Mythical Birds, Etc.

Mythical birds make their appearance in Maori narratives, for, like other folk, they loved to dwell upon the marvellous, hence we hear of huge birds that attacked and devoured man, even that, in some extreme cases, whole districts were devastated. Other such creatures carried persons for great distanees, even across wide seas, while yet others were strangely expert at divers labours of the artisan. The hokioi or hākuwai has been dealt with in another publication, a strange bird that abode in the sky and was never seen on earth, though occasionally heard during hours of darkness. In the Chatham Isles we hear of the poua, a bird that of old was found at the lagoon known as Te Whanga; this much appears in Deighton's Moriori data. In vol. 22 of Transactions of the N.Z. Institute the poua is alluded to at p. 78 as an enormous bird. We are told that bones of an extinct swan have been found at Te Whanga, but none pertaining to any 'enormous' bird, doubtless for excellent reasons. In the South Island we have learned from natives that a great bird called ponakai formerly existed. This creature, according to Canon Stack, was a great bird of prey that carried off and devoured men, women and children in the wonder-laden days of yore. Richard Taylor says that South Island natives also mentioned a great bird they called the kiwi papawhenua, that was some seven feet in height, possibly a dim memory of the moa. In the tale of Hinepoupou, a quaint myth collected by Sir G. Grey, the destructive pouakai is mentioned as being a denizen of some land over seas. Mr. H. Beattie, in vol. 27 Journal of the Polynesian Society, maintains that pouakai was originally a name for the great moa. The name pouaha-waiki has been collected in Westland as that of a great extinct bird; it does not appeal to us as a probable form. Pouhawaiki occurs as the name of an introduced rat.

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In a former publication some account was given of mythical denizens of the forest, including certain creatures known as the Tini o te Hākuturi (given as Hakituri by some). These are said to have been birds, but they were not the birds one sees nowadays; they possessed very extraordinary powers, including the faculty of Speech. These are the forest guardians who re-erected the tree felled in manner most impious by Rata. When the hull of the vessel Takitumu was being hauled from the forest in the far land of Hawaiki, we are told that two companies of haulers were marshalled for the heavy task; one of these, known as the Tini o Whakarau (Multitude of Whakarau). was composed of persons, while the other, called the Tini o te Hakuturi, was composed of birds. Now each 'tribe' of birds had its own dragrope out, the koko tribe had its own rope, the kaka had its own, the kereru, the tieke, the koropio, the hore, the kakariki, each clan manned its own rope, the tale being completed by those small but energetic folk known as Acanthidositta chloris.

Another bird myth already recorded is that concerning the huge creature known as the Manu nui a Ruakapanga (Great bird of Ruakapainga), that is said to have borne hither from the isles of Polynesia that marvellous voyager Pourangahua. But we have learned from the Maori that manu nui a Ruakapanga was an expression used to denote the great moa, because one Ruakapanga was the first Polynesian settler here to see one. Various bird tipua, or demons, have also been described in No. 11 of this series. Bird banshees, such as Kaiatehihi and Hine-ruarangi, appear in Maori folk lore, for the Maori seemed to be ever on the look-out for evil omens; good omens we hear little of, but ever he seemed to be looking for trouble. As for the great, man-destroying birds, this belief may have been introduced from northern isles, for we meet with such tales there; in the Tuamotu Group we are told that Matuku-tangotango was a huge bird of prey that swallowed Wahieroa, while in our Maori versions Matuku appears as a person in some versions, and as a destructive beast in others.

One old Maori pundit stated that the hakuwai, taputurangi, korekerangi, amokura, huia and kautuku were looked upon as tapu birds, this on account of their prized plumes: also that Raka-mao-mao was the origin of tapu birds, and Huru-te-arangi was connected with them. How these wind-deities came to be mixed up with birds I cannot say. The first-mentioned of these birds we have dealt with, the second and third are said to be birds of Hawaiki, possibly of Polynesia, after which come the red-tailed tropic bird, the huia (Heteralocha acutirostris), and the bittern. To the above another native contributor adds the bird names takahi-kare (storm-petrel), page 126kaukaurangi, kuraarangi (two birds of Hawaiki), rakorakoa (a sea-bird), kotuku (white heron), and koekoea (long-tailed cuckoo). Kautuku appears as the name of the bittern; one native contributor remarked that it is also a variant form of the name kotuku, but this has not been corroborated. The quality of tapu pertaining to these birds would probably be represented by some form of interdiction; fine plumes and showy feathers were prized and so most of them found their way into the papa hou or feather boxes of the more important persons. Of the above list of birds an old Maori said: "Some of these are flying far above us, some are found in the islands of the world, and others are found at sea."

It is interesting to note that birds entered into certain ritual Performances in Maoriland, functions that we must look upon as religious ceremonies, in some cases, e.g., the tohi tamariki or baptismal rite; the Christian ceremony was simply borrowed from a pagan cult. Among the Takitumu folk the birds used in such ceremonial matters were the miromiro (Petroeca toitoi) and tataihore (or tataeto, Certhiparus albicapillus), these were employed in rites at the most tapu of places, at the tuahu, the ahurewa, and burial-places. During the Performance of the baptismal rite over an infant the bird was brought into contact with the head of the infant, and then released. In some districts a bell-bird was preferred. A bird was also released during the peculiar ceremonial lifting of tapu from a new fortified village, and again when the year's crops were planted, and certain formulae were intoned to induce the gods to send a bountiful return. Yet another occasion was when a person was being initiated into the arts of the seer, and trained to act as a human medium of the spirit of some defunct person. This bird-releasing act connected with rites was practised in Asia and North America, in India, Babylonia, and among the Hurons.

The shamans of Maoriland used a bird's heart as an offering to the gods in some cases, in a certain divinatory rite the expert held the heart in his hand as he repeated a formula, and, should the gods take that offering from his hand, then the fact was accepted as a good omen; if it remained in his hand then the outlook was a gloomy one. We have also a note to the effect that the blood of a bird was occasionally used as an offering to atua, or spirit-gods; more frequently the bird as a whole was so employed. A bird was sometimes used as a whatu, a form of talisman; at the building of a new house, it would be buried at the base of one of the main posts of the house. An interesting note is to the effect that, in ancient Egypt, the soul of man was depicted as a bird.

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In some districts it was the fern-bird that was usually caught for the purposes referred to, its cry was supposed to indicate good and evil fortune for those who heard. Similar auguries were derived from the cries of some other birds, such as the robin, but that of the owl was perhaps the most ominous. Should a certain cry of the owl be heard by people living in an unfortified hamlet, then the folk thereof would quickly and silently leave the place and retire to the forest, scrub or fern-brake, there to pass the night.

The birds that warn us of the arrival of seasons, sayeth the Maori, are the riroriro, pipitori, wharauroa and koekoea; these be the grey warbler, the tomtit, and the two cuckoos; but by the time the shining cuckoo arrives, the first two named have changed their cries. As a general rule to hear the cry of certain birds, e.g., the robin and saddle-back, on your right-hand is viewed as a lucky token, to hear such to the left is the reverse. The torea and some other birds give man warning of Coming storms.