Ngati-Ira, of Waikaremoana.

The Ngati-Ira who now live among the Ngati-Ruapani hapu of Ngati-Kahuhunu at Waikaremoana are a portion of the tribe of that name who originally occupied a large portion of the country now held by the Ngati-Porou and Aitanga-a-Hauiti tribes of the East Coast. The history of Ngati-Ira has been a most adventurous one and the survivors of the famous Pakaurangi pa have wandered far and wide in search of a resting place. Some fled inland to the great [unclear: Huia-iua] range and some to Waikato. A detachment to Napier and thence to southern Wader Rere-kinkio marched to irarapa, whence ihey spread as far as Pae-kakariki and held their own there for seven generations, being finally destroyed by Ngati-Awa and Ngati-Toa under Te Rauparaha and others about 1835. Yet another division of Ngati-Ira fled to Opotiki where their descendants may still be found. From these come the Ngati Jea of Waikare-moana having left the Opotiki branch four generations ago, when they went to Ruatahuna under Te Hautu; afterwards moving on to Lake Waikaremoana where they now live, Te Puke-o-Tu being the principal man among them.

These Ngati-Ira have become closely connected with the Mataatua people as the following genealogy will show :—Muniwai, Rangikurukurua, Irapuaia, Rongomatauriki. [unclear: Tamatis] Te Nanaio, Huakai, Tutapuis, [unclear: T] Rehu, Tutakahiao, Te Rehu II, [unclear: T] angipaongntai, Toma, Marnier, [unclear: M] Puke-o-Tu, Te Mapu.

Ngati-Apa.

This tribe is descended from [unclear: A] koki who slew many of the [unclear: orig] people of the land, at Pekepeke [unclear: a] elsewhere. Apa-koki [unclear: received] name from having been [unclear: cripp] by the kick of a moa at [unclear: Puta] (Mt. Edgecumbe.) The principal [unclear: h] are Ngati-Hineuru who are the [unclear: t] of Ngati Apa and live at [unclear: Tarawra] the Napier Taupo road. [unclear: Hin] married Tokowaru, hence the [unclear: k] [unclear: Tokowaru] of Galatea. Also the [unclear: Ng] Tu-reia and Ngai-Takapu [unclear: man] hapus.

In ancient times a division of [unclear: Np] Apa went to Taupo and lived [unclear: t] some time.. They fought the [unclear: Ng] Tu wharetoa of that place and [unclear: wh] defeated and driven away to [unclear: Ru] tikei, their leaders being Te [unclear: Where] kahu and Tumahoka. These [unclear: pe] were known as Te Apa-o-[unclear: Rangapl] Their descendants still [unclear: reside] Rangitikei and claim descent [unclear: f] Apa-Hapai-taketake, though the [unclear: W] rinaki people say that he and [unclear: p] koki were one and the [unclear: same] pa-koki was descended from [unclear: M] of Te Arawa. Ngati-Apa [unclear: orig] came from Putauaki but have [unclear: long] sided in the Whirinaki and [unclear: Ra] taiki Vallies. They held [unclear: the] fighting pas Te Rourou, [unclear: Op] Para-kakariki and Tutu-tarata, [unclear: M] were a fighting tribe but not [unclear: very] merous and suffered some [unclear: seven] feats in the old wars with [unclear: Tube] other tribes. The Whirinaki [unclear: d] now live among the Ngati-[unclear: Ma]^*

Ngati-Manawa.

This tribe is descended from Mana. [unclear: toa] who flourished about 17 gener-[unclear: os] ago. They are connected with [unclear: gati]-Manawa of Waikato who come [unclear: al] Manawa-uha, and also with the [unclear: gati]-Tuara of Horohoro. The prin-[unclear: al] hapus are the Ngati-Hui, Ngati-[unclear: wae], Ngati-Ngauru and Ngati-[unclear: putanga].

They occupy the valleys of Rangi-[unclear: ti] and Whirinaki from Oputara [unclear: Fort]t Galatea. They appear to [unclear: re] migrated from the north under [unclear: e] leadership of tin well known an-[unclear: tors] Whare-pakau and Gangiha-[unclear: ru]. They are closely connected [unclear: th] Ngati-Whare, in fact these are [unclear: ve] one and the same people. They [unclear: ve] never been a numerous or [unclear: erful] tribe and have suffered [unclear: h] in former times at the hands of [unclear: N] gati-Pukeko and other tribes. [unclear: ier] lands have laid open to attack [unclear: om] every side and they seem to have [unclear: ed] as a buffer state for the Ure-[unclear: rs]. Their district is remarkably [unclear: ile] and but little cultivation was [unclear: ried] on in former times.

Ngati-Whare.

This tribe occupies the upper part [unclear: the] Whirinaki Valley, generally [unclear: own] as Te tiora-iti. The principal [unclear: nga] is Te Murumurutiga at Te [unclear: aiti]-nui-a-Toi. This district was [unclear: led] in very early times by the pre-[unclear: ori] aborigines who had several pas [unclear: Te] Whaitiand in the valley of the [unclear: he] a tributary of the Whirinaki, [unclear: n] attacked by Whare-pakau some generations ago. Ngati-wbare are [unclear: nded] from Whare-pakau and in the hapus of Ngati-Hamua, [unclear: ai]Te Karaha. Ngati-Mahanga, [unclear: ati] Kohiwi, Ngati-Warahoe, Ngati-[unclear: pe] and Ngati-Whare-ki-Ngai-te-ao. [unclear: re] are many old fortified places at [unclear: Whati] and Okahu, telling of many [unclear: guinary] struggle in past times.

Tuhoe or te Urewera.

The Tuhoe tribe may be looked up" on as the Tlascalaus or Spartans of New Zealand and are a brave, hardy, and independent people. Their so journ of centuries in the rugged country between To Whaiti and Ruakituri has rendered them a thoroughly iso-lated people and like most mountain-eers are imbued with a strong tribal pride. They have held their own in their mountain home and although war-parties have penetrated to Rua-tahuna in the hope of humbling the Urewera pride, those same tana were generally very glad to turn their backs on the land of the Ngai-Tuhoe. Their tribal proverbs betoken their love of war and adventure, as—

"He iti na Tuhoe, e kata te po." "Tuhoe moumou kai, moumou taonga, moumou tangata ki te Po."—"Tuhoe, wasters of food and proper-ty; destroyers of mankind."

The bulk of the Urewera (as the Tuhoe are generally termed) reside at Ruatahuna and its vicinity, which district contains many old pas and battle-grounds. In former times they made many forays against distant tribes and thought little of marching in mid-winter across the snow-covered mountains. To enable them to do this they wore sandals (turnata-kuru) formmed of a netted fabric and stuffed with moss (rimurimu). To collect their warriors from scattered hamlets, when threatened by attack, they used the huge war trumpet (pu-tatara) and also made use of signal fires on the hilltops. A favourite proverb—"The eyes of the fisherman are closed, but tbe eye of the fighter nre open"—will tend to show that it was a difficult matter to catch the Urewera unaware, and au enemy trying to surprise them at night was pretty sure to be met by the booming of the war'drums (pahu). These gongs, which were formed of mataii, were suspended between two uprights upon the watch tower (pu- page 36 hara) situated within the earthworks (maioro) of the fort (pa). The watchman (kai-mataara) occupied the platform at night and struck the gong at intervals to let any prowling enemy know that the garrison were on the alert. He also beguiled the weary hours of the night by chanting some of the numberless watch songs (whaka-araara) known to the Maori.

The Tuhoe loved fighting and entered into it with his whole soul, even from the days when Tawhaki, son of Awatope, came from Whakatane to Ruatahuna and destroyed the Ngati-Ha and Ngapotiki tribes who formerly held the land as far as Maungapohatu. Here is another of their proverbial sayings:—"Do not make your bed too comfortable, lest you be overcome by sleep; rather sleep on rough ground that you may awaken easily and thus escape the war-party."

As the Tuhoe of old were inured to hardship, so were they accustomed to hard fare and the old men inform me that they thought little of living on one meal a-day. Possibly their most prized food was the so-called hinau bread, a heavy, pasty mass made from the steeped berries of the hinau tree, hence the saying, " If you awaken me let it be for te whatu turei a Rua." Another and important article of food was the fern-root (aruhe), the meal of which was made into cakes (komeke). The saying for this is, "Te manawanui o Whete." "Whete was au ancestor who relied on the nruhe as a strength-giving food. Prior to going into a fight he would cat two large komeke of fern-root. They also had sweet potato (kumara), the hue (gourd), the perei and the indigenous taewa—tapapa parareka, and pokerekahu.

The Tuhoe tribe are largely de-scended from the original people of the land and this combined with their long isolation in a mountainous country causes them to be a singularly interesting people and well worthy of study. To the old men of Ngai-Tawhaki [unclear: s] Tama-kai-moana am I indebet [unclear: f] many interesting items in [unclear: regard] these singular people, but the [unclear: rela] thereof must wait until such [unclear: time] we shall endeavour to [unclear: collect] more "fragments of M tuatua."

Having lately visited the [unclear: Tu] people in their secluded [unclear: kaingas] free to confess that the bapus of [unclear: R] tahuna, Te Umuroa and [unclear: Manage] pohatu contain some of the [unclear: most] foresting types to be found [unclear: in] country, and which may be [unclear: ethno] cally divided into—1. The [unclear: Paleness] 2. The Melanesian. 3. The [unclear: Me] lian. 4. The Urukehu

The Polynesian type we know [unclear: w] it can be atudied in any [unclear: ntive ka] but there is a fair, large featured [unclear: t] which I have often noted [unclear: among] Ngati-Raukawa. There are [unclear: ma] these [unclear: mong] the Urewera. [unclear: I] seen them in hundreds on the [unclear: be] Apia in the [unclear: Samom] Group, [unclear: and] palm groves of Tutuila know [unclear: them] well.

The [unclear: Melanesian] or [unclear: Papuas] most ronounced among the [unclear: T] Some of these have the [unclear: westem] tures and huge, [unclear: outstanding] hair so well known in Fiji [unclear: and] Western Islands. I had [unclear: prer] seen this type at Te Reinga in 1875 [unclear: y] some Tuhoe were on a vi-it [unclear: to] Kowhatu of that place. Some of [unclear: this] looked as if they had just [unclear: stepped] of the plates in "Belcher's! [unclear: V] It would be most interesting [unclear: to] if these types, 2, 3. and 4 are [unclear: d] from the aboriginal people (I [unclear: u] clined to think that they are) [unclear: as] so whence came the marked [unclear: dif] in the types. Was there a [unclear: pre] race of Melanesian extraction [unclear: p] ing this strange land in the [unclear: din] If so, whence the Mongolian [unclear: and] kehu.

The third or Mongolian [unclear: type] marked contrast to the other [unclear: h] the Mongolian with the neavy [unclear: fe] page 37 [unclear: and] sullen expression of a Klamath [unclear: Indian]. You may see them on auy [unclear: vation] from Cape Mendocino to [unclear: Alska]. The Haidas of Queen Char-[unclear: te] Islands, with their Polynesian [unclear: ving] and whakapakoko—there you [unclear: ve] the Mongolian type of the Ure-[unclear: er] people.

The Urukehu.—This is the most in-[unclear: resting] aad singular type to be found [unclear: New] Zealand. People will tell you [unclear: ey] are albinos. It is not so. The [unclear: ino] I have met among Anglo-Saxon [unclear: nd] Castilian peoples and among the [unclear: groes] of the Mississippi biyous. [unclear: They] are a freak of Nature, a sickly [unclear: nd] weak-eyed caricature of humanity [unclear: nd] abhorred of the true ethnologist. [unclear: he] urukehu of the Urewera are a dis-[unclear: t] people, a white, fine featured—[unclear: a] word—an Aryan people. There [unclear: a] goodly number of there white [unclear: ountaineers] in Tuhoe-land, and [unclear: he] old men inform me that they have [unclear: ways] been there, always dwelt a [unclear: ong] the darker people, from remote [unclear: mes.] Some say they are descended [unclear: rom] theTurehu, a race of white peo-[unclear: le] who originally occupied this island times long past away. In later [unclear: nes] these Turehu appear to have ob-[unclear: ned] as a species of wood elves or [unclear: ires] who dwelt in forests and on [unclear: ountain] ranges, and were often he trd [unclear: king] and singing, and who wrought [unclear: ge] tricks upon the luckless in-[unclear: dual] who offended them, as wit-[unclear: ss] the vacred totara tree which [unclear: nds] near Te Ana-o-Tawa on the [unclear: res] of the Sea of Waikare—for [unclear: ould] any man dare to molett that [unclear: e] he was surely maltreated by the [unclear: ehu] and Patupaearehe of the Great [unclear: est] of Tane. Evidently a mythical [unclear: oe] the e Turehu, but who can tell [unclear: hat] sub-stratum of fact may under-[unclear: e] these wild legends.

[unclear: For] the urukehu is in evidence. He [unclear: me] to stay. He is a mystery to his [unclear: patriots] and a thing of joy to the [unclear: ropologist]. Probably the best specimen I saw was at Ruatahuna—a young woman of some twenty years of age. We were seated in the "marae" before Te Puhi-o-Matauna the great Council House of the Taboo tribe. The people gathered around us to view the pakehas, the pakeltas from Tara-pounamu, from Te Whaiti-nui-.-a-Toi It was quite an event in their lonely mountain vallay. Wo spoke of many things, of the days of old, of the Iho-o-Kataka, that blessing to childless homes. And of the brave days when Tane-atua and lra-kewa and Tawhaki and the host of old time heroes of Mataatua were in the flesh and per-formed great deads in the World of Light. And the faces around me lighted up with pleasure and the tribal pride of the mountaineer. A primitive people and a kindly, those Tuhoe of Ruatabuna. Who gave unto us their best whare and such food as they had, the fruits of their soil and fresh milk and the bread of the hinau. And j as we talked of the brave days of old I looked at the facos around me, the faces I had seen lung years since in the redwood forests of Humboldt Ray. On the beach at Honolulu, beneith the cocoa palms of Samoa. And the uru-kehu was as the remnant of a loug-lost race and I could not place her in any of the old but well-remembered camps. For the mass of gold red hair took me far away to the land of Thor and in the small mouth, thin lips and straight nose I saw an Arya of the Aryans, the strong, slightly prognathous jaw located heramong the ancient Celts, the Esthonians of the Bialtic. But her surroundings were Polynesian as her language. The Urukehu is a Sphinx.

Maru-iwi.

"Te Heke a Maru-iwi ki to Po."

The Maruiwi wore one of the aboriginal tribes of New Zealand and originally occupied the Valley of the Waimaua River where they had many page 38 fortified pas, the principal one being Mapouriki.^* The whole land was occupied by the tribes of the "tangata whenua" whose ancestors held these lands long before the historical vessels came from the Hawaikian Fatherland which lies far away, across the great Ocean of Kiwa.

When the ancestors of the present Maori people became numerous in Aotearoa then wars arose between the two races and many battles took place, and the long peace of the Great White World was broken at last. Then was known the evil which comes with war and strife. The clash of arms was heard in the old time homes of Te Tini-o-Toi, the sound of the war trumpets echoed far and wide, the rivers and lands of the descendants of Maui were stained with the blood of Maruiwi and Te Marangaranga, of Te Po-kiki and Te Pokaka.

Maru-ka was a chief of Te Maruiwi. He and Koira of Ngati-Awa had a long argument concerning the "kumara" of Rehua and of Whanui. They came to high words and Maru-ka struck Koira on the face. Then was Koira dark in his heart, and he went forth and sought his "tu" puna" Rakei-ao. A man of great knowledge was Rakei-ao, versed in the sacred lore of his race and a "tohunga" of great fame. And Koira said to this "tohunga"—"I have been insulted by Maru-ka of Te Maruiwi, yea—even struck by that man. Sir! It is not well that this tribe should remain here. Rather let them be driven from these lands, driven away towards the setting sun." [unclear: A] Rakei-ao, the man of knowledge agreed to this. He said, "Let [unclear: the] place be swept and made quite [unclear: c] This was done and then the [unclear: pn] said, "Now you must dig a bole, [unclear: e] a deep hole, that I may perform [unclear: these] in the necessary ceremonies and [unclear: a] cantations to enable me to drive [unclear: aw] the Maru-iwi to other lands. But [unclear: y] must be careful and not laugh at [unclear: any] thing I do or my work and [unclear: pray] will be in vain." So ended the [unclear: w] of Rakei ao, the "tohunga." [unclear: T] this priest—with his sacred [unclear: girdle] round him—descended into the [unclear: bed] which had been prepared. [unclear: He] not defend in the ordinary [unclear: man] as other men do, but went down [unclear: b] first and performed the necessary ceremonies in that position, [unclear: T] meaning of all this was—"a [unclear: driving] away, or expelling, of Maru-iwi [unclear: (M] whakateretere i a Maru-iwi.)

Even so were Koira and his people enabled to expel the Maru iwi [unclear: free] Waimana, their ancient home, [unclear: As] they fled, fled with a great fear [unclear: up] them, far away from their [unclear: well-k] homes of many generations, [unclear: av] to the region where the sun goes [unclear: do] So went forth the Maru-iwi, [unclear: pression] on wards througn the ancient lands Te Rarauhe-maemae and Te [unclear: Marang] ranga, of Te Po-kiki and Te [unclear: Poka] They left their tribal lands, they the hills and valleys, they left [unclear: tin] rivers and forests. As they [unclear: looks] back at the well-known [unclear: mountain] which encircled their former house they paused and greeted each [unclear: l] peak and deserted valley, the [unclear: forse] wherein so many generations of [unclear: these] tribe had hunted and fought, [unclear: the] sacred places wharein lay the [unclear: bo] of their dead. Far away across [unclear: the] White World was borne the [unclear: wail] of Maru iwi as they chanted a [unclear: song] of fare well to the Land of the [unclear: Ancie] People. For the Maori had come, [unclear: t] Maori of Hawaiki, of the Dark [unclear: Oce]

^* Another "pa" of Maru-iwi was Mohoaonui at Ruatoki. It was a large "pa" and the remains may still be seen at that place. Friend! So large was that "pa" that when a child was born at one end of the "pa," that child might grow to manhood and yet be quite unknown to the people living at the other end. Such were the works of old.

page 39 [unclear: Irained] to war and slaughter in the [unclear: crowded] Isles of Polynesia.

So fled the Maru-iwi with the battle [unclear: ery] of the Coming Race ringing in [unclear: thir] ears, with the fear of death upon [unclear: them]. By rugged mountains and lone-[unclear: ly] valleys, across swift rivers and [unclear: pathless] jungles, over wide plains and [unclear: amidst] the murmuring Children of [unclear: Tane]—the Maruiwi fled. They saw [unclear: in] each moving shrub an armed enemy, [unclear: they] heard the relentless foe in the [unclear: ghing] winds, in the my sterious [unclear: mies] of the Night. Strong men hur-ed forward to an unknown haven, [unclear: romen] carrying little children pressed [unclear: vearily] onward, the old and weak [unclear: led] by the way. Still the Maruiwi [unclear: ed]. They reached Titi-o-kura, and [unclear: the] black fear was still on them. For [unclear: the] savage may be hard upon their [unclear: pai] Who might know! The dread-[unclear: ful] foe who killed for killing's [unclear: ske,] who slew old and young of both sexes alike, who roasted and ate the bodies of the dead—a truly terrible foe. Thus Maruiwi hurried hurried on, in the darkness of night they clambered up the rug-[unclear: ged] mountains, they traversed the [unclear: workig] woods of the unknovn land. The foremost reached a deep chasm in the Range, a canon with perpen-[unclear: dicular] walls. Unknowing they step-[unclear: ped] into the abyss and met a fearful death—unknowing the others pressed [unclear: on] bad were in turn forced into the [unclear: gulch] by the pressure of those behind them. And therein that dirk and [unclear: ful] chasm lay strong men and fee-[unclear: ble] women, warriors and little child-[unclear: reu] crushed and lifeless. For the [unclear: eath] they dreaded from the rear had [unclear: met] them face to face in the mountains [unclear: M] the Ririo.

Those have come to be used as synyms for death. And the few survivors of Maruiwi fled onwards to Wairarapa and to the Land of the Pounamu, and their name is lost to the World of Life and no man may know their descendants.

Only this remains:—"Te Heke a Maruiwi ki te Po!

And Maru-a-Hangaroa of Kahu-huna married Rakei-to-and had Puhi-awe, who married Awatope and had Ira-wharo and Koira. And Koira had Kokowai who had Tuahine-[unclear: ru,] who had Hika-puapua, who married Te Uruhina and had Te Rangi-patai and Hine-oho. And Hine-oho had Tuahiwi, who had Te Mokena, who had Hamiora,^† who had Te Mate-kuare, who had Whare.