42 Transactions. — Miscellaneous. 



Homai aku kura 



Naku ano aku Komihana i tiki 



Ki te puna o Poneke heri mai ai 



Titiro ki raro ! titiro ki runga ! 



Titiro kia Matariki ! 



Titiro ! Titiro ! Titiro ! 



The Poi. 



The poi may be said to be allied to the haka, and is so 

 styled by the natives. The poi dance (so termed) is performed 

 by females. Each performer has a small, light ball made of 

 leaves of the raupo tightly rolled, and having a string attached 

 to it. In times past these poi balls were ornamented by at- 

 taching the long hair from the tail of the Maori dog, now 

 extinct. The players hold the string, and, timing each move- 

 ment to the poi song (rangi poi), twirl the light balls in many 

 directions — now in front of the body, now over the right 

 shoulder, then the left, &c. The players stand in ranks while 

 performing. One of these time songs commences thus : — 



Kia rite ! kia rite ! kia rite ! 

 Kokiri kai waho, &c. 



Here the words " kia rite " mean " keep time," and the players 

 take their time from the words, the movement of the ball 

 changing at the second line. This game has been revived of 

 late years, and was one of the attractions of the Maori meet- 

 ing at Eotorua at the time of the visit of our Eoyal guests in 

 June, 1901. We give below some of the old poi time songs 

 as sung or chaunted during the game. 



The following was used both as a- rangi poi and as an 

 oriori, or lullaby. It was composed by one Hine-i-turama to 

 sing to her child, which same child was in the form of a stone, 

 and which that estimable woman used to nurse and sing to 

 — a by no means uncommon thing among childless native 

 women. It reminds one of the Dutch sooterkin : — 



E noho ana ano 1 tona taumata i Tihei 



B papaki kau ana te paihau o te nianu 



Kei tata mai ki taku taha 



E poi ana te tara i raro 



Kia riro mai taku ipu kai ra 



Ko Te Heuheu, i whakatapua ki te aha te hau tapa 



Tikapo au anake e kai nei 1 te roro o Takeke 



Kai atu, whakairihia ki te patanga (pataka) 



Kai atu patanga, ko te kai ra i korongatia 



Te ngakau ko Tukino 



Kia utaina ki te tiwai, e hoe au ki tawhiti 



Ki au, i tauhou au ko Whakaari 



Ki te puke tapuku Paepae-o-Aotea 



Kia takahia atu te moana o Kupe 



Ki Whanga-ra ko Matioro 



Ka toi au ki Hawaiki, ki te kai ra i rauri (rari) noa mai 



Te raweketia e te ringan'nga 



Me whakatangi te korowhiti ki Tauri-toatoa, 



