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.