MAORI NOMENCLATURE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 14646, 5 October 1909, Page 10

MAORI NOMENCLATURE

EARLY HISTORY OF OTACO. By W. H. S. Robeuts. XVIII.-WKST MUItIHTKU. Gold was discovered at Pahi in the beginning of 1366. The Maori pa of Pahi (a company of persons travelling together) tvas near the mouth of Ihe Waiatl River. In ancient times Ihe Maoris had a track from Milford Haven l.i the Waiaii, which I hey descended in a iuo»ilii lo its mouth. In ease of (here being more water in ihe river limn usual great care was necessary to prevent the strong current from carrying the mokilii out to sea, which has occasionally happened, I lie passengers lieing drowned. Pahi is now a farming district Vftwcen Riverlon and Orepuke. Formerly ■t ws.s all n-.iivn foifctf, which has now disappeared before the woodman's axe and his destructive improvements! ])r Monckton's beautiful homestead was on lln's blockbefore the Governu cut, threw it open for oiittlemcnt. Along the sea coasl, facing Iho Pahi settlement, .was at one time the famous Maori pa of Ruii-liinc, a favourite landing place for whalers; and, being also a linking depot, ihe importance attributed to it. can easily bo recognised. The Old Man Rock is called by Iho Maoris Uiiiihine, meaning an old woman. It is a tall pillar of stone, looking like an old person with bent back. The stream (hat runs into the tea alongside the rock is 0-Ku:a, or Okm (of till: old woman). Ret ween there and Pahia Point, is Paua (sea ear shellfish) Point, and the Ruru-kou-kou-Stream (the more-pork owl) runs into the sea just east of it A stream flowing into To Wuewin- Ray from the north is Wai-koau (pied shag "water). A place near its south.western' head is Marora, or probably Maroro (stroii" or destroyed). The south-weslcrn head of To Waewac Ray is Sand Hill Point, where in former days (here was a very large Maori pa, which is all overgrown, though traces of several umu wore still to bo seen in 1901. A great tribal battle was fought Ihere, in which the local Maoris were nearly exterminated. The Maori mime of jh' B point and pa was Te Hakn-pu-rcirci (the dance oil a sunken rock). West of the point was Wai-dra-hcro (water where the slave was tied up). The Hump Hill (5500 ft high), north-west of Te Wacwiic Ray, is 0-kaka (the parrot's pluco, or Iho place where ho was intoxicated with tutu juice). Southwest'of Lake- Ilim-roto is Luke Potorileri, or Pou-tcriten (post on which offerings are hung)—a long, narrow lake only 120 ft above sea level. It should be spelt Po-toro-tere, meaning dripping wet, or to flow during tlio night. Its outlet, jnly seven miles long, with a fall of 96ft, is the River Wai-t-utu (tutu wator), as,lhe Coriaria ruscifolia grew so abundantly along its banks. Its western point is only about 10 miles from Long Sound. There is a small lake named Kakapo (the night parrot, stringops) on the river, which runs ink. Lake Poterctere from the north. There is another small lake south-wcsl, of Mount Aitken, about two miles inland, mimed Haka-poiia (a dance or song, an old person, or to build up old ago). The Big River, eight miles west of Waitutu, called Patu-po (to kill bv night), runs through Lake Haka-potiii. Roth hike and river are tidal. The whalers sometimes gave Big -River the name of Windsor Biver. These five lakes, collectively referred to as thu western lakes, were formerly the resort of a hapu of the NgatiMamoe tribe of Maoris, ami the refuge of some of them when driven inlo the forest. by tltoir conquerors, the- Ngai-Tiiliu. " About 1827 Te Rinm rapa, whit on his way. from' Korako lo plunder a sealing station, discovered i- woman, who called herself Tu ai tolCura. Finding that she was a Ngatimamoc, ho cruelly killed her, and devoured her on the spot. About six years afterwards Te Waewae surprised two men while he was out 00l spearing near Apariiua, but they escaped before he. could catch them." (Stack; Trans. N.Z.1., X.) Other cuses could ho quoted to show how the unfortunate Ngati Mamoe were persecuted. Princess Mountains were ParaKioro (rnls' excrement). A. little west of Patupo are the Green Islets, which are small and covered with hush and perforated with eaves. There is a good boat harbour, sheltered by Aka-poua (an old person's climbing plaint or shell) Point. The first stream west of the point is the Grace River, the next Kiwi (Aptoryx bird) Burn. The sealers called the kiwi bird the New Zealand emu. Windsor Point was Tanraka. (a place of anchorage), or To-raki (up lo the eky). Puysogur Point, tho southwest extreme of tile Middle Island, was Ta-whitnvhiti-voro (a. distant snare). On Ibis point .there is a lighthouse with a white tower 40ft high, showing a white flashing light every 10 seconds, l'uysegur is an ugly word, said to have been given to the point after a member of the Acheron expedition, which was engaged in surveying the coast in 1816. Puy is pronounced Ptti. or Pwoe, or Pen, and means a hill or peak; sogur may be a corrupt ion of sejour, stay, abode. Puy 'is the iiumo generally given in the high lands of Auvcre.no (France) to the truncated- conical peaks of extinct volcanoes. It is perhaps connected with unit or piiits ("a well" or "vent"). Kis'bee Bay was Oua-ntii, or more probably Ouenui. Oue was a narrow-leaved variety of New Zealand flax, plentiful in ihe district, and nui means larjre. From Wai-tntu lo Pa-tupo is about six miies iiloiik the beach. The land extends back a breadih of two or three .miles on a comparatively level scale, mostly growing' birch (beech) trees. The. foreshore from Wairau-iariki, a distance of about 19 miles, has a general altitude of 100 ft. '

I'm the Otago Witness, March 2, 1861, Ocorge Green, who puiehascd land In a great extent in the forties from Hie Maoris, advertised a " caution to the public not. to purchase or squat upon land claimed by, liiin—viz., 2COO acres on Centre Island, 20,000 acres in Stewart Island, 20,000 acres Kowokka-pittipil, 109 acres at Bluh", and 1.024,000 acres West Coast, Wanker-peti, Mistaken Bay." lie was not greedy, but liked a lot! Kownkka-piltipit iniisl' liuve been Koraku-putiputa. Mistaken Bay is the next, bay south of Milford Sound. Perhaps Wauker-pcti should he Whauga-|/eti, meaning "a bay concluded," or exhausted. PHESEKVATIOX INLET. Preservation Inlet, or perhaps more particularly Cuttle Cove, was called Kaki-Mimn, which has a meaning that cannot refer to the sound— "threatened to bo dried up." Ctitlle Cove i.s the name given to a branch of Preservation by Captain Cook in consequence of the number of oclopi seen there. A pa at Cuttle Cove was built by a powerful Ngai Talm chief named Te Whara, when in pursuit of the halfdestroyed Xgati-Mamoe. Whara is tho name of a llax mat of peculiar workmanship, on which only a chief wn.i allowed to sit. It. was only used as a carpet or us u sail for a war canoe. The pa was named after the chief, and the beach still retains the name. Captain Peter Williams started a shore whaling" station at Kski-luma in 1828, the earliest station on the coast. In 162 D he employed tlnee boat", in 1830 four bouts, obtaining lcspoctivelv 120 and 143 -tuns of oil. A tun is 252 gallons. The oil was all shipped to Sydney in casks, the vessel bringing clothes, provisions, and other necessary articles from Sydney. Williams purchased a. vast extent of 'land in and around Preservation Inlet from Tnpukii (the chief of tlio Maoris), with whom he lived on the mast friendly terms, some of them working in the boats, foi which they were admirably fitted. Airs W. Cameron, of Centre Island, says that either Coal Island or the ontraircp to Preservation Inlet was Potiritiri, which means '• pointed peaks or posts." Ami that Gate's Sound was Te Wakoaii-inti-raki, meaning "the slumps propping up the heavens." Capo Providence was Kora-riki (red whales' food or prawns). Halswell, in his 1841 map, marks Capo Provident as Are-toka (a rock or stone in a clear place). It may be the name of a place close to the cape. Other authorities give, Coal Island as Puka-here-ka, so I presume that Po-tiritiri is the channel. Preservation Inlet, or Hakituma, is in 46.8 south latitude and 166.30 east longitude. "Steepto Island, in Preservation, is composed of blue-clay slate tind silicious slates. It is the place where the Maoris generally camp when they visit the inlet with their boats, as there are several fine caves in the slate rocks which afford comforlable shelter. Many of these caves are of considerable size, and hove ovid-mtlv been formed by the erosion of the waves," which dash in with great force during south-west gales. A\S Uie 'entrance to them is in places elevated from 10ft to 20ft above tide mark, they would seem to indicate that the land is on the rise."—(James Hector, 1863.) Te-ouo-roa (tho long sajid) is a beach about three, miles from the heads on the eastern shorn of Preservation. ''At One-roa a batUe was fought between the. Ngai Talm arid Ngati Mamoe warriors, and, thou"h one of tho formers principal chiefs—Tarawuai, or Tarewai, a very big, powerful man --was killed, the over-unfortunate XsratiManioe were nearly all slain. MalaiMra (flosh marks on the right-hand side) Island was the site of the last, fortified village of tho Ngati Mamoj tribo. It was captured by the Ngai Talm and Ngatf-kuri in the lattor half of l\u eighteenth century-."— (Tourist W. Otago). Chalkv Island, in Preservation Inlet, was. in 1829, given the J nam© of " Chokey Island " (gaol), as it was nsfld by the early whalers to imprison the I men. when they got drunk or disobeyed

order;, or did anything thai, deserved punishment; the defaulter was marooned till sober or repentant. Captain Cook did not see Preservation Inlet on his first vovagc. In 1899 there was u "old clivers' township at the end of Tc-nuc.-roa, at the foot of iofty mountains. Chalky or Dark Clone] Inlet was Tai-ari (to smash). Ifalswell miipjioil it. as Tolti (an axe, or to he nipped with wild). Chalky Isliind, at the onl'ianco of Chalky Inlet, wan Te llaninga-ota-Kahii-o-Tumnlca. hut 11;,| 5 v,..|l has it Kaua-tcre Tomatora. Mrs W. Cameron says the name is Te horeka ote Kahu o Tamatea, i.u-.inii.g " ||,« hanging up of Tamareu's idol lies"; but she says it is Ihe name of Dusky Soiind, in which she is evidently mistaken. Passage island is Te Kukahn o Tit-muter (ihe mat garment of Tamatea). Tamatea. the first was Ihe lifth in descent from Raligi (the sky). The fire of Tama lea is reported to have destroyed all the nma birds. The " lire " is probably a survival of some legendary recollection of a catastrophe ,)[ eruption or conflagration in anollier and earlier place of residence oilier than New Zpaland.—fiYegcar.l During his three. voyage,'- Captain Cook named several places along I.lii«= part of the coast—as West Cape, Pick-.-rsgill llaihuur ami Island (after in* lieutenant), Ite-olutinu Island, Doubtful Harbour, Wei deckel Arm, Five. Fingers' Point, Cascade Point, etc. The. range of lulls west of Edwardson's Sound, the northern aim of Chalky Inlet, was Kakapo (the night parrot). Kdward.sn.-i'.s Pound was named afie.r • Captain W J,. Kdwardson. who yisiled the west const of New '/calami in ihe Go.-ornniont aloop Snapper in 1822 to collect (lax (Phoiv.iium tennx) for the New South Wales Oo\erimienl. A small boat harbour immediately north of West Cape is Rewa (lo float).

DUSKY SOUND. Captain Cook dtcoveied Dusky Bay on March 15, 1770. '•The day was very hazy, Imi about t: o'clock it, rl:„-ed up, and the land ai.pcai-.--il io be high, rude, and mountainous. 1 hauh'd in for a bay in which there ap|.-e.;,vd to be good anchorage; but, in about an hour, linding the distance too great lo run before it would be dark, and lh.t wind Blowing too haul lo make, iho attempt safe in tho night, I bore away along the shore northward. This bay, which I called Dusky llay, lies in latitude 45.47 S. Jt is between three and four miles broad at the .entrance, and seems to ho fully us deep as it is broad. It contains several islands, behind which there must lie shelter from ~11 winds. The north point of this bay, when it bears S.E. by S., is rendered very remarkable by live high peaked rocks, which lie oil' it, and have die appearance of the four fingers and thumb of a man's hand, for which reason 1 called it Point Five Fingers. Tho land of this point is the. only level land within a considerable distance. It extends near two leagues lo the northward, is loftv, and covered with wood, the land behind consisting wholly of mountains, totally barren and rneky."-(Cook's Vnvioje, 1770.) On March ,':5, 1773, (.'upturn Cook again approached the West Coast, the weather being (hick, he nearly sailed into Chalky Inlet instead of Dusky. "This bay lie's on the S.R side of.Capo West, and may be known by a. white dill on one of the-'isles which lies in the entrance to the bay. AI 5 o'clock on iho morning of Friday, tho 26tb, we bore up for Iho land, and entered Dusky Bay about noon. At the entrance of it v,e found 44 falhoms water on a sandy bottom, it greal swell rolling' in' from (he S.W. Afterwards wo had no ground with 60 fnlbonis. After running tiboul two leagues up the bay. and passing several islands which lay in il, I brought 10, and hoisted out two boats, one of -which 1 sent away with an offL'er ruiind a point on the larboard hand to look for an anchorage. This he found. \V'.» thou followed with the ship', (Resolution), and anchored in 50 falhoms, so near the. shore, as to reach it with a hawser. My first care was to send a boat and' people iishing. Some of the gentlemen killed a seal out of many that were upon a rock, which nmde us a fresh meal. As I did notlike the place we had anchored in, 1 sent Lieutenant Pickersgill over to the S.E. side of the bay to search for a better. Upon his return he reported that he had found a good harbour with every convenience. On Ihe 27, at 9 o'clock in'lhe mornwe got under sail with a light breeze at, S.W., and, working over lo Pickersgill Harbour, entered it by. a channel scarcely twice Ihe widih.of the ship; and, in a small creek, mnnrod bead and stern so near the shore at 1,, roach it with a stage, which Nairn-,. !:;:<! in „. manner prepared for us in a larg • Iron, whoso lop reached our gunwale. \\ uu d for fewel and other purposes was hero so convenient that our yards wen- locked in the, branches of the trees; and about 100 yds fioni our stern was a line, stream of fresh water. We began to clear places in the woods, in order to set up the astronomer's observatory, the forgo to ropa.ir our ironwork, teiils 'for the sailmaker* and coopers to repair the sails and ciuto in, to land our empty casks to lill with water, and In cut down wood for Jewel. We also brewed beer from the branches and leaves of a tree, which much resembled (he American . black spruce, which, with Ihe addition of inspissated juice of wort and molasses, made a very wholesome beer, and supplied tho want of vegetables, which this place did not afford. I On the 28th some of the officers went up the bay in it .small boat on a shooting I'arty, but. discovering inhahitanls, they returned before noon to aoptaint me therewith. They hurl h„ ( j l|cf „ot aboard when, a canoe appeared oil a point, and came within niuskei shot of the ship. There were in it -«veu or eight people. They remained lokoing at us for some time, anil then returned. All the signs of friendship we could make did not prevail on them to come nearer. After dinner I took Iwo boats and went in search of them in the cove where they were first seen. We found a canoe hauled upon the shore near lo two siniili hul<, where were several lireplaces, some iishing nets, a few fish lying on the shore and some in the canoe;"but we saw mi people. After a short slay, and leaving in the canoe some medals, lookingglassei. l)ea.ls % etc.. we embarked and rowed lo the head of the cove, but saw no people. In leliirniiia luck wo pi;' ashore. We smelled the smokj of lire, I hough we did not see it. it did not appear that anything I had left had been touched. I now added a hatchet, and will] the night returned on board. On April 1 I went to see if any of the arlicles left for the Indians were taken away. We found everything remaining in the .canoe nor did it appear that i.nybody had been Ihere since." On the 2nd Cook went to a liitle bay and liberated live geese, and nauivd the bay Goose Cove. On the 6th he " went to a bay on the north side and discovered, a fine capacious cove, in the bottom of which is a fresh-water river; on the west side several beautiful small cascades, and the shores are'so steep that a ship might lie near enough to convey the water into her with a hose. In Ibis cove we shot 14 ducks, which occasioned my calling it Duck Cove. As wo returned in tho evening wj had a short interview with three ot the Natives—one man aiid. two women. They were the first that discovered themselves on the N.J3. joint 0 f Indian Island, named so on this occasion. We should have passed without seeing them had not the man hallooed to us. He stood with his club in his hand upon the point of a rock, and liehiud him, at the skirts of Ihe wood, stood the two women, with each of them a spear. The man could not. help discovering great signs of fear when we approached the rock with our Iwa-t. He, howwer, stood firm; nor did ho move lo take up some tilings we threw him n>hor,--. At length I landed, went up and embraced him, and presented him with such articles as I had about me, which at once dissipated his fears. Presently after we were joined by the two women, tho gentlemen that were with me. and some of the seimen. Wo spoilt about half an hour in chit-chat, little understood by either side, in which the younger of the'lwo women bore by far Ihe grcate-l share "-(Cook's Voyace. 1775 ) Dusky Sound has so long been called Talaki, the Maori pronunciation of Dusky, that the original name lias been lost. Mrs Cameron says it is " Te koieka-otekaliu-oT.nuale.i" '((he lringin-r up of Tamalea's clothes). The place where Cook i.nehoicd was called ICi.iiiku 'white heron) by (he Maoris, though ihe name is sometimes misspelt Kutuku. In 1898 Mr Richard Henry found the remains of ancient Maori huts on the sunny sitle of Luncheon Ccve. There was -i wiecked yessel in IV-ilo Harbour, Duskv, in ISJI-2. Resolution Island was Tau-moar.a or Te-au-moana (tie current of Hie ceean). The harbour at the south western corner ei fto solution Island is Koliope-roa (the longfaded cuckoo), though some say it was Waihopai. or Waihopae (the water which bears along and casts up driftwood on its l.ianks). Breaksea Sound was Para-i-kite (sediment seen from a distance). 15,-eaksea Island at entrance to the sound, was Huruhuiu-KoeKoea (cuckoo feathers) A little bay south of Dagg's Sound ,' s K„. rewa (drifting about). Dagg's R o ,, m | ls ie-ra (the nay). Page's Srmm! was named after Captain Dagg, of the whaler Scorpion, who was in || lc | ;! , v j„ 18Hi (;,. 0( ,i ;m1 Arm was hist named Malnspina Creek by ihe crew ot the .Spanish exploring ship in li? 3, Maiaspina being the name of the captain of the expedition. A little bay on the west of Crooked Arm, Doubtful Sound. i« \\ai-poro (dog water or water, head of a hsh) Cove,-or Wai-piro (slinking water). tVa Island, at the entrance w Doubtful

Sound, is not a Maori name. Most likely it was named after Louis. Nee, botanist, of the Spanish ship Atrevida, 1793. Secretary Island, Thompson's Sound, was named after the New .South Wales secretary Dcas Thompson by Captain Grono in 180!) He also named the sound after Mr I). Thompson. A small islajid at the southeast point of Secretary.lsland is named Seymore Island, after a school teacher who lived on it. alone for a few months, about IE3S. A bay sout'i of Milford Sound was known as Mistaken Bay. George Green, in 1860, claimed that he had bomd-l 1,024,000 acres in that district from the Maoris in 1538. the name of the place being Wangorpeti, perhaps Wbaiigapeti (the bay of Peti, a marine deity, an ancestor of Paikca). Green was awarded 695 acres for it by the Government in May, 1850 Short - land found that most of Ihese monster land claims had originated in the purchase of a right to occupy sufficient ground ashore for the requirements of a whaling station and to fish along a certain extonl of eoi'St. The nature of their tenure was what flic Maoris term "be. nolm. lira iho"—io slay without restraint in ih:> place mention-.".!, equivalent to a "squalling licence."—(Southern District.?, p. 86.) The wapiti deer liberated in George Sound are thriving.