458 Transactions. 



pared for visitors, such, food would be first offered to liim, as a matter of 

 form, although he would not accept it. Such food would then be handed 

 over to the visitors. The people of Maunga-pohatu are the only Natives 

 hereabout that still keep up this old custom. 



In some cases people might have a right given them to take game on 

 certain lands without that right giving them any mana over the lands. 

 Sometimes a person (or persons) would be given the use of a certain snaring 

 tree or trees, or of a rat-run, when he had no right to the land. Descendants 

 of such persons are sometimes given shares in such lands when they are 

 put through the Native Land Court, but this course would be optional wath 

 the owners. (My informant might have added to the above that such 

 descendants often try to establish a claim to such lands in the Native Land 

 Court on the grounds that their ancestors were owners in the block.) 



All children, including those of polygamous or slave wives, had rights 

 to their parents' lands. The father would apportion his fishing -rights, 

 bird trees or troughs, wai tuhi, wai tahei, rat-runs, &c., among his children, 

 a forest ridge to one, three or four snaring-trees to another, some pigeon- 

 troughs to another, and so on. His fishing-rights and rat-preserves would 

 be divided among his children in a similar manner. The first-born son 

 often received the largest share, as he possessed the greatest amount of 

 mana over the land — that is, in most cases, but not always so. Mana 

 over land depended much upon the individual, it was a variable quantity : 

 '' Ka rerere nga mana.'''' For instance, an eldest son might be a famous 

 warrior and spend much of his time in fighting tribal enemies, and be con- 

 tent with his mana as a warrior, having little to say in matters pertaining 

 to land : " Ko tona toa he whenua mona.^^ His fame as a fighter would be 

 his land. In such a case, those of his younger brothers who became adept 

 at fowling, trapping, and cultivating would have greater mana over the 

 family lands, even though they be children of a polygamous wife. 



The apportionment of bird-preserves, &c., sometimes led to disputes, 

 but the most important thing for the apportioner to do was to publicly 

 announce his decision and arrangements to the village community or sub- 

 tribe. For this was the Gazette notice of the Maori of yore, a custom that 

 yet obtains here. 



You will thus observe that a person could only take game on land be- 

 longing to his family. He could not trespass for such a purpose on the 

 lands of another family group or subclan. When Te Uoro came from 

 Whakatane to Rua-tahuna and asked permission of Maro to take game 

 in those parts, he was denied. Moving on to Kaka-nui, he was allowed by 

 a forebear of Paerau to trap game on the lands extending from 0-hira-moko 

 to the Huia-rau range. While exploring the summit of Huia-rau one fair 

 morn he met Puke-hore, of Ngati-Ruapani, the people of Wai-kare Moana. 

 These two discoursed a while, and Te Uoro hung his weapon on a tree hard 

 by ; hence that spot has since been known as Te Whakairinga — or, in full, 

 Te Whakairinga o te Patu a Te Uoro, which is quite a name. Te Uoro 

 went with his new acquaintance to his home on the shores of the Sea of 

 Wai-kare, where, in days that followed, he married his host's daughter Te 

 Amohanga. Their descendants are yet in camp near unto the Great Kuri 

 of Meko. 



When trouble arose at Turanga anent the slaying of Tupurupuru, Kahu- 

 tapere and some of his people were compelled to abandon their homes and 

 seek new ones. A priestly adept of the party, who was a tuku matatuhi, 

 or seer, said, " Let us fare northward. I have beheld a vision of a fair land 



