MAORI GAMES

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 250, 16 July 1919, Page 8

MAORI GAMES

AKIN TO "CAT'S CRADLE." An interesting paper on string- games, similar to "cat's cradle" of childhoods memories, was read by -Mr. Johannes Andersen before the Historical Section 01 the Wellington Philosophical Society. Mr. Andersen told of the game of "whai." This he described, as a llaori pastime that was much more widely known in pre-European times than at the present day. Its origin was, in myth, accredited to Maui, one ot tna old heroes, demigods, or personifications so well loved by uncultured mail and henco it was sometimes called-alter In* name—Maui, or in full to wliai nawe* wawe a Maui. The forming of the many varied patterns provided amusement dur. ing the long winter nights,, and- 111 former times the game was practised by young and old. Tho more intricate patterns were taught to the children by tho elders, the .simpler ones r.ie.v learned from one another. Among older Aew Zealand writers, Dieffen bach the Rev. Taylor, Thomson, and A\ lute had referred to the ga-nie, and named a few of the patterns, but gave 110 description as to how they were produced. Wo different forms were said to represent, scenes in their mythology, such as Hine-nui-te-po, mother night bringing fy') her progeny; Maru and tho gods; Maul fishing up the land; Tawhaki ascending to the heavens; the fall of Karihi; and so on. Other shapes represented men, canoes, stars, houses, parts of houses, and so on, . Most of the figures were set up by one person; some required two. three, or more to set up the completed figure. Some ran in series, one figure proceeding from another, somewhat as in our own game of cat's cradle. Theie were appropriate chants accompanying the making of some of the figures eonn> of them of such an ago that whilst tho words were known the meaning ot tiltwords had beoii lost, and they were as meaningless to the present race as manj of ouv own nursery rhymes were to us. The names of lteai'.y seventy figures ha<! been collected by Mr. Elsdon Best, and while the hiii aroha, a Maori gathering, was held outside Gisborne in April last, the opportunity afforded by this uniquegathering was taken by the (JovGi'tiiiionc of securing photographs and other ma-t-rial Among other material, a few of their string games were learned, and their methods of constrifttion were shown by Mr. Andersen, and tho patterns coinpaved with similar patterns produced in other parts of the world. It is impossible to say now which of the Maori patterns were original, and which, if any, had been introduced; but when, as & the case in two of the patterns exhibited, tlie same result was obtained in different pfu-t.s of the world by quite different means, it~was reasonable to suppose that tho origins had been independent. Some of the patterns were very beautiful; some' were produced, not for their beautv, hut for a certain movement at the finish. Whilst an interesting study in' themselves, I hey were also interesting from an ethnological point of view, as showing parallel working of the human mind in remote regions. Given certain material to work on it appeared that different minds, would arrive at the same or a like result, though the intermediate steps might be quite different.