The Poi.

The poi may be said to be allied to the haka, and is so styled by the natives. The poi dance (so termed) is performed by females. Each performer has a small, light ball made of leaves of the raupo tightly rolled, and having a string attached to it. In times past these poi balls were ornamented by attaching the long hair from the tail of the Maori dog, now extinct. The players hold the string, and, timing each movement to the poi song (rangi poi), twirl the light balls in many directions—now in front of the body, now over the right shoulder, then the left, &c. The players stand in ranks while performing. One of these time songs commences thus:—

Kia rite! kia rite! kia rite!
Kokiri kai waho, &c.

Here the words “kia rite” mean “keep time,” and the players take their time from the words, the movement of the ball changing at the second line. This game has been revived of late years, and was one of the attractions of the Maori meeting at Rotorua at the time of the visit of our Royal guests in June, 1901. We give below some of the old poi time songs as sung or chaunted during the game.

The following was used both as a rangi poi and as an oriori, or lullaby. It was composed by one Hine-i-turama to sing to her child, which same child was in the form of a stone, and which that estimable woman used to nurse and sing to—a by no means uncommon thing among childless native women. It reminds one of the Dutch sooterkin:—

E noho ana ano i tona taumata i Tihei
E papaki kau ana te paihau o te manu
Kei tata mai ki taku taha
E poi ana te tara i raro
Kia riro mai taku ipu kai ra
Ko Te Heuheu, i whakatapua ki te aha te hau tapa
Tikapo au anake e kai nei i te roro o Takeke
Kai atu, whakairihia ki te patanga (pataka)
Kai atu patanga, ko te kai ra i korongatia
Te ngakau ko Tukino
Kia utaina ki te tiwai, e hoe au ki tawhiti
Ki au, i tauhou au ko Whakaari
Ki te puke tapuku Paepae-o-Aotea
Kia takahia atu te moana o Kupe
Ki Whanga-ra ko Matioro
Ka toi au ki Hawaiki, ki te kai ra i rauri (rari) noa mai
Te raweketia e te ringaringa
Me whakatangi te korowhiti ki Tauri-toatoa,