File:History and traditions of the Maoris of the west coast, North Island of New Zealand prior to 1840 (1910) (14595433250).jpg

Identifier: historytradition00smit (find matches)
Title: History and traditions of the Maoris of the west coast, North Island of New Zealand prior to 1840
Year: 1910 (1910s)
Authors: Smith, Stephenson Percy, 1840-
Subjects: Maori (New Zealand people)
Publisher: New Plymouth, N.Z. Printed for the Society by T. Avery
Contributing Library: Robarts - University of Toronto
Digitizing Sponsor: University of Toronto

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Text Appearing Before Image:
u-takotako, which is, in fact, a ivhahatau-hi, or saying,from very ancient times—so ancient that the incident which originallygave rise to it occurred whilst the ancestors of these people wereoccupying the eastern part of the Fiji group. It means theobstruction of Matuku-takotako, and this is how it came to be appliedto the place described above : One of the ancestors of these peoplewas named Tu-horo, and when he was a very old man his peopleneglected him in the matter of food—as, indeed, was not uncommon.When the young women used to come from the cooking houses, * Plate No. 11 shows the northern face of Puke-rangi-ora pa. The terraces,which were formerly palisaded, can be disting-uished on the summit, but a largepart of the pa is invisible from the point where the view was taken. The cliff onthe right hand, falling to the Waitara river, is where the garrison jumped over inthe second siege in 1831 (see Chapter XVII.) Map No. 5 shows details of the pafrom Mr. W. H. Skinners survey.
Text Appearing After Image:
::: a c3Obo I HISTORY AND TRADITIONS OF THK TARANAKI COAST. 365 marching two and two, each carrying in their hands, outstretchedabove the shoulder, two little square baskets of food called Jcono, andon state occasions accompanied by a song of welcome, called a hari tukuhai, all the people of the ;:>^ would arrange themselves in two rows,one on each side, leaving a passage along which the women passed,depositing here and there amongst the family groups the little basketsof food described above. Now Tu-horo, being very old and deci-epit,always reached the taJiua kai, or feeding-place, late, and consequentlyhad to sit at the far end of the kapa, or rows of people. Hence it oftenarose that he either got no food or only the indifferent parts. So hesaid on one occasion, These young people offer as much obstructionto food reaching me as did the obstruction (arm) of Matuku-takotako. Tfom this circumstance arises the name of this part of the pa, so wellknown in 1861, when it was occupied by

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