Two Good Tarns

Feilding Star, Volume XIV, Issue 116, 21 March 1893, Page 2

Two Good Tarns

It is a regular thing that archaic research should be so little popular, seeing it is so interesting and opens up such a wide field. l*ow, how many people know why Manawatu is called ManawatuP Not oue in five thousand. We will tell the odd four thousand nine hundred and ninety nine. In the good old days, in a little rabbit hutch of a whare, on the lovely sands where Foxton now nouiishes a Mayor and Councillors, and other like folks, wera gathered together three worthy sods of Scotia whose avowed in* tention was to " give a name " to the beautiful river which murmured and gurgled pleasantly past their feet, like whiskey punch out of a volcanic crater. They had the " dew of the mountain " in plenty, with the concomitants of hot [ water and sugar. Yet inspiration failed them. One staggered to his feet at last and said "Am gaun," the other said " Am gaun." while the third, who had been sleepiug peacefully with his head on the table, reared himself on end and said " Am gaun, man, awa too," and thus the name was given to the river bj the good Scotch. Yet the Maoris have another version. Once upon a time a great war party came down also to the lovely sands where Foxton stands, and after the usual amount of slaughter, rested themselves for refreshment after labor. Much " skilly " or pot was made, and canoes which had been carefully cleansed of all impurities were made into capacious aud excellent soup tureens, A number of the bodies of the slam were cooked in the primitive but effectual " Kapa Maori," and served up in the canoes with the skilly as a sauce. One dusky warrior, whose powers as a trencher man bad gained him fame with his tribe, consumed a well grown baby. Others did tho same, but this doughty cannibal proceeded calmly on until he had placed a second youngster under his belt, and in honor of his wonderful exploit was ever afterwards designated with the title " The man who ate two " which in course of time easily became " Manawatu " in tho months of the ignqrant pakehas. These are the stones as they were told to us, and we said '* Great Scott."