Corenso.—On a better Knowledge of the Maori Race. — 37 
possibly be for that big oven, now being prepared by that woman ?” They 
did not know of her storehouse, she herself only knew. She went outside 
to the stream of water, and collected it (the food) in two gatherings only 
(or, two scrapings together with her hands) ; she filled her basket, and she 
returned to the village (pa), to place her food in the oven, and to attend to 
the baking of it ; and when the kumara was properly cooked, she served it 
out to her people, distributing it evenly. And thus she did every morning 
and every evening for many days. Now the vegetable food of the time of 
war is fern-root (pounded and prepared in a mass), which (root) the 
Maoris commonly call, the Permanent-running-root-of-the-soil. In the 
morning of another day, Pani again went and lit the fire of her cooking- 
oven, to bake food for all her people ; then she went outside, as before, to 
the stream of water, and seizing her big basket she sat down in the water, 
groping and collecting beneath her with her hands. While she was thus 
engaged in gathering the kumara together, there was a man hidden on the 
other side of that stream, his name was Patatai, and he was a moho; he, 
seeing her and her doings, suddenly made a loud startling noise with his 
lips (such as Maoris make to startle wood-pigeons), which Pani heard, 
and was wholly overcome with shame, at herself and her actions having been 
seen. The name of that water was Monariki. The woman returned 
erying to the village, through her great shame; and hence it was that the 
kumara was secured for man. The name of her husband was Mauiwhare- 
kino. From Pani came the several sacred forms of words (nga karakia) 
used ceremonially by the wise men (tohungas ) at planting and at harvesting 
the kumara. It was Tumatauenga who destroyed the kumara, lest the 
strengthening virtues of Rongomaraeroa should come down (or become 
known) to the habitable earth (or to this land). 
For the probable time of Pani, see Genealogical Appendix, p. 83, 
(supra) ‘‘ Historical Incidents and Traditions.” 
Explanatory Notes to the foregoing. 
Tue names and personages here mentioned are to be first noticed. 
1, Tumatauenga* was the favourite and powerful son of Rangi and Papa 
(Sky and Earth); his name may mean, Lord-(with-the)-fierce (or 
strongly-emotioned)-countenance. Rongomaraeroa means, Fame-resound- 
ing-(in)-long-open-courts (or squares). Courts, here, are the fenced- 
in open plots before the several chiefs’ houses in a town (pa), and 
have just the same meaning as “ gates” in Oriental language, or of forums, 
“See Grey’s “ Polynesian Mythology,” pp. 4-13, for much concerning Tumatauenga, 
with Western embellishments, : 
