The Legend of Maui.

(Reprinted from Judge Making's Translation.)

The mention of the birth and abandonment of Maui is a mere abridged sketch intended to introduce two of his exploits which I have extracted from a more complete history of his life and adventures. Maui was the younger brother of five; he was contemned and abandoned by his parents, but nevertheless became the great hero of the family. His brothers were all called Maui, but each had a distinctive epithet: one was Maui-taha; another, Maui-roto; another, Maui-Pae; the fourth, Maui-waho. Maui the Great was in ordinary called Maui-Potiki, or the younger; but his heroic name was Maui-tiki-tiki-a-Taranga. Maui means left-handed; and the Maoris have a saying or proverb, "Maui kai tangata"—i.e., Maui the man eater—from the difficulty of parrying the blows from the weapon of a left-handed man, and who consequently kills and eats more than the average allowance of such viand. The brothers of Maui lived in this world, where they had been supplied with the seeds of plants and edible roots, tools, fishing nets, etc., etc., by their parents. Their parents lived in God-land (very similar to this, though better), and their mother came to see them every night, and disappeared before daylight. Maui's brothers knew not where she came from; but Maui, by a cunning device, followed her, and discovered the abode of his father and mother, and went through a series of adventures in the "quest" in God-land. His brothers, though demigods, never were noted for any great deeds, except when they seconded him in some of his adventures; they indeed disliked and feared him greatly, as he was a thorough larrikin, and a plague both to gods and men. Yet it is remarkable that of all the hero demi-gods, many of whom performed feats fully equal to those of Maui (such as climbing to the tenth heaven, and doing great things there), though not so mischievous, he is page 125 the favourite Maori hero; he is, in fact, notwithstanding the myths with which he is surrounded, a true historical personage. The Maoris love to twine history and allegory and romance so together that it is not always easy to unstrand the rope.

The story of the fishing up of the land is told as having reference to New Zealand, but the tradition was told certainly a thousand years before the first Maori saw these islands—probably twice as long, before they discovered this country—and is told now in many islands north and south of the equator. It is one of the three-stranded, historical, allegorical, mythological stories, and refers to probably the first land discovered on entering the North Pacific.

It is remarkable also that Maui was a great favourite with the gods, though he played very annoying tricks with them: in general they did what he wanted, and were very kind to him when they found out it was Maui (for he mostly went incog,). Even "the great Lady Death" was kind to him until he became too mischievous, and he had to run for the first time, and only escaped by the intervention of the elder gods, his ancestors, on his calling for help. But being determined not to be beaten, even by death, he tried another piece of impudence with her, and was killed; and death still pursues all his descendants from generation to generation, until they have become mere ordinary (Maori) men. This of course includes all men; for Maui and his brothers were, though partaking of the god-like nature, the first family who, descended from the secondary or inferior gods, had begun to degenerate and tend towards the condition of ordinary men. The descent or pedigree of men from gods, and the origin of gods themselves, evolved from still more ancient parents, is very interesting and also very suggestive.

I see my introduction is as long as my story. Few people can form (from the few attempts that have been made to translate Maori traditions) any idea of the quaint elegance and sometimes epic magnificence of some of the Maori traditional histories. I have therefore endeavoured always to give as close a verbal translation as possible, and also to preserve the tone or style. I may give you an example some of these days, as I think I have succeeded well in one of the most ancient and interesting traditions.

Maui, the son of Taranga and Makea-Tutara, was born on the seashore. His mother hurled him into the ocean; the waves dashed him to and fro. There, in the foam of the sea, the sea-weeds swathed him round. At last the storm and the whirlwind returned him to the land, where, buried in the sea-drift, flies swarmed about him, and the wild sea-birds hovered over him, until his ancestor, The-Great-Child-in-Heaven, observed him page 126 and came to his rescue. Raising him up, he took him to his home, and hung him over the fire. The heat and smoke revived him, and by the kindness of his ancestor he became a man.

After this, Maui being grown up, he appeared to his mother and his brethren; but they disowned him at first. Then he told them the history of his birth, and of his being flung into the ocean, and returned by the storm to the land, and preserved by his ancestor, The Sun; and when they heard all this, they accepted him, and he dwelt with them thenceforward.

Now, this Maui, whilst yet young, performed many wonderful acts; but he was capricious and michievous, and cared not whether his deeds were good or evil, so they were great, and wonderful, and surpassing those of all others.^*

So it happened on a day that he saw the people who were carrying food to his ancestress, The Farthest-Bounds-of-Earth^†—and he inquired of them, saying, "For whom is that food you carry?" He was answered, "For your ancestress, Muri-ranga-whenua." "Where is she?" "Away yonder." Then said Maui, "Leave it for me to cany." So he carried the food then and on several following days, but never took it to Muri-ranga-whenua. He carried it but part of the way, and there left it. So at last as he went on another day to carry the food, Muri-ranga-whenua discovered that she was cheated, and she swelled up her breast with the intention to swallow up Maui. So she smelt about the north, south, and east, but could perceive nothing. At last, turning to the west, she smelt Maui, and cried out, "The wind has brought you hither." Then she heard Maui muttering to himself, and was aware that it was her grandchild, and so the swelling of her chest went back; but had any other wind but the west brought him, he would have been devoured. So she called out, "Are you Maui?" "Yes, I am Maui." "Why do you thus ill-treat me?" "I want you to lend me your jaw-bone." Then said Ranga-whenua, "Take it." So Maui took the jaw-bone of Muri-ranga-whenua, and returned home to his brethren, and they then perceived that his object had been to possess himself of that invincible weapon.

In those days the sun was much hotter than now, and the days were very short; for the sun remained not long in the heavens, his pace was so quick before he set; and men could not labour to procure food by reason of the heat and the shortness of the days; but had the days been longer, the world would have been burned up, so great was the heat of the sun.

So Maui said to his brethren, "Let us assail the sun, and take from him some of his great heat, and blind him, and retard his motion, that the days may be longer, and men have more time to cultivate the earth."

But his brethren answered, "No man may approach the sun, so vehement is his heat."

Then said Maui, "You have seen my numerous labours, and that I have never failed. In this also I shall be successful—in this and in greater things also."

So his brethren were persuaded, and consented to attack the sun.

So they commenced making ropes. Then indeed might be seen the art of rope-making—twisted ropes, plaited ropes, knotted ropes, all kinds of ropes they made; and when they had finished, Maui took his club, and with his brothers bearing the ropes, he started for the rising of the sun. Long they journeyed, travelling by night, and resting by day in the open plains, till getting nearer and nearer, they at last arrived at the place where the rising sun comes forth.

Now they build walls of earth, and houses of boughs of trees, to save them from the heat, and now they raise the snare of ropes wherewith to catch the sun at his rising, and having thus prepared, they take their stations, Maui at one side, and his brethren at the other side, of the rising of the sun, and all with their war-mats on.^*

Maui then, holding in his hand the jaw-bone of Muri-ranga-whenua, addressed his brethren: "Be patient, and cautious, and pitiless; startle him not; let him be enveloped in our snares, even to the arm-pits; then when I shout, haul in your ropes, and hold him long, whilst I attack and maim him with my club. Be sure you have no pity; when he cries for mercy, be merciless, O my friends."

Now the sun arises like flaming fire, blazing upon the earth! On he comes. His head is in the snare; now his armpits are enclosed; now they haul the ropes. Ha! the hero is ensnared! Now leaps forward Maui-tikitiki-o-Taranga,^† and, club in hand, assaults the sun. Down on his

^* "With their war-mats on." The natives formerly made a thick matted sort of cloth, impervious to spear thrusts, which they used as armour. In more modern times this defence was only used to save the breast from injury in climbing trees. I cannot find a better English term of description than "war-mat." If I gave the native word it would not be understood by most readers.

^† "Maui-tikitiki-o-Taranga," the full title of Maui. He has, however, other names, such as Maui-Potiki, etc., but the above is his proper title.

page 128 yellow hair the ponderous weapon comes; his shining locks divide, and now in scattered rays they reach the ends of the earth, not, as of old, in solid flames of fire. Then the entangled hero cries, "Wherefore assault you me, O man? you who dare assault even The-Great-Child-Ra!" Thus was first heard the sun's true name, Tama-nui-te-Ra. The fierce assault continues. At last they release the sun. Wounded and shorn of half his fire, slowly he takes his way, and it was long before he reached his setting place. So the days have since been longer and more cool, and men can labour in comfort.

So Maui and his companions returned home. And on a day when his brethren had gone to sea to catch fish, Maui overheard his wives and children grumbling among themselves at his indolence in not going to fish also, like his brethren. So he cried out, "Ha you! you women and children, in no great work have I failed, and think you I cannot catch fish? Soon the sun shall shine upon them heaped upon the shore."

Now Maui prepares a hook; he fastens it from the jaw-bone of Muri-ranga-Whenua, and then he twists a rope. "Now," says he to his brothers, "let us go to sea and fish but his brothers refused to let him enter the canoe, fearful that he should play them some evil trick, and went to sea themselves. So on their return at night Maui went and hid himself under the stage of the canoe; and in the morning the brothers put to sea again, not knowing that Maui was with them. So when they had got out from the land, Maui arose from his place of concealment, and when his brothers saw him they proposed to return and set him on shore But Maui said to them, "Suffer me to remain to bale out the water which comes into the canoe." So they allowed him to remain. Then they pulled out to sea to their usual fishing-place, and were about to anchor, when Maui persuaded them to go still further; and so he persuaded them to go still further and further, till at last they got to the most distant anchorage canoes had ever reached; and here again they proposed to anchor; but Maui said to them, "It is not worth while to fish here: let us go out into the currents of the great ocean, out of sight of land, and our canoe will be filled in the winking of an eye; for the fish will follow the hook in shoals right into the canoe." So on they went, and at last, the land disappearing, they anchored, and the brothers began to fish. Twice only they threw out their hooks, and as Maui had said, the canoe was loaded; for the fish followed the hooks in shoals into the canoe. So the brothers of Maui prepared to return to the land; but Maui entreated them, saying, "Stay yet a little longer, till I throw out my hook." Then said the brothers, "Where should you find a hook?" "Ah!" said Maui, "but I have a hook." "Then throw it out." Then from under his cloak he pulls his page 129 hook, glistening with inlaid pearl, carved and ornamented with tufts of hair and feathers, the jaw-bone of his ancestress Muri-ranga-whenua!^*

Then Maui said, "Give me some bait;" but the brothers answered, "None shall you have." So he closed his fist and struck himself on the nose. The blood flowed, and he rubbed it on his hook, and cast it into the sea. Down goes the hook—down, down. Now it is near the bottom of the sea, and now it has reached the housetop of Tongonui, the ancestor of Maui, who dwells beneath the waters. Down goes the hook, it passes the eave, the carved work of the house-front. Now it has reached the floor, and Maui hauls the line. Ha! the house of that ancient, Tongonui, is caught by the hook of Maui-tikitiki-o-Taranga!

Ha! the fish of Maui rises from the waters—a land fish—a spacious country—Papa-tu-a-nuku!

So now the canoe of Maui lies dry on land, and he says to his brethren, "Remain here now till my return. I go to present an offering to the gods; they first must taste our fish. Touch it not, nor divide it, till my

^* His ancestress. Earth, Air, Fire, and Water were the ancestors of Maui; but his immediate ancestors, or parents, were gods of the second order, descended from the great ancient gods, who were born of Heaven and Earth.

^† A divine fury. The giant demi-god fiercely dragging up the earth, the ocean "boiling" with whirlpools as the earth approaches, the thundering song of the Titan, altogether form a scene equal to anything in ancient mythology.

^‡ Ooi! or Oi! the shout of the ancient priests when invoking the gods of heaven and earth, or the war god, but no others. This cry was often introduced in the prayers or incantations at the end of a verse or sentence; it was a fierce shout given when the priest seemed to be possessed or inspired, and as it were commanding the god.

This shout was also the old war cry of the Scandinavian nations, and of the Saxons when they were pagans, and was also used in the same way when their war gods were addressed—"Aoi! ooi! ooi!"

page 130 return, when, the gods being appeased, we shall divide it, and each shall receive his portion in peace, and rejoice in the possession thereof, and that which remains shall remain in peace and undisturbed."

The hero then departed, bearing the offering to the gods. No sooner had he disappeared, than his brothers, disregarding his Words, began to cut up and eat the fish of Maui, thus failing to appease the gods by presenting them with the first of the fish of Maui, their imitator and disciple.

Now the sea-god Tangaroa, seeing the evil deeds of Maui's brethren, became enraged, and caused the fish to struggle. Dashing about with fierce convulsions, it became deformed and shapeless; and it is from this cause that the land is so ill-formed—mountains, valleys, plains, ravines, and precipices, all mingled without order. Had it not been for the impiety of the brothers of Maui, the fish would have lain still, and so also would the land have remained for ever: for the fish of Maui is the land. But now a second time was the land disturbed since the separation of Heaven from Earth. The first was when the heavens and the winds and the floods made war against the Children of Earth, and now again by the convulsions of the fish of Maui; for such was the will of Tangaroa.

Extract from Mr. Wallace's Book, "the Malay Archipelago."