Other formats

    Adobe Portable Document Format file (digital text)   TEI XML file   ePub eBook file  

Connect

    mail icontwitter iconBlogspot iconrss icon

The Ancient History of the Maori, His Mythology and Traditions. Te Arawa [Vol. VII, English]

Chapter XVI

Chapter XVI

Descend, O rain! in misty spray,
And thou, O omen! tell me
What prediction thou canst make,
That I may know, e'en now,
A man is outside waiting me.
I will not go to meet that man.
All men are double-faced,
And secretly would tell of thoughts they never felt,
Which thoughts they would in open day deny.
But I will stay and wait,
And look for coming of Karewarewa
From o'er the distant range
Now seen at the Taukokako.
And I can spread my wings,
Nor doubt ye yet
My heart is torn with grief,
For I will cease to act,
And end with what I've done.

Nga-toro-i-rangi
(Nga-rauru)

Nga-toro-i-rangi came from Maketu, and ascended Mount Tau-whara; thence he went to the Sea [Lake] of Taupo, into which he cast his staff, which is still to be seen stuck up in the dark [blue] water of the lake – a great totara-tree. He sat down, and after a time he rose and shook his mat, from which came the fish inanga, that swarms in the lake; and after this he went on to Poutu, and there left the impression of his foot on the solid rock, where the marks of his five toes and heel are still to be seen to this day. Thence he climbed up to the top of Tonga-riro, where he was overcome by the frost and snow, and groaned with pain. His sisters in Hawa-iki heard the sound of his voice, and they started to help him. His tihe (mat) was made of the monoa – an azalea (monowai). The snow settled on it. He gave it a shake, and thence sprang up that shrub in that plain. (Another Nga-ti-hau account says that Nga-toro-i-rangi shook his old tihe over the Taupo Lake, and the fragments of it that fell into the water became the fish inanga, and thus were the inanga introduced into that lake.) His sisters left Hawa-iki and brought fire from thence for Nga-toro-i-rangi. One reason why page (38)they came was the curse which Manaia uttered against Nga-toro.

According to another account they came in the canoe Rewarewa. Another account says they sailed in the Huru-huru-manu. They landed at Whakaari Island, there they lighted their fire. Thence they went to the Ngati-whakaue(awhe). When they arrived at Kaingaroa [Plain] they sat down to eat. They took a long time to eat, and hence the name given to that plain, "The Long Eating." They went on and came to Tauwhara, where they lighted their fire. Then they went on to Toka-anu, and there also they made their fire. They next ascended Tonga-riro, and lighted a fire there as a remembrance of their brother and his sufferings from the snow. Afterwards they returned inland to Wai-kato, and there also they lighted their fire at Hi-papa-tua, and a little further off at Orakei-korako, then at Tihi-o-ruru, then at Roto-mahana, then they made their fire at Waka-rewarewa, and afterwards at Ohinemutu, and there terminated their setting of the earth on fire. They then went on to Maketu to see their brother Nga-toro. They saw him there, and told him of the curse of Manaia, that he, Nga-toro, should be cooked with the stones of Wai-korora-riki. When Nga-toro heard of the curse he dug up a totara-tree, which was made into a canoe.This canoe they called Totara-karia, and this was the canoe which carried them to Hawa-iki. It was merely a tree, with its roots and branches, amongst which his followers, seventy twice told in number, were perched. The cause of the war was the curse of Manaia. They left these Islands and sailed away for Hawa-iki. They got there and landed in the night, and went to the sacred enclosure of Manaia and laid themselves down on the tuahus of the marae. Then Nga-toro said to his own people, "Strike your own noses so that the blood may flow, and smear the blood over your faces that you may appear to be slain." And from this their act of striking their noses came the name of this battle, Te-ihu-motokia (the Battle of the Bloody Noses). This was done to deceive Manaia and make him believe that they were killed that night by the power of the karakias of Manaia and his gods. Afterwards, when Manaia came with his host and looked on these pretended-slain enemies, suddenly Nga-toro jumped up with his men and fell upon the host of Manaia and destroyed his tribe. About two thousand men were killed by the seventy twice told of Nga-toro, but Manaia escaped. Thus they were slain, and Nga-toro and his people embarked and returned to their home in these islands of Ao-tea-roa; but they were soon followed by the thousands which Manaia had collected of the people in Hawa-iki, who formed an immense army.

Nga-toro and his wife were alone in their house in their place at Maketu when the host of Manaia arrived. His sister's child saw the host of Manaia coming in their canoes, and ran and told his relative. Nga-toro went out, and, behold! the face of the sea was covered by the fleet of canoes of Manaia. Nga-toro cried out to Manaia and said, "Keep out some distance from the shore. Push off from the shore outside of Taia, and anchor there for the night, and we will fight when the day dawns." Manaia did as he was requested, and Nga-toro-i-rangi went into his house and at once began to perform the rites and ceremonies and chant the incantations to his gods to induce them to produce a storm. At the same time his wife performed all the rites and ceremonies to propitiate the gods of the Ruwahine (female gods) for the same object. A storm arose that night and wrecked all the canoes of Manaia, and all his host were drowned, not one escaping; and at dawn of day Nga-toro-i-rangi and the people rose and went forth, and saw the wrecks of the canoes strewn on the beach, and only the finger-nails of the warriors were left to tell of the death of so many men. This was the end of all the war-party of Manaia, and this last defeat was called "The White Finger-nails."

Another reading of the Death of Manaia
(Nga-ti-hau)

The multitude of Manaia agreed to the word of Nga-toro, and pushed off outside of the harbour and there anchored. There were an immense number of canoes and an immense number of anchors. Nga-toro returned to his house, and his wife tied her ku (rope) to the side of the house and pulled and pulled, drawing together all the winds of the entire family of Tai-a-pawa to the sea. Then the winds all rushed and stormed upon the ocean, causing a fearful tempest to rise, and the entire fleet of Manaia were destroyed. Not a single man of the host of Manaia escaped, but all perished. The day dawned, and Nga-toro beheld the shore strewn with the wreck of the many canoes of Manaia, and with the bodies of all his enemies. Then Nga-toro uttered this proverb for Manaia: "You said I should be cooked with the stones of Wai-korora-riki (the water of the little penguin), but instead of that, you shall be cooked with the stones of Maikuku-tea (white nails of the hands or feet).

Nga-toro-i-rangi me ana tuahine
(Nga-ti-hau)

Nga-toro-i-rangi came from Maketu, and went on up the Tau-whara (beloved accidentally hit), and threw, like a dart, his staff into the Taupo Lake. The staff was totara wood. Then he went to Po-utu (dip up water at night), where his foot became tied [entangled]. Then he went on and climbed up the Tonga-riro (gone south) Mountain, where he was overcome by snow, and he moaned, and was heard by his sisters, who were at Hawa-iki. These sisters came from Hawa-iki to these islands of New Zealand, and the reason they came from that land to these islands was the curse of Manaia against their brother Nga-toro-i-rangi. Some say that they came across from Hawa-iki in the canoe called Rewarewa (Knightia excelsa), but others say they came over in the Huruhuru-o-te-manu (feathers of the bird), and landed at the Whaka-ari (show itself) Island, where they lit a fire. Thence they went to Nga-ti-awhe-awhe (set to work). Thence they went on to Kainga-roa (long eating). The reason this plain was called long eating was on account of their taking so long to eat at that place. When they two had arrived at Tau-whara (loved one accidentally struck or hit) they lit a fire, and at Toka-anu they lit a fire, and they climbed up on to the Mountain Tonga-riro (gone south). They lit a fire there in remembrance of the pain suffered by their brother from the snow. They then came back by way of the Wai-kato [River], where they also lit a fire, at Hi-papa-tua (raise the totara-bark bowl up), soon after which they went to O-rakei-korako (pride of the albino), and then on to the Tihi-o-ruru (the peak of the hill of the owl), to Roto-mahana (warm lake), soon after which they lit a fire at Waka-rewarewa (canoe of the Knightia excelsa), soon after which they lit a fire at O-hine-mutu (the last maiden), at which place these women ceased to make signs on the land, and they went on to Maketu to see Nga-toro-i-rangi (stretch out the hand to heaven), to whom they related the curse which Manaia had uttered against him. A totara-tree was dug so that it might fall, and this was the canoe in which a war-party embarked to seek revenge for the curse uttered. They page (39)landed [at Hawa-iki] in the night, and this war-party went and lay on the courtyard of the altar [of Manaia]. Nga-toro-i-rangi said to his war-party, "Beat your noses with your fists," and hence the name of the battle that ensued, which was, "Nose that was beaten with the Fist." Manaia believed that his incantations and ceremonies had had effect, and that his gods had brought these corpses in answer to his performing ceremonies and chanting incantations at his altar, and that his gods had brought these corpses and laid them near his altar, and he was glad; and all his people came to take some action on the people of Nga-toro-i-rangi, who were lying as if dead near the altar of Manaia. But these supposed corpses arose and killed the people of Manaia, but Manaia escaped from the slaughter. Nga-toro-i-rangi and his people came back to Maketu, and were followed by the thousands of Manaia, who found the old man Nga-toro-i-rangi, and his wife, in their house at Maketu. When the child of the sister of Nga-toro-i-rangi saw the army of Manaia sailing on the sea he ran to Nga-toro-i-rangi and told him, and Nga-toro-i-rangi came out of his house and saw that the sea was covered by the canoes of the war-party of Manaia, and Nga-toro-i-rangi in a loud voice called to Manaia and said, "Take your war-party outside a little and there lay at anchor, and we can wait till dawn of day, and then fight." The war-party did as they were told, and Nga-toro-i-rangi went into his house, and his wife tied a rope to the side of the house, and she pulled the winds, and also sent the seafaring offspring of Pawa, on to the ocean; and the ocean was roused into foam, and the war-party of Manaia were annihilated by the fury of the sea, so that not one escaped; and at dawn of day Nga-toro-i-rangi saw their corpses strewn on the sand of the sea-shore, and he repeated a saying which has become a proverb – "You said I was to be cooked with the stones of Wai-korora-riki (water of the little penguin), but you will be cooked with the stones of Maketu."