Life and Death

The first gods were all men. It was Tane who created the first woman, from the earth he shaped her then he breathed life into her, she sneezed and opened her eyes, and became the first woman. Tane took her to his wife and named her Hine-ahu-one. The two of them had children and created the demi gods.

The birth of children did not attract attention or great celebration, except in the chiefly families. A tapu. was put on the woman and the child. The woman were cut off from the tribe, put away in small huts known as the Whare Kohanga. (nest house) The woman would be tended to by other woman in the tribe or a special woman who specialized in this area. The priests would also attend to her at birth and recite chants and sacred prayers to make sure she had a successful birth. Once the child was born the umbilical cord was cut off and given to the priest who then took that and the placenta away and hid it in secret places. Then finally the tapu. was taken off the child and the mother for them to be free to return to the tribe./

The birth of a important child attracted much celebration especially of a male first-born. There would be gifts, including the favorite foods of the mother were given to the mother and child.

Later a baptism would take place. With the baby in his arms the priest would recite chants and prayers so that the child would become a great warrior. At the same time the child would be sprinkled with a sacred water from a sacred source and his chosen name would be announced.

When life came to an end for a person in a tribe there was a lot of celebration. This event was celebrated more than any other.

In ancient times men preferred to die in battle so they would be remembered as a warrior. Dying by sickness was thought as being against the tapu. and the work of the enemy. When the person was dying he/she would be moved to temporary quarters where they would be left to die . A chief would. if it were possible, be carried in front of the meeting house to give his last speech. A dying person would request a special food or drink and everything was done to meet those demands so the person would die with satisfaction. The death of the person was expressed by a lot of wailing and crying. The body was covered in fragrance and fine garments. The hair was combed and oiled and then decorated with feathers.

The people were mostly buried in the earth but sometimes put in trees or placed in a temporary tomb. Later the remains were recovered, they cleaned the bones then wrapped them in bundles and put them in different secret places to prevent the enemies from getting at them.

Health

Conditions on the Island for the first arrivals were good enough for a healthy lifestyle. Those who survived through childhood got to the age of thirty on average. There were some who reached the age of forty, and by then everybody considered them very old. They themselves already felt very sick and preferred to stay close to their family so that in case of need, someone would be there to help. Life expectancy varied between the mid-twenties and early thirties.

In the early times of the Maori civilization, sickness usually occurred to a person if he/she offended the gods or broke one of the tapu. rules. A person could also get sick by getting a spell on them or some kind of witchcraft. The Maori people believed that sickness was a punishment from the gods, leaving you a very small chance of surviving. The Maoris sometimes could make up an antidote for the sickness, from plants they could find. Sometimes if someone had a broken leg, people could help him with physical treatment, but it wasnÕt until the Europeans arrived that they could enjoy real medicine and have advanced treatment.