Stack. — Traditional Hialonj of the South Island Maoris. 59 



invariably been found to agree. With this fact 'before us, it is hardly 

 possible to deny the historical value of a large portion of these traditions, 

 which have been preserved by the same method but which cannot be 

 vouched for in the same manner. 



DifficuUij of unraveUiiuj the Thread of the Histonj. 



I experienced considerably difficulty at first in disentaDglmg the com- 

 plicated narratives, because my Maori inforinants being themselves so 

 familiar with the history did not see the necessity of explaining as they 

 went along why things happened as they did. They would repeatedly 

 break off from the continuous history of the tribe to follow the fortunes of 

 a favourite hero, and again as abruptly leave him to resume the thread of 

 the original narrative. One prolific source of confusion arose from the 

 intermarriages which took place between the members of hostile tribes. It 

 was bewildering to find the same person fighting for one tribe but wishing 

 success to the other, and guilty of treachery towards both. The man who 

 married a Ngatimamoe woman would be found plotting the ruin of his wife's 

 relations ; and the Nagitmamoe man who, by marriage with a Ngai Tahu 

 woman, was admitted to that tribe, would still sympathize with his own 

 people, and betray his connections whenever he could. Another element 

 of confusion arose from the two tribes being spoken of as totally distinct 

 from each other, whereas they had a common origin, and this fact 

 afforded the only explanation of many strange things done on either 

 side. The history throughout is one dark narrative of treachery and 

 ferocity, brightened here and there by displays of great courage and 

 occasional acts of generosity. 



Chronoloyii. 



The method I have adopted for ascertaining the chronological order in 

 which the various events occurred, has been first to form a genealogical 

 table, and then allowing * twenty years for a generation, to count back the 

 generations from the present time, and thus fix the date of any event by 

 the position in the table which the persons connected with it occupy. For 

 instance, to ascertain the date of the death of Manawa, take Hakopa te Ata 

 Tu, now living, and who is at least seventy years of age, counting back 

 from his birth to Manawa's there are eight generations, equivalent to 160 

 years, which added to 70 gives a total of 210. Manawa, therefore, was 

 born about 1667 ; and, as he had a grown-up son, he was probably not 

 less than forty years old when he was killed. His death, then, occurred 

 about 1707. Of course this plau only gives an approximate date, but it 



* I have fixed on twenty years, as the Maoris married early. 



