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Maori Agriculture

The Planting of the Kumara

The Planting of the Kumara.

The baskets of seed tubers were placed at the margins of the dug field, and the following ritual was chanted while the seed was being planted:—

"Whakarongo! Whakarongo!
Whakarongo ake ana ki te ngutu o te wahine ra
Te riri ana, te niwha ana
Ki te paenga o tana māra
Ka ripia, ka haea
He komuhumuhu ki te pou o te whare
He korerorero ki te pou o te whare
He kapu, he kakara

page 192

Te hoki mai ai to koiwi ora
Tiritiri taku kete, homai ranea
Tenei au, e Pani, te kimi atu nei, te rapa atu nei
I te kore, i te kore te whiwhia
I te kore, i te kore te rawea
I te whaiwhai noa i au
E mauri - - e - - e - - i - - i.
Ko au ka tangi whare.

Chorus: I - - i - - o - - o!"

When the seed was covered, the following was chanted:—

"Koare hoki nga uhi nei
Ka makerotia e te tikitiki o Wahieroa
Te tapa mai e koe taku ika nei
Ko hāhā. Ururoa
Ka eke, ka whakaparoro
Ka whakatopai whitu
E tupe tane, tupe tane.

Chorus: I - - i - - o - - o!"

The following charm was recited for the purpose of causing rain to fall, that the kumara might grow and flourish:—

"Marangai tu
Hekeheke iho i runga o Reiara
Tuhi te uira, rapa te uira
Ko nga hau ki tohau ia."

A considerable number of formulae recited or chanted by planters of the kumara has been collected, and in many cases one fails to detect any allusion therein to the crop or the work being performed. Observe, for instance, the following whakatapatapa kumara or planting chant collected from the Ngati-Toa folk:—

Takina taku rarangi ki roto o Tirikohua
Mauri rere ki te Manga-tawa o Rehua
Tautoro, tautoro
Ka whanake ki te ara o Pipiri
Ka whakairiiri kapua ki runga o Hurakia.

And the following, contributed by Pakauwera of Ngati-Kuia, and termed by him a koko kumara:—

Papa te whititiri i runga
Ko taua tini, ko taua mano
Te wai o Huru-makaka
page 193 Te toe atu ki te wai o Tu-tauarai
Ka whiwhia te kakara o Tai-porohe-nui i taku aro
Whiua ki te whakarua koia.