102 Transactions. — Miscellaneous. 



He Waiata. — Na Hara, Mono, i korerotia ki te matapiko ki te kai (a 

 Song, by Hara, who was accused of Iuhospitality). 



E whae E ! 



Kaore e kitea e au te mata mau 



Kati ano ki ahau ko te korero 



Ko te waba tarera ka rua 



Takiri rnai koia ko te ata 



Na runga mai o uga puke ra 



He aha te kai mau ra tia e au 



He uhi, he taro, 



Ka taka te piko o te whakairo 



Ko te kai ouarnata he hinu ra, 



He mimiha, he pakake ra 



Ko te kai a te tipua, he wai ravia 



He nanua pounamu kai te moaua ra. 



To be accused of meanness as to food is quite a serious 

 affair to the Maori. The above song was composed in the 

 early part of last century, when Europeans were termed tipua, 

 or demons, and rum was supposed to be an important part of 

 their food-supply. 



The following song was composed by one Parepare, who 

 was accused of secretly eating the stored foods of the vil- 

 lage :— 



He aha kai taku ihu 



He whiti taniaki uei au pea — e 



Mauria atu ano 



Engari kia ata pakia atu 



Ko Herapeka ko te ki mai 



Ki te kaia, ki te turnatarau 



Te kai hunahuna 



Te kai whai ki to ringa 



Kaore mai mua i nga pakeke 



Katahi nei ka pakia e koe 



Ki muri nei 



Ma te hauauru, mana e hari atu 



Ka whakarangona atu Erueti i waho ra 



Ki aku rongo kai kino 



Tenei kai ahau hai paki ware 



Ma Ngati-Tahu — e-i-e 



Kauaka hai tupou kia haramai ki runga ra. 



The Maori mind was ever richly stored with ideas of a 

 metaphysical nature ; it teemed with personifications and 

 metaphor. His language abounded in emblematical expres- 

 sions and quaint Old-World conceits. Hence we always see 

 in the primitive myths of the Maori a desire to locate the 

 causality of things, to explain the origin of matter. In 

 regard to food, we have seen that the origins of the gourd and 

 fern-root have been personified, as the kumara, or sweet 

 potato, is represented by Kongo and Pani. In like manner 

 these natives have a generic personification for food in Tahu, 

 who is said to be the parent or origin of food. By some tribes 

 Tahu is said to have been a brother of Kongo. Tahu emblem- 

 ises good. A common saying among Tuhoe is, " Kaua e takahi 



