Best. — On Maori Games. 37 



ara. The wise men (tohunga) of that vessel were Takataka- 

 putea and Marere-o-tonga." Again, at page 7 is the following : 

 " Uenuku asked, '0, Whena ! Where are our children?' 

 And Whena replied. 'They are allured by pleasure (rehia). 

 They are enjoying the arts of their ancestors, of Takataka- 

 putea and Marere-o-tonga.' ' In Shortland's " Maori Ee- 

 ligion," page 17, these two are said to be twins, and the off- 

 spring of Papa-tuanuku, or Mother Earth. 



Takataka-putea is the name of one of the nights of the 

 moon, either the last or one of the last. When the moon 

 dies then the wise men say, " Takataka-putea is in the hole 

 (abyss or space) rolling about." 



The following fragment of mythological lore, preserved by 

 Ngati-awa, places this pair far back in the night of time : 

 " When Kongo was defeated by Tu-mata-uenga he went to 

 the whare patahi, to Marere-o-tonga and Timu-whakairia, to 

 fetch the ivananga to seek for peace. The ivananga brought 

 to this land (New Zealand) was the wananga of witchcraft. 

 It was brought on Takitumu." The whare patahi appears to 

 have been some sacred place or receptacle for sacred things. 

 " Wananga is a difficult word to define the meaning of. 

 Meanings thereof given to me are — (1) A priest or seer; 

 (2) a receptacle for sacred things ; (3) a medium, as of a 

 god ; (4) (as a verb) to recite, as a genealogy, or declaim, as 

 in reviling a person. In Paumotuan "vananga" means "to 

 warn by advice, counsel ; to discourse." Hawaiian wanana, 

 "to prophesy." In Mangarevan vananga is "a herald, an 

 orator, a prayer"; as a verb, "to name again and again," 

 &c. ; while etua-vananga means "a war-chief." Wanawana 

 in Maori (New Zealand) means "spines, bristles, rays," &c. 



The whare patahi was probably some form of primitive 

 temple or repository, material or imaginary. Possibly it may 

 have been the ancient prototype of the whata puaroa. The 

 following fragment seems to denote that it was a sort of 

 temple of peace, or talisman : — 



Te whare patahi 

 E hui te rongo, 

 E hui te rongo, 

 E puta mai ki waho. 



The following song was sung when peace was desired or 

 about to be cemented. Tuhoe say that it was composed by 

 Te Turuki (Te Kooti of infamous memory), but it bears an 

 ancient impress : — 



E mahi ana ano a Tu raua ko Rongo 

 I ta raua mara, koia Pohutukawa 

 Ka patua tenei, koia moenga kura 

 Ka patua tetahi, koia moenga toto 

 Na raua ano ka he i te rir 



