SECOND EDITION.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LII, Issue 17156, 5 October 1926, Page 8

SECOND EDITION.

A MAORI VENDETTA

TALE OF A BLOOD-FEUD A GRAND TINALE Au interesting .story touching on, ittaoii celebrities of this district in the 'long-gone dta.va .before the advent of thfl pakeha, is toTcfin " Tuhoe-Land," Mr. /vl-dou Best's recently-published work, on the native race. The tale relates to Rungowhakaata, from whom the local tribe derived its name The man Rongowhakaata married a woman named Utupuke, but their wedded bliss did not continue, and eventually, piqued at something her husband had ciono, Utupuke ran away to Opotiki, a considerable journey in those days. Rongowhakaata tried to induce her to return, but, finding his. efforts fruitless, urged his wife to consider his wishes in regard to the Naming of their unborn child. If the; child were a girl, lie wished! it to be named Waioeka, but if a boy its name mutt bo Popoiiu which meant the fringe of the ear. A son was born and was duly christened Ron&opopoia, as had been suggested, and with the passage of years he grew up and married two wives. He became a father later, and everything appeared to he goiji well for the son of Uongawhakaata. Misfortune fell on the kainga, how'cver, for one day the children of one of Rongopopoia's wives were trailing a kite, when the string became entangled in the palisades of Te Mawhai pa. The children hastened to retrieve their kite, but were captured and killed by the inhabitants of Te Mawhai. Rorigopopoia discovered his loss, and in his rage avenged their death by the killing of an old man from among the Te Mawhai people. The son of this man, by tlie rules of the game, was bound to avenge the old' man's death in turn, .and resorted to strategy. He began the manufacture of a fish net, and made it known far and wide that this net would he set upon a certain day. ■ The setling of a net for the first time was a social function of some importance, and Ivongopcpoia's friends and relatives* were among those who gathered to assist the bereaved young man. These visitors were asked to attend to the weighting of the lower edge of the net, as it lay upon the ground, and while they were engaged on this task, a signal was given and' the To Mawhai men picked up. their edge of the net and threw it over the visitors. Thus entrapped, Eongopopoia and his friends were easily disposed of, and there was much wailing and gnashing, of teeth at their own pa. THE WIDOWS RUSE. The leader in the slaughter was determined to make a clean sweep of Eongopopoia's family, and' when ho heard that one of the dead man's] widows had given hirth to a child, he. hastened to see the infant, determined; to put it to death if it were a boy. Thcf mother insisted that the baby was a| girl, and succeeded in deceiving thej avenging visitor, who decreed that it, could become a water-carrier for his; tribe. The secret of the baby's sex was t kept until tho mother found a chance to, run away, and! in a new home she; brought up the boy as a warrior, training him in the use of weapons and. instilling into his youthful consciousness; the one idea, that he in turn was to be* the instrument of vengeance on his, father's slayer. This ambition he was eventually enabled to indulge, for, under a mask of pampas grass, he crept up to the margin of his enemy's pa, and killed two of his children, then followed the father who had recourse to flight. The end came on the bosom of a .stream, the pursuers lying down in their canoe and so enticing- the pursued to investigate what appeared to be a, derelict that might be useful to- them. The curiosity of the pursued proved; fatal, for when they were too close to escape, the avengers rose in their canoe and fell on them. The slaughter wasj eminently satisfying to the instigator of; the expedition, and the canoe was thereafter known as Ta Upoko Poiti—the, grand finale.