Best. — Maori Forest Lore. 



465 



are made from forked branches, but are cut down to the desired size and care- 

 fully shaped, showing no bark whatever. A rough perch, with the bark 

 left on, is not termed a mutu, but a pewa — of which more anon. In making 

 a mutu the main branch is cut about 8 in. or 9 in. long, and serves as the 

 upright portion (though not always straight) of the apparatus, to which 

 the end of the kokirikiri rod is lashed. This piece is so cut that the branch 

 growing out from it, which serves as the perch for birds, is from | in. to 2| in, 

 below the head of the upright. If you place a capital "]" on its side, thus, | — , 

 it will give you a crude idea of a mutu. The shank of the letter is the perch, 



and its head represents the upright 

 piece. The lower part of the head of 

 the letter is where it is lashed to the 

 pole. A small knob of wood is left 

 on the lower part so as to render the 

 lashing more secure ; it prevents any 

 slipping. The mutu known as a kapu 

 has a curved perch, concave ; hence 

 its name. The porae has also a 

 curved perch, but the bend is up- 

 wards. The huanui has a straight 

 perch, which is sometimes almost at 

 right angles to the upright, but usu- 

 ally slants upwards, forming, where 

 it is connected with the upright, a 

 somewhat acute angle on the upper 

 side. But few mutu are so constructed 

 that the perch is at right angles to 

 the upright, as such are only used 

 to place on a vertical pole (kiwi) 

 above the fowler's head as he stands 

 on his platform. The kira perch is used for shy birds, the perch forming 

 a very acute angle with the upright. 



The process is as follows. The fowler proceeds to a tree used as a tutu, 

 and the same trees are so used year after year. He has some apparatus 

 for climbing the tree, which apparatus is renewed or strengthened each 

 season. It may be a rude ladder (rou) lashed to the trunk, or a bridge or 

 ladder of long poles and connecting ties or cross-pieces, constructed from 

 the branches of an adjoining tree across to the tutu tree. He ascends his 

 tree and stations himself on a rude platform, termed a papanui, which is 

 erected on and secured to the branches. It is probably situated near the 

 centre of the tree-top — that is, near the trunk — from whence he can mani- 

 pulate several mutu. Or there may be two fowlers on one tree, each operat- 

 ing several perches. 



Now, on this tree there are a certain number of poles of mapou or totara 

 lashed in a permanent manner to the branches with lashings of the durable 

 aka-tea, a climbing plant. These poles are termed hiwi, and their ends pro- 

 ject outside the foliage of the tree. The upper end of each pole is notched, 

 he mea tokomanga a runga. A few of these hiwi are secured in a vertical 

 manner, but the majority are placed at various angles. Some are at such 

 a low angle as to be not far from horizontal. It is on these latter that the 

 mutu known as kira are used, which explains the pecuUar angle of the perch 

 already noted^ — it is that the perch be horizontal. These hiwi are termed 

 pouaka by some tribes. Where a sound dead branch of the tree happens 



MuTXJ Kaka. 



1. Toretore. 2. Ngingita. 3. Tohe. 

 4. Kaha. 5. Pekapeka. 6. Kokirikiri, 

 or tin haere. 7. Lashing. 



