Children Of Heaven and Earth, part 2

Tangaroa, enraged at some of his children deserting him, and, being sheltered by the god of the forests on dry land has ever since waged war on his brother Tane, who, in return has waged war against him.

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Tangaroa [God of the Sea]

Hence Tane supplies the offspring of his brother Tu-Matauenga with canoes, with spears and with fish hooks made from his trees, and with nets woven from his fibrous plants, that they may destroy the offspring of Tangaroa,

Whilst Tangaroa, in return, swallows up the offspring of Tane, overwhelming canoes with the surges of his sea, swallowing up the lands, trees, and houses that are swept away by floods and ever wastes away, with his lapping waves, the shores that confine him,

That the giants of the forests be washed down and swept out into his boundless ocean that he may then swallow up the insects, the young birds, and the various animals which inhabit them.

All which things are recorded in the prayers which we offered to these gods.

Tawhiri-ma-tea next rushed on to attack his brothers Rongo-ma-tane and Huamia-tiki tiki, the gods and progenitors of cultivated and uncultivated food.

But Papa, to save these for her other children, caught them up, and hid them in a place of safety, and so well were those children of hers concealed by their mother Earth, that Tawhiri-ma-tea sought for them in vain.

Tawhiri-ma-tea, having thus vanquished all his other brothers, next rushed against Tu-matauenga, to try his strength against him, he exerted all his force against him, but he could neither shake him or prevail against him.

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What did Tu-matauenga care for his brothers' wrath?. he was the only one of the whole party of brothers who had planned the destruction of his parents, and had shown himself brave and fierce in war.

His brothers had yielded at once before the tremendous assaults of Tawhiri-ma-tea and his progeny.

Tane-mahuta and his offspring had been broken and torn in pieces. Tangaroa and his children had fled to the depths of the ocean or the recesses of the shore.

Rongo-ma-tane and Haumia-tiki tiki had been hidden from him in the Earth, but, Tu-matauenga, or man, stood still erect and unshaken upon the breast of his mother Earth, and now at length the hearts of Heaven and the god of storms became tranquil, and their passions were assuaged.

Tu0matauenga, or fierce man, having thus successfully resisted his brother, the god of hurricanes and storms, next took thought how he could turn upon his brothers and slay them, because they had not assisted him, or fought bravely when Tawhiri-ma-tea had attacked them to avenge the separation of their parents, and because they had left him alone to show his prowess in the fight.

As yet death had no power over man, it was not until the birth of the children of Taranga and Makea-tu-tara, of Maui-taha, of Mauiu-roto, of Maui-pae, of Maui-waho and of Maui-tiki tiki-o-taranga, the demigod who tried to beguile Hine-nui-te-po, that death had power over men

If that goddess had not been deceived by Maui-tiki tiki, men would not have died, but in that case, would have lived forever.

It was from his deceiving Hine-nui-te-po that death obtained power over mankind, and penetrated to every part of the Earth.

Tu-matauenga continued to reflect upon the cowardly manner in which his brothers had acted, in leaving him to show his courage alone,

He first sought some means of injuring Tane-mahuta, because he had not come to aid him in his combat with Tawhiri-ma-tea, and partly because he was aware that Tane had had a numerous progeny, who were rapidly increasing and might, at last, prove hostile to him, and injure him.

So he began to collect leaves of the Whanake tree, and twisted them into nooses, and when his work was ended, he went to the forest to put up his snares, and hung them up.

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Ha, Ha, The children of Tane fell before him, none of them could any longer fly or move in safety.

Then he next decided to take revenge on his brother Tangaroa, who had deserted him in the combat, so he sought for his offspring and found them leaping or swimming in the water.

Then he cut many leaves from the flax plant, and netted nets with the flax, and dragged these, and hauled the children of Tangaroa ashore.

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After that, he determined also to be revenged upon his brothers Rongo-ma-tane and Haumia-tiki tiki, he soon found them by their peculiar leaves, and he scraped into shape a wooden hoe, and plaited a basket, and dug in the Earth, and pulled up all kinds of plants with edible roots, and the plants which had been dug up withered in the sun.

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Thus Tu-matauenga devoured all his brothers, and consumed the whole of them, in revenge for their having deserted him and left him to fight alone against Tawhiri-ma-tea and Rangi.

When his brothers had all been overcome by Tu-matauenga, he assumed several names.

Namely, Tu-ka-riri, Tu-ka-nguha, Tu-ka-taua, Tu-matauenga, he assumed one name for each of his attributes displayed in his victories over his brothers.

Four of his brothers were entirely deposed by him, and became his food, but one of them, Tawhiri-ma-tea, he could not vanquish or make common, by eating him for food, so he, the last born child of Heaven and Earth, was left as an enemy for man, and still, with a rage equal to that of man, this elder brother ever attacks him by storms and hurricanes, endeavoring to destroy him alike by sea and land.

Now the meanings of these names of the children of the Heaven and Earth are as follows,

Tangaroa, signifies fish of every kind. Rongo-ma-tane, signifies the sweet potato, and all vegetables cultivated as food. Haumia-tikitiki, signifies fern root, and all kinds of food which grows wild.

Tane-mahuta signifies forests, the birds, and insects which inhabit them, all things fashioned from wood, Tawhiri-ma-tea signifies winds and storms, and Tu-matauenga, signifies man.

Four of his brothers having, as before stated, been made common, or articles of food, by Tu-matauenga, he assigned for each of them fitting incantations, that they might be abundant, and that he might easily obtain them.

Some incantations were proper to Tane-mahuta, they were called Tane.

Some incantations were for Tangaroa, they were called Tangaroa.

Some were for Rongo-ma-tane, they were called Rongo-ma-tane.

Some were for Haumia-tikitiki, they were called Haumia.

The reason that he sought out these incantations was, that his brothers might be made common by him, and serve as his food.

There were also incantations for Tawhiri-ma-tea to cause favourable winds, and prayers to the vast Heaven for fair weather, as also for Mother Earth that she might produce all things abundantly.

But it was the great god that taught these prayers to man.

There were also many prayers and incantations composed for man, suited to the different times and circumstances of his life.

Prayers at the baptism of an infant, prayers for abundance of food, for wealth, prayers in illness, prayers to spirits, and for many other things.

The bursting forth of the wrathful fury of Tawhiri-ma0tea, against his brothers, was the cause of the disappearance of a great part of the dry land, during that contest a great portion of mother Earth was submerged.

The names of those beings of ancient days who submerged so large a portion of the Earth were,

Terrible rain, long-continued rain, fierce hailstorms, and their progeny were mist, heavy dew, and light dew, and these together submerged the greater part of the Earth, so that only a small portion of dry land projected above the sea,

From that time clear light increased upon the Earth, and all the beings which were hidden between Rangi and Papa before they were separated, now multiplied upon the Earth.

The first beings begotten by Rangi and Papa were not like human beings, but Tu-matauenga, as also did a ‘Po’, a ’Ao’, a’Kore’, ‘te Kimihanga’ and ‘Rumuku,

Thus it continued until the times of Ngainui and his generation, and of Tiki-tawhitoariki and his generation, and so it has continued to this day.

The children of Tu-matauenga were begotten on this earth, and they increased, and continued to multiply. Until we reach at last the generation of Maui-taha, and of his brothers, Maui-roto, Maui-waho, Maui-pae, and Maui-tikitiki-o-Taranga.

Up to this time the vast Heaven has still ever remained separated from his spouse, the Earth.

Yet their mutual love still continues, the soft warm sighs of her loving bosom still ever rise up ti him, ascending from the woody mountains and valleys, and the vast Heaven, as he mourns through the long nights his separation from his beloved, drops frequent teats upon her bosom, and man, seeing these, term them dewdrops.

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