Best. — On Maori Magic. 71 



The ancient inhabitants of New Zealand are credited with 

 having possessed the power of magic, as the story of Tama-o- 

 hoi will show. This gentleman is also known as Te Mahoi- 

 hoi, and is said to have been a past-master in magic —those 

 forms of magic dangerous to life. 



That strange person Tama-o-hoi was of the ancient 

 people of this land. He was a descendant of Maui. His 

 descendants are among the Maori people, and also the fairies 

 w T ho dwell upon the great ranges. Tama-o-hoi lived at Te 

 Eoto-iti, but his dwelliug-place was underground. 



There are three legends anent the feats of Tama-o-hoi or 

 Te Mahoihoi : One occurred in the far-back period when 

 mountains were gifted with the faculties of speech, locomo- 

 tion, &c. ; another just after the arrival of the canoe " Te 

 Paepae-o-Earotonga " from Hawaiki ; and the third when 

 " Te Arawa " canoe arrived. 



In regard to the two names applied to our wizard, it is 

 probable that Te Mahoihoi is the more correct, for this reason : 

 This ancient personage is spoken of as an atua, or demon — 

 a being possessed of supernatural powers. Now, in the 

 Paumotu dialect "mahoi" meaus "a spirit"; in Tahitian 

 " mahoi " means " the essence or soul of a god." Among the 

 New Zealand branch of the Polynesian race Te Tini-o-te- 

 mahoihoi is a name applied to an apparently mythical people 

 — spirits, elves, or fairies similar to Te Tini-o-te-hakuturi 

 and Te Heketoro. Therefore Te' Mahoihoi is probably cor- 

 rect. 



In the days of yore the mountains grouped around Taupo 

 Lake were very numerous. They lived together amicably for 

 some time, but when Tongariro took unto himself two wives — 

 Pihanga and Ngauruhoe (two mountains) — then dissensions 

 arose, and the mountain family broke up, many leaving the 

 district. Taranaki went to the west, and some went east, 

 including Whakaari (White Island), Paepae-aotea (an islet off 

 White Island), Mou-tohara (off Whakatane), Putauaki (Mount 

 Edgecumbe), and Kakara-mea (Eainbow Hill, at Wai-o-tapu). 

 Putauaki had two wives, Whatiura and Pohatu-roa (latter at 

 Atiamuri) . 



Now, Eua-wahia (mountain) was coming along all the 

 time. And there was a certain demon coming from the east. 

 That demon was Te Mahoihoi. He was the person who had 

 great knowledge of magic. The two met and quarrelled. 

 Eua-wahia struck at Te Mahoihoi, who warded off the blow 

 and struck back so stoutly that Eua-wahia was cleft in twain, 

 as may be seen to this day. Look at Tarawera. Look at 

 Euawahia. 



Such is the earliest feat of Te Mahoihoi on record. The 

 name Tama-o-hoi we will drop. It appears to be used by the 



