Karakia are Māori incantations and prayer used to invoke spiritual guidance and protection.
According to Māori legend, there was a curse on the Waiapu River which was lifted when George Gage (Hori Keeti) performed karakia.
In Māori religion, karakia are used to ritually cleanse the homes of the deceased after a burial.
The missionary Richard Taylor gives a 19th-century view of the traditional role and scope of karakia: The word karakia, which we use for prayer, formerly meant a spell, charm, or incantation [...] [Maori] have spells suited for all circumstances – to conquer enemies, catch fish, trap rats, and snare birds, to make their kumara grow, and even to bind the obstinate will of woman; to find anything lost; to discover a stray dog; a concealed enemy; in fact, for all their wants.
Modern karakia tend to contain a blend of Christian and traditional influence, and their poetic language may make literal translations into English not always possible.