1845 - Brodie, W. Remarks on the Past and Present State of New Zealand - [APPENDICES]

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APPENDIX.

I.

IN Mr. Kettle's report before the Committee of the House of Commons, last June, he states, that

"The whole length of the three islands of New Zealand is twelve hundred miles:

He states, that "Johnson has put down 50,000,000 acres upon his map as the acreage of the three islands, but thinks he must have been using geographical instead of English miles when he made his calculation."

While speaking of the relative size of the three different islands of New Zealand, it will not be out of place to submit for the information of my readers some interesting calculations, taken from Mr. Montgomery Martin's work upon the British Colonies, a book replete with the most valuable information relative to all our Colonies, and which will amply repay the trouble of perusal. Herewith is subjoined a Table, which will at one view point out the magnitude of the Colony, and the fearful responsibility which rests upon those who have the controul of so vast a territory, peopled with millions of human beings, whose spiritual not less than their temporal happiness depends entirely upon the fostering care and protection of the mother-country.

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With an area of 5,434,522 square miles, or 3,478,094,080 acres.

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II.

The following tradition, which is very curious, and which will be read with interest by those whose tastes lead them to such investigations, I received orally from a chief at Moeatoa, named Kaihau, and can vouch for its authenticity.

In former days, Rangi (heaven) made a descent to visit Papa (earth). 1 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 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. 2 Tane afterwards became the father of birds. The third son was Tangaroa, (a fish) the father of eels and all kinds of fish. The fourth, Weri, who became a god, and returned with his father to heaven, having no issue. The fifth 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

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

Mahuika, the ancestor of the Maui family, was the first who produced fire. On a certain occasion the Maui brother 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 fire-brand. 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 he had fallen into the water, and showing his garment, which had been dipped in, made 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 west 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 cooked their fish, the brothers eat, and are satisfied, while poor

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Mauipotiki is allowed nothing but scales for his portion. Enraged at this indignity, he hastens to the remains of Mahuika, and taking up the jaw-bone 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 in land, and here it becomes a matter of uncertainty, whether they returned from 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 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 moari, or native gourd, taro, the karaka, &c. He landed at Kawia on the west coast, where a large

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stone, said to be the canoe Tainui, may still be seen. Concerning this Hoturoa, a few curious particulars have been collected. He is said first to have landed at Mahia, a table cape on the east side of New Zealand, where he left several persons on shore, some of whom managed to get round to Kawia on the west coast. 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 at Kawia, where he laid out nekes, or pieces of wood, over which to drag the canoe on its arrival. Kupe, another 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 that got round on the surface of the water, required very carefully taking down, for he was called Te Wakatapauruarikikoatikirahuea. 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, 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 amazed 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.

The tradition by another tribe of natives is given by an old chief, who was formerly a priest. By his account, Watitiritaketake was the eldest son of Rangi, and the

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father of the Maui family, and the following were the children of Rangi and Papa; viz. Tane, Haumia, Punga, Punganui, Pungaioa, Pungataketake, Pungawakaaea, and Pungawakaahu; together with another separate family from the same parents; viz., Ponui, Poroa, Poroto, Pohihiu, 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 fish-hook, went to look for the jaw-bone of Watitiri, and it became his to use as a fish-hook. Now the canoe of Mauimua and the younger brother was set afloat, and away they went a fishing; and the younger brother fished and caught native fish, tamuris, hapukas, tarakihis; those were all the fish. But the man Mauimua sat down without catching any thing. 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 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.

This tradition is taken down word for word as the natives gave it themselves in the river Thames:--

My fire was made, Wira and Mani 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

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come, but went to seek Uru; not finding her, Maui came back. The elder brother 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 back." Twice he came back, and thrice; and when he came quite back from the place, the canoe was finished. They rowed off to fish, and Maui sat inland; and the voice of the elder brother 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, Raumatua, was dead. Miromiro and his wife, Pani, went into the house, and afterward he fled up toward 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. 3

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And Miromiro said, "Finish the offerings 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 river, 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 waikis" (coverings of the ovens); and now Maui burned his hand. The voice of the elder brother spoke, "Shall you be fed by our old mother? How was it our 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 in the dry litter, the old mother being in the house; and he went to light the ovens, and brought the stones in the kete (basket), and when he reached the water he crept along to get near his mother. Now the elder brother 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 brother-in-law, "Give me your kutus to eat!" And he pulled his ear-holes, and he pulled his feet, and his hands also. And when he came back, his brother-in-law, whose feet he pulled, was gone; and they made their ap-

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pearance, and said, "Let us go to teka (or nitis, a game of skill, consisting of throwing straight fern stalks dexterously along the ground), and you go and fetch your grandfather's fire." It now began to rain; and Maui spake 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, "Don't 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 brothers 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 shore without any thing? 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 fish-hook. We shall be upset in the sea; we shall not be able to get on shore. 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, which 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.

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Sir, do not you go there, with your nonsense!" And Maui said, "I am going; do not laugh at me: let me go and see the thing that is shining there." 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 show 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 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. The chief stated that she was in the act of giving birth to a child 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 nonsensible jumble, with the statement of unerring truth, "By one man sin entered the world, and death by sin." 4

Having given the tradition of New Zealand, I will add an account of Reinga, the reputed dwelling of departed spirits.

A particular mountain is by the New Zealanders supposed to be the place whither the souls of the deceased retire. Mr. W. G. Puckey determined on performing an exploring visit to this mountain. His account will much interest my readers: a few such

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visits may tend to loosen the hold which this superstition has on the minds of the natives.