Different cultures have their own way of dealing with death. For Māori 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 Māori have ways of delaying body decomposition? If so what were they? Who performed those tasks and how? This paper draws on early Māori and non-Māori writings and on traditional songs, in an attempt to address the questions posed.



I ēnei rā e toru e whā rā noa iho pea te roa o te tūpāpāku e takoto ana i runga i te marae i mua i te whakahōkiatangatia ki te kōpū o te whenua. Nā te kitekitenga i te mamae o te tangata i te wā e tāpukena ana te tūpāpāku i huri ai ki te rapu haere i ngā āhuatanga a ō tātau tīpuna onamata. He tirohanga tēnei ki te momo whakarite tūpāpāku a te Māori kia kore ai e tere te tau mai o te piro, kia taea ai te whakaroa ake o te wā noho mai ki tēnei ao.