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18 Dating the Last Migration to New Zealand
Early on the morrow Ta-wheta and his party were up and acting, and preparing to go and
kill Ue-nuku. They quickly put the weapons of war into the canoe, and with vigour paddled
away towards the pa of Ue-nuku. When they arrived on the beach they dragged the canoe
up, and proceeded quickly to the pa, whilst Ue-nuku and his people waved their garments
and shouted the welcome of “Come hither, welcome, ye illustrious strangers. My child has
gone to the distant horizon to fetch you thence. Welcome”. Ta-wheta and people went into
the reception-house and sat down.
The people of Ue-nuku now busied themselves in preparing a plentiful repast for the
visitors, as they supposed they had come with good intentions only, and thus intended to
make them fully welcome; but they had come to murder and eat Ue-nuku and his tribe.
While the repast was cooking, Ue-nuku rose in the marae (open space in front of the
reception-house) and said, “Come hither, welcome. Are you indeed Ta-wheta?” Ta-wheta
from within the house exclaimed, “Thou thyself, thou thyself;” but Ue-nuku continued,
“Welcome hither. Did you come from our children and young people?” To this Ta-wheta
again replied, “They are all there, enjoying themselves at the usual games of play – spinning
tops, flying kites, making cats’-cradles, darting reeds, and all manner of games.”
When the visitors had first entered the pa, Rongo-ua-oa had with great difficulty managed
to get out of the canoe, and crawl away and sit down under a bush of toetoe (cutting-grass),
where he basked in the sun; and, the food for the visitors having been made ready to put
into the umu (ovens) the female cooks went out of the pa to gather some grass, green leaves,
sedges, and tops of shrubs, on which to place the food in the ovens when cooking. Some
of these females went to the spot where Rongo-ua-roa was lying: they saw him, and heard
his faint words, by which he told the tale of what had befallen him, his brothers, and party.
These women went back to the pa, and called Ue-nuku aside, and said, “O old man! It is all
false what Ta-wheta says. They have come with a different design. The whole of our people
have been murdered by Ta-wheta and his people. Rongo-ua-rua alone is alive. They have
come in deceit, and will kill us.” Ue-nuku asked, “Where is the survivor?” The women said
“Oh! There he is, lying down outside on the toetoe, with his head all beaten with a club.”
He said, “Fetch him; lead him into the pa.”
Rongo-ua-roa was brought; but first of all he was led to the tuahu (altar where offerings
are made to the gods, and incantations are chanted to propitiate the gods), and all the proper
sacred ceremonies were performed over him, including the feeding the atua (god) with his
blood, and lifting up his clotted blood (on a stick before Mua) and this incantation was then
chanted for him:
Provoking irascible sinew, strong to kill,
Hither is come the one they sought to murder.
Verily, thy own skilful priests are here -
Thou and I together, indeed, as one.
Thy wound is sacred.
The celebrated first-born priestess
Shall cause the lips of the wounds
To incline inwardly towards each other.
By the evening, lo! thy wound shall become as nothing.
The stone axe that caused it
Was verily as the strong tide rushing on
To the shores, and tearing up the beds of shell-fish.
Striving, provoking sinew, eager after food for baking.
The wounding indeed of the man
Who courageously enraged the god.
Thy internal parts are all opened to view,
Verily, just as the stirring-up of the big fire
Burning in the marae (courtyard) of a pa.
But, lo! thou and I together are as one.
18 Dating the Last Migration to New Zealand
Early on the morrow Ta-wheta and his party were up and acting, and preparing to go and
kill Ue-nuku. They quickly put the weapons of war into the canoe, and with vigour paddled
away towards the pa of Ue-nuku. When they arrived on the beach they dragged the canoe
up, and proceeded quickly to the pa, whilst Ue-nuku and his people waved their garments
and shouted the welcome of “Come hither, welcome, ye illustrious strangers. My child has
gone to the distant horizon to fetch you thence. Welcome”. Ta-wheta and people went into
the reception-house and sat down.
The people of Ue-nuku now busied themselves in preparing a plentiful repast for the
visitors, as they supposed they had come with good intentions only, and thus intended to
make them fully welcome; but they had come to murder and eat Ue-nuku and his tribe.
While the repast was cooking, Ue-nuku rose in the marae (open space in front of the
reception-house) and said, “Come hither, welcome. Are you indeed Ta-wheta?” Ta-wheta
from within the house exclaimed, “Thou thyself, thou thyself;” but Ue-nuku continued,
“Welcome hither. Did you come from our children and young people?” To this Ta-wheta
again replied, “They are all there, enjoying themselves at the usual games of play – spinning
tops, flying kites, making cats’-cradles, darting reeds, and all manner of games.”
When the visitors had first entered the pa, Rongo-ua-oa had with great difficulty managed
to get out of the canoe, and crawl away and sit down under a bush of toetoe (cutting-grass),
where he basked in the sun; and, the food for the visitors having been made ready to put
into the umu (ovens) the female cooks went out of the pa to gather some grass, green leaves,
sedges, and tops of shrubs, on which to place the food in the ovens when cooking. Some
of these females went to the spot where Rongo-ua-roa was lying: they saw him, and heard
his faint words, by which he told the tale of what had befallen him, his brothers, and party.
These women went back to the pa, and called Ue-nuku aside, and said, “O old man! It is all
false what Ta-wheta says. They have come with a different design. The whole of our people
have been murdered by Ta-wheta and his people. Rongo-ua-rua alone is alive. They have
come in deceit, and will kill us.” Ue-nuku asked, “Where is the survivor?” The women said
“Oh! There he is, lying down outside on the toetoe, with his head all beaten with a club.”
He said, “Fetch him; lead him into the pa.”
Rongo-ua-roa was brought; but first of all he was led to the tuahu (altar where offerings
are made to the gods, and incantations are chanted to propitiate the gods), and all the proper
sacred ceremonies were performed over him, including the feeding the atua (god) with his
blood, and lifting up his clotted blood (on a stick before Mua) and this incantation was then
chanted for him:
Provoking irascible sinew, strong to kill,
Hither is come the one they sought to murder.
Verily, thy own skilful priests are here -
Thou and I together, indeed, as one.
Thy wound is sacred.
The celebrated first-born priestess
Shall cause the lips of the wounds
To incline inwardly towards each other.
By the evening, lo! thy wound shall become as nothing.
The stone axe that caused it
Was verily as the strong tide rushing on
To the shores, and tearing up the beds of shell-fish.
Striving, provoking sinew, eager after food for baking.
The wounding indeed of the man
Who courageously enraged the god.
Thy internal parts are all opened to view,
Verily, just as the stirring-up of the big fire
Burning in the marae (courtyard) of a pa.
But, lo! thou and I together are as one.