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.