Case file · Folklore / legend
Tohunga Suppression Act
In 1907 Parliament passed the Tohunga Suppression Act to stop traditional Māori healers 'misleading' people with claims of supernatural power; it was repealed only in 1962.
1907 CE · -41.28, 174.78 · status: official
The account
The law was aimed partly at prophets such as Rua Kēnana and backed by some Māori leaders worried about health. It drove traditional healing (rongoā) underground and is now widely seen as an attack on Māori knowledge.
Connections in the atlas
- Rātana's vision
- Killing of Janet Moses, Wainuiomata
- Tūhoto Ariki, the tohunga blamed for Tarawera
- Rua Kēnana awaits the King at Gisborne