Origin of War.

The real origin of war was the quarrel between the sons of Rangi and Papa, when Tane, Tu, Tangaroa, and Tawhiri-matea strove against each other on account of the cultivation known as Pohutukawa, which, according to the aged Hamiora Pio, of Ngati-awa, meant the world. The offspring of Earth and Sky were struggling for possession of the fair earth. Rongo was the peace-maker. Had man but followed the advice of Rongo then would war have been an unknown quantity in this world, and all would have followed the arts of peace. Rongo was the origin of cultivation and of cultivated food-products. Pani gave birth to the kumara and made it known to mankind, but it existed before that time in far-distant lands.

I take it that Rongo was the mythological origin of the kumara, but that the Pani and Rongo-maui legend is a distorted account of the obtaining of the kumara from the east, and, as Whanui rises in that quarter, it came to be said that Rongo-maui had visited Whanui in order to obtain the valued food-product.

The quarrel of the sons of Earth and Sky is said by some to have arisen over the house known as Te Tatau-o-rangiriri. But Rongo and Ioio-whenua and Putehue were averse to war, and so migrated to Whitiwhiti-ora. But the fierce struggle between Tane (origin or tutelary deity of trees and birds) and Tangaroa (Neptune) was most bitter. Myriads were slain on either side. Tane destroyed the offspring of Tangaroa by means of net and hook. The tribes of Tane fell before the snares of Tangaroa. And, yet more dreadful, each ate of the other's dead. Such was the origin of cannibalism. So war raged across the earth, and many troubles afflicted mankind.

The origin of revenge was the act of Tawhaki, who ascended to the heavens in order to enlist the services of the hosts of the skies to aid him in avenging the death of his parent Tako-tako, who had been slain by the tribes known as Te Papaka-wheoro