The Deeds of MAUI

Cue (NZERS), Issue 33, 15 October 1945, Page 28

The Deeds of MAUI

A 'LL the way across the Polynesian fl Pacific men still talk of Maui the demi-god as men talked of him nearly two thousand years ago. On every island and in every trike he occupies a high position among the supernatural beings of tradition, though it is chiefly among the Maoris of "New Zealand that the details of his deeds and adventures are preserved. Maui’s place is partly in mythology and partly in folk-lore. It is probable that there were several 'ancestral heroes called Maui, and that they eventually merged into one personality in ’ Polynesian-Maori mythology. At times he is represented as having possessed the powers of exalted deity; at others he is portrayed as a . mischievous mortal, full of fun and frolic. But, it is a remarkable fact that throughout the Pacific the story, of his exploits ha? been preserved in vivid detail through differing dialects and under changing conditions without any serious distortion of the original theme. Maui is first mentioned. at a . time when the Polynesians were still in Indonesia. He is said to have been the son of Tangaroa (not the god of the same name, though it is possible that the attributes of the two have been confused at times), and legend has it that he was of miraculous birth. After being thrown into the sea in air immature form he was nourished to adolescence by the sea-gods and later arrived at his mother’s home, where

he lived for a while among his brothers. He joined in their games and proved himself expert in sports and exercises, and is credited with all manner of tricks and mischievous performances. The earliest Maui tales dear with the snaring of the »Sun and the finding of fire for the -use of man. The first legend refers to the steps taken by Maui to restrain the too-rapid progress of the Sun through the Heavens. Due to the short period between the rising and setting of the sun the inhabitants of the earth did not have sufficient time for their work in the fields and the forests, and Maui, having persuaded his brothers to accompany him, armed himself with a huge snare and the jawbone of his grandmother and went to the place of the Sun’s rising. The brothers lay in wait with their snare, and as the Sun (Tama-nui-tc-ra) rose he became trapped in the snare. With his brothers holding the ropes of the snare taut, Maui belaboured the Sun with his jawbone club until, after many protests, the Sun agreed to* give heed to Maui’s demands. Then he was released from the snare and ■ever afterwards was more leisurely in his daily journey across the heavens. The story of the deception of the fire goddess, Mahuika, by Maui is an example of the artful cunning with which the demi-god was credited. Learning from his parents that a certain strange glow on the distant

horizon was the fire of Mahuika and that flames glowed' at her finger-tips and toes, Maui set out to visit her, determined to outwit her. In response to Maui’s request that he should be given a particle of her magic fires, the goddess plucked off the end of one of her big toes, Which contained the fire, and gave it to him. Pretending to return to his home with the lire, Maui instead threw it in a nearby stream, where it was extinguished). He returned to Mahuika and begged her to replace the lost flame, which she did. Maui repeated the trick several times. Only when .she had given him the fiery nails of all her fingers and toes except one did Mahuika realise that Maui was deceiving her, and in her anger she plucked off the remaining finger-nail and threw it at him with a curse for the destruction not only of her tormentor, but also of the earth and the forest. Desperately Maui ran from the flames, but he seemed to be trapped and in his extremity he called upon his ancestral gods, for succour. To his delight rain came from the skies and quelled the fireseven though in saving Maui the Great Rain flooded the earth. ♦ Legend says that when the flames were extinguished the seeds of fire wore retained in a number of trees, notably the kaikomako (the timber with which the Maoris secured fire by friction), th® hinahina, the patete and the totara. The story of Maui and the fire deity is preserved in the expression, ”Te Mahuika’’, which occurs frequently in ancient poems. It really means volcanic fires, and the legend probably refers to Maui’s visit to some great active volcano and the peril in which he found himself from an outburst of lava. \ Maui’s jawbone ’’secret weapon” figures in the legend of the demi-god's ’’fishing—up” of islands, including New Zealand, from the ocean—the jawbone was his hook. According to Ngai—

Tahu genealogy, Maui discovered New Zealand some fifty generations ago, arriving in a; canoe called Nukutai■memeha in the North Island and Maahunui in the South Island. The Maoris on the east coast of the North Island say that the canoe may De seen in a petrified form on the summit of Hikurangi mountain. The South Island version is that their island itself was Maui’s canoe (Te Waka-a-Maui) and that he stood in the canoe while drawing up the North Island (Te Ika-r.oa-a—Maui). A man of many (parts was Maui. Not only was he responsible for many supernatural acts, but he is also credited with such mundane inventions as the barb for the fishing hook and the cunning ‘arrangement of the eel-

basket in which the doubled-over centre—piece prevents the fish from getting out again. In his name, also, stands the kumara planting chant — the ”Tewha-a—Maui” —which, according to tradition, he first sang while in the guise of a bird. The song has been handed down by word of mouth to this day.

' The last great feat which Maui is said to have attempted was an effort to win immortality for mankind by passing through the mysterious personality of the Great Lady of the Night, the death goddess Hinc-nui-te-Po. There are .many versions of this ancient myth, but they all agree in their general theme. Maui entered the ’’Dark Valley” accompanied: by his little companions, the birds of the forest, whom he had invited to witness the wonderful feat with a warning that they must keep silent lest Hine-nui-te-Po should awaken and prevent the attempt. However, just as the act had reached its crisis the thuaiwakii (fantail) gave a shrill twitter of laughter, which awakened Hine. The angry goddess slew Maui, and thus man’s opportunity of securing eternal life was lost. Maui’s encounter with the deathgoddess is almost certainly the story of the attempt of the sun, or sunlight, to overcome darkness. It is felt that support is lent this contention by the choosing of Maui’s companions, for the small birds always signal the setting of the sun with song, just as they greet the sunrise with song. Further,

as the shadows of darkness close over the world the lilting notes of the fantail are among the last to be heard. The sun stoops to enter the Great Lady of the Night, but meets his death and his blood suffuses the evening sky. There have been suggestions that -Maui may have been one of the leaders of the Polynesians in their journey into the Pacific, but there are authorities who consider that some of the tales concerning him have their origin in times yet more remote, when the Polynesians were located in some continental area. At all events, it seems extremely likely that the deeds of many heroes (for the name ’’Maui’’ was by no means an uncommon one) have been grouped together by mythology, under the name of one outstanding Maui. As god or man, in weakness or in might, Maui 'occupies the same high place in Polynesian mythology. His miracles are legion and his influence is great. And among the Maoris, as much as with any other branch of the Polynesian race, his stature in the realm of radition is unchallenged.