A STRIKING THEORY.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 840, 11 June 1910, Page 13

A STRIKING THEORY.

' . .:(BitHaee Honqi.)

CHRISTIAN STORY KNOWN TO ;./■' ' MAORIS.-

'■' .f,' ; PART V.. ' '•?' . Ihe _ following brief accounts, suffici- '- .tmifcly indicate'that other groups kavo '. consistently 'taught tho divine ,character and miraculous powers of Tawhaki. ■ Now that the true, value of .these Stories is made known, students' lab-, curing in the Maorian' 3 11CG< 1 Scarcely -be enjoined to collect fugitive kindred recitals available from origin . • leal sources, and have these recorded. ■Those scattered abroad in various pub- •'■ Ideations might very well bo got together and republished in serial form in some such journal as that of the . Polynesian Society. We have here iome excellent foundations, and the main groups of the area still offer Splendid fields for investigation. •' Tahitian Story of Tawhaki. *Arii and Tavai were the sons of Uri and Ema. One day his relatives murderously assaulted Tavai, and, as his father Ema was reviled owing to'this, Ema descended to the under-world to nurse his grief and shame. Tavai subsequently came to life and he resolved to go in search of his father. He first said to his brother: 'Arii: Remain hero to take care of our mother.', But Arii. ■' lefused to do so, saying: 'Where you - go. I-also will go.! . On their leaving . their, mother taught to them certain '■'. trtuals which were necessary to. their success, in traversing the mystic path . to the lower world. They went forth until they came to a great rock which Jbarred their way.- Tavai then recited 'a ritual upon which the rock opened asunder and'tho brothers, descended, to the lower world. They there fouud their ancestress, Kui-the-blind. .Kui ,-was engaged in preparing food. The 'food consisted of two taw roots, two plantains, two parts of bread-fruit, and two. packages of paste. She took up one taro arid placed it in her basket. On reaching for the second, it was gone, Tavai had taken it. Kui then took up a plantain, and put that in her basket. On reaching for the second, it too was gone. The same thing happened with the bread-fruit and tho paste. Finally, after'having a discussion with Kui, the brothers proceeded in .' their search. They went on until they reached, a sea- -. chore. Tavai then-recited a prayer and they walked forth, on tho sea. In the midst of the sea they wore encountered by Mango-ura, who threatened to Bwallow them. On Tavai making himself known Mango (Shark) allowed them to mount on its back. So they Teached the further shore. Mango then asked Tavai to allow.him to eat Arii. He asked this tlirc'o times, aud three times did Tavai deny his 'request. The brothers remained for three . days' in - that region. Then Mango took them . along to th© limits of the under-world, and there left them. They met a •• priest, who told them that Heniawas dead, and that an old woman had charge of'his body. They then went-.-on, found the old woman, secured .the skeleton, and returned home with it." Rarotonga Story of Tawhaki. "Karii and Taaki were the 'sons of TJauxi and Ema. Taaki was the favoured son, and he was provided with the mana (force) .of lightning. This favouritism made his brother, Karii, wery murderously envJ:'_j. • One day when Taaki was at the bathing pool of iVai-porutu Karii smote and slew him. Their sisters restored Taaki to life. Ema, his father," was carried off by the evil-gods, and Taaki decided to search him out. Ho went by way of tho Nu-roa-i-iti, and consulted (the god) Tanga- .. roa. Apai-ma-mouka (a womaai) correctly directed Taaki oh his way. Hav>ihg passed through various adventures, Taaki ultimately secures- his father's body, with which he returns." Samoan Story of Tawhaki. "Alise and Tafa'i were the sons of DPua and Sigano. 'Their sinter ia recognised in the Ifiifii, tree. Their associate, Laumatoto, desiring to get the most suitable wife for Tafa'i available, ascended the heavens for 'one. Ho there saw tho,'beautiful Sina, the. 'daughter of Tagaloa. To Sina. he imada such overtures that she sent'a message for Tafa'i and Aliso to ascend ito her. This they did, 'having first j disguised themselves as persons of very ordinary appearance. When Sina \ saw rthem she regarded them with disfavour. 'They .therefore retired from her presence, .and whilo doing so' Tafa'i re- . 'stored his appearance -to that of trans[cendent 'beauty. Seeing this transformation in Sina at once Eni treated him to stay. When he declined' >to stay, Sina wept . bitterly. Tafa'i /then forced Sina into a dark and botitomless pit, whence, however, Sina •was- rescued. . Tafa'i then desired to ■wed her, but Sina fled away from him. |At length Tafa'i and Sina were -wedded, rin due time thoir Son-the-Snn was fborn. _ This Son-the-Sun would, not re- . anain in his "father's realm, but would Rver. go off to that of his mother." ' ' To the mythologist, the tendency to i make of Tawhaki a solar hero is manifest throughout. But, here, in this '•Samoan version, there ia no attempted (modification whatever. We are .led.at lonce to what tho Samoaim conceive to -be th© root of the matter, to' that solarlunar myth which is one of tho most ancient known. Here, Tagaloa-lagi is lord of th© Milky Way • his daughter, Sina, is the Moon; and Sina gives birth to the Sun.- Tliat apparently is the ■plain teaching of the Samoan; and it is remarkable In its directnoss, net to say abruptness. That this abrupt ver- . «on,. however, has not become popular • is 'evidenced in tho apparent fact' that no other centre has adopted it. It is equally evident from this that Samoan influence has not,, on important questions, been a leading or paramount influence in earlier times. But that aspect need not be pursued hero'. What Is the Conclusion? My message is so far delivered and is now-open for full and freo diseus- -. sion. What is already clear to mo in that—tho Christ Story has been known to.the Maorian apparently since its inoeption. What is equally clear is that —when Maorian knowledge is accumulated and brought together, wo may expect to have a new light thrown upon the Scriptural narrative. Until that evidence is accumulated no real sifting .of either can bo properly effective. With those indications I now pass on.' It has long been my practice and'ambition to throw light into tho darker ' past by using; the torch of original matter only. In other Words, to put forward such original material as is calru- ■'. lated to lighten up the- darkness with its own unaided forcu -In the prosecution of this I have persistently ro- ■ frained, from entering the popular discussions on migratory canoes of such recent times as, say, twenty generations ago; since such discussions arc relatively unimportant in a view-point of ancient history. It lias appeared to mo, when the whole of tlio circumstances were considered, that an adequate treatment of'the history of the Maorian race cannot lie effected by the recording of migrations fmm one group to another. The evidences of migration stories show that intercommunication, both warlike and friendly, voluntary and involuntary, has been common throughout tho groups. But, to ' a limited extent only has such intercommunication enabled us to fix with some fcgree of certaintly their approximate flates. Without convincing dates, chronological history is impossible. Of tliis more presently.

Already a very largo quantity of Hadrian history, tradition, .myths, and genealogies arc on record., Tneir peru.

I sal clearly shows that 110 teaching I exists as. to an entry of the race to the Pacific. Apparently, then, if the race originally entered the Pacific, it has -been at such a remote time vliat aoy genuinely historical reference to it 'has been forgotten and lost. This fact has not deterred the publication of quite a formidable pile of theories, in despite of which no substantial chronological progress has been made. That isj as showing' how long the race has occupied the Pacific. The question is still open, and very much so. To the question: Hoiv far back in time can., we get with absolute certainty? there is at present apparently but one . answer,- wluch is: Thirty-two generations about, or something less than one thousand years.' Thirty-two generations carries us back to the period of Toi, and Toi remains a. chronological figure. He lia'd so remained for the past eleven years. Up to that time it was'being freely asserted that Toi was personally concerned in the,alleged doings'of a migratory .pa rty. of some twenty generations ago. Incidentally a number of short genealogies purporting to show descent and generations from Toi wero being published. ' What is now a standard was sent in to the "Polynesian Journal" with a view to steady the historical drift then_ setting strongly in; and no more lias since been heard of that physical impossibility— the connection of Tni .with the doings of the alleged migrating party under 'notice. Those facts call for this explanation. It is also to add that' up to that time it was being persistently urged that this country' was first settled by Maorian. voyagers of some twenty generations ago. To-day it is capable of easy proof' that the first Maorian inhabitants must be sought beyond the juried of Toi himself. And these are facts of the first historical importance.

Men and Nature Forces. So far, then'i ail -5=- at _ present 1 aware, the Toi standard- remains the highest absolutely fixed standard which wo have, an observation which is not confined to the history of this country. From the many lengthy geonalogic lines .writers have made arduous, attempts to fix a higher standard with little success. Their attempts have mainly resulted in demonstrating an utter incapacity to distinguish between gods, solar heroes, well-known nature-forces, and ordinary human ancestors. Their findings are, therefc-re, historically disastrous. For the fixing •of successively higher standards two things aw essential. Tho fifst is to maintain an entirely luiman ancestry, the other to establish contemporary evidences. That tho first of these is possible to a very remote period is apparent in tho fact that the Maori recites lines of over one hundred ancestors, without, a god or nature-force being \ discernible, while tho Mooriori recites lines of over one hundred and fifty' generations, equally free of those, historically, undesirable members. Nor is Barotonga or Hawaii a whilt behind these. One hundred aud fifty generations carries us back nearly four, thousand years. It is not, tlien, lack of material, but it is the arrangement and the. fixing of that material that is" wanting.

An Important Coincidence. v Having assimilated those broad.facts, on the eve of fixing a forty-two and largely fifty-two generation standard, I mado tho discovory of which I write. I now, therefore, advance for acceptance a seventy-three generation standard (of twenty-five and-a half years), being the generations from Karihi, tho human brother of Taivhaki, to his descendants of the present day. I do this with' the confidence arising ic ith absolute '■ agreement with the period shown in the written records of the. New Testament; -supported .with ih<j v complete coincidence of the miraculous Christ stories with .those concerning Taivhaki. Such'complete accordance as wo have here in matters almc®t exclusively confined to exhibitions of miraculous powers, cannot reasonably .be attributed to mere chance. .Apart, too, from its religious significance this fixing of. the place and period* of Taivhaki is of, the. first historical importance. It enables, amongst other things, a truer perceptive in ■ the ca_ses of wellknown historical ancestors whose places rest between him and Toi. Incidentally, too, it demonstrates that given a seventy-threo generation-line of descent, twenty-five anjl a- half years is a just proof. -The period of Christ is. easily decided by the period of such historical characters as Herod and ; Pilate. That period, then, exactly ac- ! cords with that of Tawhaki, as here i shown. ' a For the rest, this opens up a verywide field for. fresh discovery and discussion. In that I hope to take a place. In the meantime, if I succeed in nothing beyond the present, the ambition referred to shall not. have been vain, nor its attendant labours without compensation. Appendix. Cenealogy From tawhaki. (Rarotoiigan J.P.S., Vol. I, p. 25.) Ku (or Tawhaki and Karihi). Ru-Tapatapa-i-aa. • Ueue-Nuku. •70. Ueue-Rangi. 1 ' . ■ 66. Tapu (Se© Tapu-whtikaihi and Whakamana, 48). - ; 65. Angaia-ki-te-rtligi. 60. Te Tupua. (Maori J.P.S,, Vol. vii, p. 40.) 55. Peke-te-io: Reliua. Awanui, i.e., 1. , i Kai-tangata—Wliaitiri. ' Niniwa. ' "i " 1 I. . Punga. Homa. Pungaiti. 1 ~~i i. • i Karihi. Tawhaki. Karihi. Pupu. Hoata. (Hawaiian, Poems, Gen. King, Kalakaua.) Ru-Tapatapa-i-awba. Ai-kanaka and Hina. Puna. Heina. Punaimuli. 50. la-te-ao . 50. Te Ueue-Nuku. 50: Tawhaki - nui - a Te Ueue-Rangi Hema. Tapu-Whkaihi.' . Wahieloa. Laka. : (See-66.) Tapu - Whakamana. . - Luamiu. Kai-tangata. • . Kamea. 45. la-tangata, Ta- 45. la-tangata, wake-ariki.-•12. Tangata-Katoa. 42. Tangata-Katoa,42 ; Hnanni-ekala. 40.' Akiaki-te-rangi.4o. Paumakua. ' 1 I 37. Ngaipapa. -37. Haiialaa-nui it Hanalaa-iki. 35. Ngaiwharikia. 35. Loan. 32. Toi to Huatahi —To tliarei. Ohomairangi. Awamii. I Ruarangitamc—Te Rongoueroa. Matu(Hawaiian), 30. Rauru —Ma.mi-30. Kaniuhi. kawau. 1 ~T ' 29. Whatonga. Puhi-a-Rauni. Kainipalni T \ 28. Tara. 28. Rutanga. 28. Kauea. 28. Kalapaim. 25. Oamnru. 25. Marut-awlriti. Kuniho. 20. 20. liuata.pn. 20. Umi. 15. Koropanga. 15 4 Tokotu. 15. Kajialoa. 10. Uruteangina. 10.-Jlotauturangi. 10. Keeamokn. 5. Pnia. 5. To Tupna. 5. Kauikea, j 2. Ruarangi. 2. Hare Hongi. (This writer.) i 2. Kinjz. Kalakau,'