Folk Tales from Papamoa

Te Ao Hou, August 1957, Page 43

Folk Tales from Papamoa These folk tales were gathered by the Papamoa Maori School from a number of Maori schools throughout the country. The folk tales published in two previous issues (17 and 18) have not gone unchallenged: several people sent us other versions which they thought were correct. The legend of Torere particularly came under fire. These contributions have been warmly received and they will be printed next issue. If anyone has improvements to suggest to the stories printed here, please let us have them either in Maori or English. Patangata I nga wa o mua, a Patangata, ko te kainga o tetahi taniwha ko Karitake te ingoa. Tenei taniwha he wahine, a i roto i tetahi puna i te taha o te moana e noho ana. Ko tana mahi he kaitiaki mo nga pa tuna a ona uri. Te wahine nei he urukehu a kua roa e noho ana i reira. No tetahi rangi ka mea a ia ki te haere ki Waikarepu, he awa i muri o Opoho, a ko tenei tana kainga tuarua mo nga wa hoha ai a ia ki Patangata. I ona baerenga whakarere ai a ia i tetahi ara ano he awakeri, a nga hokinga mai ka pera ano hei whakanui i nga awakeri nei. E kitea ana enei mea i enei ra. I tana haerenga tuatahi, i whakatuwheratia te Patangata (Patuna) Years ago Patangata was the home of a taniwha, Karitake by name, and of female sex. She lived in a spring off the lake around which was a thick covering of rusty quicksand, like mud. Her occupation there was caretaker of the tuna pas which were owned by a larger number of her “uris” or relations. Her hair was long and reddish, this being known in Maori as “Urukehu”. Here Karitake lived for some time, until one day she decided to visit the river Waikarepu. This river was at the back of Opoho, and the taniwha made it her second place of dwelling whenever she became tired of Patangata. On her way up she was fond of leaving a track, this being wedged apart in the soil in the shape of a drain or trench all the way, and on her return trip this process was repeated, thus making the drains wider. We see them there today. At the same time of her first visit, the sand bar was opened at Patangata in order to let the lake out to sea. As soon as the lake mouth was nearly empty, it made first a low droning sound, followed immediately by a heavy downpour of rain or the show of the rainbow. This as the elder folk said and believed, was the old lake mourning the loss of her waters and of the food most of which was sent out to waste in the sea. Another of Karitake's jobs was to appear by signs to any of her relations who quarrelled about their pas—the sign was the showing of her red eyes in the water—consequences that follow are that she misdirects the tunas' paths from going into the hinakis of her relatives to that of an alien pa-owner. Whenever any one of her descendants was due for death, Karitake's hair was seen strewn all over the water, and it is said today that instead of hair being seen, there are only feathers. At the beach there is a windmill beside which is the spring or pool of water wherein the taniwha lived. The older Maoris believe she is still there today because the water turns a rusty colour, and flows continuously. When this place dries up they say that Karitake has gone back to her other home in Opoho. During that time everyone knew her as being a destructive person—she burrowed through fields and ruined many lands, but today it is said that

tahuna i Patangata kia puta ai te wai o te roto ki te moana. I te paunga o te wai katahi ka timata mai tetahi haruru, a maringi mai ana te ua. Ko te korero a nga koroheke, ko te roto tenei e tangi ana mo te wai me nga kai i pau atu nei ki te moana. Ko tetahi ano o ana mahi he puta mai ki ana whanaunga a nga wa kakari ai ratou mo a ratou pa tuna. Tenei putanga mai he whakaatia i na kanohi whero i roto i te wai, a i nga wa penei arahi ai a ia i nga tuna, kahore ki nga hinaki a ona whanaunga, engari ki nga hinaki e etahi ke. A nga wa e tata ana tetahi o ana uri ki te mate, ka kitea ona makawe i roto i te wai. Inaianei kaore he makawe engari he huruhuru manu ke. E whakapono ana nga koroheke kei roto tonu te taniwha nei i te puna, no te mea kei te riri tonu te wai a i etahi wa he waikura tonu te ahua o te wai. A nga wa e maroke ai tenei puna kua haere a Karitake ki tera o ana kainga ki Apoho. Ahakoa kino katoa nga whenua i a Karitake i aua wa, no enei wa kahore a ia i pera engari e tumanako ana kia kaua e pera ana uri. Ara kia kaua e whakakino i nga whenua. Kahore nga uri i aro ki tenei ahua otira tokorima nga tamariki e kori ana i runga i nga paritai o nga awakeri i Apoho. Te ratou mahi he kari haere i te oneone nga wahi i whakatapua nei e Karitake. Nga tane ko Chum Munro, ko Darky Nohinohi, ko Wiremu Raureti, ko nga wahine ko Molly me tana whaea ko Harata. I a ratou e keri haere ana ka mahi ratou i tetahi ana hei toa hoko mea ma ratou. He mahi takaro noa iho ra a ka inoi atu nga tahae nei ki nga wahine kia kuhu ki roto ki te ana ki te hoko mea ma raua. I mua i tenei katahi ka haere a Darky ki runga ki te ana, taka takahi ai, waiata ai, kanikani ai. No te mutunga ka hoki a ia ki te ana a no te nohoanga ka moe a Harata, katahi ka haruru te whenua ka Karitake has not been so wild as she used to be and that she has been behaving excellently, and has even reformed with the hope that none of her relations would ill-treat the soil as she had done in the past. Finally, concluding this story here is the punishment she inflicted on her relations, five of whom one day in their childhood played foolishly on the banks of the Opoho drains. They took big spades and began digging carelessly into the soil uprooting everything which had been treated as tapu by Karitake. The boys namely Chum Munro, Darky Nohinohi, William Raureti, decided to shape their diggings into a cave, which they pretended was a big house or shop and playfully begged their companion Molly and the old mother Charlotte to go in and buy their goods. Before doing so, for some unknown reason, Darky the younger one of the boys climbed to the top of their cave and here began stamping, singing and dancing to tunes he was whistling. When he had finished he returned inside their “house” and the moment he sat down, Charlotte was put to sleep by a strange spell and after followed a rumbling noise of the earth which caved down and hid the three boys from the sight of Molly and her other companions. There was wailing and being small children they grew more afraid. With much effort they managed to waken Charlotte who, suddenly realising danger began attempting to dig the boys out, and it was not until after a long struggle that Chum was found, and taken down to the water to be bathed and restored to health. Darky was next and treated likewise. By the time William was reached, he had died through suffocation, and though they bathed and bathed his head, he never ever came back to life. Today there are only three people left to tell this story.

horo te ana, ngaro atu ana nga tamatane nei i a Molly ma. Katahi ratou ka huri ki te whakaoho i a Harata, a no te ohonga ka timata tana keri kia puta, mai ai nga tama tane nei. Ko te mea tuatahi ko Chum, no muri mai ko Darky a i haria ki te wai kia horoia. Hinekorako He Taniwha o Te Reinga He taniwha? E hia nga rau o enei tu mea, a kei nga wahi katoa o tenei motu e taki noho ana. Etahi he ngarara, etahi he toka, etahi he rakau me era atu mea, a etahi hoki ko etahi o nga rangatira e maharatia nei o ratou ingoa i to ratou taniwhatanga. Nga whakatupuranga e ono mai i a Iwhara ki a Hinekorako kahore i te tane i te wahine tuturu engari kotahi taha he atua, tetahi he tangata, a ko o ratou kainga noho ke i. Whakapunaki ko Te Reinga. He wahine penei hoki a Hinekorako o Ngati Hinehika o Te Reinga, engari na te kaha o te taha tangata ona, katahi a ia ka moe i a Tane Kino tetahi o nga tupuna o Ngati Hinehika. I te whanaunga o ta raua tama ka tapahia te ingoa ko Taurenga. Hinekorako Mermaid of Te Reinga by Te Reinga Maori School Taniwhas? There are hundreds of them, inhabiting all areas of this country, some, fierce living monsters, others, merely rocks, trees or other objects, and sometimes great chiefs whose names were kept alive by this form of preservation. Such is the story of Hinekorako, taniwha and goddess of the Ngati Hine Hika of Te Reinga. Tane Kino, great ancestor of Ngati Hine Hika, is said to have inter-married with a race of taniwha who originally inhabited Whakapunaki, a hill in the vicinity, and also Te Reinga itself. The story as told, states that the first six generations from Iwhara to Hinekorako, were not quite men and women as we understand the therm, but a species of man-god, or water spirit. However the human side got the upper hand when Hinekorako fell in love and lived with Tane Kino, bearing a son whom they called Taurenga. Prior to the birth of their child, Hinekorako told Tane Kino that to break the spell of taniwha and god, cast over her through her ancestry, he would have to care for the child, and nurse it, until it was old enough to care for itself. Now Tane Kino, on the spur of the moment,

I mua o te whanautanga o ta raua tamaiti, ka mea atu a Hinekoraka ki a Tane Kino e pakaru ai te makutu heke iho i ona tipuna i runga i a ia, me matua tiaki a whangai, e Tane Kino ta raua tamaiti, Ka whakaae hoki a Tane Kino kia pakaru ai te makutu i runga i a Hinekorako. I tetahi rangi katahi a Tane Kino raua ko Hinekorako ka haere ki tetahi hui i runga i te marae. Na raua hoki i hari a Taurenga a e ngoi ana i tenei wa. I a ratou e hui ana katahi a Taurenga ka paru whakama tonu atu a Tane Kino karanga ana i a Hinekorako ki te horoi i te tamaiti nei. Ka maranga a Hinekorako katahi ka hari i a Taurenga ki te awa katahi ka horoia ka whangaia hoki. Mohio tonu atu a Tane Kino kua he a ia haere ana ki te rapu i a Hinekorako me ta raua tamaiti. Ahakoa pehea tana inoi kia murua taua he kahore i taea te pehea. Ka tangi a Hinekorako ki ta raua tamaiti katahi ka hoatu i te tamaiti ki a Tane Kino ka mea, ara, i te mea kahore i rite tana i mea ai, ka hoki ano ia ki tona kainga i roto i te wai i Te Reinga. Kei reira tonu inaianei hei awhina i ana uri e te karanga ki a ia. I tetahi wa, katahi ka waipuke te Hangaroa (tutaki ai i Ruakituri i te Reinga) a mau ana a Ngati Hinehika i roto i te waipuke i te waenganui po. I runga ratou i o ratou waka a haria ana ratou ki te nga rere i te kino o te wai. Mahara tonu atu tetahi tohunga ki a Hinekorako karanga ana i a Hinekorako hei awhina i a ratou. Mutu tonu te haere a nga waka ki nga rere nei ora ana nga tangata o runga. promised Hinekorako that he would do as she wished, and so break the spell. The real test came sooner than he expected. Taurenga by this time was old enough to crawl. Following the custom of the Maori people, Tane Kino and Hinekorako, with their child, went to attend a meeting of the tribe on the Marae. As often is the case with babies, when least expected Taurenga, in the midst of a large gathering, disgraced himself. His father left so ashamed of him that he forgot his promise to his wife, and called her to come quickly and clean the child. From the midst of the gathering Hinekorako came, picked up her baby, and took him with her to the stream which now flows past the Te Reinfa Marae. There she washed and fed him. Tane Kino by now had realised that he had broken his promise and went to look for his wife and child. On finding Hinekorako, he begged forgiveness for his thoughtless action, but there was no remedy. In reply Hinekorako wept over her son, then she stood up and handed the babe to Tane Kino. She told him that since he had been faithless to a promise, she was doomed to go back to her watery home under Te Reinga Falls. To this day she remains there, watching over the interests of her descendents whenever called upon. On one occasion, during a heavy flood in the Hangaroa River (which joins the Ruakituri River just near Te Reinga), Ngati Hine Hika were flooded out in the middle of the night. Down swept the canoes to the dreadful falls, now a raging cascade. Just at the right time, one old Tohunga who had maintained his presence of mind, called aloud on Hinekorako for help, and immediately the rush of the canoes towards the Falls was stopped, and all the occupants were saved. Roku Ko Waiomio te kainga o Ngatihine, engari ko te mea nui o tenei wahi o Waiomio ko nga pari raima. E mohiotia ana hoki, ka nui nga ana i nga wahi pari raima a he pera hoki a Waiomio. Te nuinga o enei ana he tapu ina hoki he urupa katoa, engari kotahi ano tetahi e taea te matakitaki e te tangata ko te Ana-a-Roku. Ma te pakiwaitara e whai ake nei hei whakaatu i pehea i tae ai a Ngatihine ki Waiomio me to ratou aroha ki te tangata ke. I whakahuihui a Torongare raua ko Hauhaua i a raua tamariki, whakarere ana ratou i Waimamaku ki te rapu kainga hou mo ratou. I to ratou haeretanga i haere ratou ma te taha rawhiti. Ka haere mo tetahi wa poto, ka noho, ka tirotiro i te whenua mehemea e momona ana, a mehemea kaore e momona ana, ka haere ano. E maha nga tau e penei ana ka tae ratou ki Waiomio. Tenei kainga i nohoa e Ngatiawa engari i te taenga ki reira kaore kau he tangata i reira. I a ratou e haere mai ana ka mate a Hauhaua a i te taenga ki Waiomio kua tino koroheke a Torongare. Toko- The Story of Roku by Waiomio Maori District High School Waiomio is the “home” of the Ngatihine, and the most obvious physical feature of the district is the presence of massive limestone formations. Where there is limestone there you may fiind caves and so it is at Waiomio. Most of them are tapu, having been used for burials, but one cave through which the sightseer may be shown is Roku's Cave. This is the story of how the Ngatihine came to Waiomio and of the mercy they showed towards a stranger. Torongare and Hauhaua gathered their family about them and set out from Waimamaku to find a new home. Towards the eastern seaboard they set out, moving short distances, trying the ground for fertility, and not being satisfied, moving on Many years later, they came at last to Waiomio

waru a raua tamariki, a ko te matamua ko Hineamaru, to ratou rangatira. Timata tonu atu ratou ki te para i te whenua hei mahinga kai ma ratou. E toru a ratou ahua whakato kumara ko te Rapiki, ara ko te kakau e huri ana ki te rawhiti, ko te Retu, e huri ana ki te raki, ko te Ratou e huri ana ki te uru. I te pai o nga hua noho ana ratou i Waiomio hei kainga tuturu mo ratou. I tetahi ata, i etahi o nga toa e whaiwhai kai ana e whakahaere ana i te ngahere, ka kite tetahi o nga toa nei i tetahi takahanga waewae tangata i roto i nga kakano tawa. Katahi ratou ka whai haere i nga takahi nei tae atu ana ratou ki tetahi o nga ana e puta mai ana he auahi me te kakara kai. I te taenga atu ki te wahi i mutu ai te awatea i timata ai te pouri, ka mau i a ratou tetahi wahine, ko Roku. I taua wa patua ai nga tangata ke, engari i aroha ratou ki a Roku a whakahokia ana ki tana whanau. I noho tonu a Ngatihine i reira a kapi katoa i a ratou era rohe katoa. A ratou mahi i rongonuihia, a ratou pakiwaitara he maha. Mehemea ka tae koe ki Waiomio a ka haere koe i roto i te Ana-a-Roku, ka kite koe i te hangi me nga riwai i whakakohatuhia nei e te raima i nga rau tau kua mahue nei, i te wahi i mutu ai te awatea, i timata ai te pouri. a district that had first been peopled by the Ngatiawa, but which was now deserted. By this time, Torongare had grown old and feeble while his beloved Hauhaua had died on the journey. Eldest daughter in a family of eight Hineamaru was now leader of the party. Without delay, she had the rata burned and the land cleared for the planting of their crops. The kumara was planted in three ways “rapiki” (with the stem facing east), “retu” (facing north) and “ratou” (facing west) and the resultant crops were so satisfactory that they decided to settle in Waiomio permanently. One morning, as a band of warriors was out hunting and exploring in the bush, one of them discovered human footprints in the squashy ripe tawa berries on the ground. Carefully, they followed the tracks until they lead into the cave from which came smoke and the smell of food been prepared. With great caution, they crept down the cave to the place where daylight ends and darkness begins, and there they captured the maiden known as Roku. Normally, in those days, no mercy was shown towards strangers and intruders, but, in this case, not only was Roku's life spared, but she was returned to her family. The Ngatihine stayed on and spread through the surrounding districts. Their deeds have been great, and their stories are many. If any of you go to Waiomio and wander through Roku's cave, there “in the place where daylight ends and darkness begins” you will see Roku's cabin with its hangi and potatoes petrified by the limestone deposits of centuries. * * * The Sir Apirana Ngata Memorial Scholarship Award for 1957 went to Dr M. N. Paewai of Kaikohe, to undertake post-graduate medical studies in the United States. The award will help pay the expenses involved. Dr Paewai is doing post-graduate studies at the University of Utah, Salt Lake City. He is already in the United States Dr Paewai is well known throughout New Zealand particularly because of his fame as a rugby footballer.