White. — On the Ceremony of Rahui. 357 



■occupied the Chathams ; this name in Moriori is figurative for 

 land, as Rongo-mai-tere is for ocean). Then from this time 

 the race of man grew until the time of Marupuku and Rongo- 

 papa, the name of whose race was Te Hamata. This was the 

 people who dwelt in the island before the arrival of the canoes 

 " Rangi-mata" and others. These people were Hiti (= Whiti), 

 or ancient ones and giants. Their bones lay at Te Awa-patiki, 

 but were swept to sea by the breaking-out of the lagoon 

 (tvhmiga). 



Now, suppose Rongo - mai - whenua to mean "report 

 brought thither of the land " (Chathams) ; and Rongo-mai- 

 tere, "report brought thither by swimming or floating"; 

 then there arrived at Chathams Hiti, " the ancient people, 

 the first known inhabitants." These people (Hiti) occupied 

 the land for many generations, when came the celebrated 

 voyager Kahu from Ao-tea (North Island of New Zealand) in 

 the canoe (or by figurative expression) named Manu-kau- 

 moana, " a buxl swims the ocean." This bird may be either 

 Kahu himself or refer to his canoe. He came, we are told by 

 Mr. Shand, in the time of Kahu-ti, " garment of Ti." 



Probably Kahu-ti = Kahu-tia, which may mean " Kahu 

 comes"; or can it be the man known in Maori pedigree as 

 Kahu-tia-te-rangi ? Or might it be Paikea, said to have been 

 shipwrecked at Mercury Island? The Chatham Island pedi- 

 gree gives No. 83, Manu-kau-moana ; No. 84, Kahu-ti ; 

 No. 85, Tatitiri ; No. 86, Ko-rongo. We may read the two 

 latter names thus : The newly arrived Kahu, in order to enforce 

 his claim to certain lands, sets up a rahui (Ta-titi-ri). After 

 various disputes, etc., with the original occupiers of the laud 

 (Ko-rongo) peace is made. 



Kahu, the navigator, sa,ils for Ao-tea (New Zealand) and 

 Hawaiki, not being pleased with the climatic and other dis- 

 abilities of the Chathams, a place where the kutnara would 

 not grow. We may ask, How did the Moriori know the 

 ultimate result of Kahu's return, and was he Paikea who 

 when shipwrecked was carried ashore ■ at Ahuahu, Great 

 Mercury Island, east coast of the North Island of New 

 Zealand, on the back of a sea-monster ? Mr. Shand also 

 says, speaking of the first inhabitants of the Chathams, 

 " the name of whose race was Te Hamata." This word 

 might mean the people of the Flint age — those who had 

 no worked stone implements, but used chips of obsidian as 

 cutting implements. 



The following communication has been kindly sent to me 

 by Mr. Elsdon Best : — 



Deab Sir, — Te Whaiti, Tuhoe Land, 14th January, 1897. 



Re rahui : The body of the man sacrificed for this would be buried 

 at the base of the ;pou rahui, and would be termed a " whatit." In other 



