Priests

In the individual placations of fishermen to Ruaatu and, to some extent, to Rua-tama'ine, no intermediary was required. Success was invoked by individuals for individual effort. If a matter affecting several individuals was involved, the god could be approached only through the proper medium, the priest. The success of a fishing fleet was sought from Mokoiro through his hereditary priest, the Ruler of Food, and the individual Ruaatu procedure was abandoned. The tribal gods could be consulted only through the tribal priests. The pattern procedure dates historically from the local version of the selection of Motoro as the first tribal god in Mangaia:

Motoro, the human being, was drowned at sea, but his spirit reached Mangaia and, entering Papaaunuku, threw him into a frenzy and caused him to utter oracles with a foaming mouth. Papaaunuku became the pi'a (receptacle) of the god. This corresponds to the Maori conception of the inspired priest as the waka (canoe or vessel) of the god. All the priests of the Mangaian tribal gods were inspired priests who became possessed by the gods when their advice was needed. They were all pi'a atua. When Rangi wished Motoro to manifest himself, he consulted Papaaunuku. As the priest worked himself up into the state of possession, Rangi cried, "Ka uru Motoro!" (Motoro enters!) The eyes of the priest became suffused, his face and body twitched, his mouth opened ('amama), and finally he spoke the words of the god in a trancelike manner, perhaps with an unnatural voice. The speech was carefully noted by Rangi, for Papa-aunuku was supposed to know nothing about it. His own spirit was in a state of complete abeyance while his body was possessed by the god. The speech might be clear-cut and the instructions plain, or it might be incoherent or ambiguous and need an interpretation.

Whatever the form of procedure used by the priests of Tane and Turanga before their advent to Mangaia, it is certain that the form attributed to Motoro became the established pattern for Tane and the other tribal gods. As the god took possession of the priest, the bystanders cried, "Ka uru Tane," or whoever was the god invoked.

By the constant practice of their profession, the priests could readily throw themselves into the state of possession. To make doubly sure, however, they drank a preliminary bowl of kava. The dried kava root used in Samoa and Tonga forms a palatable beverage, but there is not sufficient stimulus in it to initiate the reaction desired by the Mangaian priests. The Mangaian beverage was made from green kava root which was either chewed or grated on a coral slab. To increase the strength of the green root, the mixture was made very thick. The strong drink exercised a physiological effect in suffusing the eyes and face, and it more readily initiated the physical symptoms that demonstrated to the worshipers that the god had taken possession. The prepared kava was drunk by the priest, the god took possession and delivered its dictum, after which the food ('ono) was eaten. The cannibal priest of Tangiia demanded human page 178flesh, ei 'ono i te kava (to form the food complement of the kava); if the human flesh was not forthcoming, the worshiper could not get in touch with his god.

The identity between the priests and the gods in matters of tribal policy is self-evident. As the priests had to answer questions on behalf of the gods, they had to exercise diplomacy and sound judgment. When the announcements of the gods were ambiguous or incoherent, they reflected the frame of mind of the priest. The priest begged the question and left it for the chiefs to interpret and take action accordingly.