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Notes

A curious instance of the strong belief in the Patu-paiarehe as supernatural beings, in comparatively recent times, is contained in an account of the “Pao-miere” ritual given me by my Ngati-Maniapoto authorities. In the later days of Hauhauism in the King Country a singular cult, an offshoot of the Pai-marire religion, was originated by two tohungas named Rangawhenua and Karepe. At their request the Ngati-Rereahu and certain other sections of Ngati-Maniapoto erected a large prayer-house of a peculiar design. It had two ridge-poles, crossing each other at right angles, and there were four doors, each facing a cardinal point of the compass. This cruciform house was built at Te Tiroa, near Mangapeehi, close to the foot of the Rangitoto Ranges, and in it the tohungas promulgated the new faith, called the “Pao-miere”—a phrase signifying chants to render an enemy powerless. The main purpose of the religion was to combat makutu or witchcraft, which had caused many deaths. (The Karakia to avert these evils and to slay the workers of makutu were given me; they show a reversion to the ancient religion). Another main object was to propitiate the Patu-paiarehe of Rangitoto and to cause them to remain in their ancient haunts as guardians of Ngati-Maniapoto and so preserve the Maori country for the Maori people.

This attitude of the “Pao-miere” priests towards the Patu-paiarehe was the reverse of that attributed to a certain dour old-world tohunga, the Reverend Ezra Peden, of whom Allan Cunningham wrote in his Traditional Tales of the Scottish Border:

“He turned loose many Scripture threatenings against those diminutive and capricious beings the fairies, and sought to preach them from the land. He prayed on every green hill, and held communings in every green valley. He wandered forth at night, as a spiritual champion, to give battle to the enemies of the light. The fairies resigned the contest with a foe equipped from such an armoury and came no more among the sons and daughters of men.”