NOTES ON THE TANNESE. 657 



(loul)tful if the Tannese ever paid worsliiji to these beings. 

 They certainly do not do so now. 



The story of Tr'ranisranus and Matiktiki is given in the 

 Kwauiera dialect, and taken' down by Mrs. Watt from the 

 months of natives, who spend hours in the evenings reciting 

 such stories as these, which they there call kwanangel. The 

 following is a fairly litei'al ti-ansiation for which I am 

 responsible. I should observe that the jiresent tense is used 

 as an historic past : — 



"Teramsamus, having eaten all the inhabitants, goes and 

 looks for black people, eats them, then looks for white people 

 (this does not mean Eurojjeans) and takes them and throws 

 them into a hole of a I'ock and shuts them up, and says to 

 them, that they are to wait for him till he goes and makes 

 nikns/ neri for their food. They remained in the cave and 

 sang and danced. 



" Matiktiki goes past and knows that he hears dancing. He 

 says, ' Ho ! Who are you ? ' They dance, but say, ' We 

 here.' But he says, ' You are who.'*' But they say, 'We 

 here, our ancestor goes to make nikas'i ner1 for our food.' 

 But he says, 'They say he goes to make nikas'i neri for your 

 food, whereas he kills you and goes to make niparara with you.' 

 [Note : they in the cave understood Teramsamus had gone to 

 get taro (neri) to prepare us food for them. Teramsamus 

 intended they should so understand him, but his real intention 

 was to get taro to cook ctlomj with them to take up the 

 flavour of the meat, just as we cook Yorkshire pudding]. 

 But one says, ' Alas my father-in-law ! ' But another says, 

 ' Alas my father ! ' Matiktiki stands and holds a fitfau (a 

 white stone axe used for cutting out canoes) and breaks in 

 pieces the rock (?). They came out and, going up, ran until 

 they came to a place and saw a row of fish shorewards. They 

 ate and leave none of Teramsamus food. 



" Teramsamus ran and ran and cleans nikds'i neri and goes 

 back to the hole of the rock and sees they are gone. But 

 says, ' . . . (bad language). I have spoilt all my 

 food ! ' He runs and runs holding his head down westward 

 and feels it cold ; he runs eastward till he feels it hot ; he 

 runs and eats his fish. 



" Matiktiki and the children (the fellows out of the cave) 

 run and feel they are tired (.'') and look up and see a mahopo, 

 (a variety of breadfruit) banging. They go up and pull out 

 its core and the children go in and fill up the space (a hole 

 six inches long and one and half iiich diameter), Matiktiki 



