Tregeak. — Polynesian Folk-lore. 37-5 



contain the " seed of fire " — these are the patete, kaikomako, 

 rnahoe, totara, and pukatea ; the trees which refused to admit 

 the seeds of fire were the rata, hiuau, kahikatea, rimu, rnatai, 

 and miro. The late Eev. Mr. AVohlers, a missionary long 

 resident in the South Island, relates the story as preserved 

 among the southern natives, and told in the Murihiku dialect ;* 

 there is little variation except in the concluding portion. Mr. 

 John White gives many versions oi the story in the second 

 volume of his " Ancient Maori History ;" but they are all coin- 

 cident with the tales told by Sir George Grey and Mr. Wohlers ; 

 the only important point which is new being that (at page 71) : 

 "Te-raka was the father and Mahuika the mother of Maui. 

 The kahu (Circus goulM) was also her child, and was the god of 

 fire. The feathers of the kahu resemble fire, whence their red 

 colour originated." Here we have a direct reference to the 

 hawk-god (Ra) of ancient history, and a point is lost when 

 Grey and Wohlers (for poetry-sake, doubtless) translate kahu 

 as " eagle." The eagle is unknown in New Zealand, and 

 the hawk is mythologically the right bird. These legends of 

 Grey, White, and Wohlers are the principal forms of the New 

 Zealand tale ; but there is another version sometimes to be 

 heard among the Natives in which Mahuika is represented as a 

 male deity. I so heard the story many years ago, but cannot 

 give authority. 



We will now pass to the Samoan story, t " The Samoans say 

 that there was a time when their ancestors ate everything raw, 

 and that they owe the luxury of cooked food to one Ti'iti'i, the 

 son of a person called Talaga. This Talaga was high in favour 

 with the earthquake god, Mafuie, who lived in a subterranean 

 region where there was fire continually burning. On going to a 

 certain perpendicular rock, and saying, ' Rock, divide, I am 

 Talaga : I have come to work ! ' the rock opened and let 

 Talaga in ; and he went below to his plantation in the land of 

 this god Mafuie. One day Ti'iti'i, the son of Talaga, followed 

 his father, and watched when he entered. The youth, after a 

 time, went up to the rock, and feigning his father's voice, said, 

 ' Eock, divide ! I am Talaga ; I have come to work !' and was 

 admitted too. His father, who was at work in his plantation, 

 was surprised to see his son there, and begged him not to talk 

 loud, lest the god Mafuie should hear him, and be angry. 

 Seeing smoke rising, he inquired of his father what it was. His 

 father said it was the fire of Mafuie. ' I must go and get 

 some,' said the son. ' No,' said the father, ' he will be angry. 

 Don't you know that he eats people ?' ' What do I care for 



* " Trans. N.Z. Inst.," vol. vii., pp. 7 and 38. 



t The ' of Samoa is a soft catch of the breath, denoting a lost k ; 

 thus Ti'iti'i is the the New Zealand Tikitiki. The g is ng of Maori. 



