34 
MYTHOLOGY. 
the last person who possessed wings, lost them by his wife 
unfortunately happening to lie down upon them. 
In fact, in the accounts which the natives give of their gods, 
and of their exploits, we have but a magnified history of their 
chiefs, their wars, murders, and lusts, with the addition of 
some supernatural powers. They were cannibals; they were 
influenced by like feelings and passions with men, and they 
were uniformly bad. To them were ascribed all the evils to 
which the human race is subject; each disease was supposed 
to be occasioned by a different god, who resided in the 
part affected. Thus, Tonga was the god who caused head¬ 
ache and sickness ; he took up his abode in the forehead. 
Moko Titi, a lizard god, was the source of all pains in the 
breast; Tu-tangata-kino was the god of the stomach; Titi- 
hai occasioned pains in the ankles and feet; Rongomai and 
Tuparitapu were the gods of consumption, and the wasting 
away of the legs and arms ; Koro-kio-ewe presided over child¬ 
birth, and did his worst to unfortunate females in that state. 
In fact, the entire human body appears to have been shared 
out amongst those evil beings, who ruled over every part, 
to afflict and pain the poor creatures who worshipped them. 
This portioning out of the body was, however, much the 
same amongst the heathen generally. The Greek and Roman 
mythology had their gods and goddesses, each having his 
ka puta ki walio ko Tararere, ko Tarapunga te Manu i te ra Tarakapu whenua 
Kapunga rauru. 
Wlianau Moana was the offspring of Turi’s third son; his navel string 
having been thrown into the sea, drifted on the shore, where it was seen by 
some persons, who carried it away, and suspended it to the ridge pole of their 
house ; they noticed that it moved about and had life; it grew up a man and 
had wings; he was called Whanau Moana, and lived on the side of Wai-totara 
next the sea; he became the father of Tararere, Tarapunga, the bird of 
the day. Tarakapu whenua, Kapunga rauru. These winged people flew 
openly in the day; at first they had no regular home, but went abroad from 
one place to another, sometimes alighting on the top of mountains, some¬ 
times flying to some island of the sea, until one of their number, named 
Tara pu-whenua, caused them to dwell in pas. This wonderful race 
belonged exclusively to Waitotara, and lived at Tieki Moerangi. The last 
person who had wings was Te Kahui-rere; he lost them by a woman pressing 
them down when he was asleep. 
