Best. — Food Products of Tuhoeland. 109 



To which the villagers reply : — 



Kaore au e tae atu 

 Kaore aku paremata 

 E haere atu ai au. 



Turanga hapa : When people are busy preparing food for 

 visitors, should any person or persons absent themselves from 

 the task that is termed a turanga hapa. " Au mahi a te 

 turanga hapa I" is a belittling expression applied to such 

 people. 



Inati and tichanga : Terms applied to small lots of food, 

 as the portion for a single person. The expressions tahua 

 and tahuaroa are applied only to large lots, as the long heaps 

 at a hakari. 



The plumes of the kotuku (white crane) were highly prized 

 by the natives. These birds used formerly to breed, it is 

 said, at a lagoon or pond at Manuoha. The plumes were 

 tapu, however, and if a man wearing the same be eating no 

 woman may join in the meal unless the wearer of the plumes 

 takes them off and lays them aside. Were a woman to per- 

 sist in joining in the meal her hair would all come out and 

 leave her hairless. 



Matariki (the Pleiades) was depended upon by the Maori 

 for the signs of the coming season as to whether food-supplies 

 would be plentiful or not. If the stars of Matariki appear 

 wide apart, then a warm, plentiful season follows ; if they 

 appear close together, a cold, foodless season follows. 



Rehua (? Antares) has two wives. One is Euuhi, also known 

 as Peke-hawani (? Spica, in Virgo), the star which marks the 

 eighth month of the Maori year When Rehua goes to live 

 with Ruuhi the latter places her feet upon the earth, the left 

 foot first, and then the fruits of earth are formed. When 

 Rehua marries his other wife, termed Whakaonge-kai (a star), 

 then summer is upon us. This latter female is a destroyer of 

 food; food becomes scarce (among a forest-dwelling people), 

 whereas Ruuhi provides food for man. When man becomes 

 listless, enervated, it is said that he is assailed by Rehua — that 

 is to say, by Whakaonge-kai— and the heat of the sun. 



Heoi ! The list of the foods of the bushmen of Tuhoeland 

 is now completed, or so far as my notes extend. Albeit thev 

 may not be complete, yet has it cost much time to collect 

 them — much time and a great patience, long evenings in 

 conversation with the older generation of natives, many 

 tramps through the realm of Tane, long talks by ruddy camp- 

 fires ; and primitive man marvels greatly, and says, "What 

 does this white man want to know these things for ? What 

 is he going to do ? Is he mad ? " 



It may seem that I have given many trivial details in this 

 paper, but 1 have been led to do so by a strong desire on my 



