A Bird Snaring Story

Gisborne Times, Volume LXV, Issue 10392, 9 May 1927, Page 7 (Supplement)

A Bird Snaring Story

‘■METROPOLIS OF THE PIGEON.” (By the Rev. G. H. Davies in the Polynesian Journal.) In olden'days there lived an ancestor of ours. His name was Pukoroauahi and his sistelN name was Ao-ki-te-kapua. They rived on Pentium No. 3. They employed their time in spearing and catching birds—that was when he was young. His sister was the wjfe oi To umumuhanga and tills man speared birds for them. As time went on Te Umumuhanga. began to entertain evil feelings towards Pukoroauahi. When the birds were cooked he and liis wife would eat the fleshy parts and then give the bones to Pukoroauahi. Pie also used to order Pukoroauahi to sit on the pile of firewood, where ho was often troubled with the smoke from the fire. -

As his sister, however, had a great love for her young brother, she used to smuggle in a bird for him amongst the bones and sometimes she would hide a bird amongst the coverings of the Alaori oven. When this boy grew to manhood he began to go into the bush, as hoys often do. As he wandered along, he came to a stream where the birds came down and drank. He noticed that the stones in the river were like tbe berries oi the miro both in regard to size and color (red). Pic also noticed that the birds as they flew clown ate (swallowed) these stones and at the same time drank the water. The hoy aec-or-aingly went homo and told his sister what he had seen nncl asked her to assist him in-mak-i'ng snares from the leaves of the cabbage tree. Now his brother-in-law i was at the time away m the bush | spearing birds by means of climbing up into the trees with a spear. The brother and sister accordingly proceeded with their •preparations and on a certain day the brother went to set the snares and, as he went along settin°- them, he noticed the birds being caught in them one after another and this si "lit gladdened his heart. He didn’t °stav to do anything, with them, but went straight 'home and told his sister of his success and further requested her to make a. number of baskets, which she quickly proceeded to do. When they were done they both went to Ins stieam, whither the sister beheld a sight that gladdened her heart. Ns they were putting'into the baskets the birds they had caught others were getting caught'in the' snares. To Umumuhanga, when lie returned to find what had been caught by the bov, was filled with shame*by the sight and straight away he went and haWl himself (whakamomari or suicide? formerly very common and due to shame). As for the. boy, lie went ■on with his bird catching, at the stream to which be gave the name of ' Maru tuturi. The small stones m the stream have been exhausted m generations past, leaving only the large ones as they were too large for the lurds (pigeons) to swallow. - The pigeons ■■ however, still drink one water and the people of that district go on snaring them, as they are still numerous there. There are towns ot birds in these localities; in fact it is the great metropolis ofwthe pigeon, vi" Pouturu. Pna- te Roku, Toatoa, NVaere, ' Te Wbakonu, Pluiarua.