mÄkutu is a new zealand mÄori word meaning witchcraft, sorcery, to bewitch; also a spell or incantation.williams, herbert w., 1975. a dictionary of the mÄori language. 7th edition. wellington: government printerthe maori: yesterday and to-day chapter vi. â makutu: â the belief in witchcraft it may also be described as a belief in malignant occult powers possessed by certain people. according to best,best, elsdon, 1982. mÄori religion and mythology, part 2. dominion museum bulletin no.11. museum of new zealand: wellington. the belief in mÄkutu was 'universal and prominent in pre-european times' and acted as 'a disciplinary force in the old days; it was one of the substitutes for civil law that preserved order in a mÄori community.' best adds that the effectiveness of mÄkutu was heightened by the fact that it could be carried out in secret; the element of uncertainty produced caution on the part of those who might otherwise transgress the laws of the community. it was widely believed that those expert in mÄkutu were able to use the art to kill people. but there were limits on their freedom to act: should an irresponsible practicer of the dark arts become a nuisance to a tribe, the solution to the problem was simply to kill the errant magician without delay. the training undergone by an apprentice was long and difficult, involving secret rituals and tests an october 2007 mÄkutu lifting in the wellington suburb of wainuiomata led to the death by drowning of a woman and the hospitalisation of a teen, allegedly due to attempts to remove such a curse. ==see also== * tohunga ==references== 
MAori_mythology MAori_religion Witchcraft