there was an ancient Maori custom by which every child was subjected to the ceremony of “Uwhiwhia” (sprinkled with water from a leaf) as a protection from injury by his own people; but this was made “Noa" (to no purpose) by Tamihana having subsequently been “Iriiringa’ (baptised) by the Mission in anticipation of his being “Whakarite Kauwhau” (ordained as a preacher), so he would have been killed for the theft had the man appointed to do the deed not dreamed that it would offend the Gods.

The implicit belief in dreaming (moemoea) or sweet vision (rekariga kanohi) was universal among the Maoris with whom there is no stricter guide to conduct than a dream.' Homer tells us in the Iliad that Jupiter in an evil dream lured Agamemnon to give battle to the Trojans.