RAROTONGA RECORDS BEING EXTRACTS FROM THE PAPERS OF LL.D. Reprinted from the JOURNAL OF THE POLYNESIAN SOCIETY Edited by the President of the Society NEW PLYMOUTH: PRINTED FOR THE SOCIETY BY THOMAS AVERY, DEVON STREET 1916 EXTRACTS FROM THE PAPERS OF THE LATE REV. W. WYATT GILL, LL.D. A FEW years ago the late Rev. J. E. Newell, of Samoa (who died in Germany in 1910), Dr. Wyatt Gill's son-in-law, obtained from Dr. Macdonald Gill (son of Dr. Wyatt Gill), of Sydney, permission for the Society to make use of such of Dr. Wyatt Gill's papers as were suitable for our Journal.' This has now been done, commencing with those printed in the September number of the Journal,' 1911. Unfortunately, most of the papers were untranslated from the Rarotonga dialect, which meant delay, as some of them had to be sent to Rarotonga for revision on account of the many words, the meanings of which are unknown to us. Mr. S. Savage, of Rarotonga, has been very obliging in helping us by his extensive knowledge of the Rarotonga dialect. The remainder of the papers we fear cannot be translated excepting in the case of the Native Missionaries' accounts of their efforts to Christianize some of the various islands of the Pacific, and these are not quite suited to our columns. The papers consist of :— Account of the first settlement of Rurutu (in Tahitian) Account of an early settlement of the Papuau people of New The Rev. J. Chalmer's copy of the MS. autobiography of Maretu, The same autobiography by Maretu himself, 288 pp. notepaper (in Rarotongan) (These two contain the history of Rarotonga from 1821 to 1840, and the introduction of the Gospel to Mangaia and Manihiki Islands.) A parcel of untranslated songs, letters, traditions, etc., from Mangaia and Rarotonga, etc. (in Rarotongan) A parcel of papers marked " Myths and Songs (of considerable interest) to be translated. N. B. Rarotongan account of the origin of evil in the world.” A parcel containing— Papeiha's account of the introduction of the Gospel to Taunga's account of his voyages to The Loyalty Isles, etc.; 371117 Letters from New Guinea, 1880, from Native missionaries Several accounts of the origin of the people of Manihiki Kainuku's stopping the sun in its course (in Rarotongan) Origin of the people of Atiu Island, by Rupe (in Raro- Vocabulary of Pukapuka dialect, by a Rarotongan (in And a large number of other traditions, songs, stories, etc. Where the translator's name is not given, such translations were made by the Editor, who is responsible for any errors. It should be mentioned that many of these original documents in Native handwriting present a good deal of difficulty to the translator, for they are badly expressed, badly written, and numerous words left out. Close adherence to the originals render the translations very uncouth and rough. The papers are mostly short, but all are interesting as throwing light on Polynesian history, and will be most useful to the future historian of the race. The map which accompanies this will show the position of all the islands mentioned in Dr. Wyatt Gill's papers; also the route of Uenga's voyages. EXTRACTS FROM DR. WYATT GILL'S PAPERS. No. 1. E KORERO TUPUNA NO PAPUA.* NA MARU, OROMETUA I KIRITI. EIE tetai tuatua enua no Papua. TE Naau e kiriti atu ki te reo Papaa, ko te tuatua i toku oire ki Kerepunu. Ko te tangata mua ki Nu Kini o to ratou tupuna, ina ra ka akakite ua au ki a koe: Tera oki te tangata mua i taua enua ra ko Hala-malubu, kua noo raua i te maunga ra i Tau-lama ma te teina. Kare oki e tangata i taua enua ra; e Kanitilu ua e te Puakaoa tera rai, kare e tangata. Kua noo taua tangata ra ma te vaine e te teina i taua maunga ra, ki Tau-lama; kaore oki a ratou ãi. Kua arumaki ratou i Kua kimi ratou i te te Owagi, ko te ingoa ia o te Kani-tilu e Owagi. ravenga e ka ei te āi i te tunu. Kua noo ua ratou i taua maunga ra, kua kite ratou i tetai pai te tere ra na tai i te moana. Kua akaau atura a Hala-mabubu i te Puakaaoa i taua pai ra; kua au atura i runga i taua paī ra, kua akara atu ra i te Tuku te tunu ra i te kai. Kua akara a ia i te ai i te tunu i ta ratou kai, kua kei'a mai i te ai no runga i taua pai ra, kua ōua taua Puakaaoa ra ki raro ki te tai, kua kau atura ki uta i tona Pi (? Pu). Kua akara te Tuku i te ai, kare, kua kei'a ia e taua Puakaaoa ra. Kua kimi a ia i te ravenga-kare, kua ngaro ki uta e taua puke tangata ra, no raro mai raua ki te moana; kare oki ratou kia kite i te ngai i aereia mai e taua nga tangata ra, ina ra kua manako a ia e, no Papauri e Papatea mai raua. Kare oki to Papua i kite meitaki i to ratou tupuna i te aereanga mai ki Papua, i noo ratou i taua maunga ra. Kua tunu ratou i ta ratou kai Kua kai ratou, e paia akera, i taua ai i kei'a mai e taua Puakaaoa ra. kua tuatua te tuakana ki te teina, "Ka aere au i te tautai ika na tatou." Aere atu ra taua tuakana ra, e taoi i ta ratou kupenga i taua po ra; kua noo te teina e te vaine a te tuakana i te are. Aere atu ra a ia ki taua po ra i tetai ika na ratou; kua keia io ra te teina i te vaine a tona tuakana i taua po ra. E oki mai te tane a taua vaine ra, kua pati atu ra ki te pareu, "O mai taku pareu." Ua manako io ra taua vaine ra, kua ui atu ra, "Ko vai koe?" "Ko au teie, ko Hala-malubu," na, * Expressed in the Rarotonga dialect. |
