He Kōrero nō te Ao Kē: Tales from the Ancestors
JOURNAL
Māori Messenger: Te Karere Māori, Volume 2, Issue 51, 5 December 1850
Māori Messenger: Te Karere Māori, Volume 2, Issue 51, 5 December 1850
Of Expedition Overland from Auckland to Taranaki, by way of Rotorua, Taupo, and the West Coast, undertaken, in the Summer of 1849-50, by His Excellency the Governor-in-Chief of New Zealand. [continued from our last.]
Friday, December 21st. – A cold, disagreeable, showery morning, and even between the showers, the incessant dripping from the trees overhead kept us constantly wet through. After five hours’ hard walking, the wood being very thick in places and the road bad, we emerged at a distance of about two miles from the lake of Rotorua, of which we obtained a beautiful bird’s-eye view, as we were still at a considerable elevation above the water. This lake is of no great extent, and, viewed from this point, appears to want wood and high land to render the landscape very effective. Still, it is nevertheless an extremely pretty sheet of water, and the Island of Mokoia in the midst of it adds much to the beauty of its appearance. There are a few native huts, inhabited by about a dozen people, along with some potato plantations, at the spot where the road branches off from the wood. It was about one o’clock when we reached this point, and we were so delighted at leaving the long dreary forest behind, that when the bright sun shone forth upon us (for the weather had cleared up, and it was a beautiful afternoon) upon emerging from the wood, we almost involuntarily gave three cheers, to the great astonishment of an old woman who was weeding the potato-ground hard by, and to the extreme consternation of the said old lady’s small dog, who ran yelping behind his mistress, and having gained this asylum commenced most valiantly barking and snarling at the intruders. We found the natives to be very hospitable, giving us as many potatoes as we required for ourselves and our men. However, as the potatoes were scarcely yet sufficiently ripe to dig, even as new potatoes, it was a considerable sacrifice for the poor people.
After partaking of a hearty breakfast, we started at about three o’clock for the lake. We walked over a fine slope of undulating fern-hills, composed of excellent soil, till we reached the mouth of a creek called Te Awa Hou, on crossing which we came to a small pa of Roman Catholic natives, also called Awa Hou.
On the margin of the lake, about a mile distant from the Awa Hou, is the settlement of Puhirua, the chief of which, Hikairo, who is one of the principal men in the district, was absent with his son Edward at Maketu, a harbour in the Bay of Plenty, on the East Coast, where they had expected to meet the Governor. We were rather disappointed at missing our old friend Hikairo, but Robert, the native teacher, did the honours. We pitched our tents on the margin of the lake below the pa, on the very spot where Captain Symonds and Dr Dieffenbach had encamped when they visited Rotorua nine years previously. The natives brought us a large basket of inanga, a small fish much resembling white bait, which is taken with the seine in great quantities in all these lakes at certain seasons, and off which we supped most luxuriously, having fried them in butter.
Saturday, December 22nd. — After enjoying a delightful swim in the lake and having partaken of a hearty breakfast of fried inanga, we set out to see a fountain of cold water which forms the source of the Awa-hou. The creek is about twenty or thirty yards wide, and of considerable depth, the bottom being plainly visible through the water, which is clear as crystal. After paddling up the stream for about half a mile, we reached the head of the creek, which is a sort of basin, in the centre of which is the fountain called Pekehaua, which seemed of unfathomable depth, throwing up inconceivable quantities of clear, cold water.
This fountain was, according to native tradition, inhabited in former days by a most ferocious and blood-thirsty taniwha, or semi-deified monster, called Pekehaua, who, with two other taniwhas, was destroyed by certain brave ancestors of the Rotorua people. The following story is translated from an original manuscript given to me by the chief of the tribe inhabiting this side of the lake, Te Rangi Kaheke, also known as William Marsh, a person of some repute in such matters. It purports to be the legend, handed down for many generations, of the slaying of these fierce monsters, who were called Hotupuku, Pekehaua, and the story is well written and interesting, not only as shewing the minuteness of detail with which these traditions are handed down by the natives, but also on account of the extraordinary resemblance which it bears to several of our own legends, such as that of St. George and the Dragon, and numerous others which may be found in many of our ancient ballads and metrical tales. Without further preface I subjoin the story verbatim, as written down by Marsh, of which the following is a translation as nearly literal as it could be conveniently made.
After partaking of a hearty breakfast, we started at about three o’clock for the lake. We walked over a fine slope of undulating fern-hills, composed of excellent soil, till we reached the mouth of a creek called Te Awa Hou, on crossing which we came to a small pa of Roman Catholic natives, also called Awa Hou.
On the margin of the lake, about a mile distant from the Awa Hou, is the settlement of Puhirua, the chief of which, Hikairo, who is one of the principal men in the district, was absent with his son Edward at Maketu, a harbour in the Bay of Plenty, on the East Coast, where they had expected to meet the Governor. We were rather disappointed at missing our old friend Hikairo, but Robert, the native teacher, did the honours. We pitched our tents on the margin of the lake below the pa, on the very spot where Captain Symonds and Dr Dieffenbach had encamped when they visited Rotorua nine years previously. The natives brought us a large basket of inanga, a small fish much resembling white bait, which is taken with the seine in great quantities in all these lakes at certain seasons, and off which we supped most luxuriously, having fried them in butter.
Saturday, December 22nd. — After enjoying a delightful swim in the lake and having partaken of a hearty breakfast of fried inanga, we set out to see a fountain of cold water which forms the source of the Awa-hou. The creek is about twenty or thirty yards wide, and of considerable depth, the bottom being plainly visible through the water, which is clear as crystal. After paddling up the stream for about half a mile, we reached the head of the creek, which is a sort of basin, in the centre of which is the fountain called Pekehaua, which seemed of unfathomable depth, throwing up inconceivable quantities of clear, cold water.
This fountain was, according to native tradition, inhabited in former days by a most ferocious and blood-thirsty taniwha, or semi-deified monster, called Pekehaua, who, with two other taniwhas, was destroyed by certain brave ancestors of the Rotorua people. The following story is translated from an original manuscript given to me by the chief of the tribe inhabiting this side of the lake, Te Rangi Kaheke, also known as William Marsh, a person of some repute in such matters. It purports to be the legend, handed down for many generations, of the slaying of these fierce monsters, who were called Hotupuku, Pekehaua, and the story is well written and interesting, not only as shewing the minuteness of detail with which these traditions are handed down by the natives, but also on account of the extraordinary resemblance which it bears to several of our own legends, such as that of St. George and the Dragon, and numerous others which may be found in many of our ancient ballads and metrical tales. Without further preface I subjoin the story verbatim, as written down by Marsh, of which the following is a translation as nearly literal as it could be conveniently made.
A LEGEND OF THE KILLING OF TANIWHAS.
This is an account of the brave deeds performed by some of the men of olden time, the ancestors of the chiefs of Rotorua. The names of these men were Purahokura, Reteoti, Rongo Hānau, Rongo Hape and Pitaka, and their father's name was Tamaihu Toroa. When they grew up to man's estate, they heard accounts of a great number of people having been lost while travelling in the neighbourhood of Tauhunui, Tuporo, and near Lake Tikitapu.
When people went from Rotorua to Taupo or to the mountains to visit their relatives, the people they had left behind imagined they were detained by their friends, whereas in truth, they had been killed on the road. Those also who travelled from Taupo by the same road were in like manner destroyed, and their friends supposed they were kept at Rotorua, to account for the delay; but no, they also lay dead in the same place.
About this time, a party set out from Rotorua by way of Tarawera and Rotomahana, and it was the first party to reach Taupo safely. Upon their arrival, they were cross-questioned by the people there, and they, in their turn, questioned the others with reference to the disappearance of those who were missing. The Taupo men asked them by which road those who were lost had travelled, to which the others replied, across the plain of Kaingaroa by way of Tauhunui.
Then they all reflected together upon the matter, and they said, "Perhaps they have fallen in with some war party by the way, for the war parties which visit that part of the country. So they sent a party to assemble at Taupo to search for those who were missing. They slept on the road the first night and the following morning, at daybreak, crossed the Waikato River, and traversed the plain of Kaingaroa, until they arrived at Kapenga, the place inhabited by the monster Hotupuku, who, the moment he discovered by the scent that men were approaching, rushed out of his cave.
The Taniwha and the travelling party approached without seeing each other, and when the latter at length perceived their enemy, behold, he was close upon them, and they fled from fear of him, for he was so large that he appeared like a mountain approaching them. Then they called out to those in the rear, "Behind there! a taniwha, a taniwha!" and the party then dispersed and fled for their lives for the fear of this beast armed with scales and spikes like a monster of the sea, advancing to attack them. He was so close upon them that, had it not been for their numbers, all would have perished; as it was, several were saved, though many were devoured. So, they then discovered that those who had formerly disappeared on this road had been destroyed by a taniwha.
This news was quickly circulated through Rotorua, and of course came to the ears of our heroes, the brave men already mentioned; whereupon they called upon three hundred and forty men of their tribe to assemble, who arose and travelled to the plain of Kapenga, where they sat down, and having pulled some leaves of the whanake (cabbage-palm), commenced plaiting it into ropes, and in doing so invented four several kinds of sennett, which are called tari, tamaka, whiri-paraharaha and rinorino. When they had finished this task, the chiefs arose and began recounting tales of bravery to inspire each other's courage and gave directions to their followers on how they should conduct themselves in the approaching struggle.
Then one of the chiefs arose and said, "Let us go quietly, and not approach too close to the taniwha. Instead, let us be at a distance, and wait until the wind draws towards ourselves, for should it blow from us towards him, he will scent us and will then be prevented from making our preparations, by his coming upon us before we are ready for him." To this counsel they all agreed, and made arrangements accordingly, as to how they should snare the taniwha, appointing parties of men to stand at either side of the snare which they had made to hold on by the ends of the ropes. They also appointed others to entice him out of his cave, arming the men armed with the kaieitu, patu, taoroa, patu-paraoa, meremere and other native implements of warfare. Thus, they arranged everything in complete readiness for the destruction of the Taniwha.
Before those who were appointed to entice him out of his cave could arrive at their post, he perceived the scent of men approaching and came rushing out. Long before they could see him, they heard a rumbling noise like thunder, caused by the motion of the monster underground, and they immediately moved off to a distance, in order to give him room to come out, and when he saw what a good feed was (as he fancied in store for him, he was delighted. He came forward with open mouth and flaming tongue and gave chase, but his enemies had the start of him, and as he reached the top of an eminence, they were already at the bottom where the snare was placed, and the men who had been stationed to pull the ropes were concealed in the fern on either side. They passed through the snare and ascended the hill beyond, still chased by the monster. So soon as his head and forelegs were within the snare, the look-out on the hillside shouted, "There he is in the trap! Pull!" The men at the ropes obeyed, and the Taniwha was caught by the midst of his body.
When he found himself snared, he struggled and flung about his tail with great violence, whereupon his assailants rushed upon him and attacked his hindquarters with their weapons, thrusting them into his body. And when his head felt the pain of the ropes which bound his body in the midst, and of the weapons which were thrust into his hind quarters, he flung it about also with great violence, and those who had been appointed to entice him came down and with their weapons flying like a liberated bird, and attacked his head. He fought so hard that those who held the ropes had to fasten them to stakes driven into the ground, which being done, they came and assisted the others, attacking his head (which was the part that struggled hardest) with their weapons. At length, after a hard struggle, they despatched him, and he stretched himself out like a dying grub and expired, his body being much mutilated by the numerous wounds he had received.
On the following morning, they proceeded to cut up their enemy, which lay on the road; it seemed as large as a black whale and in shape like a tunete.* The head, the legs, the tail, the scales, the skin and the spikes on his back resembled those of the common lizard, but in size, the beast more resembled a whale than anything else.
Then they had an opportunity to attentively observe this terrible animal, which had destroyed so many people. Long they examined it with wonder, and the chief then said, "Let us slit ourselves and cut him up, in order that we may see the offspring of Tiki'i in his stomach." So they cut him up with their instruments called mata-whiapu (obsidian), mata-tuhua (ditto), mira-tuatini (instrument set with shark's teeth), kuku-muetoka (muscle shell), and ngaoe (ditto). On cutting into his throat, there came forth a tremendous gush of wind from the stomach. They cut through immense flakes of fat into the abdomen, where they found bodies of men, women and children, some whole, others cut asunder in the middle, whilst other were minus their heads, arms or legs which had been lopped off by his immense sharp teeth. Besides these there were weapons, as the mere pounamu (weapon of green talc), kotiate, patu-paraoa (weapon of whale bone), maipi, tewhatewha (wooden instrument with spear point and head like a tomahawk), pou-whenua, tokotoko (walk-ing stick), and paraoa-roa (long weapon of the jaw-bone of the sperm whale) all collected together like the whare-huata (armoury) of Maui. Then there were numbers of ornaments, the hei tiki (talc neck ornament), kuru pounamu (straight talc ear ornament), mako (shark's tooth), pekapeka and poria (talc ear ornaments). Also garments of various descriptions, as the kaitaka (bordered mat), puahiura (dogskin), pukupuku-patea, kahu-turu-kura (trimmed with red feathers), kahu-kiwi (of kiwi skins), kahu kekeno (of seal skins), maiaorere, kahahaka, korirangi (shaggy mat of undressed flax dyed black and yellow), tatata, mangakēa, tatara (undressed flax or cabbage tree dyed black), pureke (undressed flax undyed), and many others, too numerous to mention.
They took out the dead bodies and buried them in the earth, which being done, they cut up the body of the monster into pieces and put his fat in calabashes and patuas, and they cooked and ate their enemy in revenge for his misdeeds. They then returned to Rotorua.
(To be continued)
It may appear strange to those who are unacquainted with the natives of this country to hear of a pa of Roman Catholic natives. Still, the Māori are not a whit behind their white-skinned or more civilized fellow creatures in the virulence of their religious animosities, and it is very rare to find the adherents of more than one of the three religious denominations who have established missions in these Islands, inhabiting the same settlement. As a general rule, each village is wholly devoted to one particular sect, either Anglican, Roman or Wesleyan, and the exceptions are only in the cases of very large settlements such as that of Ohinemutu, and even then, the disciples of the different missions are located in entirely distinct portions of the pa. As an instance of the height to which this antagonistic feeling is in some cases allowed to run, I may mention the following incident which occurred to a gentleman travelling a few years ago in a part of the Islands where the missionaries of two different denominations happened to reside within a short distance of each other. A quarrel had taken place a long time before between the parties adhering to each church, which had ended in the forcible expulsion of one sect from the village. The traveller arrived at the gates late in the evening (too late to go anywhere else after he had been denied admission) and to his astonishment found them fast closed. The first question he was asked was, "To what church do you belong?" The traveller, seeing at once his admittance entirely depended upon the answer that he might give, after a little hesitation, replied, "To the true church," which of course satisfied both parties, and the gates were instantly opened and a feast prepared without delay for himself and his followers.
* The Tuatete or Tuatara appears as far as I can ascertain to be a legendary animal; whether it ever had existence or not, is a point very difficult, if not impossible, at present to determine. The natives describe it as something like a lizard, but many times larger, and the general opinion seems to be that the Tuatete (if such an animal ever existed at all) must have been a species of crocodile. Many people imagine that this word indicates some fabulous animal, as the Dragon of the English legends, which is not improbable; but most incline to the belief that some such creature must have existed at the time of the first landing of the Māori in New Zealand,—but that it has been so long extinct that its precise appearance is now forgotten, and nothing left but the name and a sort of confused and very variable tradition regarding its shape. Some such supposition as this is necessary to account for the extraordinary uncontrollable terror which seizes upon a native of whatever age or sex upon beholding a lizard. I have seen twenty or thirty strong, able-bodied men fly in a state of the most abject fright, and even take to the water for refuge, when pursued by a child with the dead body of a common green lizard in its hand.
† The God, in the Māori Mythology, from whom sprang the human race
When people went from Rotorua to Taupo or to the mountains to visit their relatives, the people they had left behind imagined they were detained by their friends, whereas in truth, they had been killed on the road. Those also who travelled from Taupo by the same road were in like manner destroyed, and their friends supposed they were kept at Rotorua, to account for the delay; but no, they also lay dead in the same place.
About this time, a party set out from Rotorua by way of Tarawera and Rotomahana, and it was the first party to reach Taupo safely. Upon their arrival, they were cross-questioned by the people there, and they, in their turn, questioned the others with reference to the disappearance of those who were missing. The Taupo men asked them by which road those who were lost had travelled, to which the others replied, across the plain of Kaingaroa by way of Tauhunui.
Then they all reflected together upon the matter, and they said, "Perhaps they have fallen in with some war party by the way, for the war parties which visit that part of the country. So they sent a party to assemble at Taupo to search for those who were missing. They slept on the road the first night and the following morning, at daybreak, crossed the Waikato River, and traversed the plain of Kaingaroa, until they arrived at Kapenga, the place inhabited by the monster Hotupuku, who, the moment he discovered by the scent that men were approaching, rushed out of his cave.
The Taniwha and the travelling party approached without seeing each other, and when the latter at length perceived their enemy, behold, he was close upon them, and they fled from fear of him, for he was so large that he appeared like a mountain approaching them. Then they called out to those in the rear, "Behind there! a taniwha, a taniwha!" and the party then dispersed and fled for their lives for the fear of this beast armed with scales and spikes like a monster of the sea, advancing to attack them. He was so close upon them that, had it not been for their numbers, all would have perished; as it was, several were saved, though many were devoured. So, they then discovered that those who had formerly disappeared on this road had been destroyed by a taniwha.
This news was quickly circulated through Rotorua, and of course came to the ears of our heroes, the brave men already mentioned; whereupon they called upon three hundred and forty men of their tribe to assemble, who arose and travelled to the plain of Kapenga, where they sat down, and having pulled some leaves of the whanake (cabbage-palm), commenced plaiting it into ropes, and in doing so invented four several kinds of sennett, which are called tari, tamaka, whiri-paraharaha and rinorino. When they had finished this task, the chiefs arose and began recounting tales of bravery to inspire each other's courage and gave directions to their followers on how they should conduct themselves in the approaching struggle.
Then one of the chiefs arose and said, "Let us go quietly, and not approach too close to the taniwha. Instead, let us be at a distance, and wait until the wind draws towards ourselves, for should it blow from us towards him, he will scent us and will then be prevented from making our preparations, by his coming upon us before we are ready for him." To this counsel they all agreed, and made arrangements accordingly, as to how they should snare the taniwha, appointing parties of men to stand at either side of the snare which they had made to hold on by the ends of the ropes. They also appointed others to entice him out of his cave, arming the men armed with the kaieitu, patu, taoroa, patu-paraoa, meremere and other native implements of warfare. Thus, they arranged everything in complete readiness for the destruction of the Taniwha.
Before those who were appointed to entice him out of his cave could arrive at their post, he perceived the scent of men approaching and came rushing out. Long before they could see him, they heard a rumbling noise like thunder, caused by the motion of the monster underground, and they immediately moved off to a distance, in order to give him room to come out, and when he saw what a good feed was (as he fancied in store for him, he was delighted. He came forward with open mouth and flaming tongue and gave chase, but his enemies had the start of him, and as he reached the top of an eminence, they were already at the bottom where the snare was placed, and the men who had been stationed to pull the ropes were concealed in the fern on either side. They passed through the snare and ascended the hill beyond, still chased by the monster. So soon as his head and forelegs were within the snare, the look-out on the hillside shouted, "There he is in the trap! Pull!" The men at the ropes obeyed, and the Taniwha was caught by the midst of his body.
When he found himself snared, he struggled and flung about his tail with great violence, whereupon his assailants rushed upon him and attacked his hindquarters with their weapons, thrusting them into his body. And when his head felt the pain of the ropes which bound his body in the midst, and of the weapons which were thrust into his hind quarters, he flung it about also with great violence, and those who had been appointed to entice him came down and with their weapons flying like a liberated bird, and attacked his head. He fought so hard that those who held the ropes had to fasten them to stakes driven into the ground, which being done, they came and assisted the others, attacking his head (which was the part that struggled hardest) with their weapons. At length, after a hard struggle, they despatched him, and he stretched himself out like a dying grub and expired, his body being much mutilated by the numerous wounds he had received.
On the following morning, they proceeded to cut up their enemy, which lay on the road; it seemed as large as a black whale and in shape like a tunete.* The head, the legs, the tail, the scales, the skin and the spikes on his back resembled those of the common lizard, but in size, the beast more resembled a whale than anything else.
Then they had an opportunity to attentively observe this terrible animal, which had destroyed so many people. Long they examined it with wonder, and the chief then said, "Let us slit ourselves and cut him up, in order that we may see the offspring of Tiki'i in his stomach." So they cut him up with their instruments called mata-whiapu (obsidian), mata-tuhua (ditto), mira-tuatini (instrument set with shark's teeth), kuku-muetoka (muscle shell), and ngaoe (ditto). On cutting into his throat, there came forth a tremendous gush of wind from the stomach. They cut through immense flakes of fat into the abdomen, where they found bodies of men, women and children, some whole, others cut asunder in the middle, whilst other were minus their heads, arms or legs which had been lopped off by his immense sharp teeth. Besides these there were weapons, as the mere pounamu (weapon of green talc), kotiate, patu-paraoa (weapon of whale bone), maipi, tewhatewha (wooden instrument with spear point and head like a tomahawk), pou-whenua, tokotoko (walk-ing stick), and paraoa-roa (long weapon of the jaw-bone of the sperm whale) all collected together like the whare-huata (armoury) of Maui. Then there were numbers of ornaments, the hei tiki (talc neck ornament), kuru pounamu (straight talc ear ornament), mako (shark's tooth), pekapeka and poria (talc ear ornaments). Also garments of various descriptions, as the kaitaka (bordered mat), puahiura (dogskin), pukupuku-patea, kahu-turu-kura (trimmed with red feathers), kahu-kiwi (of kiwi skins), kahu kekeno (of seal skins), maiaorere, kahahaka, korirangi (shaggy mat of undressed flax dyed black and yellow), tatata, mangakēa, tatara (undressed flax or cabbage tree dyed black), pureke (undressed flax undyed), and many others, too numerous to mention.
They took out the dead bodies and buried them in the earth, which being done, they cut up the body of the monster into pieces and put his fat in calabashes and patuas, and they cooked and ate their enemy in revenge for his misdeeds. They then returned to Rotorua.
(To be continued)
It may appear strange to those who are unacquainted with the natives of this country to hear of a pa of Roman Catholic natives. Still, the Māori are not a whit behind their white-skinned or more civilized fellow creatures in the virulence of their religious animosities, and it is very rare to find the adherents of more than one of the three religious denominations who have established missions in these Islands, inhabiting the same settlement. As a general rule, each village is wholly devoted to one particular sect, either Anglican, Roman or Wesleyan, and the exceptions are only in the cases of very large settlements such as that of Ohinemutu, and even then, the disciples of the different missions are located in entirely distinct portions of the pa. As an instance of the height to which this antagonistic feeling is in some cases allowed to run, I may mention the following incident which occurred to a gentleman travelling a few years ago in a part of the Islands where the missionaries of two different denominations happened to reside within a short distance of each other. A quarrel had taken place a long time before between the parties adhering to each church, which had ended in the forcible expulsion of one sect from the village. The traveller arrived at the gates late in the evening (too late to go anywhere else after he had been denied admission) and to his astonishment found them fast closed. The first question he was asked was, "To what church do you belong?" The traveller, seeing at once his admittance entirely depended upon the answer that he might give, after a little hesitation, replied, "To the true church," which of course satisfied both parties, and the gates were instantly opened and a feast prepared without delay for himself and his followers.
* The Tuatete or Tuatara appears as far as I can ascertain to be a legendary animal; whether it ever had existence or not, is a point very difficult, if not impossible, at present to determine. The natives describe it as something like a lizard, but many times larger, and the general opinion seems to be that the Tuatete (if such an animal ever existed at all) must have been a species of crocodile. Many people imagine that this word indicates some fabulous animal, as the Dragon of the English legends, which is not improbable; but most incline to the belief that some such creature must have existed at the time of the first landing of the Māori in New Zealand,—but that it has been so long extinct that its precise appearance is now forgotten, and nothing left but the name and a sort of confused and very variable tradition regarding its shape. Some such supposition as this is necessary to account for the extraordinary uncontrollable terror which seizes upon a native of whatever age or sex upon beholding a lizard. I have seen twenty or thirty strong, able-bodied men fly in a state of the most abject fright, and even take to the water for refuge, when pursued by a child with the dead body of a common green lizard in its hand.
† The God, in the Māori Mythology, from whom sprang the human race
JOURNAL
Māori Messenger: Te Karere Māori, Volume 3, Issue 53, 2 January 1851
Māori Messenger: Te Karere Māori, Volume 3, Issue 53, 2 January 1851
Of an Expedition Overland from Auckland to Taranaki, by way of Rotorua, Taupo, and the West Coast, undertaken, in the Summer of 1819—50, by His Excellency the Governor-in-Chief of New Zealand. [Continued from our last]
The Destruction of Kataore
The Destruction of Kataore
When the news spread amongst the settlements of Tarawera of Roto Kakahi and Okataina, the people wondered greatly at the gallantry of those men in killing this monster which fed upon mankind, and it occurred to them that there must be a Taniwha on the road to Tikitapu, because parties had been lost in travelling thence to Rotorua, and their relatives fancied they had arrived at the end of their journey; but no, they were dead. Therefore, they could not be sure whether they had been killed by a Taniwha, or by men, or by a war party when they had met.
Nevertheless, Tangaroa Mihi, the Chief of Tikitapu and of Ōkāreka, knew that there was a Ngarara (lizard)* at Tikitapu. He was not aware, however, that it ate men, but fancied it lived peaceably as it always appeared to do when he and his men used to go feed it. But he was a knowing fellow, that Ngarara, and always behaved well to those who went to feed him and keep him quiet. But then, when those who fed him were gone and any strangers went to travel on that road, out came the monster immediately and chased these strange men to devour them.
This Ngarara was something like a domesticated animal, he knew his master very well, and when his Chief Tangaroa Mihi came to him he behaved very properly and remained quite quiet; but whenever anyone belonging to a different tribe passed that way, he would rush out and attack them, roaring and making a noise like the rattling of chains, in a frightful manner, and ending by devouring them altogether.
Now, when the people heard of the bravery of our heroes, great was their astonishment at the strength of these two chiefs.
Then the chiefs of Roto Kakahi, of Tarawera, of Okataina and of Rotoma first understood the state of affairs. 'Oho!' said they, 'there must be a Taniwha on the road to Tikitapu, to account for the disappearance of all the travellers from this to Rotorua and from Rotorua to these five lakes; for when travellers go hence by way of Ōkāreka, they reach Rotorua in safety, and returning thence by the same way they also arrive here in safety; but on the other hand if they go by way of Roto Kakahi and Tikitapu, they are sure to disappear.'
'Again, those travelling from or returning to Roto Kakahi by way of Paeruru arrive in safety at their destination, whilst if they make up their minds to travel by Tikitapu, it is all up with them.' So they resolved in their minds and fancied that perhaps the travellers and war-parties might have been destroyed by Tangaroa Mihi, but when they sent to inquire, they found he was quietly disposed. Having, therefore, heard of the bravery shown by the four chiefs in the killing of Taniwhas, they determined to send for them to search in the neighbourhood of Tikitapu.
When the messenger came to these three hundred and forty brave men, they were delighted at the opportunity of resuming their employment of killing Taniwhas, and set to work to pound fernroot, to dig convolvulus, to catch inanga, and to gather kakahi (a species of fresh fish), for food on their journey to the mountain of Moerangi where Kataore, the monster they were in search of, lived.
At break of day, they arose and breakfasted in the plain. When they had done eating, they began making speeches inciting each other to bravery, for they were not quite sure whether it was a Taniwha or the inhabitants of the land which had destroyed the parties of warriors and travellers. They had set out with a supply of ropes which they had spun on purpose some days previously. They were well acquainted with all the ways in the neighbourhood, wherefore they knew very well what work was before them. Having breakfasted and finished the talking, they rose up and entered the wood, having passed through which, the priests got up and began the incantations. They also made the wino as in the former occasions.
Having repeated all the karakia which they had used for Hotupuku and Pekehaua, they went on again and stopped in the low ground. The people of the pa of Tangaroa Mihi were watching the party sitting below, fancying they had come to make war upon them, but their arrival was for a different purpose.
When they had sat still for some time, one of the chiefs got up and said, “Whereabouts does this man-eating monster live?” and another chief answered, “I know not; he is either in the water or in the rocky cliff above us there.” So they searched in the lake, but lo! he was not there. However, the water had a very terrifying appearance; it was shining bright like a pounamu lake, but they could see no hole like that inhabited by Pekehaua.
One of the chiefs then said, “Begin with some of your karakia’s.” So they repeated immediately karakia such as are used to make fish boil quickly, in order to find out where he was, whether in the water or elsewhere. One of the Priests now rose to perform the necessary ceremonies, but no monster appeared on the surface of the waters of Tikitapu. The leaders of the party now ascended the cliff, rehearsing their various karakia. While thus engaged, they heard the creature’s roar from the projecting cliffs of Moerangi. They now discovered that his den was in a cleft of the rock.
The three hundred and forty men at once got up to prepare for the attack; they were in high spirits, anticipating a substantial meal. They repeated a great many prayers known as tamangia, &c., &c. The Priests having duly performed their part, and all the ceremonies being concluded, they assembled at the entrance of the cave where this man-eater dwelt.
After some deliberation, the brave men of the party, those who were accustomed to entrapping such beasts, seized the ropes and went forward. They saw the creature, and oh, how terrific it looked! Its eyes were the colour of jet, very bright, and prominent, which gave him a most ferocious appearance. The wildness of his eye made these brave men somewhat fearful; but as to his talons, spikes, &c, they had lost their power of action, owing to the charms of the Priests. The creature became so inactive from the numerous enchantments used that he allowed his captors to put their hands upon his head and stroke him. They found little difficulty in passing a rope round his neck and placing another under his forefeet. The monster being secured, these brave ones went down to their companions, who said to them, “Have you fastened your ropes?” They replied, “Yes, one is round his neck, and the other round his middle.” “How,” said their friends, “are we to manage the ropes, and how are we to kill him?” Some of the Chiefs replied, “We will fasten him to trees; he cannot make much resistance; he is already bound with the ropes and entangled in the wood.” “How shall we go about killing him?” said they. “Why kill him?” said some of the party, “he is bound with the ropes, and these are tied to trees; let him kill himself by his vain struggles. If it will be well for some of us to rush forward to attack him, when he is dragged to the trunks of the trees, let us do so; if not, let him strangle himself in his efforts to escape.” This speech pleased them well.
Those whose business it was to haul the ropes now went to their posts, and when the word of command was given, they pulled away at the ropes; the monster was forthwith dragged out of his den, making scarcely any resistance. This was in a great measure caused by the prayers and incantations of the Priests, who were very zealous in these matters, while the mass of the people was actively engaged in pulling the ropes, &c. When he got out of his den, he flung his head about with some violence; the ropes that were fastened to the upper part of his body were then slackened. He still struggled, lashing his tail and twisting his body in various ways, but he had little power, the ropes around his middle having been tightened; the tail was the only part of his body over which he had control.
Those who had weapons now rushed upon him; he was like a rat in their hands, being so firmly secured by the ropes; they therefore quickly despatched him. The news of this feat soon spread among the numerous tribes, who came in significant numbers to Tikitapu to see their enemy lying dead, stretched out like a great whale cast up by the sea. The people who came together now gave a great shout, the noise of which was like the roaring of the waters.
On the following day, they cut up their great foe with numerous implements, made of the muscle, and other shells, and from flinty stones. The fat of the creature was like that of a hog; and no wonder—he was not subject to any years of famine, nor did he experience any winter; his days were spent in a perpetual harvest, as many companies were going to and from, upon whom he feasted, besides the portion allotted him by his master Tangaroa-Mihi. When he was cut open, many bodies of men, women and children were found in his stomach, some whole, and some much mutilated, which was occasioned by his teeth, in devouring his victims. A canoe which left a Native settlement for Tikitapu sometime before this affair was also found in his belly; so that he must have swallowed the canoe whole, with all the unfortunate people on board. As to garments, there were a great many found in him; also, many kinds of war implements. The bodies that were taken out were buried. His carcass was cut up, cooked, and eaten.
After this achievement, the people dispersed to their homes, but the tidings of this creature's death soon reached Tangaroa-Mihi. The people said to him, "Your pet is slain." He immediately demanded, "By whom?" and in reply was told that the tribe Ngatitama had killed him. The heart of Tangaroa-Mihi now became dark on account of the death of his favourite. This event was the origin of a war between Tangaroa-Mihi and these brave ones, which soon extended to all the tribes of the land. Enough.
Nevertheless, Tangaroa Mihi, the Chief of Tikitapu and of Ōkāreka, knew that there was a Ngarara (lizard)* at Tikitapu. He was not aware, however, that it ate men, but fancied it lived peaceably as it always appeared to do when he and his men used to go feed it. But he was a knowing fellow, that Ngarara, and always behaved well to those who went to feed him and keep him quiet. But then, when those who fed him were gone and any strangers went to travel on that road, out came the monster immediately and chased these strange men to devour them.
This Ngarara was something like a domesticated animal, he knew his master very well, and when his Chief Tangaroa Mihi came to him he behaved very properly and remained quite quiet; but whenever anyone belonging to a different tribe passed that way, he would rush out and attack them, roaring and making a noise like the rattling of chains, in a frightful manner, and ending by devouring them altogether.
Now, when the people heard of the bravery of our heroes, great was their astonishment at the strength of these two chiefs.
Then the chiefs of Roto Kakahi, of Tarawera, of Okataina and of Rotoma first understood the state of affairs. 'Oho!' said they, 'there must be a Taniwha on the road to Tikitapu, to account for the disappearance of all the travellers from this to Rotorua and from Rotorua to these five lakes; for when travellers go hence by way of Ōkāreka, they reach Rotorua in safety, and returning thence by the same way they also arrive here in safety; but on the other hand if they go by way of Roto Kakahi and Tikitapu, they are sure to disappear.'
'Again, those travelling from or returning to Roto Kakahi by way of Paeruru arrive in safety at their destination, whilst if they make up their minds to travel by Tikitapu, it is all up with them.' So they resolved in their minds and fancied that perhaps the travellers and war-parties might have been destroyed by Tangaroa Mihi, but when they sent to inquire, they found he was quietly disposed. Having, therefore, heard of the bravery shown by the four chiefs in the killing of Taniwhas, they determined to send for them to search in the neighbourhood of Tikitapu.
When the messenger came to these three hundred and forty brave men, they were delighted at the opportunity of resuming their employment of killing Taniwhas, and set to work to pound fernroot, to dig convolvulus, to catch inanga, and to gather kakahi (a species of fresh fish), for food on their journey to the mountain of Moerangi where Kataore, the monster they were in search of, lived.
At break of day, they arose and breakfasted in the plain. When they had done eating, they began making speeches inciting each other to bravery, for they were not quite sure whether it was a Taniwha or the inhabitants of the land which had destroyed the parties of warriors and travellers. They had set out with a supply of ropes which they had spun on purpose some days previously. They were well acquainted with all the ways in the neighbourhood, wherefore they knew very well what work was before them. Having breakfasted and finished the talking, they rose up and entered the wood, having passed through which, the priests got up and began the incantations. They also made the wino as in the former occasions.
Having repeated all the karakia which they had used for Hotupuku and Pekehaua, they went on again and stopped in the low ground. The people of the pa of Tangaroa Mihi were watching the party sitting below, fancying they had come to make war upon them, but their arrival was for a different purpose.
When they had sat still for some time, one of the chiefs got up and said, “Whereabouts does this man-eating monster live?” and another chief answered, “I know not; he is either in the water or in the rocky cliff above us there.” So they searched in the lake, but lo! he was not there. However, the water had a very terrifying appearance; it was shining bright like a pounamu lake, but they could see no hole like that inhabited by Pekehaua.
One of the chiefs then said, “Begin with some of your karakia’s.” So they repeated immediately karakia such as are used to make fish boil quickly, in order to find out where he was, whether in the water or elsewhere. One of the Priests now rose to perform the necessary ceremonies, but no monster appeared on the surface of the waters of Tikitapu. The leaders of the party now ascended the cliff, rehearsing their various karakia. While thus engaged, they heard the creature’s roar from the projecting cliffs of Moerangi. They now discovered that his den was in a cleft of the rock.
The three hundred and forty men at once got up to prepare for the attack; they were in high spirits, anticipating a substantial meal. They repeated a great many prayers known as tamangia, &c., &c. The Priests having duly performed their part, and all the ceremonies being concluded, they assembled at the entrance of the cave where this man-eater dwelt.
After some deliberation, the brave men of the party, those who were accustomed to entrapping such beasts, seized the ropes and went forward. They saw the creature, and oh, how terrific it looked! Its eyes were the colour of jet, very bright, and prominent, which gave him a most ferocious appearance. The wildness of his eye made these brave men somewhat fearful; but as to his talons, spikes, &c, they had lost their power of action, owing to the charms of the Priests. The creature became so inactive from the numerous enchantments used that he allowed his captors to put their hands upon his head and stroke him. They found little difficulty in passing a rope round his neck and placing another under his forefeet. The monster being secured, these brave ones went down to their companions, who said to them, “Have you fastened your ropes?” They replied, “Yes, one is round his neck, and the other round his middle.” “How,” said their friends, “are we to manage the ropes, and how are we to kill him?” Some of the Chiefs replied, “We will fasten him to trees; he cannot make much resistance; he is already bound with the ropes and entangled in the wood.” “How shall we go about killing him?” said they. “Why kill him?” said some of the party, “he is bound with the ropes, and these are tied to trees; let him kill himself by his vain struggles. If it will be well for some of us to rush forward to attack him, when he is dragged to the trunks of the trees, let us do so; if not, let him strangle himself in his efforts to escape.” This speech pleased them well.
Those whose business it was to haul the ropes now went to their posts, and when the word of command was given, they pulled away at the ropes; the monster was forthwith dragged out of his den, making scarcely any resistance. This was in a great measure caused by the prayers and incantations of the Priests, who were very zealous in these matters, while the mass of the people was actively engaged in pulling the ropes, &c. When he got out of his den, he flung his head about with some violence; the ropes that were fastened to the upper part of his body were then slackened. He still struggled, lashing his tail and twisting his body in various ways, but he had little power, the ropes around his middle having been tightened; the tail was the only part of his body over which he had control.
Those who had weapons now rushed upon him; he was like a rat in their hands, being so firmly secured by the ropes; they therefore quickly despatched him. The news of this feat soon spread among the numerous tribes, who came in significant numbers to Tikitapu to see their enemy lying dead, stretched out like a great whale cast up by the sea. The people who came together now gave a great shout, the noise of which was like the roaring of the waters.
On the following day, they cut up their great foe with numerous implements, made of the muscle, and other shells, and from flinty stones. The fat of the creature was like that of a hog; and no wonder—he was not subject to any years of famine, nor did he experience any winter; his days were spent in a perpetual harvest, as many companies were going to and from, upon whom he feasted, besides the portion allotted him by his master Tangaroa-Mihi. When he was cut open, many bodies of men, women and children were found in his stomach, some whole, and some much mutilated, which was occasioned by his teeth, in devouring his victims. A canoe which left a Native settlement for Tikitapu sometime before this affair was also found in his belly; so that he must have swallowed the canoe whole, with all the unfortunate people on board. As to garments, there were a great many found in him; also, many kinds of war implements. The bodies that were taken out were buried. His carcass was cut up, cooked, and eaten.
After this achievement, the people dispersed to their homes, but the tidings of this creature's death soon reached Tangaroa-Mihi. The people said to him, "Your pet is slain." He immediately demanded, "By whom?" and in reply was told that the tribe Ngatitama had killed him. The heart of Tangaroa-Mihi now became dark on account of the death of his favourite. This event was the origin of a war between Tangaroa-Mihi and these brave ones, which soon extended to all the tribes of the land. Enough.
- *The word Ngarara is generally used to denote a common lizard, or indeed any reptile, but in this instance, it is used synonymously with Tuatara in the former part of this legend (see note upon the word.)
- *Rotokakahi, Tarawera, Okataina, Ōkāreka and Tikitapu
New Zealand Institute 1878 Vol XI
Transactions and Proceedings of the Royal Society of New Zealand
Transactions and Proceedings of the Royal Society of New Zealand
COLESNO. — On a better Knowledge of the Māori Race.
ART. V..— Contributions towards a better Knowledge of the Māori Race.
By W. Colenso, F.L.S.
[Read before the Hawke Bay Philosophical Institute, 12th August, 1878.]
“For I, too, agree with Solon; that ‘I would fain grow old learning many things.’”—Plato: Laches.
“Though this be madness, yet there is method in’t.”—Hamlet.
ON THE IDEALITY OF THE ANCIENT NEW ZEALANDER.
ART. V..— Contributions towards a better Knowledge of the Māori Race.
By W. Colenso, F.L.S.
[Read before the Hawke Bay Philosophical Institute, 12th August, 1878.]
“For I, too, agree with Solon; that ‘I would fain grow old learning many things.’”—Plato: Laches.
“Though this be madness, yet there is method in’t.”—Hamlet.
ON THE IDEALITY OF THE ANCIENT NEW ZEALANDER.
Legends, Myths and Fables
Introduction
Introduction
*I have long been desirous of adding what little I may have gleaned on this subject during an extended sojourn in New Zealand; and I feel still the more inclined to do so through (1) it being now evening time with me, and (2) through my having noticed the many crude theories which have been broached concerning the Whence of the Māori, not a few of which, by their several writers, have been laboriously propped and buttressed with all and every item, however insignificant, far-fetched, and vague, they could possibly impress and bring forward, but in which, in my estimation, they have notwithstanding signally failed, because they laboured to build up a pet fancy or hobby of their own rather than the truth; some even starting with assuming the very proposition which they had to prove.
For my own part, I altogether disclaim all such; I have no pet theory; I only seek the truth; to do what little I may towards establishing it; firmly believing, as I have already written,† that in the years to come this, too, will be found out and known.
For this purpose, then, I shall bring before you on the present occasion a few, out of the many, curious old legends, myths, and fables of the Māori, preferring those which I have known for many years, which have to do with natural and tangible objects, and which have not been tampered with or added to by Europeans, or by Māori who had imbibed new and foreign ideas.
For my own part, I altogether disclaim all such; I have no pet theory; I only seek the truth; to do what little I may towards establishing it; firmly believing, as I have already written,† that in the years to come this, too, will be found out and known.
For this purpose, then, I shall bring before you on the present occasion a few, out of the many, curious old legends, myths, and fables of the Māori, preferring those which I have known for many years, which have to do with natural and tangible objects, and which have not been tampered with or added to by Europeans, or by Māori who had imbibed new and foreign ideas.
Tales
The Story of the Destruction of Monsters
The Slaying of Hotupuku
The Story of the Destruction of Monsters
The Slaying of Hotupuku
Here is the tale of the valiant deeds of certain men of old, the ancestors of the chiefs of Rotorua. Their names were Purahokura, Reretai, Rongohaua, Rongohape, and Pitaka; they were all the children of one father, whose name was Tamaihutoroa. As they grew up to manhood, they heard of several persons who had been killed in journeying over the roads leading by Tauhunui and Tuporo, and Tikitapu—all places of that district.
People of Rotorua who had travelled to Taupo, or who went into the hill country to meet their relations, were never again heard of; while the folks of the villages who were expecting them were thinking all manner of things about their long absence, concluding that they were still at their respective places of abode; but, as it afterwards turned out, they were all dead in the wilderness!
At last, a party left Taupo on a visit to Rotorua, to travel thither by those same roads where those former travelling parties had been consumed. Their friends at Taupo thought that they had arrived at Rotorua and were prolonging their stay there; but no, they, too, were all dead, lying in heaps in that very place in the wilderness!
Afterwards, another travelling party started from Rotorua to Taupo; this party went by the lakes Tarawera and Rotomahana, and they all arrived safe at Taupo. Upon their arrival, many questions were asked on both sides regarding the people of Taupo who had gone to Rotorua, but nothing could be learned of them. On hearing this, the people of Taupo earnestly enquired of the newly-arrived party from Rotorua, by what road they came? They replied, “We came by the open plain of Kaingaroa, by the road to Tauhunui.” Then it was that the people of Taupo and the party from Rotorua put their heads together, and talked, and deeply considered, and said, “Surely those missing travellers must have fallen in with a marauding party of the enemy, for we all well know they have no kinsfolk in those parts.” Upon this, the Taupo people determined to seek revenge, and so they proceeded to gather an army for that purpose, visiting the several villages of Taupo to arouse the people. All being ready, they commenced their march. They travelled all day and slept at night by the roadside; and the next morning, at daylight, they crossed the river Waikato. Then they travelled on over the open plain of Kaingaroa until they came to a place called Kapenga, where dwelt a noxious monster, whose name was Hotupuku. When that monster smelt the odour of men, which had been wafted towards him from the army by the wind, it came out of its cave. At this time, the band of men was travelling onwards in the direction of that cave, but was unseen by the monster; while the monster was also coming on towards them unnoticed by the party. Suddenly, however, the men looked up, and, lo! the monster was close upon them; on which, they immediately retreated in confusion. In appearance, it was like a moving hill of earth! Then the fear-awakening cry was heard, "Who is straggling behind? Look out, there! A monster, a monster, is coming upon you!" Then the entire army fled in all directions, filled with dire dismay and confusion, upon seeing the dreadful spines and spear-like crest of the creature, which moved and brandished in anger, resembling the gathering together of the spines, spears, spiny crests, and ridges of the dreadful marine monsters of the ocean. In the utter rout of the army, they fell foul of each other through fear, but, owing to their number, some escaped alive, though some were wounded and died. Then, alas! It was surely known that it was this evil monster which had utterly destroyed all the people who had formerly travelled by this way.
The news of this was soon carried to all parts of the Rotorua district, and the brave warriors of the several tribes heard of it. They soon assembled, 170 all told, took up their arms, and marched even until they came to Kapenga in the plain, and there they pitched their camp. Immediately they set to work, some to pull the leaves of the cabbage-tree (Cordyline australis), others to twist them into ropes. It was that all the various arts of ropemaking were seen and developed! —the round rope, the flat rope, the double-twisted rope, the three-strand rope, and the four-sided rope*; at last, ropemaking was ended.
Then the several chiefs arose to make orations and speeches, encouraging each other to be brave, to go carefully to work, to be on the alert, and to be circumspect, and so to perform all the duties of the warrior. All this they did according to the old and established custom when going to fight the enemy.
One in particular of those chiefs said—Listen to me, let us go gently to work; let us not go too near to the monster, but stay at a distance from it, and when we perceive the wind blowing towards us over it, then we will get up closer, for if the wind should blow from us to the monster. It smells us, it will suddenly rush out of its cave, and our work and schemes will be all upset." To this advice, the chiefs all assented, and then the men were all arranged adequately for every side of the big rope snare they had contrived and made, so that they might all be ready to pull and haul away on the ropes when the proper time should come.
* This was still the custom in late years; their strongest standard ropes were made from the leaves of the cabbage-tree, after steeping them in water, and they made an intense and very peculiar kind of 4-sided rope of it. I have had such made for me, but I almost fear the art is lost. Flax (or Phormium) leaves would not be suitable.
Then they sent a specific number to the entrance of the cave where the monster dwelled, while others were well-armed with hardwood digging spades and clubs, long spears, and whale rib bones, as well as short wooden cleavers or halberts. Last of all, they carefully placed and laid their ropes and nooses, so that the monster should be taken entirely and snared in them; and then, when all was ready, the men who had been appointed to go up to the mouth of the cave to entice and provoke the creature to come forth, went forwards; but, lo! Before they had got near to the cave, the monster had already smelt the odour of men.
Then it arose within its cave. And the men who had gone forth to provoke it heard the rumbling of its awful tread within the cave, resembling the grating noise of thunder. Notwithstanding, they courageously enticed it forwards by exposing themselves to danger and running towards it, that it might come well away from its cave; and when the monster saw the food for its maw by which it lived, it came forth from its den ramping with joy.
Now this monster had come fearlessly on with open mouth, and with its tongue darting forth after those men. Still, in the meanwhile, they had themselves entered into the snares of ropes, and had passed on and through them, and were now got beyond the set snares—the ropes, and nooses, and snares, all lying in their proper positions on the level ground.
At this time those men were all standing around below when the colossal head of the beast appeared on the top of the little hill, and the other men were also ascending that hill and closing in gradually all around; the monster lowered its head awhile and then came on, and then the men, the little party of provokers, moved further away on to the top of another hillock. The monster following them entered the snares! At this, the men on that little hill stood still. Then the monster moved on further and further towards them, climbing up that ascent also, so that when its head appeared on the top of that second hillock, its fore legs were also within the set loops of the big snare.
Then it was that the simultaneous cry arose from the party who were standing on the top of the little hill watching intently, "Good! Capital! It has entered! It is enclosed! Pull! haul away!" And that other party, who were all holding on to the several ropes, anxiously waiting for the word of command, hearing this, pulled away heartily. And, lo! It came to pass precisely as they all had planned and wished for—the monster was caught fast in the very middle of its belly.
* This implement (called a ko) might be just as well termed a lance, or pick; it was narrow, pointed, and 6-7 feet long, and used for digging fern-root, &c, and sometimes, as here, as an offensive weapon.
Now it began to lash about furiously with its tail, feeling more and more the pain arising from the severe constriction of its stomach by the ropes.
Then the bearers of arms leapt forth. A wonderful sight! The monster's tail was vigorously assaulted by them; they stabbed it over and over with their hardwood digging picks and their long spears, and pounded it with their clubs, so that even its head felt the tremendous amount of pain inflicted on its tail, together with that arising from the severe constriction of the ropes on its softer parts. Now the monster began to rear and to knock about dreadfully with its head; on seeing this, the enticing band of provokers, who had still kept their position in front, again began to entice it to make straight forward after them, by going up close to it and then running away from it, when, on its attempting to stretch out after them, they suddenly faced about in a twinkling, and began to play away upon the monster's head with very good effect. Oh! It was truly wonderful to behold!
By this time, too, the party of rope-pullers had succeeded in making fast all their ropes to the several posts they had fixed in the earth all round about for that purpose; this done, they also seized their weapons and rushed forward to assist their comrades in beating the monster's head—this being now the part of it which reared and knocked about the most violently. Now, the assault on its head was carried on alternately by those men, combined with the others who began it, and who for that purpose divided themselves into two parties, when one party rushed forward and delivered their blows. The hideous head was turned towards them, and they took a step back. The other band came on from the other side and delivered their set; both parties constantly beat in the same place. After a while, the monster became less vigorous, although it still raged, for its whole body was fast becoming one vast mass of bruises through the incessant and hearty beating it was receiving.
Still, the fight was prolonged; prodigies of strength and valour, ability, and nimbleness were shown that day by that valiant band of 170, whose repeated blows were rained upon the monster. At last, the monster yielded quietly, and there it lay extended at full length on the ground, stretched out like an immense white larva* of the rotten white pine wood, quite dead.
By this time, it was already quite dark; indeed, night had fallen. So they left it until the morning. When the sun appeared, they all arose to cut up this big fish. † There it lay, dead! Looking at it as it lay extended, it resembled a giant whale,* but its general form or appearance was that of the great lizard,† with rigid spiny crest, while the head, the legs, feet, and claws, the tail, the scales, the skin, and the general spiny ridges, all these resembled those of the more common lizards (tuatara). Its size was that of the sperm whale (paraoa).
* The word is huhu. I suppose this large grub has been selected for a comparison owing to its dying helplessly extended, and its plump, fat appearance.
† I have translated this word (ika), wherever it occurs in the story, by "fish," this being one of its principal meanings; but it would carry a very different one to a New Zealander. Here, it would be synonymous with 'whale' or 'large marine animal'.
Then this man-devouring monster was closely looked at and examined for the first time—the wretch, the monster, that had destroyed so many persons, so many bands of armed men and travelling parties! Long, indeed, was the gazing; great was the astonishment expressed. At last, one of the many chiefs said, “Let us throw off our clothing, and all hands turn to cut up this fish, that we may also see its stomach, which has swallowed so many of the children of men. ‡
Then they began to cut it open, using obsidian and pitch-stone knives, and saws made of shark’s teeth and the shells of sea and freshwater mussels (Unio). On the outside, beneath its skin, were enormous layers of belly fat (suet), thick and in many folds. Cutting still deeper into its great stomach or maw, there was an amazing sight. Lying in heaps were the whole bodies of men, of women, and children! Some other bodies were severed in the middle, while some had their heads off, and some their arms, and some their legs; no doubt occasioned through the working of the monster’s jaws and the forcible muscular action of its enormous throat in swallowing, when the strong blasts of its breath were emitted from its capacious and cavernous belly.
And with them were also swallowed all that appertained to them—their greenstone war-clubs, their short-knobbed clubs of hardwood, their weapons of whales’ ribs both long and short, their travelling staves of rank, their halbert-shaped weapons, their staffs and spears—there they all were within the bowels of the monster, as if the place was a regular stored armoury of war. Here, also, were found their various ornaments of greenstone for both neck and ears, as well as sharks’ teeth, in abundance (mako). Besides all those there were a great variety of garments found in its maw: fine bordered flax-mats; thick impervious war-mats, some with ornamented borders; chiefs’ woven garments made of dogs’ tails, of albatross feathers, of kiwi feathers, of red (parrot) feathers, and of seals’ skin, and white dogs’ skin; also, white, black, and chequered mats made of woven flax, and garments of undressed flax (Phormium), and the long-leaved kahakaha (Astelia, species), and of many other kinds.
* Nati tohora.
† Tuatete, the angry, frightful lizard, now extinct.
‡ Uri-o-Tiki: literally, descendants of Tiki; Tiki being, in their mythology, the creator or progenitor of man.
All the dead bodies, and parts of bodies, the conquerors scooped out and threw into a heap, and buried in a pit which they dug there. And that work over, they proceeded to cut up the fish into pieces; and when they had examined its fat and suet, they expressed its oil by clarifying it with heat, which was eaten by the tribe; and so they devoured and consumed in their stomachs their implacable foe. This done, they all returned to Rotorua and dwelt there.
People of Rotorua who had travelled to Taupo, or who went into the hill country to meet their relations, were never again heard of; while the folks of the villages who were expecting them were thinking all manner of things about their long absence, concluding that they were still at their respective places of abode; but, as it afterwards turned out, they were all dead in the wilderness!
At last, a party left Taupo on a visit to Rotorua, to travel thither by those same roads where those former travelling parties had been consumed. Their friends at Taupo thought that they had arrived at Rotorua and were prolonging their stay there; but no, they, too, were all dead, lying in heaps in that very place in the wilderness!
Afterwards, another travelling party started from Rotorua to Taupo; this party went by the lakes Tarawera and Rotomahana, and they all arrived safe at Taupo. Upon their arrival, many questions were asked on both sides regarding the people of Taupo who had gone to Rotorua, but nothing could be learned of them. On hearing this, the people of Taupo earnestly enquired of the newly-arrived party from Rotorua, by what road they came? They replied, “We came by the open plain of Kaingaroa, by the road to Tauhunui.” Then it was that the people of Taupo and the party from Rotorua put their heads together, and talked, and deeply considered, and said, “Surely those missing travellers must have fallen in with a marauding party of the enemy, for we all well know they have no kinsfolk in those parts.” Upon this, the Taupo people determined to seek revenge, and so they proceeded to gather an army for that purpose, visiting the several villages of Taupo to arouse the people. All being ready, they commenced their march. They travelled all day and slept at night by the roadside; and the next morning, at daylight, they crossed the river Waikato. Then they travelled on over the open plain of Kaingaroa until they came to a place called Kapenga, where dwelt a noxious monster, whose name was Hotupuku. When that monster smelt the odour of men, which had been wafted towards him from the army by the wind, it came out of its cave. At this time, the band of men was travelling onwards in the direction of that cave, but was unseen by the monster; while the monster was also coming on towards them unnoticed by the party. Suddenly, however, the men looked up, and, lo! the monster was close upon them; on which, they immediately retreated in confusion. In appearance, it was like a moving hill of earth! Then the fear-awakening cry was heard, "Who is straggling behind? Look out, there! A monster, a monster, is coming upon you!" Then the entire army fled in all directions, filled with dire dismay and confusion, upon seeing the dreadful spines and spear-like crest of the creature, which moved and brandished in anger, resembling the gathering together of the spines, spears, spiny crests, and ridges of the dreadful marine monsters of the ocean. In the utter rout of the army, they fell foul of each other through fear, but, owing to their number, some escaped alive, though some were wounded and died. Then, alas! It was surely known that it was this evil monster which had utterly destroyed all the people who had formerly travelled by this way.
The news of this was soon carried to all parts of the Rotorua district, and the brave warriors of the several tribes heard of it. They soon assembled, 170 all told, took up their arms, and marched even until they came to Kapenga in the plain, and there they pitched their camp. Immediately they set to work, some to pull the leaves of the cabbage-tree (Cordyline australis), others to twist them into ropes. It was that all the various arts of ropemaking were seen and developed! —the round rope, the flat rope, the double-twisted rope, the three-strand rope, and the four-sided rope*; at last, ropemaking was ended.
Then the several chiefs arose to make orations and speeches, encouraging each other to be brave, to go carefully to work, to be on the alert, and to be circumspect, and so to perform all the duties of the warrior. All this they did according to the old and established custom when going to fight the enemy.
One in particular of those chiefs said—Listen to me, let us go gently to work; let us not go too near to the monster, but stay at a distance from it, and when we perceive the wind blowing towards us over it, then we will get up closer, for if the wind should blow from us to the monster. It smells us, it will suddenly rush out of its cave, and our work and schemes will be all upset." To this advice, the chiefs all assented, and then the men were all arranged adequately for every side of the big rope snare they had contrived and made, so that they might all be ready to pull and haul away on the ropes when the proper time should come.
* This was still the custom in late years; their strongest standard ropes were made from the leaves of the cabbage-tree, after steeping them in water, and they made an intense and very peculiar kind of 4-sided rope of it. I have had such made for me, but I almost fear the art is lost. Flax (or Phormium) leaves would not be suitable.
Then they sent a specific number to the entrance of the cave where the monster dwelled, while others were well-armed with hardwood digging spades and clubs, long spears, and whale rib bones, as well as short wooden cleavers or halberts. Last of all, they carefully placed and laid their ropes and nooses, so that the monster should be taken entirely and snared in them; and then, when all was ready, the men who had been appointed to go up to the mouth of the cave to entice and provoke the creature to come forth, went forwards; but, lo! Before they had got near to the cave, the monster had already smelt the odour of men.
Then it arose within its cave. And the men who had gone forth to provoke it heard the rumbling of its awful tread within the cave, resembling the grating noise of thunder. Notwithstanding, they courageously enticed it forwards by exposing themselves to danger and running towards it, that it might come well away from its cave; and when the monster saw the food for its maw by which it lived, it came forth from its den ramping with joy.
Now this monster had come fearlessly on with open mouth, and with its tongue darting forth after those men. Still, in the meanwhile, they had themselves entered into the snares of ropes, and had passed on and through them, and were now got beyond the set snares—the ropes, and nooses, and snares, all lying in their proper positions on the level ground.
At this time those men were all standing around below when the colossal head of the beast appeared on the top of the little hill, and the other men were also ascending that hill and closing in gradually all around; the monster lowered its head awhile and then came on, and then the men, the little party of provokers, moved further away on to the top of another hillock. The monster following them entered the snares! At this, the men on that little hill stood still. Then the monster moved on further and further towards them, climbing up that ascent also, so that when its head appeared on the top of that second hillock, its fore legs were also within the set loops of the big snare.
Then it was that the simultaneous cry arose from the party who were standing on the top of the little hill watching intently, "Good! Capital! It has entered! It is enclosed! Pull! haul away!" And that other party, who were all holding on to the several ropes, anxiously waiting for the word of command, hearing this, pulled away heartily. And, lo! It came to pass precisely as they all had planned and wished for—the monster was caught fast in the very middle of its belly.
* This implement (called a ko) might be just as well termed a lance, or pick; it was narrow, pointed, and 6-7 feet long, and used for digging fern-root, &c, and sometimes, as here, as an offensive weapon.
Now it began to lash about furiously with its tail, feeling more and more the pain arising from the severe constriction of its stomach by the ropes.
Then the bearers of arms leapt forth. A wonderful sight! The monster's tail was vigorously assaulted by them; they stabbed it over and over with their hardwood digging picks and their long spears, and pounded it with their clubs, so that even its head felt the tremendous amount of pain inflicted on its tail, together with that arising from the severe constriction of the ropes on its softer parts. Now the monster began to rear and to knock about dreadfully with its head; on seeing this, the enticing band of provokers, who had still kept their position in front, again began to entice it to make straight forward after them, by going up close to it and then running away from it, when, on its attempting to stretch out after them, they suddenly faced about in a twinkling, and began to play away upon the monster's head with very good effect. Oh! It was truly wonderful to behold!
By this time, too, the party of rope-pullers had succeeded in making fast all their ropes to the several posts they had fixed in the earth all round about for that purpose; this done, they also seized their weapons and rushed forward to assist their comrades in beating the monster's head—this being now the part of it which reared and knocked about the most violently. Now, the assault on its head was carried on alternately by those men, combined with the others who began it, and who for that purpose divided themselves into two parties, when one party rushed forward and delivered their blows. The hideous head was turned towards them, and they took a step back. The other band came on from the other side and delivered their set; both parties constantly beat in the same place. After a while, the monster became less vigorous, although it still raged, for its whole body was fast becoming one vast mass of bruises through the incessant and hearty beating it was receiving.
Still, the fight was prolonged; prodigies of strength and valour, ability, and nimbleness were shown that day by that valiant band of 170, whose repeated blows were rained upon the monster. At last, the monster yielded quietly, and there it lay extended at full length on the ground, stretched out like an immense white larva* of the rotten white pine wood, quite dead.
By this time, it was already quite dark; indeed, night had fallen. So they left it until the morning. When the sun appeared, they all arose to cut up this big fish. † There it lay, dead! Looking at it as it lay extended, it resembled a giant whale,* but its general form or appearance was that of the great lizard,† with rigid spiny crest, while the head, the legs, feet, and claws, the tail, the scales, the skin, and the general spiny ridges, all these resembled those of the more common lizards (tuatara). Its size was that of the sperm whale (paraoa).
* The word is huhu. I suppose this large grub has been selected for a comparison owing to its dying helplessly extended, and its plump, fat appearance.
† I have translated this word (ika), wherever it occurs in the story, by "fish," this being one of its principal meanings; but it would carry a very different one to a New Zealander. Here, it would be synonymous with 'whale' or 'large marine animal'.
Then this man-devouring monster was closely looked at and examined for the first time—the wretch, the monster, that had destroyed so many persons, so many bands of armed men and travelling parties! Long, indeed, was the gazing; great was the astonishment expressed. At last, one of the many chiefs said, “Let us throw off our clothing, and all hands turn to cut up this fish, that we may also see its stomach, which has swallowed so many of the children of men. ‡
Then they began to cut it open, using obsidian and pitch-stone knives, and saws made of shark’s teeth and the shells of sea and freshwater mussels (Unio). On the outside, beneath its skin, were enormous layers of belly fat (suet), thick and in many folds. Cutting still deeper into its great stomach or maw, there was an amazing sight. Lying in heaps were the whole bodies of men, of women, and children! Some other bodies were severed in the middle, while some had their heads off, and some their arms, and some their legs; no doubt occasioned through the working of the monster’s jaws and the forcible muscular action of its enormous throat in swallowing, when the strong blasts of its breath were emitted from its capacious and cavernous belly.
And with them were also swallowed all that appertained to them—their greenstone war-clubs, their short-knobbed clubs of hardwood, their weapons of whales’ ribs both long and short, their travelling staves of rank, their halbert-shaped weapons, their staffs and spears—there they all were within the bowels of the monster, as if the place was a regular stored armoury of war. Here, also, were found their various ornaments of greenstone for both neck and ears, as well as sharks’ teeth, in abundance (mako). Besides all those there were a great variety of garments found in its maw: fine bordered flax-mats; thick impervious war-mats, some with ornamented borders; chiefs’ woven garments made of dogs’ tails, of albatross feathers, of kiwi feathers, of red (parrot) feathers, and of seals’ skin, and white dogs’ skin; also, white, black, and chequered mats made of woven flax, and garments of undressed flax (Phormium), and the long-leaved kahakaha (Astelia, species), and of many other kinds.
* Nati tohora.
† Tuatete, the angry, frightful lizard, now extinct.
‡ Uri-o-Tiki: literally, descendants of Tiki; Tiki being, in their mythology, the creator or progenitor of man.
All the dead bodies, and parts of bodies, the conquerors scooped out and threw into a heap, and buried in a pit which they dug there. And that work over, they proceeded to cut up the fish into pieces; and when they had examined its fat and suet, they expressed its oil by clarifying it with heat, which was eaten by the tribe; and so they devoured and consumed in their stomachs their implacable foe. This done, they all returned to Rotorua and dwelt there.
The Killing of Pekehaua
After the destruction of the monster Hotupuku, the fame of this exploit spread to all the many tribes in the Rotorua district. Then a messenger was sent to those heroes by Hororita, or by some other chief, to inform them that another man-eating monster dwelt at a place called Te Awahou, and that the existence of this monster was known, just as in the former case of the one that dwelt in the plain at Kaingaroa. The travelling companies of the districts of Waikato and Patetere were never heard of. So the travelling companies of the Rotorua district, which had left for Waikato, were also somehow lost and were never heard of again. When the people of Rotorua listened to this news, those same 170 heroes arose, from out of many warriors, and set forth for Te Awahou. Arriving there, they sought information and gained all they could. Then they asked, "Where does this monster dwell?" The people of the place replied, "It dwells in the water, or it dwells on the dry land, who should certainly know; according to our supposition, no doubt it is much like that one which was killed."
Hearing this, they went to the woods and brought thence a large quantity of supplejacks (Ripogonum scandens), with which to make water-traps of basketwork. Those they interlaced and bound firmly together with a vigorous trailing plant (Muhlenbeckia complexa), so that when they were finished the traps consisted of two or even three layers of canes or supplejacks. Then they twisted ropes with which to set and fix the water-traps to snare the monster, and these were all done. Then they made similar plans and arrangements for themselves, as on the former occasion when the first one was killed. All being ready, the band of heroes set out, reciting their forms of spell, or charms, as they went along; those were of various kinds and potencies, but all having one tendency, to enable them to overcome the monster. Onwards they went, and after travelling some distance, they neared the place, or waterhole, where it was said the monster lived; the name of that deep pool is Te Warouri (i.e., the Black Chasm). They travelled on until they gained the high edge of the river's side, where they again recited their charms and spells. Which done, the 170 proceeded to engage on that very spot.
Then they diligently sought out among themselves a fearless and courageous man, when a chief named Pikata presented himself and was selected. He seized the water-trap, which was decorated on the top and sides and below with bunches of pigeons' feathers; the ropes, also, were all fastened around the trap, to which stones were also made fast all round it, to make it heavy and to act as an anchor and to keep it steady; and, having seized it, he plunged into the water with his companions, when they boldly dived down into the spring which gushed up with a roaring noise from beneath the earth. While these were diving below, the others above were diligently employed in performing their several works, viz., of reciting powerful charms and spells, * of which they uttered all they knew of various kinds and powers, for the purpose of overcoming the monster.
Now it came to pass that, when the spines and spear-like crest of the monster had become soft and flaccid, through the power of those spells and charms, for they had been all erect and alive in full expectation of a rare cannibal feast, Pitaka and his chosen companions descended to the very bottom of the chasm; there they found the monster dwelling in its own nice home; then the brave Pitaka went forwards, quite up to it, coaxing and enticing, and bound the rope firmly around the monster; which having done, lo! in a twinkling, he (Pitaka) had clean escaped behind it! Then his companions pulled the rope, and those at the top knew the sign, and hauled away, and drew up to the top their companions, together with the monster, so that they all came up at one time. Nevertheless, those above had also recited all manner of charms for the purposes of raising, lifting, and upbearing of heavy weights; otherwise, they could not have hauled them all up, owing to their very great weight.
For a while, however, they were all below; then they came upwards by degrees, and at last they floated all together on the surface. Ere long, they had dragged the monster on shore onto the dry land, where it lay extended; then they hastened to hit and beat with their clubs the jaws of this immense fish. Now this monster had the nearer resemblance to a fish, because it had its habitation in the water.
* Upwards of ten kinds of spells are here, and in other parts of these stories, particularly mentioned by name; but as we have nothing synonymous in English, their names cannot be well translated, and it would take as many pages of MS. to explain them. Among them were spells causing weariness to the foe, spells for the spearing of taniwhas (monsters), spells for the warding off attack, and for the protection of the men from the enemy; spells for causing bravery, for returning like-for-like in attack, for uplifting feet from ground, for making powerless, etc., etc., all more or less curious, but mostly very simple in terms. Of spells and charms, exorcisms and incantations—for good or for ill—luck, for blessing and cursing—the ancient New Zealander possessed hundreds, ingeniously contrived for almost every purpose; few, however, if any, of them could be termed prayers. Such form a bulky history of themselves.
So then went forth the loud pealing call to all the towns and villages of the Rotorua district. And the tribes assembled on the spot to look at and examine their implacable foe. There it lay dragged on to the dry land on the river's side, in appearance very much like a big, common whale. Yet it was not exactly like a full-grown old whale; it was more, in bulk, as the calf of a big whale as it there lay.
They then commenced cutting-up that fish as food for themselves; on laying its huge belly wide open there, everything was seen at one glance, all in confusion, as if it were the centre of a dense forest.* For, going downwards into its vast stomach, there lay the dead, just as if it were an old bone-cave with piles of skeletons and bones—bones of those it had swallowed in former days. Yes, swallowed down with all their garments about them, women and children and men! There was to be seen the enormous heap of clothing of all kinds; chiefs' mats of dogs' tails and of dogs' skins—white, black, and chequered—with the beautiful woven flax-mats adorned with ornamental borders, and garments of all kinds. There were also arms and implements of all kinds†; clubs, spears, staves, thin hardwood chopping knives, white whalebone clubs, carved staffs of rank, and many others, including even darts and barbed spears, which the monster had carried off with its food. There these arms and implements all were, as if the place were a store-house of weapons or an armoury!
Then they proceeded to roast and to broil, and to set aside of its flesh and fat in large preserving calabashes, for food and for oil; and so they devoured their deadly enemy all within their own stomachs; but all the dead they buried in a pit.
Then every one of those valiant warriors returned to their own homes. The name of that village, where they were for a while encamped, was Mangungu (i.e., broken bones).
So much for thy victorious work! O thou all-devouring throat of man, that thou shouldest even seek to eat and to hunt after the flesh of monsters as food for thee!
Hearing this, they went to the woods and brought thence a large quantity of supplejacks (Ripogonum scandens), with which to make water-traps of basketwork. Those they interlaced and bound firmly together with a vigorous trailing plant (Muhlenbeckia complexa), so that when they were finished the traps consisted of two or even three layers of canes or supplejacks. Then they twisted ropes with which to set and fix the water-traps to snare the monster, and these were all done. Then they made similar plans and arrangements for themselves, as on the former occasion when the first one was killed. All being ready, the band of heroes set out, reciting their forms of spell, or charms, as they went along; those were of various kinds and potencies, but all having one tendency, to enable them to overcome the monster. Onwards they went, and after travelling some distance, they neared the place, or waterhole, where it was said the monster lived; the name of that deep pool is Te Warouri (i.e., the Black Chasm). They travelled on until they gained the high edge of the river's side, where they again recited their charms and spells. Which done, the 170 proceeded to engage on that very spot.
Then they diligently sought out among themselves a fearless and courageous man, when a chief named Pikata presented himself and was selected. He seized the water-trap, which was decorated on the top and sides and below with bunches of pigeons' feathers; the ropes, also, were all fastened around the trap, to which stones were also made fast all round it, to make it heavy and to act as an anchor and to keep it steady; and, having seized it, he plunged into the water with his companions, when they boldly dived down into the spring which gushed up with a roaring noise from beneath the earth. While these were diving below, the others above were diligently employed in performing their several works, viz., of reciting powerful charms and spells, * of which they uttered all they knew of various kinds and powers, for the purpose of overcoming the monster.
Now it came to pass that, when the spines and spear-like crest of the monster had become soft and flaccid, through the power of those spells and charms, for they had been all erect and alive in full expectation of a rare cannibal feast, Pitaka and his chosen companions descended to the very bottom of the chasm; there they found the monster dwelling in its own nice home; then the brave Pitaka went forwards, quite up to it, coaxing and enticing, and bound the rope firmly around the monster; which having done, lo! in a twinkling, he (Pitaka) had clean escaped behind it! Then his companions pulled the rope, and those at the top knew the sign, and hauled away, and drew up to the top their companions, together with the monster, so that they all came up at one time. Nevertheless, those above had also recited all manner of charms for the purposes of raising, lifting, and upbearing of heavy weights; otherwise, they could not have hauled them all up, owing to their very great weight.
For a while, however, they were all below; then they came upwards by degrees, and at last they floated all together on the surface. Ere long, they had dragged the monster on shore onto the dry land, where it lay extended; then they hastened to hit and beat with their clubs the jaws of this immense fish. Now this monster had the nearer resemblance to a fish, because it had its habitation in the water.
* Upwards of ten kinds of spells are here, and in other parts of these stories, particularly mentioned by name; but as we have nothing synonymous in English, their names cannot be well translated, and it would take as many pages of MS. to explain them. Among them were spells causing weariness to the foe, spells for the spearing of taniwhas (monsters), spells for the warding off attack, and for the protection of the men from the enemy; spells for causing bravery, for returning like-for-like in attack, for uplifting feet from ground, for making powerless, etc., etc., all more or less curious, but mostly very simple in terms. Of spells and charms, exorcisms and incantations—for good or for ill—luck, for blessing and cursing—the ancient New Zealander possessed hundreds, ingeniously contrived for almost every purpose; few, however, if any, of them could be termed prayers. Such form a bulky history of themselves.
So then went forth the loud pealing call to all the towns and villages of the Rotorua district. And the tribes assembled on the spot to look at and examine their implacable foe. There it lay dragged on to the dry land on the river's side, in appearance very much like a big, common whale. Yet it was not exactly like a full-grown old whale; it was more, in bulk, as the calf of a big whale as it there lay.
They then commenced cutting-up that fish as food for themselves; on laying its huge belly wide open there, everything was seen at one glance, all in confusion, as if it were the centre of a dense forest.* For, going downwards into its vast stomach, there lay the dead, just as if it were an old bone-cave with piles of skeletons and bones—bones of those it had swallowed in former days. Yes, swallowed down with all their garments about them, women and children and men! There was to be seen the enormous heap of clothing of all kinds; chiefs' mats of dogs' tails and of dogs' skins—white, black, and chequered—with the beautiful woven flax-mats adorned with ornamental borders, and garments of all kinds. There were also arms and implements of all kinds†; clubs, spears, staves, thin hardwood chopping knives, white whalebone clubs, carved staffs of rank, and many others, including even darts and barbed spears, which the monster had carried off with its food. There these arms and implements all were, as if the place were a store-house of weapons or an armoury!
Then they proceeded to roast and to broil, and to set aside of its flesh and fat in large preserving calabashes, for food and for oil; and so they devoured their deadly enemy all within their own stomachs; but all the dead they buried in a pit.
Then every one of those valiant warriors returned to their own homes. The name of that village, where they were for a while encamped, was Mangungu (i.e., broken bones).
So much for thy victorious work! O thou all-devouring throat of man, that thou shouldest even seek to eat and to hunt after the flesh of monsters as food for thee!
The Killing of Kataore
When the fame of those victors who had killed the monster Pekehaua reached the various towns and villages of Tarawera, of Rotokakahi, and of Okataina, the people there were filled with wonder at the bravery of those men who had essayed to destroy that terrible and malicious man-devourer.
Then they began to think, very likely there is also a monster in the road to Tikitapu, because the travelling companies going by that place to Rotorua are never once heard of; their relations are continually enquiring, "Have they arrived at the place to which they went?" but there is no response; therefore they are dead. Hence, it follows that the sad thought arises within: Were they killed by some monster? or, by some travelling man like themselves? or, by some armed marauding party of the enemy?
* The words are: "Koteriu o Tane-Mahuta;" lit., the hollow stomach, or centre of Tane-Mahuta—i.e., the god of forests; Tane-Mahuta being the god of forests.
† Ten kinds are here enumerated, all of hardwood and hard white whalebone.
But the chief of Tikitapu and of Ōkāreka, whose name was Tangaroamihi, knew very well all along that there was a monstrous beast at Tikitapu, although he did not know that the beast there residing ate up men; the chief always believed that it dwelt quietly, for it assumed the very air of peace and quietness whenever the chief and his men went to the spot where it dwelt to give it food; and that beast also knew very well all its feeders, and all those who used it tenderly and kindly. Nevertheless, when they had returned from feeding it to their village, and any other persons appeared there going by that way, then that monster came down and pursued those persons and devoured them as food.
Now the manner of acting of this ugly beast was very much like that of a (bad) dog which must be tied to a stick (or clog). For its knowledge of its own masters was great; whenever its master, Tangaroamihi, went there to see it, its demeanour was wholly quiet and tractable, but when people belonging to another and strange tribe went along by that road, then it arose to bark and growl at them; so that, what with the loud and fearful noise of its mouth, and the sharp rattling’s of its rings and leg-circlets, great fear came upon them, and then he fell on them and ate them up.
Now, when the multitude everywhere heard of the great valour of those men, the tribes all greatly extolled them, and wondered exceedingly at the prodigious powers of those four chiefs.
Then it was that the chiefs of Rotokakahi, of Tarawera, of Okataina, and of Rotorua began to understand the matter, and to say, "Oh! There is perhaps a monster also dwelling in the road to Tikitapu, because the travelling parties going from those parts to Rotorua, as well as those coming from Rotorua to these five lakes, are never heard of." For when the travellers went to Rotorua by the road of Ōkāreka they safely arrived thither; and so when they returned by that same way of Ōkāreka they reached their homes in safety;—but if the travellers went from Tarawera to Rotorua by the road of Tikitapu, they never reached Rotorua at all; somehow they always got lost by that road.
And so again it was with the people from Rotokakahi, travelling thence to Rotorua; if they went by the road leading by Pareuru, they safely arrived at Rotorua, and also in returning from Rotorua; if they came back by that same road, they reached their villages at Rotokakahi in safety; somehow, there was something or other in that road by Tikitapu which caused men's hearts to dislike greatly that way, because those who travelled by it were lost and never heard of.
Therefore, the hearts of those who remained alive began to stir within them, so that some even went as far as to say—"Perhaps that chief Tangaroamihi has killed and destroyed both the travelling parties and the armed parties who travelled by the way of Tikitapu." But that chief Tangaroamihi had shown his hospitality and expressed his kindly feeling to the enquirers who went to his town to seek after those who were missing.
Now, however, when the suffering people heard of the exceeding great valour of those four chiefs in their slaying of monsters, then they considered how best to fetch them to come and to have a look at Tikitapu.
So their messenger was sent to those brave heroes, and when they heard from him the message, they all bestirred themselves, that same 170, for they were greatly delighted to hear of more work for them in the line of slaying monsters. So they immediately commenced preparations for their journey to Tikitapu, some in pounding fernroot, some in digging-up convolvulus roots, some in taking whitebait (Galaxias attenuatus), and some in dredging freshwater mussels, all to be used as food on their journey to Taiapu, to the mount at Moerangi, for Moerangi was the place where that noxious beast called Kataore dwelt.
In the morning, at break of day, they arose and started, taking their first meal far away on the great plain, at a nice kind of stopping-place. When they had scarcely finished their meal they commenced conversation with the usual talk of warriors on an expedition; for at this time they did not exactly know whether it was really by a monster, or by the people who dwelt thereabouts, that all those who had travelled by that road, whether armed parties or whether singly, had been destroyed.
When this armed party set out on their journey, they also took with them the necessary ropes and other items that had been previously prepared. They knew that such (as they had heard) was the evil state of all the roads and ways of that place; therefore, they sat awhile and considered, knowing very well the work they had in hand.
However, when the eating and talking were ended, they again arose and recommenced their march. They entered the forest and traversed it, quitting it on the other side. Then the priests went before the party to scatter abroad their spells and charms, that is to say, their Māori recitations. But they acted just the same on this as on former occasions already related.
They recited all the charms and spells they had used against both Hotupuku* and Pekehauna, going on and reciting as they went. At last they made up their minds to halt, so they sat down. Then it was that the people in the villages, under the chief Tangaroamihi, gazed watchfully upon the armed party encamped there, thinking it was a party of their enemies coming to fight and kill; but in this they were deceived, for it was altogether a different party.
* Though not once mentioned or alluded to in that story.
For a long time, the party remained there, watching and waiting, but nothing came. At last, one of the chiefs got up and said— “Whereabouts does this noxious beast that destroys men dwell?” Then another of those chiefs replied— “Who knows where, in the water, or in the stony cliff that overhangs yonder?” On this they set to work, and closely examined that lake; but alas! the monster was not to be found there; nevertheless, the appearance of that water was of a forbidding fearful character, that is to say, the fear was caused by the peculiar glitter of the water, as if strangely and darkly shaded, having the appearance of the water whence the greenstone is obtained. But notwithstanding all that, they could not detect any kind of chasm or deep dark hole in all that lake, like the hole in which Pekehaue was found.
Then certain of the chiefs said to the priests, “Begin, go to work; select some of your potent charms and spells.” So those were chosen and used; the priests recited their charms, causing stinging like nettles, and their charms of stitching together, so that the bubbles might speedily arise to the surface of the lake, if so be that the monster they sought was there in the water. At this time, one of the priests arose, upon the word spoken forth by one of the chiefs of the party, and said, “It is all to no purpose; not a single burst, or rising, or bubble has arisen in the water of Tikitapu.”
Then they turned their attention upwards to the stony cliff which stood before them; when, before they had quite finished their spell, causing nettle-stinging, and were reciting their lifting and raising charms, a voice was heard roaring downwards from the overhanging precipice at Moerangi, as if it were the creaking of trees in the forest when violently agitated by the gale; then they knew and said, “Alas! the monster’s home is in the cave in the stony cliff.”
Upon this, the whole body of 170 arose and stood ready for action; for glad they also were that they had found food for their inner man. In their uprising, however, they were not forgetful, for they immediately commenced reciting their powerful charms and spells; all were used, of each and every kind—none were left unsaid; the several priests made use of all, * that being their peculiar work.
They now set to work, and soon they got near to the entrance of the cave in the rock where this noxious cannibal beast dwelt. At last they got up to the cave, where the whole band quietly arranged themselves, and took a long time to consider how to act. At length, the valiant, fearless men arose—men who had already bound monsters fast—and, seizing the ropes, went forward into the cave. There they saw that noxious beast sitting and staring full at them; but, oh! such fearful eyes! Who can describe them? In appearance like the full moon rising over the distant dark mountain range, and when gazed at by the band, those hideous eyes glared forth upon them like strong daylight suddenly flashing into the dark recesses of the forest. And, anon, lo! they were in colour as if clear shining greenstone were gleaming and scintillating in the midst of the black eyeballs! But that was really all that gave rise to the appearance of fear, because the creature’s spines and crest of living spears had become quite flaccid and powerless, through the potent operations of the many weakening spells which had been used by those numerous warriors, that is to say, priests.
* Seven or eight kinds of charms and spells are here also particularised, and then the remainder given in a lump.
Then they managed to put forth their hands stealthily over its huge head, gently stroking it at the same time. At length, the rope was got round the monster’s neck and made secure; another rope was also slid further on below its fore-legs, and that was firmly fixed; twice did those brave men carry ropes into the cave. Having done all this, they came out to their friends, those of the 170 warriors who had been anxiously waiting their return, and who, when they saw them emerge, enquired, “Are your ropes made fast?” They replied, “Yes; the ropes are fastened to the monster; one round the neck and one round the middle.” Then the enquiry arose, “How shall the dragging of it forth from its cave, and its destruction, be accomplished?” When some of the chiefs replied, “Let us carry the ropes outside of the trees which grow around, so that, when the monster begins to lash and bound about, we shall be the better able to make them fast to their trunks.” Then others said, “All that is very good, but how shall we manage to kill it?” Some replied, “Why should we trouble ourselves about killing it? Is it not so fastened with ropes that it cannot get away? Just leave it to itself; its own great strength will cause it to jump violently about, and jerk, and knock, and beat itself; after that, we having made the ropes fast to the trees, the destroyers can easily run in on it and kill it; or, if not, let us just leave it alone to strangle itself in the ropes.” So all this was carried out by those 170 brave warriors.
Then, the several men having been properly placed, so as to hold, handle, and drag the ropes effectively, the word of command was given: “Haul away!” and then they all hauled with a will! But, wonderful to behold, entirely owing to the cave being in the face of the perpendicular cliff, almost simultaneously with the first pull, lo! the monster was already outside of the entrance to the cave. But then, in so saying, the potent work of the priests in reciting their raising and uplifting charms must also be included in the cause of the easy accomplishment. The moment that the monster's great tail was outside clear of the cave, then its head began to rear and toss and plunge, frightful to behold! On seeing this, they loosened a little the rope that held it by its middle; when, lo! its head was close to the trees, against which it began to lean, while it knocked about its tail prodigiously. The men, however, were on the watch, and soon the two ropes were hauled tightly up around the trees, notwithstanding the jerking and writhing of its huge tail. There, at last, it was, lashed fast close to the trees, so that it could only wriggle a little, that is to say, its tail.
Then the armed men came on; they banged and beat and clubbed away at the monster, which now lay like a rat caught in the snare of a trap; and it was not long before it was quite dead, partly through the blows and bruises, and partly through the ropes; and so it came to pass that it was killed.
The fame of this great exploit was soon carried to all those tribes who had fetched and sent Purahokura on his errand to Tikitapu. Then they assembled at the place and saw with astonishment their deadly foe lying on the ground, just like a stranded whale on the seashore; even so, this noxious monster now lay extended before them. Then arose the mighty shout of derision from all, both great and small. the noise was truly deafening, loud sounding, like that arising from the meeting together of the strong currents of many waters!
Early the next morning, the people arose to their work to cut up their fish; then was to be seen with admiration the dexterous use of the various sharp-cutting instruments—of the saw made of sharks' teeth, of the sea mussel-shells, of the sharp pitch-stone knives, of the freshwater mussel-shells, and of the flints. Truly wonderful it was to behold, such loads of fat! such thick collops! This was owing to the cannibal monster continually devouring men for its common food at all times and seasons; it never knew a time of want or a season of scarcity; it never had any winter; it was always a jolly harvest time with it! How, indeed, should it have been otherwise? when the companies of travellers from this place and from that place were continually passing and repassing to and frow; therefore it came to pass that its huge maw was satiated with food—not including the food given to it by its master Tangaroamihi—and therefore it came to be so very fat.
So the big fish was cut up. As they went on with their work, and got at length into its stomach, there the cannibal food which it had devoured was seen! there it lay—women, children, men—with their garments and their weapons. Some were found chopped in two, both men and weapons; no doubt through the action of its terrible lips in seizing them! others were swallowed whole, very likely through its capacious mouth being kept open, when the strong internal blasts from its great gullet drew down the men into its stomach! For you must also know, that this cave is situated near to the water, so that whenever a party came by water paddling in their canoe to Tikitapu, and the canoe came on to the landing place, this monster, Kataore, seeing this, came out of its cave, and, jumping into the water, took the canoe with the men in it into its stomach, so that both men and canoe were devoured instantaneously!
The victors worked away until they had taken everything out of its big maw, both the goods (of clothing and instruments as before) and the dead; the dead they buried in a pit. Then they finished cutting up that big fish; some of it they roasted and broiled; and some they rendered down in its own fat and preserved in calabashes; and so it came to pass that it was all eaten up, as good food for the stomach of man.
But when the news of this killing was carried to the chief Tangaroamihi, to whom this pet Saurian belonged, and he heard it said to him, — “What is this they have done; thy pet has been killed?” The chief enquired, “By whom?” and they answered, “By the tribe of Tama” (Ngatitama). On hearing this, the heart of Tangaroamihi became overcast with gloom, on account of his dear pet which had been killed; and this deed of theirs was a cause of enmity and war between Tangaroamihi and those who had destroyed his pet; and it remained and grew to be a root of evil for all the tribes. Thus the story ends.
It should be briefly noticed, in conclusion, that the name of this chief (Tangaroamihi) is one highly suited to the event; or it may have been given to him at an earlier date, through his having a pet reptile. Tangaroa is the name of the god, or creator or father and ruler, of all fishes and reptiles; (though Punga is sometimes spoken of as a god possessing similar powers, but perhaps over only a certain natural section of those animals;*) and mihi means, to show affection for, or to lament and sigh over, any one,—present or absent, living or dead;—so that Tangaroamihi might mean, (1) that this chief lamented over the death of one of Tangaroa’s family, or tribe; or (2) that he ever liked and showed great affection towards one of them.
* Vide the beginning of the following fable, —“The Shark and the large Lizard,” and the note there.
Then they began to think, very likely there is also a monster in the road to Tikitapu, because the travelling companies going by that place to Rotorua are never once heard of; their relations are continually enquiring, "Have they arrived at the place to which they went?" but there is no response; therefore they are dead. Hence, it follows that the sad thought arises within: Were they killed by some monster? or, by some travelling man like themselves? or, by some armed marauding party of the enemy?
* The words are: "Koteriu o Tane-Mahuta;" lit., the hollow stomach, or centre of Tane-Mahuta—i.e., the god of forests; Tane-Mahuta being the god of forests.
† Ten kinds are here enumerated, all of hardwood and hard white whalebone.
But the chief of Tikitapu and of Ōkāreka, whose name was Tangaroamihi, knew very well all along that there was a monstrous beast at Tikitapu, although he did not know that the beast there residing ate up men; the chief always believed that it dwelt quietly, for it assumed the very air of peace and quietness whenever the chief and his men went to the spot where it dwelt to give it food; and that beast also knew very well all its feeders, and all those who used it tenderly and kindly. Nevertheless, when they had returned from feeding it to their village, and any other persons appeared there going by that way, then that monster came down and pursued those persons and devoured them as food.
Now the manner of acting of this ugly beast was very much like that of a (bad) dog which must be tied to a stick (or clog). For its knowledge of its own masters was great; whenever its master, Tangaroamihi, went there to see it, its demeanour was wholly quiet and tractable, but when people belonging to another and strange tribe went along by that road, then it arose to bark and growl at them; so that, what with the loud and fearful noise of its mouth, and the sharp rattling’s of its rings and leg-circlets, great fear came upon them, and then he fell on them and ate them up.
Now, when the multitude everywhere heard of the great valour of those men, the tribes all greatly extolled them, and wondered exceedingly at the prodigious powers of those four chiefs.
Then it was that the chiefs of Rotokakahi, of Tarawera, of Okataina, and of Rotorua began to understand the matter, and to say, "Oh! There is perhaps a monster also dwelling in the road to Tikitapu, because the travelling parties going from those parts to Rotorua, as well as those coming from Rotorua to these five lakes, are never heard of." For when the travellers went to Rotorua by the road of Ōkāreka they safely arrived thither; and so when they returned by that same way of Ōkāreka they reached their homes in safety;—but if the travellers went from Tarawera to Rotorua by the road of Tikitapu, they never reached Rotorua at all; somehow they always got lost by that road.
And so again it was with the people from Rotokakahi, travelling thence to Rotorua; if they went by the road leading by Pareuru, they safely arrived at Rotorua, and also in returning from Rotorua; if they came back by that same road, they reached their villages at Rotokakahi in safety; somehow, there was something or other in that road by Tikitapu which caused men's hearts to dislike greatly that way, because those who travelled by it were lost and never heard of.
Therefore, the hearts of those who remained alive began to stir within them, so that some even went as far as to say—"Perhaps that chief Tangaroamihi has killed and destroyed both the travelling parties and the armed parties who travelled by the way of Tikitapu." But that chief Tangaroamihi had shown his hospitality and expressed his kindly feeling to the enquirers who went to his town to seek after those who were missing.
Now, however, when the suffering people heard of the exceeding great valour of those four chiefs in their slaying of monsters, then they considered how best to fetch them to come and to have a look at Tikitapu.
So their messenger was sent to those brave heroes, and when they heard from him the message, they all bestirred themselves, that same 170, for they were greatly delighted to hear of more work for them in the line of slaying monsters. So they immediately commenced preparations for their journey to Tikitapu, some in pounding fernroot, some in digging-up convolvulus roots, some in taking whitebait (Galaxias attenuatus), and some in dredging freshwater mussels, all to be used as food on their journey to Taiapu, to the mount at Moerangi, for Moerangi was the place where that noxious beast called Kataore dwelt.
In the morning, at break of day, they arose and started, taking their first meal far away on the great plain, at a nice kind of stopping-place. When they had scarcely finished their meal they commenced conversation with the usual talk of warriors on an expedition; for at this time they did not exactly know whether it was really by a monster, or by the people who dwelt thereabouts, that all those who had travelled by that road, whether armed parties or whether singly, had been destroyed.
When this armed party set out on their journey, they also took with them the necessary ropes and other items that had been previously prepared. They knew that such (as they had heard) was the evil state of all the roads and ways of that place; therefore, they sat awhile and considered, knowing very well the work they had in hand.
However, when the eating and talking were ended, they again arose and recommenced their march. They entered the forest and traversed it, quitting it on the other side. Then the priests went before the party to scatter abroad their spells and charms, that is to say, their Māori recitations. But they acted just the same on this as on former occasions already related.
They recited all the charms and spells they had used against both Hotupuku* and Pekehauna, going on and reciting as they went. At last they made up their minds to halt, so they sat down. Then it was that the people in the villages, under the chief Tangaroamihi, gazed watchfully upon the armed party encamped there, thinking it was a party of their enemies coming to fight and kill; but in this they were deceived, for it was altogether a different party.
* Though not once mentioned or alluded to in that story.
For a long time, the party remained there, watching and waiting, but nothing came. At last, one of the chiefs got up and said— “Whereabouts does this noxious beast that destroys men dwell?” Then another of those chiefs replied— “Who knows where, in the water, or in the stony cliff that overhangs yonder?” On this they set to work, and closely examined that lake; but alas! the monster was not to be found there; nevertheless, the appearance of that water was of a forbidding fearful character, that is to say, the fear was caused by the peculiar glitter of the water, as if strangely and darkly shaded, having the appearance of the water whence the greenstone is obtained. But notwithstanding all that, they could not detect any kind of chasm or deep dark hole in all that lake, like the hole in which Pekehaue was found.
Then certain of the chiefs said to the priests, “Begin, go to work; select some of your potent charms and spells.” So those were chosen and used; the priests recited their charms, causing stinging like nettles, and their charms of stitching together, so that the bubbles might speedily arise to the surface of the lake, if so be that the monster they sought was there in the water. At this time, one of the priests arose, upon the word spoken forth by one of the chiefs of the party, and said, “It is all to no purpose; not a single burst, or rising, or bubble has arisen in the water of Tikitapu.”
Then they turned their attention upwards to the stony cliff which stood before them; when, before they had quite finished their spell, causing nettle-stinging, and were reciting their lifting and raising charms, a voice was heard roaring downwards from the overhanging precipice at Moerangi, as if it were the creaking of trees in the forest when violently agitated by the gale; then they knew and said, “Alas! the monster’s home is in the cave in the stony cliff.”
Upon this, the whole body of 170 arose and stood ready for action; for glad they also were that they had found food for their inner man. In their uprising, however, they were not forgetful, for they immediately commenced reciting their powerful charms and spells; all were used, of each and every kind—none were left unsaid; the several priests made use of all, * that being their peculiar work.
They now set to work, and soon they got near to the entrance of the cave in the rock where this noxious cannibal beast dwelt. At last they got up to the cave, where the whole band quietly arranged themselves, and took a long time to consider how to act. At length, the valiant, fearless men arose—men who had already bound monsters fast—and, seizing the ropes, went forward into the cave. There they saw that noxious beast sitting and staring full at them; but, oh! such fearful eyes! Who can describe them? In appearance like the full moon rising over the distant dark mountain range, and when gazed at by the band, those hideous eyes glared forth upon them like strong daylight suddenly flashing into the dark recesses of the forest. And, anon, lo! they were in colour as if clear shining greenstone were gleaming and scintillating in the midst of the black eyeballs! But that was really all that gave rise to the appearance of fear, because the creature’s spines and crest of living spears had become quite flaccid and powerless, through the potent operations of the many weakening spells which had been used by those numerous warriors, that is to say, priests.
* Seven or eight kinds of charms and spells are here also particularised, and then the remainder given in a lump.
Then they managed to put forth their hands stealthily over its huge head, gently stroking it at the same time. At length, the rope was got round the monster’s neck and made secure; another rope was also slid further on below its fore-legs, and that was firmly fixed; twice did those brave men carry ropes into the cave. Having done all this, they came out to their friends, those of the 170 warriors who had been anxiously waiting their return, and who, when they saw them emerge, enquired, “Are your ropes made fast?” They replied, “Yes; the ropes are fastened to the monster; one round the neck and one round the middle.” Then the enquiry arose, “How shall the dragging of it forth from its cave, and its destruction, be accomplished?” When some of the chiefs replied, “Let us carry the ropes outside of the trees which grow around, so that, when the monster begins to lash and bound about, we shall be the better able to make them fast to their trunks.” Then others said, “All that is very good, but how shall we manage to kill it?” Some replied, “Why should we trouble ourselves about killing it? Is it not so fastened with ropes that it cannot get away? Just leave it to itself; its own great strength will cause it to jump violently about, and jerk, and knock, and beat itself; after that, we having made the ropes fast to the trees, the destroyers can easily run in on it and kill it; or, if not, let us just leave it alone to strangle itself in the ropes.” So all this was carried out by those 170 brave warriors.
Then, the several men having been properly placed, so as to hold, handle, and drag the ropes effectively, the word of command was given: “Haul away!” and then they all hauled with a will! But, wonderful to behold, entirely owing to the cave being in the face of the perpendicular cliff, almost simultaneously with the first pull, lo! the monster was already outside of the entrance to the cave. But then, in so saying, the potent work of the priests in reciting their raising and uplifting charms must also be included in the cause of the easy accomplishment. The moment that the monster's great tail was outside clear of the cave, then its head began to rear and toss and plunge, frightful to behold! On seeing this, they loosened a little the rope that held it by its middle; when, lo! its head was close to the trees, against which it began to lean, while it knocked about its tail prodigiously. The men, however, were on the watch, and soon the two ropes were hauled tightly up around the trees, notwithstanding the jerking and writhing of its huge tail. There, at last, it was, lashed fast close to the trees, so that it could only wriggle a little, that is to say, its tail.
Then the armed men came on; they banged and beat and clubbed away at the monster, which now lay like a rat caught in the snare of a trap; and it was not long before it was quite dead, partly through the blows and bruises, and partly through the ropes; and so it came to pass that it was killed.
The fame of this great exploit was soon carried to all those tribes who had fetched and sent Purahokura on his errand to Tikitapu. Then they assembled at the place and saw with astonishment their deadly foe lying on the ground, just like a stranded whale on the seashore; even so, this noxious monster now lay extended before them. Then arose the mighty shout of derision from all, both great and small. the noise was truly deafening, loud sounding, like that arising from the meeting together of the strong currents of many waters!
Early the next morning, the people arose to their work to cut up their fish; then was to be seen with admiration the dexterous use of the various sharp-cutting instruments—of the saw made of sharks' teeth, of the sea mussel-shells, of the sharp pitch-stone knives, of the freshwater mussel-shells, and of the flints. Truly wonderful it was to behold, such loads of fat! such thick collops! This was owing to the cannibal monster continually devouring men for its common food at all times and seasons; it never knew a time of want or a season of scarcity; it never had any winter; it was always a jolly harvest time with it! How, indeed, should it have been otherwise? when the companies of travellers from this place and from that place were continually passing and repassing to and frow; therefore it came to pass that its huge maw was satiated with food—not including the food given to it by its master Tangaroamihi—and therefore it came to be so very fat.
So the big fish was cut up. As they went on with their work, and got at length into its stomach, there the cannibal food which it had devoured was seen! there it lay—women, children, men—with their garments and their weapons. Some were found chopped in two, both men and weapons; no doubt through the action of its terrible lips in seizing them! others were swallowed whole, very likely through its capacious mouth being kept open, when the strong internal blasts from its great gullet drew down the men into its stomach! For you must also know, that this cave is situated near to the water, so that whenever a party came by water paddling in their canoe to Tikitapu, and the canoe came on to the landing place, this monster, Kataore, seeing this, came out of its cave, and, jumping into the water, took the canoe with the men in it into its stomach, so that both men and canoe were devoured instantaneously!
The victors worked away until they had taken everything out of its big maw, both the goods (of clothing and instruments as before) and the dead; the dead they buried in a pit. Then they finished cutting up that big fish; some of it they roasted and broiled; and some they rendered down in its own fat and preserved in calabashes; and so it came to pass that it was all eaten up, as good food for the stomach of man.
But when the news of this killing was carried to the chief Tangaroamihi, to whom this pet Saurian belonged, and he heard it said to him, — “What is this they have done; thy pet has been killed?” The chief enquired, “By whom?” and they answered, “By the tribe of Tama” (Ngatitama). On hearing this, the heart of Tangaroamihi became overcast with gloom, on account of his dear pet which had been killed; and this deed of theirs was a cause of enmity and war between Tangaroamihi and those who had destroyed his pet; and it remained and grew to be a root of evil for all the tribes. Thus the story ends.
It should be briefly noticed, in conclusion, that the name of this chief (Tangaroamihi) is one highly suited to the event; or it may have been given to him at an earlier date, through his having a pet reptile. Tangaroa is the name of the god, or creator or father and ruler, of all fishes and reptiles; (though Punga is sometimes spoken of as a god possessing similar powers, but perhaps over only a certain natural section of those animals;*) and mihi means, to show affection for, or to lament and sigh over, any one,—present or absent, living or dead;—so that Tangaroamihi might mean, (1) that this chief lamented over the death of one of Tangaroa’s family, or tribe; or (2) that he ever liked and showed great affection towards one of them.
* Vide the beginning of the following fable, —“The Shark and the large Lizard,” and the note there.
Fables
The Fable of the Shark and the Large Lizard (Guana)
The Fable of the Shark and the Large Lizard (Guana)
In days of yore, the large lizard and the shark lived together in the sea, for they were brothers, both being of the children of Punga.* The lizard was the elder and the shark the younger. After some time, they fell out, and as the quarrel was great and protracted, the lizard, vexed at the conduct of his younger brother, determined to leave off dwelling in the sea, and to reside on the dry land, so he left the water.† But just as he had got on the shore, his brother the shark swam up to where he was on a rock, and wished him to return, saying—"Let you and I go out to sea, to the deep water." The lizard replied, with a bitter curse, saying—"Go thou to the sea, that thou mayst become a relish of fish for the basket of cooked roots.‡ On this, the shark retorted with another curse, saying—"Go thou on shore that thou mayst be smothered with the smoke of the fire of green fern."|| Then the lizard replied, with a laugh, "Indeed, I will go on shore, away up to the dry land, where I shall be looked upon as the personification of the demon-god Tu,§ with my spines and ridgy crest causing fear and affright, so that all will gladly get out of my way, hurrah!"
The Battle of the Birds (A Fable of the Olden Time)
In ancient days, two shags met on the seaside. One was a salt-water bird, and the other was a fresh-water bird; nevertheless, they were both shags, living alike on fish which they caught in the water, although they differed a little in the colour of their feathers. The river-bird, seeing the seabird go into the sea for the purpose of fishing for food itself, did the same. They both dived repeatedly, seeking food for themselves, for they were hungry; indeed, the river-bird dived ten times, and caught nothing. Then the river-bird said to his companion, "If it were but my own home, I should just pop under water and find food directly; there never could be a single diving there without finding food." To which remark his companion simply said, "Just so." Then the river-bird said to the other, "Yes, thy home here in the sea is one without any food." To this insulting observation, the seabird made no reply. Then the river-bird said to the other, "Come along with me to my home; you and I fly together." On this, both birds flew off and continued flying until they reached a river, where they dropped. Both dived, and both rose, having each a fish in its bill; then they dived together ten times, and every time they rose together with a fish in their bills. This done, the seabird flew away back to its own home. Arriving there, it immediately sent heralds in all directions to all the birds of the ocean, to lose no time but to assemble and kill all the fresh-water birds, and all the birds of the dry land and the forests. The seabirds hearing this assented and were soon gathered together for the fray. In the meanwhile, the river-birds and the land and forest birds were not idle; they also assembled from all quarters and were preparing to repel their foes.
* According to the Māori mythology (in which each portion, or kingdom, had a different origin or progenitor), Punga was the father, or former, of fish and reptiles.
† Darwin, in his "Naturalist's Voyage" (Ch. xvii.), writing of the large aquatic (Amblyrhynchus cristatus), has some curious remarks that are very applicable here.
‡ "Roots" is not in the original, which has merely "kete maoa"—basket of (food, understood); but the meaning is fernroot, or sweet potatoes. Our potatoes were not then known to the New Zealander, otherwise I should have put that word. "Sweet potatoes" (or kumara) would not be a suitable answer, as this food was used all year round; and "vegetables" would be misleading, as such were never alone, save in times of great scarcity. The allusion is as to the Māori manner of serving setting food before men, each basket having a bit of fish or flesh, as a savour, pl the top.
|| I had often heard of the old mode of capturing this (the edible) lizard, which holes (burrows) at the foot of trees, and was made to appear by smoking them out. Years ago, this animal was still being eaten by an inland tribe known as the Rangitane. (Vide ante, extract from Cook, p. 83, and from Nicholas, p. 84.)
§ Tu was the name of the New Zealand god of war.
Ere long the immense army of the seabirds appeared, sweeping along grandly from one side of the heavens to the other, making such a terrible noise with their wings and cries. On their first appearing, the long-tail flycatcher (Rhipidura flabellifera) got into a towering passion, being desirous of spearing the foe, and danced about presenting his spear on all sides, crying "Ti! ti! ti!"* Then the furious charge was made by the seabirds. In the first rank came, swooping down with their mighty wings, the albatross, the gannet, and the big brown gull (ngoiro), with many others closely following; indeed, all the birds of the sea. Then they charged at close quarters and fought bird with bird. How the blood flowed, and the feathers flew! The river-birds came on in close phalanx and dashed bravely right into their foes. They all stood to it for a long time, fighting desperately. Such a sight! At last the seabirds gave way and fled in confusion. Then it was that the hawk soared down upon them, pursuing and killing; and the fleet sparrow-hawk darted in and out among the fugitives, tearing and ripping; while the owl, who could not fly by day, encouraged, by hooting derisively, "Thou art brave! Thou art victor!"† and the big parrot screamed, "Remember! remember! Be you ever remembering your thrashing!"‡
* Its faint little note, uttered as it hops, and twirls, and opens its tail.
† "Toā koē! toā koē!" was the owl's cry, which the words a little resemble.
‡ "Kia īro! kia īro koe!" was the cry of the parrot.
In that great battle, those two birds, the tiitii (Haladroma urinatrix=petrel), and the taiko, * were made prisoners by the river-birds; and hence it is that these two birds always lay their eggs and rear their young in the woods among the land-birds. The tiitii (petrel) goes to sea and stays away there for a whole moon (lunar month), and when she is full of oil, for her young in the forests, she returns to feed them, which is once every moon. From this circumstance arose among our ancestors the old adage, which has come down to us, "He tiitii whangainga tahi;" literally, "A tiitii of one feeding",; meaning, even as a tiitii bird gets fat though fed well only once in a while.†
* According to the Māori mythology (in which each portion, or kingdom, had a different origin or progenitor), Punga was the father, or former, of fish and reptiles.
† Darwin, in his "Naturalist's Voyage" (Ch. xvii.), writing of the large aquatic (Amblyrhynchus cristatus), has some curious remarks that are very applicable here.
‡ "Roots" is not in the original, which has merely "kete maoa"—basket of (food, understood); but the meaning is fernroot, or sweet potatoes. Our potatoes were not then known to the New Zealander, otherwise I should have put that word. "Sweet potatoes" (or kumara) would not be a suitable answer, as this food was used all year round; and "vegetables" would be misleading, as such were never alone, save in times of great scarcity. The allusion is as to the Māori manner of serving setting food before men, each basket having a bit of fish or flesh, as a savour, pl the top.
|| I had often heard of the old mode of capturing this (the edible) lizard, which holes (burrows) at the foot of trees, and was made to appear by smoking them out. Years ago, this animal was still being eaten by an inland tribe known as the Rangitane. (Vide ante, extract from Cook, p. 83, and from Nicholas, p. 84.)
§ Tu was the name of the New Zealand god of war.
Ere long the immense army of the seabirds appeared, sweeping along grandly from one side of the heavens to the other, making such a terrible noise with their wings and cries. On their first appearing, the long-tail flycatcher (Rhipidura flabellifera) got into a towering passion, being desirous of spearing the foe, and danced about presenting his spear on all sides, crying "Ti! ti! ti!"* Then the furious charge was made by the seabirds. In the first rank came, swooping down with their mighty wings, the albatross, the gannet, and the big brown gull (ngoiro), with many others closely following; indeed, all the birds of the sea. Then they charged at close quarters and fought bird with bird. How the blood flowed, and the feathers flew! The river-birds came on in close phalanx and dashed bravely right into their foes. They all stood to it for a long time, fighting desperately. Such a sight! At last the seabirds gave way and fled in confusion. Then it was that the hawk soared down upon them, pursuing and killing; and the fleet sparrow-hawk darted in and out among the fugitives, tearing and ripping; while the owl, who could not fly by day, encouraged, by hooting derisively, "Thou art brave! Thou art victor!"† and the big parrot screamed, "Remember! remember! Be you ever remembering your thrashing!"‡
* Its faint little note, uttered as it hops, and twirls, and opens its tail.
† "Toā koē! toā koē!" was the owl's cry, which the words a little resemble.
‡ "Kia īro! kia īro koe!" was the cry of the parrot.
In that great battle, those two birds, the tiitii (Haladroma urinatrix=petrel), and the taiko, * were made prisoners by the river-birds; and hence it is that these two birds always lay their eggs and rear their young in the woods among the land-birds. The tiitii (petrel) goes to sea and stays away there for a whole moon (lunar month), and when she is full of oil, for her young in the forests, she returns to feed them, which is once every moon. From this circumstance arose among our ancestors the old adage, which has come down to us, "He tiitii whangainga tahi;" literally, "A tiitii of one feeding",; meaning, even as a tiitii bird gets fat though fed well only once in a while.†
