Maori Religion and Mythology Part 12

58 P. 75.

As they paddled away from Motu-tapu Kahu bid farewell to Tu-o-rotorua-"Abide there, my child, you and your father. Alas! that I have not seen your father."

"Go, sir, go," were the parting words of Tu. "Go to guard your ancestor; go to the Arawa."

Leaving their canoes at the Toanga they went on towards Maketu. On the way Kahu's grandchild became thirsty, and cried for water. Kahu had compa.s.sion for the child, and chanted a _karakia_, and when the _karakia_ was ended he stamped on the ground, and water came forth.

Hence that place was named Te Wai-takahi-a-kahu (the water of Kahu's stamping).

Kahu afterwards remained at Maketu, and died, and was buried there. When he died the _mana_ of Maketu went to his son Tawaki-moe-tahanga. When Tawaki died, the _mana-rahi_ of Maketu went to Uenuku, who also died at Maketu when an old man. Then his son Rangitihi abandoned Maketu, and went to Rotorua, and settled at Matapara with all his family.

When Kahu left Ihenga at Kaipara at the dwelling place of his elder brother Taramainuku, he thus bid him farewell-"Sir, be quick to return to your child, my grandchild, Tama-ihu-toroa. Do not delay." So Ihenga remained at Kaipara for a short time. Then travelling northwards he came to Ripiro. The food of that place was _toheroa_. Kupe placed it there for food for his daughter, Tai-tu-auru-o-te-marowhara. The great rolling waves on that coast have been named after her. So says the proverb, "_Tai-hau-auru i whakaturia e Kupe ki te Maro-whara._" Going on they arrived at a certain place where Ihenga ate all their _toheroa_ privately in the absence of his companions.

"Who has eat our food?" inquired his companions.

"How should I know?" said Ihenga.

"Why, there was no one but you. You alone remained here."

So they named the place Kai-hu-a-Ihenga. As they were travelling they came to a hill. No water could be found, and they were parched with thirst; so Ihenga repeated a _karakia_, and then stamping on the ground a spring of water flowed. Down flew pigeons in flocks to drink the water. So the place was named Waikereru (wood-pigeon water). Afterwards they came to a swamp and a small river. A tree had fallen across the stream by means of which they crossed. But the dog Potakatahiti was killed by the tree rolling on it. Then Ihenga repeated a _karakia_, saying to the tree-"O tree lying there, raise your head, raise your head."5? And the tree raised its head. Afterwards when he reached the higher ground Ihenga saw a tree standing by itself in the centre of the swamp. It was a _totara_ tree. Then by the power of his _karakia_ he made a path for his dog that it might go within the tree, and remain there for ever. And he said to the spirit of the dog, "If I cry '_moi, moi_,' you must answer 'au.' If I cry, '_o, o_,' you must answer 'o, o.'

If I say, 'Come, we two must go on,' you are to answer, 'Go, you, I cannot come.' If a party of travellers come this way hereafter, and rest on this hill, when you hear them speaking, you must speak to them. If the travellers say, 'Let us go,' you are to say 'Go.'?" So the spirit of the dog was left to dwell within that tree; and ever since it mocks living men of the generations after Ihenga, even to our time.

5? "_Te rakau e takoto nei, tungou, tungou_" are the _Maori_ words.

_Tungou_=??a?e??-a sign of dissent with the Greeks, but the common sign of a.s.sent with the _Maori_.

At length Ihenga reached Mataewaka at the Kawakawa, where his elder brother Warenga dwelt. He remained there one month, and when the new moon appeared he and his brother Warenga went to the lake Te Tiringa to fish. There _inanga_ were caught, some of which Ihenga preserved in a gourd filled with water, in order that he might carry them alive to Rotorua. He also caught some _koura_, or small cray fish, which he preserved alive in the same manner. This done, the brothers parted.

Ihenga travelled by way of Waiomio, giving names to places as he went.

Te Ruapekapeka was named from the thousands of bats found there in the hollows of the trees. Also Tapuae-haruru, from the noise made by his footsteps. The sons of his brother Warenga were his companions. They made known the names given by Ihenga. Maiao was one of these sons. The son of Maiao was Te Kapotai, who was an ancestor of Tamati Waka Nene.

The hill Motatau was so called from Ihenga talking to himself. Going on they came to a river where Ihenga saw his own image in the still water, so the river was named Te Wai-whakaata-a-Ihenga (Ihenga's looking-gla.s.s). They came to another river, and dug up some worms to throw into the water. The fish would not come to the bait. Then Ihenga threw into the water some of his _inanga_. Then he called the eels, but they did not come. He called the _inanga_, and they came. He called the worms, and they came. Then he called on Tangaroa, and Tangaroa sent the eels. The mode of calling was a _karakia_. Going on he ascended a mountain. There he called on Thunder. He commenced his _karakia_, and as soon as it was finished thunder was sent, and lightning struck the top of the mountain, which is still named What.i.tiri, or Thunder.

When they arrived at Whangarei they collected some muscles from a shoal, and roasted them on the fire, and that place is still called "Te Ahi-pupu-a-Ihenga" (Ihenga's muscle fire).

The chief of that place was Tahu-whakatiki, the eldest son of Hei. When the Arawa reached w.a.n.gaparoa Tahu and his younger brother Waitaha quarrelled. So Tahu and his family remained behind, while Waitaha and his father went on in the Arawa. Then Ihenga embarked in a canoe belonging to Te Whanau-a-Tahu. Two of the sons of Tahu-Te Whara and his younger brother Hikurangi-went with him in the canoe. They touched at Taranga,6 and sailing by Hauturu6 they reached Moehau.

6 The islands Hen and Chickens.

6 The Little Barrier island.

During one month Ihenga remained with his brother Huarere, and then went to Maketu. There he found his father-in-law, and his wife Hinetekakara, and his son Tama-ihu-toroa. So he remained a short time at Maketu, and then returned with his wife and son to Rotorua.

The _inanga_ which he had brought with him from the Kawakawa he placed in the stream Waitepuia at Maketu. Before going to Rotorua he again caught them, and carried them with him in a gourd of water, and placed them in the lake; but the _koura_ he placed in the water at Parawai.

CHAPTER VII.

Sunt autem privata nulla natura, sed aut vetere occupatione, ut qui quondam in vacua venerunt; aut victoria ut qui bello pot.i.ti sunt; aut lege, pactione, conditione, sorte.-Cicero de Off., Lib. _I_ , ch. vii.

If you were to make inquiry from a New Zealander as to his land-t.i.tle, it would be difficult to obtain from him reliable information as to any general rules of proceeding; for he would at once consider some particular case in which he was himself personally interested, and would give an answer corresponding with his interest therein. This may be due partly to the inapt.i.tude of the Maori to take an abstract view of anything, which has been already noticed6. But it is doubtless from this cause that persons having competent knowledge of their language have expressed different opinions on this subject, founded on information thus obtained.

6 P. 5.

There are three reliable sources, however, from which such information can be obtained.

1. From _Maori_ narratives, wherein matters relating to their land-t.i.tles are incidentally mentioned.

2. From Proverbs relating to the disposition of land among themselves.

3. From investigations of t.i.tles to land offered for sale, or when in dispute among themselves.

In the early days of the colony disputes about land were of frequent occurrence, and the Government was often appealed to by one or other of the disputants.

From the foregoing _Maori_ narrative6 we learn that, after the canoe Arawa reached this island, the crew did not form a united and compact settlement at one place, as might have been expected. The names of nine chiefs are recorded who dispersed themselves north and south of the place where the canoe was dragged on sh.o.r.e, each going off in search of lands for himself and his own family.

6 Vid. ch. v.

Of these chiefs three went to Taupo, two to w.a.n.ganui, one to Rotorua, one to Mercury Bay, and one to Cape Colville; at the same time leaving behind at Maketu some members of their families. In the third generation two divisions of the family who had been settled about Cape Colville migrated, the one to the Bay of Islands, and the other to Kaipara.

From the narrative above referred to it also appears that the lands thus taken possession of were considered as rightfully belonging to the first occupier and his descendants, and that names were forthwith given to a great many places within the boundaries claimed, these names being frequently such as would make them sacred to the family, from being derived from names of persons or things to which some family sacredness was attached.

MANA.

The chief of any family who discovered and took possession of any unoccupied land obtained what was called the _mana_ of the land. This word _mana_, in its ordinary use, signifies power, but in its application to land corresponds somewhat with the power of a Trustee.

Thus _mana_ gave a power to appropriate the land among his own tribe according to a well recognized rule which was considered _tika_ or straight. Such appropriation, however, once made, remained in force, and gave a good t.i.tle to the children and descendants of the person to whom it had been thus appropriated. The _mana_ of the acknowledged representative of the tribe had then only power over the lands remaining unappropriated, which power was more especially termed the _mana rahi_ or great _mana_-the _mana_ over appropriated land being with the head of the family in rightful possession. In course of time quarrels and wars arose between different tribes, so that tribes nearly allied to each other united for mutual defence and protection; and all the _Maori_ of New Zealand came to be divided, for this purpose, into a few large tribes, each representing generally the crew of one of the various canoes composing the migration from Hawaiki. These being frequently at war with each other, it came to pa.s.s that every man who did not belong to a particular tribe was considered in respect to it as a _tangata ke_ or stranger.

It has been affirmed by many on presumed good authority that no member of a tribe has an individual right in any portion of the land included within the boundaries of his tribe. Such, however, is not the case, for individuals do sometimes possess exclusive rights to land, though more generally members of families, more or less numerous, have rights in common to the exclusion of the rest of the tribe over those portions of land which have been appropriated to their ancestors. Their proverbs touching those who wrongfully remove boundary-marks show this, if other evidence were wanting.

The lands of a tribe, in respect to the t.i.tle by which they are held, may be conveniently distinguished under two comprehensive divisions.

1. Those portions which have been appropriated, from time to time, to individuals and families.

2. The tribal land remaining unappropriated.

Whenever land is appropriated formally by native usage, it descends in the family of its first owners according to well recognized rules, and the _mana_ of the representative of the tribe ceases to have any control over it. Their laws as to succession naturally tended to render the greater part of such lands the property of several of the same family as tenants in common; but an individual might and did frequently become a sole owner.

The tribal lands never specially appropriated belonged to all under the _mana_64 or trustees.h.i.+p of the tribal representative.

64 Latterly a practice has been adopted of handing over the _mana_ of their land to Matutaera, the Maori king, or to some influential chief in whom they have trust, the object being to protect it from clandestine sales, which have become frequent through the action of speculators in land. The agents who act for men of capital who enter into such speculations are always ready to offer an advance of money as a deposit on land, and when a _Maori_, especially a careless young man, visits our towns he is too often unable to resist the temptation of gold to be had for the mere signature of his name. When, however, such a transaction becomes known to the tribe it gives rise to much heart burning and trouble; but the thin end of the wedge being thus introduced ere long others follow the example, till at length a sort of forced consent is obtained to pa.s.s the land, to use the common phrase, through the Government Land Court. It is therefore not to be wondered at that this Court is not in good repute among them, more especially since they have discovered that a large share of the purchase money is swallowed up by costs for survey, costs of the Court, and lawyers' fees.

Long before our colonists came to New Zealand land was of great value in _Maori_ estimation, and was given and received as a suitable equivalent or compensation in certain cases.