A DIP INTO THE PAST

Gisborne Times, Volume LXV, Issue 10392, 9 May 1927, Page 11 (Supplement)

A DIP INTO THE PAST

HOW TOWN GOT ITS FIRST t> NAME.

A PRETTY LOVE STORY.

SUPERSTITIONS THAT LINGER.

(Specially written for the “Gisborne Times’’, by Joseph E. Dalton, of . Tolaga Bay.)

“Turanga nui a Iviwa”—by such was the present town of Gisborne known among the Polynesian Maoris when naming the many places'; in this newly-found country, Hawaiki taliutahu, later called Aotearoa. Tradition tells us that this place was sy called on x account of _ the old-time chief Kiwa injuring liis foot on a stake which was partly hidden in the sand at tlie mouth of the river which flows through our town. The old man at the time was chasing a certain damsel whom he wished to secure as a wife for his son, a custom which was often resorted to in the days when might was right, hence Turanga-nui-a-Kiwa—the great injury of Kiwa. To the eastward of the mouth of this river is the hill known as Titirangi, which was once a fortified pa, and the home of the famed Tahitokura. Whilst living there, a visitor arrived conveying the news of tlie surrounding districts, amongst which was the description of a certain woman who resided at a pa, Ohape, near Opotiki. So glowing was the :

visitor’s account of the exceeding beauty and loveliness of tlie woman that ’Tahito-kura decided to secure her as a wife for himself. Enquiring from his visitor, he learned that her name was Taopntaputa and that she resided at a settlement on the beach a few miles from Opotiki known as Opnpe.

The fame of this woman’s charms was chanted from one end of Te Ika a Maui to the other, from north to south and from west to east. Tahitokura became deeply impressed at the many glowing accounts of her beauty that reached him, so that life without her became a burden; he could neither eat nor sleep so great was the desire that constantly was consuming him. Knowing that his people were on bad terms with those of the maiden, he was unable to approach her, much as he longed to feast his eyes on her and satisfy liiiiiself as to tlie truth of the rumors.

What was to be done? He con ill not approach her, and anxiety was eating his life away. To whom could lie turn for assistance? To whom but to the toliunga of bis tribe? Taking liis courage in liis hands, he approached the sacred toliunga and solicited his assistance. After listening patiently to the love-sick supplicant, the toliunga expressed willingness to assist the forlorn lover. and instructed him to proceed to the beach and procure a. toitoi shell, and bring the same to him. On Tahito presenting the shell him, the tohunga proceeded to chant the “Atahu” rite over it, and endow it with the mystic power pertaining to that rite. The necessary formula having been recited over tho shell, lie commanded Tahito to take the shell to the bench and cast it into the sea. This he did, and returned to his pa to await, with what patience he possessed, .-the working of the mysterious “Atahu” rite.

The toitoi shell, on being consign- , ed to the deep, immediately com- I menced its long journey north, trav- ( elling over the uneven bed of the , ocean, patiently overcoming difficul- ; ties as they came its way, climbing over the Tapuwae rocks, where the imprint of the giant Rongokako’s footstep when making his giant stride from there to the rocks at the

entrance of. the Awatere river at Te Araroa are still pointed out to the credulous traveller/ But that is an-, other yarn. Still pressing northwards, overcoming the turbulent waters and rough seas of To Wana: a Kura Island, off the -Kauhiku and East Cape, the former place where that wellknown ancestor “Paikea” first saw and secured liis wife Haiiio when making her toilet by the bright reflecting waters of the small lake Te Waiwhakaata a Hamo. Her descendants still occupy that one-time ancient stronghold “Whangara,” but I 4m -wandering from iny., subject. On - ' ward went; our- shell: to Whangaparaoa, and so it entered the Bay of

Plenty and at last arrived at its destination, Opape. Now it so happened that Taoputaputa, accompanied by other Maori lasses, went to tho beach to collect shell fish and, whilst so doing, she picked up our toitoi shell. . Knowing it to be useless as food, she flung it from.- her, and continued to collect the edible specie, but our ..old friend the toitoi again presented itself to her, and so it went on until Taoputaputa lost all patience and thrust the persistent shell into her basket. Returning shoreward? for the purpose of drying and warming herself, she emptied her basket on the ground and -amongst her collection she perceived the troublesome toitoi. Taking it in her hand she cast it into the fire, exclaiming “A ua to kai he alii” (that is what you arc fit for, the fire). The fumes from the burning toitoi so overcame Taopntaputa that she left her companions and strolled away alone. As the spell of the ‘Atahu’ rite exercised its mystic power, love sprang lip in her heart —a love for some unknown person. Still under its influence, she continued to journey on, from day to day, over mountainous ranges and bush-clad hills, until the - mysterious power that possessed her led her to Titirangi, the home of Tahito-kura where she at once recognised tlie object of' bet* love, and was recognised by him. 'Like other tales everything turned out right and tlie descendants of Ta-hito-kura and still to be met with on the East Coast at the present time. - When writing of these old rites, my mind is taken back to the many

and peculiar superstitions so rife among the old-time Natives. Tlie Anaui a Bay Natives, for instance, possessed many of these superstitious beliefs. They were, fortunate in having on their beach one of the very few pipi beds in the East Cape district. They believed that if they turned facing the sea when collecting the pipi the fish would at once disappear and take to the open sea, leaving the collectors lamenting. This belief is still in force, as I myself have watched tlie Natives when gathering the shellfish being particularly careful not as much as to look towards the sea.

A somewhat similar belief still exists in connection with the small island at the south turn of the bay— Motuoroi. This island is a noted koura (crayfish) ground. The general belief is that, if anyone when diving for koura speak above a whisper, the guardian taniwha whose home is beneath the island will at once cause a heavy tide to arise and submerge tlie lower parts of -the island. On one occasion I witnessed a party ot young rollicking Natives who left the mainland for the island bent on procuring a supply of these _ fish. Whilst pulling over to the island they were laughing and playing jokes off on each other and getting at the top of their voices whilst enjoying themselves. But, as soon as they landed on the island, not a word was spoken or a voice heard. I awaited their return to the mainland and, after examining ’ their catch, I asked them why they wore so quiet, so directly opposite to their general bearing. They looked at me smiling and said “You know tlie old belief. “WATCH YOUR STEP.”

There may lie truth in it. Kouoi ko moliio. Who knows?” This was among the present-day youth. So the old superstitions have not entirely become a thing of the past, although fast disappearing. Let us take that old-time belief in the “Maine.” This was supposed to be a means of inflicting dire calamity, or even death, on any person who was unfortunate enough to allow liis enemy to procure earth from the place where his feet had trodden. The process was to watch the person whom it was desired to inflict injury

on, and to collect earth from the impression made by liis foot when walking. This was taken by an expert to tlie tuahu (sacred place) and used as an olionga (medicine) over which certain ritual would be recited, which would at once, have the desired effect and cause death or severe illness to the owner of the footprint from which the earth had been obtained., „ These beliefs were still in vogue (if •"they are not even nof) a very f ew ; years; ago, as T - wasi -inforniecl only .the other day by ■ a middle-aged woman .That; she,; when young, was always'" compelled by .her'elders when on a .journey to walk as. inueh.as possible in the sea or running wateyin 'case' any evilly-disposed person

might obtain some of tho soil which had been pressed by her feet when walking and use it as a mawe and so inflict injury on her. But why should wo smile and ridicule our neighbors’ beliefs as we do? Are we not even now in isolated villages and parts of England equally as, if not more, superstitious than our Native frienew? MAORI REGIME. PASSING AWAY Tho foregoing are only a few of the very..remarkable superstitious beliefs tiliat Faye come under my personal observation. To, enumerate the different omens and weird beliefs which I constantly met with among"my Native friends in the early days would of themselves be a stupendous undertaking even if one confined themselves to these alone without trespassing on those pertaining to the mysterious and dread tapu. The remembrance of those things came to my mind when travelling down the, Coast the 'other day. Allowing my eyes to wander from side to side, I recognised places.' which had been pointed 6ut to me as the scenes of tribal- and inter-tribal conflicts." Such is Waipiro, where the slaughter was so great that the beach for miles (so my informant assured me) was strewn with the brains of the slain. This. battle was called Rorchukatai, from' the fact that tho brains of the fallen strewed the beach like the froth of the sea ] after a storm. Then, later, again i the pa at Mawhai. I could fancy l seeing tlie brave women successfully defending their pa under the leadership of Mere Orilii Houkamau. Verily, things have changed since .1 first visited the Coast between 40 and 60 years ago. The bush with which the country was clad has disappeared. Townships have .sprung j up. Telegraphs and telephones link j what we looked upon in those days as j a Never Never Land, but arc now populated. The one-time many bushclad mountain ranges have become divested of their verdant clothing. Rye and cocksfoot grasses have taken possession and sheep and cattle occupy the country which was at one time the feeding ground of the kero- , ru. the kaka and tui. . I No more is to be seen tlie Maori | wharo and tlie Whare Runanga or carved meeting house lias almost disappeared, their places being taken by picture balls or stores. Milk lac- ; lories are dotted over the places j where once the children of the soil j feared to tread, lest tlie dread tapu.J might bo infringed—and, instead ol : the deep boom of the mataku (bit- j torn) is heard the discordant honk of ' tlie distance-eating motor car. And time rolls on and evolution takes place. A VAST ACHIEVEMENT.

To me who knew the district in its early days the achievements that have been attained . are simply . a matter of amazement. Where the old girth-deep muddy tracks led we used l laboriously endeavour to wend our way, fortunate if we reached the first stage of mir journey wet, tired and weary, both ourselves and our horse, with a repetition of a similar, if not worse, trip to be tackled on the morrow. Wc find now roads that will compare favorably with those in any other part of the Dominion. Now one can lie Hack and watch the miles roll by and tell to a few minutes when one will reach his destination, knowing that one can now do the journey from our capital to Wainpu and back between sunrise and sunset, whereas, in the olden times, it would take six days to accomplish the journey. Surely our Coast and our capital can congratulate itself—the Coast on its roads and bridges, and Gisborne, tne old-time one-street village, bridgeless and dependent on a coastal service. on its grand wide sticeuj, splendid bridges and public and private buildings—the fruits of pluck and determination on the part of painstaking determined men who have brought the old place formerly known as ‘ Turanga Nui a Kiwa” oil to an equal footine with other cities in God’s own country. One feels proud, osiy.-cialIv at this the tune of its festivities, to be able to count oneself among the residents of this district. “Kia ora a, kihipane.”