Locke. — Historical Traditions of Tawpo and East Coast Tribes, 433 



Art. LIV. — Historical Traditions of the Tawpo and East Coast Tribes. 



By Samuel Locke, 



[Read before the Haioke's Bay Philosophical Institute, li.th August and 9th October, 1882.] 



Part I. 

 At 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 inchned. 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, etc., 

 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 it is 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 Piuatahuna 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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