MAORI MIGRATIONS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXII, Issue 19061, 4 July 1925, Page 1 (Supplement)

MAORI MIGRATIONS.

THE AOTEA CANOE.

BY HARE HONGI.

No. 111. Turi is claimed to have been tfio commander of this canoe, which is said to havo landed at the mouth of the Patea River. This happened nineteen or twenty generations ago as from Turi himself. What is of concern to this enquiry is_ the traditional fact that Turi was directly implicated in the murder of Hapo, the grandson of Nuku-Tawhiti, and we may now consider their own version of this affair, thus: For some misdemeanour Uenuku (Nuku-Tawhiti) caused the death of Potiki-roroa, a young relative of Turi. To avenge this, Turi waylaid and murdered Hawe-potiki, the son (grandson) of Uenuku. In consequence of this Turi and his people were obliged to fleo south. This they did in the Aotea canoe. Turi died at the south, and his elder son, Turangaimua, was slain in battle. No man> knows where either of them died, or where or whether either the father or the son was buried. By comparing this version with that given under the Tokomaru canoe, in regard to the murder of Hapo; it will be seen that they are quite presentably alike. As to the# speedy and terrible vengeance inflicted upon the offenders this version is discreetly silent. In view of this it is significant that Turi's people do not know, cannot say, where either Turi or his eldest son is buried. A reasonable explanation is that both fell in the north; at the hands of the avengers. The careful enquirer will compare these two versions with that given by the Arawa. The Matahourua Canoe. Of this canoc it is said that Kupe was the commander. At the outset it must be admitted that no acceptable human story or, genealogical line, either from this ancestor or his five mythical daughters, exists. In despite of this fact Kupo is claimed as an ancestor by many tribes, notably by the Ngapuhi of the north, and the Turi people of the south. The genealogies submitted, up to fifty generations, are, however, hopelessly imperfect and unacceptable. The one acceptable —so to put itlegend about him is that at Mata-horahia (volcanic glass spread abroad) Tapuwaetahi, ages ago, ho prepared a great festival. This was near Takou Bay, and just north of the Bay of Islands. The main " dish " of this feast consisted of great, savoury whales. When all was ready Kupe sent out invitations to his friend and associate Manaia. The messengers were directed to proceed to Hokianga. They are shown there to this day, great volcanic rocks, on the bank of the Omanaia tributary of the Hokianga River. One is named To Tou o Moko. (Ru-au- ' moko,' is a god of earthquakes). Now. this place, selected for Kupe's festival, has been a site of tremendous volcanic activity. There stupendous rocks are ranged in rows a half-mile long. " The rocks arranged by Kupe." Near by a huge gulch, or cavity, suggests that the rocks were blown out from it.

As to Kupe's mythic associate, Manaia. we already know a great deal about him and about his volcanic activities. According to this legend Manaia, his wife, his children and his dog, are to be seen, transformed into rocks, conspicuously displayed on a volcanic hi.ll at the mouth of Whangaxei River, near the heads. As then, Kupe is connected with Manaia, and with these abundant signs of volcanic agency, and furthermore, as we cannot make anything historical of him as a human entity, we will treat of him as being a volcanic hero, and see how that fits in with his memorials. A Volcanic Hero. There are many mementos of Kupe, shown in and about the Hokianga River, all being of volcanic rock nature. His mythic " ovens " were certainly, at one timo, ' thermal springs. Coming further south, and to Lake Waikare-moana, there are many evidences of great volcanic convulsions. With these the name of Kupe is intimately associated. Still further south, and near the Wairarapa Lake, on a low mountain range, are the forms of three mammoth canoes, inverted. Theso are known as " Tho Canoes of Kupe." Wellington Harbour, according to Maori myth, was formerly a volcanic crater. It was subsequently a fresh-water lake, shut off from the sea. This did not suit Kupe, so he bored through to the heads and made tho cutlet to the sea. Then, bidding farewell to two of his daughters, Mohuia and Wairaka, Kupe started off 'across. the straits. Ere he reached the South Island, r.nd near Tory Channel, he encountered a sea-monster. His daughters, from Pariwhero (Cape To Rawhiti), watched the combat. The water shot up in columns; there was a terrible commotion. When all was again still the daughters could not see Kupe. They then gashed their cheeks with sharp flints. Tho flowing blood left tho present visible red-rock seams. These two seams run down the cliff and into the sea. Finally, the two daughters came down the cliff, walked into the sea, and jyore immediately transformed into .'-.tones. They are there to-day, Mohuia and Wairaka, awaiting the return of their father, Kupe. Two other of Kupe's daughters aro represented by Somes Island and Ward Island, both in the Wellington Harbour. The mythic encounter of Kupe with a sea-monster near the Tory, Channel was undoubtedly a submarine volcanic outburst. Maori myth speaks of an active submarine volcano in Cook Strait. They have paddled over it when tho water was quito warm on the surface! On these mythic facts, then, wo are justified in regarding Kupe as a volcanic deity. What ? and speak of him as an ancestor ? Certainly, and why not ? This island-group, and those others of the cen-tral-Pacific, have been raised up from beneath tho ocean by volcanic agency. Theso island-groups have also raised and supported millions and millions of tho Maorian race of people. . Logically then the volcanic force is an ancestral source of tho Maori. A simple faith, is it not ? It is claimed that Kupo travelled backwards and forwards between Aotearoa and Hawaiki. And why not so'! In tho very same sense, as we have seen, a similar claim was made in regard to Manaia and Nga Toroirangi. For thousands of years theso submarine forces have made a practice of doing so. And to thoso who state and believe that Kupo was the first discoverer of these islands this concession may bo granted. Yes, Kupo was a first discoverer of theso islands; but it was as a volcanic force, as the assistant of Maui,