Māori Tohunga and the Tohunga Suppression Debate

Record summary

Research and public discussion in this period revisited Māori tohunga, including healing, divination, ritual expertise and the effects of the Tohunga Suppression Act 1907. The lead is relevant to occult-history comparison because it concerns how colonial law classified Indigenous sacred practice as superstition or harmful magic. It is a historical and legal subject, not evidence for paranormal claims. Researchers should identify the specific scholars, oral histories and archival records used in each account, since the term tohunga covers varied forms of expertise and is not synonymous with “witch doctor.”