Polynesian Sociol., Jour.


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when a person was about to have an important religious rite performed over him . . . it was considered necessary that he should be in a condition of moral purity; hence he was subjected to a process consisting of confession and absolution, sometimes accompanied by immersion in water. . . . The subject was called upon by the officiating priest to confess his peccadilloes, all hara and raruraru, offenses against tapu and morality. The absolutory rite left the subject in a condition of moral purity and mental clarity, in a fit condition to undergo the rite, and in possession of clear faculties for the performance of his duties.3

3Best, E.n/an/an/an/an/a, "Maori Religion and Mythology," , 10: 198–199. Cf.Best, E.n/an/an/an/an/a, "Maori Medical Lore," , 13: 225 ff.

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Chicago: Polynesian Sociol., Jour. in Primitive Behavior: An Introduction to the Social Sciences, ed. Thomas, William I. (New York: McGraw-Hill Book Company, Inc., 1937), Original Sources, accessed May 16, 2024, http://www.originalsources.com/Document.aspx?DocID=VE9PS4BGUPX967L.

MLA: . Polynesian Sociol., Jour., Vol. 13, in Primitive Behavior: An Introduction to the Social Sciences, edited by Thomas, William I., New York, McGraw-Hill Book Company, Inc., 1937, Original Sources. 16 May. 2024. http://www.originalsources.com/Document.aspx?DocID=VE9PS4BGUPX967L.

Harvard: , Polynesian Sociol., Jour.. cited in 1937, Primitive Behavior: An Introduction to the Social Sciences, ed. , McGraw-Hill Book Company, Inc., New York. Original Sources, retrieved 16 May 2024, from http://www.originalsources.com/Document.aspx?DocID=VE9PS4BGUPX967L.