INTRODUCTION.

Besides these divinities there were malignant spirits who became agents for evil for those who possessed the power for exorcising them. This art of witchcraft was known to a few only of the high priests. Its ceremonies and incantations were of the most awe-inspiring character, and those supposed to possess a knowledge of it were looked upon with the utmost dread. This knowledge came direct from the spirits themselves.

The task our Maori has undertaken is no less than to give the traditions of his race as they relate to the creation of the world, the origin of its animal and vegetable life, the ancient wars in the home of his progenitors, the migrations and perils and arrivals of the several canoes in New Zealand, the people they found here, and the territory they respectively occupied; the names given to the mountains, rivers, headlands, and their meaning; the tales of folk-lore, of fairies, ghosts, and spirits, of monsters of the earth and sky; his traditions relating to the art of tattooing, and the ceremonies connected with births, marriages, deaths, and tapu sacred restriction; and the songs and proverbs of his people.

As this will be all told in the language of the historian, the translator has resolved to add to his part of the work a glossary and appendix, which will elucidate and explain ambiguities, and give illustrations of the affinity of the Maori language with the languages of several of the islands of the Pacific Ocean.

He acknowledges with thanks the valuable contributions he has already received from enthusiastic friends, whose names will be published hereafter.