TRADITIONS AND LEGENDS. 
255 
ancestor of Ngatipotama ; this old lady crossed over from 
Hawaiki, sitting astride the bent neck of a large calabash., 
ngutu hue, on which she comfortably sailed, the neck of the 
calabash has ever since remained bent. She is the great 
ancestor of all the people of Ngatipotama. 
Tradition of Matuku and Witi. 
Matuku and Witi were two great cannibals, after having 
killed and eaten many persons, Matuku murdered a great 
chief, named Waheroa, and carried off his wife ; Rata, his 
son, with his friends, however, determined not to suffer such 
a crime to go unpunished, they therefore went to the wood, 
and selected a suitable tree for a canoe, that they might 
pursue after Matuku ; having found one,* they set fire to it, 
and burnt it down, but during the night + Te tini-o-te Hake- 
turi, Hake-turi' s flock of wood fairies, came and raised it up 
again, they had therefore a second time to burn it down. 
Hake-turi, however, returned with his multitude in the night, 
and again made the tree whole ; this was repeated several 
times, wondering what could be the cause, they deter- 
mined to watch ; having, therefore, burnt down the tree, 
they hid themselves near it, and when Te tini-o-te Hake- 
turi appeared, they suddenly made such a great noise, 
that the little fairies flew away, some of the trees them- 
selves were so alarmed, that they held down their heads, 
and have never been able to raise them up since ; amongst 
these were the pong a, a fern tree, and the kareao, supplejack, 
whose tender shoots are now always bent. When they had 
* Another account states the tree was chopped down, and the Haketuri 
uttered this spell, by which it was restored whole again : — 
Eere mai te mara mara, Fly together, O ye chips, 
Koi whetau Stick ye fast together, 
Toro tika Rise and stand upright again 
E tu te maota. A perfect tree. 
f Te tini-o-te Hake-turi appear to have been a kind of fairies, in the form of 
small birds, and in very large nnmbers. In the myth of Tawaki, Tongo hiti is 
spoken of as being the chief of a similar race, although he himself was a glow 
worm. 
