TAWHAKI A MAORI LEGEND.

Samoa Times and South Sea Gazette, Volume 3, Issue 113, 29 November 1879, Page 2

TAWHAKI A MAORI LEGEND.

A couple called Kait.iiigiita (man-eater) and Watitiii (thunder) bogut a son whone name was Ileum. The mother was an enchantress. Kaitaugata was fond of fishing. Watititri had taken Kaitangata for her husband, because the was fond-of human tleeh, and supposed, from his name (inan-oatcr), that he must bo a cannibal. When she found he was but a simple sort of man, she was angry. She made a net, and, killing two men who were in a canot>, she put their bodies inte it, dragged the net to the shore, and sent lior slave women to bring home her fish. Her husband, having had no suocess that day, wont with them, but was horiritied when he found,,no fish, but arms, legs, and other parts of the human body. The wifo had th,om cooked, but he would cat nono of it. Fish-hooks were utado of the bones; but, by reason of, somo failure in the ceremonial, Watitiri lost her eyesight; eo she had to si: in the hut. , .. „ One. day -they had "visitors. The," were talking wi(,h Kaitangata in tit verandah. She. • ovorhoard- liim sayin; that her skin was as cold" as the wind and her heart was like snow. Thia s* enraged her, that she fled.away to the shy 'whence she had come, and abod* there. As Hema, grew up ha marriel Kanmika. They bogat three children —a daughter called Pupu, and two sons, Kariki and Tawbalu, Th» father was killed, and the mother captured by tlio Paikea, Kewa, and Kupuka people When the boya arrived at manhood they made voyages over tho sea, to avenge the death of their father; but could not find the land of their enemies. Their sister taught thom an invocation, by virtue of xvbioh they found th» place of thuir grandmother, WatitinThe old woman was stoue-blind, and sitting among the rosds, beating abcut with her weapon, so that within ntth of it the would kill him for food. A* •he counted her stores Kariki took away one piece, Nina wore counted, but tho tenth waa gene. (Jhe counted tbooi •gain, thinking «he had made a oiltake. ThU time Tawhaki took api«e». and when eight .were counted there was no inoro; and each fifue she recounted, there wo* dnd .fas- As >*>• could not see, sne lathed her ireayo? I

around, bat her grandsons kept beyond. iu reach. When her rsge cooled, Kariki went new, and, touching one of eyes, iu sight w» restored, fie did ths •exit* to the other, with the like remit When the saw theie two young sen and found they were her grandchildren the became very friendly. ■They told her they wanted to revenge : the death of their father, and asked ber ' to show them the way.. She constrained ' them to tarry for a time, bur the young ' men were not easy. They saw heaps of ' human bonei, and they feared their ' frandmother wonld kill and eat them. J hey kept on asking the- way. After .' long delay; she said,. " The road is on ' my neck, loose this cord." When they 1 had united it, they saw that the other ' end was fastened to the sky. " You must climb up by this cord." When they were ' a. good way up, the wind blew, and blow- : ing them from one side of the heavens to the other side. Kariki could hold on no * longer!; he fell to the ground, and was ' dexoured by his grandmother. Taw- ! baki descended far enough to see the fate j of his brother, and then climbed up again ' till he came to a land iu the iky, ' There was no one,there but the mother. : She was sitting by the door of a house, ; and their father's bones were inside, hang- i ing under its steep roof. The tribe, : Pouaturi, lived under water all day, and : came to sleep in the house by night, i .The mother had to watch the door to i wuka them at dawn, and.thoy called her : Tatav.(door). Tawhaki repeated a kara- i kia, or charm, and his father's bones • rattled for joy. He wept over his I mother. She told him the people would i be there at sunset, and begged him to ' go away. He hid himself by olimbing • up to the ridjje-pole, and creeping in be-, tween the layers of reeds, which were under the thatch. His brother told him tu come down before morning, and stop up every chink in the house, so that not a- ray of light might shine into it. Even- . ing came, and the whole tribe loft the water and filled the house. They were • soon asleep.. Tawhaki came down and , >at by his mother. They . talked in a whisper, by the door. Every now and * then some one cried out, " Ho, Tatau, is J it morning ?" and she answered, " No, no; it is deep night: sleep on—sleep soundly." At last, when the sun was high in the heavens, an old man oalled , out, " Ho, Tatau, it is morning ?" Then she said," Yes," and told Tawhaki quickly to pull away all the things with which , the window and door had been stopped. . When this was. done, the warm rays of the sun came streaming upon them, and destroyed them all. J Tawhaki burnt this father's bones, to- i gether with their bodies. After that, he i returned to his home, taking with him i his mother, and the calcined bones of his father.' The fame of his valour and of his manly beauty fouud its way to the ears i»f a young maiden, who lived in the , sky, and she came down to know whether the report was true. Her name • was Tangotango, and she became his wjfe. Their first baby was a girl: Tawhaki was displeased because it was, , and his wife took it so much to heart that so went back to the sky with the ohid to return no more. . Tawhaki was broken hearted, and re- 1 solved to follow them. By iucautatinn 1 he reached tho heavens. He disguised < himself and looked like an ugly old man. He passed through a wood to a place I where a party were hewing canoes. He i saw that they were former enemies of i his, but they did not know him. "Here's i an old fellow," they said; "he will do ' for a slave for us." When they left off j Work, thoy made him carry their heavy I axes; the weight of which caused him to i lag behind. When they had got out of i sight, he went back to the canoe, and t finished it from the bow to the storn. As lie went by, two women were col- . looting fuel, and made him carry it. Thus this great chief was treated as a slave, ovon by slave girls. Tho men I said, " We have caught an old roan for a slave." Then Tangotango replied, I '■That's right; bring him along with I you ; he .will do for all of us," little think- I .ing whom she was so deriding. As toon i "as Tawhaki saw his wife and child, he j ' went right up to the plaee where they were sitting, although the peoplo tried I <o stop him. He toek his load of fire- i wood to the feet of Tangotango. Tnen I they'said, "The old fellow is tapu" i (saered). ' The next day he did the same, '. and finished a canoe. On tho third day : thoy set a watob, that they might find I out who it was that so skilfully wronght i on thoir canoes. They saw Tawhaki i pull off his old lags, and take on him his . own appearance. ' Noblo and handsome I he went to work. " Why," they said, ', '• he is not at all like ths old man." i Running off to ths village, they asked Tasgotango to describe her husband ..to ' them. When she had dons, they said, "That must be he." Agaia Tawhaki ' assumed ths old clothes, and came to the village. Tangotango asked him who ' ho was. He mads no answer, hut west ■ straight up to her. "Are you Tawhaki ?" ' she asked; he said"Humph 1" Snatching up his little daughter, he pressed her ' to his heart.- Now ail the people knew who he was; they rushed? out of • ths place, because it wss tapu, and were ' tilled with admiration at the splendour of his appeerauoe. The child was honoursd with all that is due to high rank. Tawhaki and Tangotango wars reunited. The katakia (ceremony) over, lightning flashed from ths armpits of Tawhaki; i and, to this day, it is said that thunder i ' n'floflighttrinj osusod by his foot- i st«ps--!pullsrsTortiT YearnniN#s*Zsa-

U dW!'».. • ■ •-■<:■