Hatupatu And His Brothers, Part 2
We left our hero Hatupatu, having defeated his brothers, being addressed by their father, regarding their revenge on chief Raumati, who had burnt the Arawa canoe some years before.
When the sons and their followers heard these words from their father, they and their many followers felt their hearts grow sad, they prepared for a war party.
They prepared the food by beating flat pieces of prepared fern root, and they cooked sweet potatoes on ovens, and mashed them, and packed them up in fern baskets, and again placed them in the ovens, so that the food might keep for a long time.
They cooked shell ish in baskets and thus collected food for an expedition to Maketu.
Whilst his brothers were making all these preparations for the expedition, their father was secretly teaching Hatupatu the tattoo marks and appearance of Raumati so that he might easily recognize that chief.
When the canoes started off with the warriors he did not embark with them but remained behind.
The canoes had reached the middle of the lake when Hatupatu rose up, and taking 30 cloaks of red feathers with him, went off to war.
He proceeded by diving under the water, that was the path that he chose, and when he reached the deepest part of the lake, he stopped to eat mussels in the water, and then he rose up, then he rose up and came out.
He had got as far as Ngaukawakawa when his brothers and the warriors in the canoes reached there, and they found him spreading out the cloaks he had brought with him to dry.
As soon as their canoes reached the shore they asked him, “Where is your canoe? That you managed to get here so fast?”
He answered them, “Never mind, I have a canoe of my own”.
Hatupatu threw off here the wreath of leaves he wore around his brow, and it took root, and it became a pohutukawa tree, which bears such beautiful red flowers.
His brother's canoes had by this time got to Roto-iti, then he again dived after them,
and rose to the surface, and came out of the water at Kuha-rua, where he threw off his wreath of totara leaves, and it took root and grew.and it was still standing there in the 1850s
s.
When his brothers and warriors arrived at Kahu-rua, they found him sitting there, and they were astonished at his doings.
They landed at Otaramarae,
and marching overland, they encamped for the night at Kakaroa-aTauhu, and the next day they reached Maketu.
When the evening came they ranged their warriors in divisions, 340 warriors to each division, under command of Hatupatu’s three brothers, but no division was placed under his command.
Hatupatu knew that the jealousy of his brothers, on account of their formed quarrels, was the reason they had not told off any men for him.
So he said, “Oh, my brothers, I did not refuse to harken to you, when you asked me to come with you, but I came, upon that occasion when you killed me”.
“Here I am now left in a very bad position, so I pray you, let some of the warriors be placed under my command, let there be 50 of them”.
But they said to him, “Pooh, pooh, come now, you be off home again”.
“What can you do? the only thing you are fit to do is to destroy is food”.
Hatupatu said no more, but at once left his brothers, and on the same night he sought out a rough thicket as his resting place.
When he saw how convenient for his purpose was the place he had selected, he turned to and began to tie together, in bundles, the roots of creeping plants, and of the bushes, and he dressed them up with the cloaks he had with him.
When he had finished, the war party of these figures, which the young man had made, looked just like a band of real warriors.
The day had hardly dawned, when the inhabitants of the place they had come to attack, saw their enemies, and sent off messengers to tell the warriors on this side and on that side that they should come and fight with them, the common enemy.
In the meantime, all the warriors of the columns of Hatupatu’s brothers were exhorting their men and encouraging them by warlike speeches.
First one chief would stand up and speak, then another, and when they had all ended, Hatupatu himself got up, to encourage his mock party.
He had been sitting down, and as he gracefully arose, it was beautiful to see his plumes and ornaments of feathers fluttering the breeze.
His long hair was tied up in four knots, or clubs, in each of which was stuck a bunch of feathers, you would have thought that he had just come from the gannet island of Karewa, [in the Bay of Plenty], where birds feathers abound.
When he had finished speaking to one party of his column, he unloosened his hair, leaving but one clump of it over the centre of his forehead.
Now he wore a cloak of red feathers, then he made another speech, encouraging his men to be brave, then, after sitting down again, he ran to the rear.
He then took all the feathers and knots out of his hair, and this time he wore a cloak of flax, with an embroidered border, again he addressed his men, and this being finished.
He was again seen in the middle of the party, stripped and ready to fight.
Once more he appeared at the head of the column, this time he had the hair at the back of his head tied up in a knot and ornamented with feathers, he wore a cloak made of the skins of dogs, and the weapon in his hand was the long-handled war axe.
Having concluded this speech, he reappeared again in a different place, with his hair tied up in five bunches, each ornamented with feathers, whilst a rough dog skin formed his cloak, and the weapon in his hand was the mere made of white whalebone.
Thus he ended his speeches to his party.
When the people of the place they had come to attack saw how numerous were the chiefs in the column of Hatupatu, and what clothes and weapons they had, they dreaded his division more than those of his brothers.
His brother's divisions had many warriors in them, although the number of chiefs was only equal to the number of divisions, thus there were three divisions, and also three chiefs.
Although Hatupatu had only one division, it appeared to be commanded by a multitude of chiefs, who had superb dresses, thence the enemy burnt with fear of that division, which they accounted to be composed of men, but no, it was composed of clumps of grass dressed up.
Now the people of the place they were attacking drew out the battle, and as they pressed nearer and nearer, they pushed forth long heavy spears and sent forth volleys of light spears, made of the branches of Manuka trees, at the column of Ha-nui.
Alas, it is broken, they retreat, they fly, they fall back on the division of Ha-roa, there they are rallied, and ordered to charge, but they do not.
They only poke forward their heads, as if intending to go, the enemy has reached them, and it is on again, they are again broken and disordered, they run in now upon the third line, that of Karika.
They are rallied again and ordered to charge, but they only press forward the upper part of their bodies, as if intending to advance, when the enemy is already upon them in full charge.
It is over, all the divisions of Hatupatu’s brothers are broken and flying in confusion, what did it matter whether they were many or few, they were all cowards.
The enemy saw no brave faces, only the black backs of heads running away.
All this time the division of Hatupatu appears to be sitting quietly upon the ground, and when the men in full retreat came running in upon it.
Hatupatu rose up to order them to charge again, he cried out, “Turn on them again, turn on them again”.
For a long time, the enemy and Hatupatu were hidden from each others view, at last, they saw him.
Then rushes Hatupatu from one party, and a chief of the enemy, also named Karika, [like his brother], from the other, and the latter aims a fierce blow at Hatupatu with a short spear.
He parries it and strikes down Karika with his two-handed sword.
Karika dies without a struggle, motionless, as food hidden in a bag, Hatupatu draws forth his whalebone mere, cuts off Karika’s head, and grasps it by the hair.
It is enough for the enemy, they break and fall back, fly,
Then his brothers and their warriors turn again on the enemy and slay them, many thousands of them fall.
While his brothers are thus slaying the enemy, he is eagerly seeking for Raumati, he is found, Hatupatu catches him, his head is cut off, and it is concealed.
The slaughter being ended, they return to their encampment, they cook the bodies, they devour them, then they smoke and carefully preserve their heads,
When all is done, each makes speeches, boasting of his deeds, and one after another, vaunting to have slain that great chief Raumati.
But Hatupatu said not a word of his having Raumati’s head.
They return to Roto-rua, this time he goes in the canoe with them, they draw near the island of Mokoia, and his brothers, as they are in the canoe, chant songs of triumph to the gods of war.
They cease, and their father inquires from the shore, “Which of you has the head of Raumati?”
One, holding up the head he has taken, said, “I have”, and another said, “I have”.
At last, their father calls out, “Alas, alas, Raumati has escaped”.
Then Hatupatu stands up in the canoe, and chants a prayer to the gods of war, over a basket heaped with heads, whilst holding up the head of Kariki.
Then his hand grasps the head of Raumati, which he had kept hidden under his cloak, and he cries, “There, there, I have the head of Raumati”.
All rejoice, their father strips off his cloak, rushes into the lake, and repeats a thanksgiving to the gods.
When he had ended this, he promoted in honour his last born child and debased in rank his eldest sons.
Thus, at last, was revenge obtained for the burning of the Arawa,
The first of the below posts has a list of the previous posts of Maori Myths and Legends
https://steemit.com/history/@len.george/how-war-was-declared-between-tainui-and-arawa
https://steemit.com/history/@len.george/the-curse-of-manaia-part-1
https://steemit.com/history/@len.george/the-curse-of-manaia-part-2
with thanks to son-of-satire for the banner
That big tree is gorgeous, we don't have anything like that
They are both natives, the Pohutukawa starts to flower mid-December, and is also known as the Christmas Tree over here
Would like to see it when it flowers :) is it the 1st tree with the red flowers?
the early arrivers thought that they were better than their feather head dresses, and found out to late, that they were only flower
You know your country's history :)
One of the joys of a long life, reading lots, and a garage full of old books, uncle google helps as well.
Also, I think, particularly in a young country like ours, people who live here should know their own country's history.
This series will be here for the younger generations to find and read.
I totally agree. Its interesting to find out about the history :)
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