Volume 14 Australasia - dana ward's homepage

INHABITANTS OF NEW ZE.ALAND. 443the surface to be covered with ornamental tattooing, while for young women theoperation was limited to the lips, whence the term Blue-lips applied to them by theEnglish. No Polynesian nation rivalled the Maori in this art of embellishing thehuman form with harmonious designs following the contours of the body andbringing its proportions into fuller relief. -The Maori artist knew how to giveendless variety to the curves of his drawings ; all was calculated so as to producea happy blending of the lines; the natural furrows, the movements of the countenance,the play of muscles, everything was made to enhance the charm of thedesign, and a hale young man certainly presented a fine sight, draped only in thisdelicate network of blue lines on the ruddy brown ground of his skin. Whoeverrefused to undergo the protracted tortures of tattooing required at every importantevent of his life was regarded as a person by his own consent foredoomed to slavery.On the other hand the tattooed native could never be enslaved. " Liberty or Death "was his motto.Proud and skilful pleaders, the Maori have always commanded the respect ofthe English ; in the political conferences they have even frequently proved themselvessuperior in logic and eloquence, just as in field sports, such as cricket, theyexcel in strength and skill. Even in the schools they stand at least on a levelwith their masters, and when called upon to defend their native land, they provedthimselves fully as valiant as t\xe\v jxikeha (European) invaders.Near the presenttown of Tauranga a farmstead occupies the site of the great pa, or fortress of earthand palisades, which General Cameron at the head of four thousand British troopsfailed to reduce, the siege ending in the utter rout of the assailants. At the sametime this warlike spirit was associated with cannibalistic and other ferociouspractices. The Maori ate the heart and ej'es of the foe in order to acquire theircourage and intelligence. In the old kitchen middens occur human remainsassociated with those of dogs and birds, and tradition speaks of a memorablevictory celebrated by a banquet of one thousand of the fallen enemy.In their few national industries the Maori displayed remarkable skill. Theytilled the soil with extreme care ; as carvers and decorators they were unrivalledin the Oceanic world, and displayed great originality in the design and perfectionin the execution of the rock-paintings and in carving the ornamental figures oftheir dwellings, their boats, and sacred enclosures. Many of these objects arestill carefully preserved in tlio local museums, or in places still regarded astabooed by the natives.Like that of other Polynesians the Maori religion was concerned with the worshipof the natural forces, alwa)-s associated in their mind with the spirits of thtirancestors. The memory of their forefathers was so interwoven with their everydaylife that friends on meeting, instead of saluting each other with signs of joy,gave way to groans and lamentations over the departed. All are now at leastnominal Christians, and have forsaken the stone idols brought with them fromIlavaiki at the time of the exodus. One of these effigies was given bj' the peoplethemselves to Governor Grev, and the other, which had been buried in the sacredlake Roto-rua in the island of Mokoia, formed the. subject of a law-suit between