The Tapu Tohunga. -- The Maori oracle. -- Responses of the
oracle. -- Priestcraft.
Then came the _tapu tohunga_, or priest's _tapu_, a quite different
kind or form of _tapu_ from those which I have spoken of. These
_tohunga_ presided over all those ceremonies and customs which had
something approaching to a religious character. They also pretended to
the power, by means of certain familiar spirits, to foretell future
events, and even in some cases to control them. The belief in the
power of these _tohunga_ to foretell events was very strong, and the
incredulous pakeha who laughed at them was thought a person quite
incapable of understanding plain evidence. I must allow that some of
their predictions were of a most daring nature, and happening to turn
out perfectly successful, there may be some excuse for an ignorant
people believing in them. Most of these predictions were, however,
given, like the oracles of old, in terms which would admit a double
meaning, and secure the character of the soothsayer no matter how the
event turned out. It is also remarkable that these _tohunga_ did not
pretend to divine future events by any knowledge or power existing in
themselves; they pretended to be for the time inspired by the familiar
spirit, and passive in his hands. This spirit "entered into" them,
and, on being questioned, gave a response in a sort of half-whistling,
half-articulate voice, supposed to be the proper language of spirits;
and I have known a _tohunga_ who, having made a false prediction, laid
the blame on the "tricksey spirit," who he said had purposely spoken
false for certain good and sufficient spiritual reasons, which he then
explained. Amongst the fading customs and beliefs of the good old
times the _tohunga_ still holds his ground, and the oracle is as often
consulted, though not so openly, as it was a hundred years ago, and is
as firmly believed in, and this by natives who are professed
Christians; and the inquiries are often on subjects of the most vital
importance to the welfare of the colony. A certain _tohunga_ has even
quite lately, to my certain knowledge, been paid a large sum of money
to do a miracle! I saw the money paid, and I saw the miracle. And the
miracle was a good enough sort of miracle, as miracles go in these
times. The natives know we laugh at their belief in these things. They
would much rather we were angry, for then they would defy us; but as
we simply laugh at their credulity, they do all they can to conceal it
from us; but nevertheless the chiefs, on all matters of importance,
continue to consult the Maori oracle.
I shall give two instances of predictions which came under my own
observation, and which will show how much the same priestcraft has
been in all times.
A man--a petty chief--had a serious quarrel with his relations, left
his tribe, and went to a distant part of the country, saying that he
cast them off, and would never return. After a time the relations
became both uneasy at his absence and sorry for the disagreement. The
presence of the head of the family was also of consequence to them.
They therefore inquired of the oracle if he would return. At night the
_tohunga_ invoked the familiar spirit, he became inspired, and in a
sort of hollow whistle came the words of fate:--"He will return, but
yet not return." This response was given several times, and then the
spirit departed, leaving the priest or _tohunga_ to the guidance of
his own unaided wits. No one could understand the meaning of the
response. The priest himself said he could make nothing of it. The
spirit of course knew his own meaning; but all agreed that, whatever
that meaning was, it would turn out true. Now the conclusion of this
story is rather extraordinary. Some time after this several of the
chief's relations went to offer reconciliation and to endeavour to
persuade him to return home. Six months afterwards they returned,
bringing him along with them _a corpse_; they had found him dying, and
carried his body home. Now all knew the meaning of the words of the
oracle, "He will return, but yet not return."
Another instance, which I witnessed myself, was as follows:--A captain
of a large ship had run away with a Maori girl; or a Maori girl had
run away with a ship captain; I should not like to swear which is the
proper form of expression; and the relations, as in such cases happens
in most countries, thought it incumbent on them to get into a great
taking, and make as much noise as possible about the matter. Off they
set to the _tohunga_; I happened to be at his place at the time, and
saw and heard all I am about to recount. The relations of the girl did
not merely confine themselves to asking questions, they demanded
active assistance. The ship had gone to sea loaded for a long voyage.
The fugitives had fairly escaped; and what the relations wanted was
that the _atua_, or familiar spirit of the _tohunga_, should bring the
ship back into port, so that they might have an opportunity to recover
the lost ornament of the family. I heard the whole. The priest hummed
and hawed. "He did not know, could not say. We should hear what the
'boy' would say. He would do as he liked. Could not compel him;" and
so forth. At night all assembled in the house where the priest usually
performed. All was expectation. I saw I was _de trop_ in the opinion
of our soothsayer; in fact, I had got the name of an infidel (which I
have since taken care to get rid of), and the spirit was unwilling to
enter the company of unbelievers. My friend the priest hinted to me
politely that a nice bed had been made for me in the next house. I
thanked him in the most approved Maori fashion, but said I was "very
comfortable where I was;" and, suiting the action to the word, rolled
my cloak about me, and lay down on the rushes with which the floor
was covered. About midnight I heard the spirit saluting the guests,
and they saluting him; and I also noticed they hailed him as
"relation," and then gravely preferred the request that he would
"drive back the ship which had stolen his cousin." The response, after
a short time, came in the hollow, mysterious, whistling voice,--"The
ship's nose I will batter out on the great sea." This answer was
repeated several times, and then the spirit departed and would not be
recalled. The rest of the night was spent in conjecturing what could
be the meaning of these words. All agreed that there must be more in
them than met the ear; but no one could say it was a clear concession
of the request made. As for the priest, he said he could not
understand it, and that "the spirit was a great rogue"--a _koroke
hangareka_. He, however, kept throwing out hints now and then that
something more than common was meant, and talked generally in the "we
shall see" style. Now here comes the end of the affair. About ten days
after this in comes the ship. She had been "battered" with a
vengeance. She had been met by a terrible gale when a couple of
hundred miles off the land, and had sprung a leak in the bow. The bow
in Maori is called the "nose" (_ihu_). The vessel had been in great
danger, and had been actually forced to run for the nearest port,
which happened to be the one she had left. Now, after such a
coincidence as this, I can hardly blame the ignorant natives for
believing in the oracle, for I actually caught myself quoting, "Can
the devil speak truth?" Indeed I have in the good old times known
several pakehas who "thought there was something in it," and two who
formally and believingly consulted the oracle, and paid a high
_douceur_ to the priest.
I shall give one more instance of the response of the Maori oracle. A
certain northern tribe, noted for their valour, but not very numerous,
sent the whole of their best men on a war expedition to the south.
This happened about forty years ago. Before the _taua_ started the
oracle was consulted, and the answer to the question, "Shall this
expedition be successful?" came. "A desolate country!--a desolate
country!--a desolate country!" This the eager warriors accepted as a
most favourable response. They said the enemy's country would be
desolated. It, however, so turned out that they were all exterminated
to a man, and the miserable remnant of their tribe, weakened and
rendered helpless by their loss, became a prey to their more immediate
neighbours, lost their lands, and have ceased from that day to be
heard of as an independent tribe. So, in fact, it was the country of
the eager inquirers which was laid "desolate." Every one praised the
oracle, and its character was held higher than ever.