ki a Te Huhuti. "E noho ana me he teko; e noho ana me he hore, akuanei koe taraitia iho ki taku toki pounamu." Mahi ana te hakui nei, a, ka mutu tona mahi ka ki atu ki a Te Whatu-i-apiti. "Kua mutu taku kino, kua puta taku pouri me te mamae o toku ngakau; ko tenei, moea to wahine. Katahi ano ka tino mau te rongo." Ka moe hoki a Te Whatu-i-apiti i a Te Huhuti, ka huaina ona taina, ara o Te Huhuti, ko nga kupu mai ra a Hinete-moa ki a ia "Noho ana me he teko," koia a Hika-teko. "Noho ana me he hore," koia a Hine-hore. "Akuanei koe taraitia iho," koia a Taraia. He taina enei no Te Huhuti. Me korero ake te whakapapa o Te Huhuti me to Te Whatu-i-apiti. Tahu Ueroa Tahito-tarere Rakainui Ruatapui Tamaira Takaha Hikawera i a Hine-te-moa Te Whatu-i-apiti i a Te Huhuti Wakapakani i a Rurua-rau Hikiora i a Taha Te Awhina i a Tama-i-whakarukerukea Kiritai i a Haimona Pita Hoeta NOTES ON THE MOA, AS CONTRIBUTED BY NATIVES OF THE WAI-RARAPA DISTRICT. BY T. W. DOWNES. IN N olden times the terms kuranui and manu-whakatau were both employed by the Maori people as names for the moa. When the ancestors of the Maori reached New Zealand the destruction of the moa by fire commenced. Certain parts of the country were burned off, and when these fires spread over the land then the moa fled into swamps, where they perished. Those that did not so perish were hunted by the Maori people, who employed dogs in such hunts. The feathers of the moa were used in the manufacture of garments. The feathers of the breast and back of the bird were of a somewhat darker colour than those of the neck. The moa survived in the South Island after it had disappeared in the North Island, and it is said that the last moa was killed in the South Island eight generations ago. A native named Te Maire pointed out a place at Waitaki where, he said, his forefathers had captured a moa that afterwards broke away and escaped; also, in a struggle with that bird, three men were killed and the names of the men were given to places nearby. There were four different kinds of moa known to the Maori, and these were of different sizes; they differed in stature and build, some being heavier framed than others. They were usually seen on the banks of streams and the margins of swamps, and but seldom in the forest. Some say that they caught and ate the small freshwater fish kokopu, inanga, kakawai and karohi. The last-named is said to be a spotted fish found in dead water, such as is found in swamps. Their principal food supplies consisted of various kinds of plants. The moa had a hoarse cry that could be heard for a considerable distance. From the bones of the moa were fashioned weapons and other implements, such as a club-like pakuru which was about 18 inches in length. The neck bones were sometimes worn by women as a form of neck pendant. The natives of the upper Whanganui district speak of a particular moa mentioned in tradition, and which was called Wekanui by local people. This creature was eventually killed, after it had destroyed a number of hunters' dogs. * * * * A remark made by the late Te Matorohanga, of Wairarapa, was to the effect that the wings of the moa were but one whatianga (cubit) in length, and that they had no joints. SOME HONORIFIC AND SACERDOTAL TERMS MAORI NARRATIVES. A LL students of Maori lore have noted the frequent use made by natives of proper names, honorific terms, sacerdotal expressions, and what may be termed punctilious phrases. These frequently occur in narratives connected with old myths, beliefs, customs and historical traditions, more especially in such as were given by what we must term the better educated class of Maori, men of superior social status who had been carefully taught the superior versions of unwritten lore. Such terms and expressions are often a serious difficulty in the path of the translator, and the student of Maori soon finds that it is absolutely necessary to seek their meaning. Song composers were much given to the use of these expressions, and they form a formidable stumbling block in the explanation of such effusions. Inasmuch as the meaning of many of these abstruse terms has been explained by natives to sundry workers in the field of Maori lore, then it seems advisable to put such on record. The explanations obtained are the result of prolonged enquiry, and if made accessible may be of service to others in the days that lie before. As the Maori puts it in some of his terse sayings: "He rau ringa e oti ai," and "Ma tini, ma mano ka rapa te whai." " Many hands make light work" is our equivalent for the first of these sayings, and the second denotes that numbers can set up the most intricate of designs in cat's cradle, or accomplish anything. Any corrections or additional data pertaining to the terms given will be welcomed.-EDITORS. Marae nui; Marae nui atea; Mahora nui atea; Tahora nui atea. Terms used to denote the ocean. The word marae is here used as meaning an open expanse, and marae nui atea as denoting a vast open expanse. It is also alluded to as the marae o Hine-moana, the plaza of the Ocean Maid, and as the Moana nui a Kiwa, the Great Ocean of Kiwa, who is one of the guardians of the ocean in Maori myth. Mahora carries the meanings of " spread out " and " farflung, scattered." Tahora denotes open country and "spread out," and Tahora nui a Ruatau the light that existed after the sky was thrust up on high. Tahora-nui-atea is not applied to the ocean alone; it is sometimes employed as meaning a great area of either land or sea, or both; in some cases it is almost equivalent to our expression "the wide earth." It is of interest to note that the full name of Taha'a Island in Eastern Polynesia is Taha'a-nui-marae-atea. An old-time saying among our Maori folk is: "No marae atea ena korero," equivalent to saying that a tale or report is unauthorised, unauthentic. Tiritiri o te moana. This is another term employed to denote the vast expanse of ocean, and it seems to carry a sense of great distance. Marae-roa was probably another term for the ocean, but the evidence is not conclusive. Tahuaroa; Papa; Papa-tuanuku; Tuanuku; Nuku; Papatiraharaha. All these names are applied to the earth. The word tahua, like marae, denotes a plaza, an open expanse. Roa, in some cases, seems to equal roha, as meaning "extensive," ordinarily it denotes length and height. The other five names are those of the personified form of the earth, the Earth Mother. The word papa carries the meaning of flatness and breadth, while nuku means "wide extent" and "distance." Papa-tiraha describes the position of the Earth Mother as lying on her back facing upward. We note the same name in the form Papa-i-raharaha in a Paumotu chant at p. 239 of Vol. 12 of this Journal. Occasionally Tahuaroa is applied to the ocean, as in the following allusion to the ocean as the plaza and playground of the Whanau puhi or Wind Children: "Ko to ratau marae ko Marae-nui, ko Tahuaroa, ko Mahora-nui-atea; ta ratau mahi i reira he koakoa ana, e takataka ana, he takaaho ki a ratau ano." In every day speech tahua roa denotes a piled up heap of food presented to guests at a feast, while tahuaroa is a |