KOREROREO TORONGA.

Taranaki Daily News, 27 March 1920, Page 7

KOREROREO TORONGA.

MAORI PHILOSOPHY AND SCIENCE. Tales that are told for the Taranaki Daily News 'by lngoa Kore. (Rights Reserved). With an '"isolated untutored race of cannibal savages," for thus were the Maori people once described, it is difficult to associate the idea of studious thought. To the average man, the philosophic character of these people was perhaps first revealed by Sir John Gorat so late as 1863, when he described the brief speech of an old savage at Nga-rua-wa-hia as "a synopsis of all that had ever been said or written of the land and the people." Replying to Sir George Grey's eloquent appeal to these Maoris to refrain from fighting for or about the land, this cannibal chief said simply and briefly, "The land is a living thing. Men are but mortal." It is beyon'. doubt that, with their unspoiled,eyesight, which, if left to Nature's course of evolution, may even have rivalled the telescope in a million years or so, they closely studied the movement of the Heavens. This is proved by their successful ocean nevigation. Their naming of the stars is undoubtedly both ancient and original, from it we may gather the extent of their unaided researcli and thoughtful conclusions. The planets, being seen after the dawn and before dark, are Whetu-Marama, that is "elearly seen." Mars is MataWhero, red face. The same circumstance caused us to name him after the god of war. Jupiter is Kopu-Nui, the great paunch, which indicates a knowledge of his size. Saturn is Pare-a-rau, the widow's chaplet, clearly a reference to the rings, winch only a Maori could see without a telescope. A comet was Au-ahi-roa, the fire current, or, if what we call a double-tailed comet, Manu-i-te-ra, the bird flying in the sun. Of the constellations, Orion was Tau-toro, three. Its principal star Kigel, Puanga-rua, in reference to its being colored like a flower and double. What we call the Ship Argo, they knojp as the canoe of Tamarere, Te-waka-o Tamarere. The: equator thoy named Te-ra-whiti, or the crossing piace of the sun. Canopus is the lone one, because it does not accompany the stars of the Zodiac. A certain star in the Pleiades is Matariki, the Teappearence of which marked the Maori New Year, and being connected with an ancient saying, indicated a knowledge of its wanderings. These points of interest are from the work of one of the greatest men of genius representative of this great race, Hare Hongi. They will suffice to indicate the extent of the original astronomical' observation of the ancient Maori. From the same source we may Select a few of the tabloid poetic translations of Maori words to indicate their study of philology and their use of the precise meaning,of all words. Incidentally too, these will «et at rest some questions of familiar errors in translation or misuse of the commonest of such words. For comparison, others of similar or of opposite meaning are selected; Ta-ta-ri, I wait for one short day or two, or may be more or may be less; Tai-hoa, I stay my hand, delay the while; Mana, I speak of potency, the right to order things as I may deem; Tapu, by ceremonial usage I become a sacred entity, a thing forhidderi that the eye alone mav dwell upon; Ka-pai, tis good I say and know it so to be; Pai-rawa, very good, twirt you and me, Ka-kino, I say tis bad, because it so appears, and badness fs the source of stress of tears; Kia-ora, I speak of life, of happy, happy health, of joys and comforts and indeed of wealth; Homai, give unto me, accept my blessing too; Hoatu, give unto him, he needs it more than you; Arpha, here dwells a sympathy, a love for a sorrow, p'itv sweetest charity; E-noho-ra, remain in peace I must away, a fond farewell to all who stay;, Haere-ra, you take your leave, I say, depart, farewell then, go in peace my heart; Tangi, weep on, and for thy lost one mourn; Kata, I love to laugh, I would be gay; Wai-«ta, a little song I send to thee. Many more of these could be used, but already it will be clear that "there is a depth in the gradation of meaning of their worts compared with which our own are often sadly lacking. Their ti-ka-nga or customs were sa« credly honoured; more especially j„ re „ frd to wifely and to blood relationship.'' An unmarried woman of middle age was considered to have attained an achieveinent of great merit. A wife's infidelity was punished by death, and an, errant husband was ostracised as a Tutua or low person, sometimes however, a rich tract of land might compensate, for the i'laori said that he Was the. only true equivalent of woman, they were of equal , * ue ' a " d a commonly used Whaka-tau-k. or aphorism was "Woman gi ves mau iar- bok t f V liVin ?" 1504,1 war. both are for him who loves them." A widow was honoured as the livine spirit of her dead husband. Provided always that she were agreeable, a dying chief, in his farewell address or Kupu poro-poro-aki might leave his widow to a favourite younger brother. The individual right to the disposal of land iust IT 6 " ma " iage was restricted J st sufficiently to guard the tribal interests, rights, and successions. Their religion embraced the injunction to aa ancient tikanga regarding the titla to lands upon which the owner wa* By systematic classification tlv.'ir i„ 1 tenure embraced no less than ei Vht di 3 tmct titles, each dictated by the cir SI I ST*? i ) e Tu-pu-na, ancestral right ' ■ A v°Hi m e w ° uld n ° t oxhau9t in many