THE MAORI.

King Country Chronicle, Volume VI, Issue 489, 7 August 1912, Page 6

THE MAORI.

By R. Goanell

Speculation has been rife as to the original home and descent of the Maori tribes. They have, by some, descended from the Ten Tribes of Israel, carried into captivity and which have so often been identified. An ingenious theory has been worked out that these went eastward after the settlement by the king of Assyria, gradually travelled through the Malay Peninsula colonised the islands to the North East of Australia, and after many generations found their way to these southern latitudes. Various customs prevalent among the Jews and practiced by the Maoris are cited in proof of this. Others believe they are allied to the American Indians, and certain facial resemblances are relied on to support the supposition. Some believe they came from South America and by successive stages cro33ed the Pacific from East to West. A few hold that they are Malays rather than Polynesians, and that their superiority as fighting men over must of the Pacific racps is traceable to their descent. To settle the question is impossible. Ail that we can sately affirm is that they came to New Zealand from some of the islands of the South Pacific. Whether those islands were their original home, vte know not. It is clear, however, that they were not the first to inhabit these islands. Their own history and the few Morioris still surviving un the Chathams prove that they found a race in possession many of whom they slew—the rest, enslaved. The unbroken Maori tradition is that they themselves came from Hawaiki. This is held, by many, to be identical with Hawaii in the Sandwich Island. Certainly, the strong resemblance between the two people and the wonderful similarity in the language made it exceedingly probable. Possibly the first settlement took place six or seven hundred years ago. The Maoris say ten canoes came frum their original home and from the crews or passengers in these the several tribes all claim to be descended.

In the story of their migrations, fact and fiction, history and mythology are strangely blended. The most daring and successful of all the navigators, who at different times, came from Hawaiki, was one who bnre the name of Kupe. There followed him a man by the name of Tuputupuwhenua and after a while a chief came in a canoe called "Mamari," searching for this man. The name of this chief was Nukutawhiti. Near the North Cape he met Kupe, who told him that Tupuwhanua was on the West Coast. Kupe said he had just returned from thence and whilst there he had travelled up a river which he named. This is none other than the Hokianga river, which means, a returning cr going back. Nukutawhiti and his friends settled in Hokianga and became the projectors of the great Ngapuhi. We see then that not only is Hokianga associated with early "pakeha" settlement in New Zealand, but also with the coming of the Maoris to these shores. To the north of the Hokianga Heads the footprints of Nukutakhiti and his dog are still pointed out, while a long stone at the entrance to the Waima presenting the appearance of a canoe keel upward is the "Mamari" itself. All those who came in this canoe were cne family, consisting of father, mother and children, including a son-in-law, and their dependents. They lived in peace for some years and then the grandchildren born in the new home quarrelled with their uncles as to the rights of chieftainship After the primitive fashion the old patriarch settled the dispute by digging a trench and directing the grandsons to the north and the sons to the south. The very trench is still pointed us at Ohaeawai, Bay of islands.

The people at Rotorua and Maketu dispute the above statement and represent their ancestors as the pioneers. Here also the account is very circumstantial. An old priest's food in Hawaiki, having been stolen by some younger men, who invented stilts to hide their footprints, the owner watched for and detected them. He then led a war party against their father's village. The attack was repulsed, but the father dying shortly after, the young men feared the priest's wrath and determined to emigrate. Their names were Taura and Whakaturia and after receiving sailing directions from a former visitor they left in the "Arawa" came also another canoe called "Tainui." They kept company until tney reached the New Zealand coast when the crews quarrelled over a whale cast up on the beach. After this, while the "Arawa" Went down the East Coast, the "Tainui" was paddled up the Tamaki, dragged over the portage to Manukau and the adventurous voyagers finally landed at Kawhia. The old inhabitants of Taranaki say that Manaia, their ancestor, left his native land because he had murdered some people who were working for him. In the canoe "Tokomaru," he found his way to Waitara and, finding there an unwarMke race of people residing, slew

many of them and made slaves of

the remainder. The people in the South Island came in the "Takitama" commanded by Tata. They had apparently long and disastrous voyage. Provisions foiling, they cast lot?, and the unfortunate on whom the lot fell became food for his companions. Eventually they settled in Blind Bay. The fact that there are said to be ten dialects of the Maori language lends colour to the story of ten separate migrations. So positive are they as to their coming that one tribe asserts that its ancestor travelled on the back of an albatros3, while another avers that theirs came under the water all the way from Hawaiki. Like all primitive people a mass of legendary lore gradually grew up among them or was brought from their far-off home. Traditions as to the origin of earth and sky, of the first appearance of the country into which they had come to reside and explana-

tions of its physical features were common enough. Some of them indeed were curiouß—that of the creation or rather severance of heaven and earth may be taken as an example. Orignally the world, consisting of Rangi, the heavens, and Papa, the earth, A'ere joined in the form of a globe which lay in darkness. Within this globe were six demi-gods. They conspired against the world which they, called their parent. Some of them proposed to destroy it altogether, but another suggested the separation of the two parts so that they might have light and that man could be created. This was carried by five to one. Upon this Taremahuta standing upon his head, by a sudden stretch of his legs, lifted Rangi far above the earth and another Taupotiki, propped it up with the clouds The one is sentient to the action went to heaven and formed an attacking party, but on his return found that four of his companions had transferred themselves into a tree, a fish, a kumara and a fern root respectively, and of th°se thy became the propagators. One still sustained his divine power and in the war that ensued winds, dew and ice, were first employed as agents. Presently this one Tiki made man. This was acomplisued by kneading clay with his blood, and forming it after his own image. Then he danced before it, breathed upon it, and so it became a living being called Kauiki. . Later on, if desired, we could continue this, to myself at least, most interesting subject.