Original Correspondence. To the Editor of the New Zealander. MAORI TRANSLATIONS.

New Zealander, Volume 6, Issue 480, 20 November 1850, Page 1

Original Correspondence. To the Editor of the New Zealander. MAORI TRANSLATIONS.

Sin, — In availing myself of the permission kindly accorded in your last number, to offer a lew remaiks upon the letter of Mr. Win ris of Ilokhnga, on the subject of the Fishing Kaiakia published m ihc/uom? Maori, of the 12th beplomber, — I must promise that I wish it to be distinctly undeistood, — Ist, That I do not intend to argue upon any oi the points contained in Mi. White's letter, the " 1 am Sir Oiacle " style of wliich, puts such an attempt out of the question ; and 2iully, that I neither rtesiie nor intend to enter into any cor icspondence with him on the subject. Indeed it would be highly presumptuous in a tyio like myself to do so with one whose knowledge of the Maoii language is so pel feet as to enable him to lay down the law in the positive and authoritative manner which Mi. Wmm has felt himself in a position to assume in tills letter. Allow me however to repeat, lor the inloimation of your leadcis, what had been alicady stated in the Kamc above alluded to,— that the object in tianslafcing this karakia was, not to give a litcial tianslation, woid for woid, English for Maoii, such as that of Mr. Wiiitjj, which is easy, and might be done by any one with the help of a dictionaiy ; but to mtcrpict intelligibly the tjuc meaning, which is veiy difficult. Mr. White's translation is peiiectly lileial, and therefore very cieditablc, but I submit that il is far iiom intelligible to the general reader, which the interpretation in tho Kareie was iirended to be, with what success I leave your readcis to judge. It is well I nown to all those who study the Maoi i language and habits, and who fioin possessing a less pi rfect knowledge of these than your coi respondent, aic obliged to have recouiso to the assistance of the old chiefs to explain difficult points, that the customs oi the nafives, and amongst them the use of such incantations as the one in question, vary consideiably in different parts of the island. This may account for Mr. White saying, that this karakia is used only by shark fishers, whilst it is plainly stated m the journal of 10th December, 1849, that the Governor and myself were car and eye witnesses to its use on an eel-speaiing cxI edition on the Thames. It may be used only for shark fishing in the noitbeiu part ol the island, but it certainly is used much moie extensively in this part ; and though I have no doubt that Mr. Whitii's interpretation is conect as regaids the Northern natives, 1 maintain that that published iv the Kate re is the one put upon it by those in this neigbouihood, as explained not by one, but by several natives of great authouty and repute in such matters. Mr. White fuither informs your lcpdeis— l,t, thai Rangiriri is not the fount fioin whence spuing the fish, but that the woid is used to denote the whole ocean ;

and 2ndly, that tlio ancestors of tlie Maorics did not come originally from Hawaiki. How ho obtained such positive information upon these points, your •' inquisitive icadci" does not state. The first is a subject upon which the; traditions of ihe natives vary considciably. I am perfectly aware that the word Rangirin is extensively used to denote the whole ocean, but it is also stated by a large number of natives to have been the fount from which the fishes had their origin, and that thence the woid came to be applied to the whole ocean, iiftcr it became filled with the finny tribe. With reference to the second point, I cannot take upon myself to say positively, whether the ancestors of the Maotics did or did not originally come from Ilawaiki, but as Mr. White can and does, I feel sonic difficulty in touching upon it. I may be peimittcd to say however, that the contiary is the stoiy handed down, and generally believed, as I liave been told by many old chiefs and pi tests in this district, as well as in those of Waikato, Thames, Rotoma, Taupo and Talanaki. I have als>o heaid the same stoiy fiom natives fiom different parts of the East Coast, and have been credibly informed by many gentlemen who have taken considci able pains in collecting information respecting all such traditions, that the inhabitants of Cook's Straits, and of the Middle Island, arc all agreed upon this point. The Rev. R. Taylor in his " Leaf from the Natural Histoiy of New Zealand," states the same thing. Upon malteis of detail there is of course a gieat variation in the traditions held by the inhabitants of different parts of the island, hut this is the first time that I have heaid of any difference in respect to the place from which their ancestors originally came. With many apologies for the length to which this lcttci has unavoidably run, I lemain, Your obedient servant, The Writhk or the Journal. Nov. 18, 1850.