T. H. Smith. — On Maori Implements and Weapons. 435 



streaming with perspiration, and his elder countryman stated 

 that his own strength was unequal to the feat." 



There is a legend which tells about the origin of this mode 

 of procuring fire which is concisely given in a paper by the 

 Eev. J . F. H. "Wohlers, read before the Otago Institute, and 

 published in Transactions, vol. vii. The translation will be 

 found at page 12. There are several versions of this legend, 

 which vary considerably, but agree in the main features. I 

 have selected one which has the merit of brevity : — 



" In the neighbourhood of that place there dwelt a grand- 

 mother of Maui, of his mother's side, called Mahuika, who 

 was the keeper of the fire. Now, it happened one day that 

 the fire had gone out ; and, as the servants were lazy and did 

 not move when told to go to Mahuika to fetch fire, Maui 

 offered to go. When he came to the place the old woman 

 said, ' What has brought you, a stranger, here ? Was it the 

 wind that blows against my skin ? ' But when Maui told her 

 that he was her grandson she became very friendly, and 

 willingly gave him a stick of fire — namely, one of her fingers. 

 Maui went away with it ; but extinguished it, when out of 

 sight, in the nearest water. Then he went back and asked 

 her for another stick of fire, saying the first had gone out. So 

 she gave him another of her fingers, which he likewise ex- 

 tinguished ; and so on, till he had carried away all her fingers 

 and her toes, up to the last little toe. Then the old woman 

 perceived that he was mocking her, and became very angry, 

 by which she raised a great blast to burn him ; but Maui 

 quickly transformed himself into an eagle, and swung himself 

 up to the clouds. From thence he sent down rain upon the 

 fire to quench it. Mahuika stirred up her fire to make it burn ; 

 Maui poured down large drops of rain upon it to quench it. 

 Mahuika raked together her fire to keep it alive ; Maui 

 showered down thick snow upon it to extinguish it. At last, 

 when the old woman saw that she could not keep her fire 

 alive, she cast the rest into trees ; in some it stayed, in others 

 not, out of which former it can still be got by rubbing." 



An item in the catalogue of Maori implements which must 

 not be omitted is the uhi, the instrument with which the 

 operation of ta moko, or tattooing, was performed. This was a 

 sharp cutting instrument, or chisel, variously described as 

 formed of bone or shell fixed into a handle of wood shaped like 

 a hoe, with which the lines of the 7noko were cut into the skin 

 of the face, and other devices upon different parts of the body. 

 Most authorities are in favour of the bone, which is thought to 

 have been that of the toroa (albatross). The uJii was struck 

 with a light mallet of mahoe, the pattern being first traced 

 upon the skin with a black pigment. The operator was a 

 man who cultivated the art, and who, when skilful in its 



