PUHIWAHINE — MAORI POETESS by PEI TE HURINUI JONES

HE WAIATA AROHA MO TE MAHUTU TE TOKO Ka eke ki Wairaka ka tahuri whakamuri, Kaati ko te aroha te tiapu i Kakepuku; Kia rere arorangi te tihi ki Pirongia. Kei raro koe, e Toko, taku hoa tungaane, Naaku ano koe i huri ake ki muri; Mokai te ngakau te ãta whakatau iho, Kia po ruatia e awhi a-kiri ana. Ko taku tau whanaunga no Toa i te tonga, No Mania i te uru, ka pea tãua. I ngakau nui ai he mutunga mahi koe. Kaati au ka hoki ki taku whenua tupu, Ki te wai koropupu i heria mai nei I Hawaiki ra ano e Ngatoroirangi, E ona tuahine Te Hoata, u, Te Pupu; E hu ra i Tongariro, ka mahana i taku kiri. Na Rangi mai ra ano nana i marena Ko Pihanga te wahine, hai ua, hai hau, Hai marangai ki te muri, e, i, kokiri! From the heights of Wairaka, as I backward gaze, An outpouring of love leaps over Kakepuku, Soaring heavenwards to the peak of Pirougia Below there is you, O Toko, my cousin lover. It was I who forsook you, Slave heart mine not to seek a lingering farewell; With two nights more in close embrace. You are the one I cherish dearly; My kinsman by Toa from the south, And Mania in the west, so ‘paired’ off are we. 10 Determined was I to end life's toil with you, But now I return to my native land; To the boiling pools there, which were brought From distant Hawaiki by Ngatoroirangi And his sisters Te Hoata and Te Pupu; To fume up there on Tongariro, giving warmth to my body. It was Rangi who did join him in wedlock With Pihanga as the bride, hence the rain, wind, And the storms in the west; leap forth (my love)! 1. Wairaka for Owairaka. 2. Kakepuku. A high hill on the edge of the Kawa swamp near Te Aawamutu. 4. Toko. Te Mahutu Te Toko. 10. Mania: for Ngati Maniapoto. 14. Ngatoirirangi. High priest of the Arawa canoe. 15. Te Hoata and Te Pupu. Sisters of Ngatoirirangi. These sisters were invoked by Ngatoiriangi when he was perishing with cold; they came to him from Hawaiki bringing the fires which are now the geysers of the thermal area. 18. Pihanga. A mountain near Tokaanu, of which the legend is told she was sought and quarreled over by the great mountains Taranaki and Tongariro, and Tongariro was the victor. 19. Muri. Indicates the district that has been left behind, that is: Pirongia which is west of Taupo. (As a cardinal point muri could also mean North). On her return to Taupo, Puhiwahine led a quiet life for a year or two. In the meantime her song about Mahutu had become very popular and it soon had a wide vogue among the Ngati-Maniapoto and her own Ngati-Tuwharetoa. When it first reached the Maniapoto people the song was used by Mahutu's fellow chiefs, on occasions, to tease him. His answer to the bantering of the chiefs was to compose a song of short verses of a whimiscal and sentimental character, with a subtle touch of satire. MAHUTU'S SONG 1 Haere atu au Ka heru i taku pane, Kia pai au ki te kotiro E kai ra i roto… U—, te kotiro ra! (Kei whea, e Ma’?) E haria ra e ana koroua! 2 Pukana whakarunga, Pukana whakararo; Often I went To comb my hair, Making myself good with the maiden Whose memory gnaws on with… Ah me—, that girl! (Where is she, O Ma’?) O'er yonder, led away by her elders. 2 Staring wildly to the zenith, Staring wildly down to earth

Pukana kau ki te kotiro E kai ra i roto… U— etc. 3 Tapahia i taku pane, Ka whiu ki te marae Hei oko horoi mo te kotiro E kai ra i roto… U— etc. 4 Mei rahi te kiore, Kua eke atu au Hei hari atu ki te kotiro E kai ra i roto… U—, etc. 5 E rere, e te kaahu, Whakatopa i Turoto, Arohirohi ki te kotiro E kai ra i roto… U—, etc. Staring wildly in vain for the maiden Whose memory gnaws on within… Ah me— etc. 3 Come, cut off my head, Cast it on to the courtyard As a wash-bowl for the maiden Whose memory gnaws on within… Ah me— etc. 4 If only the rat was big enough, Upon it I would mount To take me to the maiden Whose memory gnaws on within… Ah me—, etc. 5 Speed onward, O hawk, Soar onward o'er Turoto, And look for that girl Whose memory gnaws on within… Ah me—, etc. Te Mahutu te Toko. There was a sequel to this love contrived, as an afterpiece with pathos, by the hand of fate to mark the twilight period in the lives of these two old-time Maori lovers. But a half century was to go by before this was to happen, and during this wide expanse of years they each lived a life of contrasting circumstances. Mahutu lived the life of a Maniapoto chief. When the war with the white man broke out he fought alongside his tribesmen, and when peace came he played a full part in the affairs of the Tainui tribes. In the second summer of her stay at Taupo, Puhiwahine went over the ranges to her mother's people in the Tuhua district. It was on a hot summer's day when a strange man strolled into their village. Puhiwahine was in a lazy mood and was daydreaming by the swimming pool when she was roused from a reverie by the excited shouting of the children. On her return to the village she saw the stranger surrounded by a chattering group fo children. In his halting Maori he explained that he had come from Wanganui and was on a sight-seeing tour. He gave his name as John Gotty. Puhiwahine's people maorified his name to Te Kati. He said he was a German and had travelled in many lands since leaving his homeland. He was a tall powerful man in the prime of life. He had a fine bearing and in his general conduct he showed himself to be a man of fine principles. From the Taringamotu valley Gotty made excursions to various parts of the district, and several weeks went by before he decided to rest for a few days and then to return to Wanganui.

HE WAIATA MO TE PAKANGA (A SONG OF WAR) Ma wai ra taku mate E huti ake ki runga? Ma te Atua Nui, Maana i runga nei. No te kore ano; Te kore-te-whiwhia, Te kore-te-rawea— Na wai hoki te kore? E whitu nga tau E kawea ana te patu Ki te rakau hoari, Ki te rakau pu hou. Whakatuputupu, whakatuputupu! Kaore ana ra; Kei tua o Manuka. I te ra e puta mai, Te hau o pungawere, Hei whakariu ake— Mania, ka paheke atu ana, Ki te wai tai! Mimiti, pãkore Ki te waha o te parata! E au kai tu, E au kai rere, E au kai whakatokihi; I runga o te tumuaki O Te Poihipi, Me tohu hoki koe No Ngati-Karetoto, He pahi mahi kai Maaku ma te tau, e, Te tau, e, i… Who will it be to raise My fallen ones again? None, but Almighty God, He who reigns above. All about is now a void; An empty void, A dismal void— Tell me, who caused the void? For seven long years The patu has opposed 10 The unsheathed sword, And the loaded gun. Be prepared, be prepared! The worst is yet to come; It is still beyond Manuka. But the day will dawn, The day of the spider's wind, Which will rend all asunder — Slipping, all will slide onward, Onward into the salty sea! 20 Flowing outwards ‘twill expose The gaping mouth of the sea monster! I now eat on my feet, I now eat in haste, I now eat in secret; For all now rests upon the head Of Te Poihipi, The one bespoken By the tribe of Karetoto, The food-gathering tribe 30 For me your cherished one, My beloved, alas… 9. Seven years. The period of sporadic fighting in various parts of the country, following Hone Heke's War in the north. 10. Patu. A short flat weapon for hand to hand fighting. One made of whale bone was called a patu-paraoa. 15. Manuka. The harbour on the western side of the Tamaki isthmus, where the city of Auckland now stands. Sometimes called Manukau. At the time the only fighting on a large scale was that of Hone Heke, hence the expression “beyond Manuka.” 17. Spider's wind. Hau o pungawere. Before a hurricane, or stormy weather the spider will disappear into holes and crevices. Hurricanes, on that account, are called ‘spider's wind.’ 23. I now eat etc. The manner of eating of one who apprehends danger. 27. Te Poihipi. One of Puhiwahine's former lovers. It is said he endeavoured to persuade the people of Kawhia to go north and join in Hone Heke's War. 28. The one bespoken. This is a reference to her broken romance with Te Poihipi. His tribe, Ngati-Karetoto, had opposed his marriage to Puhiwahine because he was already be-spoken as a husband for a young woman of his own tribe. 30. The food-gathering tribe. A captious expression by the poetess, inspired by the recollection of her broken romance. (To be continued in our next issue)