Tregear. — Polynesian Folk-lore. 391 



the place whence the spirit of a man comes to him at birth.* 

 There is also a curious coincidence in Tiki being " the Creative 

 Being," or "the first created being;" and Taranga (Kalana), 

 " the place of creation," while Maui unites both in his title — 

 Maui-tikitiki-a-Taranga. 



A remarkable variation of the parent-name is given in the 

 Manihiki legend, in which Maui's father is called Manuahifare. 

 Literally, the name means "Bird-fire-house," and this gives a 

 wonderfully succinct and abbreviated precis of the whole story. 

 But manu means not only "a bird," but something of far 

 greater consequence: it means "a spirit" — sometimes a spirit 

 incarnate in the bird, but also sometimes a spirit in its invisible 

 possession.! 



Thus, in the Mangaian story of Ina,| "a divine spirit (manu) 

 entered and took possession of Ina;" and again, "it was the 

 might of Tinirau that inspired her with a manu, or strange 

 spirit." § Maui became either a dove or a hawk when on 

 this adventure in search of fire. In Mr. Wohlers' fire-getting 

 tradition (before spoken of), Maui is a dove when seeking the 

 fire, and a hawk when returning ; and Mr. White especially 

 notices that the hawk was the child of Mahuika (as Maui was), 

 and itself the god of fire. We must look to very ancient beliefs 

 for explanation, if we wish to find out why Maui assumed the 

 bird-dress when descending to the bowels of the earth, and why 

 this bird-dress was that of the dove. I have already called 

 attention, in the story of Hina, to the similarity between the 

 transformation of Maui and his brother Kupe into doves having 

 Aryan affinities in the Teutonic stories of swan-maidens, dove- 

 maidens, etc. || 



* "Ancient History of the Maori," vol. i., Appendix. 



t The Polynesian use of the word "manu" as any animal, beast, reptile, 

 insect, etc., appears to be generally a modern corruption. The primal 

 meaning, "to float," shows its inapplicability to any such bestowal. 



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

 vol. xix., p. 493. 



§ loc. cit., p. 495. 



|| Philological. — The word rupe, a general Polynesian word for the pigeon 

 is probably connected radically with the corresponding Aryan words. The 

 old English words cushat, "a wood pigeon," and cooscot, "the wood-pigeon," 

 (" Obs. and Archaic Diet.," Wright, vol. i., p. 339) seem mere sound words, 

 like tbe Cumberland coo, " to call," and are probably connected with the 

 pigeon's note, as are the Hawaiian kuhukuhu, "a dove," and manuku (manu- 

 ka), " a dove ;" the Samoan 'm 'u (kuku), " to cry as a child ;" Tongan kulu- 

 kulu, "a small kind of dove," etc. The English word "dove" (Ang. Sax. 

 dufa) is from the Old Saxon duva ; Old High German tuba, the German 

 taube "a dove' (Skeat, " Ety. Diet."); the original sense meaning "to 

 dive " (dufan), from the bird's habit of ducking its head. This would show 

 the reason philologists have for associating the Latin columba, " a dove," 

 with the Greek kolumbao (KoXvfipabi), " I dive." It may, perhaps, be 

 worthy of attention to consider whether another Latin word for dove, 



