TAMAHAE AND KONOHE

Te Ao Hou, October 1958, Page 15

TAMAHAE AND KONOHE Toward twilight Tamahae came to the creek called Pouawa from the circumstance that a post, or pole, had been erected in the bed of the creek. It was the custom of travellers camping there for the night to hang their kits of food on this pole in order to keep them above the reach of rat or dog. Here he encountered that famous chief of Whangara-mai-tawhiti named Konohe. To him Tamahae related the story of his epic contest with the forces of Kuri Teko and gave a demonstration of the famous rehu or sweeping blow with which he had demolished their chieftain. “It is, indeed, a shrewd blow,” admitted Konohe, “but it is one I could counter, I think, though I prefer the shorter weapon to your taiaha.” Where-upon he threw himself into a posture of defence and soon they were at it. Practice play warmed into real conflict and in the heat of the contest each set himself out to destroy the other. It was indeed a contest of giants, but so expert were they both that neither could prevail. In the end they broke off the affair by mutual consent. It is said by some that it was on this occasion that they made their famous pact, which was framed by Konohe in the following saying: “Ka tu te kohatu ki Wahakino Ka tu te kohatu ki Takore.” which means. My stone stands steadfast at Wahakino Your stone stands steadfast at Takore. On up the coast journeyed Tamahae, seeking fresh adventures to beguile his homeward journey. He and his men came at dusk to a small village where they became embroiled in a fracas with the local inhabitants. Hine Tapora, wife of Rangikaputua, chieftain of Whanau Umuariki, and herself a woman of great rank, came amongst them commanding that they desist. It is said that Tamahae, in the confusion of the melee and in the gathering of the dusk, mistook her for a man. In any case he slew her. Discovering who she was he took her body and hid it in a disused storage pit which appears to have been under the care of a slave named Torea. For ever after that village bore the name of Rua-a-toria, or the Pit of Torea. The name endures to this day and no doubt will endure long after the circumstances of its naming have been forgotten. Following this incident Tamahae moved on again. At Waiomatatini he crossed taiaha with one Makahuri in an epic contest of many bouts At Tikitiki he had words with a small man named Hikitai, who was moved to anger and flung a spear at Tamahae, but missed him. Tamahae taunted him with his small stature, but Hikitai reminded him that even a small axe could fell a large tree if the axe were of greenstone. And from that reply has come down the saying, “He iti ra; he iti mapihi pounamu”. Tamahae

accepted this as a fair reply and they parted on amiable terms. At Rangitukia he encountered a man named Putanga who was noted for his lack of beauty. Tamahae made some disparaging remark about Putanga's ugliness whereupon that worthy replied that though he might lack in good looks he belonged to the deep pool below the rapids, where only the largest eels are found. Hence another Ngati Porou saying, “He kino ra, he kino no tau o te wai”. Tamahae had not long been back with his own tribe when they were attacked by Ngati Porou in retaliation for the killing of Hine Tapora, the Queen of the Waiapu. In this attack Ngati Porou had enlisted the aid of Ngati Konohe, and this aid was given in spite of Konohe's pact with Tamahae. This occasioned Tamahae's famous parody of Konohe's saying earlier mentioned. Tamahae remarked, “Ka taka te kowhatu i Wahakino, Ka tu te toka i Takore.” Wahakino is a rock at Whangara which symbolises Konohe, and Takore is a rock at Te Kaha symbolizing Tamahae. The saying implies that Konohe's rock shifted from its pledged purpose but Tamahae's remained steadfast to his promise. As far as I can ascertain, Tamahae, in spite of being so fond of fighting and of knight-erranting, died peacefully in his bed of a great old age. His fame has come down through the centuries in far more glowing terms that of his brother Kaiaio, though both were famous men in their own right. But though Tamahae's fame as a warrior appears to have exceeded that of Kaiaio's as an agriculturist, I am assured that Tamahae laid aside his beloved taiaha long before he lost his fondness for Kaiaio's kumara. And of all my Maori friends I know not one who can claim to be as skilled with the talaha as Tamahae, but I know quite as many who can do full justice to the onslaught on the kumara of Kaiaio. In any case, on all their bones be peace. Some time ago, when I was journeying in a bus I met a very, very old kuia. Our talk touched on many things, including the story of Tamahae. She told me, and I was glad to learn, that the variety of kumara perfected by Kaiaio was a white kumara and was known as uti-uti. This then is the story of the knight-errantry of Tamahae as I have been able to piece it together from the fragments gathered from many Maori friends. I shall not mention their names for fear I should leave someone out, and indeed, I am not sure I can remember them all. I know that there are as many versions of this story as there are people who tell it. If my version does not appear equal in all things to yours, all I can say is, “Pardon the poor pakeha”.