The reason why girls were usually tattooed before marriage was that red lips were not considered sightly, but were disliked. Women are still most conservative in having their lips and chin tattooed.

There is no evidence to show that the jus primæ noctis ever obtained among the Maori, but a man who held the power that a priest did might claim almost any girl he desired, with a very good chance of getting her. I have seen that sort of thing in Mexico, where the peasant class are not a bit more advanced in regard to religion than are the Maori.

When a man had been befriended or assisted in some way by another, and he felt that he would like to make some return, he would perhaps give his benefactor a piece of land. Or on his death-bed he might say to his daughter, “When you are grown up marry our benefactor; do not heed the fact that he is much older than you” (Ka whakatutu ki tana tamahine, “Ki te ngaro taku kanohi, ki te puta to ihu, me moe i a mea, ahakoa he kaumatua ia”).

Natives say that it is the correct thing for a wife to leave her home and live with her husband among his people. This was not always the case among the Tuhoe Tribe; the husband sometimes settled down with his wife's people. Hence it will be seen that no hard-and-fast rule obtained in regard to this matter. I have noted that several women of distant places who married men of this district, and whose husbands died before them, returned to their parents' home after the mourning ceremonies, &c., were over.

A man who lives with his wife's people might perhaps be given a piece of land by them, and his children by her would inherit such land. If, however, the couple have no issue, the husband would not retain the land after the death of his wife, and he would then probably return to his own people, the land returning to the original owners. This simply amounts to his cultivating, &c., on his wife's right to such lands.

When a man of rank married a low-born or a slave woman she would have no mana (power, influence) or standing in the tribe, but their children would not only be free, but would inherit the rank, &c., of their father. No one would call them slaves or low-born, except that in quarrelling a person might say, “Your mother was a slave, or a low-born person.” The same result would follow should a low-born or slave man marry a woman of rank. Tareha, a chief of great mana, of Heretaunga, was the son of a slave woman captured at Kohi-kete.

I have noted that after a man marries he will, when he obtains something suitable, make a present to his parents-in-law. Also that if a wife's parents see that she is badly off they often try to help her by giving her things; or if the latter

be well off she may assist her parents. No special clothing or furnishing is prepared or made by a woman when she marries. When married those of the highest rank receive the most presents, useful and ornamental, although there is no recognised system of making wedding-presents, as with us.

A man shows no avoidance of his parents-in-law, as among some races; he is, on the contrary, often more friendly with them than with his own people.

In a marriage between persons of equal rank the husband has the greatest mana (authority, prestige), both in regard to property and also in respect to the conducting of tribal affairs. Taking the family of such persons, the wife would be the next in authority; and of the children the eldest son takes first rank, then the eldest daughter, then come the younger children, male and female. The youngest child would possess the least authority of all the children.

If a woman of rank marries beneath her she will always retain her superior mănă and rank above her husband. Still, this woman loses caste to a certain extent by such a marriage, and the tribe will say that she has lowered herself by marrying such a man (ka karanga te iwi, na te moenga i te tane hehe i tipuheke ai taua wahine).

“When Kareko married Timoti she committed an offence, for she was of high birth while he was a ware (person of low birth). Hence Ngati-Tawhaki sent a taua (see ante) to demand satisfaction, and I handed over to them a piece of land known as Matawera as utu (compensation).”^*

We will now give a few proverbial sayings of the Maori, and a short list of terms and expressions which may be of some interest in connection with our subject:—

“Te inati o Mawakeroa.”—This saying is applied to the passing-away of a woman and her mănă (power, prestige, authority) from her own people or clan when she marries. A son marries and abides with his people, but a daughter marries and goes to live with her husband's people, taking her mana with her; she deserts her kin for a husband.

“Mau te wahine, maku te whenua, kia ai koe i te tore tangata, kia ai hoki au i te tore whenua.”—To you the woman, to me the land, that you may breed men while I breed food.

Tane moe whare—E, kurua te takataka,!
Tane rou kakahi—E, aitia te ure!

(An indolent husband—thwack him on the noddle. An industrious husband—be kind to him.)

Tane = man (vir), male, husband.

Wahine = woman, female, wife.

Hoa = friend, mate, companion, also spouse. Taku hoa wahine = my wife; literally, “my female companion.”

Takakau = single person of either sex.

Maro-nui—He wahine maro-nui = a married woman — a woman with a large apron, literally. But only applied to women who have been married according to tribal customs, everything duly arranged, not to adulterous unions or mere cohabiting.

Makau = lover (male). Among some tribes it means “spouse.”

Pouaru = widow, widower.

Pani = orphan, widow.

Moe = to sleep, also “marry.” The term noho is also used to denote marrying—Ka noho a Toi, ka noho i a te Kura.

Ringa hoea = rejected hand. Applied sometimes to a rejected suitor, but not used in that sense alone.

Reperepe = the buttocks (also tareperepe). Kai reperepe = kai kotore (see ante).

Eweewe = blood relation.

Moe tahakura = to dream that one is in the company of a person who is really dead, as one's late wife.

Moe tahurangi = to dream that one is with an absent, but living, woman, as one's sweetheart.

Titoi = masturbation.

Regarding repudiation: At the present time when a man wishes to repudiate his wife—and in most cases of separation nowadays the cause is the husband's desire for another woman — his elders try to patch the matter up and to persuade him not to repudiate her. The blame in these cases of separation is laid upon the one whose fault it was. If the woman was in fault it will be said of her, “Ou mahi a te wahine tutua” (“Just like a low-born woman”).

We have now come to the end of this paper, for the above notes are all that I have collected on the subject of marriage among the Tuhoe Tribe. There is much left unrelated, but many most interesting facts in connection with Maori rites and customs will never see the light, for the men of old took the knowledge thereof with them when they lifted the old-time trail to the setting sun in search of the Children of Pani.

For a barbarous people, the Maori treated their women well, and gave them considerable freedom and authority. Of course, neither sex were overburdened with modesty: they spoke openly of things which we only speak of in private or not at all. It is difficult for us to examine these customs, rites, superstitions, and ideas of a primitive people with an unprejudiced mind (if not quite impossible), but, could we do so, the Maori system of arrangement of marriages would be seen to be a very good one for a primitive and communistic