TAMA'S POPORO STILTS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVI, Issue 23269, 11 February 1939, Page 8 (Supplement)

TAMA'S POPORO STILTS

J Dear Anno Shirley,—l am going to tell you the tegend of Tama's Poporo stilts. The story, which is very, very old, is about the stealing of poporo berries, which the old-timo Maori used for food. This shrub used to be grown in cultivations, near the whares. The plants could be trained to climb over the thatched roofs and, of courso, the young people, specially the boys, used to go for the berries as soon as thev were ripe. There wore also quite often tea-tree stake fences round the plots, so that it was really quite hard after all, to steal the poporo. This was whore the Maori boys found stilts handy for the old-timo Maori knew how to walk on stilts. Now, Tama-te-kapua, the famofts leader of the Arawa canoe, was supposed to be very good at walking on stilts when he was a boy, and used to lean over the fences to steal the poporo, and if he was chased, was able to run with great strides and hide in the bush Later, when he was a man, he was able to save his brother's life through this stilt walking. Tama's brother had been captured by the enemy, and tied high up near the rafters to the centre pole of the wharenui, while a fire burning on the ground at the base of the pole, was slowly blinding and smoking him to death. Down below the enemy chief and his warriors, stamped out haka after haka, and insult after insult before putting him to death. Presently Tama's brother heard a voice whisper to him, through the thatch, "What are they doing below?"

It was Tama on his stilts, leaning on the outside of the roof. When Tama's brother got over his surprise, he answered, "Haka;" Tama said, "Tell them j'ou can haka better than their chief can. Jeer at them " This Tama's brother did. Tama whispered again, "Ask them to give you a costume and patu so that you can show them how to do better." The brother did so. When his challenge was taken up, ho refused all costumes and asked for the chief's own. Tama whispered again, "When they take you down and you start to haka, clear the way, in front of {he door, by advancing and retreating, little by little, and I will wait outside of the door for you." The brother did the haka so well that every time he stopped the people in the big house called out, "More! More!" Then Tama's brother showed his cunning and wit. "It is too hot and too smoky, I cannot do my best in this heat, open the door! I will show you how to haka!" , , _ The doorway was opened, and with great yells, backwards and forwards retreating and advancing, closer and closer to the door he danced. Then, with one bound, he was through the open doorway. Tama outside astraddle the doorway on his stilts, quickly slammed the door shut, and I am sorry to say those two brothers in revenge set fire to the wharenui and burnt all within. When you next go to the model pa at Whakarewarewa you will notice _ a carved gatewav with a figure standing astride on stilts. This is supposed to represent Tama-te-Kapua, and the story I have just told you. —From Mark Tapsell (11).