PROVERBIAL AND POPULAR SAYINGS OF THE MAORI NGA WHAKATAUAKI ME NGA PEPEHA A TE MAORI Na H. T. M. WIKIRIWHI E tukua atu ana enei korero a nga tipuna ki te ropu rangatahi e kokuhu nei tena tena i te ururuatanga o te Ao Pakeha. Na Kawana Hori Kerei i kohikohi haere enei pitopito korero i runga i tona manawapa kei ngaro te reo Maori, na mei kore hoki e whakakoa i te ngakau o nga whakatipuranga o muri nei. Ko te tohungatanga tenei o te reo o nga tipuna, haere tahi ai te korero me te whakamarama, ara, ka pepeha te tangata e tika ana ra me hoatu ano te pane me te hiku o te korero. E penei ana te hoatu i nga mea nei, engari ko etahi o nga whakamarama kua ngaro, no reira ka inoi atu ki nga iwi ina ka mohio mai koutou ki te tikanga o te pepeha o te whakatauaki ranei, kia tukuna mai nga whakamarama ki te Etita o Te Ao Hou. Tena koutou, ina ra te wahanga tuatahi o nga taonga nei:— 1 Engari tena, te tutanga te unuhia. Tera tetahi kaumatua me tana tamahine, he wahine puhi, he ataahua hoki, he kotiro ngahau. Ka mea atu te matua ki a ia, “E hine to tane ko mea, kia kai ai taua i te kumara.” Ka rongo atu te kotiro ra i te matua e penei ana, ka kata ti hoihoi ka mea atu ia, “E koro, ki tau whenua rangatira ra pea.” Ka mea atu ano te matua ki a ia. “Na, to tane ko mea, kia kai ai taua i te tuna.” Heoi ano, kati rawa atu te kotiro ra ki te kata, ka mea atu ki te matua, “E koro, ki tau waipuke ra pea ia.” Ka mea atu ano te matua, “Na to tane ko mea, kia kai ai taua i te ika.” No konei ka takoto rawa te kotiro ki raro, kata ai, ki nga kupu atu a te matua ki a ia, ka mea, “E koro, ki tau marino.” Ka mea atu ano te matua ki a ia, “Na, to tane ko mea, kia kai ai taua i te roi.” Heoi ano, katahi ka maranga mai ki runga, ka mea atu te kotiro ki te matua, “Ae, engari tena, te tutanga, te unuhia.” These sayings of our ancestors are written here for Maori youth that is attuning itself to the pakeha way of life. It was Governor Sir George Grey who collected these fragments in his zeal to preserve the language, with the hope that later generations might find pleasure in turning to them. They constitute the gems of our literature, and should be rewritten with all explanations, remembering it was customary to give a statement with its body, head and tail complete. This is how these are presented, although, inevitably some explanations are lost, and should some of you who read these notes know something about these sayings, please write to the Editor, Te Ao Hou. Greetings. Here then is the first instalment of these treasures. 1 Ah, that's better for there will be no intervals between our supplies of food, during which we should have nothing to eat. There once lived a man and his daughter, who was a puhi, very beautiful and fond of fun. The father one day said to her, “My dear, let me suggest so and so as your husband, we'll then get plenty kumara.” When the maiden heard this, she laughed gaily and said, “Oh, dad, when the land is at peace.” The father then suggested another: “Then we shall have plenty of eels.” But the girl laughed even more, and said, “Dad, will the floods be always with us?” The father then said, “Let so and so be your husband, then we shall have fish in plenty.” On hearing this his daughter rolled on the ground chuckling with delight, and said to her father, “When the seas are calm, daddy.” So finally the father said, “Let so and so be your husband, and then we shall have plenty of fern-root.” On hearing this she stood up and said to her father, “Yes, indeed, that's better, for then there will be no intervals between our supplies of food, during which we shall have nothing to eat.”