tapu

/ ˈtɑːpuː /

adjective

Origin of tapu¹

Māori, from Tongan

Among the New Zealanders, when they were first revealed to Europeans as savages, the place of interment was tapu, or holy.

Suffice it, that a thing which was tapu must not be touched, nor a place that was tapu visited.

It is impossible to explain tapu in a note; we have it as an English word, taboo.

These Tapu lands were watered by skilfully constructed aqueducts, whereby they were rendered suitable for agriculture.

There were in the old times two great institutions, which ruled with iron rod in Maori land—the Tapu and the Muru.

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