58 Transactions. — Miscellaneous. 



Na (nga) morehu, ma te kai e patu — e 

 Ko te paku kai ra mau, E Te Arawa — E ! 



Hai ! Tukua ! 

 E ki atu ana Karanama, e noho ki tamaiti nei — e 

 Takiri ana mai te upoko o te toa — e 



Hai ! Tukua ! 



Koro Mokena, huri mai ki te Kuini— e 

 Koi rawerawe ana ou mea kanu kaka — e 



Hai! Tukua! 



Na Tamehana ano tona whenua i utu 

 Ki te maramara taro — e 

 Waiho te raru ki to wataine — e 



Hai! Tukua! 



At the word " Tukua " all the tops are set spinning. When 

 the tops fall then another verse is commenced, and the tops 

 are wound up again ready for the next signal- word. 



Kites. 



Kite-flying was a favourite amusement in the days of old, 

 but, like most other old-time amusements of the Maori, has 

 long been abandoned. Kites were termed " maim," the same 

 word meaning " bird," and were made to resemble a bird in 

 form, with long outstretched wings. The best kites were 

 made of the bark of the aute shrub, or paper-mulberry. In- 

 ferior ones were made of upoko-tangata, a coarse sedge or 

 swamp-grass, or of the leaves of the raupo, a bulrush. 

 These kites were very neatly made, the material being 

 fastened to a light frame. Long tails or streamers, termed 

 " puhihi," were suspended from the wings (paihau) and tail 

 (ivaero) of the kite. Kites made of raupo do not rise well, 

 but sag from side to side. Sometimes shells were attached 

 to the kites, and when flying, should the cord be held, the 

 oscillation would cause the shells to rattle in a manner pre- 

 sumably pleasant to the Maori ear. Shells of the kakahi, 

 or fresh-water mussel, were used for this purpose, evidently 

 on account of their lightness. Adults used to indulge in 

 kite-flying. The kites of children were generally the inferior 

 ones made of raupo. 



" In the days of old our people would weave kites, and the 

 wings and body thereof would be covered with aute, hence 

 the name ' manu aute.' Horns or points would be fastened 

 to the head of the kite. The cord would be secured by which 

 the kite is let out. When the wind rose the people would go 

 a kite-flying (ivhakaangi manu), and many would gather to 

 look on. An expert person would be selected to cast off the 

 kite that it might rise, and, if a large kite, he would have to 

 be careful lest the thing swoop down and he be struck by the 

 points thereof. When the kite rose it would soar away like 

 a bird, and the cord w r ould be paid out as it ascended. Then 

 the karakia would be repeated. 



