Wainuiomata Mākutu Lifting
Encyclopedia
During an October 2007 mākutu
lifting (or exorcism
) in the Wellington
, New Zealand
suburb of Wainuiomata
, 22-year-old Janet Moses died and a 14-year-old female relation was injured. In 2009 nine members of Moses' extended family, all siblings of her mother or their spouses, were charged in relation to the event, one uncle and four aunts were subsequently found guilty of drowning Moses.
The mākutu lifting and subsequent trial were notable for bringing makutu into the public consciousness in New Zealand and the large number of independent people who stepped forward to distance makutu lifting as they knew it from the events of in this case. Unprecedented media attention was paid to mākutu, mākutu lifting and Māori religion
.
word which can be either a noun or a verb depending on context, it is translated into English as curse, witchcraft or sorcery. In modern orthography Mākutu is written with a macron
where technically possible, but in historical sources and sometimes in modern sources (such as newspapers) with limited technical capabilities it is written without the macron.
Historically the tohunga
involved in lifting mākutu were suppressed by the politically-motivated Tohunga Suppression Act 1907, which was repealed in 1962.
hotel without permission by family members and became connected to Moses' behaviour, the family said she was acting like a lion. The family emblem was a lion, with at least one family member having a tattoo of a lion and the words 'Family united' over it.
When they became concerned with her behaviour, Moses' family consulted kaumatua
(elder) Timi Rahi, who prayed for her and blessed her, and advised the family to return the lion, which they did. Rahi instructed the family that it was their responsibility to carry out the healing. After Rahi left, a prolonged mākutu lifting was performed by her predominantly maternal family at the Wainuiomata
flat of Moses' late grandmother. The ceremony was improvised, as none of those involved had any knowledge of the procedure for a mākutu lifting. During the ceremony, so much water was used that the carpet had become soaked, and so a small hole in the floor had to be made for drainage. Neighbours heard rhythmic stomping and thumping throughout the night.
At or about 8:00 AM on 12 October 2007, Janet Moses died by drowning. Her father, who had travelled from Christchurch through the night to support his daughter wasn't informed until his arrival at 4:30 PM. Nine hours after the death the police were called.
None of the convicted family members were sentenced to custodial sentences, the judge instead handing down community-based sentences.
At the trial Charlie Moses, Janet's paternal grandfather took a stance supporting the charged "We've made our peace with them. They didn't know what they were doing, even though I told them not to go down that road. They chose to do it anyway. For that mistake ... they're going to pay for the rest of their lives. I wish them well all the same."
As is common in New Zealand court cases, a number of those connected to the case have name suppression to prevent the identification of under-age victims.
The eventual coroners inquest strongly recommended that family consult tohunga (experts) or experienced kaumatua
(elders) before taking action on suspected mākutu. Both Pou Temara professor of Māori language and traditions at Waikato University and Rawiri Taonui head of Canterbury University's School of Maori and Indigenous Studies said that the advice was sensible and that Māori would continue mākutu lifting practices.
Makutu
Mākutu is a New Zealand Māori word meaning witchcraft, sorcery, to bewitch; also a spell or incantation. It may also be described as a belief in malignant occult powers possessed by certain people....
lifting (or exorcism
Exorcism
Exorcism is the religious practice of evicting demons or other spiritual entities from a person or place which they are believed to have possessed...
) in the Wellington
Wellington
Wellington is the capital city and third most populous urban area of New Zealand, although it is likely to have surpassed Christchurch due to the exodus following the Canterbury Earthquake. It is at the southwestern tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Rimutaka Range...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
suburb of Wainuiomata
Wainuiomata
Wainuiomata is a suburban town located within the city limits of Lower Hutt - and part of the greater Wellington urban area - in the lower North Island of New Zealand...
, 22-year-old Janet Moses died and a 14-year-old female relation was injured. In 2009 nine members of Moses' extended family, all siblings of her mother or their spouses, were charged in relation to the event, one uncle and four aunts were subsequently found guilty of drowning Moses.
The mākutu lifting and subsequent trial were notable for bringing makutu into the public consciousness in New Zealand and the large number of independent people who stepped forward to distance makutu lifting as they knew it from the events of in this case. Unprecedented media attention was paid to mākutu, mākutu lifting and Māori religion
Maori religion
Māori religion is the religious beliefs and practice of the Māori, the Polynesian indigenous people of New Zealand.-Traditional Māori religion:...
.
Mākutu
Mākutu is a Māori languageMaori language
Māori or te reo Māori , commonly te reo , is the language of the indigenous population of New Zealand, the Māori. It has the status of an official language in New Zealand...
word which can be either a noun or a verb depending on context, it is translated into English as curse, witchcraft or sorcery. In modern orthography Mākutu is written with a macron
Macron
A macron, from the Greek , meaning "long", is a diacritic placed above a vowel . It was originally used to mark a long or heavy syllable in Greco-Roman metrics, but now marks a long vowel...
where technically possible, but in historical sources and sometimes in modern sources (such as newspapers) with limited technical capabilities it is written without the macron.
Historically the tohunga
Tohunga
In the culture of the Māori of New Zealand, a tohunga is an expert practitioner of any skill or art, religious or otherwise. Tohunga may include expert priests, healers, navigators, carvers, builders, teachers and advisors. The equivalent term in Hawaiian culture is kahuna...
involved in lifting mākutu were suppressed by the politically-motivated Tohunga Suppression Act 1907, which was repealed in 1962.
The Mākutu and Mākutu Lifting
In the period prior to the mākutu lifting, Janet Moses had suffered the loss of her grandmother and relationship problems with her partner and father of her two children; the trial would later hear expert testimony that she likely had an "underlying psychiatric or psychological disorder." A concrete lion was removed from a GreytownGreytown
Greytown may refer to one of several places:*Greytown, New Zealand, a town in the southern North Island's Wairarapa region*Greytown, Nicaragua, the capital city of the municipality of San Juan de Nicaragua*Greytown, KwaZulu-Natal, a town in South Africa...
hotel without permission by family members and became connected to Moses' behaviour, the family said she was acting like a lion. The family emblem was a lion, with at least one family member having a tattoo of a lion and the words 'Family united' over it.
When they became concerned with her behaviour, Moses' family consulted kaumatua
Kaumatua
Kaumātua are respected tribal elders of either gender in a Māori community who have been involved with their whānau for a number of years. They are appointed by their people who believe the chosen elders have the capacity to teach and guide both current and future generations...
(elder) Timi Rahi, who prayed for her and blessed her, and advised the family to return the lion, which they did. Rahi instructed the family that it was their responsibility to carry out the healing. After Rahi left, a prolonged mākutu lifting was performed by her predominantly maternal family at the Wainuiomata
Wainuiomata
Wainuiomata is a suburban town located within the city limits of Lower Hutt - and part of the greater Wellington urban area - in the lower North Island of New Zealand...
flat of Moses' late grandmother. The ceremony was improvised, as none of those involved had any knowledge of the procedure for a mākutu lifting. During the ceremony, so much water was used that the carpet had become soaked, and so a small hole in the floor had to be made for drainage. Neighbours heard rhythmic stomping and thumping throughout the night.
At or about 8:00 AM on 12 October 2007, Janet Moses died by drowning. Her father, who had travelled from Christchurch through the night to support his daughter wasn't informed until his arrival at 4:30 PM. Nine hours after the death the police were called.
The Trial
Much of the trial centred on the issue of consent, that is whether Moses was a willing participant in the ritual. The trial ran for 29 days and 101 witnesses, many of them giving testimony relating to cultural and religious practices. The jury deliberated for 20 hours before convicting five of the eight maternal family members facing charges (another family member was discharged by the judge mid-trial).None of the convicted family members were sentenced to custodial sentences, the judge instead handing down community-based sentences.
At the trial Charlie Moses, Janet's paternal grandfather took a stance supporting the charged "We've made our peace with them. They didn't know what they were doing, even though I told them not to go down that road. They chose to do it anyway. For that mistake ... they're going to pay for the rest of their lives. I wish them well all the same."
As is common in New Zealand court cases, a number of those connected to the case have name suppression to prevent the identification of under-age victims.
The eventual coroners inquest strongly recommended that family consult tohunga (experts) or experienced kaumatua
Kaumatua
Kaumātua are respected tribal elders of either gender in a Māori community who have been involved with their whānau for a number of years. They are appointed by their people who believe the chosen elders have the capacity to teach and guide both current and future generations...
(elders) before taking action on suspected mākutu. Both Pou Temara professor of Māori language and traditions at Waikato University and Rawiri Taonui head of Canterbury University's School of Maori and Indigenous Studies said that the advice was sensible and that Māori would continue mākutu lifting practices.