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Maori Religion and Mythology Part 2

Origin of the Gourd Plant (Lagenaria vulgaris)

Origin of the Gourd Plant (Lagenaria vulgaris)

This is said to have originated with one Rauru among some east coast tribes, and the fruit thereof is referred to as the Ikaroa a Raurui. in some old recitals. After the death of Rauru it became a creeping plant and the fruit became an article of food. So that the plant seems to have had an upright form of growth prior to the death of the said Rauru. Ngati-Awa of the Bay of Plenty maintain that one Pu-te-hue was the origin of the gourd. This originating being was a female who also seems to personify the gourd (see Tuhoe p. 782, also Dominion Museum Bulletin 9, p. 245, 1976 reprint).

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