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The Ancient History of the Maori, His Mythology and Traditions. Awatea, Taranaki, Nga-Ti-Hau Nga-Ti-Rua-Nui [Vol. VIII, English]

Chapter 12

page (134)

Chapter 12

There is the moon
Swimming in the heaven
While I below am here
Drowned in anxious plans,
And all to end in nought
T'was my own fault
That I abstained to go
And join in company
Led by the Hokinga
And clasp in one embrace
The noble born of south.
O had his canoe prow
But passed by here
To take me far away
To flooded stream of love
Of Manaia the great.
But o of lowly birth
I am, like small canoe
Now wrecked, and upturned
On the distant range
Of Pirongia hills

page (135)

Turi
(Nga-ti-hau)

Turi committed acts of cannibalism on those of the other side (Hawa-iki) and he migrated here, and as his wife in the evening heard (of a plan to kill him) he said to her "Go and obtain something by which we shall escape (death)" and she obtained the canoe Ao-tea (fair cloud) and he came away over the sea, he and his family, and on the sea he met Kupe (obstinate) and Kupe said to him "Welcome, come now go, and when you have arrived at the water (spring, which is on the land) which has a westerly aspect, and look for the post which stands on each side of the spring, that is where you must take up your abode". Turi called to Kupe and said "O Kupe, welcome, come let us two go back (to that place)" Kupe answered and said "Kupe return?"

Two canoes sailed away, that of Po-toru (three nights) and that of Turi, and Po-toru was lost and Maru (power) was thrown into the water, and Maru boasted and he sat on his medium Ta-po.

Turi landed and they stayed at Pa-tea (fair fort) and he killed the original inhabitants of that place.

Turi and his wife Rongorongo (news heard) had a child there who was called Tu-rongo-i-mua (news of the front) and his sister called Tane-roa (long male).

At Patea the remains of the totara posts of Turi's House are still visible, the boundary stones of his kumara grounds are still remaining and the spring he used to drink from.

(Bottom of Page 135)(Vol VIII)

page (B7.P69) (136))

Kupe
(Ngati-hau)

  • Maui (weak) was the first who fished up the land and
  • Tahu-a-rangi (spouse of heaven) was the name of his canoe
  • Tonga-nui (great scale) was the name of his hook
  • Kupe (obstinate) was the first who travelled over these Islands

Mata-o-rua (face of two) was the name of his canoe, it was he who divided this land into Islands and hills and mountains as in the song says "Tu ke kapiti tau ke mana" (Kapiti stands apart, and Mana stands separate) after he had been here he returned to Hawa-iki and informed Turi (deaf) that there was a fine country at Pa-tea (fair fort) on the south end of the north Island on the west coast, where Turi at his recommendation came to reside.

Turi's father in law Toto (drag) made a canoe in a small river called Tau-toru (three years). When finished he gave it to Turi who made a sail for it which they called Mata-o-rua (face sunk into (a ……….) they then went on a voyage to an Island called Witi-marama (moon shine) where they landed and had a quarrel with a chief called Po-toru (three nights), Potoru told Turi to "Steer to the setting sun when he went away from Witi-marama" but Turi said "No, I will go towards the rising sun." Turi came on towards the rising sun and left Po-toru behind, Po-toru steered his own course and was lost at Te-au-o-rau-Kawa (the current of Rau-Kawa). Turi came on in his canoe till he heard Maia (brave) making an indecent sound, disgusted with his bad manners he threw Maia over board into the sea when the god Maru (screen) appeared on the top of Maia and made a noise in the water and said "If you leave me in the water we shall all be lost, but if you take me on board again we shall both arrive at Nuku-tauira (distant disciple) (New Zealand) they took him on board again and came on and landed at Kawa-tau (expectation) on the east coast and travelled over land for Aotea Ao-tea (fair sky) page (B7.P73)(137))where Turi left his canoe and called the place Ao-tea (white cloud) after his canoe, he built a House there and called it Rangi-hunga-kau (day of a company only) and there he planted the Karaka (corynocarpus laevigata) berry and the Kumara (ipomoea batatas) he went on and at Pa-tea (fair fort) he built a House called Rangi-tawi (day of food) and planted his maara kumara (ipomoea batatas plot) which he called Matangi-rei (wind of the noble) here he stayed till he had a quarrel with Rau-manu (school of fish in the sea) (at a place beyond the mission station at Pa-tea) and Rau-mau with the original people of the kainga called Rau manu left this country and migrated to some other land or Island, leaving Turi and his people in possession of the country on the west coast, Turi soon made war against the other original inhabitants of these Islands in every place he visited in his rambling over these Islands to spy out the land.

When the time of old age arrived on Turi he died at Te-ahu (the altar) a Turanga (standing) beyond Te-manawa-tu (startled heart).

page (138)

Turi
(Nga-ti-hau)

Turi (deaf) landed at Whanga-paraoa (Harbour of the whale) near Auckland and went by the North Cape to Ao-tea (fair day) and thence to Pa-tea, on arriving there he took up some of the earth and smelt it and pronounced it to be very rich soil. At Pa-tea he saw the post set up there by Kupe (obstinate).

page (138)(148)

Turi
(Nga-ti-hau)

Turi (deaf) found the Pa-tea (fair fort) district occupied by a white race of people who were called "Korako" (albino) the males of whom he killed and took the women and girls as members of his tribe and as wives for his men.

(127A to follow this)