Handbook to the ethnographical collections . Tiie brides j^arents oftenstii)ulated that the man should live intheir tribe, but in any case the childrenwere regarded as belonging to the father,though the status of a man was largelyinfluenced l)y that of his mother. Theposition of women was high and theywere even permitted a voice in tribalcouncils. Property was inherited by thechildren, and proprietary rights, especiallyin land, were extremely complicated andvery strictly regarded. Methods of disposing of the dead variedin details from place to place, but theprocedure was in the main similar ;
Handbook to the ethnographical collections . Tiie brides j^arents oftenstii)ulated that the man should live intheir tribe, but in any case the childrenwere regarded as belonging to the father,though the status of a man was largelyinfluenced l)y that of his mother. Theposition of women was high and theywere even permitted a voice in tribalcouncils. Property was inherited by thechildren, and proprietary rights, especiallyin land, were extremely complicated andvery strictly regarded. Methods of disposing of the dead variedin details from place to place, but theprocedure was in the main similar ; thebody was buried in the hut or depositedin a casket formed of part of an old canoe ;of rare type. NcwZaalaml. after an interval, in the case of chiefs, amemorial feast was held, the bones werescraped, jiainted red and ornamented with feathers, wrapped ina mat and placed in a hollow tree or cave, or in a small canoeelevated on a pole or staging, or burnt. The heads of relationsand distinguished enemies were often preserved by smoking after. POLYNESIANS AND MICRONESIANS 179 the brain and eyes had been removed ; the first were regarded asmementos, and often brouglit out and bewailed ; the second, astrophies to be displayed on gala occasions. The musical instruments of the Maori do not exhibit greatvariety; long trumpets of wood (fig. 161), conch-shells witha wooden mouthpiece, finely carved w^ooden flutes (fig. 162), andwhistles of wood or bone, complete the list: the last named wereoften made from the bones of slain foes. Singing and dancingwere favourite amusements; the dances in particular were veryelaborate, most of them being panto-mimic and descriptive of certain occu-pations and incidents. Other formsof amusement were wrestling, foot andcanoe racing, tops, cats-cradle, and awhole variety of games very similar tothose played by children in Europe. The Maori had a large pantheon,practically the same as the rest of thePolynesians, and a very rich mytho-logy. The gods were of
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Keywords: ., bookauthorjoycetho, bookcentury1900, bookdecade1910, bookyear1910
