The Story Of Maru-tuahu

The story of Maru-tuahu, the son of Hotunui, and of Kahurare, the daughter of Paka.

Hotunui was one of the chiefs who arrived in New Zealand from a land far beyond the ocean.

The Tainui was the canoe in which he arrived in these islands.

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He left Kawhia, where he first settled, and came overland to Hauraki, and finally took up his residence in a village called Waikatiwai.

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He had, at Kawhia, a son called Maru-tuahu, but Hotunui was not there when this child was born.

The cause which made him come from Kawhia to Hauraki was a false accusation that was brought against him, regarding a storehouse of sweet potatoes belonging to another chief, a friend of his.

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The accusation arose in this way, Hotunui went out of his house one night, almost at the same moment that a thief had gone out to rob this storehouse.

It was very unfortunate that they should both have gone out at the same moment, just about midnight.

When day dawned, Hotunui came out of his house, and people in the morning had seen his footsteps, right along the path by which the thief had gone, and there were the sweet potatoes dropped all along the path.

As the soles of Hotunui’s feet were very large, his footprints had quite erased those of the thief, so presently they brought an accusation against Hotunui, that he had stolen the sweet potatoes.

At this time Hotunui’s wife had just conceived Maru-tuahu, but he was so overcome by shame at the accusation against him, that the thought came into his head to run away from his wife, and all go to Hauraki to seek another residence for himself.

His seed was ready, and he had dug his ground, and prepared the ground for planting it, but he had not yet put in the seed, when he went to his wife and said,

“Now, remember, when the child is born, if it is a boy, call it Maru-tuahu, and if it is a girl, call it Pare-tuahu, [either name meaning the field made ready for planting], in remembrance of that planting of mine, prepared for planting for no purpose.

Then Hotunui went off to Hauraki, and resided at Waikatiwai, and became the chief of the people of that country,

He took another wife, the young sister of a chief named Te Whatu, and she bore him a child, called Paka.

When Maru-tuahu came to man’s estate, he took up his club, and ashed his mother, saying, “Mother, show me the mountain range that is near my father's abode”.

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His mother said, “Look towards the place of sunrise”.

Her son asked, “What? There?”

He was answered by his mother, “Yes, that is it, Hauraki”.

He replied, “’Tis well, I understand”.

Then Maru started with his slave, and travelled towards Hauraki, and they carried with them a spear for killing birds, this the took as a means of procuring food on the journey.

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As they came by way of the wooded mountains where birds are plentiful, they were a whole month before they arrived at Kohukohunui,

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They reached the outskirts of the forest there early one morning, at the same time that two young girls, the daughters of Te Whatu, the chief of Hauraki, were coming along the same path from the opposite direction.

Maru was up in a forest tree, spearing Tui birds, at the moment when the two girls saw the slave sitting under the tree in which Maru was killing birds, and his master's cloak was lying on the ground beside him.

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The two girls came merrily along the path, the youngest sister was very beautiful, but the oldest was plain, and when they saw the slave of Maru, the youngest one, who had seen him first, called out playfully,

“Ah, there is a man who will make a nice slave for me”.

“Where?”, said the eldest sister, “Where is he?”

The youngest replied, “There, there, cannot you see him sitting at the root of that tree?”

Then they ran towards him, sportively contesting with one another whose slave he would be, and the youngest got there first, and therefore claimed him as her slave.

All this time Maru was peeping down at the two girls from the top of the tree,

Then they asked the slave, saying, “Where is your master?”

He answered, “I have no master, but him”.

Then the girls looked about, and there was the cloak lying on the ground, and a heap of dead birds, so the kept on asking, “Where is he?”

It was not long before a flock of Tui settled in the tree where Maru was sitting, he speared at them, and struck a Tui, which made the tree ring with its cries.

The girls heard it, and looking up, the youngest saw the young chief sitting in the top boughs of the tree, and she at once called up to him, “You shall be my husband”

But the eldest sister exclaimed, “You shall be mine”.

They began jesting and disputing between themselves, which would have him for a husband, for he was a very handsome young man.

Then the two girls called up to him to come down from the tree, and down he came, and dropped upon the ground, and pressed his nose against the nose of each of the young girls.

They then asked him to come to their village with them, to which he consented, but he also said, “You two go on ahead, leave me and my slave, and we will follow you presently”.

The two girls said, “Very well, do you come after us”.

Maru then told his slave to make a present to the girls of the food they had collected, and he gave them two bark baskets of pigeons, preserved in their own fat and they went off to their village with those.

Maru stopped behind with his slave, and as soon as the girls had gone, he went o a stream, and washed his hair in the water, and then came back, and combed it very carefully, and after combing it he tied it up in a knot.

He then stuck 50 red Kaka feathers in his head,

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and amongst them, he placed the plumes of a White Heron,

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and the tail of a Huia, as ornaments.

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He thus looked extremely handsome, and he said to his slave, “Now, let us go”.

It was not long before the two young girls came back from the village to meet their so-called husband, that they might all go in together.

When they came up to him, he was sitting on the ground, looking quite different from what he did before, for he now appeared as handsome as the large Crested Cormorant.

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He had on the outside, a Pueru cloak. Within that, a cloak called the Kahakaha, and under that again, a garment called the Kopu, [this in ancient times made up the dress of a great chief].

The two girls fell deeply in love with him when they saw him, and they said to Maru, “Come along to our father's village with us”.

Again he consented, and told his slave to keep with him, and as they went along, Maru stopped a little, until he was some way behind, for he thought that the girls had not found out who he was.

As they proceeded, seeing that Maru did not follow them fast, they asked his slave, who kept along with him, “What is the name of your master?”

The slave answered, “Is there no chief of the west coast of the island whose fame has reached this place?”

The young girls said, “Yes, the fame of one man has reached this place, the fame of Maru-tuahu, the son of Hotunui”.

The slave answered, “This is he”.

The girls replied, “Oh dear, we had not the least idea that it was he”.

By this time Maru was coming up again to re-join them, for he guessed the girls had asked his slave who he was, and that they had been told.

The girls ran off together to Hotunui and their father Te Whatu, to inform them who was coming, as they had previously left the two old men waiting for their return.

Presently the two girls changed their plan, and arranged between themselves, that the youngest should run quickly to tell Hotunui that his son was coming, and that the eldest should be left to lead Maru to the village.

In this way they proceeded, those who were going to the village loitered along, whilst the younger sister was far ahead, running as fast as she could, crying out as she came near the village,

“Are you there?, O Hotunui, Here is your son coming, here is Maru-tuahu”.

Then Hotunui called out, in a loud voice, “Where is he?”

She replied, “Here he comes, he is coming along close behind me, make haste, and have the floor of the house covered with fine mats for him, so that he may have a fine reception”.

Maru soon came in sight, and as soon as he was seen approaching, he looked as handsome as the beautiful Crested Cormorant.

The people got upon the defences of the village, and ran outside the gates, to look at him, and the young girls all waved the corners of their cloaks, crying out, “Welcome, welcome, welcome, make haste, make haste”.

He boldly stepped out and reached the village.

As soon as he had arrived there, they all wept over him, and when they had done weeping, they sat down and formed a semi-circle, with Maru at the open part.

Hotunui stood up to make a speech of welcome to his son, and he spoke thus, “Welcome, welcome, oh my child, welcome to Hauraki. Welcome.”

“You are very welcome”.

“You have suddenly appeared here, urged by your own affections”.

“You are very welcome”.

Having said this, Hotunui sat down again, then Maru jumped up to make a speech in reply, and he said,

“That is right, that is right, oh my father, call out to your child, “You are welcome”, here I am arrived at Hauraki, here I am seeking out my fathers village in Hauraki, but I, who am the mere slave of my father, can say nothing in answer to his welcome, here I am, arrived at you village, it is for you to speak, a young man, just arrived from the forests has no fitting word to sat in your presence”

Info From

https://steemit.com/history/@len.george/the-spread-of-the-descendants-of-hoturoa

https://steemit.com/history/@len.george/tainui-canoe-travels-from-hawaiki-to-new-zealand

https://steemit.com/history/@len.george/myths-and-legends-of-new-zealand-intro

https://steemit.com/history/@len.george/how-this-series-began

https://steemit.com/history/@len.george/the-warrior-deeds-of-kaihuma

https://steemit.com/history/@len.george/how-kaihamu-killed-his-enemies-at-waiatapu

https://steemit.com/history/@len.george/tupahau-goes-fishing-at-marokopa

https://steemit.com/history/@len.george/maki-s-battles-in-tamaki

https://steemit.com/history/@len.george/karewa-s-fights-with-the-ngapuhi

https://steemit.com/history/@len.george/the-continuing-battles-of-the-tainui-people

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