804 PROCEEDINGS OF SECTION F. 
another Tahitian chant published in Vol. III, p. 138, of the 
“Journal of the Polynesian Society ” 
Oia o Aihi, fenua o te matau nui, That is Aihi, land of the great fish 
fenua e a noa mai te vera hiehie, hook, land where the raging fire 
fenua hutiahia mai na te mata- ever kindles, land drawn up 
poopoo o ravea mai te Tumu mai ! through the undulations of the 
Oatu Oahu ia. towering waves from the founda. 
tion. Beyond is Oahu. 
This name Waihi, or Owaihi, is also known to the Maoris as 
that of some land beyond Hawaiki, or Tawhiti-nui, which latter 
is the Maori name for Tahiti. It is found in the ancient chant 
used in dragging the Tainui canoe out of the forest before she 
started for New Zealand with the fleet. ‘ Ai tua o Rehia, ki tua, 
o Waihi” (beyond Rehia, beyond Waihi). 
The most important name in the chant, however, is ‘‘ Aotea-roa 
o te Maori” (“ Aotea-roa of the Maori”), where we have the name 
of New Zealand coupled with that of the Maori. The fact of 
this mention of the Maori was so much to the point—the expres- 
sion was so pat—that it raised doubts as to whether this was not 
a modern innovation. But a little reflection will show that it is 
quite natural. Although now used as a racial name, the original 
meaning of Maori is “native,” or the ordinary Polynesian man- 
kind as distinguished from gods or white people. Miss Henry 
tells me it is the ancient Tahitian word for “native,” but has long 
since been replaced by “ maoht.” 
I account for the introduction of Maori into the native Tahitian 
chant as follows :—In ancient days, before the arrival of the fleet 
in New Zealand in 1350, several voyages between there and the 
Central Pacific had been made. We may imagine what would 
take place on the arrival of one of these expeditions at Aotea-roa 
after a long interval probably. On meeting the aboriginal in- 
habitants the voyagers would ask, “ Who are you?” The arswer 
would be, “ He tangata maori matou.” ‘ We are natives ”—not 
strangers or gods as the voyagers would appear to the aborigines.* 
Hence on the return of the voyagers, in giving an account of 
their travels—which, like all Polynesians, they would do even to 
the minutest particulars—they would say the people of Aotea-roa 
were “ Tangata Maori” or Maoris; and hence to the Tahitians 
New Zealand would come to be called ‘‘ Aotea-roa o te Maori,” 
as in the chant. 
This would seem to show a knowledge of New Zealand by the 
-Tahitians in former days. In the following Tahitian chant, also 
given me by Miss Henry, is mentioned another name—a very 
* That such questions were asked by the Polynesians on their arrival at a new 
country, see ‘‘ Journal, Polynesian Society,” vol. v, p. 27, describing the arrival of the 
Morioris at the Chatham Islands, 
