Best. — O71 Maori Origins. 297 



to their being taken." Then Eongo retired, and in doing so 

 managed to secure some of the kumara by stealtli, which 

 same he brought back to Mataora with him. Such was the 

 origin of theft. 



The foregoing is an interesting legend when studied in its 

 entirety. According to the old-time Maori it was Whanui 

 (Vega) which gave unto them the kumara (sweet potato). 

 When Whanui first appeared in the east the wise men pro- 

 nounced the kumara-cro'p as ready to be taken up. It is 

 possible that the Polynesians first obtained the kumara from 

 South America, in which direction Whanui rises. 



Oeigin of War. 



The real origin of war was the quarrel between the sons 

 of Eangi and Papa, when Tane, Tu, Tangaroa, and Tawhiri- 

 matea strove against each other on account of the cultivation 

 known as Pohutukawa, which, according to the aged Hamiora 

 Pio, of Ngati-awa, meant the world. The offspring of Earth 

 and Sky were struggling for possession of the fair earth. 

 Kongo was the peace-maker. Had man but followed the 

 advice of Eongo then would war have been an unknown 

 quantity in this world, and all would have followed the arts of 

 peace. Eongo was the origin of cultivation and of cultivated 

 food-products. Pani gave birth to the kumara and made it 

 known to mankind, but it existed before that time in far- 

 . distant lands. 



I take it that Eongo was the mythological origin of the 

 kumara, but that the Pani and Eongo-maui legend is a dis- 

 torted account of the obtaining of the kumara from the east, 

 and, as Whanui rises in that quarter, it came to be said that 

 Eongo-maui had visited Whanui in order to obtain the valued 

 food-product. 



The quarrel of the sons of Earth and Sky is said by some 

 to have arisen over the house known as Te Tatau-o-rangiriri. 

 But Eongo and loio-whenua and Putehue were averse to war, 

 and so migrated to Whitiwhiti-ora. But the fierce struggle 

 between Tane (origin or tutelary deity of trees and birds) and 

 Tangaroa (Neptune) was most bitter. Myriads were slain on 

 either side. Tane destroyed the offspring of Tangaroa by 

 means of net and hook. The tribes of Tane fell before the 

 snares of Tangaroa. And, yet more dreadful, each ate of 

 the other's dead. Such was the origin of cannibalism. So 

 war raged across the earth, and many troubles afflicted man- 

 kind. 



The origin of revenge was the act of Tawhaki, who ascended 

 to the heavens in order to enlist the services of the hosts of 

 the skies to aid him in avenging the death of his parent Tako- 

 tako, who had been slain by the tribes known as Te Papaka- 



