The Start Of The Legends Of The Various Canoes

Various tribes in New Zealand have slightly differing stories of the finding of New Zealand and how it was populated.

Among these, is the story of Kupe, who eloped with Kuramarotini, the wife of Hoturapa, who was the owner of the great canoe Matahourua, whom Kupe had murdered.

This has been dated at approximately 750 AD, by studying the various stories and genealogies, a lot of this work was started by Abraham Formander [1878 - 1885]
[An account of the Polynesian Race, 3 Vols]

To escape punishment for the murder, Kupe and Kura fled in Matahourua, and discovered a land that he called Aotearoa [The Land of the Long White Cloud].

He explored its coast, killed a sea monster Te Wheke-a-Muturangi, and finally returning home to spread news of his newly discovered land.

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Other tribes say that he was escaping famine, overpopulation, or warfare.

There are occasions where, the same legend is told by two different tribes, with different emphases placed on the actions/names/n-named portions of the story.

Also, of interest, is the claim that the Maori was the first people to inhabit these islands, yet, in some legends, they invite the original inhabitants to dinner,

The people of Hawaiki, [the mythical homeland] followed in the following famous canoes.

Aotea, Te Arawa, Kurahaupo, Mataatua, Tainui, Takitimu, and Tokomaru.

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Various traditions name other canoes, some including Araiteuru are well known while others including Kirauta and Arahura and Mahangaatuamatua are little known.

Then in 1000 to 1100AD Toi and Whatonga visited New Zealand and found it inhabited by a primitive, nomadic people they called Moriori,

Then from 1350 AD the seven major canoes departed from the Tahitian region and
arrived in New Zealand.

The canoes landed,

Te Arawa landed at Cape Runaway, turned up coast and settled at Maketu, near Tauranga

Mataatua sailed to the Bay of Plenty, and beached on the shore, Captain Taros’s daughter was unwell, so she lay by the shore while everybody else explored inland.

The tide rose and the canoe was in danger of floating off, so she said to her self “I must act like a man” and save the canoe [Whakatane] is named for that deed.

Kurahapo went north and settled North Auckland and later Taranaki and an area between Wanganui and Lake Horowhenua.

Tokomaru beached in Mohakatino River in North Taranaki.

Takitimu landed on the East Coast and are the Gisborne area tribes.

Aotea landed at the Kermidec Islands, then landed on the west coast on the North Island and moved inland from Wanganui.

The traditions of the “Tainui”, who are the descendants of one of the “Great Migration” canoes, settled in what today is known as the Waikato.

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As handed down from generation to generation, long before there was any written records, and, no doubt embellished as time went by, the story begins in the Tropical Islands of Eastern Pacific.

Probably the Islands that Captain Cook called the Society Islands and what we now know as Tahiti, and its neighbour’s Raiatea, Huahine, Moorea and Porapora.

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On one of the Island of that group the great ancestor was born, by the time he had grown to manhood the tribes were at war, because of the dissensions he and his people migrated to Hawaiki-it [Little Hawaiki].

There they took up their abode at a place called Waihi in the traditions, In the Tahiti tongue of today, it is Vaihi, which is in the district of Papara, on the Island of Tahiti.

Hotutoa’s wife was Whakaoti-rangi, and they had two sons, Hotu-hope and Hotu-matapu.

The tribes continued to war, mainly for land, and Hoturoa and his kinsman Ngatoro-i-rangi, who was a high priest decided to adventure into the unknown ocean and seek homes that were more peaceful.

In order to make their voyage to a new land in the far south west, of which adventurous navigators had returned from, it was necessary to build strong ocean going canoes.

Hotutoa and Ngatoro-i-rangi went into the forest and found a suitable tree, after suitable prayers to Tane Mahuta, the god of the forests were made, they called upon the people of the village to help felling the tree and hollowing it out using their stone axes.

The canoe was named Tainui [Great Tide] and was dragged on rollers to the beach, where a house was built over it to protect it from the hot sun.

While the sides were being fitted to the hollowed out keel, a boy came and watched Hotura and Ngatoro-i-rangi working away on the canoe, the boy began to play and climb over the canoe.

He was scolded by Horuroa, he persisted. Horutoa became angry and he struck the boy with one of the side boards of the canoe, and killed him.

To conceal him he heaped the chips from the construction over him.

That is the reason that the Tauni was not as thoroughly finished as the other canoes, the builders, after this murder they were in a hurry to get away.

Now the young chief Tama-te-kupua saw the Tainui afloat ta her moorings and had his canoe “Arawa” also dragged to the sea.

All the other canoes at Waihi were old canoes, Tainui was the only new one.

Both canoes were left lying at anchor in the lagoon.

Tama-te-kupua approached Ngatoro-i-rangi to go and perform the necessary incantations over his canoe, because he had no priest.

As Ngatoro-i-rangi was going to the waterside, Tama-te-kupua said to him, “You had better bring your wife, Kearoa, so that the incantation in regard to the female element of my canoe may be completed”.

So Kearoa went with her husband on board the Arawa. Ngatoro-i-rangi performed the ceremonies usual on such occasions, and when he went into the deckhouse build amidships, Tama-te-kupua had given directions to his men to haul up the anchor and set sail while Ngatoro-i-rangi was below.

So Hoturoa and his canoe Tainui were left behind and Ngatoro-i-rangi, against his will, sailed in the Awara.

Hundreds of years later, while still a pre-schooler, the elders drummed into our heads, “Never trust Ngati Awara” [the people of the Arawa canoe].

Tainui now took on board her cargo and people, including Hoturoa, and his two wives, Whakaotirangi and Marama-Kiko-hure, and his children and his people, and sailed to the far country.

The beginning of the voyage was stormy and perilous, the seas became angry and then was heard the warning cry of the seabird called Torea, it called, “Keria, Keria”.

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The Oyster Catcher

Hoturoa ordered his crew to put about and return to anchorage. The angry seas became calmer so Tainui set sail again.

The warning call of the Torea “Keria, Keria” was heard again, so once more Hoturoa put about and returned to shelter.

That is why those who are descended from the crew of Tainui canoe are always watchful when they go to sea, and if the Torea calls “Keria, Keria” they know it will not be long before a storm bursts.

Now Hoturoa visited the chief Tama, and found Tama and Ngahue loading their canoe Poutini for the same voyage, and he asked Tama to come and be his Tohunga [priest] for the voyage, as both Tama and Ngahue were Tohunga’s and only one was needed per canoe.

Tama agreed, and uttered an incantation that allowed Tainui to leave on her voyage, which was extremely rough and Tama became exhausted with his incantations until eventually the winds and seas calmed and the Tainui sailed calmly towards the new land to the south.

Having been born in "Tainui Country," we will start with it first.

Info from
from

Also

[Also](Sir Peter Buck - The Coming of the Maori)

https://steemit.com/history/@len.george/myths-and-legends-of-new-zealand-intro

https://steemit.com/history/@len.george/how-this-series-began

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