DowNES. — Early History of Rangitikei. 101 



consequently Pehi Turoa, tlie great \Vlianga-nui chief, went to Manumanu's 

 relatives and said, " We must have payment for this man's death." So 

 they gathered a force, and went to seek revenge at Muri-motu, where they 

 killed Tama-te-kura, Te Kahu, Toetoe, and others belonging to Ngati Tu- 

 whare-toa. They afterwards had another fight at Tiki-rere, where more 

 people of this same tribe were killed. And so the quarrel went on ; 

 but, as the complicated law of utu entailed fighting among various tribes 

 outside the Rangi-tikei district, these quarrels need not be followed further. 



After this, more ciAdl trouble arose owing to one of the Kauae people 

 named Te Hina beating and otherwise ill-treating his wife. She objected 

 to this, and fled across the river to her people to complain. They were 

 angry with Te Hina for this, and to square matters they took from the 

 woman a famous tiki belonging to her husband ; and when she afterward 

 returned without the tiki, he bethought him of ancient grievances (although 

 up to this time Kauae and Maero had lived together as neighbours), and 

 remembered the annihilation of his people by Rangi-te-muri ; so he gathered 

 some of his people, made a raid, and captured Maero, Tau-iri, Te Hanea, 

 Mokomoko, and Pauhu, as well as many others. He also recovered his 

 tiki and other property, and, to properly punish these people for taking his 

 wife's part, or else taking his tiki, he made a gxeat fire and scorched his 

 prisoners over it, in much the same maimer as eels are treated for fattening. 

 (It was an old-time custom with the Maoris on this coast, when on an eel- 

 fishing expedition, to gather together all the small and skinny eels caught, 

 and then light a fire of fern down by the water's edge. Then the contents of 

 the hinaki were emptied into the middle of the fire, and it was supposed 

 that by this persuasive treatment the unfortunate eels that managed to 

 crawl through and reach the water Avould eventually gTow large and fat ; 

 and who would doubt it ? This custom was called Tuniitunu ki te ahi.) 



After the burning, Te Hina had his prisoners liberated and sent them 

 away, and, as they were his wife's relatives, he acted kindly, and did not 

 kill any of them except Pauhu ; but they resented his kind treatment, and 

 immediately commenced to make plans for avenging their insult. First 

 they commenced going to Oroua, but eventually decided to go to Awa-mate. 

 Soon after settling there they received a visit from a chief named Tama- 

 whi-rangi, of Ngariki, who was connected with Maero, but who was also 

 related to Te Hina. Him they took and killed as a first blow in revenge for 

 their burning. When Te Hina heard how his relative had been received 

 at Awa-mate, he left his pa at Tu-nuku, above Kara-riki, and hastened 

 with a war-party to revenge that death ; but he was himself killed, and 

 his party driven home. When Wai-tene heard that Te Hina had been 

 killed, he sought assistance to punish Maero, and was aided by the Mua- 

 upoko, Ngati Kahu-ngunu, Nga-wai-riki, and other hapus of Ngati Apa. 

 This large force attacked Te Awa-mate, which was an island in a lake, but 

 did not take it, not having canoes. 



(The Awa-mate Lake is a long, aiarrow body of water, curved round 

 something after the shape of a horse-shoe, lying on Mr. Dalrymple's property 

 at Parewa-nui. When the writer first saw it, many years ago, the island 

 referred to had a peculiar appearance, owing to a number of trees standing 

 with their roots upwards — the remnants of ancient fortifications, called 

 puwhara, upon which platforms were built. The same thing was noticed at 

 other places when we were children, but not to the same extent ; but these, 

 like many other objects of which we then took but little notice, have long 

 since disappeared.) 



