AS INTERESTING DOCUMENT.

Otago Witness, Issue 2603, 3 February 1904, Page 14

AS INTERESTING DOCUMENT.

QUAINT SONGS OF PACIFIC ISLANDERS.

Mr S. Percy Smith, the- author of " Hawaiki, tho Whence of the Maori," who ia \ lsiling Chriotchurch, informed a representative of the Ljttelton Times on Wednesday that when ho was in Eastern Polynesia in 1897 a fellow voyager, a Psumotu woman, allowed him t-o copy eomo very anoiont and. interesting chants from an old book she had. It is probably tho only document of its kind in existence. Tho chants were written down by her father, Tapaiiga, a. native, of Anaa, Island. Some of the chants have a particular interest, as a recital i<3 given cl ths " log book " of the* natives' migrations. A Tahitian gentleman, Mr C. Garbutt, who understands the Paumotu dialect, has undertaken to mako a translation, and he has been, assisted in his work by some- old Paumo-tu people living in Tahiti. The chants were sung at the birth of a high chief. In theusual cryptic manner of these composition*, they go back to the beginning of all things, and then trace the origin of the. new-born to the gods anr' through the ancestors of the. migrations. m will be obvious to Maori scholars, Mr South says, that the dialect is closoly allied to Maori, and contains a great many phrases identical with those found in Maori " karakiao," or incantations. The following fow lines, taken from the translation, show tho nature of th&s@ quaint songs of tho islanders: — "Welcome is the cxpediticni of Tsne, Gratifying is the coming of Hma, Fiom the original source, Fiom the great origin of till, Springing horn a small cause, a litlle cause, A narrow source, a secret source, A true origin, a real source, A supporting origin, a holding-up origin, A sustaining origin to lean upon. Tear apart That veil (rend not that spider's web), And let p?ss the project of Rui-Kana, Appeal 3 Tae rainbow, filling the sky and dispersing the rain. Long live the King, long live his companions! The King Rongo! A laborious thought, a labonous thought! A profitable thought, a beneficial plan ! An expanding thought, an extending idea, An idea- worthy of admiration! A ray-making, dazzling thought! An assembling thought, a collective thought, A shape-giving, form-niaking thought! I appeal to you, Roropanga, To give drink to Manahoa, And let Tangaroa be firm, be powerful ! Lot the King and his companions live And be happy and powerful ! 4 The rainbow fills the sky, the rain dispenses! Long live the King, long live his companions! The King Ror.gof Mr Smith explains that Koropanga was a female attendant, whose duty it was to give the kava drink, and Manahoa was an evil spirit.