Tales of a Maori Grandfather.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume VIII, Issue 1037, 28 February 1880, Page 2

Tales of a Maori Grandfather.

[Original, and written for the Poverty Bay Hekald.] Boy. — It is a good thing that you should seek after the knowledge of your fathers. It is a true saying of your's that when the old men are gone, much of this knowledge will be lost. The present generation are too careless of these things. It took three things to make a man a great chief. An unblemised descent, power in war, and knowledge. The European understands many things. He has books in whioh are written the thoughts of many men. It is even said that they gather the sayings and traditions of other peoples. See that you put the things which I tell you of into a book, so that my words, and the words of your fathers may not be lost. I will now tell you about Houmea and her husband Utu, who had for children Tutawake (your ancestor) and Nini. One d^ay, Utu went out fishing and after having caught many fish, he returned te his place, and told Houmea to go aud bring home the fish which he had left in the canoe, she took up the fish and swallowed them. She then made marks on the sand to resemble foot prints of various sizes so that it might be thought that people belonging to other places had stolen them, she then went home and said to her husband " These are an impudent people who have made away with your fish, when I got down to the canoe they were taking away the last of them. I pursued, but could not overtake the multitude of the men, women, and children." Her husband aaked her who she thought these people were, and she said "It must be the many of the Ponature" (a fairy race). The next morning Utu went fishing again, and, on his return he waited by his canoe for his wife to come down to carry home the fish, as she did not come he went to the house and asked her if she had not seen liia canoe touch the shore, she said she had not and that the chilhren must be deaf not to have heard him call. She then went to the canoe, and Utu told the children to watch and see what she would do. They did so and saw her swallowing the fish, they then returned home and told their father what they had seen. Soon after, Houmea returned home, and heaving a deep sigh, told Utu that when she reached the canoe, the fish had all gone, and all that she could see were footprints on the sand. Her husband then said that the children had seen her swallowing the fish. She was overwhelmed with shame, and replied, " 1 am not o woman who commits thefts." She persisted in denial, and said to the children, " You are both speaking false when you state that I swallowed your father's fish. I have never known what it was to steal since we have been living here. In the early dawn, Houmea was pleased at her husband again going fishing. After he had gone, she called the children to her, on a pretence of doing something for them. Taking hold of them, she swallowed them both alive, and then laid down and went to sleep. On her husband's return, she said she was ill. Asking for the children, she said, "I do not know where they are. They left soon after you did. I have called them repeatedly, and they have not answered me. I have no idea where they can be." At this time, as you know, the children were in her stomach. Utu then gathered some herbs, and put them on Houmea's lips, and repeating an incantation, the children came forth out of her mouth — Tutawake with an ornamental staff (taiaha) in his hand and Nini with a spear in his, and both clothed in a pukupuku (a war mat). Utu then repeated another incantation, and the children became quite well»again. A short while after this, Utu told the children to get him some water ; they refused to do bo, as previously instructed by him. He then said to Houmea, " Go you for the water, as I am very thiraty." She got up, took her calabash and proceeding to where the water was,

found that as she approached it, that it kept running away from her. While she was in chaae of it, Utu said to the children, "Let us make our escape." After instructing the place, the house, the clump of trees, and sitting places to reply to Houmea if she called, they embarked in the canoe, and hoisting the sail, were soon well out to sea. Now, while all this had been going on, Houmea had been following up the water as it receded from her, until she had overtaken it at its source. Filling her calabash and returning home she found the place filled with silence. She called aloud, and searched about, and seeing no one she sighed, ascended to the lounging place, and threw herself on the ground. After weeping, she looked out to seaward, and saw the canoe sailing along in the distance. She then changed herself into a cormorant, and swam after them, the children saw that it was Houmea that wassraimnnng after them, and said to the father " Here is this god coming after us." They said this to arouse him, as he was asleep. Utu said to the children "Perhaps I will be killed," and they said they would hide him under the staging of the canoe. After he had hidden himself away, he told the children to light a fire and cook food for their mother. The children did so and also heated some stones. Houmea now arrived, and after greeting the children said, "You are here, but where is your father ?' The children said he was on shore and that they come out to fish. Houmea being hungry the children said they had food for her. Relishing the food they gave her, she asked for more, and on opening her mouth wide, threw a hot stone down her throat, so Houmea died. A proverb this day has reference to her greed and faithlessness.