1842 - Wade, William A Journey in the Northern Island of New Zealand - Chapter IV: Moeatoa

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CHAPTER IV.

Moeatoa.

Moeatoa, at the time of which I am now writing, (January 1838,) was occupied as a Church Mission station, by the Rev. R. Maunsell and Mr. Hamlin, who, with their families, were residing in a couple of rather mean looking rush houses; which, with a small chapel of the same material, and a few out-buildings, constituted the settlement. Its site formed a peninsula, the deep and winding creek being navigable for canoes and boats some distance beyond it. The land at Moeatoa, and far back from the settlement, is level, but wretchedly barren, and destitute of wood; while, on the opposite side of the creek, the soil is excellent, and wood close at hand. There seemed no reason for choosing the place for Mission purposes but convenience of access to the Manukau people on one side, and to the Waikato tribes on the other. Moeatoa has since been abandoned, for the formation of two distinct stations, one near the heads of Manukau, and the other on the Waikato river.

There were not more than seventy or eighty natives attending the Sunday services at Moeatoa chapel

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POWERS OF MEMORY.

when I was there, and the Sunday school attendance on the same day was fifty-two. But with no Mission school have I been better pleased, both as to the manner in which it was conducted and the effects produced. The Missionaries there, appeared deeply sensible of the importance of exercising the thinking faculties of their scholars, and of not making too much of the great power of memory which they all in common possess, and by which many are deceived into the supposition that they know a great deal; when, in fact, if you put a few plain questions to them, you find that they know nothing.

The readiness with which the New Zealanders, adults as well as children of both sexes, commit lesson after lesson to memory, would seem conclusively to contradict the assertion that memory in the prime of life is less vigorous than in the period of childhood. Whatever intellectual or moral rank we may regard them as holding among savages, the New Zealanders, matured as savages, and discovered in that condition, wild and untutored, without a written language, having few sources of information, and fewer occasions for that exercise of mind by which their faculties were likely to be developed, afford unquestionably a fair specimen of almost totally neglected mind, and may serve as a criterion of the power of undisciplined memory in adult age. The rapidity with which the alphabet, catechisms, and elementary lessons have been learned by men and women who before had no conception of the nature of a book, is familiar to those who have visited the Mission stations in New Zealand, or who have read published accounts

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POWERS OF MEMORY.

of such visits. A day or two after our landing on Missionary ground in the Bay of Islands, I was introduced to a chief, who sat beside me with a portion of the New Testament in his hand. He appeared to be reading, verbatim seriatim, following correctly verse after verse. To my great surprise, I learned that he had no knowledge whatever of reading; but having a clue to the commencement of the chapter, his memory accomplished the rest. This man was in the habit of taking his book, visiting native villages, and there going through the Sunday services as if he were following the printed letters before him. He was not at all remarkable for energy or acuteness, nor was his an uncommon case; the hymns, prayers, and portions of scripture, being thus committed to memory and made use of by many New Zealanders, who have derived their information from no other source than hearing others read or repeat to them. A subsequent period in the Mission furnished a striking instance of this. A woman advanced in years, even to grey hairs, and blind of one eye, and who was only just aroused to enquiry on the subject of religion, came to converse with me. I put a plain question to her; when, instead of giving me a straightforward reply, she repeated, for answer, a whole chapter out of the New Testament, with a correctness that would not have been discreditable to the rising youth of any of the Australian Colonies.

Besides possessing extraordinary merries, the natives are surprisingly ready inventors of a story, and excellent embellishers of any tale which they may

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TE HUIA. ---CHIEFTAINSHIP, ETC.

have to tell; so that it often requires much discrimination and cross-examination to find out what may or may not be believed.

At Moeatoa I met with Te Huia, an old Taranake chief; then a prisoner of war in the hands of a hostile tribe, and consequently a slave. He appeared to be a good deal respected by the people. His keen, and deeply-tattooed countenance, peeping out from the dirty garment under which he was shrouded, led one to commiserate his abject condition; but he seemed to take it as "the fortune of war,"--a matter of course.

On the subject of chieftainship and slavery, or of the ranks and orders of men in New Zealand, several incorrect and contradictory statements have been before the public. When we read of "Feudal tenure," of "Four classes of natives," of the "King or Queen" of such a place, or of "Administration of government," 1 the mind, accustomed in civilized life to the plain and proper use of these terms, draws at once a conclusion that there is to be found among the barbarians of New Zealand a semblance to the civil polity of advanced nations: a conclusion altogether unfounded in fact. The truth is, there is not discoverable among the tribes that systematic subordination, which seems to be taken for granted by those who have given evidence on the subject.

Three classes have been distinguished, "head chiefs, chiefs, and slaves." Now these distinctions do exist;

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CHIEFTAINSHIP.

but they are not always clearly defined or practically maintained. There are sometimes two, three, or more leading men in a tribe, of equal rank and power. Unless one of these gain for himself a name, by his superior judgment or his success in war, they are in every respect regarded as equal. The reason why there is a clashing of evidence on this subject is, that the chieftainship, such as it is, may be said to be both hereditary and elective; perhaps most generally the latter. Marked respect is paid to the children of chiefs; but commonly the next chief in rank, and not the son of the defunct, takes what little rank belongs to a head chief in New Zealand. The son of the tino rangatira, (principal chief) of a tribe, is, by birth, a chief of importance, and if he be of mature age on his father's death and his conduct support his title, he will probably be acknowledged as the head of the tribe. In case of there being three or four grown-up sons, the one who should gain the greatest name in the tribe would, most probably, fill his father's place; or, supposing no marked distinction in their character, their little pittance of rank and authority would be equal. But should the father die while the son or sons are but children, another in the tribe, who is grown to years of maturity, takes the lead; or the headship is held by two, three, four, or more, as it may happen. It is, however, often the case that a rangatira of equal birth, or even inferior to the deceased chief, gains an influence over the tribe, by which means he obtains promotion, and is established at their head. Neither of the words, "hereditary," or "elective," seems to apply

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CHIEFTAINSHIP. --INSUBORDINATION.

in its fullest sense to New Zealand custom. On the whole, it may be said, that it is sometimes the son of the head man, sometimes an old chief, equal or next in rank, sometimes several who are of equal rank, and sometimes, perhaps most frequently, the chief of leading mind in war or otherwise, who takes the headship of the tribe. Slaves are those taken in war. They may be killed with impunity by their masters. Notwithstanding this, slaves often act very independently; and, in a limited sense, it may be said that every man is his own chief, and does that which is right in his own eyes. Frequently there is so little subordination, even in the domestic circle, that a man dare not chastise his own child. The cause of the child is always liable to be taken up by some of the relations, and should those relations belong to another tribe, a war may be the consequence. This used to be the case in all the tribes; but Missionary influence has, in some degree, counteracted the evil It may be added, that whatever commanding influence a chief gains over his tribe, --and sometimes his influence is very great, --he has but a scanty share of what may, with strict propriety, be called rank or authority.

As to any union of the tribes, or form of general government among themselves, it was never known to exist: although, by marriages, they are closely interwoven one with another. The tribes in different parts of the Island, are so distinct from, and so jealous of each other, that they would neither unite their several leading men into a governing body, nor would one tribe submit to the authority of another, unless

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CONVERSATION WITH KAIHAU.

first subdued by the battle-axe and the musket. Such is their spirit, that if any reigning power were set up among themselves, I believe they would rather run all risk of being annihilated than tamely yield to be governed by any one of the tribes.

While staying at Moeatoa, I endeavoured to collect the traditionary account there current, of the origin of the people, to compare it with the traditions of other parts of the Island. In this I was favoured by the valuable assistance of Mr. Hamlin, who procured me an interview with Kaihau, the principal chief of the district, an intelligent and well-behaved old man, whose accounts of by-gone days might be depended on, if any might, for being pretty free from newly coined inventions. We had two long conversations with him. He began by saying, That as to the things which we required of him, they were only perfectly known to the aged among their ancestors, who had all departed; for himself, he was but a babe in knowledge, yet willing to give all the information in his power. "Only," he added, "of what use is it to talk about these things, you know very well they are nothing but lies." Mr. Hamlin's long experience among the natives, and his remarkable facility of communication with them, enabled him to correct mistakes and remove superfluities which might otherwise have found their way into my notes, as taken from Kaihau's lips. In order to be certain that we were really obtaining the authentic tradition of the place, our friendly informant underwent a sharp cross-examination, and the notes taken down at our first interview were again read over, and finally corrected, at the second.

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TRADITION.

Tradition of the origin of New Zealand, &c.

In former days, Rangi, (heaven,) made a descent to visit Papa, (earth). 2 After fashioning Papa into a female form, suitable to his wishes; which form, for some unknown reason, is named Tiki, Rangi and Papa became the common parents of five sons. The first son was named Rongo, (or kumara,) and begat kumaras. The second was called Tane. He was a tree: described as a male, with his head to the ground, and his heels uppermost. 3 Tane afterwards became the father of birds. The third son was Tangaroa, (a fish,) the father of eels, and of all kinds of fish. The fourth, Weri, who became a God, and returned with his father to heaven, having no issue. The fifth, and youngest, was Tu (man). All account of Tu's wife is involved in mystery; but, to him men owe their origin. Tu begat man.

Passing over a dead blank, we come next to the Maui family; nothing being known of the intervening generations. Where man had hitherto lived, or in what region the Maui family resided, save that Hauaika, their place of abode, lay in an easterly direction,

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TRADITION.

is altogether unknown. The Maui family consisted of Mahuika, the paternal head, with his sons Mauimua, Mauipae, Mauitaha, Mauitiketikeotara, and Mauipotiki, the youngest.

Mahuika, the ancestor of the Maui family, was the first who produced fire. On a certain occasion the Maui brothers sent the youngest, Mauipotiki, to Mahuika for some fire. Mahuika, on learning his errand, gave up his own thumb to his son to serve as a firebrand. With this Mauipotiki set off; but wantonly put the brand into the sea, and extinguished the sacred fire. He then returned to Mahuika, repeating his former request, alleging that he had fallen into the water, and shewing his garment, which had been dipped in, to make his tale good. On this, Mahuika immediately delivered up his fore-finger, and again Maui threw the brand into the water, and came back to repeat his former deception. In a similar manner the middle, third, and fourth fingers were separately and successively delivered up. On parting with his little finger, Mahuika set fire to the earth, and hence resulted the various trees from which the natives, by means of friction, procure fire, and also the peat, or half-formed coal, which is found on the western coast, and elsewhere. Having thus set fire to the earth, and as a consequence thereof, Mahuika dies.

Some time after the death of the father, the elder brothers set off together in a canoe, on a fishing expedition, leaving the youngest behind. Great success attends them, and they shortly return, bringing with them, in the canoe, plenty of fish. Having

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TRADITION.

cooked their fish, the brothers eat and are satisfied, while poor Mauipotiki is allowed nothing but scales for his portion. Enraged at this indignity, he hastens to the remains of Mahuika, and taking up the jawbone of his father for a fish-hook, he determines to fish up the land.

Again the brothers launch their canoe, and go on a fishing party together. Again they are remarkably successful, but Mauipotiki gets not a single bite. At length his hook sticks fast, and feeling a great resistance, he exclaims, "What fish have I got here!" Continuing to pull in the line, he finds the water get shallower, and repeats, "What fish have I got here?" adding, "My fish is the land." A still harder pull, and the canoe at last grounds, and they find themselves on dry land. The land continues to rise and spread, increasing finally to a mountain, which is Taupiri, in the Waikato district. The fish-hook is to be seen to this day at Paihakamahoe. The brothers were now completely inland. And here it becomes a matter of uncertainty whether they returned to the land from whence they came, or whether they died in the newly formed Island. Be that as it may, nothing further is heard of the Maui family.

Here follows another blank. A great many particulars connected with these early traditions are either altogether lost, or but confusedly remembered by the present generation: and plain or figurative allusions, of a disgustingly obscene character, are so thoroughly interwoven with the accounts given, that it is extremely difficult to disentangle them, so as to bring.

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TRADITION.

out the leading points of the tradition unsullied by these pollutions.

We are not informed what period of time had elapsed after the above recorded transactions, when a man named Hoturoa, a descendant of the Maui family, arrived at the Island in a canoe called Tainui; bringing with him the kumara, the hue maori, or native gourd, taro, the karaka, &c. He landed at Kawia, where a large stone, said to be the canoe Tainui, may still be seen.

Concerning this Hoturoa we collected a few curious particulars. He is said first to have landed at Mahia, or Table Cape, on the east side of the Island, where he left several persons on shore, some of whom, however, managed to get round to Kawia. Rakataura one of the crew who was left at Mahia, having no canoe, is said to have dived under the Island, and, coming up on the western side, arrived first at Kawia; where he laid out nekes, or pieces of wood over which to drag the canoe on its arrival. Kupe, ano ther who had been left, procured a canoe, and in going round the west coast, caused the waves tremendously to swell, so that it afterwards became a proverb, "No canoe can go where Kupe went." Nothing further is known of Kupe than that he went away. The name of one, who got round on the surface of the water, required very careful taking down; for he was called Te Wakatapaiiruarikikoatikirahuea. Te Hapurangi also arrived on the water, and several women got over from Mahia to Kawia. In the meantime, the canoe Tainui proceeded round the North Cape, and along the west coast: Hoturoa, in passing,

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TRADITION.

caused several places at which he touched to become fruitful. Getting among Kupe's waves, Hoturoa was exceedingly annoyed; but the waves hushed, in answer to his prayer, and he continued a man of might till his arrival at Kawia, where he became enraged at the sight of Rakataura's nekes; and, mingling with the rest and marrying, he sunk into a common native. Tanewetukura was the son of Hoturoa. Men began to increase rapidly. Mokau, Taupo, Rotorua, Hauraki, and Manukau, form the boundaries of the tribes descended from Hoturoa. 4

Such is the belief of the tribes around Manukau, as given by Kaihau. Other accounts will be found to vary in detail, and to change localities, yet still there are leading points in all, which may be traced to one originally prevalent tradition.

On reaching Tauranga, after I left Moeatoa, I procured the tradition current among the Bay of Plenty tribes. It was given me by our old friend Tahuhu. He was formerly a priest, who attached himself to us at the commencement of the Tauranga Mission, kept by us during the war, when all the other natives had fled to the pas, has since made a profession of religion, and, as far as I can learn, has walked consist-

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TRADITION.

ently in it. He very patiently allowed me to catechize him repeatedly, so that there might be no mistake about the matter. By his account, Watitiritaketake was the eldest son of Rangi, and the father of the Maui family; and the following were the children of Rangi and Papa, --viz. Tane, Haumia, Punga, Punganui, Pungaroa, Pungataketake, Pungawakaaea, and Pungawakaahu; together with another separate family from the same parents, --viz. Ponui, Poroa, Poroto, Pohihiri, Porarama, and Poanganga. There is also a variation in the names of the Maui family, thus-- Mauimua, Mauitaha, Mauipai, Mauitiketikeoteranga, and Mauiroto: and in Tahuhu's relation, it is not Mauipotiki, but Mauimua, --not the youngest, but the first-born, --who fishes up the land. His tale, in brief, runs thus: --

Mauimua, thinking to himself that he had no fishhook, went to look for the jaw-bone of Watitiri, 5 and it became his to use as a fish-hook. Now, the canoe of Mauimua and the younger brothers, was set afloat, and away they went a fishing. And the younger brothers fished, and caught native fish, tamuris, hapukus, tarakihis, those were all the fish. But the man Mauimua sat down without catching anything. The younger brothers called out to him, "What makes your fish-hook catch nothing?" But the man never opened his mouth, and only held down.

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TRADITION.

his head. At last came the fish to Mauimua's line, and he pulled, and pulled; and the brothers called out, "We shall be upset." And they were upset too; for the man would not listen, but kept on pulling till he had caught his fish, which turned out to be the land.

To these I will add another account from the Thames. It was carefully taken down from the mouth of a chief, and sent to me by Mr. Fairburn, in the native language, just as he obtained it: and it is given as a literal translation and more in detail, that some idea may be formed of the incoherence of native stories; and of the difficulty, in some parts of them, in making out any sense at all.

My fire was made. Wira and Maui were sitting, -- Mauimua, Mauiroto, Mauipae, Mauitiketike. They were sitting adzing their canoe, --the elder brothers only. They called out to the younger brother, "Maui, come and adze the canoe, to be a fishing canoe for you." And he did not come, but went to seek Uru. Not finding her, Maui came back. The elder brothers said, "What is your food that you are working for?" "Well, indeed, that canoe will be filled by me: go on; perhaps it is made for you, for the grown-up ones, to make the sides." "Why do you not adze it? or, what about that man? is he always to remain inland?" And he went to look for Uru, and the rest of them. He went direct on to spear pigeons, and came up to Uru and her party sitting on a tree. Kaihua was the name of his spear. And he went on, but did not hit one bird. The elder brothers called out from the canoe, "Come

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TRADITION.

back." Twice he came back, and thrice. And when he came quite back from the place, the canoe was finished. 6 "E kawa ana ko karikaritua, karikariono, rauihi, te kawahau, ma te kawa, ka eketiti, ka eketata." They rowed off to fish, and Maui sat inland. And the voice of the elder brothers spoke, "To-morrow, that shall be your constant work, to sit inland."-- "You go along to angle fish: there shall I be fed by you."--"Just fancy who will angle any for you."-- "And what indeed shall be a fish-hook for me that I should go to angle?" Two of the elder brothers went to fish, and the third, and the fourth; then Maui went on board to fish, because else he should not be fed with fish. That man Maui went to haul up fish. The old mother sat inland. Her name was Pani. Her first husband Ruamatua was dead. Miromiro and his wife Pani went into the house; and afterwards he fled upward to heaven. And he said, "Let your child be born a son." And, "Let us both go upward to heaven." And she said, "I will not go, I will remain down below here to prepare the horohoronga." 7 And Miromiro said, "Finish the offer-

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TRADITION.

ings for your son; let them not be left by thee." And Pani asked, "How many?"--"Let there be three ovens of offerings for your son." And Pani said, "Go into the water and remain there." And the man came out. And Miromiro ascended up to heaven and continued there. Pani fled into the water. And she prayed, and when that was done, went to cook food for the children. And when she went to pray over or consecrate the ovens, the fishing canoe arrived.

Maui soon came running. The mother spoke and said, "Let your elder brothers come together." Maui said, "What food have you got? Is it these snappers?" The brothers stepped forward to their food; and now the voice of the old mother spoke, "There, open the warikis, (coverings of the oven)." And now Maui burned his hand. The voice of the elder brothers spoke, "Shall you be fed by our old mother? How was it the old mother was left to sit there?" They hauled up the canoe. And Maui went back inland, and returned into the house. And he concealed himself within the dry litter, the old mother being in the house; and he went to light the ovens, and brought the stones in a kete, (basket,) and when he reached the water, he crept along to get near his mother. Now the elder brothers called out, "Maui is attempting to play tricks with the old woman."

And Maui went to Rangawenua, to his grandfather, and he found that he was gone. And then he went, together with his brother-in-law, Irawara: and they came to the hill. Then he called out to his

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TRADITION.

brother-in-law, "Give me your kutus to eat." 8 And he pulled his ear-holes, and he pulled his feet, and bis hands also. And when he came back, his brother-in-law, whose feet he pulled, was gone. And they made their appearance and said, "Let us go to teka, (or nitis: a game of skill, consisting in throwing straight fern stalks dexterously along the ground.) And you go and fetch your grandfather's fire."

It now began to rain, and Maui spoke of the world, and for the first time determined to be disobedient to the old mother. And he called out, and said, "I am going." And now they said, "Get some for us." And he went into the house, and there fell in with the jaw-bone of his grandfather which was lying down. And Maui stole it. The mouth of the mother spoke, "Dont play any tricks with the jaw-bone of your grandfather." So he went to the elder brothers, and spoke, and said, "Push out the canoe." And their voices said, "Where's a bait for you, you have no fish-hook: do you mean to go without any thing, and sit idle in the canoe ?" At length they row out to fish, calling out, "Pull up the anchor." And he called out, "By-and by; let me cast my hook into the sea." Immediately the land bit, and the elder bothers called out, "Sir, cut it off; what is that fish you are pulling up, that you do not cut it off." And he said, "Am I to go back to the

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TRADITION.

shore without anything?--What is there coming to me that I should not be allowed to angle my fish?" "Our canoe will be upset," And he said, "This is my fish that I told you of when I asked for a fishhook." "We shall be upset in the sea, we shall not be able to get ashore." "Let my fish come up: to-day you shall see mine." And the elder brothers wept for the canoe. The name of the canoe was Arataku. And now it appeared in sight, and came up; and he called out, "There, look, it is coming to light; this is mine, that you wished to deprive me of, by keeping back the fish-hook. To-day, you will be vexed." And it came to light, and there was smoke seen. And now they went along with their brother-in-law, Puruaueto. "Let us go and see the thing that is shining there. Sir, do not you go there with your nonsense." And Maui said, "I am going: do not you laugh at me: let me go and see the thing that is shining there: don't laugh at me." And he left his garments and went to Hinenuiitepo. He went once, twice, thrice: and now the skin of the small teeth of his brother-in-law was rubbed off. "Sirs, don't laugh at me, lest ye shew the unevenness of your teeth." Twice, thrice, and Maui died. If he had not died, man would not have died. If he had lived, man would have lived for ever.

It is exceedingly difficult to make any sense at all of the latter part of this story. There is, however, a common tradition that death was first introduced into the world by Maui wickedly laughing at a celestial female, called Hinenuiitepo. Kaihau told us that she was in the act of giving birth to a child

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TRADITION.

when Maui laughed at her, and abortion was the result. However that might be, it was one man's error that brought death into the world; a remarkable agreement, in the midst of all this nonsensical jumble, with the statement of unerring truth, "By one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin" 9