Best. — Maori Forest Lore. 469 



and a kahika bush which shall be a home for us." Even so they came to 

 Ka-pu-te-rangi, at Whakatane. Tai-whakaea was the chief man of that 

 place. He was of Ngati-awa. He gave the migrants some flax wherefrom 

 to fashion nets for the taking of fish. They said that they did not under- 

 stand such work. Then the seer asked, " Whose is that land yonder on 

 which the kahika wood stands ? " The chief replied, '" If you mean that 

 as your home, then your home shall it be." The seer remarked, " In a 

 vision I beheld that wood, and knew it as a home for the migrants." 

 That wood was at Wai-o-hou, and there those people settled. 

 But enough of these anecdotes : let us to — 



Bird-spears. 



There were two forms of bird-spears used by the Tuhoe people. The 

 lao kaihua or tao roa was a long spear, 25 ft. to 30 ft. in length. This spear 

 was used only for the period of the rarangitahi, when birds were speared on 

 large forest-trees having widespread branches. 



A shorter spear, termed a maiere, was about 18 ft. long. This was used 

 throughout the season, but was more adapted for use on the smaller trees, 

 and was employed to take birds with on trees as small as the mako and 

 even the poporo shrub. 



These spears were made from the tawa tree, and were carefully preserved, 

 being handed down from parents to children. Many received special names. 

 Two long tao kaihua so preserved by Ngati-kuri of Rua-tahuna were named 

 Owha and Koamai-tupeka. These two spears were a great length. I 

 came across them in the forest at Rahitiroa about 1898. They were hang- 

 ing from a tree-branch. On trying to purchase them some time later, I 

 found that they had been destroyed by children. I was not allowed to slay 

 those children. 



The shorter spears were often used for taking the smaller birds, as the 

 koko, bell-bird, &c., while the long spear was used for pigeons. The long 

 spears were not all of the same length, neither were the maiere. The length 

 of a spear would be decided by the state of the balk of timber out of which 

 it was hewed. A tawa tree might be felled that showed a clean trunk 

 ■externally of 30 ft. or 35 ft., or possibly even longer. This trunk would 

 be spUt down through the middle by means of wedges and beetle. 

 The half showing the cleanest and straightest grain would again be split 

 •down the middle ; then the best quarter would be selected from which to 

 hew out a spear. It was essential that the timber be quite sound, clear, 

 straight-grained {aritahi), and free from all shakes, knots, or other defects. 

 The wood of the centre of the tree was not utilised for spear-making, but only 

 the ngako — that is, the white, light timber between the iho, or heart, and the 

 outside. Now, when a tree was split open it was often found to show de- 

 fects that necessitated cutting off some feet at one end. Hence a log of 35 ft. 

 might not turn out a spear of more than 30 ft. in length, or less. These 

 bird-spears were made from tawa, on account of the lightness of that timber 

 when seasoned. But it is not a durable wood — it soon decays if exposed 

 to the weather ; hence great care was taken to house the spears when not 

 in use. When in use they were kept in the forest, suspended from a tree, 

 so that the long pliant shaft would preserve its straightness. A fowler 

 would so hang up his spear after a day's spearing. \\Tien the spearing 

 season was over, the spears would be taken home and placed in a house, 

 usually suspended from the rafters, the barbed head being first taken off 



