The Maori are an indigenous people in New Zealand who used to carve out masks and statues prior to heading into battle.
According to the Maori belief system, any man who died in battle would leave his soul behind in one of the warrior masks.
While the curse of the masks poses no threat to other men, women who are pregnant or currently menstruating are said to be cursed with harm or bad luck if they even get near one. An English museum even posted a warning to women to let them know about the curse.
Maori tradition dictates that a pregnant or menstruating woman is tapu, or taboo, and so are the artefacts, meaning that if the two come into contact a curse could be invoked.
