Best. — Maori Forest Lore. 247 



The following account of the rites pertaining to tree-felling 

 was given by Tutakangahau, of Maunga-pohatu, a direct descend- 

 ant of the Children of the Mist, and our last old warlock and 

 man of knowledge among Tuhoe : — 



" These remarks concern certain works performed by the 

 hands of man. A person desires to make a clearing in the 

 forest, or to fell a tree for a canoe, or for house timbers, or 

 for some other purpose. In the early morn he goes to the 

 forest. He makes a certain contrivance, the semblance of an 

 axe. He takes a small branch, and fastens to one end thereof 

 a leaf (a leaf to represent blade of axe is secured to end of a 

 stick). He then prepares for his task, girding himself by donning 

 a belt, at the same time repeating — 



Kai te kiahia (a wishing) 

 Kai te koronga (a desiring) 

 Kai a Tane (for Tane). 



He then grasps his toy axe, and strikes the trunk of the tree 



that he desires to fell with the leaf — although, of course (as Tu 



quaintly puts it), no chips will fly with such an axe. Then he 



recites the following charm : — 



He ao pukapuka 

 He ao mahamaha 

 He toki henahena 

 He toki ta wahie 

 Ka pa ki tua 

 Ka pa ki wako 

 Ka pa ki a Tane. 



He then takes up the real axe and strikes therewith the tree. 

 When the first chip flies off he ceases to chop, picks up the chip 

 and carries it away, leaving his companion to continue the 

 chopping at the tree. The man goes off with his wooden chip 

 into the forest. At length he stops, and listens. If he hears 

 the sound of the axe beating on the tree-trunk he again goes on, 

 then stops again to listen. When he can no longer hear the 

 sound of the axe he halts and kindles a fire, which is known 

 as the ahi tumuwhenua (tumuwhenua fire). This fire is kindled 

 by the friction process. When the fire burns up he places the 

 chip in it and repeats the following karakia (charm, spell, in- 

 vocation) : — 



Hika ra taku ahi 



E tumutunm whenua 



E aneane whenua 



E raro tiimi, e raro take 



E Hawaiki 



Ka hika ki te ihi o Tane 



Ka hika ki te mana o Tane 



Noho mai i tua na 



E tapu ana Tane 



E niaota ko te rangi o Hawaiki — e. 



