86 
l-'ISHING CEREMONIES. 
previously uttered over it, to cause it to bring abundance 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; hut 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 Ikahoka, for the priest of the canoe; 
The third ,, Te Tukunga, for all the party. 
The priest took a fish, and pulled out a pilia, 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 Whenua 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, 
Ki te autapu o Tangaroa te ika, 
Teretere te ika, 
He ika waka mou kaha hai, 
Tena te ika ka moe, 
Ko te ika o te rua, 
Ko te ika o te one, 
Te ika o te kohono, 
Tena te ika ka taki ki mua, 
Ka taki ki roto, 
Ka taki ki te turanga, 
Ka taki ki te kainga, 
Ka taki ki te au tapu nui no Tane, 
Ki te au tapu nui o Tangaroa. 
The fish the fish of Waitotara, 
The fish the fish of Whenua Kura, 
The fish the fish of Patea, 
The fish the fish of Tangahoe, 
The fish the fish of Waengongoro, 
The fish the fish of Kawia, 
The fish the fish of Taranaki, 
The drawing to us the fish, 
To this place, to this land, 
The fish to this spot, 
The fish to this abode, 
The fish to this abode of Tane,* 
To the abode of Tangaroa. 
The fish swim, 
The first fish caught, 
Behold the fish lulled, 
The fish of the bank, 
The fish of the land, 
The fish of the deep. 
Behold the fish is drawn before, 
Behold the fish is drawn to the side, 
Is drawn to the landing, 
Is drawn to the village, 
Is drawn to the abode of Tane,* 
To the abode of Tangaroa. 
* Spoken ironically, being the land, i.e. the oven. 
