Best. — On Maori Origins. 295 



said by some to have been born of Eangi and Papa, by others 

 to ha,ve been the offspring of Tane and Hine-rauamoa. An- 

 other child of Tane was Hine-te-iwaiwa, who was the origin of 

 the art of weaving, and is patroness and tutelary deity of the 

 "Whare Pora, or weaving-house. She is also invoked in matters 

 connected with childbirth. 



Another wondrous being of the misty past was Euaumoko. 

 He is the origin or cause of earthquakes and the change of 

 seasons. When the descendants of the Sky and of Mother 

 Earth quarrelled and were separated and dispersed, then 

 Euaumoko was sent below to the under world, where he still 

 is. When he turns over, that is the origiia of earthquakes, 

 and he changes the seasons by jiuraing the warmth or cold 

 uppermost. Should a Maori feel an earthquake, say towards 

 the close of winter, he will say, " The warmth has been 

 turned uppermost ; warm weather is coming." 



Origin of Death. 



Maui, the demi-god, and Hine-nui-te-Po, Goddess of 

 Hades or the under world, strove together as to whether 

 death should be allowed to assail mankind. Maui held that 

 man should but die as the moon dies — that is, that when his 

 strength and faculties waned he should return to youth and 

 vigour by bathing in the life-giving waters of Tane. But 

 Hine said, "Not so. Let life be short for man and death 

 eternal, that he may be wailed over and lamented." And 

 Maui heard that Hine was slaying mankind by means of her 

 dread arts, and as she slew men (through the wizards of old) 

 this was the invocation heard : — 



Ka kukuti 



Ka kukuti nga puapua o Hine-nui-te-Po 



Ka whai toremi. 



Then the thought came to Maui that he would gain eternal 

 life for man. He would descend to the realm of Hine and 

 endeavour to wrest from her this great prize for man ; for so 

 should his name go ringing down the ages. He would enter 

 the body of the dread goddess and obtain her ngakau. So 

 should man retain life and know not death. 



The word "ngakau" means the entrails, but also is used for 

 the seat of affection and of pain. Thought proceeds from the 

 ngakau. To the old-time Maori the emotions were seated in 

 the ngakau, or ate (liver), or 2)uku (stomach), and to a certain 

 extent in the manawa (heart), as observed in the expression 

 manaiva ivera, seared, or, rather, inflamed, heart, used to de- 

 note anger or indignation. Some authorities state that it was 

 the manaiva (heart) of Hine which Maui strove to possess him- 

 self of. Manawa is the material heart, or the breath. The 



