He kaha tô te ao, he kaha anô tô te pô

If you require a copy of this article it can be obtained free from Mai Rview's website (http://www.review.mai.ac.nz). NO Photocopying permitted due to copyright. Written in Maori.

Different cultures have their own way of dealing with death. For Mâori there is the ‘tangihanga’, where the deceased is farewelled, mourners grieve and the burial is followed by a feast marking the division of life and death. In the course of taking part in many tangihanga, questions like the following emerged: ‘Did Mâori have ways of delaying body decomposition? If so what were they? Who performed those tasks and how? This paper draws on early Mâori and non-Mâori writings and on traditional songs, in an attempt to address the questions posed. I çnei râ e toru e whâ râ noa iho pea te roa o te tûpâpâku e takoto ana i runga i te marae i mua i te whakahôkiatangatia ki te kôpû o te whenua. Nâ te kitekitenga i te mamae o te tangata i te wâ e tâpukena ana te tûpâpâku i huri ai ki te rapu haere i ngâ âhuatanga a ô tâtau tîpuna onamata. He tirohanga tçnei ki te momo whakarite tûpâpâku a te Mâori kia kore ai e tere te tau mai o te piro, kia taea ai te whakaroa ake o te wâ noho mai ki tçnei ao.