Ancient History of the Maori, Vol. 1

In the history of Te-Arawa name of an ancestral canoe, the priest acted in a similar manner, and excused himself by saying, "I cannot give some of our sacred history, as not an old priest now remains alive who has the power to perform the ceremonies to save me from the penalty of divulging the sacred words of the gods."

When the young chief who wrote the history of Tai-nui name of an ancestral canoe from the dictation of an old priest asked that the whole of it should be related to him, he was answered, "Since the Whare-kura school of sacred learning, in which our learned priests taught our history, have been neglected, no house is sacred enough for the whole of our history to be recited therein, and I am not able to defend myself from the consequences which would most certainly follow if I were to teach you the whole of our sacred history."

The Mamari name of an ancestral canoe priests refused to give all their sacred history for the same reason, and added, "Our gods are not annihilated—they are only silenced by the superior influence of the European God. We are still in the power of our Maori gods, and if we divulge the sacred lore of our ancestors the gods will punish us with death."

Therefore, to give the most perfect history of the Maori people possible under such circumstances, it was deemed best to compile it as herein given, and, further, as the priests of different families of the same migration give different readings of the same parts of their history, to give all these, so that they may explain each other.

Such chiefs as Matiaha-Tira-morehu, of the South Island; Reihana-Waha-nui, of Wai-kato; Wiremu Maihi-Te-Rangi-ka-heke, of Roto-rua; and Aperahama-Tao-nui, of Nga-puhi; men of supreme