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Maori Religion and Mythology Part 1

Classification of Maori Gods

Classification of Maori Gods

A.Io, the Supreme Being.
B.Departmental gods, widely known, as Tane, Tu, Tangaroa, Rongo, &c.
C.Tribal gods, and some others more widely known, as Rongomai, Maru, Uenuku, Tunui, Makawe, &c.
D.Family gods; deified ancestors; cacodemons.

Here we have a fair view of the atua maori under discussion. It is impossible to draw a sharp line of distinction between classes B and C, or between C and D, for one class impinges upon another to some extent. Io stands alone, and hence may, for the time being, be set aside. Class B is composed of what may be termed departmental deities or tutelary beings. They may possibly be said to be connected more with mythological matters than with religion, as we have already noted. They are viewed in three lights—as originating beings, as controlling powers, and as personifications. In class C we have beings of less importance than those of class B. Those of class B may be termed racial gods, for they are known throughout Polynesia; but those of class C are more local, though a few are known in Polynesia. Some of them as Maru and Uenuku, might be called national deities, being widely, in some cases universally, known throughout New Zealand. The term "tribal gods" is used as a distinctive title, but in many cases is not strictly correct. Many are known throughout a district containing perhaps four or five tribes. There is one marked difference between classes B and C that should be explained, and it is connected with the functions of the two classes of beings. The departmental gods though representing certain things, activities, and conditions, do not necessarily possess executive or administrative functions, but for such purposes are replaced by the active beings of the lower classes. Thus we have in Tu the so-called god of war, but he should rather be termed the tutelary genius and personification of war. Although his mana and tapu were deemed essential in war, to render a force successful, yet as an active director of hostilities he was not utilized, but one of the lower beings was employed. Uenuku was a much-favoured being for this purpose, and some of the most successful and highly valued war-gods were but the spirits of still-born children. So we see that a war party was placed under the tapu of Tu, and certain ritual performances and formulae were in his honour; also, offerings were made to him, as page 140the heart of the first enemy slain; yet an atua of lower rank was appealed to in divinatory rites, and controlled the actions of the party through its human medium. After the Maori folk had gained some knowledge of Christianity they on several occasions employed Christ as a war-god—as, for example, in the fight at Toka-a-kuku, in 1836.

In class D we leave the realm of nature gods, who are found in the two preceding classes, and encounter what may be called, for want of a better title, "family" gods, who were often not known outside the tribal limits. The word "family", in speaking of Maori life, means the family group, or extended family, a division of a subtribe (hapu). It is in this class that we meet with ancestor-worship, for many of these so-called gods are but ancestral spirits, and also the atua kahu already alluded to. These ancestral gods had, as human mediums, their living descendants, who performed all ceremonial functions connected with them, and acted as the priestly mediums of such beings. Thus, if one was employed as a war-god, the human medium (waka, kauwaka, kaupapa) would consult such being in regard to the conduct of operations, and explain the commands of the god to the warriors. This meant that the priestly medium accompanied the party to the field of battle, and often had a greater influence in directing operations of actual fighting than the principal chief had. The highest phase or aspect of Maori religion and religious feeling is met with in the cult of Io, and the lowest in shamanistic performances pertaining to beings of class D. The gods employed in the arts of black magic were those of the third and fourth classes. In the latter class a person, male or female, might act as the medium of the spirit of his own father, or grandfather, which spirit would always warn him of the approach of any danger.

It is undoubtedly a fact that dread of atua had sometimes a serious effect on the Maori mind. A friend of the writer residing at Wellington received several visits from a native hailing from the Upper Whanganui River. He made a stay of a month or so in town, and my friend remarked to him that he was putting on flesh and looking better generally. The old native explained that the change was due to the fact that, by removing so far from his home, he had escaped the persecutions of the many atua of that place, who had worried him exceedingly. So that his removal to a distant place had acted as a whakahehe—that is to say, it had baffled the obnoxious demons. Persons suffering from illnesses were, in some cases, moved to another district with a similar end in view. Mr. White has a note to the effect that dread of the numberless atua was the cause of the Maori folk dwelling together in village communities. This is certainly an page 141exaggeration; but the Maori is not so well fitted to lead a lonely life as are Europeans—his vivid imagination is too active.

The Maori, with his superstition, ignorance, and credulity, did not know when he was safe. He never knew in what guise evil spirits might appear to work him harm, for they might assume the form of what we deem the most harmless creatures. I well remember the perturbed state of an old native couple living near one of my bush camps when they saw in the porch of their hut, two evenings in succession, a ruru (small forest owl). They came to the conclusion that it had been sent by some warlock to work them grievous injury.

In his little work on Comparative Religion F. B. Jevons remarks: "From the spirits of the dead the living may have something to fear; they have little or nothing to hope. It is to the being worshipped by the community that the community turns for aid and the gratification of their desires, &c." A remark such as this, if applied to the Maori, needs explaining and toning down somewhat. Under certain circumstances the Maori assuredly feared the spirits of the dead; under other circumstances he had much to hope from them. By means of a process of conciliation he obtained great benefits from them—or believed that he did, which, presumably, was just as good. We cannot, however, say that he worshipped such spirits, even when they were evolved into what we term "gods." So far as we understand Maori religion and religious thought; it would appear that no element of worship entered into the cult of the spirit-gods; it was a matter of conciliation—in fact, a kind of businesslike arrangement between the conciliator and the spirit of his dead relative.

The Maori can scarcely be said to have had any national religion. Certain superior gods were known as tribes, but there was no common, generally-known ritual pertaining to these beings; it differed among the various tribes, for the various schools of learning differed somewhat in their teachings. The adepts who had passed through one of these superior schools were consistent in their teachings, and employed the same formulae; but the lower-grade tohunga, who indulged in shamanistic performances, were practically a law unto themselves. Thus there was no regular form of service or ceremonial, even as there was no special day set aside for the performance of ritual observances. The only regularly recurring ceremonial was connected with such activities as industries, as at the planting and gathering of crops, the firstfruits function, the opening of the fowling season, &c. Many of what may be called religious functions were connected with irregular occurrences, as birth, death, exhumation, baptism, war, house-building, &c. It is vain to look for any regular system of worship among such folk as the Maori.

page 142

Having given some brief account of the different classes or grades of Maori gods, their attitude towards mankind, and the attitude of the Maori towards them, we may now proceed to more closely examine each grade, and so commence with the most important of all, Io the Supreme Being.