200 
FISHING CEREMONIES. 
Tena to kaha ka mou, 
Mou ki mua waka, 
Mon ki roto waka, 
Ko koe te waka tauiratia ana 
mai, 
E koe te kaha Tane Tan- 
garoa, 
E rarawe taku ure ngana. 
This is the strength held, 
In front of the canoe, 
On the side of the canoe, 
Yon are strengthened by the 
spell, 
With the strength of Tane Tan- 
garoa, 
The biting of the fish has begun. 
The first fish caught was returned to the sea, a karakia 
being previously uttered over it, to cause it to bring abund- 
ance of fish to their hooks. If the kahawai only was taken, 
the women were not allowed to partake ; if a tamuri or other 
fish were caught, they were then permitted to eat ; but the 
first fish taken belonged to the priest. On returning home, 
if very successful, three ovens were tapued : 
The first was called He Marae , for the elders ; 
The second ,, Te Ihahoka , for the priest of the canoe ; 
The third ,, Te Tukunga, for all the party. 
The priest took a fish, and pulled out a villa, or gill, then 
taking it to a sacred place, and holding it suspended by a 
string, he uttered this invocation to the gods : — 
Te ika te ika i Waitotara, 
Te ika te ika i Whenna Kura, 
Te ika te ika i Patea, 
Te ika te ika i Tangahoe, 
Te ika te ika i Waengongoro, 
Te ika te ika i Kawia, 
Te ika te ika i Taranaki, 
Te takina mai hoki te ika, 
Ki tenei rua ki tenei one, 
Te ika ki tenei papa, 
Te ika ki tenei au tapu, 
Te ika ki te an tapu nui no 
Tane, 
The fish the fish of Waitotara, 
The fish the fish of Whenna 
Kura, 
The fish the fish of Patea, 
The fish the fish of Tangahoe, 
The fish the fish of Waengon- 
goro, 
The fish the fish of Kawia, 
The fish the fish of Taranaki, 
The drawing to us the fish, 
To this deep hole, to this bank, 
The fish to this ledge of rock, 
The fish to this current made 
sacred, 
The fish to this current made 
sacred by Tane,* 
Spoken ironically, being the land, i.e ., the oven. 
