[Korero tara - Stories]
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PREVIOUS to the settlement of New Zealand by Europeans, the Natives used to assemble in their houses during the rainy weather and amuse themselves by telling stories, some of which are far more creditable to their heads, than many of the writings of fiction of the present day.
We have not been able to make a selection in this department, but have satisfied ourselves by taking the first that comes to hand. Some of the tales are extremely lengthy, and on that account we are obliged to reject them. The memory of the New Zealander is exceedingly good; this will be seen, when we remember that, previous to the introduction of Christianity, he had no written language, and in that dark era of his history he could sit down, and with the utmost facility relate romantic tales so lengthy, as to require several days for their utterance.
SPECIMEN OF ANCIENT MAORI STORIES.
[TRANSLATION.]
"O let me weep!
Let me utter now the lamentation
For thy younger brother, Waihuka;
Lo, the year is long, O Tuteamoamo--
And this long year is thine."
HINEITEKAKARA,
The men were born, the elder and the younger brother--but they had neither father nor mother, nor tribe nor place.
The name of the younger was Waihuka, and the name of the elder brother was Tuteamoamo.
The younger brother married a woman named Hineitekakara-- a very beautiful woman, very beautiful indeed. The elder brother
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became envious, and he said-- "My younger brother has borne away this beautiful woman--what shall I do to get her into my own possession?"
The elder brother thought over this matter, and he devised a means of getting rid of his younger brother when they should go on the sea to fish.
He said to his brother, therefore, "Let us two go to catch fish," and the brother consented.
They paddled on the sea till they had gone to a great distance, even until land was out of sight, and there was no land visible. The younger brother sat in the bow of the canoe, and the elder in the stern. The anchor was cast into the sea, and the bait was fastened to the hooks, and the lines thrown out.
They fished for a long time, and each caught one hundred fish. The fish were whapuku. Their canoe being heavily laden, they thought of returning.
The elder brother still kept the design he had formed in his heart, namely, of destroying his brother, and taking his wife for himself.
The elder brother now said--"Haul up the anchor of our canoe."
"I cannot," said the younger brother, "the anchor is so large."
The elder brother said, "Nevertheless, haul it up."
"I am not able," said the brother.
The younger brother seized the rope and made an attempt to haul up the anchor, but it moved not from the bed of the sea; and he called out, "I cannot get it up, but do you come and haul it up."
The elder brother replied, "Rather do you dive and fetch it up."
"Dive yourself," was the answer of the brother.
"But do you dive," said the elder brother, and an altercation took place as to who should dive for the anchor. Ultimately, the elder brother succeeded in his wish, and the younger brother threw himself into the sea to dive for the anchor. When he had gone down into the sea, and was no longer visible to the eye of his brother, the rope was cut by the elder brother, and the sail unfurled.
When the canoe was at a distance from the anchorage, the younger brother appeared on the surface of the water, and he called out, "Let the canoe come hither to me."
The elder brother took his garments, and put them into the sea saying, "These thy garments will serve thee as a canoe."
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The younger brother called again, "Bring hither the canoe for me."
"Take these for a canoe," said the elder, as he threw his matting into the sea.
"Oh do let me get into the canoe," said the younger brother.
But the elder brother cast his articles into the sea one by one, saying "These will serve as a canoe."
The things thrown out were the fishing line, the cross pieces, the paddle and the baler.
The younger brother now drifted upon the sea, and he thought within himself as to how he should escape. He now prayed to the gods, and then called to the birds, saying, "O toroa, take me to land," but the bird answered not. He then said "O Karoro, take me to land! O Kawau take me to land!" But they hearkened not.
After this he called to the fish of the sea, and none of the fish hearkened to his call except the whale, for the whale was an ancestor of his, being a pet of Tinirau the great Chief of this world.
Scarcely had he uttered the words "O whale take me to land!" when the whale darted forward, and he threw himself upon its back and was taken to the shore.
The elder brother sailed on until he reached the land, and whea he went on shore, the woman came out of her house, and not seeing her husband, she said--"Where is your younger brother?" "He is on board another canoe," was the reply.
The woman thought that her husband was dead, for she suddenly felt overcome with grief, and she went into the house to weep.
In the evening, the elder brother went to the door of the woman's house, and called out-- "Hineitekakara, draw back the slide of the door."
And the woman replied--
O let me weep!
Let me utter now the lamentation
For thy younger brother, Waihuka;
Lo the year is long, O Tuteamoamo---
And this long year is thine.
The woman was digging a hole in the earth while she uttered these words, to make her escape, and she had at this time dug down as deep as her waist.
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After awhile the elder brother called out again "Hineitekakara draw back the slide of the door." And the woman replied--
O let me weep!
Let me utter now the lamentation
For thy younger brother, Waihuka;
Lo, the year is long, O Tuteamoamo--
And this long year is thine.
The depth of the hole was now up to her neck.
After awhile he again called, but no answer came from the woman, and when he broke open the door, lo, she was gone.
The woman having escaped from the house, journeyed along the sea shore in quest of her husband's body or bones, for she thought he was dead. Presently she saw an albatross, and said to it, "Hast thou seen a mouldering heap about here?"
And the bird replied "No."
She afterwards saw the Kawau, the Karoro, and many other birds, and she said to them, and to the fishes of the sea, "Have you seen a mouldering heap about here?"
"We have not seen it," was the reply of them all.
The woman now saw a whale, and asked it, and the whale answered saying, "He is yonder on the land."
The woman went forward to the place pointed out by the whale where she found her husband sitting, and she fell on his neck, and they wept together.
When they had ceased weeping the husband said, "Let us go to our house."
They both journeyed thence to their house, and after they had entered, they again wept together secretly, so the elder brother heard not their lamentations.
Waihuka then took his comb, and after arranging his hair, he decorated it with feathers. He took also his choicest garments, in which he attired himself, and he grasped his ornamental spear, and said to his wife, "Do I handle this well?"
"You do," said the woman.
He threw down his spear and took up a mere-mere, waving it about, he said, "How now--do I look well?"
"Cast that weapon away," was the answer.
He then took a kotiata, saying, "Look at me--do I look well with this?"
"No, it is ill with thee," said the woman.
He again seized his ornamental spear, and while it even touched
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the ground, the blade quivered, and Hineitekakara said, "Now thou handlest thy weapon well. If thou doest so, thy elder brother will fall before thee."
At eventide, in the cool of the day, Tuteamoamo approached the door of the house, and said, "Hineitekakara, draw back the slide of the door, draw back the slide of the door."
"Enter, O Tuteamoamo," said Hineitekakara. Tuteamoamo went in, when his younger brother sprang forward, and felled him to the ground.
LO! THIS IS THE END.
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KORERO TARA NO NGA IWI MAORI O NAMATA.
[TE REO MAORI.]
"Waiho ra,
Kia tangihia tetehi tangi
Mo to teina, e roa ko te tau
Ki a koe e Tuteamoamo!"
NA HINEITEKAKARA.
Ka whanau nga tangata ra ko te tuakana ko te teina, kahore he whaea, kahore he iwi, kahore he kainga.
Ko Waihuka te teina, ko Tuteamoamo te tuakana.
Ka moe te teina i te wahine, i a Hineitekakara, he tino wahine pai--pai whakaharahara. Ka tuahae te tuakana, ka mea "Riro rawa te wahine pai nei i taku teina. Me pehea ra e riro ai i au?"
Ka taka te whakaaro i te tuakana; a, ka kitea e ia tetahi whakaaro tikanga, mo tana teina. Mahara ana ia me haere ki te moana, ki te hi ika.
Ka karanga atu ki te teina, "Hoake taua ki te hi ika ma taua," ka whakaae mai te teina. Ka hoe raua, ki te moana a tawhiti noa, ka ngaro a uta; kihai raua i kite mai i te tuawhenua. Ko te teina i te ihu, ko te tuakana i te kei, o to raua waka. Ka maka te punga, ka tae ki nga matika, ka takaia te maunu, ka whakahekea ki te moana nga aho.
Ka hi raua roa noa, kotahi rau ika i mau i tetahi, kotahi rau e tetahi; he whapuku nga ngohi. Ka pangoro to raua waka, ka mahara raua ki te hoki ki uta.
E takoto ana ano te whakaaro o te tuakana i roto i tona ngakau, mo tona teina kia mate, kia watea te wahine mona.
Ka karanga atu te tuakana ki te teina, "Hutia te punga o to taua waka."
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Ka karanga mai te teina, "Ekore e taea e ahau he punga nui."
Ka ki mai te tuakana, "Mau e huti."
Ka ki atu ano te teina, "Ekore ra e taea."
Ka mau nga ringa o te teina whakatangatanga noa, kihai i riro ake te punga, ka mau tonu ki raro ki te moana. Ka karanga mai te teina, "Kahore e taea; engari tikina mai, mau e huti."
Ka ki atu te tuakana, "Engari rukuhia."
Kaki mai te teina, "Mau e ruku."
Ka ki atu ano te tuakana, "Mau e ruku."
Ka tautotohe raua ki a raua ka mea ina tetahi e ruku. Nawai a, ka riro i te tuakana i taua tohe. Katahi te teina ka rere ki roto ki te wai ki te ruku i to raua punga. Ka ruku ia ki roto ki te moana. No tona ngaromanga ki roto ki nga wai o te moana, ngaro atu i te tirohanga o te kanohi o te tuakana, ka rere mai te tuakana tapahia ana te rahiri, ka motu, ka whakaarahia te whakawhiti rawhara.
Ka taea tawhiti e te waka o te tangata ra, ka puaki ake te teina i raro i te moana. Ka karanga atu te teina i roto i te moana, "Homai ki au te waka."
Ka tae te tuakana ki nga weruweru, ka karanga atu, "Tau waka na, ko ou weruweru," ka tukua era ki te wai.
Ka karanga atu ano te teina, "Ehoa e! homai te waka ki au."
Ka mau ki nga whariki ka karanga atu "To waka na" maka atu ana ki te wai. Ka whiua takitahitia i konei nga taonga o runga i te waka hei waka mo te teina, ko te aho, ko nga taumanu, ko nga kaiwai, ko te hoe, me te tata.
Ka manu noa iho te teina i roto i te wai, ka mahara ia me pehea ra ia ka ora ai. Ka karakia ia ki nga atua i konei. Katahi ka karanga, "Te toroa e kawea au kiuta." Kihai rongo tera. Ka karanga ake "Karoro e! kawea au kiuta!" kihai rongo. "Te kawau e! kawea au kiuta." Kihai rongo mai. Nga manu katoa kihai i mahue i a ia te karanga kia kawea ia kiuta, a kihai i rongo.
Ka karanga ia ki nga ngohi o te moana, kihai i rongo, ko te ika moana anake i rongo ki a ia. He tupuna ki a ia, he mokaikai na Tinirau, te rangatira nui o te ao katoa.
I taua kupu kau "E te tohora kawea au kiuta!" inamata! kua rongo mai te tohora, kua awhi atu ki tona taha, ka eke atu ia ki runga, ka kawea kiuta.
Ka hoe te tuakana, ka tae kiuta, ka puta mai te wahine, kua
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ngaro te tane, ka patai mai "Keihea tou teina?" Ka ki atu te tangata ra "kei runga kei era waka." Ka mahara te wahine ra, e! kua mate, kua tae te puaroha ki a ia. Hoki ana te wahine ra ki te whare tangi ai.
No te ahiahi ka haere atu te tangata ra ki te wahine, ka karanga atu, "Hineitekakara, toia te papa." Ka karanga atu te wahine ra,
"Waiho ra kia tangihia,
Tetahi tangi mo to teina,
E roa ano ko te tau ki a koe--
E Tuteamoamo."
E keri aua te wahine ra i roto i te whare i tetahi putanga, ka to nga hope te oneone.
Muri iho ka karanga ano, "Hineitekakara, toia te papa." Ka mea ake ano te wahine ra--
"Waiho ra kia tangihia,
Tetahi tangi mo to teina,
E roa ano ko te tau ki a koe,
E Tuteamoamo."
Ka to nga kaki te oneone ki te wahine ra. Muri iho ka karanga te tangata kaho e i oho mai te reo, wahi, rawa ake te tangata ra i te whare aue, kahore kau.
Ka puta te wahine ra, ka haere i te mutunga tai, ki te haha haere i tona hoa, kua mate ke ki tono whakaaro, he rapu tera i te tinana, i nga wheua.
Ka kite te wahine ra i te toroa ka karanga atu, "Kahore he popopopo mea e tataka mai na?" Ka mea atu e te toroa, "Kahore."
Ka kite ia i te Kawau, i te karoro, i te tini o nga manu, i nga ika katoa o te moana, ka karanga atu, "Kahore he popopopo rakau e tataka mai na?"
Ka ki ake ratou, "Kahore matou i kite."
Ka kite ia i te tohora, ka karanga atu ano i taua karanga ana, ka karanga te tohora, "Tena kei uta."
Ka haere atu te wahine ra ki te wahi i tohungia mai, rokohanga atu e noho ana. Tika atu ka tuohu, ka tangi.
Ka mutu te tangata ra raua ko te wahine te tangi, ka mea a Waihuka, "Ka haere taua ki te kainga."
Haere ana te tokorua ra, tae noa ki te whare, tangi puku ana raua, ka mutu te tangi.
Ka heru te tangata nei i a ia, tango mai te hou, me te kahu kiwi, ka mau ki te hani, ka whakatu i roto i te whare. Whakatu nei, a, ka ki atu ki te wahine.
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"E pai ana taku rakau?"
Ano ko te wahine "E pai ana."
Ka mahue te taiaha, ka mau ki te meremere, ka ki atu ki te wahine "E pai ana au:"
Ano ko to wahine, "Whakarere a tena rakau au."
Ka mau i konei ki te kotiata, ka mea atu ki tana wahine "Titiro mai; e pai ana au?"
Ka mea atu te wahine, "Kahore, e kino ana."
Ka mau i konei ki te paraoa poto, ki te hoatu me te tini o te patu, ka mea atu ki te wahine, "E pai ana taku hapai."
Ano ko te wahine, "Kahore; ka mate koe."
Ka hokia i konei ki tana maipi, i raro iho i te whenua te taiaha ka wiri te rau, ka ki ake a Hineitekakara, "Katahi ano koe ka tau, kia pena ki to tuakana aianei ka hinga, ka mate."
I te maruahiahi, ka puta ake a Tuteamoamo, a ka karanga atu ki te wahine o tona teina, "Hineitekakara toia te papa, toia te papa."
Ano ko Hineitekakara, "Tomo mai ra e Tuteamoamo." Haere kau atu te tangata ra ka reia mai e te teina, inamata! pororere te matenga i te teina, takoto ana.
NA, KO TE MUTUNGA TENEI.
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THERE are very many MAORI FABLES, but these are all we able to supply. They may or may not be, good specimens
SONG OF THE LOCUST AND THE ANT.
LOCUST.
Come hither quickly, O my friend,
And to my urgent call attend:
Thy work, O Ant, is wondrous fair,
And thy commanders act with care.
ANT.
Come hither, thou, and dig the ground,
And raise with me a spacious mound,
Where we may house us from the rain
Of heaven, and hide our stores of grain
As food, when each successive blast,
Of winter's dreary night, sweeps past.
LOCUST.
But is this not my sole delight,
To bask in sunbeams, warm and bright?
To rustle with my wings, and cling
To some high branch, and gaily sing?
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KORERO TARA.
HE WAIATA NA TE POPOKORUA RAUA KO TE TATARAKIHI.
TATARAKIHI.
Hohoro mai e te hoa!
Kauaka e whakaroa, oi,
Arara! ka turua ta te popokorua,
Rawe noa ta nga taki whakahua.
POPOKORUA.
U mai ki te keri,
I te rua mo te ua o te rangi.
No te makariri, wero te po nei, e.
Me te kohi mai ano i te kakano, e.
Hei o ake ma tama roto
Kia ora ai, e, i.
TATARAKIHI.
He pai aha koia taku? He noho noa,
Piri ake ki te peka o te rakau, e!
Inaina noa ake ki te rae whiti nei
Me te whakatangi kau i aku paihau, e.
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THE RAT AND THE LIZARD.
Lizard. --O Rat, O.
Rat. --What!
Lizard. --Come up hither to me.
Rat. --What are we to do there?
Lizard. --To gather the fruit of the trees.
Rat. --The fruit of what trees?
Lizard. --Of the Miro and the Kahikatea.
Rat. --O son, our place is here below, we only know how to burrow in the earth, O son.
These two men, the Rat and the Lizard, belonged to the earth, it was evil for them therefore to go up into the trees, to eat the food of the birds; and this conversation is to point out the evil.
HE KORERO NA TE KIORE RAUA KO TE KAKARIKI.
Kakariki. --E Kio e.
Kiore. O!
Kakariki. --Piki ake taua ki runga.
Kiore. --Ko te aha taua i runga?
Kakariki. --Ko te kohi pua rakau.
Kiore. --Heaha te pua rakau?
Kakariki. --He Miro, he Kahikatea.
Kiore. ---No raro nei hoki taua, e tamar e! No te whakaruarua i a taua e tama ra e!
No raro ngatatatahi enei tangata tokorua te Kiore me te Kakariki. Na, he he tera, ki te piki rakau kia kainga nga mea o te manu; no reira tera korero.
