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The Pamphlet Collection of Sir Robert Stout: Volume 74

Death.—The Maori Hades

Death.—The Maori Hades.

This relates to death and the final ahode of the spirit of man. The spirit of the dead travels far away to the north until it arrives at the 'Spirit's Leaping Place,' at the summit of the great cliff, and there the spirit halts and laments, wailing for the World of Light left behind and lacerating it self sorely, for on the summit of that dread cliff there lies a heap of mata for the use of passing souls. And having bewailed the Joss of this world the spirit descends the cliff by the vine that hangs down from the summit. And then the spirit moves onward and stands upon the rock which stands at the entrance to the Reinga, the Hades of the Maori people. And from the entrance to the lower world there comes a wailing sound. Then the waters are exhaled from below and recede, the great masses of seaweed are swirled aside, and the way is open, and the spirit, passing onwards, stands in the other world. And in that world a great light appears, and there is no darkness, it is even like unto the Ao-Marama. And the spirit, passing on comes to a certaiu wall and it spirit should pass over the w will return to this world, but s it enter beneath that wall, then [unclear: d] gone from this world fur [unclear: ever.] proceeding onwards, the [unclear: spirit] counters those who have [unclear: gone] him—the ancestors and parents [unclear: of] people of this world. A long [unclear: w] greeting is exchanged, and [unclear: s] food be offered to the newly [unclear: an] spirit and eaten by it, then is it [unclear: l] doomed to remain in the [unclear: Reinga] all time.

There are ten different [unclear: hearm] worlds iu the Reiuga, from the world to the tenth world or [unclear: herd] the final resting place of [unclear: spirits]