Best. — On Maori Games. 55 



A Tatai Whetu. 

 Katahi ti, ka rua ti, ka hara mai, te pati tore, 

 Ka rauna, ka rauna, ka noho, te kiwikiwi 

 He po, he wai takitaki, no pi, no pa, 

 Ka huia, mai, kai ana, te whetu, 

 Kai ana, te marama, 



Ko te tio, e rere, ra runga, ra te pekapeka, kotore, 

 Wiwi, wawa, heke, heke, 

 Te manu, ki o, tau, tihe. 



Outdoor Games. 

 Not but what the foregoing games, &c, were not played 

 out-of-doors, but what we propose to deal with now are the 

 special outdoor games, &c. 



Wi. 

 This is similar to one of our own boys' games. A circle, 

 known as the " wi," is formed on the ground, and the players 

 stand round it. The base or wi keeper then recites the 

 following tatau tangata in the jerky manner and with the 

 same actions as described above : — 



Pika, pika, pere rika, 



Papa rangi, 



He, hi, rate, mai, 



Hau, haunga, te, hati, mai, putu, 



Piki, piki. 



On repeating the last word of the above the child at whom 

 the reciter's finger then points drops out, and so on until but 

 one is left, who then becomes base-keeper. The children 

 then endeavour to enter the wi, or base, without being touched 

 by the base-keeper, whose business it is to defend it. Should 

 any be touched before entering the wi they must then assist 

 the base-keeper in defending it. Those who succeed in 

 entering the circle without being touched are said to have 

 won. A base-keeper will sometimes pursue players in order 

 to tag them. The term " piro " is applied to those who enter 

 the base untouched (kua piro amea). 



Tops. 



The ancient Maori tops were of two kinds — the potaka ta, 

 or whip-top, and the potaka takiri, or humming-top. As 

 already stated, the top is said to have been invented by Maui. 



The whip-top was similar to that used by us in the days 

 of our youth, and was whipped in the same manner, the whip 

 being made from the fibre of the native flax. These tops had 

 sometimes small pieces of sea-shell* inserted, countersunk in 

 the wood, which shells would, of course, form apparent circles 



* Either a white shell or the shell of the pdua (Haliotis, mother of 

 pear), the abalone of the Californian coast) was used. The whip was 

 termed a " kare." 



