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Nation Making, a story of New Zealand

'The Makutu

'The Makutu.

'The Maories are a very imaginative people, and have, perhaps in consequence, many superstitions. They are the Celts of the South. The superstition of the Makutu (bewitching) took deep hold of them in former times, nor is it yet extinct, more than one instance having quite recently occurred amongst them.

'The origin of this curious Maori superstition is lost in antiquity. Probably it is an ancient survival brought by the Maories from the far-off Aryan lands, from which they are supposed to have come in the long, long ago, or from some country at which they dwelt or touched, in the marvellous succession of migrations and voyages, which finally ended at" Te Ika a Maui," (the Fish of Maui) dragged from the sea by the demi-god Maui," the Islands of New Zealand."

'The belief in the" evil eye" is not yet extinct amongst Western Nations, and the power to "be-page 122witch" is still believed to exist, by the most ignorant amongst them. These ideas survive amongst the Maories as the Makutu. When a Maori is makutued, he believes he is bewitched. It is sometimes caused by a Tohunga (priest), making incantations of a simple or occult kind; or by touching a dead body; by an imprecation or curse; by a glance of the eye; by touching the head with food, or even by passing under food, suspended in a house or tree.

'When a Maori believed he was makutued, he knew his death was certain, and resigning himself to his fate, died without loss of time, unless the Makutu was removed by the incantations of a Tohunga, or by the priest who had imposed it, or by one more powerful than he.

'An instance of the Makutu came under the notice of a friend of mine forty years ago, which will illustrate some of its peculiar features. My friend at that time was building a ship on the coast. There were then no European ship carpenters to be had, and being himself a master of the craft, he engaged two parties of Maories, who, under his skilful guidance—with the quick apprehension and readiness of hand natural to the Natives—carried on the building of the ship in a fairly satisfactory manner.

'After a time however, one of the tribal parties became dissatisfied with the influence of a young Chief at the head of the other tribe. The young fellow, by his quickness and docility, had become my friend's right-hand man in the work. The scheming of the first tribe under the influence of their priest, page 123for the removal of the young chief and his tribe, was unavailing. When, one day at low water, the young Chief said, that he and his tribe must depart without delay. Being pressed for the reason, he said the old Tohunga of the other tribe had makutued him, by placing a small boulder on the shore just below high-water mark, and that if he did not depart before the water rose over the stone there would be an end of him. 'The poor fellow was in an agony of terror, begged my friend to allow him to leave the place at once, as he knew he would certainly die before next morning if he remained.

'With much difficulty, my friend persuaded him to delay his departure till next day. The master carpenter at once went to the camp of the malcontent tribe, and in their presence, reproached the old priest for putting the Makutu on the young Chief, telling them that he also possessed the power of the Makutu, and, drawing a circle in the sand round the old Tohunga, and making a few mesmeric passes over him, looked steadily for a few moments into his red eyes, and then declared, that before the tide had risen twice, he would be a dead man.

'The old priest raised his eyebrows, shot a mocking glance at my friend, and said "Taihoa" (wait, we shall see).

'At evening, there came, as usual, to the large hut, where the young Chief and his Maories were at supper, a dog belonging to the old priest of the opposition tribe, for the usual scraps of meat and biscuit. When page 124the dog appeared, my friend stroked his back, ears, and tail in a way he had never done before. He then said,

'"By sunrise on the morrow this dog will die, I have makutued him. If he does not die, then, the Makutu I have placed on the old Tohunga (priest) will fail, and the priest will live."

'During that night, a sullen deadly terror pervaded both camps. It may seem strange that the Makutu (bewitching) should have such extraordinary power over the Maories, but it is nevertheless a fact. Undoubtedly, their strong and vivid imagination renders them peculiarly liable to its influence, as well as to many other beliefs and illusions. The young Chief was in mortal terror. Nothing that my friend could say, comforted him. He declared he would be dead before high water. His retainers bemoaned his hard fate, and tangled (mourned) over him beforehand, as though he were already dead.

'In the morning, before sunrise, the Tohunga's dog lay on the sandy shore, dead. Then the old priest and his tribe knew they were under the influence of a Tohunga Nui (great priest), from whose terrible Makutu they must escape without delay, or they would be all dead men.

'Rapidly gathering their more necessary articles into the canoes, they put to sea, so relieving my friend the shipbuilder of their unwelcome presence.

'From that hour the young Chief began to recover. One of his retainers carried the smooth round boulder page 125far above high-water mark, The Maori workmen at once became merry and active as before. The shipbuilder's influence was unbounded. Was he not a great Tohunga?

'In due time, the building of the good ship was finished, and the Maori shipbuilders departed to their homes.'

'What an extraordinary circumstance,' said the Surveyor, 'how on earth did it happen?'

'I was about to say,' continued the Interpreter, 'that the master shipbuilder had given the dog a dose of arsenic the night before.'

'Ah,' said the practical Station Manager,' I've makutued a good many Maori dogs in that way myself

'Now,' continued the Interpreter, 'as the Maories say," that ends." Having given you an instance of the superstition of the Maories, I may as well tell you a story of their courage and devotion.