Sracx.—On Cameron's Theory respecting the Kahui Tipua. 161 
Hawaiki, from which place it had followed him ; and that if they went and 
examined it, they would find his private mark upon it, made before leaving 
home. The discovery of the excrement settled the question of ownership 
in favour of Rongo-i-tua. The tree was subsequently split in two, and out 
of each half a canoe was made; one, called Manuka, because of the disgust 
expressed at the sight of the excrement,—the other, Arai-te-Uru. Manuka 
was first finished, and the Kahui Tipua, impatient to possess the kumara, 
sailed away to Hawaiki in search of it. They obtained a cargo, and 
returned; but, on planting them, they were disappointed to find that none 
grew. In the meantime, Rongo-i-tua sailed away on the same errand in 
Arai-te- Uru. On reaching Whanga ra (sunny cove), the place in Hawaiki 
where the kumara grew, he ordered his men to surround the chief's house. 
They heard the people inside repeating the kwmara charms and incantations. 
* Ah," said Rongo, ‘those karakias are what you need. Learn them." 
After listening for awhile, he and his men acquired the knowledge they 
needed to ensure the successful cultivation of the kumara. There were 
three divinities who presided over the kumara plantations—represented by 
three posts or sticks, which required to be set up in every field. They were 
named,—Kahukura (a male), Maui-i-rangi (male), and Marihaka (a female). 
Before these, the karakia kwmaras were repeated, and little offerings of 
koromiko leaves presented. Any error made by the tohunga in performing | 
the sacred rights, while kumaras were being planted or taken up, resulted in 
the death of the priest, and the destruction of the crop by the offended 
divinities. Rongo-i-tua sent his canoe back under the command of Pakihiwi- 
tahi and Hape-ki-tuaraki, while he remained for awhile in Hawaiki. The 
voyage was safely accomplished, and the cargo partly discharged; but 
Arai-te- Uru was eventually capsized off Moeraki, and lost, the remains of 
the cargo being strewn along the coast, where at low-water it may at this 
day be seen. Rongo, desiring to return, stepped in one day from Hawaiki 
to Aotea-roa. The Kahui Tipua first saw a rainbow, which suddenly 
assumed the form of a man, and Rongo stood amongst them ; hence, he 
was ever afterwards known as Hongo-tikei, or, Rongo, ‘ the Strider.” * 
The Kumara and Aruhe were the offspring of Huruka and Pani. Aruhe 
(fern-root) was the ariki, or lord, because it descended from the backbone 
of its parent; while Kumara having come forth from the front was the 
inferior in rank. | 
The husband of Pani wondered greatly how his wife procured their food. 
. He watched her one day go down into the water and rub the lower part of 
her stomach, and then he soon afterwards saw her filing baskets with 
* According to some authorities, this oceurred at his first appearance in New Zealand. 
14 
