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Te Ao Hou, December 1957, Page 47

Pigeons used to be snared with the aid of a wooden water trough and snare loops. The latter were actuated by pulling the longitudinal cords. To drink, the birds had to push their heads through a noose. This snare called waiuhi principally used for pigeons, was placed at the foot of miro trees. The eating of the miro berries made the pigeons thirsty. (Turnbull Library Photograph) aside, eaten with due ceremony by a woman of rank, or left suspended upon the branch of a tree. However, if the bird were eaten by a woman of rank—one belonging to the elder branch of a leading family part of the tapu attached to bird-snaring was lifted, thus permitting women to take part in this important activity. The pae, or perchng rods which formed the actual snare were placed far out on the branches beside the berries. Climbing out on branches possibly eighty feet from the ground, was dangerous work and gave rise to the saying, “He toa piki rakau, he kai na te pakiaka,” meaning “The expert who climbs trees is food for the roots.” Though the pigeon was taken on several trees, matai, rimu, maire, rohutu, for instance, the most important and the tree most greatly favoured was the miro. When feeding on this berry the pigeon became exceedingly fat and consequently was highly esteemed on that account. Not being a honey eater, snares for pigeon were not set on the rata tree, though those for tui and kaka were. When feeding on miro, the bird became very thirsty, so the wily snarer set his snares beside the water. Fronds of tree fern were strewn over the surface of the water with clear spaces being left here and there, over which snares were placed so closely that the bird could not put its head down to drink without coming into contact with one of them. As has been said, trespassing over the grounds of another was frowned upon and was considered bad form. So, should a stranger in journeying through the forest, happen upon a tree set with snares, he would break off a branch and leave it in a conspicious position. This would prove that he had not been poaching. Before the introduction of guns, pigeons were so profuse and tame, that they are said to have settled upon the shoulders of the snarers. It is not so very long ago that one well known and well favoured tree kept ten snarers busy. The old Maori fowler showed his ingenuity, not only by setting his snares beside the water where pigeons drank, but also by taking water to the birds where they fed. Of course there was an ulterior motive behind this gesture since he also set his snares there. Wooden troughs, six feet in length, were made by hollowing out logs. Eight or nine inches wide, they would be filled with water over which snares would be arranged so closely that the birds would find it impossible to drink without thrusting their heads through one of the loops. On raising their heads after drinking, they automatically strangled themselves. The more they struggled the tighter became the noose. These troughs were called wakakereru, and were ostensibly for the taking of pigeon though, at times other birds were caught in them. Sometimes, a thirty foot spear was used for taking the pigeon. To the end of the spears points would be fitted, these usually having a series of barbs. This barbed point would sometimes be fashioned from whalebone, human bone, or such hard wood as mapara or the hard part of tree fern, and occasionally, though very rarely, from greenstone. When a bird that had been speared by a barb made from human bone struggled and fluttered about, causing a great commotion, the person from whom the bone originally came was regarded as a very poor type without courage. The slender spear itself, was usually made of tawa, the process being a very tedious one. In use, it would be rested upon a branch and aimed at the bird then moved gently forward until a sudden thrust impaled the pigeon. When not in use the spear would be suspended from a branch to prevent warping. The catch was placed in a hole in the ground and covered so as to be out of sight of the living