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18 Dating the Last Migration to New Zealand
The most curious element in the Uenuku story is Uenuku’s apparent advance
awareness of the solar eclipse. We are told that before the war-party set out,
“Ue-nuku ordered that each canoe should be provided with extra stone anchors and
long cable-ropes.” His war strategy, based round the eclipse, seems to have been
determined and prepared for in advance. Certainly it is likely that Uenuku could
recognize the signs of an imminent solar eclipse and that traditional knowledge
might encourage him to exploit his esoteric knowledge to enhance his own image
as a tohunga able to control the sun and thereby gain an extraordinary psychological advantage for his own men and over his enemy. There may well have been
earlier instances of such manipulations known to Tahitian tradition. Indeed, as we
have noted, in the next chapter we give an example involving a Tahitian sorcerer
in Hawaii. In all societies good leadership, whether spiritual or secular, involves
psychological awareness and good stage management. Military battles, like cricket
matches, are won through exploiting psychological advantages. Uenuku’s management of his war with Tawheta reveals a master psychologist at work. He feeds his
enemy and sends him home with the promise of vengeance and defeat to come.
His moral superiority over Tawheta is asserted by his own refusal to breach laws of
hospitality and his accusation that Tawheta is “slippery” in battle – a cheater, not
a warrior. He sends his enemy home to live with the psychologically undermining
threat of impending revenge.
On the day of the battle Uenuku doesn’t rush in to attack. He keeps his victims waiting. He comes close enough to shore to seize a sacrificial victim and
then retreats. He takes his time in slowly roasting the victim’s heart, sacrificing
him to Tu, the god of war. Uenuku controls the place, time and pace of battle. The anxiety of Tawheta’s men waiting for the attack as the eerie dusk of the
eclipse settles over the landscape is easy to imagine, especially, as seems likely, if
Tawheta’s men can hear Uenuku chanting karakia, calling upon the power of his
gods whose favour is already becoming manifest in Uenuku’s control of the sun.
Having worked up his enemy to a pitch of fear and confusion, focussed on delayed
but impending attack, the descent of darkness triggers their belief that the attack
has come in a darkness generated by a sorcerer. In total confusion they attack one
another while Uenuku’s war party sits safely offshore in their canoes. Uenuku’s men
only move to land when victory is certain and the confused and demoralized enemy
ripe for slaughter.
The image Uenuku projects and effects from first to last is of possessing total
control.
So dramatic is this story – with a total solar eclipse at its heart – that details
of the eclipse were preserved, giving us a rare opportunity to date the battle. This
we can do with precision. Whereas the land battle took place in Tahiti, the sea
battle took place in Rarotonga, according to Smith’s sources, where Tawheta had
fled after his escape following the land battle. Astronomical calculations establish
that the eclipse took place on 28 August 1383 at 2.58 p.m. and lasted 3 min and
2 seconds (Tony Beresford of the South Australian Astronomical Society, personal
communication). This was the only total solar eclipse taking place in Rarotonga
over the years 957–1498 inclusive.
18 Dating the Last Migration to New Zealand
The most curious element in the Uenuku story is Uenuku’s apparent advance
awareness of the solar eclipse. We are told that before the war-party set out,
“Ue-nuku ordered that each canoe should be provided with extra stone anchors and
long cable-ropes.” His war strategy, based round the eclipse, seems to have been
determined and prepared for in advance. Certainly it is likely that Uenuku could
recognize the signs of an imminent solar eclipse and that traditional knowledge
might encourage him to exploit his esoteric knowledge to enhance his own image
as a tohunga able to control the sun and thereby gain an extraordinary psychological advantage for his own men and over his enemy. There may well have been
earlier instances of such manipulations known to Tahitian tradition. Indeed, as we
have noted, in the next chapter we give an example involving a Tahitian sorcerer
in Hawaii. In all societies good leadership, whether spiritual or secular, involves
psychological awareness and good stage management. Military battles, like cricket
matches, are won through exploiting psychological advantages. Uenuku’s management of his war with Tawheta reveals a master psychologist at work. He feeds his
enemy and sends him home with the promise of vengeance and defeat to come.
His moral superiority over Tawheta is asserted by his own refusal to breach laws of
hospitality and his accusation that Tawheta is “slippery” in battle – a cheater, not
a warrior. He sends his enemy home to live with the psychologically undermining
threat of impending revenge.
On the day of the battle Uenuku doesn’t rush in to attack. He keeps his victims waiting. He comes close enough to shore to seize a sacrificial victim and
then retreats. He takes his time in slowly roasting the victim’s heart, sacrificing
him to Tu, the god of war. Uenuku controls the place, time and pace of battle. The anxiety of Tawheta’s men waiting for the attack as the eerie dusk of the
eclipse settles over the landscape is easy to imagine, especially, as seems likely, if
Tawheta’s men can hear Uenuku chanting karakia, calling upon the power of his
gods whose favour is already becoming manifest in Uenuku’s control of the sun.
Having worked up his enemy to a pitch of fear and confusion, focussed on delayed
but impending attack, the descent of darkness triggers their belief that the attack
has come in a darkness generated by a sorcerer. In total confusion they attack one
another while Uenuku’s war party sits safely offshore in their canoes. Uenuku’s men
only move to land when victory is certain and the confused and demoralized enemy
ripe for slaughter.
The image Uenuku projects and effects from first to last is of possessing total
control.
So dramatic is this story – with a total solar eclipse at its heart – that details
of the eclipse were preserved, giving us a rare opportunity to date the battle. This
we can do with precision. Whereas the land battle took place in Tahiti, the sea
battle took place in Rarotonga, according to Smith’s sources, where Tawheta had
fled after his escape following the land battle. Astronomical calculations establish
that the eclipse took place on 28 August 1383 at 2.58 p.m. and lasted 3 min and
2 seconds (Tony Beresford of the South Australian Astronomical Society, personal
communication). This was the only total solar eclipse taking place in Rarotonga
over the years 957–1498 inclusive.