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Volume 34, 1901
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The Personification of Pleasure.

Kant speaks of the category of causality as being a necessary form of pure reason. It is highly improbable that the ancient Maori had perused the works of the latter-day Teutonic philosopher. There are a few chronological and other reasons against such an assumption. And although his primitive intellect has ever felt that causality exists, yet he would but know it in an abstract form—that is to say, as a law of thought. That half-knowledge, however, prompted his crude mental powers to seek not the true cause of things, but the agency by which they were presented to his sight, hearing, or understanding. Thus the ancient Maori had, after how many centuries of groping through the gloom, personified almost everything that came under his notice. His limited mentality sought an agent for all things, and that agent was invariably presented to his vision in human form. Thus in the extensive and wondrous Maori mythology we find personifications—i.e., anthropomorphous agents—which represent war, peace, disease, the sky, the earth, the sun, moon, and stars, meteors, rainbows, fire, water, fish, birds, trees, heat, the seasons, death, &c.

In like manner are the arts of carving, weaving, &c., supplied with such personifications, and a myth of a similar nature is attached to the art of pleasure. Games and amusements have their mythic agent or tutelary deity, to whom is attributed their invention. Among the majority of Maori tribes this personification or agent is Rau-kata-uri, a name often coupled with that of Rau-kata-mea. To these are attributed flute-playing and games of amusement. Among the Tuhoe Tribe, however, the places of the above are taken by Marere-o-tonga and Takataka-putea. These two mythical beings were, to the Child of Tamatea,* the origin and personification of nga mahi a te rehia—the art of pleasure. The names of many such personifications, &c., differ among the Tuhoe Tribe, which may be explained by the fact that among these people are preserved the purest versions of the myths, rites, and legends of the original migration of Polynesians to this land, a migration that probably emanated from the

[Footnote] * The Child of Tamatea: A term applied to the Tuhoe Tribe.

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western Pacific, whereas the latter migration came from the far east.

It should be here remarked that these personifications or tutelary genii are not termed “gods” (atua) by the Maori, but merely “parents” or “origins.” In like manner the rendering of the word “atua” by the term “god” is objectionable; “demon” is more acceptable.

The following is a genealogy of Takataka-putea and Marere-o-tonga, although certain traditions place them much further back. It is well to note here that the Maori looks upon most of the singular personifications of Polynesian mythology as ancestors of man, and traces his descent from many of them, as, indeed, he does from the sky, the earth, the heavenly bodies, &c.:—

In White's “Ancient History of the Maori,” vol. iii, page 23, is the following sentence: “Nukutere was the vessel of Whiro-nui, ancestor of Porou-rangi, and of his wife Arai-

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ara The wise men (tohunga) of that vessel were Takatakaputea and Marere-o-tonga.” Again, at page 7 is the following: “Uenuku asked, ‘O, Whena! Where are our children?’ And Whena replied, ‘They are allured by pleasure (rehia). They are enjoying the arts of their ancestors, of Takataka-putea and Marere-o-tonga.’ In Shortland's “Maori Religion,” page 17, these two are said to be twins, and the offspring of Papa-tuanuku, or Mother Earth.

Takataka-putea is the name of one of the nights of the moon, either the last or one of the last. When the moon dies then the wise men say, “Takataka-putea is in the hole (abyss or space) rolling about.”

The following fragment of mythological lore, preserved by Ngati-awa, places this pair far back in the night of time: “When Rongo was defeated by Tu-mata-uenga he went to the whare patahi, to Marere-o-tonga and Timu-whakairia, to fetch the wananga to seek for peace. The wananga brought to this land (New Zealand) was the wananga of witchcraft. It was brought on Takitumu.” The whare patahi appears to have been some sacred place or receptacle for sacred things. “Wananga” is a difficult word to define the meaning of. Meanings thereof given to me are—(1) A priest or seer; (2) a receptacle for sacred things; (3) a medium, as of a god; (4) (as a verb) to recite, as a genealogy, or declaim, as in reviling a person. In Paumotuan “vananga” means “to warn by advice, counsel; to discourse.” Hawaiian wanana, “to prophesy.” In Mangarevan vananga is “a herald, an orator, a prayer”; as a verb, “to name again and again,” &c.; while etua-vananga means “a war-chief.” Wanawana in Maori (New Zealand) means “spines, bristles, rays,” &c.

The whare patahi was probably some form of primitive temple or repository, material or imaginary. Possibly it may have been the ancient prototype of the whata puaroa. The following fragment seems to denote that it was a sort of temple of peace, or talisman:—

Te whare patahi
E hui te rongo,
E hui te rongo,
E puta mai ki waho.

The following song was sung when peace was desired or about to be cemented. Tuhoe say that it was composed by Te Turuki (Te Kooti of infamous memory), but it bears an ancient impress:—

E mahi ana ano a Tu raua ko Rongo
I ta raua mā;ra, koia Pohutukawa
Ka patua tenei, koia moenga kura
Ka patua tetahi, koia moenga toto
Na raua ano ka he 1 te rir

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Ka tikina ki raro ra
Kia Marere o-tonga, kia Timu-whakairia
E ora ana te wananga—e
Mauria mai nei ko te rongo-a-whare
Ko te rongo-taketake
Ki mua ki te atua
Ka whakaoti te riri—e.

The following song is very old, and refers to the period of the Maori sojourn in Rarotonga, about five hundred years ago. It contains references to a well-known incident in Maori history, and also mentions the name of Marere-o-tonga:—

Noho noa whati tata, haereere noa ra te takutai
Kua pono ano ki te iwi no paraoa
Mauria mai nei hai heru ‘tahi taha
Hai patu ‘tahi taha
Manaakitia mai nei e Uenuku
Tae noa mai nei kua he te iringa o te heru
Me ui ra ki te poupou o te whare,
Kaore te ki mai te waha
Me ui ra ki te tuarongo o te whare,
Kaore te ki mai te waha
Me ui ra ki te tiki nei, kia Kahutia-te-rangi
Kai hea taku heru?
Tena ka riro i te tahae poriro tiraumoko nei
Moenga-hau nei, moenga raukawakawa nei.
Ka mate tera i te whakama
Ka hiko ki tona waka
Kia Tu-te-pewa-a-rangi nei
Ka hoe ki waho ki te moana
Ka unuhia te koremu
Ka mate i reira Epipi, ka mate i reira Tahau
Ka mate i reira te ara o Tu-mahina nei
Matariki ka* kau i te ata nei—e
Tena a Ruatapu kai te whakakau
I te moana e takoto nei—e
Te hinga nei—e. Te wharenga nei—e
Te marara nei—e
Pokia iho ra te Puke ki Hikurangi
Tutu noa ana Marere-o-tonga kia mau.

Hamiora Pio, of the Children of Awa, says, “Rongo visited Marere-o-tonga and Timu-whakairia. When Rongo returned from his visit to the heavens he saw Marere-o-tonga blocking up a cave to enclose him in. Then Rongo slew Marere-o-tonga, who may be seen by looking up into space—he is suspended from the heavens.”

But the door of the whare tapere is open. The young people of the year 400 Anno Toi are collected therein, and the games and amusements of old are in full swing. We will enter and seat ourselves on the right-hand side, against the wall. We are looking upon the young people of that date, clothed simply in kilt or girdle, and collected in picturesque

[Footnote] * Or kakau, a star.

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groups. We stay time and roll back the years that you may see the amusements of the Children of Toi, the arts of the where tapere—nga mahi a te rehia, a te harakoa—the arts of pleasure and of joy. We produce the modern notebook.Ka kawea tatou e te rehia:—

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