Other formats

    TEI XML file   ePub eBook file  

Connect

    mail icontwitter iconBlogspot iconrss icon

The Material Culture of the Cook Islands (Aitutaki)

Traditional Raurau

Traditional Raurau.

In the history of Hiro, the well-known voyager (Whiro of the Maori), a raurau played an important part in the causation of the war waged by Hiro on the Ati-Puna tribe. A turtle caught by some of Puna's people could not be carried home by them. Hiro cut off its head (porau), placed it on a raurau named Tiraha-pu-ki-te-rangi, and sent it by his youngest son, Tautn, to the high chief or ariki, Puna. Tautu presented the turtle's head, saying, "O Puna, the ariki, here is food. This is the first uncooked portion. The second cooked portion is following." But Puna's wise men asserted that the body of the turtle had been eaten by Hiro at Motupae. In spite of his protestations to the contrary, Tautu was killed and his head cut off. Then the spirit of Tautu, after visiting his father, returned to his decapitated head and commenced a competition in argument with the wise men of Puna. The head of Tautu spoke, "O Puna, the ariki! What was the sin of Tautu that caused him to be extinguished and killed by a spear?" Puna called to two of his wise men, "Topa and Tovananga, answer. What was the sin of Tautu?" The two wise men replied, "What then was the sin of the food platter named Tiraha-pu-ki-te-rangi?" The head of Tautu spoke up, "But the turtle remains. It was not eaten." The argument went on until the last two wise men of the six, Ta-uhu and Ta-pakati, declared, "We have discovered no sin of Tautu." Tautu had thus obtained the re korero, the victory of words in the argument. Then the sinless Tautu spoke from the severed head "The clear light of day floods an open space. The sin is the sin of the fruitless pandanus of the woods. This is the victory of words. To-morrow there will be the victory of spears, when your head will be carried away by my father, Hiro, to his home at Motupae."

page 168
Figure 148.The ohini food basket.

Figure 148.
The ohini food basket.