KOWHITIKARU

Te Ao Hou, April 1958, Page 16

KOWHITIKARU by HOHEPA TOPA KO TAKU kaupapa korero mo runga i tetahi wahi e karangatia ana ko Kowhitikaru. He poto noa ake tenei korero, engari he pai, kia mohio ai koutou he aha tenei wahi i karangatia ai ko Kowhitikaru. Ko te timatanga o tenei korero me hoki ki nga wa o mua. I nga ra o mua i Ahipara tetahi pa e tu ana. Ko nga iwi o tenei pa he iwi tino kaha, a e rangona ana hoki i nga wahi katoa mo to ratou kaha ki te kai tangata. Ta ratou mahi hoki he haere ki nga wahi katoa whakaeke haere ai i nga pa katoa e tu ana i mua i a ratou. Ko te rangatira o tenei pa e karangatia ana ko Manuka. He tangai tino kino, a ko tona hoa rite tonu ki a ia. Heoi ano nga mea e pai ana ki a raua, ko a raua toa, na te mea e rite tonu ana ratou, he kaha ki te kai tangata. Me mea atu e ahau ki a koutou tetahi mahi i mahi ai raua. I tetahi wa i rongo a Manuka, kua tae etahi wahine ki te pa e haere ra hoki ratou. Ka mea atu a Manuka ki tona hoa ki a Matangi: “E Matangi, haere taua ki te tahae i etahi wahine ma taua, tino kuia rawa enei.” Ka whakaae hoki a Matangi; na ka haere raua. I to raua taenga atu ki te pa kua pouri, na ka tatari raua kia moemoe nga tangata. I to raua mohiotanga kua moemoe nga tangata, ka haere raua ki te whare moe o nga wahine, a tahaetia ana toko wha, mauria ana ki to raua pa. I to raua taenga atu ki te pa, ka whakatika hoki raua ko tehea mana. Ki te kore nga wahine e pai ki a raua, kua patu hoki raua i o raua puku. Na, kua kite hoki koutou i te kino o enei tangata. I tetahi wa ka rongo a Manuka tana taurekareka e karanga ana, i kite ia i etahi waka e haere mai ana ki uta. Ka karanga a Manuka i ana tangata kia huihu. I te taenga mai o nga waka ki uta, ka rere atu a Manuka me ana tangata a patua ana nga toa katoa, ko nga wahine mauria ana hei taurekareka. He nui hoki te hari o I AM going to tell you the story of called Kowhitikaru. It is only a sh but one that would perhaps appeal to so Long ago there was a pa at Ahipara. pa lived people whose fame spread to winds because of their cannibalistic instinc their pa they sent out many ravaging pa The chief of the pa was called Man was a wicked man and so were all those at with him. Once Manuka and his party were o ravaging trip, news came to them that in the nearby pas there were some very women. Manuka thereupon planned to himself of some of these women and sai companions, “Let us set forth to get new for ourselves our present ones have bec and unattractive. Manuka's bosom friend Matangi ag they set forth. They arrived at the parti at night. They waited until the people ir were asleep, they went to where the worr asleep, and kidnapped four of them. WI arrived at their pa they alotted the women themselves. Any protest from the won immediately allayed by gestures to the ef if they dared resist they would find an resting place in the stomachs of their ca One day Manuka's slave gave the alarr effect that canoes were approaching. Manu moned his warriors together and as soon canoes landed—the men were all slain women taken into captivity. Manuka's j no bounds for that night there was a big Some two years after this event Manul of a pa at Hokianga a formidable pa as led to believe. He said to his followers tired of no war let us go forth to fight”, set out but when they reached Panguru tl pants of the pa had gone to Whirinaki. T

Manuka, na te mea he hakari nui hoki i taua po. A, e rua pea tau i muri mai, ka rongo a Manuka mo tetahi pa i Hokianga. Ki tona rongo he pa tino kaha. Ka mea: “Ha- he roa rawa hoki toku whawahi mutunga, haere tatou ki Hokianga ki te whawhai.” Na ka haere ratou. I to ratou taenga atu ki Panguru, ka rongo ratou, kahore te iwi i re ra, engari kua whakawhiti i te awa o Hokianga ki te wahi e karangatia ana inaianei ko Whirinaki. Ka mea a Manuka: “Haere tatou ki te aru.” I to ratou taenga atu ki Whirinaki, i reira tetahi hui nui, engari kahore te iwi o Panguru i reira, kua hoki ke mai ma nga puke ki Opononi, a i reira ka whakawhiti i te wahapu ma runga i nga waka ki Te Karaka, a i reira ki Panguru. Ka tohe te iwi o Whirinaki kia noho a Manuka mo tetahi wa; ka whakaae ia, a i reira ia e wha pea ra. Ka mahara ia, i haere mai ia ki te whawhai, ka mea atu ia ki ana tangata; “Kua ora tatou i te kai, tena haere tatou ki te whawhai.” I te rongonga o te iwi o Whirinaki i enei kupu, ka timata hoki ki te ngautuara mo Manuka. Ka mea a Manuka: “E! tino pukukorero rawa tenei iwi, patupatua.” E rua tekau ano i mau, ko etahi i oma. Ka mea a Manuka: “Waiho ena tupapaku ki kona pirau ai, ekore ahau e pai ki te kai tangata ngautuara.” Na waiho ana ki reira. A ka haere ratou ki Opononi; te taenga atu ki reira, tahaetia ana etahi waka a ka whakawhiti ki Te Karaka. Haere tika ana ki runga ki tetahi o nga puke o Panguru e karangatia ana ko Tarakeha. I reira ka kite ratou i nga wahi katoa, a ka kite hoki ratou i te pa, ko te whakaeke nei ratou. Ka tatari a Manuka kia po, na te mea he iwi kaha hoki tera mo te whawhai i te ao, te iwi hoki o Panguru. I te taenga ki te po, ka whakatika a Manuka i ana tangata me a ratou patu, a lowed them there and when they arrived a big meeting was being held, but the Panguru people had already left on their return trip via Opononi, across the mouth of the Hokianga river and thence home. Manuka was prevailed upon by the Whirinaki people to bide a while so he stayed for about four days. At the end of his stay he said to his followers, “We have fed well let us go forth to fight”. When the people of Whirinaki heard of these words they were angry and criticised Manuka bitterly. Manuka thereupon said “These people are too talkative let us kill them. Twenty were killed the rest escaped. Manuka said of the dead “Let them lie there to rot—I shall not eat such back biting people.” So the dead were left. Manuka and his party set out for Opononi. There they stole some canoes, crossed the Hokianga river to Te Karaka and thence to a hill overlooking Panguru-Tarakoha. There they had a clear view of the pa or fort they intended attacking. Manuka waited until it was night for the people of Panguru had the reputation of being a formidable foe by day. Armed with patus Manuka and his warriors stealthily attacked. Before the watchman could give the alarm that their fort was being attacked—Manuka gave the order “Kill them! Eat them!” The battle raged all night. The people of Panguru despite the surprise attack fought back. Manuka sensed defeat and urged his men to greater efforts calling out “Be brave, fight hard”. But the presure of battle was too great one by one Manuka's men succumbed. He called out—“Have you no strength to withstand the foe? You low born fight harder. Listen to me this is the way to win—Turn out their eyes. Hence the name—“Kowhitikaru”—Turn out the eyes.

i te waru o nga haora ka tangi te heihei whakamoe, tangi, tangi, tae noa kia hoha tetahi tangata momona. I tona putanga ki waho, ka kite a Manuka, a waiwai ana tona mangai i te momona o taua tangata. I te wa o tona waha e puare ana, ka kite atu te tangata ra i te kanapa o nga niho. Ka aua, e, kua whakaekea to ratou pa. Ka karanga a Manuka: “Patupatua, kainga,” Ka timata hoki taua whawhai tae noa kia ao. Te tino kaha hoki o Manua me ana tangata, tata rawa ana hoki te iwi o Panguru ki te matemate, engari whawhai tonu, whawhai tonu. Ka mohio a Manuka, kua mate haere ana tangata. Ka karanga: “Kia kaha, kia kaha.” Engari e kore e taea te pehea, mate haere ana kotahi i te wa. Ka karanga a Manuka: “E kore koutou e kaha i tenei iwi? Taurekareka ma, kia kaha. E toku iwi, me penei ka mate ai i a koutou, whakaronga mai! KOWHITIA NGA KARU!” Na reira, e hoa ma, kua mohio koutou ki te take i karangatia ai tenei wahi ko Kowhitikaru. Na, tenei hoki te karangatanga mo te tango kanohi i nga wa o mua: kowhiti karu. ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ Mr K. Porima, of Kawhia, was awarded the ‘Corbett axe’ as most outstanding pupil to graduate as a woodsman last year. Woodsman's certificates are gained after four years of successful training by the New Zealand Forest Service.