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Chapter II
Death of Wahie-roa and deeds of his son Rata

When Wahie-roa became a man, he took to wife Matonga-rau-tawhiri (leaf of the south Pittosporum), and when she was near having a child Wahie-roa was killed by Matuku (crane), who took the body of Wahie-roa to his place, called Pikopiko-i-whiti (the crooks at Whiti), to eat. After the death of Wahie-roa a son was born, who was baptized Rata (quiet); who, when he had grown to be a man, asked his mother (the second wife of Wahie-roa), "Where is my father, now so long absent?" His mother said, "Look to where the sun comes up." The son asked, "What did he go there for?" The mother said, "Matuku came for him." The son asked, "By which way did Matuku come for him?" The mother said, "By way of a canoe." So Rata began to ponder over the matter, and asked his mother, "Can I get there?" She said, "You cannot. How can you get there?" The son said, "I do not know, but can I not make a canoe?" His mother said, "You can make a canoe: you can take the greenstone axe, the keepsake given by your ancestors, and take it to your ancestor called Hine-tu-a-hoanga (maiden of the grindstone), that she may grind your axe to make it sharp that you may be able to cut timber for a canoe." So the mother went to a hill and took an axe out of the ground where it had been deposited, and gave it to her son; and the son went to his ancestor, who asked, "For what have you come?" Rata said, "To bring my axe to you that you may sharpen it." The goblin said, "What are you doing with the keepsake of your ancestors, that you bring it to me to sharpen it for you?" Rata answered, "I want it to fell timber for a canoe, in which to voyage to obtain revenge for the death of my parent Wahie-roa." The old woman said, "Where is the axe? Give it to me that I may sharpen it." The grandson said, "How will you sharpen it?"

The old woman turned her back towards him and said, "Put the edge of your axe to my back, and I will sharpen it." Rata put the edge of his axe to her back, and the old woman chanted an incantation, and said,-

Be sharp!
Be sharp!
Be sharp!

When the axe was sharp, Rata went back to his home, and his mother asked, "Have you got your axe sharpened?" Rata said, "Yes." She said to her son, "On the morrow, in the morning, go and fell a tree for a canoe for yourself." He answered, "Yes."

At dawn of day he went into the forest and saw a totara-tree (podocarpus totara), which he at once began to fell; but he felled it with ignorance (without performing the usual ceremonies when felling trees, which were called "the children of the forest-god Tane"). By the time the tree fell to the ground it was near sunset; but he cut the head off the tree and then went back to the settlement. His mother asked him, "Have you felled your tree?" He answered, "Yes."

When he had left the spot where he had felled the tree a great number of the offspring of Tane arrived there to put the tree up again in its growing-position. When they began to work for this object each worked at his own labour for the same end; at the same time all chanted in concert, and repeated these words in unison:—

Let the chips fly this way
To adhere;
Though small,
Become straight,
Fresh, and green.

Now they had collected all the chips and dust of the tree together. Each fragment had gone to its original place in the tree, and the tree had become what it formerly was, and stood erect as a tree by being placed where it formerly grew. The tree was again one of the trees of the forest of Tane; and Rata had gone home, and his mother had given food to him. He slept, and at dawn of day he went to the tree he had felled, but found the tree standing up erect as it had formerly grown. He sat down and thought and pondered, and he looked and said, "This is the tree." So he began to cut it down again, and felled it to the ground, and cut the top off it, by which time it was evening, and he went home. His mother forgot to ask him [about the tree], and gave him food. He slept, and at dawn of day he went to the tree, and found it again in a growing-position; so he came back to his home, and his mother asked him, "Why have you come back so early in the day?" He gave his mother an account of the matter, and said, "I felled a tree on the first day, and I cut the head off it, and on going back yesterday morning the tree was standing in its original position, as if I had not cut it down. I again felled it, and cut the top off; and this morning on going there it was again standing up in its old position, and hence I have come back." The mother said to her son, "It was my ignorance: I did not inform you how you were to be guided in your proceeding in regard to the tree. Your ancestors have put the tree up again in its growing-position. But go back and cut the tree down, cut the head off it, then come away from it a little distance and sit down and watch; and when you hear any persons coming, do not startle them at once, but let them take hold of the tree with their hands. You will see them collecting the chips which you made in cutting the tree down; and again they will put these chips each into its own place in the body of the tree, and they will place the tree erect again as it grew formerly. As they are about to lift the body of the tree into its erect position you jump out of your hiding-place and stand on the body of the tree." And his mother said, "Be quick and go back to your tree at once, and cut it down, and your ancestors will make a canoe out of the tree for you." As soon as his mother had ceased to teach him he went back to where the tree was, and cut it down, and cut the top off it; and he then went aside and sat down and hid himself, and he heard the voices of persons who were coming towards him as they repeated his name, and these were the words of their song and the sound of their encouragement of each other:—

It is Rata, it is Rata of Wahie-roa,
Who in neglect cut down [the tree]
Of the sacred forest of Tane.
Fly, ye chips, to the root [of the tree];
Fly, ye chips, to the head [of the tree].
The noise, the blow, and power of the axe
In one company [all together].

Rata saw these beings all coming, as they sang this, towards the root of the tree, and putting each chip in its old place, while others of the people were joining the head to the body of the tree, and he saw that they were lifting the tree up to its old growing-position. When the head of the tree had been partly lifted from the ground, and the butt of the tree was about to be joined to the root, and the tree was being lifted into an erect position, Rata went and stood on the body of the tree and spoke to his ancestors [these people], and said, "And you are the people who are playing tricks on me!" This people [his ancestors] said, "You have felled the tree in page (4)neglect of all the customs and ceremonies that should be observed in cutting the trees in the sacred forest of Tane-of your ancestors. Why did you not let us [our people] make your canoe? Now you go back to your home: we have seen you." Rata then said to his ancestors – to the Aitanga-a-rupe-tu (the offspring of the shaking standing), and to the Rupe-pae (the trembling laid across), and to the Tini-a-para-rau-rakau (the multitude of the gum of the leaves of trees) and he went back to his home, and his mother said to her son Rata, "Have you seen your ancestors?" He said, "Yes; and they are to make a canoe for me, and will make it in my absence. I did hear them commencing to make it, while they chanted this:—

"The bow shows now,
The stern shows now,
The sideboards show now,
All go together [make one canoe].

His mother said, "Yes; and to-morrow, early, your canoe will be brought here to the sea-beach." He ate and slept, and at dawn of day he and his mother heard the noise of a canoe being dragged towards their home; and this was the song which was chanted by these people in unison to give spirit to drag the canoe:—

[She] climbs, [she] goes up,
[She] climbs, [she] goes up,
To the stars, to the moon,
To the stars, to the moon.
Let the old woman
Move the canoe sideways,
Let the old woman
Move the canoe sideways.
Who is it? It is Ahi-rau-e.
Who is it? It is Ahi-rau-e.
Who is this?
Who is this?
It is Rata,
It is Rata.
That he come,
That he come,
And drag,
And drag,
This canoe,
This canoe,
Manini-tai,
Manini-tai.
Bring the finishing-axe.