White. — On the FligJit of the Maru-iwi. 363 



Art. XLIII. — Tlic fleeing Maru-iwi toalk over Glenshea Cliff 



at Night. 



By Taylor White. 



[Read before the Haiuke's Bay Pliilosophical Institute.'] 



We of the present time should endeavour to the utmost of our 

 abihty to collect and place on record such fragments of the 

 ancient history of New Zealand as may come within our 

 reach, more especially those portions which relate to the life- 

 history of those people who inhabited this land before the 

 arrival of the Maori in the " Arawa " and " Tainui " canoes, 

 and others of that date. In this paper I propose to add a 

 supplement or small addition to a well-written article by 

 Mr. Elsdon Best, of Eotorua, which is here copied from the 

 pamphlet entitled " In Ancient Maori Land," page 37. 



" Maru-iwi : Te Heke a Maru-iwi ki te Po " (" The Descent 

 of Maru-iwi to the Shades "), by Elsdon Best. 



" The Maru-iwi were one of the aboriginal tribes of New 

 Zealand, and originally occupied the valley of the Wai-mana 

 Eiver, where they had many a fortified pa, the principal one 

 being Ma-pou-riki. The whole land was occupied by the 

 tribes of the tangata whemia [men of the country — T.W.] , 

 whose ancestors held these lands long before the historical 

 vessels came from the Hawaikian Fatherland, which lies far 

 away, across the great Ocean of Kiwa. When the ancestors 

 of the present Maori people became numerous in Ao-tea-roa 

 [New Zealand] , then wars arose between the two races, and 

 many battles took place, and the long peace of the Great 

 White World was broken at last. Then was known the evil 

 which comes with war and strife. The clash of arms was 

 heard in the old-time homes of Te-tini-o-toi [the descendants 

 of Toi — T.W.] , the sound of the war-trumpets [pio-tara — 

 T.W.] echoed far and wide, the rivers and lands of the 

 descendants of Maui were stained with the blood of Maru-iwi 

 and Te Maranga-ranga, of Te Po-kiki and Te Po-kaka. 



" Maru-ka was a chief of Te Maru-iwi [i'wi = tribe — T.W.] . 

 He and Koira, of Ngati-awa [ngati = descendants of : these 

 were a Maori people — T.W.] , had a long argument concerning 

 the kumara [sweet potato — T.W.] of Rehua and of Wha-nui. 

 They came to high words, and Maru-ka struck Koira on the 

 face. Then was Koira dark in his heart, and he went forth 

 and sought his tupuna [ancestor — T.W.J Eakei-ao. A man 

 of great knowledge was Rakei-ao, versed in the sacred lore of 

 his race, and a tohunga [priest or learned man — T.W.] of 



