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Soils

The Maori husbandman had a good working knowledge of various soils, and the treatment required for each kind. Inasmuch as his cultivated food products, kumara, taro, gourd and yam all belong to warmer regions than these isles, much care was necessary in selecting a site for a plantation in regard to aspect, soil and shelter. Certain heavy soils demanded a vast amount of labour in procuring and carrying gravel for mixing with the soil, or for spreading beneath the runners and leaves. Artificial shelter, in the form of brush breakwinds sometimes called for further exertions, and as sunny an aspect as possible was sought for in all cases. It was considered most desirable to obtain a situation with a sunny aspect, good shelter from cold or blusterous winds, and a soil that did not require to be mixed or covered with gravel or sand.

Our Maori agriculturist had names for different soils, though some of these do not appear to have been in universal use among all tribes, a peculiarity noted in many branches of native nomenclature. The following list of soil names is doubtless an incomplete one.

Oneone	Soil, Earth: A general term.
Kenepuru	Silt, Fresh alluvial deposit: Also kerepuru.
Keretu	Clay.
Kerematua	Stiff clay.
Kerewhenua	Yellow clay.
Kirikiri tuatara	Cf. One tuatara, Tuatara wawata.
Kotae	Alluvial soil.
Kotore	White clay.
Matapaia
One hanahana	Dark soil mixed with gravel or small stones. Apparently a talus soil.
One haruru	A light but good soil; sand and loam.
One hunga	Applied to sea sand. Sandy beaches so termed. Sometimes shows admixture of mud with sand.
One kopuru	A soil found in wet situations.
One kokopu	Gravel or very gravelly soil.
One kura	A reddish and poor soil
One mătā	A dark coloured fertile soil
One matua	Loam.
One nui
One parakiwai	Or Parakiwai. Silt.page 43
One paraumu	Very dark fertile soil; friable.
One parahuhu	Alluvium. Also parahua
One pakirikiri	Soil containing gravel.
One pu	Sand.
One punga	A light spongy soil.
One tai	Sandy soil.
One takataka	A friable soil.
One tea	A white soil. Sandy volcanic matter.
One tuatara	A stiff brown soil, fertile, but needs pulverising and sand or gravel worked in. Cf. Tuatara wawata. Kirikiri tuatara.
One wawata	A lumpy soil.
Taioma	Pipeclay.
Tuatara wawata	A brown, friable fertile soil suitable for kumara.
Uku	An unctuous kind of clay, white or of a bluish colour.

The Rev. R. Taylor gives one ware as a rich, greasy soil. Pangahu denotes hard clay land, and pahoahoa sterile land.

It is unquestionably a fact that industry was much appreciated among the Maori folk, who ever recognised the dignity of labour and paid due respect thereto. This fact is noted in their proverbial sayings and aphorisms, as witness the following taken from a paper by W. Colenso, published in Vol. XII. of the Transactions of the New Zealand Institute.

"He tangata momoe, he tangata mangere, e kore e whiwhi ki te taonga."

A sleepy headed or lazy man will never acquire property.

"He kai kei aku ringaringa."

There is food in my hands, i.e. by using them I acquire food.

"Tama tu, tama ora; tama noho, tama mate kai."

The energetic prosper, the indolent go hungry.

"He kai na te tangata, he kai titongi kaki; he kai na tona ringa ake, tino kai, tino makona."

Food obtained from another merely titillates the throat, but food gained by one's own arm is the best and most satisfying.

"He toa taua, mate taua; he toa piki pari, mate pari; he toa ngaki kai, ma te huhu tena."

An energetic warrior dies in battle; an able cragsman perishes among his crags; but an energetic cultivator dies of old age.

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"Mahia te wahie mo takurua, mahia he kai mo tau."

Prepare fuel for the winter, but food for the whole year.

"Tena te ringa tango parahia."

Said of a person who is industrious in weeding crops.

"Kaua e tirohia te pai ahua, engari te raupa o te ringa."

Take no heed of good looks, but rather of the rough hand of the worker.