makutu
nounUK /ˈmɑːkuːtuː/ · NZ /ˈmʌːkʉtʉ/
Etymology Borrowed from Māori mākutu.
1
New Zealand Witchcraft, black magic; a spell or curse.
- In some instances Māori were ‘Christian’ in some contexts – a wedding or a church service, say – and ‘Māori’ in others, such as combating mākutu or performing rituals prior to planting crops or felling trees.2003, Michael King, The Penguin History of Aotearoa New Zealand, Penguin, published 2023, page 240: