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Fishing Methods and Devices of the Maori

Shell-Fish

Shell-Fish

Here we come to what formed an important food-supply of coast-dwelling tribes. Evidence of this fact is met with on many coastal lands in the form of shell-middens—deposits of shells, some of great size, that point to long occupation by natives. These shell-heaps are referred to by the Rev. R. Taylor in Te Ika a Maui as evidences of former scarcity of food-supplies. Mr. Colenso objected to this statement, and remarked that they should be looked upon rather as evidence of former plenty. Certainly shell-fish formed an article of food much appreciated by the Maori, and, moreover, where available, they so utilized them in large quantities, even when other food products were in good supply.

In the account of his sojourn at Mercury Bay, Cook speaks of the incredible plenty of shell-fish, and proceeds: "Wherever we went, whether upon the hills or in the valleys, the woods or the plains, we saw vast heaps of shells, often many waggon-loads together, some appearing to be very old and others recent."

An interesting feature of this subject is the fact that the Maori folk utilized as food many more species of shell-fish than do European settlers. The latter seem to confine themselves to oysters, toheroa, mussels, the pipi, or cockles, and occasionally a few others, such as paua and periwinkles (titiko, whetiko, takarepo), to a less extent. Memory recalls the fact that Italian fishermen on the California coast are given to the eating of Haliotis (paua), there styled abalone. The Maori seems to have been quite impartial in his diet in this department, and all were fish, or shell-fish, that came to his net. Some quite small species—Amphiloba crenata, for example—were collected page 67
Fig. 27 A—Illustrations of construction of crayfish-pot.

A. Operator commencing to insert rods in base to form body of trap.

J. McDonald, photo

Fig. 27 B—Illustrations of construction of crayfish-pot.

B. Rods to form body of trap secured to base.

J. McDonald, photo

page 68
Fig. 27 C—Illustrations of construction of crayfish-pot.

C. Temporary frame on which trap is formed.

J. McDonald, photo

Fig. 27 D—Illustrations of construction of crayfish-pot.

D. All rods brought into position.

J. McDonald, photo

page 69
Fig. 27 E—Illustrations of construction of crayfish-pot.

E. Body of trap nearing completion.

J. McDonald, photo

Fig. 27 F—Illustrations of construction of crayfish-pot.

F. Trap completed save small net attached to funnel.

J. McDonald, photo

page 70 for food purposes, and in such cases, doubtless, quantity made up for smallness of size. A curious fact is the finding on some old village sites of quantities of small, immature shells of Chione and Mesodesma, occasionally Turritella, and one wonders why these were collected. Was this a sign of scarcity, or can it have been the work of children? I myself yet retain vivid recollections of unholy feasts of boyhood days, when we collected, cooked, and consumed the unpleasant-looking periwinkles (Amphibola).

Sandbanks on which cockles abounded were prized by the Maori, and such places had special names assigned to them. Such as tahuna pipi, as they are termed, is that known as Otawaha at Whakatane. Inasmuch as the collection of shell-fish was essentially the task of women, so it came about that Otawaha came to be used (locally) as a term denoting female pursuits, and even the female sex. Thus, should a person ask, "What is the child of so-and-so?" the reply might be, "It is Otawaha," this answer proclaiming the sex of the child as female, and implying that the future task of such child would be the gathering of cockles on the famed tahuna, or sandbank, of Otawaha.

When a people dwelling inland felt the desire for mataitai, or saltwater products, and had the right of ownership of the shore lands, they would abandon their village for a while and move out to a fishing-station, there to busy themselves in fishing and the collection of shellfish. Much of the fruits of their labours would be dried and carried to their inland village. Shell-fish were strung on lines and dried in great quantities, in which state they would keep for a long time. The Rev. W. Yate tells us that shell-fish were first cooked in the steam-oven, then threaded on strings, and hung out to dry and harden after which they were put away in the storehouses. These would be again steamed prior to being eaten.

The list of shell-fish given below contains the names of species shells of which have been found in the old middens of neolithic man in the Wellington district, from Port Nicholson as far as Pae-kakariki. Thus it includes names of species that frequent rocky coast-lines, sandy beaches, and the mud and sand flats found within harbour-limits, as at Porirua. The most numerous species found in middens on rock-bound coast-lines are of the following genera: Mytilus, Haliotis, Turbo, Thais, and Echinus. Chione stutchburyi and Amphibola crenata are most numerous in middens on the shores of the inner harbour at Porirua. In those of the sandy coast-line about Pae-kakariki the majority of shells are those of Mesodesma subtriangulatum and Dosinia anus, the former being the most numerous. The tohemanga of the page 71Maori (Mactra elongate) is not seen in these middens, but is found occupying the beaches about Otaki at the present time (1919).

Small species, such as Monodonta aethiops and Turritella rosea, are found in many middens, but can scarcely be viewed seriously as a food-supply.

List of Shell-Fish Formerly Used as a Food-Supply by Natives of
the Wellington District
Amphibola crenata .. .. Titiko, takarepo, whetiko.
Chione stutchburyi .. .. Huangi, tuangi.
Chione costata .. .. Karoro, tuangi.
Chione yatei .. .. .. Pukauri.
Mesodesma subtriangulatum .. Taiwhatiwhati, tuatua, tairaki.
Mesodesma novae-zelandiae .. Pipi, kokota, taiawa.
Haliotis iris .. .. .. Paua.
Haliotis australis .. .. Hihiwa, karariwha.
Cominella maculata.
Cominella maculosa.
Thais haustrum .. .. Kaeo, ngaeo.
Thais succincta .. .. Hopetea.
Astrea sulcata .. .. Kakara, toitoi, ngaruru.
Turbo smaragdus .. .. Ataata.
Phalium sp.
Helcioniscus spp. .. .. Ngakihi.
Mytilus edulis .. .. .. Kuku, kutai.
Mytilus laticostata .. .. Kuku, kutai.
Echinus .. .. .. Kina.
Alcithoe Arabica .. .. Pupu rore.
Struthiolaria papulosa .. .. Kaikai-karoro.
Siphonalia nodosa.
Siphonalia mandarina.
Siphonalia dilatata?
Tellina deltoidalis .. .. Hanikura.
Scutus ambiguus .. .. Rori.
Cantharidus.
Calliostoma .. .. .. Matangongore, maurea.
Pinna zelandica .. .. Hururoa, kūpā.
Dosinia anus .. .. .. Tuangi-haruru.
Spisula aequilateralis.
Mactra discors .. .. Kuhakuha, whangai-karoro.
Ostrea .. .. .. Tio, tio-repe.

The word anga is employed as a generic term for shells, and pupu is applied in a similar manner to many univalves, such as Voluta; while pipi includes several species of cockles, as kuku includes several mussels. Operculse are termed korama and kata.

The mythical origin of shell-fish as given by the Maori is, like most of his origin myths, based on personification. We are told that Hunga-terewai, a descendant of Hine-moana, the personified form of page 72the ocean, mated with another weird being, named Pipihura, their progeny being Kakara, Ngakihi, Toitoi, Pupu, Kokihi, Tio, Whetiko, Whetowheto, Kaiwhao, &c., all of which names pertain to shell-fish. Again, we are told that twelve species of pipi were the offspring of Te Arawaru and Kaumaihi, and these were Toretore, Taiawa, Pokai, Rapaki [?], Koura, Awanga, Koroputa, Tuangi, Peraro, Kapeo, Tairaki, and one other. Of these names, toretore denotes Atrina zelandica; taiawa is Mesodesma australe; Tuangi is Chione; peraro is Tellina; tairaki is Mesodesma subtriangulatum.

Another version of the above myth traces many shell-fish and fish back to Kiwa and Hine-moana, the Ocean Maid, personified form of the ocean. These two beings mated, and their offspring numbered ten as follows:—

1.Pipihura. Origin of all forms of cockle.
2.Te Uru-kahikahika. From whom sprang the blind-eel, lamprey, conger-eel, frost-fish, and fresh-water eel.
3.Te Wharerimu. Origin of seaweed, a protector of fish, &c.
4.Hine-tapiritia. Mated with Hunga-terewai.
5.Te Raengawha. Origin of mullet, porcupine-fish, and sea-urchin.
6.Kiri-pakapaka. Origin of snapper and gurnard.
7.Whatu-maomao. Origin of groper, kingfish, moki,. kahawai, maomao, and tarakihi fish.
8.Kohurangi.
9.Kopuwai.
10.Kaiwahawera. Origin of the octopus.

This version also attributes crayfish to Tahumaero.

In the dawn of time, when trees, all forms of vegetation, and insects had been produced, then shell-fish were brought into being and were placed in the waters as denizens thereof for all time. In order to provide a safe haven for these shell-fish, they were taken to Whare-rimu and Whare-papa, where many forms of seaweed (rimu) cling to the rocks and shelter the offspring of Te Arawaru and Hine-moana. These seaweeds are the progeny of Hine-moana (sister of Rua-kawerau) and Kiwa, their names being—

Te Rimu-rapa. Te Rimu-wawatai.
Te Rimu-tarake. Te Rimu-hoka.
Te Rimu-rurupu. Te Rimu-pipiwai.
Te Rimu-rapa-a-tai. Te Rimu-kawekawe.
Te Rimu-kopuku. Te Rimu-puhi.
Te Rimu-piroriki. Te Rimu-raupiri.
Te Rimu-tatara. Te Rimu-kopuwai.
Te Rimu-rehia. Te Rimu-toheriki.

All these are names of different kinds of seaweed, and so we see how the ancestors of the Maori personified all things, and in his origin page 73myths speaks of trees, birds, fish, shell-fish, &c., as though they were persons. Ever they strove to explain the origin of all things, animate and inanimate, and also endeavoured to so construct such myths as to contain a modicum of truth or probability. Thus we see that shell-fish and seaweed are the progeny of Hine-moana (personified form of the ocean) and of Kiwa, who is the guardian of the vast ocean and who took Hine-moana to wife. Also we see that Hine-tupari-maunga, the Mountain maid, personified form of hills, ranges, and mountains, was the mother of Para-whenuamea (water), for, as all mankind may see, water flows from the body of Hine-maunga. So also was Hine-moana the offspring of Para-whenuamea.

These seaweed offspring of the ocean and its guardian were taken to Rakahore and Tuamatua, and placed in their charge; theirs the task to tend and protect the seaweed folk, even that those rock-clinging seaweeds might shelter the shell-fish folk who cling to Rakahore; for Rakahore and Tuamatua are the personified forms of rock and stones in Maori myth. Thus we see, says the Maori, that Te Rimu-rapa and his younger brethren ever cling to their foster-parents.

Now, the family of mussels was composed of the offspring of Kaukau and Te Ropuwai. These also were placed in Whare-rimu and Whare-papa—that is, among seaweed and rocks—so placed by Hine-moana as companions for Hine-tu-a-kirikiri and Hine-one (the Gravel Maid and Sand Maid). The names of the members of the mussel family are:—

Te Kuku-tarariki. Te Kuku-koiti.
Te Kuku-poniania. Te Kuku-pahau-ariki.
Te Kuku-mapara. Te Kuku-whakapiri.
Te Kuku-whangai. Te Kuku-ahupuke.
Te Kuku-kaokao.

The mussel known as ahupuke was found at Tawhiti (Tahiti); it is remarkable for having a shell furnished with sharp projections. The kind termed kaokao pertains to Rarotonga.

An old folk-tale describes a quarrel that arose in remote times between the Kuku and Pipi families at Waikaru—that is, between mussels and cockles. This strife raged at Onetahua, where the cockles dug themselves in; the sand-beaches were their defensive works. The mussel folk attacked them. When they thrust out their "tongues" they became clogged with sand, and so the mussel folk were defeated by the cockle tribe, hence the latter are still seen holding the sandy beaches, while the mussels have to cling to Rakahore—that is, to rocks off shore. Ever does Hine-one, the Sand page 74Maid, shelter the offspring of Te Arawaru. Now, when Te Pu-whakahara and Takaaho heard of this quarrel they said, "What are these small folk quarrelling about?" Said the former to Takaaho, "Our offspring are in want of food: procure the progeny of Te Arawaru as food for them." These offspring of Takaaho and Te Pu-whakahara are the various species of sharks and whales. Said Takaaho, "But they will retire behind their sand breastworks and so defy us." Te Pu replied, "Scoop them up as they appear from their breastworks." So Takaaho went forth with a band to One-tahua, whereupon the offspring of Te Arawaru, the cockles, fled to their fortified village—that is, they burrowed into the sand. The party of Takaaho then delivered an attack; but these folk were defeated— their gills became filled with sand; and this is why we see whales perish on sandy beaches. This strife is known as Waimapihi. (See No. 8 of Appendices.)

The Kaukau mentioned in these myths was one of the three guardians of the ocean realm appointed in the beginning of time; the other two were Kiwa and Tangaroa-whakamau-tai, the Tide-controller. It was arranged at first that whales, sharks, and porpoises should occupy the fresh waters of the earth, but they persisted in abiding in the realm of Hine-moana, the ocean.

What may be termed the superior version of the mythical origin of shell-fish has been given above, but a better-known popular tale is to the effect that Ruawharo introduced them. This is a Takitumu story, told on the eastern coast of the North Island. He is said to have placed such shell-fish as cockles and mussels on the coast-line of Aotearoa to serve as food for his offspring whom he had located at various places. Hine-muhu and Taupunga were the names of two of these young folk, and they are said to still exist in the form of rocks. Their names are not yet known to the Maori folk. This note was contributed by Hori Ropiha, of Waipawa, in 1893, and his precise words appear in No. 10 of the Appendices hereto.

The Wheke, or octopus, family is said to have originated with Kekerewai and Hine-korapa, the various members being—

Wheke-muturangi. Wheke-autaha. Wheke-parawai.
Wheke-uruhau. Wheke-koropuku. Wheke-kawekawe.

These are the different kinds of octopus as known to the Maori folk.

The snapper, gurnard, and trevally are said to be the offspring of Putere and Kiri-pakapaka. The herring, garfish, and pehipehi sprang from Kopuwai, offspring of Tukapua. The pehipehi acts as a guide to whales, conducting them to the places where terehua (whale-feed) page 75abounds. The rock-cod and tangahangaha are descendants of Kewa, while the porpoise and rehu come from Te Pu-whakahara. It was when Tangaroa-whakamau-tai ill-treated Te Manu-hau-turuki at Puku-ahurangi that the porpoise and his congeners migrated to the tupaki nui Hine-moana—that is, to the bounds of the ocean.

The kingfish, groper, and kohikohi are descended from Parauri through Whatu-maomao and Kohurau. The maomao was procured by Kiwa and Tangaroa to serve as an offering at the kindling of ceremonial tapu fires; also it was used for a similar purpose during the ritual performances pertaining to the birth of the children of Hine-titama, as the hapuku was employed when Te Rito-o-te-rangi, grandchild of Uru-te-ngangana, was born. The haku, or kingfish, was procured for a like purpose when the Wind Children were born to Tonganui-kaea and Para-weranui.

Shells were used in former times in the performance of rites connected with magic and religion, as witness the following extract from the story of Manaia and Nga Toro-i-rangi: "Na, ka hoki mai ratau, ka maua mai te huarewa me te kete o nga anga paua, kakahi koaro nei, kuku, pipi, tohemanga, me era atu anga e waiho ana hei waka atua."

It was owing to a quarrel over an expanse of water known as Moana-kura, at Hawaiki, that the pounamu, or greenstone, left those parts and came to Aotearoa; so says Maori myth. It was Tutunui who caused that strife; he wished to possess Moana-kura as an abiding-place for his family—that is, for cockles, paua (Haliotis), and other such things.

To rock and stones and gravel, and their younger relatives, such as sand, was assigned the task of protecting and preserving the boundary between land and sea, lest the land encroach upon the ocean, lest it be destroyed by the ceaseless ngaunga a Hine-moana, the gnawing of the Ocean Maid, who ever so assails the flanks of the Earth Mother. So it is that the tuaropaki or bounds, of the Ocean Maid are held firm, and so land and sea still exist. It was Para-whenuamea (water) who arranged the array of the offspring of Tuamatua (stones, &c.) to serve as land-protectors.

The following song has in its concluding lines some bearing on our subject:—

E tama i tupu ake nei. E tama i ahu ake nei
Puta mai, e tama, ki waho nei
Tenei kua kino te whenua i a Tarawehi ra
Kua po te whenua i a Tarawana nei
E ka tatau raia te po nui i a te kore nei, ehara i a taua
Nana koe i ako ki te kai na Rangi me tahana whanau
I tahuri ake ai ko tahana whanau, te aitanga a Hine-moana
Ko te aitanga a Pukupuku ki te rangi
page 76 I whakakitea ra ki taumata, ki Te Kohurau
I runga i tuara nui o Rangi e awhi ana
Koia Hekeheke-tua, koia te aruhe, koia Hekeheke …. [?]
Koia te kumara i a Hurunga, i a Pani e whakaahuru ana
Ki runga i te puke nui o Papa-matua-kore
Ka tau raia ki reira, koia te atamai tu
Ka tu te ko, ko atamai nuku, ko atamai rangi
Houhia te teka ko kaupeka
Runaa ki roto i te kete, koia Pu-kaeaea
Tanumia ki raro ra, koia horonuku, koia hororangi ka puta ki te ao
Ka patua i te ata hapara, koia te umurangi, koia te umu takapau rangi
Na Rakahore i tapii ka mate i Te Umurau
Ka oma atu na koe i a Titi-pakapapa i Te Ahirara .. e
Ka tau koe ki te taha o Ira-katoatoa
Nahana koe i maka ki te Muriwai-hou
Ki a Hine-hauraro, ki a Hine-komahi
Ka heke koe i a Hine-kohu, i a Hine-te-Ihorangi
Ka tau ana koe ko Hine-Para-whenuamea
Ka whakaoti to tira i konei .. e
Koia Tuangi, koia Roroa, koia Pupu, koia Kina, koia Whetiko
Ka waiho ra hei whakatau mohou ki te ara .. e .. i.

The foregoing song tends to show how even such things as shell-fish, water, rain, mist, &c., enter into the myths of the Maori, but it will be observed that they are personified in the song. Tuangi, roroa, pupu, kina, and whetiko are all names of shell-fish. Hine-Para-whenuamea represents water; Hine-te-Ihorangi, rain; Hine-kohu, mist; Rakahore, rock; Papa, the earth; Rangi, the sky; and Hine-moana, the ocean. Pani and Hurunga are beings whose task is to nurture the kumara, or sweet potato; indeed, Pani is said to have given birth to that useful product, hence she was appealed to by the husbandman. The umurangi is a celestial phenomenon, and the Muriwai-hou is the descent to the underworld.

Natives tell us that such shell-fish as Chione, Mesodesma, and Mactra (pipi and tohemanga) occasionally migrate from one part of a beach to another. When such a movement is about to take place the shell-fish come to the surface just before the tide comes in, and are seen in myriads lying on the sand with their "tongues" projecting; this "tongue" is termed the "foot" by malacologists. With the full or inflowing tide they move coastwise through the water, each with its foot projecting, and when the tide turns they "dig in" on a new location. Each one seems to upend itself and force its way into the sand with a series of jerky movements, thrusting its foot down into the sand prior to each such movement. A settler near Waikanae stated, "I have seen pipi lying on the surface of the sandy beach at low water in cart-loads, each one with its foot projecting." The Maori page 77maintains that if a woman in an unclean condition trespasses on a tahuna pipi the shell-fish will at once migrate to some distant place.

The natives of the Otaki district tell us that the tohemanga (Mac-tra elongata) are found in the sand of local beaches in three distinct layers. The uppermost layer is composed of the smallest shell-fish and the bottom layer of the largest.

The Maori employed several different modes of cooking shell-fish. They were often cooked in the ordinary form of umu, or steam-oven; but a better method consisted of heating the stones in a fire aside from the umu pit, and then, when thoroughly heated, they were placed in the pit and covered. A third method, termed tuwhatu, was carried out by piling the shell-fish in a heap and enclosing it within a circle of fire, or dry fern or brush was placed on them and burned; presumably this would not cook the shell-fish, but it would cause the shells to open and so render the fish readily accessible. In the kohue method a number of shell-fish were placed in a gourd vessel, and among them Fig. 28—A ripi, or maripi, of moa bone. hot stones were placed. This caused the shells to open, and from them escaped a quantity of saline liquid that was esteemed as a desirable beverage for invalids.

The name kakara has been applied by natives to both Thais haustrum and Astrea sulcata. I cannot say which is correct. Whichever it is, we are told that it is found in clusters, or a number are found close together; also that each cluster has an ariki (head or leader). Should a seeker of shell-fish secure this ariki, then all the rest of them will detatch themselves and fall from the rock, and so be easily taken. Such a group of these shell-fish is termed a rere kakara. "Ka rite ki te pa horo, ka mate te tino tangata, te ariki o te rere kakara, ka horo te pa" ("It reminds us of the fall of a fortified village: when the principal man, the ariki of the rere kakara, is slain, then the place falls").

Marine forms of shell-fish were collected principally by women, men assisting in the more difficult phases of the work, such as the page 78collection of the paua (Haliotis), in which an implement termed a ripi was used to detach the shell-fish from the rock, to which it clung with great tenacity. As taken, they were placed in a form of basket, called a kawhiu. Ruku paua, as the task was termed, was a pursuit at which persons strove to surpass each other, as they also did in the taking of crayfish. The ripi implement was fashioned from wood or bone, and was brought to a thin edge at one end for the purpose of detaching the shell-fish from rocks. A well-formed specimen found at Miramar, Wellington, and shown in fig. 28, is a piece of moa bone. It is 9½in. long; its greatest width is l½in., and thickness in the middle is ½in. The instrument has been finished by a grinding process, one side being flat, and the other convex. A hole bored at the upper end would be for the purpose of attaching a cord thereto. This implement was found, together with certain other Maori relics, in a rock-cleft at Seatoun.

The paua is a shell-fish of marvellous toughness, hence natives often buried them in the earth until that quality became modified. When used as food they would present the appearance of a compact mass that might be cut as cheese is. In the isles of Polynesia the name paua is applied to the huge clam Tridacna.

Fig. 29—Mussel-dredge: rake-frame only.

In taking the kakahi, or fresh-water mussel, the Maori used a form of dredge called kapu, manga, or mangakino. They are described by Te Rangi Hiroa in vol. 53 of the Transactions of the New Zealand Institute. A form of long-handled scoop, termed a kapu., was sometimes used in taking this shell-fish. (See figs. 29 and 30.)

The patangaroa, or starfish, is said by the natives to be an enemy of the paua, which fears it. If a paua clings so fast to rock that you cannot remove it, then procure a starfish and place it on the shell-page 79fish Fig. 30—Mussel-dredge complete with bag-net. , when it will at once commence to move, and so can be detached by means of a quick jerk. I must confess that I viewed this as a mere puerile belief of my native friends until I read, in Discovery of August, 1926, that starfish attack Haliotis tuberculata of the Channel Islands. Paua were often placed in fresh water and allowed to remain therein for several days before being eaten. Tunui-a-rangi, of Wai-rarapa, explained this usage, and stated that such a place was called a wai paua. He went on to tell us of a man of olden days, named Te Harara, whose wai paua was robbed of its contents by one of his tribeswomen. In order to divert suspicion from herself, she made a number of footprints about the place, and so gave the impression that the spot had been visited by a number of persons. Te Harara concluded that a party of travellers had purloined the contents of his wai paua. Soon afterwards, however, a peculiar incident occurred. Near the village was a puke atua, a hill on which certain supernormal beings called Patupaiarehe were wont to abide or congregate. A voice was heard speaking from the summit of this hill, saying, "Ko wai te tangata nana i whanako nga paua a Te Harara?" ("Who is the person who stole the paua of Te Harara?"). Then it was believed that the Patupaiarehe folk had taken those page 80shell-fish, and, of course, no action could be taken in the matter, for what can man do when arrayed against supernatural beings?

In a recital of old Maori myths we find that some of the offspring of the primal parents were connected with mankind, but others were not. Not that this always means any close connection, or even that the creatures mentioned possessed human form. The recital or description hinges upon the expression ira tangata, and this term denotes mortal life, such life as is possessed by man and other mortal creatures; whereas ira atua denotes supernatural life, such as gods are endowed with. Thus we are told that Tangaroa has some connection with the ira tangata—that is, with certain creatures that enjoy but a limited span of life. Two names are included in this pronouncement, Tangaroa-a-timu and Tangaroa-whakamau-tai, both of which are connected with the tide. Rua-te-pupuke banished the latter to the ocean because he had slain Manu-hau-turuki and used his mummified body as a tekoteko, or image, for the gable of the house Hui-te-ananui. To that sad event was assigned the name of Te Ahi-tahurangi. When the hordes of Tangaroa were slain to avenge the above disaster, then those who escaped fled to the ocean and to the fresh waters of the earth, and the name of Te Aitanga a Tangaroa (The Progeny of Tangaroa) was applied to the escapees, as also to their younger relatives—that is, to the offspring of Te Pu-whakahara, of Takaaho, and of Hine-moana—by which is meant sharks, shell-fish, and other creatures. It was at this time that the saying, "He wai Tangaroa i haere ai ki uta" was formulated; it explains that fish are enabled to enter upon land area by traversing waterways.

Some of the progeny were not connected with the ira tangata, such as the monsters of the ocean, the whale tribe; hence these have ever been utilized as assistants in ocean voyages and succourers of distressed mariners. Their aid was obtained by reciting certain charms or invocations. Thus it was that the vessel "Takitumu" was assisted in her passage to Aotearoa by Tutara-kauika, the Wehenga-kauki, Ruamano, and Arai-te-uru. The latter remained at Hokianga as a tipua (uncanny object); and "Arai-te-uru" was also the name of a vessel that came hither from northern isles. Ruamano was left as a guardian for the sprit of "Takitumu" at Toka-ahuru, east of the Tapuwae o Rongokako. The rock of Toka-ahuru is located by means of sighting Mount Hikurangi just on the southern side of Pakarae. (See Appendices, No. 9.)

What is often termed the Triton shell was occasionally found on the northern coast of New Zealand, and these were highly prized by the natives, who converted them into shell horns or trumpets. These are known as pu moana, pu tatara, &c. Waiapu natives state that page 81their forebears possessed a famous shell trumpet named Hine-moke-moke. This instrument had been obtained under very peculiar circumstances, for it was an enchanted shell that possessed the power of song. Persons fishing off Matakaoa often heard the sound of song emanating from the depths of the ocean, and one day when certain persons hauled up a lobster-pot that had been there set they found the singing shell attached to it. From that shell was fashioned the famous horn known as Hine-mokemoke (the Lonely Maid), which was looked upon as a tipuai.e., as something uncanny. Ever that shell sang weird songs, but as to what those songs spoke of, and what was the origin of the strange powers of the Lonely Maid who sang them in darkling waters, no man may now say.

In vol. 15 of the Journal of the Polynesian Society (p. 52) Colonel Gudgeon recorded a quaint tale of old in which we are told how a shell or shell-fish was utilized as a love messenger, or, rather, as a medium in an act of white magic. It was despatched by a man who lived on the Titirangi Hill, at Gisborne, to convey the powers or influence of a form of love-spell called atahu to a place called Opape, situated far away in the Bay of Plenty, there to influence a woman whom our Titirangi friend much admired. So the shell was sent on its long journey, which it accomplished, presumably by water, traversing the coastal waters. The desired lady was seeking shell-fish for food purposes on the beach one day when she chanced upon the enchanted or charmed shell. She picked it up, and, finding it worthless for her purpose, cast it away. Anon, however, she again chanced upon the same shell, and again rejected it. This happened repeatedly; she encountered the shell wherever she went, until she resolved to suspend it from her neck and so put an end to its mysterious movements. Now it was that the charm began to work, and so rendered the woman restless and desirous of action. Ere long the impulse was too strong to be resisted, and so she was compelled to set forth on a long and rough journey over rugged, forest-clad ranges to far Turanga-o-Toi, where Titirangi looks down on the Toka-a-taiau. The lure of the charm led her to that hill whereon Cook saw the stockaded village of the neolithic Maori folk, and where, as we are told in old, generation-worn tradition, all ended happily. This tale serves to show that the lowly shell-fish, albeit viewed as a non-progressive creature of inferior mentality, has yet more uses than one.

A South Island native contributes a very brief note as follows: "Mussels and paua were obtained at all seasons of the year. They were cooked in an umu [steaming-pit] and strung on twine made from Phormium fibre, then hung up in the storehouses to dry; when dry they were packed in baskets and stowed in the elevated store-huts. page 82A great many kinds of food were obtained by the Maori on the sea-coast—so many that I could not enumerate all of them." (See Appendices, No. 11.)