LI 
Lockz.— Historical Traditions of Taupo and East Coast Tribes, 488 
Art. LIV.—Historical Traditions of the Taupo and Fast Coast Tribes. 
By Sauuzz Loocke, 
[Read before the Hawke's Bay Philosophical Institute, 14th August and 9th October, 1882.] 
Part I i 
Ar the request of many friends, some of whom are members of this Insti- 
tute, I have consented to read from time to time translations of traditions, 
principally historical, of the Maoris, collected by myself during the past 
twenty years. | 
It is my intention to adhere as near as possible to a literal translation 
of the legends as written by the Maoris themselves, believing, as I 
thoroughly do, that the time to generalize has not yet arrived. That 
must be left to savants for time and the necessary accumulated information 
derived from all sources to act upon; but in the meantime every exertion 
should be used from all quarters to recover the records of the Maori past. 
Most of the traditions I have in my possession were written by the Maori 
priests themselves more than twenty years since. To give an example of 
the time and trouble required in collecting this kind of information I would 
mention that I have just received some books that I left seventeen years 
back with old chiefs to write in as they felt inclined. To talk is an easy 
matter with the old Maori, but to write is a great labour. Besides, many 
of the incantations, etc., are so sacred in their idea that they could not be 
repeated in a common dwelling-house, but had to be written in the open 
air, as there are no tapu whares now. To show to what a late period the 
heathen practices were carried on and these sentiments prevailed,—I am 
aware that, at the Wairoa, in 1865, in a sacred whare, incantations, ete., 
were gone through in the presence of ** Kahukura,” a Maori god, the prin- 
cipal object being to inquire into the success or otherwise of the Hauhau 
movement that was then going on. But few natives are now alive who were 
at that meeting. I have tried hard to obtain the image of Kahukura since 
that time, but the old men hid it, and itis not known where. The old Maori 
priests who were at that meeting attended church regularly. Some of the 
ancient ceremonies I found to be still carried out amongst the Tahoe or 
Urewera at Ruatahuna on my last visit to that district in 1874. I have 
been present at other meetings of the kind above mentioned, but never a 
more earnest and sincere one. 
In the course of my papers I must from time to time repeat parts of 
legends previously related by Mr. Colenso, and printed in the Transactions 
of the Institute, that gentleman having on various occasions used exactly 
the same words which, in giving the whole story, I shall be obliged to 
recapitulate. 
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