A STRIKING THEORY.

Otago Witness, Issue 2934, 8 June 1910, Page 13

A STRIKING THEORY.

CHRISTIAN STORY KNOWN TO • MAORIS. FURTHER PARALLELS WITH TAWHAKI. MIRACLES AND SAYINGS. By Haee Hongi. PART 111. We have shown in Part II of this series how that many aspects of the story of the life of Christ are found reproduced in the' Maori story of Tawhaki, who, it was previously shown, has apparently been known as a divinity to the Maorian race for a maximum period coinciding with the first century of the Christian era, and for a minimum period of 20 generations—a period much anterior to any missionary influence of which we have knowledge in Maori history. In our second article parallels were given from the Maori legends of Tawhaki to the virgin birth of Christ, his " wisdom and mighty works," the promise to make his disciples " fishers of men," the sheet let down from heaven, walking on the waves, the Gadarene swine, the miraculous draught of fishes, and the voice which proclaimed Christ from the cloud. The following ' are further parallels between the Christian story and the ancient Maori legends in connection with Tawliaki : THE CARPENTER. 10. The Carpenter. " Is not this the carpenter, the son of Ma.ry?" (St. Mark vi, Z). "Another matter which caused the females to admre Tawhaki, was his extreme cleverness in house-building." (A.H.M.1., p. 99). " Tawhaki having changed his form to that of an old man, sat himself down. It now drew near evening, and his bro-thers-in-law having finished their work, called out to him : ' Ho. old fellow there, you just carry these heavy axes home for us, will you ?" He at once consented to do this, and they gave him the axes. The old man (?)' then said to them : ' You go on in front; do not mind me; I am old and heavily laden; I cannot travel fast.' So they started off, the old man following slowly behind. When his brothers-in-law and their party were all out of sight, he turned back to the canoe, and taking an axe, just adzed the canoe rapidly along from the bow to the stern, and, 10, one side of the canoe was finished. Then he again took the adze and ran it rapidly along the other side of the canoe, from the bow to the stern ; and, 10, that side also was beautifully finished. . . When they reached them ,(i.e., the canoes), and the brothers-in-law saw the canoe which Tawhaki had worked at, they looked at it with astonishment, saying: ' Why, the canoe is not at all as we left it; who can have been working at?'" (P.M., pp. 45-6) CALMING THE WAVES. ll.—Calming the tempest and the sea. " And, when he was entered into a ship, his disciples followed him. And, behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the ship was covered with the waves; but he was asleep. And His disciples came to Him and awoke Him. . . Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm. But the men marvelled saying : ' What manner of man is this, that .even the winds and the sea obey Him?"' ("St. Matthew viii., 23). "And he (Tawhaki) rose up and went far out on the sea, and he slept there. On his becoming conscious, 16, a great wave appeared at Paia-ki-Tawhiti, a wave intended to destroy him. Then the ancestor, Te Kaeaea, appearing unto him, roused up Tawhaki with its cry : ' Ke, ke, ke.' And Tawhaki. starting up from his sleep, seized his staff, and addressing the great wave, said : Pass away, pass to <nis side: Pass away, pass to that side: Withdraw, Neither seek contact with me. And so saying, Tawhaki smote the wave with his staff (so that it passed harmlessly by). Tawhaki then came ashore to the mainland, and there meeting his uncle, they wept together." (A.H.M., I, p. 98). " And Whaitire said unto Tawhaki and Karihi : ' There is one great danger before you, which is from the tempestuous winds of the Ururangi; those may overcome you.' . . . And as they ascended, Karihi was beaten back by the strong gales. And as Tawhaki continued on he was unable to rescue the falling Karihi. . . . Tawhaki was himself beaten down by the fierce winds, even to the surface of the ocean. But, reascend.i)h£, he overcame them, for, in obedience to him (' he rongo te mahaki'), they became suddenly calm." (A H M I, p. 123). See the north wind, the north-north-west The north-west and the west winds; The while I slept began to whirl (Tawhaki). Winds, winds, tempestuous winds, descending winds.. Descending from thei'- many points. Dash against, dash against the main pillar (corner stone), Sway me hither ward, thitherward: Clapping their hands towards me. Touch me not with thy hands. Tonga, abate thee; thou gale, disperse. (J.P.S., vii, 77-8.) " These brothers (Tafaki and Karisi), however, were not to be trifled with. They did things that made them both renowned and feared. For example, on one occasion, they ' beat the winds' with a club. For this purpose they climbed a high Nieru tree, and lay in wait for the winds. First came the Suepate, the trade wind, at which they ©imed a terrible blow, but missed. Then came Tokelau, the ea'st wind, which they also missed. So with some others. Finally, same Mastan, the southwest wind. . This was their last chance, and they determined to make" the

most of it. On came the towering wind in all it* pride; down came the dub on its forehead with thundering crash, and it fell with a shriek, lifeless and prone." (Efatese). THE TRUE VINE. 12. The True Vine (and the false). " I AM the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman." (St. John, xv, 1). " Tawhaki once more called up to her, saying : 'At least, then, leave to me some parting gift.' - Tangotango then called down, saying : ' Here are my parting instructions, as gift unto thee. Take not hold ox the loose vine; but take hold of the parent vine.'" (P.M., pp. 41-2). "There lies the ascent before you. Lay fast hold of the vine with your hands, and climb on. But when you get midway between heaven and earth, take care not to look down on the lower world again; lest you become giddy and fall down. Take care also that you do not by mistake take hold of a. vine which swings loosely. Rather take hold of that which, hanging down from above, has taken firm root in the earth." (P.M., p. 44). - "Karihi then consented, and he took hold with his hands of the loose vine-. . . . And Karihi's hands slipping, he fell down even to the earth. .' . . Tawhaki then said : ' 1 will now ascend.' And Tawhaki laid hold of the firm vine, and ascended, reciting the following prayer." (A.H.M., I, pp. 87-8). "One day they (Tafaki and Karisi) were shooting birds with arrows. An arrow went up to heaven and stuck fast in the roots of a Namanga tree. Another arrow sent after it stuck in the end of a"nd so on and so on, until the chain of arrows reached from heaven down to the brothers' foreheads. They took hold of the nearest, and pulled : it was firm. They climbed up to heaven." (Efatese). " She comforted her two sons, and told them not to cry, but to watch for a long rope that should be let down from heaven till it reached the foet of a banyan tree. They kept on watching, till one day the rope appeared as their mother had said. One of them (Tafaki) first, climbed up far out of sight into heaven, and shook the rope as a signal to his brother below of his safe arrival. The - other then climbed up also." (Efatese). PLUCK OUT AN EYE. 13. Plucking out an eye. " And if thine eve offend thee, pluck it out." (St. Mark ix, 47). _ . " Tawhaki then took an eyeball (which be bad plucked from his brother Karihi). and, inserting it as an eye for his blind grandmother, recited this prayer : May the heavenly host Light up thine eye; 0 Karihi. And WhaitirL immediately exclaimed : ' Wondrous indeed is thine eye, 0 Tawhaki.' " (A.H.M. 1., p. 79). HEALING THE BLIND. 14. Restoring the sight. "And he took the blind man . ♦ , and when he had spit on his eyes, and put his hands upon him, he asked him if he saw aught. And he looked up and said : ' I see men as trees, walking.' After that he had put his hands again upon his eyes, and made him look ,up; and he was restored, and saw every man clearly." (St. Mark viii, 23). '' And Tawhaki spoke . to his blind (matapo) ancestress, and she recognised him by the sound of his voice. Tawhaki then took some clay, and' having mixed it with his spittle, and .rubbed it unon her eyes, her sight was restored, and she could see plainly. (A.H.M. 1., 49). " The blind old woman then said unto Tawhaki : Pray thee, look to mine eyes. . . Tawhaki then prayed for the eyesight of Whaitiri; this is the prayer : Eyes attend, eves attend: Eyes flash forth, eyes flash forth: May thine eyes imitate the Sun Which shines yonder. And so on. " After which Whaitiri joyfully said : ' Joy, joy; my grandson has restored my sight.'" (A.H.M. 1., Qo\. " They (Tafaki and Karisi) saw their old blind grandmother, and addressed her as lata. She. on her part, had been forewarned of their coming, by her daughter, and being requested to entertain them kindly,- gave them sugarcane, flesh, and yams to eat. After eating, they said to her: ' The skin of this sugar-cane is sharp, for cutting. We will open your eyes with it, that you may see.' This they did. She said : 'Oh. children, vou have made me all right, I am well.'" (Efatese). HEALING DISEASES. 15. Healing issue of blood. "And a certain woman which had an issue of blood 12 years, and had suffered many things . . . When she had heard of Jesus, came in the press behind, and touched his garment . . . and straightway the fountain of her blood was dried up : . . And Jesus immediately knowing in himself that virtue had srone out of him. . . And he said unto her : ' Daughter, thv faith hath made thee whole.'" (St.* Mark v., 25). " And Whaaitiri called saying : ' Behold thy cousin-female yond/jr, who aileth sorely of woman's complaint; canst thou indeed cure her?' And Tawhaki went forward and saw the ailing one, the signs being plainly visible. And he touched her on the left thigh with his staff, saying : ' Purifier of women, return to your office, by the virtue of Tawhaki.' Tawhaki then touched her with his hand, and all was well with her" (A.H.M. I, 91). " Tawhaki had disappeared to stay the death-flow of his blood. This is the prayer which he used : Of whom is the blood? 'Tis the blood of the star. Of whom is the blood? 'Tis the blood of the moon. Of whom is the blood? 'Tis the blood of the sun. Of whom is the blood? 'Tis the blood of Tawhaki.

Of whom is the blood? 'Tis the blood of heaven itself. That was the prayer of Tawhaki to stay the flow of his blood, and it was stayed, and he became completely' restored."— : (A.H.M. 1., 56-7.). "I AM THE DOOR," . 16. I am the door. "I am the door; by Me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out and find pasture." (St. John x, 9). "As the brothers drew night, their mother, Urutonga, heard the voice of Tawhaki. And she wept in joy before her children, who went forward praying . . . Then Karihi asked of her : ' What diu these evil ones ' save you alive for ?' And she answered saying : ' They saved me alive as a watcher for the dawn. They compel me to ever sit watching here at the door of the house. Thence hath this people named me Tatau (i.e., Door).- And throughout the night they keep on calling to me : ' Ho, Door, is it yet dawn?'" (P.M., 38). LIGHTNING GLORY. 17. —Lightning Glory. "For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall the- coming of the Son be."—(St, Matthew, xxiv, 27). " The prayers and rituals being ended, lightnings flashed from the arm-pits of Tawhaki."—(P.M., 48). THE TRANSFIGURATION. •18. —Transfiguration on the Mount. "And after six days Jesus takes Peter and ,James and John, and leadeth them up into a high mountain apart by themselves; and He was transfigured before them. And His raiment became shining, exceeding white as snow; so as no fuller on earth can white them.' 2 —(St. Mark ix, 2). " Tawhaki at one period lived on earth, 'and was in appearance like a man. His garments were like those of a poor man. He went up to the top of a high mountain and 6at down. He there put aside his earthly raiment and clothed himself in lightning. Now, there was a certain man on that mountain who, when he saw Tawhaki coming, secreted himself. From his hiding-place he saw Tawhaki thus transform himself. He informed the people of the fact, and therefore the people looked on Tawhaki as a god. And all of the tribes chanted - prayers and offered up sacrifices unto Tawhaki." (A.H.M. I, 55). BAPTISM WITH FIRE. 19.—Baptism with Fire." " I indeed baptise you with water unto repentance; but He that cometh after me is mightier than I : . . . He 'shall baptise you with the Holy Ghost and with fire"."— (St. Matthew iii, 11). " The people present all rushed forth from the courtyards, for the whole place was made tapu by Tawhaki. And murmurs of gratification and astonishment arose upon every side at the splendour of his appearance. For in the days when he had been amongst tnem as an old man, his form was very different from the resplendent aspect which he bore on this day. . . . When in the morn the sun arose, they made an opening though the inner end of the house, opposite to the door. And they carried the infant daughter forth by that way, instead of the common entrance to the house. And Tawhaki repeated a prayer on their issuing forth. . .. . And when the words were said : To reach the sacred isle Whence lightnings flash. Lo, the lightnings flashed forth from the arm-pits of Tawhaki. He then took the infant into the water, and on reaching into it baptised her with this baptismal ritual : Prepare ye the heavenly courtyards, The extensive coi rtyards, The courtyards of this infant; . Baptise we Puanga in her waters. My baptismal treasure indeed, Is this my Puanga, to the world. And so on."—(P.M., "> A.H.M. I, 116). HATED BY THE WORLD. 20. —As I was hated. "If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you."— (St. John xv, 18). "And his cousins, the sons 6f Punga and Karihi senior, hated Tawhaki with a deadly hatred." . . . And when they saw Tawhaki combing his hair at the sacred pool of Rangituhi, they fell upon him and slew him. Thus died Tawhaki."—(A.H.M.. I, 47). BEARING THE CROSS. 21. —He bore the heavy cross. " And he, bearing the cross, went forth."—(St._ John xix, 17). " Tawhaki was a man of might; he could shoulder along a huge tree, and he did many, other wonderful things." (A.H.M. I, 99). " Then did Tawhaki meditate in his heart how he might astonish and terrify them. So he went and brought along a tree, a very great tree. He shouldered it along, and on reaching the courtyard, he let it down with a loud crash, which startled all of his cousins. So greatly were they startled that his cousins were quite unnerved at their dwellings at Papeaea."—(A.H.M. I, 83). " He (Tafai) was very tall and strong, but not cruel to anyone. . . . He plucked up by the roots a great Malili tree, 80ft high, carried it off on his shoulders, branches and all, and could throw it up and catch it again, as if he were playing with a small crab."—(Turner's " Samoa," p. 136).