Tregear. — Polynesian Folk-lore. 381 



Earotonga, Buataranga becomes Ataranga : at Samoa, Talaga. 

 In the Samoan dialect, Mauike becomes Mafuie."* 



Manihiki is an island situated about 600 miles north of 

 Earotonga. They possess the fire-gaining legend, with some 

 difference of detail. It runs as follows : — 



" On the Island of Earotonga once lived Manuahifare and 

 his wife Tongoifare, offspring of the god Tangaroa. Their 

 eldest son was named Maui the First, the next Maui the Second. 

 Then followed their sister Inaika = I?w the fish.\ The youngest 

 was a boy, Maui the Third. Like all other young Polynesians, 

 these children delighted in the game of hide-and-seek. One day 

 Inaika hid her pet brother, Maui the Third, under a pile of dry 

 sticks and leaves, and then desired the elder boys to search for 

 him. They sought everywhere in vain. Inaika at last pointed 

 to the pile, and naturally expected to see her little brother 

 emerge from his hiding-place, as the sticks were scattered to the 

 right and left. The heap had disappeared, but no Maui was to 

 be seen. "What had become of him? But after a few minutes 

 they were astonished to see him start up from under a few bits 

 of decayed wood and some leaves which had been thoroughly 

 searched a few seconds before. This was the first intimation of 

 Maui the Third's future greatness. This wonderful lad had 

 noticed that his father, Manuahifare, mysteriously disappeared 

 at dawn of every day, and in an equally mysterious way came 

 back again to their dwelling at night. He resolved to discover 

 this secret, which seemed to him the more strange as, being the 

 favourite, he slept by the side of Manuahifare, and yet never 

 knew when or how he disappeared. One night he lay awake 

 until his father unfastened his girdle in order to sleep. Very 

 cautiously did Maui the Younger take up one end, and place it 

 under himself, without attracting his father's notice. Early 

 next morning this precocious son was roused from his slumbers 

 by the girdle being pulled from under him. This was just as he 

 desired ; he lay perfectly still to see what would become of 

 Manuahifare. The unsuspecting parent went, as he was wont, 

 to the main pillar of his dwelling, and said, — 



' Ob, pillar ! open, open up, 

 That Manuahifare may enter and descend to nether- world ' (Avaiki). 



The pillar immediately opened, and Manuahifare descended. 

 That same day the four children of Manuahifare went back to 

 their old game of hide-and-seek. This time Maui the Younger 

 told his brothers and sister to go outside the house, whilst he 

 should look for some place to hide in. As soon as they were out 



* " Myths and Songs from the South Pacific," Eev. W. W. Gill, B.A., 

 p. 51, et seq. 



t See " Hina's Voyage to the Sacred Isle," Tregear, " Trans. N.Z. Inst.," 

 vol. xix., p. 486. 



