HAPI
TAWA
Two or more play at this. Child No. 1 places his/her
open hands together, with the palms pressed against
each other and held out in front of the body. Child
No. 2 draws his/her hands
over those of No. 1—i. e. stroking the back of them
towards himself, and repeating this :—
Hukea, hukea,
Te hapi (hāngī) papaku
Ma to kuia
Ma Wharerauroa.
Kia hoki mai
Ite kohi tawa
Kinikini raupaka
Te hoia to taringa
He hapi kumara
He hapi taro
He hapi kereru
He hapi koko
He hapi kaka.
Child No. 1, ‘Na wai koe i tono mai?”
Child No. 2 replies, ‘‘ Na Pitau.”
Child No. 1 asks, ‘‘ Pitau whea?”
Child No. 2 replies, ‘Pitau toro.”
Child No. 1 asks, ‘‘ Toro hea?”
Child No. 2 replies, ‘‘ Toro tai.”
Child No. 1 asks, “ Tai whea?”
Child No. 2 replies, ‘‘ Tai matua.”
Child No. 1 asks, “Matua wera?”
Child No. 2 replies, “I te ahi.”
Child No. 1 asks, ‘‘ Pi koko?”
Child No. 2 asks, “ Me aha koia?”
Child No. 1 replies “ Me whakaora.”
or “ Me patu.”
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It's dug up,
The shallow earth oven
By your granny
By Wharerauroa.
Let's come back
When collecting tawa
Break off a taro leaf
The soldier is your ear
An oven of kumara
An oven of taro
An oven full of pigeons
An oven that been dug up
An oven full of parrots
‘By whom were you sent?’
‘‘By Pitau. ’’
‘‘Where is Pitau? ”
"Pitau is visiting.’
‘‘Visiting where? ’’
‘‘Visiting a friend. ”
"A friend where?”
‘‘An adult friend.’’
“A hot adult?”
“On fire.”
‘‘Ignore the digging? ”
“What should be done then?”
“Spare him”
'‘Strike him.” |
Should the first of these replies be given
by No. 1, he will receive a light box on the
ear. Should the second be given, he
will then be spared the blow.
Child No. 2 then takes the hands of No. 1,
which are still pressed together, and bends
the two thumbs away from the fingers,
saying, “He hapi kumara.” He then pushes the
two forefingers over against the thumbs,
saying, ‘‘ He hapi taro.” And so on until
all the pairs of fingers are pushed over and
are thus close together again. No. 1 then
opens his hands in cup form, into which No.
2 darts an extend thumb and forefinger, as
if hastily picking something out of the
hollowed hands. Meanwhile No. 1 tries to
catch the hand of No. 2 as it is thus
darted. When so caught the game is ended. |
KARETAO
 The
karetao, or keretao, also known among
Nga-puhi as "toko-raurape,” is a wooden
figure in human form, often ornamented
with carving, and the face thereof
tattooed in the orthodox lines, the
lines being blackened by the use of soot
of the mapara wood, as in the tattooing
of the human body.
This figure is usually about 18in. in
length, and a portion of the timber
projects below the legs, in order to
serve as a hand-hold. The arms are
loose, being merely semi-attached to the
figure by means of strings which pass
through holes in the shoulders of the
figure and are secured to the upper
parts of the loose arms. The two strings
are fastened together behind the figure.
The operator held the figure in one hand
by the hand-hold base or projection. In
the other he held the cord, which, being
pulled taut, caused the arms of the
figure to be gripped firmly to the
shoulders, and were thus made to assume
different positions, both in front or
both extended backwards, or one extended
in front and one behind. At the same
time the arms were made to quiver as in
a real Maori-style haka, the movement
being imparted thereto by the hand of
the operator. A specimen may be seen in
the Auckland Museum.
The following is an oriori karetao
composed by Hokina for a karetao known
as Tukemata-o-rangi (Eyebrows-of-heaven)
E rua aku mate, he kauwhau
pakihore
Whakatau rawa ata te aro mai ki
ahau.
Pau te whakatau, he tangata rakau
ma
Me whakahinga,
te whare a Pohe, a Uhia
Koinei kahu tai moana
Whakaeke i waho ra, he kahuhu
waiarangi
Tapoto ki to ringa, me ko tahuna—e
Hei rakau a tongatunga turanga
riri
A te koroua i te ao o te tonga
Hoki mai ki muri ra
Kia boaia atu te maro o Tawhaki
i runga o Te Inaki
Tapuitia mai na taumata—e
ka pae roto Te Papuni
Ki te iwi ka ngaro
Na to tupuna ra, nana: oro i te
whenua
E tama—e!
Tenei ou tupuna kal te morehu noa
A mana e ui mai—e ahu ana ki hea ?
:
Horo te ki atu—be mate ka tuatini
no to papa
E moe tonu mai rara roto Waihau ;
Ma wai o whakaara te mea ka oti
atu
E tama—e |
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I
have two illnesses, a lazy line
of ancestry
Decide very carefully to pay
attention to me.
The decision being made, a
wooden man
The house of Pohe and Uhia must
be destroyed
This is a sea coat
Go outside, it's a cold shower
Put it in your hand, and it will
burn — oh
To be a tree and a base of wrath
A grandfather in the southern
world
Come back today
Let the strength of Tawhaki be
removed
on Te Inaki
Save the levels — e
they landed in Te Papuni
To the people lost
It was your grandfather who made
the earth sound
Boy — oh!
Here your ancestors ate the
common remnant
And where does it come from? :
Be quick to say — your father
will die
The ribs in Waihau are still
asleep;
Whoever raises it will be
finished
Boy — yes |
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