No. 24. TE TARATARA NO TE TUNA, NO TE NU OKI. TER NO PUKAPUKA MAI TEIANEI KORERO. ERA tetai tuatua no e tokorua puke tangata; e tane tetai, e vaine tetai. Tera te ingoa o te tane, ko Avie-nri, ko Avie-poto te ingoa o te vaine. Kua nonoo raua, e kua roa to raua nooanga, meitaki ua rai raua i te au ra ravarai. Kare i nui te vaine i reira. Kia aere te tane ki te tautai ika ka kai ua rai te vaine i te ika a te tane i tiki. Ina ra kia to te vaine, kua tu ke te kaki o te vaine i reira. (Tena ra te to, e nui, ko te reo Pukapuka, e to.) Kua kore e kai i te au ika a te tane i tiki. Aere ua rai te tane ki te tautai ika i te au ra ravarai; pera ua rai te tane i te tikianga i te ika, apai mai ki te vaine i te au ra ravarai, kare ua ake rai te ika ta te tane e tiki, e rai te ika ta te tane i rauka ana, kare te ika ta te vaine e kakī ra e rauka ana. Ina ra kia oki akaou te tane ki te taatai e tautai ika rai e umuumu rai te tane kia kitea te ika ta te vaine e kakī ra. Kia tae ki tetai aereanga o te tane ki te tautai ika rai, e kua rauka rai te au ika ravarai, e kua kī te ora i te ika, e kua apai mai ki mua i te aroaro o te vaine, e kua akiri te vaine i te ora ai ika ki runga i te āriki, e kua ope te ika ki vao, kare rai i kitea taua ika e taua vaine. Ei reira aia e ui ki "E tera." E kua Kia kite te tane i te Ina ra kia patua te muri o te ora ki raro i reira e topa taua ika ta te vaine i kaki ra, e mea ika, e mea ngiti rava; kitea io ra e taua vaine ra, kua karanga atu ra ki te tane, "Teia." te tane, "Noea teia ?" Kua karanga mai te tane, kai io ra taua vaine ra i te mea ika mea ngiti ra. reira, kua ta io ra i te matau, tera te matau e mau toa. E oti tei reira i te ta kua iro i te vao-tera te vao, ko te taura. E oti tei reira kua aere aia ki te vao e uru i te maunu. Tera te maunu ko te pua o te au rakau kakara-ko te Tiare ko te Maire, ko te Nau, ko te Vavai. E rai atu te au pua rakau kakara ravarai, e tae ua atu ki te pua o te Tamanu. Kua rauka i te reira, kua aao ki roto i te ora. Tera te ora, e kete. E kua oti tei reira kua aere ki taatai ki te ngai tana i matau ki te tautai, e kua rave i te matau e te maunu, kua takai i te maunu ki runga i te matau, ī atu ra i taua ika ra. Tera te ingoa i taua ika ra, e Tuna. Ina ra, kare ra ko te Tuna vai, e Tuna ke, e Tuna tai. Tei Rarotonga ana taua ika e Aa-teatea, tera tetai e Mamaru, e Takivaru ana punua; i Pukapuka nei, te ingoa e Tuna. E kua rave I atu ra į taua ika ra, e kare e kai i te reira maunu. mai i tetai maunu, kua takai ki runga i te matau, e kua angai i taua ika ra, e kare ra e kai taua Tuna ra ki te matau. Kua rave i tetai maunu, e kua takai ki runga i te matau, ī atu ra i taua ika ra, kare i kai. Kua rave i tetai maunu rai, kua takai rai ki runga i te matau, tuku atu ra ki taua Tuna ra, e kare rai i kai taua ika ra. Pera ua atu ra i te au maunu ravarai, kare ua ake rai e maunu e kai ei te Tuna. Kua mii io ra taua tangata ra, kare e maunu e kai ei taua ika ra. Kua pou te au maunu, kua rave io ra te rima o taua tangata i te ora, e kua akara ki roto i te ora e kare e maunu, patu io ra i te muri o te ora, topa io ra te pua Tamanu, takai atu ra ki runga i te matau, tuku atu ra ki raro i te tai, kai io ra taua ika ra, e rauka mai ra, apai mai ra ki te kainga i te vaine. Ina ra i to raua ravenga i taua ika ra, tipupu tuatua mai ra taua Tuna ra. Tera te tuatua a taua Tuna ra "Tena korna. Ka kai i aku, e tipu korua i toku mimiti e tanu i mua i te ngutupa o to korua are. E, kia tupu auraka e ruruia; e, kia maata, auraka e ruruia; e kia rau auraka e ruruia; kia teitei auraka e ruruia; e kia taume auraka e ruruia; e kia tau te kai auraka e ruruia; e kia pakari auraka e ruruia; e kia maata te nu auraka e ruruia; e kia maro auraka e ruruia; e kia makuru ki raro i te tumu auraka e ruruia; e kia kite korua e kua maata maata te akari, ei reira korua ka tuā ai ki te pa enua." Ko te akaironga a te Tuna ki a Avieuri, e ki a Aviepoto. Kua oti te tuatua a te Tuna ki nga tangata ra. I reira to raua tipuanga i te mimiti o taua Tuna ra; kua tanu iora ki mua i te ngutupa o to raua are. Tapapa iora raua i taua mimiti o te Tuna i tanumia e raua, tapapa ua rai raua i tei tuatuaia e te Tuna; koia taua ika ta raua kai. I to raua karianga i taua mimiti Tuna ra, ka tupu mai, kua akarongo rai raua i te tuatua a te Tuna ra, tapapa ua rai raua e tupu mai ra, kare raua i ruru. E ka maata mai te tupu kare raua i ruru, pera ua rai raua e tae ua atu ki te taumeanga, e tae ua atu ki te pueraanga o te roro. Mei reira e tae ua atu ki te mouanga o te nu, e nu maata, e nu katea. E tae ua atu ki te akarianga e makuru ki raro i te one, kare rai raua i ruru. Pera ua rai te tiakianga e tae ua atu ki te maataanga kare rai raua i ruru. Noo ua rai raua, tapapa e maata maata ua atu; e kia kite raua e kua maata, ei reira raua e tuā ei ki te pa-enua katoatoa o teia nei ao te tuaanga. Ngere io ra a Pukapuka, kimi io ra raua kitea io ra e nu-ponga ta Pukapuka tuāanga. No reira ratou i tuatua ei, e no taua nu-ponga i ponga ai to ratou nu. No Amoa te rai o to ratou tuatua; kare ua e taka meitaki i a ratou te tuatua a te aronga-taito. Oti ra ua taku i tata. [TRANSLATION OF No. 24.] THE STORY OF THE TUNA (EEL) AND THE COCO-NUT. FROM PUKAPUKA ISLAND. [In No. 21 of these stories, we gave a Rarotongan account of the eel of Tangaroa. In what follows we have the Pukapuka account of the origin of the coco-nut from the eel, a story that is known to other branches of the race as well. Dr. Wyatt Gill in his " Myths and Songs," p. 77, has given a Mangaian and a Tahitian version of this peculiar story. Possibly the publication of different versions may yet lead to a solution of the mystery of the connection between the eel and the coco-nut.-EDITOR.] THIS HIS is a story about two people, a man and a woman, the male being called Avie-uri, the female, Avie-poto. together for a long time in great happiness. They dwelt Up to a certain time the woman had not conceived, and when the husband went to fish, the wife would eat of any of the fish he caught. But when at last the woman became pregnant, she was fastidious and would not eat the fish brought by her husband. The husdand went out fishing every day, and always brought home fish for his wife, but she would eat none of them; however great the variety of fish, the woman had no desire for them. As the husband again and again went to the sea-shore to fish, he was ever anxious to discover some fish that his wife would like. On one of his expeditions, he caught many varieties of fish, and quite filled his basket, and carried it home and placed it before his wife, who threw them all out on a mat to examine them, but found none such as she desired. But, on striking the bottom of the basket there fell out one of the particular fish the woman had a desire for, a very tiny fish. As soon as she saw it she called to her husdand, "Here it is!" She then asked, "Where did it come from?" to which the husband replied, "There are more." Then the woman ate the tiny fish. When the husband saw this, he prepared a fish-hook, which was made of toa wood, and then twisted a line, afterwards placing the bait on the hook. The bait consisted of the sweet scented flowers of plants, such as Tiare, Maire, Nau, Vavai, and many other scented flowers, even the flowers of the Tamanu. Having obtained these, he placed them in a basket, and proceeded to the shore to a place he knew of, to fish, and fastened on the bait to the hook, to angle for that particular fish. The name of that fish was a Tuna (eel). But it was not the fresh water eel, a different kind, a sea-eel. At Rarotonga it is called a Aa-teatea, a Mamaru, the young of which are named Takivaru, whilst at Pukapuka it is called Tuna. He fished with one of those baits, but the fish would not take it; then with several others without success, until the man dispaired of catching any, and all his bait was exhausted. He took hold of the basket and striking it, out fell the flower of the Tamanu tree, which he bound on to his hook, and at last was successful, and then carried the fish to his wife. Now when they proceeded to cut up the fish, the Tuna spoke to them, saying, "Salutations to you two!—When you eat me, first cut off my head and bury it in front of the door of your house, and when it begins to grow, do not? shake it (ruru, to shake, tie in a bundle, &c.), nor when it grows big, nor when its leaves appear, nor when it grows tall, nor when it taume (meaning unknown), nor when the food is cooked, nor when the fruit is ripe, nor when the nut is large, nor when it falls ripe to the ground, but when you two see the coco-nuts are very numerous, then must you distribute them to all the people." These were the directions of the Tuna to Arie-uri and Arie-poto. When the Tuna had finished his directions, then they cut off its head, and buried it in front of their door, aud waited for the fulfilment of the Tuna's directions—that is, of their fish. As it grew, they complied with all the directions of the Tuna, until it had fully grown and bore coco-nuts-great coco-nuts-of the nu-katea kind; and until the fruit fell to the ground, they carefully guarded it, until the fruit was plentiful, and then they distributed the fruit to all the islands of this world. But Pukapuka was without them, so the two people searched and found a nu-ponga (some kind of coco-nut) and distributed this to them. Hence do these people say it is from that nu-ponga that all their coco-nuts are ponga. From Samoa comes the greater part of the speech of the Pukapuka people; but they cannot properly recite traditions of the old generations. That is all I have written. No. 25. E TUATUA TAITO NO AITUTAKI. NA ITIO I TATA. TB tuput nga te re tepti E tuatua no Tango-tuakau raua ko Pirita, ko Reureu te tapere. taua, ko Takapora tetai taua. Kua aere a Pirita kua akatiaeae i tetai taua, koia a Te Paepu; i reira tu mai tetai tangata toa, koia a Tango- No Aitutaki teia tuatua taito nei, na te ai tupuna, no taito mai, no to ratou tu poiri i akapera ai ratou. THI [TRANSLATION OF No. 25.] AN OLD SAYING' FROM AITUTAKI. BY ITIO. HIS is the story of Tango-tuakau and Pirita, who dwelt in the district of Reureu. A war commenced, and the one party was named (or came from) Te Paepu, the other was of Takapora. Pirita proceeded to join one of these war-parties, i.e., that of Te Paepu; on which another man, a warrior, named Tango-tuakau stood forth in order to chase him-Pirita-shouting out, "Run! the space (or distance) to Takapora is long." On this Pirita fled, whilst Tango-tuakau followed to kill him. Parutu elder brother of Pirita-was in ambush (or hiding) in the Maire forest, and as Tango-tuakau came near to him, the former said, "Run! the distance to Takapora is long," and as Tango-tuakau got up to the other, the latter arose and killed him. And so his words did not come true because he was killed. Parutu was the elder, Pirita, the younger brother. This story is from Aitutaki, and comes down from the ancestors of old; it was on account of their 'state of darkness' they did so—as in the story. [The writer does not say so, but doubtless the above is one of the 'wise sayings' used even to this day on certain occasions.] No. 26. KO PUKENGA RAUA KO KURIRI. NA ITIO I TATA. E tuatua i a Pukenga raua ko Kuriri; ko Tautu te tapere. No Kua |
