598 Transactions. 



Art. LIV. — Reminiscences of Maori Life Fifty Years ago. 

 By R. H. Matthews. 



[JRrad bfforr the Auckland InntHnte, 22nd Xovember, 1910.] 



1. Shark-fishixg. 



For tlie last twenty-five years the Maoris have lost all interest in the old- 

 time institution of shark-fishing. Most of the himnatuas (or elders) have 

 passed away, and many of the traditional customs have gone with them. 

 The younger generation devote their attention more to gum-digging and 

 other pursuits, and appear to prefer tinned mullet and salmon to evil- 

 smelling shark as a IHnaki (relish). 



Fifty years ago shark-fishing was considered and looked forward to as 

 a national holiday by the Rarawas and all the surrounding hapus. The 

 traditional customs and regulations were most strictly observed and rigidly 

 enforced. The season for fishing the kapeta (dogfish) was restricted to two 

 days only in each year. The first time was about full moon in Januarv, 

 and by preference during the night named in the Maori lunar calendar 

 rakaunui, or two evenings after the full moon. This fishing was always 

 by night. The second time of fishing, called the pakoki, was two weeks 

 later, just after new moon {whaivha-ata), and was always held in daylight. 

 This closed the season for the year. Any one who killed a shark after this 

 would be liable to the custom of muru, and would be stripped of his pro- 

 perty. No one was permitted to commence fishing before the signal to start 

 was given ; a violation of this rule would lead to the splitting-up of the 

 canoes of the offenders. So far as I can ascertain, the two days' restriction 

 was a local custom, obtaining more particularly in Rangaunu Harbour, 

 which was the great shark-fishing centre of the north, and it specially ap- 

 plied to the ha f eta, or dogfish. Large sharks might be taken at any time 

 in the open sea, but they were not to be killed inside the harbour for fear 

 of frightening away the kapeta : " Kei oho te kapeta.'''' 



At the time I am speaking of, the mana, or authority, over the kopua 

 (the deep) was solely exercised by Popata te Waha, who had inherited 

 it from his ancestors. It was he who issued the panui, or notice, of the date 

 of the maunga (or catching), and who fired the signal-gun from his head- 

 quarters at Okuraiti to notify the camps at Te Unahi and Pukewhau that 

 sharks would be caught that night. Popata te Waha's 7nana over the 

 kopua was acknowledged by all the surrounding tribes within a line extend- 

 ing from Taemaro (on the coast between Berghan's Head and Whangaroa) 

 to Kohumaru, to Victoria Valley, Herekino, Ahipara, Parengarenga, and 

 Rangiwahia, and all the numerous kaingas, or settlements, within this 

 boundary. Maoris from all these places were represented at the great 

 maunga. There would probably be a muster of not less than fifty canoes, 

 each with an average crew of about twenty. This would make a total 

 of at least a thousand, beside many that remained in camp cooking and 

 ■drying pipi. 



About a week before full moon in January, 1855, I received an invita- 

 tion from one of the principal chiefs of Pukewhau to go shark-fishing with 

 him. I gladly accepted this invitation, as I had heard a good deal about 

 the curious customs attending the fishing, and wished to see the sport. 

 He told me that I was to be one of his kavwhangai (feeders). Later on I 

 found that most of the wives accompanied their husbands as kavwhangai, 

 thus doubling the number of each man's catch. 



