Tere Tohor! Tere Tangata:
Where Whales Journey, People Follow
by
Caroline Lowe
Presented to the
Committee on Degrees in Folklore and Mythology
In Partial Fulfillment of the
Requirements for the Degree of Bachelor of Arts
with Honors
Harvard College
Cambridge, Massachusetts
March 8, 2012
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Male sperm whale full off the coast of Kaikoura, New Zealand. Personal photograph by
Caroline Lowe. July 19 2011. Cop
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Table of Contents
Acknowledgments ..................................................................................................3
Introduction: Let Me Tell You a Story…Of Skeletons and Big Blue Hearts ..5
Chapter 1: Tinirau and the Whale: An Introduction to M!ori Morals and
Human-Whale Interactions ...............................................................................16 The Story of Tinirau and the Whale ..............................................................................18
Practices of the Flesh: When M!ori Eat Whales ..........................................................26
The Women’s Role in Tinirau and the Whale: A Window into M!ori Life ...................30
Chapter 2: Paikea and The Whale Rider: Understanding Connections
Between Geography, Whales and Humans .......................................................36 The Story of Paikea .......................................................................................................38
Ancestral Connection and Parallel Structures..............................................................43
Burying the Pito .............................................................................................................46
In a Named Tradition ....................................................................................................49
Fitting into the Whakapapa ...........................................................................................51
Riding the Whale ...........................................................................................................55
Chapter 3: Contemporary Manifestations of Whale Stories ...........................58 Ramari Stewart: M!ori Whale Flenser .........................................................................59
Stranding: When Whales Land on Land........................................................................66
Hape-ki-a t"-Rangi ........................................................................................................70
Whale Watch Kaikoura: Profitable Applications of Whale Stories ..............................74
Conclusion: Ripples and Waves on the Land....................................................80
Figures and Images .............................................................................................90
Appendix.............................................................................................................102
Bibliography .......................................................................................................117
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Acknowledgments
Thank you, first and foremost, to Jenna who patiently sat through weekly
meetings with me as I struggled to figure out what I was trying to say. I can
guarantee this would have been a far less coherent mess of ideas had she not been
around to corral and interpret my thoughts. She helped me find ways to frame my
thoughts in an organized manner that made them infinitely more articulate.
Thank you to Deborah for picking up on my passion and letting me run wildly
with it, supporting me each step of the way. She consistently encouraged me to
keep digging deeper to find more turtles and opened my eyes to the world of folk
and myth. Thank you to Lisa for pushing me through my junior tutorial and
letting me discover ways of thinking and writing I didn’t know possible. She
constantly questioned how I wrote what I did and why, and began to understand
the way my mind works. She managed to extract coherent sentences out of the
images that floated around my brain.
Thank you to other members of Leverett dining hall thesis club who motivated me
to keep performing alchemy in the wee hours of the morning. To our pied piper
with his boxes of goodies, and to Leverett House for always being a home of a
house. My dedicated friends who offered to be readers and thesis fairies kept me
fed, entertained, and sane when it came down to the wire. To anyone who passed
me by, smiled, and said you can do it, thank you.
To my fellow folk and myth seniors for always reminding me that there are
infinitely more turtles - in what we are studying, our lives, the Internet, and the
whiteboard. For being rare mythical beasts and reveling in our status, and for
consistently making the Wales/whales joke. Thanks to Warren House for feeding
my body, mind, and soul every week for the past two years.
To Martin and Victoria in Te Aka Matua, Te Papa’s research library. They are
some of the greatest, most helpful librarians one could ever meet. There is no
way this thesis would exist had they not been willing to go above and beyond,
suggesting books to read, people to meet, and events to attend as I spent hours
each day in the library.
To all the people I talked to in New Zealand: Anton Van Helden who bought me a
coffee and explained the intricacies of stranded whale protocol and confessed to
wielding a knife at most strandings; Barbara Todd who offered a unique
perspective on the intersection of science and traditional ways of life; Brad Haami
who took time to discuss his current book on whales in M!ori society; Darcy
Nicholas who presented a remarkably concise evaluation of indigenous cultures.
Thanks to the David Rockefeller International Experience Grant for making my
trip to New Zealand in 2011 possible.
Thank you to my parents for sending their seventeen-year-old daughter to the
other side of the world for three months to fall in love with a country, and then
letting her go again four years later to continue her love affair.
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To Aotearoa New Zealand for being one of the most beautifully fascinating places
I’ve ever laid eyes on. I can’t wait to go back and learn even more.
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Introduction: Let Me Tell You a Story…Of Skeletons and Big Blue
Hearts
In December 2007 a photograph of a giant sperm whale was plastered
across an entire page of the Dominion Post, New Zealand’s daily newspaper
based in the capital city of Wellington. At the bottom of the picture were the
words Whales|Tohor!,1 the name of the advertised exhibition from Te Papa
Tongarewa,2 the national museum of Aotearoa
3 New Zealand in Wellington. I
had recently left New Zealand – with a steely determination to return – and thus
had missed the printed par!oa (sperm whale).4 Three and a half years later, in the
southern hemisphere winter of July 2011, I sat in the Te Papa research library
examining the advertisement I had missed as part of my research for this thesis.
Between the ad’s initial run and my viewing of it, I had explored the role of
whales in New Zealand in two college courses, with special focus on their ties to
M!ori communities and to the land they inhabit. I had spent the nine months
leading up to my return to the country gradually winnowing down the scope of
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1 Tohor! is a generally accepted M!ori term for whale and also specifically refers to the southern
right whale. In the future I will refer to the exhibit simply as Tohor! 2 Te Papa Tongarewa (more commonly known simply as Te Papa) is New Zealand’s national
museum in Wellington. It is known for being bicultural, scholarly, and innovative. The
collections span five areas: Arts, History, Pacific, M!ori, and Natural Environment. The full
name, Te Papa Tongarewa literally means container of treasures, though a fuller interpretation is
“our container of treasured things and people that spring from Mother Earth here in New
Zealand.” Its mission statement is to be “a forum for the nation to present, explore and preserve
the heritage of its cultures and knowledge of the natural environment in order to better understand
and treasure the past, enrich the present and meet the challenges of the future.” 3 Aotearoa is the M!ori term for New Zealand, and means land of the long white cloud. The two
are often used in conjunction with each other when referencing the country. 4 All italicized terms come from te reo, the M!ori language used among New Zealand’s
indigenous population. Many M!ori words have become part of the general lexicon in New
Zealand. M!ori terms that have direct English translations will be identified in the text. When
there is not a generally agreed upon English translation of a term, I have included a footnote with
an explanation. All subsequent definitions of M!ori terms, unless otherwise noted, will come
from J. C. Moorfield, Te Aka: M!ori-English, English-M!ori Dictionary and Index (North Shore
City: Pearson Longman, 2005).
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my thesis that had initially included at least five different species of animals,
twelve species of plants and two indigenous cultures across two continents. I was
happy to discover that there existed a wealth of information to explore within a
single population’s relationship with one mammal order.
On December 1, 2007, at Te Papa’s Whales|Tohor! opening, the acting
Kaihautu5 Arapata Hakiwai said, “Whales have always been part of our history
and identity. Many of our ancestral canoes or waka that traveled from Polynesia
to New Zealand had whales as guardians that traveled with our ancestral waka.”6
The exhibit was yet another event strengthening the connection between M!ori
and whales. Tohor! went on to become a great success, combining science,
storytelling, and innovative interactivity in a way that appealed to both adults and
children. It featured a fully articulated sperm whale skeleton and a life size
replica of the heart of a blue whale – the largest ever living creature. Short videos
featured three storytellers from different iwi (tribes) who told stories of whale
riding traditions in New Zealand. Ancient taonga (cultural treasures) such as
jewelry and weaponry made of whalebone and teeth were on display alongside
contemporary works by M!ori artists, and both the stories and taonga
complemented interviews and information about the value of whale stranding
events in New Zealand today. The exhibit stood in the museum for six months
before packing up to travel the world. It is currently in the Canadian Museum of
Nature in Ottawa, the last stop on its four-year tour.
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!5 Te Papa’s Chief Executive Officer has shared leadership with a Kaihautu since 1995. Their
partnership reflects the Museum’s commitment to biculturalism. The term Kaihautu refers to the
person who keeps time for the paddlers in a canoe, but in this context is better translated to leader,
presenter, or producer. 6 ONE News, "A Whale of a Time at Te Papa" (ONE News 2007).
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Like any exhibit that goes on display at Te Papa, there was considerable
M!ori influence on its creation.7 Te Papa prides itself on biculturalism in all
aspects of the museum, especially when M!ori taonga are involved. As noted in
the museum’s statement of intent, “Te Papa values and reflects the cultural
heritage and diversity of Tangata Whenua and Tangata Tiriti” (people of the land
and people of the treaty).8 Whales have had a constant role in the shaping of
M!ori history since M!ori arrived on land after following the migrating creatures.
Much of the taonga on display in the exhibit, therefore, commemorates whales,
referencing the creature’s influence on the culture.
My thesis examines the intersection of whales, land, and M!ori people as
seen through the stories of Aotearoa New Zealand. In particular I focus on two
foundational stories within M!ori culture, Tinirau and the Whale, and the story of
the whale rider Paikea. I also trace how these two stories are embedded in
contemporary reimaginings and retellings in current day society, as seen in the
narratives of Ramari Stewart and Te Warena Taua. I maintain throughout this
thesis that at the intersection of the imagined universe (embedded in traditional
stories found in the landscape) and the natural physical environment lies a
blueprint for past and present interactions between M!ori and whales.
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!7 In 1995, Te Papa acquired a loaned sperm whale skeleton from a stranding through a generous
donation of an iwi. Anton Van Helden, head curator for the exhibit and a marine mammologist at
Te Papa, wanted to make absolutely sure he had the permission of the iwi who owned the whale
before creating the exhibit. He was also unwavering in his desire to get the approval of any iwi
involved with the various species of whale they would put in the exhibit. Tohor! brought together
many different iwi to collaborate on the exhibit. 8 The Treaty of Waitangi is the founding document of New Zealand and forms the basis for M!ori-
Crown relations. M!ori are known as tangata whenua, because they are the people of the land.
The people of the treaty are those who came to live in New Zealand who are not of M!ori descent.
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I explore M!ori-whale relations on a variety of levels and ground my
analysis in a range of secondary sources concerning M!ori culture, its relationship
to land, and its connection to the natural world. One of the major sources of
inspiration for my work is a book related to another Te Papa exhibit. E T" Ake
Standing Strong combined iconic symbols and objects that for M!ori outlined the
struggle for self-determination with reflections from pivotal historic events such
as the 1975 M!ori land march and the 2004 foreshore and seabed h#koi, or march.9
The book examines and provides a general picture of important historical events
and cultural tenets found within M!ori culture ranging from concepts of
relatedness to protection and sustainability. In a M!ori worldview all things are
related – people, natural environment, animate and inanimate objects – in an
interconnected genealogical reference system known as whakapapa. As such,
there exists a responsibility to protect and sustain these objects and resources.10
This general relatedness and feeling of responsibility is integral to the relationship
between humans and whales throughout the stories examined hereafter and is a
theme that is constantly present in these tales.
In my research I have come to understand the land as an overriding
influence on the stories people tell in M!ori culture. For example, as Jean
Rosenfeld argues in The Island Broken in Two Halves, “[e]mbedded in M!ori
myths is the inviolable principle that the land and the people are inseparable…to
the M!ori land is inalienable, because it is both Mother and ‘placenta,’ the
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!9 Both of these events were part of the larger indigenous rights M!ori protest movement, which
has focused on issues regarding the interpretation of the Treaty of Waitangi, land rights, and M!ori
language and culture. 10
Huhana Smith, E T" Ake: M!ori Standing Strong (Wellington: Te Papa Press, 2011).
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repository of the mauri, ‘life force,’ of the people.”11
There are several others
who agree with Rosenfeld’s view and I address their views below. The land is
part of the natural environment and thus part of this previously mentioned
interconnected web of relations. It proves to be a crucial theme in these same
stories, as it serves as the repository for the tales told, uniting story, land, people,
and whales. As set forth by Don Stafford in his book Tangata Whenua: The
World of the M!ori, “[i]t would be impossible to overestimate the importance of
land to the M!ori as a means of preserving national identity and mana.”12
One’s
mana tangata13
is found in the land, and one has power through association with
the land. In her book The Natural World of the M!ori, Margaret Orbell discusses
how M!ori define themselves through the land, creating a relationship between
people and place, throwing down cultural anchors. Stories are crucial to
explaining the landscape and surroundings of the M!ori people. As Orbell
concludes, people react and interact with the stories they hear, building on the
power imbued in them through their reliance and trust. By including them in their
lives, they are putting a part of themselves into the stories, creating an opportunity
for their descendants to do the same. When these stories are wedded to entities
still in existence (like whales) there is a double connection – one through the land,
and one through the existence of these creatures today.14
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!11
Jean Rosenfeld, The Island Broken in Two Halves: Land and Renewal Movements Among the
M!ori of New Zealand (University Park: The Pennsylvania State University Press, 1999), 35. 12
Don Stafford and Ltd Forestry Corporation of New Zealand, Tangata Whenua: The World of the
M!ori (Auckland, N.Z.: Reed, 1996), 33. 13
Power and status accrued through one’s leadership talents, human rights, mana of the people. 14
Margaret Rose Orbell, The Natural World of the M!ori (Auckland, N.Z: David Bateman 1996).
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While Keith Basso is not directly related to New Zealand, to M!ori
people, or to whales, his work with the Western Apache in the United States in his
book Wisdom Sits in Places has nonetheless influenced my discussion of how
stories can be embedded in a particular physical and cultural landscape. He
beautifully illustrates the connection between the Western Apache and the land
they inhabit and how they self-identify through the stories told in a particular
place: “[w]hat people make of their places is closely connected to what they make
of themselves as members of society and inhabitants of the earth… they are
deeply joined in practice.”15
Stories serve as a mnemonic repository for the deep
connection between a particular people and a specific landscape.
Through my research into M!ori storytelling practices, I have discovered
that these stories embedded in the landscape create an impetus to share these tales.
I engage with the work of Kent Ryden in his book Mapping the Invisible
Landscape to understand the impulse to share these stories. Ryden asserts that
“[t]o experience a geographic place…is to want to communicate about it.”16
The
stories entrenched in the land communicate the history of the place, and its
defining characteristics. By telling stories about places, people map themselves
physically. A place is not defined only by its material landmarks but also by what
happened there. Places and events are remembered through reference to one
another – it was here that this happened. This idea of identity formulation
through narratives of place is prevalent throughout the specific stories examined
as well as M!ori culture in general.
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!15
Keith Basso, Wisdom Sits In Places (Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, 1996), 7. 16
Kent C. Ryden, Mapping the Invisible Landscape: Folklore, Writing, and the Sense of Place
(Iowa City: University of Iowa Press, 1993), 19.
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As Fikret Berkes suggests in his book Sacred Ecology, which is an
examination of indigenous knowledge of the environment as a complement to
scientific inquiry, the land is an entity that embodies so much more than a
physical landscape and often takes on its own characteristics – evidenced by its
label in general terms as the land, rather than in terms of ownership. People who
live on the land are often said to be of the land.17
Land does not belong to the
people; instead people belong to the land. I draw on this concept of land as its
own independent entity in my exploration of whale stories.
Berkes also discusses M!ori people as holding well-developed systems of
ecological knowledge, practice, and indigenous ethics learned from experience.
The M!ori land ethic is geared towards conservation for human use, as is the ethic
regarding the interaction between human and animal, specifically whales. While
Western systems of thought view the relationship between humans and nature as a
dichotomy, M!ori view humans as part of a larger system that includes all
denizens of the natural world, a concept that connects back to the all-
encompassing whakapapa. Nature and the natural world are not contrasted with
culture, human activity and thought. Instead birds, whales, wind, the moon, and
insects (among others) are traditionally felt to possess a life essentially similar to
that of humans, and a balance must be maintained between humans and the
natural environment. Whakapapa expresses the need for kinship in the world,
describing the relationships between humans and the rest of nature. Stories can
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!17
Fikret Berkes, Sacred Ecology (Philadelphia: Taylor & Francis, 1999).
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pass on knowledge of the natural world, pointing out values that guide people’s
interactions with species, and teaching respect and correct conduct.18
Inspired by Basso, Ryden, Berkes, and
others, I have endeavored in this thesis to explore
the connection between the land and M!ori through
their stories about whales that are themselves
embedded in the landscape. In my first chapter I
explore one of the stories told in the Te Papa exhibit
named Tinirau and the Whale, presented as a six-
minute animation of the same name. Billed as a
“dramatic tale of treachery and revenge” featuring the chief Tinirau, his pet
whale, Tutunui, and Tinirau’s “sinister guest” Kae, the story reveals the complex
relationship that M!ori have with
whales. Consistent with
descriptions in many tellings of the
story, the animation visually
presents Tinirau and his wife as
handsome upstanding individuals (Figure 1),19
while Kae is an ugly gnarled
figure, predisposed to be the antagonist (Figure 2).20
The relationships between
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!18
Te Ara The Encyclopedia of New Zealand, M!ori and the Natural World: Te Taiao (Auckland:
David Bateman Limited, 2011). 19
Te Papa Tongarewa. “Tinirau with His Wife and Son.” P!taka and the story of Tinirau and the
Whale. Wellington: Te Papa Tongarewa, 2007, JPG,
http://collections.tepapa.govt.nz/exhibitions/whales/Segment.aspx?irn=189
Figure 1 Tinirau and Family
Figure 2 Kae
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the whale, Tutunui, the humans who love him, as well as the human that kills him,
encapsulate multiple sides of a complex interspecies relationship. Tinirau and the
Whale establishes a familial connection between humans and whales and provides
concrete behavioral instructions concerning the enjoyment, respect, and
conservation of resources (chief among them whales). The tale explores the
practice of eating flesh, demonstrating that the act is not objectionable, but instead
how it is done, and by whom. Tinirau and his family do not accept Kae’s actions,
and thus punish him accordingly – he is fetched by the women of the village and
killed at the hands of Tinirau. His punishment – both that it occurs and how it is
carried out – is done in accordance with specific cultural values, such as mana
and utu, found in the M!ori community. The actions of a group of women on the
part of Tinirau and Tutunui offer a window onto M!ori life, allowing the audience
to better contextualize the human-whale relationship within a culture. The entire
story can be seen to act as a lens through which one can better understand the
culture from which it stems. It references specific cultural values and ideas that
govern interspecies relations, which then provide a basic understanding of human-
whale interactions with which to analyze other stories.
In my second chapter, I explore the story of the whale rider Paikea and its
ties to a particular landscape. I examine both the ancient tale, as told in Tohor!
by Hone Taumaunu of the Ng!ti Konohi,21
and its modern day retelling through
the book Whale Rider by Witi Ihimaera. The tale tells of a man named Paikea
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Te Papa Tongarewa. "Kae." P!taka and the story of Tinirau and the Whale. Wellington: Te Papa
Tongarewa, 2007, JPG,
http://collections.tepapa.govt.nz/exhibitions/whales/Segment.aspx?irn=189 21
A subtribe of the Ng!ti Porou, the Ng!ti Konohi live in and around Whangara, the setting for the
Paikea tale and Whale Rider.
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who goes out to sea in canoes with his brothers. One of his brothers is jealous of
the attention heaped on the others, and decides to drown them. He almost
succeeds, but Paikea calls upon a whale that he then rides to safety in a new land
– Whangara on the East Coast (Figure 10).22
Current residents of the area trace
their whakapapa back to Paikea. The tale has been disseminated throughout the
country by word of mouth, song, and by the descendants of Paikea who have gone
on to be the ancestors of other iwi around the country. I also explore the
connection between place, humans, and whales through Witi Ihimaera’s text
Whale Rider, expanding the interactions found in Tinirau and the Whale by tying
them to a particular landscape. Ihimaera creates a community whose fate is
influenced by that of a pod of whales and vice versa. Both the book and the
characters in it draw inspiration from the mythological past and the whale riding
ancestor Paikea. The land serves as a physical anchor for the story and for the
intersection between the two species. It holds special significance for the two
populations and contains the story that facilitates a meeting place for whales and
humans, past and present.
In my third chapter I explore current manifestations of various whale
stories and how people interpret them and apply these tales to their lives in a
modern-day setting. As discussed, these applications take the form of tourism
operations, harvesting practices, or simply the choice of a place to live. The
stories also provide direction when it comes to dealing with national and
international trends concerning whale interactions. What happens when
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!22
NZ Topo Database. Map of Whangara. The Rodent Invasion Project. From Department of
Statistics, The University of Auckland. JPG, http://www.stat.auckland.ac.nz/research/rodent-
invasion/island/uncategorised/whangara-whangara/.
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traditional whale flensing practices seem to fly in the face of current ecological
conservation movements and governmental protocols regarding beached whales?
Ramari Stewart and Te Warena Taua are two contemporary leaders of M!ori
communities who have found inspiration in the stories of their ancestors. They
look to the past for instruction on how to interact not just with whales, but also
with other people. Each person and story has a distinct association with a place,
and various landmarks serve as the repository for these stories that are important
to these communities. Old stories are folded into new ones, expanding the
meanings of these tales for individuals today. As a consequence, modern day
storytellers craft their own narratives for future generations to share. Found in
both these new and old stories are profound intersections between the natural and
mythical worlds that act as roadmaps for understanding what it means to be
M!ori. Crucially, these stories frame the M!ori identity in relationship to whales,
suggesting to current generations that whales have been and will forever more be
an integral component of M!ori culture.
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Chapter 1: Tinirau and the Whale: An Introduction to M!ori
Morals and Human-Whale Interactions
The story of Tinirau and the Whale is known throughout New Zealand and
the Pacific Islands. The story has so sunk into the general consciousness of M!ori
and Pakeha1 populations that it is rare to find a New Zealander today unfamiliar
with the tale.2 The story illuminates key aspects of M!ori society, as well as the
culture’s attitude and practices towards whales. Stories define our world; we tell
them to make sense of our experiences in time and place. The tale of Tinirau and
the Whale is one that educates, offering those who tell it the opportunity to share
with their audience morals concerning interpersonal and interspecies conduct.
The human-whale interaction in the story allows the teller to adjust his or her own
fable and lesson at the end concerning familial interactions between animals and
humans. Of special note is the role women play in various versions of the story,
thereby illuminating important M!ori cultural values, such as mana and utu,3 and
teaching the audience about proper day-to-day interactions in the M!ori
community. Specifically the women and their actions clarify protocols and
expectations pertaining to revenge killings and hospitality. Tinirau and his
friendship with Tutunui the whale is championed through the story, while Kae
and his slaughter of Tutunui are not. The cultural values followed by Tinirau and
the tenets he follows to make judgments are fundamental to the moral order, while
Kae’s disregard of what is deemed proper and right, and his subsequent demise
shows the cost of deviation. The story carries with it an instruction about the
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1 Pakeha is the M!ori term for New Zealander of European, and mostly British, descent
2 Bradford Haami, Discussion with the author, (3 Sept 2011).
3 These terms are defined and explained in greater detail below, for now, in brief, mana is power
and utu is revenge.
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oneness of life and interconnectedness between humans and whales. These
important concepts of continuity and kinship provide the story with its structure
while offering examples of moral ways of living through their illustration.
M!ori grant whales a significant place in their whakapapa (genealogy), a
step that is especially important given the cultural emphasis on family and
lineage. Family and the idea of relatedness through the notion of whakapapa
form the fabric of the M!ori world. “A person without a family is hardly a person
at all,” says John Patterson, the author of People of the Land: A Pacific
Philosophy, an examination of M!ori life perspective.4 Whakapapa defines both
the individual and the kin group, governing the relationship between them. It is
not confined solely to human relations, but includes plant and animal life as well;
thus whales can be, and are, viewed as part of the family. Incorporating whales
into one’s whakapapa situates them in a place of great importance. Any
creature’s ecological value is found in context, not isolation, and the mauri (life
force) is connected through kinship, thus allowing M!ori to see their role in the
world in conjunction with other creatures, as well as their landscape. How one
creature is related to others defines one’s interactions with them.5
An individual’s actions are not only determined by relationships between
family members within a single generation, but also by those of previous
generations. M!ori situate themselves and contextualize their existence in the
world through their ancestors. M!ori believe that when people talk and act, they
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!4 John Patterson, People of the Land: A Pacific Philosophy (Palmerston North: Dunmore Press,
2000), 100. 5 Patterson, People of the Land: A Pacific Philosophy; Te Ara, M!ori and the Natural World: Te
Taiao; Orbell, The Natural World of the M!ori.
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are talking and acting for those who came before them. It is through their
whakapapa that they are connected. “Ko tatou nga kanohi me nga waha korero o
ratou ma kua ngaro ki te po – We are but the seeing eyes and speaking mouths of
those who have passed on.”6 M!ori are defined by who they are in the present as
well as by their ancestors whose actions preceded them. These actions are
honored in subsequent generations. Well-respected anthropologist and M!ori
scholar Hirini Moko Mead notes: “[t]he present is a combination of the ancestors
and their living faces or genetic inheritors that are the present generations. Our
past is as much the face of our present and future. They in us…we live in them.”7
The ability to trace one’s descent back to the single ancestor of a kin group
establishes mana.8 Four kinship groups exist in M!ori society – whanau, hapu,
iwi, and waka – with multiple whanau in a hapu, multiple hapu in an iwi, and
multiple iwi in a waka. A whanau can be characterized as an extended family and
is often found in a single multigenerational household. Several whanau, led by a
kaumata and kuia (male and female elder respectively), make up a hapu, the basic
political unit within M!ori society, led by a rangatira (chief). An iwi is most
often described as a tribe or confederation, spanning large geographical areas.
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!6 Ministry of Justice, "He Hinatore Ki Te Ao M!ori - Glimpse into the M!ori World," ed.
Department of Courts, (Wellington: Ministry of Justice, 2001). He Hinatore Ki Te Ao M!ori -
Glimpse into the M!ori World is a project that helps develop an understanding of traditional M!ori
perspectives on justice, which involved the identification of cultural values and beliefs in relation
to M!ori practices and tikanga. It is an overview of a M!ori perspective of tika – rightness. 7 H.M. Mead, Te Toi Whakairo, (Auckland. 1986).
8 Mana is a complex concept that is not easily translated into English, but roughly corresponds to
prestige, authority, control, power, influence, status, spiritual power, charisma – a supernatural
force in a person place or object. Mana is the enduring indestructible power of the atua (gods)
and is inherited at birth – the more senior the descent, the greater the mana. Humans’ mana can
increase through successful ventures or decrease through lack of success. All things of nature
possess mana, and accumulate it over a lifetime. Mana gives a person the authority to lead and
make decisions. Through association with people of mana or use in significant events, animate
and inanimate objects can have mana as well. Tinirau has mana through his relationship with
whales, which are related to the god of the sea Tangaroa.
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One’s strongest allegiance and priority lies within the whanau.9 The bonds
between people, based on relatedness, grow slightly weaker with each widening
kin group.
Tinirau and the Whale is deeply embedded in these ideas of relatedness,
and it is important to understand the story within these cultural and social
contexts. Tinirau’s actions, as they relate to the whale Tutunui, bookend the story
and introduce two other cultural concepts – mana and utu. Utu is revenge,
fairness, or balance in a natural cycle of reciprocity. Lack of proper utu results in
loss of mana. It can be lost when relationships go astray, or restored when they
are repaired. To retain mana, both friendly and unfriendly actions require an
appropriate response – both the reciprocation of kind deeds and the exacting of
revenge, as seen through utu.10
The tradition of utu “pervades M!ori social, legal,
political and economic order.”11
While it is frequently seen as the act of revenge
(as when Tinirau kills Kae), utu also covers the reciprocation of favors from one
person to another (like the gift of Tutunui’s flesh to Kae in response to Tinirau’s
son’s baptism). Response to an action sometimes requires revenge; other times a
reward or transfer of services. The practice is an attempt to maintain balance in
society. How and when utu is sought or received depends on the actions that
necessitate it.12
The story of Tinirau and the Whale comments on the roles both
whales and humans play in each other lives in M!ori society, providing examples
for how the two species should and can interact.
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!9 Ministry of Justice, "He Hinatore Ki Te Ao M!ori - Glimpse into the M!ori World.”
10 Ibid.
11 Ibid.
12 Ibid.
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The Story of Tinirau and the Whale
Part of Tinirau and the Whale’s popularity is due to the presence of gods
and other characters within the story that are known throughout the Polynesian
pantheon and are featured in other tales. As in Greek myths, in M!ori legends
and tales there exists a common cast of characters throughout the stories in which
certain characters keep appearing, allowing the audience to draw on familiar
archetypes when hearing new stories. The tale of Tinirau goes by many names, as
demonstrated in the titles of the three tales examined in the following pages:
Tinirau and the Whale, Tinirau and Kae, and The Legend of Kae’s Theft of the
Whale.13
The different titles emphasize the various parts and lessons of the tale,
and the lack of a single unified nomenclature speaks to the oral nature of the
story’s transmission. Each starts with the birth of Tinirau’s son, Tuhuruhuru. A
tohunga (priest) is sought to perform the proper birth rites, and one named Kae
comes from another village to bless the child. To celebrate and give thanks for
his services, Tinirau calls his pet whale, Tutunui, and takes a chunk of his flesh to
feed to Kae. Kae immediately compliments the tastiness of the whale meat.
The turning point of the story occurs when Kae must return to his village,
and he begs Tinirau to allow him to ride Tutunui back instead of taking the canoe
that Tinirau has prepared. Initially reluctant, Tinirau finally relents, giving Kae
specific instructions concerning the end of his journey: when Tutunui shakes, they
will be close to the shore, and Kae must dismount, otherwise Tutunui will be
beached. Kae departs, and when they reach the shores of his village, Tutunui
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!13
These tales in their entirety can be found in the appendix. For simplicity’s sake I will
henceforth refer to the tale as Tinirau and the Whale – I do not refer to a specific version, but
instead the stories as a collective entity.
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shakes to signal that Kae should get off. Kae ignores him and pushes him further
towards the shore and the whale soon beaches and dies. The villagers come out to
cut up the whale and soon start cooking the meat. The smell of burning flesh
wafts its way back to Tinirau who knows what Kae has done. In some versions of
the tale, Tinirau becomes almost inconsolably sad, and in others he becomes quite
angry.
Tinirau sends a group of women to fetch Kae and tells them that his
overlapping teeth will identify him. The women board a waka (canoe), travel to
Kae’s village, find the central whare (house), and gather an audience of the
village. Through dance and song, they get the men to laugh, so as to expose their
teeth. When the women identify Kae, they enchant the men to sleep, but Kae
tricks them by putting shells on his eyes, making it appear as though he is still
awake. Kae’s trickery is soon discovered, and the women carry him back to their
waka. Kae is then put into a whare in Tinirau’s village. In the morning, Tinirau
wakes him, and Kae believes he is still in his own village. Tinirau tells him to
look around, and Kae realizes what has happened. Tinirau then kills Kae,
avenging his whale, Tutunui.14
The interactions between Tinirau and Tutunui show a deep, familial
connection between their respective species. Tinirau’s anguish over the death of
Tutunui is akin to that shown when a family member has been harmed, and
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!14
These stories were collected from several different sources and key aspects and events from
them were used to present this amalgamated form of the tale. Specifically, I used three sources:
Charles Royal Te Ahukaram", "Tangaroa - the Sea - Tinirau and Kae" in Te Ara- the
Encyclopedia of New Zealand, (2009); Sir George Grey, Polynesian Mythology and Ancient
Traditional History of the New Zealand Race, as Furnished by Their Priests and Chiefs, (London:
J. Murray, 1855); Jane Resture, Tinirau and his Pet Whale, "Some M!ori Legends" (2008),
http://www.janesoceania.com/newzealand_M!ori_legends/.
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Tinirau immediately feels the need to do something. The deep interspecies
connection between human and whale exhibited in this story illustrates the idea
that whales are part of a common kin group with humans. Family relationships
between various living creatures entail responsibilities, and so Tinirau finds it
necessary to seek revenge for Tutunui’s death as he would for a family member or
kin relation. The tale, specifically in its portrayal of the humans’ actions
surrounding the life and death of the whale, serves to educate the general
population in ways of living, specifically in the context of interspecies
relationships. It demonstates the relationship between Tutunui and Tinirau’s
community as familial, and signifies a strong connection between the two. The
revenge sought by Tinirau informs the audience as to what extent people should
care about and take action on behalf of whales given their role in a larger
whakapapa.
The familial ties between whales and humans are made more explicit in a
related tale involving Tinirau and a whale called The Whale Brothers. The story
focuses on whanau (immediate family) relations between whales and humans by
placing whales and humans within the same kin group. The tale centers on a
family with a father, Tinirau; a mother, Puturua; two sons, Tutunui and
Togamatutu; and four daughters, Ruatamahine, Ruatohu, Ruatogaegae, and
Honarehu. While the daughters and parents “were human these sons were not
men, they were whales!” When they were born, the sons were “taken and thrown
in the water, then they were nourished, and, when they were grown their fame
went out to all the places in the world.” Kae reappears in this story. When he
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hears of these two water-reared sons, he is incredulous and decides to visit them.
The tale then follows a similar plot line as the one put forth earlier in Tinirau and
the Whale.15
Kae comes to Tinirau’s village to examine the sons and is enamored of
their sisters. The women entertain him, and he is pleased. Kae asks Tinirau if he
may return home on one of the whale brothers and Tinirau grants his wish,
although Puturua, the mother, claims, “Kae will play a cruel trick on one of these
two children.” The whales fight over who will go, and in the end they both go,
although Tutunui carries Kae to the village. Kae does not beach Tutunui, but
disembarks instead, telling his people to “pull up one of those two whales…cook
[it] so it will be food for all of us.” When Togamatutu realizes his brother’s fate,
he gathers up all the blood of his brother, puts him back together again, and they
return to their homeland.16
While Tinirau is getting ready to avenge his son, Ruatamahine tells him he
is too old and that she will go and take revenge for her brother. The story then
follows the women traveling to Kae’s village, as do the other versions, but instead
of bringing Kae back for Tinirau to kill, Ruatamahine splits open Kae’s head and
cuts off his legs, arms, eyes, nose, ears and teeth, thus doing to him what was
done to her whale brother. The act of revenge is portrayed as necessary, and
carried out by a family member, showing an application of utu.
Presenting humans and whales as part of the same immediate family
whanau quickly informs the reader or listening audience of the close connection
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!15
Frank J. Stimson, The Whale Brothers, (Vahitahi: Peabody Museum, 1996). 16
Stimson, Whale Brothers.
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between the two species. The idea of family indicates relatedness, and as
discussed previously, M!ori self-identify through their relation to others. The
degree to which, and how, people are related forms the basis for most interactions
either between humans or humans and another species. The existence of family
across species lines can be seen in the discovery of Kae’s village in Tinirau and
the Whale:
It seemed that their search would be fruitless, and then one evening they
came to a village in a remote part of the coast. As they passed through
the gate they heard the rattle of bones. Something told them that they
were the bones of Tutunui rattling in recognition of their presence.17
The close ties between Tutunui and Tinirau’s family allow the women to
accurately identify the village of Kae before entering. When they arrive, the
women are made to feel welcome and are asked to perform. They put on a lewd
performance, “full of comic eye-rollings, grimaces, indecent gestures and
contortions of the body,” and finally Kae laughs. The women at once cease the
dancing, dropping their disguises and pretense of harmlessness.18
Placing whales in the whanau of an otherwise human group creates a
bond, and a responsibility, between the two. While it is noted, with some sense of
surprise (the exclamation point most likely implying oral emphasis, as the story
was recorded from an oral telling), that a human woman gave birth to humans and
whales, there is little further explanation of this particular phenomenon.19
This
indicates that such occurances were not completely out of the realm of possibility.
Just as males protect females, so do whales protect humans and vice versa at
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!17
Resture, “Some M!ori Legends,” 1. 18
Ibid. 19
Stimson, The Whale Brothers.
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different points during the story. It is generally accepted in the rest of the tale that
the same equal sibling relationships exist between the sisters and brothers as
evidenced by the revenge-motivated actions of Ruatamahine and the protective
behavior of Togamaututu before Ruatamahine gets married later in the tale.
There is a sense of mutual defense and protection – for instance, when
Togamaututu wishes to protect his sister and thinks it is his duty to screen
potential husbands. Ruatamahine defends her family’s mana by killing Kae after
Tutunui’s death. Togamaututu does not want a man named Marautorea to marry
his sister because he has not proved himself as a true warrior, and so Togamaututu
and Marautorea fight to decide the marital future of Ruatamahine. There is no
differentiation in terms of the relationships formed and maintained between
human and whale and no implication that one is better than or inferior to the
other.
Love and protection abound within the whanau – what lies outside is
unclear. Within M!ori families it is expected that each member will extend a
certain amount of basic respect and love to the others. There is an inherent trust
and sense of duty or obligation towards one’s family, not motivated by any
particular action but instead by familial connection. The sibling relationship in
the tale symbolizes one of the ways humans imagine their relationship to whales,
and helps connect with the audience on an emotional level. As most audiences
are native to New Zealand where the M!ori concept of whakapapa is entrenched
in the culture, the support and obligations inherent in a family are familiar. Even
beyond the confines of the culture, however, the love found between members of
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the family is recognizable and relevant. Even if it occurs across species, the love
between Tutunui and Tinirau is fundmentally familial and indicative of a close
bond between the two individuals and species.
Practices of the Flesh: When M!ori Eat Whales
M!ori have historically welcomed stranded whales as sources of food, as a
single whale could feed many people for a long time. As John Grim states,
“relationships with animals among different indigenous peoples are embedded in
subsistence practices, affirmed by the depth values of mythic narratives, and
celebrated in ritual performances.”20
Tinirau and the Whale is one of the mythic
narratives affirming the practice of eating whales within M!ori culture. In the
Tinirau story, it is not the act of eating flesh that is portrayed as negative, but
instead how the eating is done. Kae’s initial consumption of Tutunui’s flesh is
sanctioned by Tinirau, but when Kae slaughters Tutunui and the entire village eats
the whale, Tinirau does not approve.
The act of eating whale meant is not in and of itself bad, but instead
smaller distinctions within the sphere of whale consumption divide what is
acceptable and not. Eating part of a whale is tolerable. Eating an entire whale
that is part of another person’s whanau is not. At the beginning of a related tale,
Kae’s Theft of the Whale (collected by George Grey) Tinirau is searching for a
tohunga to bless his child. Kae is brought in from a neighboring village and
performs the proper rites. When finished, Tinirau “cut a slice of its [Tutunui’s]
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!20
John Grim, “Knowing and Being Known by Animals: Indigenous Perspectives on Personhood”
in A Communion of Subjects: Animals in Religion, Science, and Ethics, Ed. Paul Waldau and
Kimberley Patton, (New York: Columbia University Press, 2006), 374.
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flesh off …cooked it, and gave a portion of it to Kae, who found it very savoury,
and praised the dish very much.”21
Kae receives only part of Tutunui. The
amount of flesh is commensurate with the action performed – other actions or
events might engender the gift of the entire whale. As evidenced by Tinirau’s
behavior, it is acceptable to eat a part of a living Tutunui, but not acceptable to
kill and eat the entire whale. Tinirau states, "He is so big…he will never miss
[the small chunk].”22
Not only is the flesh delicious (as it is quite fatty) but also it
comes from a specific whale, Tinirau’s whale. Depicted as a great chief and
warrior, Tinirau is “famous for…his noble bearing…. and his school of whales.”23
Tutunui is not just any whale found swimming in the ocean; rather he is Tinirau’s
favorite among many, indicating a special relationship between the two. Kae’s
actions destroy this relationship, further symbolizing him as the embodiment of
behavior antithetical to M!ori values.
While there is a long documented history of M!ori eating stranded whales
and thanking the gods for the bounty, following the lessons evinced in the story, it
is unacceptable to take a whale from the ocean with ties to another human.24
In
the past, M!ori rarely took whales from the ocean.25
Almost all whales eaten had
stranded on beaches, at which point they were harvested for food and bone. The
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!21
Grey, Polynesian Mythology, 65. Published in 1855, Polynesian Mythology & Ancient
Traditional History of the New Zealanders as Furnished by their Priests and Chiefs is a collection
by George Grey, then governor of New Zealand under the British Government. His impetus for
collecting stories was to understand the tales and traditions underlying the claims and grievances
brought to him by the M!ori. The book is a collection not only of tales concerning Tinirau, but
also of a diversity of subjects from around the country. It was one of Grey’s aims to assimilate the
M!ori into a British way of life during his stint as governor. 22
Resture, “Some M!ori Legends,” 1. 23
Ibid. 24
Haami, Discussion. 25
Ibid.
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M!ori made an important distinction between whales that were killed and whales
that stranded on their own.26
There is human agency involved with the action of
killing a whale that is not when whales strand themselves on land. Stranded
whales have beached themselves due to natural forces beyond their control
independent of human intervention. Those that stranded were welcomed, as they
could supply a tribe with an enormous amount of food for months, as well as
other resources such as bone and baleen.27
The maihi (bargeboards) of many
p!taka (food storehouses) have whale patterns carved into them, as a stranded
whale meant a full p!taka. It is believed that these carvings originated with the
story of Tinirau and Tutunui. The design commemorates whales as friends,
guardians and food.28
The reference in the p!taka might suggest that Kae was
depriving Tinirau of a future with bountiful food, accounting for his vengeful
actions.
In addition to representing a food source, stranded whales had a symbolic,
spiritual meaning. These whales were considered dead ancestors whose spirits
had found a home in whales and who were trying to get back to their land.
Whales were atua (gods) – but atua who had sacrificed themselves to humans.
Sacrifice was seen as the act of a more powerful figure. When chiefs died, they
would be set up facing the sea to await the beaching of whales, as whales were the
highest form of sacrifice to show one’s mana. The greater the number of whales
that beached, the more the chief was mourned. Sometimes whales never came,
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!26
Ibid. Haami also noted that the incidence of strandings was so high that it provided more than
enough whale meat to feed people. 27
Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, "Whales Tohor!." (2007). 28
Ibid.
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and so the chief’s death was never mourned.29
A whale’s value to humans
extended beyond a simple resource/consumer relationship.
Embedded in the Tinirau and the Whale story are several lessons or
morals surrounding the development relationships with whales and eating whale
meat. These ideas are expressed in traditional narratives through which M!ori
values obtain their normal expression and are featured in everyday conversation.30
From this story comes the proverb ka kata Kae (Kae laughs), used when a gloomy
person is made to laugh or someone inadvertently reveals his or her guilt.31
The
proverb has become a part of the general lexicon, and its use assumes that
everyone is familiar with the story from which it comes. The proverb does not
explain at length parts of the story it references; instead it stands as a commentary
on the behavior of an individual within it. Because the story is so prevalent and
sunk into the general consciousness, when someone relates the proverb the
listener is immediately struck by the portrait of Kae and his actions – he is
conniving, powerful, and devious. Selfish and non-compliant with societal
norms, he is an example of everything an upstanding member of a community
should not be. When the proverb ka kata Kae is uttered, it indicates that someone
has acted like Kae and embodied one of his traits. While its mention does not
inherently imply that the person who laughs is evil, it does have a negative
connotation because the character it references is so nefarious.
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!29
Haami, Discussion. When the last Moriori chief in the Chatham Islands died, hundreds of
whales came and beached in front of his body. 30
Patterson, People of the Land: A Pacific Philosophy. 31
Grey, Polynesian Mythology, 68.
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Kae has killed Tinirau’s favorite whale, and so an equal and opposite
reaction must occur to restore balance and maintain mana. Tinirau’s actions are
thus deemed as justified, as viewed through the lens of utu, or revenge, as
discussed earlier. When Kae breaks the relationship between Tinirau and
Tutunui, the concept of utu mandates a corresponding response, lest mana be lost.
Regaining mana is important, for it is how people define their self worth and
power. Tinirau’s female relatives enable balance and mana to be restored by
bringing Kae back to Tinirau to kill.
The Women’s Role in Tinirau and the Whale: A Window into M!ori Life
Focusing on the role of the women in M!ori society and within these tales
illuminates key M!ori cultural values and tenets. The karakia (incantations and
prayers), or woman’s call, begins all traditional meetings and matters in M!ori
society. As women control the beginning of life, so they control the start of
communal gatherings. Just like the land, characterized as the woman
Papat"!nuku, they are creative forces that initiate action. They are portrayed as
strong figures in charge of life behind the scenes. Although women sit in the back
of the marae (communal or sacred place serving religious and social purposes) so
that the men in front may protect them, M!ori women are neither shy nor retiring
helpless figures.32
One can consider their vantage point as ideal for seeing
everything in front of them and reacting and adjusting accordingly, with a well
rounded understanding of the situation. The women’s roles across the versions of
Tinirau and the Whale offer a window into customs in M!ori culture. By
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!32
Brendan Hokowhitu, "The Death of Koro Paka: "Traditional" M!ori Patriarchy,” Contemporary
Pacific 20.1 (2008), 115-41.
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following men’s orders, women may seem on the surface to be subservient to
men, but in the execution of these orders they are shrewd and effective
manipulators, who know how to achieve what they believe is right. While the
women partake in deception and guile, these are employed towards a greater
purpose, and support the values and actions dictated by mana and utu, while
providing the opportunity for Tinirau to kill Kae. The tale may be named after
Tinirau, but female characters occupy most of the narrative, and facilitate the
central relationship between Tinirau and Tutunui.
When the women go to perform in Kae’s village, they create a genre of
performance still in use today at many M!ori cultural celebrations, thereby linking
this ancient story to the
present. As described in Te
Ara, “[t]he origin of kapa
haka (M!ori traditional
performing arts) is often
traced back to the troupe
of women sent by Tinirau,
ancestor of fish, to
identify and capture Kae,
who had killed his pet
whale, Tutunui.”33
The
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!33
Ahukaram", "Tangaroa – the Sea – Tinirau and Kae.”
Figure 8 Poi
Figure 11 Taiaha
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performances involve choreographed dances often done in lines, singing,
chanting, and the use of poi34
and taiaha,35
two important iconic aspects of
traditional M!ori culture (Figure 8, Figure 11).36
Sometimes the songs sung refer
to tribal histories or genealogies, connecting the performance to both the entity
and action of whakapapa.37
Kapa haka performances can be seen across the
nation and are a common activity in schools. Most schools have kapa haka
groups, which compete in contests around the country similar to sports teams. In
the version of the Tinirau story put forth by Te Ara, the encyclopedia of New
Zealand,38
four photographic images (Figure 4, Figure 5, Figure 6, Figure 7)39
accompany this tale, providing cultural background to elements found in the
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!34
According to Te Ara, poi is a performance art using tethered weights (originally made of flax)
swung in rhythmic geometric patterns. The tethers can be both short (about 8 inches) and long
(about 3 feet). In M!ori culture, it is the women who practice poi. 35
From the same source, taiaha is a traditional weapon of the M!ori. It is a wooden stick
approximately five to six feet in length, and is used in close quarters combat. Both taiaha and poi
are seen as traditional aspects of M!ori culture. 36
Te Papa Tongarewa M!ori Language Week Taiaha, Personal photograph by Caroline Lowe, 5
July 2011; Te Papa Tongarewa M!ori Language Week Poi, Personal photograph by Caroline
Lowe, 5 July 2011. 37
Claudia Bell and Steve Matthewman, "Kapa Haka as a 'Web of Cultural Meanings'", In Cultural
Studies in Aotearoa New Zealand: Identity, Space, and Place, (Oxford: Oxford University Press,
2004). 38
Te Ara, in M!ori, means ‘the pathway,’ and is the online encyclopedia for New Zealand. An
ongoing project, it is the hope of its creators that at its completion in 2013, it will be a
“comprehensive guide to the country’s peoples, natural environment, history, culture, economy,
institutions and society.” Te Ara is prepared by Manat" Taonga Ministry for Culture and Heritage.
The M!ori perspective is presented with each theme, and entries with substantial M!ori content
are available in te reo, the M!ori language. The last official encyclopedia of New Zealand was
published in 1966, and it is published in full with all the original drawings, maps and photographs
on the Te Ara website. Te Ara has produced a number of print publications using text and images
taken from the website. Recent works have included M!ori and the Natural World – Te Taiao,
New Zealanders and the Sea, M!ori Tribes of New Zealand, and M!ori Peoples of New Zealand:
nga iwi o Aotearoa. 39
In order: Leanne Tamaki, Kapa Haka, From Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, JPG,
http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/creative-life/8/7; Ron Bacon, Tinirau and his Whale, (North Shore
City: Waiatarua Publishing, 1995), 2-3; Andy Cox, Southern Right Whale, From Te Ara – the
Encyclopedia of New Zealand, JPG, http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/tangaroa-the-sea/3/2; Te Papa
Tongarewa, Playing the P"torino, From Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, JPG,
http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/tangaroa-the-sea/3/3.
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story, one of which is of a kapa haka group. To cite the Tinirau story as the
generative force in the practice of kapa haka instills significance in the story.
There are national competitions for kapa haka teams that award large prizes. Not
only are monetary and material awards won, but also pride and respect for oneself
individually and as part of a group. While the origins of their efforts might not be
known to some of the younger kapa haka performers who instead see it as a
performance of M!ori identity, part of the story is perpetuated nonetheless.
Tinirau and the Whale has become a part of collective cultural expression.
As projected in these legends and tales, women also reinforce the
importance of family and whakapapa. As established earlier, the idea of
connectedness and relatedness manifested in whakapapa underpins all
interactions in M!ori society. In the version of the tale found in M!ori Legends,
an online collection of tales from the Pacific, Tinirau’s grief surrounding the
death of Tutunui drives him to tears. He does not personally go out to search for
the tohunga (priest) but instead orders his sisters to go in search of Kae. Unlike
other variants of the story, the women who go in search of Kae are blood relations
to Tinirau. The sisters are instructed to “travel as entertainers, and no one will
suspect the true purpose of your mission.” Without questioning or hesitation the
sisters respond they will gladly go, as the duty to family is implicit, and there
appears to be an unspoken connection and sense of familial obligation involved
with this story’s search.
The women in Tinirau and the Whale enforce not only the concept of
family, but also the broader role that women play holding everything together
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behind the scenes. In George Grey’s text the women who go to fetch Kae are
subversive. When Tutunui’s death is discovered, the people of the village quickly
take action, dragging a large canoe “which belonged to one of [Tinirau’s] wives”
down to the sea, and forty women go off in it. Grey writes “none but women
went, as this would be less likely to excite any suspicion in Kae that they had
come with a hostile object.”40
From their introduction to the audience, the women
partake in deception – they do have hostile intent. The sisters gain trust through
dishonest means by taking advantage of their unassuming appearance. As
entertainers, they distract their audience and lull them into a relaxed, unguarded
state. Their performance makes Kae laugh, and the women in turn see “pieces of
the flesh of Tutunui still sticking between his teeth, and his teeth were uneven and
all overlapped one another.”41
Not only are his teeth unappealing in and of
themselves, but the presence of Tutunui’s flesh in his teeth furthers the women’s,
and the reader’s, distaste for the character. The flesh serves as a reminder to the
women and the reader of Kae’s objectionable actions. The sisters are imbued
with potent magic, as evidenced by the “powerful incantation” they use to make
everyone fall asleep in Kae’s village. They are also cunning, for when Kae tries
to trick them into thinking he is still awake, “the sisters [are] not deceived.” The
women have the power to make sounds “like the rushing wind” and are not fooled
by paua shells masquerading as glimmering eyes in the low light. They therefore
are persistent and continue their enchantments. There is no statement of
discovery of Kae’s trick on the part of the women, for the next scene depicts the
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!40
Grey, Polynesian Mythology, 67. 41
Grey, Polynesian Mythology, 68.
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women arranging themselves in a row to pass Kae, rolled in a blanket, down to
the canoe. There is no discussion, and no bravado in their actions; they are
efficient, echoing their manipulative role. They shrewdly tie up Kae to bring him
back to their own village to ensure he will not escape if he wakes on the return
journey. Kae is previously identified as “a magician who had the power to harm
[Tinirau], if he chose to.”42
By overpowering Kae, the women are shown as
smart, highly capable individuals who become stronger as a group or family. The
importance of unity and togetherness as seen through whakapapa is reinforced.
Women control the beginning of life, but in the tale of Tinirau their agency as
perpetuators of the community strength is evident.
The story of Tinirau and the Whale offers a general primer on the roles
both whales and humans play in each other lives in M!ori society, teaching people
how the two species should and can interact. Defining characteristics of the
Tinirau story – the close personal relationship between a single human and whale,
and the supportive and guiding role of women – are also central to Witi
Ihimaera’s book, Whale Rider. One of the most interesting aspects of this
examination of family in Tinirau and the Whale is the relatedness between
humans and whales, which is picked up in the tale of Paikea and subsequently
Whale Rider. Relying on the basic structure of an all-encompassing whakapapa,
the tales of Tinirau and Paikea set up a mutual responsibility and caring between
whales and humans. The general lessons and cultural values found in Tinirau and
the Whale, such as the application of utu after a transgression, form a base upon
which a fuller understanding of the human-whale interaction can be achieved.
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!42
Resture, M!ori Legends, 1.
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Chapter 2: Paikea and The Whale Rider: Understanding
Connections Between Geography, Whales and Humans
The Whale Rider, a novella by Witi Ihimaera published in 1987, offers a
philosophical outlook on the relationship between whales and humans in the
context of the Aotearoa New Zealand landscape. Ihimaera specifically focuses on
one community on the North Island. Similar to the gifts the ancestor Paikea
brought from Hawaiki, the book provides “instructions on how man might korero1
with the beasts and creatures of the sea so that all [can] live in helpful partnership.
They [teach] oneness.”2 It is this oneness between humans, whales, and land that
is emphasized throughout the story and that highlights an important aspect of the
M!ori-whales relationship. The land serves as a transformative meeting place for
the M!ori people and their whale kin, a physical and cultural space in which these
two species interact. In M!ori tradition, then, the land contains the living memory
of the interconnectedness among humans and whales from ancient times until
today.
The act of riding whales can be traced far back into mythic times and
forms the basis of many M!ori interactions with whales. The most famous whale
rider in legendary tradition is Paikea, the ancestor to whom most M!ori can
whakapapa,3 both literally and mythologically. It is the residents of Whangara,
however, a small contemporary M!ori community on the East Coast, who can
assert the strongest connection to Paikea, as it was there that he first set foot in
Aotearoa New Zealand. The mystical quality surrounding the act of whale riding,
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1 To tell, say, speak, read, talk, or address
2 Witi Ihimaera, The Whale Rider, (Auckland: Reed, 2002), 33.
3 In this case whakapapa is a verb and means to recite one’s genealogy. To whakapapa to
something or someone means a distinct chain of relations can be recited between A and B.
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particularly found in the Paikea story, lends itself to narrative expansion and
interpretation. Ihimaera uses the physical and cultural ties between Whangara and
Paikea to explore contemporary connections between geography, whales, and
humans in his book. These ties are also seen in the motion picture of the same
name.
In 2002, a film from New Zealand (that didn’t involve hobbits and elves)
burst onto the world stage, garnering a Best Actress nomination for its young
lead, Keisha Castle-Hughes. Set in Whangara, Whale Rider offers a glimpse onto
M!ori culture few outside the country have experienced. Filmed in the
community it explores, the movie captures the essence of a land defined by its
story. The film version circulated the story beyond the confines of the country,
and allowed audiences to visually explore the relationship between whales, land,
and people. Unlike the Tinirau story, set firmly in the past, Whale Rider offers up
a tale of an ancient ancestor, wrapped in a current day retelling. Both the film and
the book provide insight into the lives of a community and their connection to the
largest mammals on earth. The ancestor Paikea is a constant presence in the
current day setting, as the characters try to recreate and regain the oneness
between whales, land, and humans of the past. The lessons and influences of the
stories of the ancestors can be clearly seen as the narrative weaves back and forth
between whales and humans, supernatural and natural. All of these, in various
permutations, come together in the coastal community of Whangara and help
redefine its relationship with the past as it moves towards the future. Ihimaera
(and Niki Caro’s film interpretation) create a story that artfully weaves together
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three strands – land, humans, and whales – which come together through
ceremonies on land, whakapapa, and finally a recreation and redefinition of the
whale riding event of years past by the new generation’s whale rider.
The Story of Paikea
The story of the whale rider Paikea begins in Hawaiki, with a chief called
Uenuku, who had many sons by many women. Some of his sons were chiefs
because their mothers were of noble birth, while others were not considered
significant because their mothers were slaves or of a lower class. One day
Uenuku decided to build a great waka (canoe). Much effort was put into its
production, and when it was done, Uenuku brought together his sons to oil and
comb their hair into topknots for the great waka’s first voyage. Ruatapu, the son
of a slave woman, was not so groomed, for he was of little importance. Feeling
slighted and singled out from his brothers, Ruatapu went down to the waka, and
cut a hole in the bottom, filling it in again with chips of wood.
The next day all the sons (including Ruatapu) launched the canoe, and
paddled far out to sea. Ruatapu made sure to cover the hole he had made with his
heel until they were a long way out. When there was no sight of land, Ruatapu
removed his heel and the canoe began to sink. The noble brothers could not
swim, and they all began to drown except one, whose name was Paikea (or in
some versions, Kahutia-te-Rangi). Paikea was a descendent of Tangaroa, the god
of the sea, and Paikea called out to him for help. Tangaroa sent a whale (or a
supernatural guardian creature called a taniwha in the shape of a whale) to take
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Paikea to land. Paikea escaped from Ruatapu on the back of this whale, and left
him to drown in the middle of the sea. In the versions in which the character of
Paikea is identified as Kahutia-te-Rangi, it is only after the whale saves him that
he takes on the name paikea, the M!ori term for humpback whale, in honor of the
one who saved him.4
The whale brought Paikea to the East Coast of the North Island, and his
children’s children still live there. According to tradition, the whale turned to
stone, and is now the island Wh!ngar!, immediately offshore (Figure 9).5 The
current residents
who are members
of the Ng!ti Konohi
hapu (part of the
Ng!ti Porou iwi)
still honor Paikea
as their ancestor in
their whakapapa,
citing him as the creator of the community. Through Paikea, the Ng!ti Porou
maintain the simple philosophy that they are related to, if not descendants of, the
whale, and thus should treat and respect whales as such. While Paikea landed in
Whangara, his son Tahupotiki travelled further south and became the founder of
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!4 This summary of the story comes from several different sources: Department of M!ori Affairs,
"The Story of Paikea and Ruatapu" Te Ao Hou 40 (1962), 6; Bradford Haami, "Te Whanau Puha –
Whales," In Te Ara - The Encyclopedia of New Zealand, (2009). 5 Janine Faulknor, Wh!ng!r!, From Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, JPG,
http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/east-coast-places/5/3.
Figure 9 Wh!ngar! Island
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the Ngai Tahu – the iwi occupying most of the South Island. A large portion of
the country can trace their whakapapa (genealogy) back to Paikea.
The story of Paikea is shared not only through the tale but also through a
well-known song, allowing dissemination of the story across different media, and
speaking to the societal saturation of the tale. A well-known folk song references
the tekoteko of Paikea at the top of the wharenui in Whangara, known as
Whitireia: “Uia mai koia, whakahuatia ake; /Ko wai te whare nei e?/ Whitireia!
/Ko wai te tekoteko kei runga? /Ko Paikea! Ko Paikea!” (Ask and you will be
told;/ what is the name of this house? / Whitireia! / Who is the carved figure
above? / It is Paikea! It is Paikea!)6 There is a specific dance that goes along with
the song, making it a frequent kapa haka performance piece across the country.
The dance involves simple arm movements below the elbow and steps back and
forth. A M!ori language week event on July 5, 2011 at Te Papa featured kapa
haka performances of many schools from around the North Island (Figure 11).7
No fewer than three groups performed the folk song, and each time it was
approached with a well-rehearsed familiarity. Several groups were from around
Gisbourne, the closest city to Whangara, and they performed the Paikea
folksong.8 The song has a driving rhythmic quality with a clearly defined beat,
and it was apparent that it was well known when some of the children in the front
of the auditorium began to sing along with the performance. The young children
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!6John Archer, "Paikea", New Zealand Folk Song, http://folksong.org.nz/paikea/.
7 Te Papa Tongarewa M!ori Language Week Taiaha, Personal photograph by Caroline Lowe, 5
July 2011. 8 I was a member of the audience at this particular event in Te Papa
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were from local schools around the city – not from Whangara – but they still
knew the words to the song.
While the song is well known around the country it is distinctively from
the Whangara area (Figure 10).9 This community in the northeast of the North
Island commemorates Paikea’s arrival with a tekoteko (carved figure) at the top of
the Whitireia wharenui (meeting house) in Whangara (Figure 12),10
referenced in
the song. Today the community is small, consisting of only a dozen or so houses
and a marae,11
set against the beach on the Pacific. Whangara is famous for being
the landing place of Paikea, and the people there define themselves through the
land and the story embedded in it. Ryden comments on the power of place to
influence self: “[o]ne of the ways individuals define their own identity is through
folklife…place can be and
often is, an extremely
meaningful component of
individual identity.”12
Ihimaera affirms that the tale is
“a specific tribal story that
applies only to Whangara and
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!9 NZ Topo Database, Map of Whangara, The Rodent Invasion Project, From Department of
Statistics, The University of Auckland. JPG, http://www.stat.auckland.ac.nz/research/rodent-
invasion/island/uncategorised/whangara-whangara/. 10
Jonh Archer, Paikea tekoteko, New Zealand Folk Song, JPG,
http://folksong.org.nz/paikea/index.html. 11
A marae is the courtyard-type open area in front of the wharenui, where formal greetings and
discussions take place. The term is also used to include the complex of buildings around the
marae. 12
Ryden, Mapping the Invisible Landscape, 65. Ryden explores expressions of place that dwell in
landscape and coincide with material and physical reality.
Figure 12 Tekoteko
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to the M!ori people of the North Island or the other areas of New Zealand…that
legend was a particular story for that particular era to affirm the nature of the
M!ori voyage, and that one needed to have courage to maintain one’s identity.”13
Ihimaera’s book centers around a young M!ori girl called Kahu14
who is
raised by her great-grandparents,15
one of whom is Koro Apirana, leader of the
Whangara community and descendent of the whale rider ancestor Paikea. Told
from the perspective of Kahu’s uncle Rawiri, the narrative spans Kahu’s entire
life but focuses mainly on an eight year old Kahu. The exploits of Kahu alternate
with those of a pod of whales journeying through the Pacific Ocean, the leader of
which is an ancient bull whale and his companion, the old mother whale. When
Koro becomes distraught because he does not have a male grandchild, he begins
to look for a male successor amongst the young men of the tribe. He refuses to
realize that Kahu has all the requisite aptitudes of a chief, even though his wife,
Nani Flowers, endlessly argues otherwise. At the same time, the ancient bull
whale is searching for Paikea so that he may return to his glory days, when the
two roamed the seas together. Both Koro and the ancient bull whale put
tremendous effort into finding this one being descended from Paikea and believe
that if this one can be found, they will achieve balance and peace in their lives.
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!13
Pacific Islanders In Communications, “Whale Rider – the Book” Whale Rider, Ed. Peter Adds,
PhD (Pacific Islanders in Communications 2005). 14
To identify the ancestor Paikea/Kahutia-te-Rangi, I will use the full name Kahutia-te-Rangi, or
Paikea. I will refer to the female main character of the book simply as Kahu. 15
In the book Koro and Nani Flowers are identified as her great grandparents, although in the
movie they are her grandparents. There is no mention of Kahu’s grandparents in the book, but
rather only her father’s generation, and her great-grandparents.
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Ancestral Connection and Parallel Structures
The social structures in the whale and human communities mirror each
other both in composition and interaction between their respective leaders. Koro
resents the fact that Kahu is a girl, yet the female leaders exist on the same social
level as their male counterparts, in both the human and whale communities. In the
community with Nani Flowers, just like in the herd, the elderly females are close
to the male leader, but inherently a step below due to “traditional” gender roles.16
They are respected in the group and are seen as a link to the chief. The
stratification of the human community correlates to a similar structure within the
whale herd. Ihimaera specifically draws parallels between the two main
relationships of the book – that of the old mother whale and ancient bull whale,
and Nani Flowers and Koro. The two couples stand at the top of their respective
social structures. No one aside from Nani Flowers would dare stand up to Koro
or question his decisions openly. Like the old mother whale, she has established a
pattern of interaction with her husband that gives her a certain license. She knows
when to push him and when he is about to explode. Unlike others in the
community who fear retribution, Nani Flowers is not afraid to threaten divorce, or
to complain about Koro to his face. She knows that when they fight there is love
behind the barbs, and which responses are expected from which comments. It is a
familiar path they tread regularly with few deviations. The whale couple
physically represents this pattern of interactions through body language, as the
females are dealing with similarly obstinate partners.
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!16
Hokowhitu, “The Death of Koro Paka,” 115-41.
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Five or six elderly females had separated from the herd to lie close to the
bull whale. They sang to it, attempting to encourage it back to the open
sea where the rest of the herd were waiting. But the bull whale remained
unmoving.17
Like Koro, the bull whale is stubborn, wanting to die on the beach despite the
advice and pleading song of the females. This similar stubbornness is translated
visually into the movie Whale Rider when Koro refuses to leave his bed for days,
lying on his side like a beached whale, contemplating his perceived failures.18
While the females often challenge the males in both the whale and human
communities, in times of trial they are supportive. The female whales do not
attempt to argue with the ancient bull whale’s motivations but try only to
“encourage it back to the open sea,” just as they coaxed him back from land after
the “man-sighting.”19
Both of these events were highly emotional for the ancient
bull whale, and so the females try to be gentle and kind with their communication.
Faced with the prospect of losing their leader, they become soft and
understanding, just like Nani Flowers does with Koro after his difficult time down
south when the whales are beached. “He and Nani Flowers were always arguing,
but this time he was genuinely relieved to see her. ‘Oh, wife,’ he whispered as he
held her tightly.”20
Both understand that their normal discourse of bickering is
out of place in such highly emotional situations. There is a great amount of love
underlying all the interactions between the two of them. It is this love that lets
them bicker without actually separating, and it is the same love that prompts the
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!17
Ihimaera, Whale Rider, 119. 18
Niki Caro, “Whale Rider,” (New Zealand: Columbia TriStar Entertainment, 2002), 1:07:07. 19
“When the younger males reported a man-sighting on the horizon it took all their strength of
reasoning to prevent their leader from arrowing out towards the source of danger. Indeed, only
after great coaxing were they able to persuade him to lead them to the underwater sanctuary”
(Ihimaera, 37). 20
Ihimaera, Whale Rider, 114.
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elderly females to coax the ancient bull whale back to safer waters. Nani Flowers
and the old mother whale play similar roles, providing insight at times when their
male counterparts cannot. “‘But,’ she told him, ‘I can see the rider and it’s not
who you think it is.’”21
The rider is Kahu, the granddaughter of Koro and Nani
Flowers, and descendent of Paikea, the ancient bull whale’s master all those years
ago when the world was beginning. Just as the old mother whale can literally see
the rider while the ancient bull whale cannot, she can also see the emotions that
cloud his judgment, and she understands him well enough to know how to
approach the situation. Nani Flowers similarly sees what Koro cannot, namely
that Kahu should not be dismissed.
But Nani Flowers has the sense not to tell Koro as soon as Kahu finds the
rei puta, a sacred whale’s tooth signifying leadership, recognizing that he is not
ready to see that which is right in front of him (or sometimes literally riding on his
back). Kahu is a link between these two male leaders as she rides both of them,22
foreshadowing her role in the larger society as Paikea’s whale riding descendent.
The piggyback rides Kahu receives from Koro are important as they physically
manifest descent. Kahu comes after Koro, assumes his role in society. He also
physically supports her, carrying her towards the future. As a descendent of
Paikea, Kahu rides on the back of the ancient bull whale in the community’s time
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!21
Ihimaera, Whale Rider, 143. 22
Koro is known to give Kahu piggy back rides, and at the end of the book Kahu rides the ancient
bull whale back into the sea
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of need.23
Both Koro and the ancient bull whale care for and support Kahu, and it
is with her that they eventually find peace.
Burying the Pito
The connection between humans and whales is held together in the land of
Whangara as it serves as the meeting place for these two parallel relationships.
Both the whales and the humans place great importance on the land of Whangara,
because it is a point of contact for both species. The whales journey to Whangara
in the hopes of finding Paikea in the last place they saw him. The humans honor
the same ancestor and historical event by telling the story of the whale rider which
is embedded in the landscape. By virtue of the relationship whales and humans
have to the roles their historical (and mythical) ancestors played in Whangara,
both species are innately drawn to this area. Kahu, because she is Paikea’s
descendent, is anchored to the land soon after her birth as detailed towards the
beginning of the narrative: “She [Nani Flowers] wanted Kahu’s afterbirth,
including the birthcord, to be put in the earth on the marae in our village…it is her
right to have her pito here on this marae.”24
Nani Flowers’ actions clash with
Koro’s disdain for Kahu as a girl.
The concept of burying one’s pito (umbilical cord) is a very powerful one
within M!ori culture by virtue of their relationship to the land. To physically bind
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!23
“She was the whale rider. Astride the whale she felt the sting of the surf and rain upon her face.
On either side the younger whales were escorting their leader through the surf. They broke
through into deeper water…She was Kahutia-Te-Rangi. She felt a shiver running down the whale,
and instinctively, she placed her head against its skin and closed her eyes…She was Paikea. In the
deepening ocean the fury of the storm was abating. The whale’s motions were stronger….She was
Kahutia-Te-Rangi. She was Paikea. She was the whale rider. Hui e, haumi e, taiki e.” (Ihimaera,
Whale Rider, 129-30) 24
Ihimaera, Whale Rider, 25.
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one’s beginnings to the land creates a strong connection to that land, for it is hard
to forget where one begins. The pito has nourished and cared for a nascent human
being for almost a year before his or her introduction to the outside world. A
bond has therefore been forged between pito and person, through the pito between
mother and child, and through the burying of pito between the land and child.
The M!ori call themselves tangata whenua, or people of the land – those who
have authority in a particular place. While there is a general M!ori-land
connection through out the country, it particularly emanates from many specific
connections that certain whanau, hapu, or iwi have with precise geographic
locations. This strong tie to the land comes from their relationship with that place
through their birth and their ancestors’ births. One can claim a bond with a
specific piece of land, especially if one’s ancestors were buried there and
incorporated into the land.25
As Kent Ryden expresses in his book Mapping the
Invisible Landscape, “the depth that characterizes a place is human as well as
physical and sensory, a thick layer of history, memory, association, and
attachment that builds up in a location as a result of our experiences in it.”26
This
history is physically embedded into the landscape through the burial of ancestors
and pito. The memories come not only from the current generation’s experiences
on the land but also from the stories passed down by their ancestors.
As M!ori express themselves in a specific place, they gain confidence and
authority to project themselves into the world, thereby supporting the idea of
mana whenua, or spiritual authority in a given area. This term has been used to
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!25
Patterson, People of the Land: A Pacific Philosophy. 26
Ryden, Mapping the Invisible Landscape, 38-9.
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describe territorial rights and power associated with possession and occupation of
tribal land. Mana whenua is a gift from the gods, and always remains with the iwi
of the area. The imposition of a European title does not remove mana whenua
from the land, because it is only the tangata whenua who hold mana whenua.
The burying of the pito is one way to ensure that the mana whenua is upheld and
enhanced.
While whenua in this context means land, it also means placenta, speaking
to the nurturing nature of the former. All life is seen as born from the womb of
Papatuanuk" (mother earth), under the sea. The lands that appear above water are
placentas from her womb.27
Thus, when Nani Flowers buries Kahu’s afterbirth
and birthcord, she is combining two placentas that were previously separated,
giving Kahu an even stronger tie to Whangara. The image of lumps of land
emerging from the water is reminiscent of whales breaking the surface of the
ocean to rest. Both provide sanctuaries, and the ancestor Paikea found respite on
both. People cannot survive in the water, but they can survive on the whenua and
on the backs of whales – they are indebted to both.
Just as the physical birth cord and placenta have given strength to Kahu
until her birth, so does the land upon which she stands. When Nani Flowers
buries the pito, she gives Kahu her t!rangawaewae, a place to stand. This is a
sturdy foundational place to be in the world, a home. It is seen as a place where
one’s ancestors are present, where he or she spends his or her formative years and
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!27
Charles Royal Te Ahukaram", "Papat"!nuku - the Land - Whenua - the Placenta," Te Ara - the
Encyclopedia of New Zealand, (2009).
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learns important lessons.28
With these parameters, Whangara is Kahu’s
t!rangawaewae. Her grandparents live in the community, along with her uncle,
father, and cousins. She can trace a direct line back to Kahutia-te-Rangi, or
Paikea, the whale rider who landed in Whangara many generations ago. The line
is strong and traceable through this named lineage. Kahu takes the name of her
whale-riding ancestor, while her father, Porourangi, takes the name of another
great ancestor four generations removed from Paikea, under whose “leadership
the descent lines of all the people of Te Tai Rawhiti were united in what is now
known as the Ng!ti Porou confederation.”29
The naming is important, because it
reminds everyone of what and who came before, keeping the story of the
ancestors contemporary. Kahu strongly identifies as the descendent of the whale
rider, and as a member of the Whangara community through her name. As Ryden
asserts, “[s]ense of self becomes inextricably linked to the physical components of
a place, or to participation in place-bound ways of life, or to an awareness of the
folk history of a region; folklore reveals the ways in which these links are
made.”30
Kahu is aware of the iconic characteristics of her eponymous ancestor
and attempts to live her life in accordance with them.
In a Named Tradition
The naming creates a connection between the two who share a name as
well as a responsibility on the part of the elder. “Kahu’s pito is here. No matter
where she may go, she will always return. She will never be lost to us. Then I
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!28
Charles Royal Te Ahukaram", "Papat"!nuku - the Land - Whenua - the Placenta," Te Ara - the
Encyclopedia of New Zealand, (2009). 29
Ihimaera, Whale Rider, 34. 30
Ryden, Mapping the Invisible Landscape, 64.
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marveled at her wisdom and Rehua’s in naming the child in our whakapapa and
the joining of her to our whenua.”31
As explored earlier in context of the Tinirau
story, the idea of whakapapa is central in M!ori culture. Placing something or
someone within a whakapapa gives it or him/her a sense of legitimacy and
connection – it or s/he exists in relation to something or someone else, and thus is
an inextricable part of the world. This system can be imagined as a web in which
moving one person disturbs all of the other connections, creating ripples
throughout the web that affect not only those connected directly but also others
down the line.
Kahu is forever bound to Whangara by the spun lines of this
interconnected web – no matter how far she travels, she will always return,
zinging back to her home like a caught fly. Kahu is destined to become an
important part of her whakapapa both because of her name, and because her
lineage connects her to a “long line of chiefs stretching all the way back to the
whale rider.”32
The use of such an iconic name serves as a reminder to both Kahu
and those around her of the traits of the ancestor she might embody. As the first
born of her generation she was supposed to be a boy, supposed to be the next
leader of the community. She was not a boy, however, and so her entire name,
Kahutia-te-Rangi, connects her even more strongly to the community than if she
had been named something else. By being named after the famous male whale
rider Kahu reinforces the current manifestations of an ancient tale and the
ramifications it has in the current world. While her name is a constant reminder
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!31
Ihimaera, Whale Rider, 32. 32
Caro, "Whale Rider," 3:02.
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to Koro of what she is not, namely male, it also makes her unable to be ignored.
Because her namesake has such a strong connection to the land and community,
and Nani Flowers has buried her pito there, it is harder for Koro to push her away.
He tries continually to do so until the end of the book, at which point Kahu rides a
stranded whale back into the ocean, cementing her role as Paikea’s descendent.
Koro can no longer deny her destiny.
Fitting into the Whakapapa
Nani Flowers unites the land, Kahu’s name, and the ancestor into the
whakapapa when she buries Kahu’s pito. The pito in the land forever links Kahu
to the community and their stories, particularly the whale rider.
This is where the pito will be placed…in sight of Kautia-te-Rangi, after
whom Kahu has been named. May he, the tipua ancestor, always watch
over her. And may the sea from whence he came always protect her
through life...at that moment the moon came out and shone full upon the
carved figure of Kahutia-te-Rangi on his whale…I heard a whale
sounding. Hui e, haumi e, taiki e.33
Not only is the placing of the pito in Whangara important, but so is the physical
place itself within the community. The carving on the top of the marae depicting
Kahutia-te-Rangi riding a whale is a significant detail of the location that Nani
Flowers chooses. She knows it will be important to have the great ancestor be a
part of Kahu’s life. The ancestor can be said to reside in the carving which looks
down upon the pito of Kahu, making sure she grows up properly while living up
to her namesake. The ancestor, whose story is anchored in the land, watches over
Kahu’s own anchor, her pito. Nani Flowers shows remarkable prescience in her
decisions throughout the book, not the least of which is on display here. The act
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!33
Ihimaera, Whale Rider, 27-8.
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of naming Kahu after the great whale-riding ancestor preordains her for a
leadership role within the community. The location of the pito is also close to the
sea and the home of the womb of Papatuanuk". In this context it is a nurturing
force as well as the home of the whales. Being close to the water gives Kahu
greater spiritual and physical protection, as it requires her to be comfortable in
and around the water, lessening the chance of drowning. The water will be a
second home to her as she becomes equally at ease on the land and in the water of
her ancestors.
The phrase “…may the sea from whence he came always protect her
through life…”34
assigns a certain amount of protective agency to the ocean that
can be seen in other cultures as well. Kimberley Patton writes in The Sea Can
Wash Away All Evils (a text that explores the environmental crises facing the
world’s oceans from the perspective of religious history) that multiple cultures
“accord agency to the sea… the ocean has been seen as both lethal and life giving
to humans beings, many of whom have lived in coastal societies.”35
It is Nani
Flowers’ hope that the sea will be a force for good in Kahu’s life, a point
reinforced when the whale sounds not a few seconds after Nani’s proclamation.
This event not only solidifies Kahu’s connection to her ancestor, but also to the
whales who call out when her pito is buried, as if they know the child will be
important to them.
There is a certain supernatural quality to the entire ordeal of burying the
pito under the gaze of the Paikea carving. The nearby ocean swirls with the
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!34
Ihimaera, Whale Rider, 27-8. 35
Kimberley C. Patton, The Sea Can Wash Away All Evils: Modern Marine Pollution and the
Ancient Cathartic Ocean, (New York: Columbia University Press, 2007), xii.
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whales that brought the ancestor to the land, the moon shines upon the figure, and
then the whales sound from the ocean deep. The buried pito represents an
intersection between the natural and the supernatural, young and old, and human
and animal. Kahu is the one that connects them all. She is the reason for the
midnight gathering culminating in this intersection of land, human, whale, and
sea, because as a character she stands at the crossroads of the four. She is herself
a human, yet possesses a unique quality to communicate with whales – evidenced
at a young age when she cries out in sympathy to whales suffering on a movie
screen.36
She is firmly connected to the land through her pito, her ancestors, and
place of residence.
Kahu’s comfort in the water is similarly imbued with a spiritual quality.
Kahu is at ease in and around the water, for she is a member of an island nation
and lives in a shoreline community, but her effortlessness surpasses that of others
in the area. “Kahu was searching the reef, drifting around the coral. Nani
Flowers’ eyes widened with disbelief…they were dolphins…she [Kahu] nodded
and grabbed one around its body…she kissed the dolphins goodbye and gave
Nani Flowers a heart attack by returning to the reef. She picked up a crayfish and
resumed her upward journey.”37
The ease with which Kahu navigates the ocean
far outshines that exhibited by the boys in the community, or even Nani Flowers
or Rawiri. Dolphins (closely related to whales) flock to Kahu when she dives
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!36
“Then the final tragedy of the movie began. The whale, wounded, was dying in its own blood.
The soundtrack was suddenly filled with the sound of the whale in its death throes: long echoing,
sighing phrases, which must have been recorded from real whales. The sound was strange and
utterly sad. No wonder when I looked at Kahu she had woken from sleep, and tears were again
tracking down her face. Not even a lolly would help to pacify her.” (Ihimaera, Whale Rider, 46) 37
Ihimaera, Whale Rider, 91.
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down to retrieve the rei puta,38
as if the ocean has sent them. Kahu also fearlessly
walks into the water and rides off on the back of a whale at the climax of the
book. Kahutia-te-Rangi emerged from the sea on the back of one of its denizens,
only to name it after another island in the ocean – his own original
turangawaewae.39
Naming the place for the ancient birthplace in Hawaiki creates
a connection between the past and present. The stories that are told of both
consistently prevent people from forgetting. Kahuti-te-Rangi was so influenced
by the ocean and by his whale companion that he took on the name of paikea, the
humpback whale. He honored the connection between human and whale, as well
as land and sea. These two relationships are linked through the locales of the
species – humans on land and whales in the sea. In the film, Porourangi, Kahu’s
father, invites her to live with him and she agrees to leave Whangara. Yet the
community is still within sight when she makes her father pull over and let her
out. She looks out to the ocean with yearning, her feet firmly planted on the
ground. Both the land and the sea are calling to her, and she cannot leave.
Riding the Whale
Kahu’s final act of riding the whale synthesizes her connection to the land,
whakapapa, and ancestor. When Kahu mounts the old bull whale, she is finally
stepping into her position within both the Whangara community and the whale
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!38
“You’ve shown me that you’ve got courage, that you’re strong…and that you can learn. But
there can only be one, so there is one final test… a test of your spirit. He rei ng! niho, he par!oa
ng! kauae. If you have the tooth of a whale, you must have the jaw to wield it. [Koro throws the
whale tooth overboard] One of you will bring that back to me.” (Caro, Whale Rider, 56:30). None
of the boys in Koro’s training class can manage to bring back the rei puta, but Kahu easily dives
down a few days later and retrieves it. 39
“The landscape reminded Paikea of his birthplace back in Hawaiki so he named his new home
Whangara Mai Tawhiti, which we call Whangara for short.” (Ihimaera, Whale Rider, 34)
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pod, mimicking the behavior of her ancestor, but also creating her own story to be
told for generations:
She was the whale rider. Astride the whale she felt the sting of the surf
and rain upon her face. On either side the younger whales were escorting
their leader through the surf. They broke through into deeper
water…She was Kahutia-Te-Rangi. She felt a shiver running down the
whale, and instinctively, she placed her head against its skin and closed
her eyes…She was Paikea. In the deepening ocean the fury of the storm
was abating. The whale’s motions were stronger…[s]he was Kahutia-
Te-Rangi. She was Paikea. She was the whale rider. Hui e, haumi e,
taiki e.40
Kahu is never referred to as ‘Kahu’ in this passage, but instead she is twice
“Kahutia-te-Rangi”, and once “Paikea”, the names usually reserved for her
ancestor. This is intentional on the part of Ihimaera for it signifies that Kahu is
taking the place of her ancestor. She is embedding herself again into the
whakapapa, in the same role as her predecessor. It is only with this final act that
Koro realizes that Kahu is the individual he has been seeking all along and that he
had simply been blinded by his interpretation of tradition. Even when Nani
Flowers gives Koro the rei puta (carved whale tooth) he does not comprehend
who retrieved it. “‘Which of the boys?’ he gasped in grief. ‘Which of the––’ Nani
Flowers was pointing out to sea…the old man understood. He raised his arms as
if to claw down the sky upon him.”41
The ancient bull whale is similarly blinded
by tradition when he believes Kahu to be the very same whale rider that was his
companion all those years ago. He is confused when Kahu correctly identifies
herself, but asserts herself as the whale rider, showing agency and taking matters
into her own hands. “Help me,’ she cried. ‘Ko Kahutia-Te-Rangi au. Ko
Paikea.’ The whale shuddered at the words. Ko Paikea? …[A]nd the whale felt a
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!40
Ihimaera, Whale Rider, 129-30. 41
Ihimaera, Whale Rider, 131.
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surge of gladness which, as it mounted, became ripples of ecstasy, ever
increasing.”42
The whale, slightly addled in his old age and excitement over
finding a Paikea in Whangara, does not bother to truly check his rider. The old
mother whale must delicately bring his attention to the differences in riders, and
nudge him on his way to realization. He must return the “descendant of his
beloved golden master,” and “carry the tekoteko back to the world of Man.”43
Kahu has been identified as a mauri (life principle), and if not returned to the
surface and taken back to the land will not fulfill her tasks. Kahu then comes full
circle. Her pito, which was buried in the land, connects her to Whangara. As the
descendent of Paikea, the whale riding ancestor, she has an affinity for the ocean
that few others have. Unable to leave Whangara for another place on land, she
sacrifices herself for those she loves – her family. Kahu fully asserts herself as
Kahutia-te-Rangi, a new generation’s whale rider, and rides out to the ocean. The
whale, wreathed in the supernatural (he has been around for eons) recognizes the
importance of Kahu as Paikea’s descendent and actually confuses the two. As
Kahu is not her ancestor, she must fulfill a slightly different role, for the needs of
the community have changed since the times of Paikea, and she must stay on the
land to effect change. The whales then bring her back to her place of origin on
the land, by the sea, as the leader of a revitalized community. !
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!42
Ihimaera, Whale Rider, 124. 43
Ihimaera, Whale Rider, 139.
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Chapter 3: Contemporary Manifestations of Whale Stories
While the stories that form the background of much of the previous two
chapters have been ancient in origin and grounded deeply within collective
cultural history, the following pages will address how these legends (and others)
interact with day-to-day life in a more contemporary setting. Various landmarks
serve as the repository for M!ori legends and stories, holding them for future
generations that come along and wed these places more deeply to the story with
each telling. While the landmarks of New Zealand have remained relatively the
same since the days of Tinirau and Paikea, the country is now the home of Ramari
Stewart, Bill Solomon, and Te Warena Taua, all of whom have taken these
ancient stories, engaged with them in their own way, and contextualized them for
contemporary purposes. The stories they tell are sequences of interrelated but
distinct moments in a long line of whale stories in the M!ori culture. Old stories
are folded into new ones as the ensuing tellings and accounts explore the
meanings that these individuals and groups derive from these tales, thereby
reinventing and interpreting them for their lives today, and creating their own
narratives. The act of retelling clues in the audience to the importance of the
connection to the past and the role these ancient narratives play in contemporary
M!ori culture.
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Ramari Stewart: M!ori Whale Flenser !
Ramari Stewart, a M!ori woman in her sixties, stands at the intersection of
science and tradition (Figure 13).1 Raised in the M!ori tradition of harvesting
whales, she often collaborates with scientists and museum workers to collect
relevant samples for research. These
two groups are frequently at odds with
each other, and Stewart straddles this
divide. She is a well-known supporter
of traditional M!ori rights surrounding
whale harvesting and has shared her
experiences of riding whales in Te
Papa’s Tohor! exhibit.2 The act of
whale riding, as described by Bradford
Haami, has a mythical air about it.3
People must not go looking for a
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1 Te Papa Tongarewa, Ramari Stewart, Ng!ti Awa, Rongomaiwahine, tells the story of Te Tahi o te Rangi, From the Museum of New Zealand Collections, JPG, http://collections.tepapa.govt.nz/imagepopup.aspx?width=640&height=640&mode=zoom&irn=65728&title=Ramari+Stewart%2C+Ng%26%23257%3Bti+Awa%2C+Rongomaiwahine%2C+tells+the+story+of+Te+Tahi-o-te-Rangi&ack=&oirn=790418. 2 Ihimaera’s text may seem to ground the idea of whale riding in a mythical version of reality, but M!ori say that whale riding continues to this day. While Paikea is considered the most famous whale rider in M!ori society, he was by no means the only one. The practice of humans riding whales stretches back before Paikea and well after, continuing into the present day. In the tale of Tinirau, Kae rides Tutunui back to his village. In Whakatane, residents still speak of Te-Tahi-o-te-Rangi, a well known tohunga (priest) who was abandoned on an island, only to ride a whale back to Whakatane. 3 Haami is a M!ori author from Whakatane currently writing a book about whale traditions within M!ori culture historically. Part of his research for the book went into Te Papa’s exhibit Tohor!, in 2007. He grew up in Whakatane with stories about whale riding ancestors, including one who was quite close to him. Ramari Stewart, Haami’s aunt, also grew up hearing stories about the ancestors’ interactions with whales, and thus says she did not find it odd when she found herself riding one at age eight, because so many others had done it before her.
Figure 13 Ramari Stewart
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whale to ride but instead must wait until a whale presents itself to the rider. Only
exceptional people are chosen to ride these exceptional creatures.4 The whales are
deemed exceptional because of their long history and interaction with M!ori and
their role in the establishment of M!ori communities in New Zealand.5 Stewart
has also been featured on a M!ori Television series called I Know a Sheila Like
That, an in-depth look into the “lives of women who are challenging accepted
female roles in today’s society – a celebration of what it is to be a M!ori woman
in Aotearoa.”6
In this program Stewart tells several stories of whale strandings and places
herself within a broader national narrative concerning these stranding events.
Stewart has lived through a time when New Zealand’s ideas and policies
concerning whale strandings underwent significant change. She has seen the
nation evolve from a country dependent on the whaling industry to one that
staunchly supports anti-whaling policies on the international stage. Stewart tells
the story of going to a mass pilot whale stranding on a beach in 1977, before the
Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) was passed into law. The
government’s intrusion on M!ori practices became a turning point in Stewart’s
experiences as a traditional harvester. As the local harvesting tradition expert, she
was expecting to harvest the whales, but as Stewart tells it, the government’s
bulldozers had already arrived, and its operators were telling Stewart and
assembled others that their intended actions were against the law. The cold
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!4 Haami, Discussion. 5 As previously discussed, whales led many of the ancestral waka from Hawaiki to New Zealand 6 M!ori Television, "I Know a Sheila Like That," I Know a Sheila Like That, Ed. Neill, Tu Rapana: M!ori Television, 2011.
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machinery that stood ready to dig holes to bury the whales in the ground
symbolized for Stewart the end of customary practices and tikanga7 surrounding
stranded whales.
A new chapter seems to begin in Stewart’s work after 1978. New ways of
implementing traditional practices began at this time under the structuring of new
governmental restrictions. Another of the stories Stewart tells during the M!ori
Television program took place several years ago. Stewart was working with a
team to flense (stripping the blubber and skin) and cut up a whale that had
stranded on the Kapiti coast (Figure 18).8 It was one of the first times such an
activity was allowed since the passage of the MMPA in 1978 made many
traditional practices illegal, criminalizing M!ori use of strandings, and outlawing
the “take” of marine mammals (catching, killing, injuring, attracting, poisoning,
tranquilizing, herding, harassing, or disturbing whales). It also prohibited the
branding, tagging, or marking of the carcass as well as the flensing, rendering
down, or separating any part from the carcass. For Stewart, the MMPA was
another attempt to extinguish customary and Treaty rights to stranded whales.9
Access to meat, oil, bone, and teeth were lost, as well as customary practices as a
primary vehicle for transmission of traditional knowledge from generation to
generation.
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!7 Custom, procedure, habit, manner, rule, way, or convention 8 Kapiti Coast Airport Ltd, Kapiti Coast, JPG, http://www.kapiticoastairport.co.nz/Contact-Us-Airport-Location.html. 9 The Treaty of Waitangi is the founding document of New Zealand, and forms the basis for M!ori-Crown relations. Article Two states that the Queen of England “confirms and guarantees” to the chiefs and tribes of New Zealand and their respective families and individuals “full exclusive and undisturbed possession of their Lands and Estates Forests Fisheries and other properties which they may collectively or individually possess so long as it is their wish an desire to retain the same in their possession.” As taonga whales were considered a part of these properties.
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In Stewart’s memory, the crowds that had gathered that day were held at
bay by a human ring around the whale and the workers. One M!ori woman broke
through the ranks and went up to Stewart and asked, “What right do you have to
cut into this beautiful animal?” The story that Stewart tells centers on this
question. Stewart said nothing as she looked at the interlocutor and noticed the
whalebone taonga around her neck. Stewart says it was at that moment she knew
it was going to be a long road towards recovering traditional harvesting practices
regarding whales because M!ori are torn between two seemingly legitimate
reactions: saving and utilizing dying, beached whales.10 The first impulse is
influenced by the recent environmentally grounded push for species preservation.
With the advent of groups such as Greenpeace, Project Jonah, and the Whale and
Dolphin Conservation Society, popular opinion concerning whales has tended
towards conservation and saving the beached whales’ lives by getting them back
out to sea. This position is often seen as the “right” and humane one to take
concerning stranding events. There are others, however, who believe in following
the principles laid forth by their ancestors, that strandings occur for a reason, and
that M!ori groups should be allowed to harvest their share of the whale.11
It is significant to note that Stewart’s reaction to this moment is grounded
in her understanding of the story of Te Tahi-o-te-Rangi, a tohunga in Whakatane.
Signaling the significance of the story, Stewart tells the tale of Te Tahi-o-te-Rangi
in full about a man and a tohunga who understood the sea and could read it.
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!10 M!ori Television, I Know a Sheila Like That. 11 This view, however, does not necessarily apply to whaling activities that countries such as Norway and Iceland participate in. Although people from these two countries often partake in mass slaughter events, the conflict in New Zealand concerns itself only with stranded whales as opposed to open ocean whaling.
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There had been a series of bad seasons and in those days people found it hard to
survive the winter. Te Tahi-o-te-Rangi did not seem to be fixing the community’s
hardships, so they decided to get rid of him. It was forbidden to spill the blood of
a tohunga, as blood was tapu.12 The community didn’t want to kill Te Tahi-o-te-
Rangi, as most feared the supernatural repercussions of such an act. Instead they
went on a fishing expedition out to Whakaari way off shore of Whakatane (Figure
19, Figure 20)13 and marooned him there. Te Tahi-o-te-Rangi, however, called on
whales to rescue him and rode one of them home. As the rest of the community
was approaching Kohi Point on the way back to Whakatane, they could see Te
Tahi-o-te-Rangi standing on a rock, waiting for them to return. He wanted to
make sure they saw him as they were approaching the entrance to the Whakatane
River. The whale is said to have suggested vengeance, but Te Tahi-o-te-Rangi’s
response to that was to “let shame be the punishment”.14 As Stewart explains,
The story always gives me strength and confidence when I’m in those situations because I’ve accepted that this will be a long painful journey to restoring those rights and it won’t be an easy one. I hope that the small contribution that I have made to help those hapu reestablish those practices, I hope that that will make a difference.15
Stewart’s statement illuminates just how much she looks to the past both to
inspire and temper her current actions. Stewart carries the tale of her ancestor like
a talisman to pull out during times of struggle. This statement also shows that she
has no illusions about the opposition she faces. The story gives her strength and !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!12 Sacred, prohibited, restricted, forbidden, or under atua protection. Tapu can also be a supernatural condition in which the person is removed from the sphere of the profane and put into the sphere of the sacred. Members of a community would not violate the tapu for fear of sickness or catastrophe as a result of the anger of the atua. 13 In order: Wikimedia Commons, Whakaari Island, from Wikipedia, JPG, http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/41/NZ-Whakaari_White.png; Virtual New Zealand, Whakatane, JPG, http://www.virtualoceania.net/newzealand/photos/cities/whakatane/. 14 M!ori Television, I Know a Sheila Like That. 15 Ibid.
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conviction, as she recognizes that she is joining all those who have come before
her who have withstood opposition with a quiet, but steadfast confidence. She
sees herself as standing back and not acting out towards those who do not agree
with her. It is her hope that this self assurance will gradually win people over to
her view and that some day her actions will be memorialized just like those of Te
Tahi-o-te-Rangi.
In this new worldview of whales, conservation biology and saving whales
appear to conflict with traditional harvesting practices. As Stewart relates, M!ori
in today’s society are torn between saving whales and utilizing them when they
die on the beach. The traditional approach is seen as something distasteful, and
most contemporary M!ori would rather the whales arrive on the beach and give
them a tangi and then bury them.16 The old tikanga (way of life) was not to turn
down the tremendous koha (gift) that had arrived upon the shore. In the old days
there was a great excitement with each stranding, for it was important to the
survival of the people, as an entire whale could feed many. The new tikanga is to
push the whales back out to sea if they are found to be alive. Today, saving
means complete preservation and does not include humans in the equation.17 In
Stewart’s mind there is a big question within the M!ori community – do we save
the whales or harvest them in accordance with traditional principles?
Today, iwi have a treaty relationship with the Crown, and so most of them
have some set of protocols with the Department of Conservation (DOC), which
allow access to beached whales to utilize the teeth and bone. Enforcement is
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!16 Ibid. 17 M!ori Television, I Know a Sheila Like That.
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haphazard, however, and moot at a certain point, because the people have lost the
expertise to deal with the creatures, and there are not enough experienced
individuals to recover them. As a result, many M!ori turn to DOC to harvest
parts of the whale. Stewart describes it as the Crown recovering the resource and
handing it to you on a plate at a hui (social gathering or assembly) twelve months
later, anesthetized of a majority of its spiritual significance.18 It is not the
physical entity of the whale that is important in traditional M!ori culture, but
rather the recovery process that takes into account the taonga (possessions or
cultural treasures) found in the body and the mauri (life essence or principle) of
the whale – considerations with which the DOC is less concerned.
As shown in I Know a Sheila Like That, Stewart has decided to take
matters into her own hands and regularly recruit locals to help her flense and
clean whale bones, thus writing herself into her own contemporary narrative. The
process allows members of the M!ori community to learn or reacquaint
themselves with their history and traditional practices. Her inclusion in both
Tohor! and the M!ori Television special have helped disseminate her ideas,
effectively creating her own character and story. People who once only read
about such practices are now cleaning whale teeth with modern amenities such as
commercial toothpaste. Grandparents who grew up with firsthand accounts of
such boning practices from their ancestors are now bringing their mokopuna
(grandchildren) to these gatherings. Stewart tries to be with a stranded whale
from the beginning, when it has just beached. She processes the flesh, and then
the bones, finishing up with a multistep cleaning process. The entire journey or !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!18 Ibid.
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process is spiritual and humbly empowering according to Stewart.19 What
Stewart wishes to impart to her helpers is all part of a larger tikanga, which
focuses on the safe practices of whale recovery through an oral and visual
education that cannot be obtained by reading a book. Stewart has researched,
butchered, ridden, swum with, sung with, and eaten whales over the course of her
life. Her experiences show that the relationship between whales and humans is
not one-dimensional. Instead it encompasses a desire to learn more about these
creatures, apply the knowledge already in existence, and keep in perpetuity
various traditional practices surrounding the approach and harvesting of these
animals.
Strandings: When Whales Land on Land
The high incidence of strandings in New Zealand results in many stories
about both the act of stranding and the actions necessitated by the locals when
such an event occurs. While often the subject of printed articles, such events are
not restricted to the news media. A mass-stranding is featured in Whale Rider,
and as Ihimaera writes, “[t]he horizon all of a sudden got lumpy…and lumps were
moving in a solid mass to the beach…all around me the whales were stranding
themselves. They were whistling, an eerie, haunting sound. Every now and then
they would spout. I felt like crying.”20 The ancient bull whale in Ihimaera’s text
is emotionally ill, and while searching for his old master, he strands on the beach
of Whangara, the last place he had contact with Paikea. In the film, the
grandfather Koro similarly takes to bed when he feels as though he has failed as a
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!19 M!ori Television, I Know a Sheila Like That. 20 Ihimaera, Whale Rider, 98.
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leader and teacher after no male can demonstrate his worthiness to become Koro’s
successor. Nani Flowers and others attempt to rouse him from his depression, just
as the female whales sing for the ancient bull whale to come back to the ocean.
The commitment to family seen in these actions within the whale community
mirrors the value of kinship and whakapapa evident in the M!ori community.
Whale Rider also addresses the sometimes contradictory views of M!ori people
towards stranded whales. Ihimaera describes these conflicting beliefs:
Some would have argued that in M!ori terms a stranded whale was traditionally a gift from the Gods and that the actions could therefore be condoned. But others felt more primal feelings of aroha for the beasts which had once been our companions from the Kingdom of the Lord Tangaroa. Nor was this just a question of one whale among many; this was a matter of two hundred members of a vanishing species.21
The idea of lifting a whale and pushing it back to the ocean was (and for many
still is) seen as an act of ungratefulness. The recent surge of supporters in the
save-the-whales campaign has helped refute the idea of a stranding as the
voluntary sacrifice of a god for the survival of the human community.
Throughout New Zealand’s long history, strandings have been and still are
harbingers of awe, sorrow for the death of a distant relative, and ultimately elation
over the bounty provided. Each stranding event presents a complex set of cultural
and legal protocols to follow, with many groups wishing to weigh in on the
process. “New Zealand has more strandings than anywhere else in the world”
says Anton Van Helden, a marine mammalogist at Te Papa, and head curator of
Tohor!. 22 One of the scientific theories for the vast number of strandings
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!21 Ihimaera, Whale Rider, 99-100. 22 Anton Van Helden, Discussion with the author, (July 27 2011). Van Helden is one of the scientists who show up to strandings with a large knife. He elicits a similarly incredulous reaction as Stewart at these events. Strandings provide insights onto whales that cannot be obtained
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suggests that the gently sloping shoreline of the coast interferes with the whales’
sonar. Believing the water to be deeper than it actually is, the whales continue
swimming until they have beached. Another potential cause of strandings
suggests that when a leader of a pod is diseased it becomes disoriented and leads
the entire pod up onto shore, as depicted in Whale Rider. The herd will not leave
the leader and thus stays on shore, sometimes attempting to assist the addled
leader. The same can happen with very young whales that have stranded by
accident. Despite the fact that strandings are a common event on New Zealand
shores, there is still no generally agreed upon reason for their occurrence.23
Tohor!, the Te Papa museum exhibit, weaves its own narrative about
strandings on New Zealand coastlines and gives historical context for the events.
Woven into the exhibit is information on stranded whales and how the nation
evolved from a country that hunted whales aggressively to one that has been quite
vocal in opposition to whaling in the IWC (International Whaling Commission).
Te Papa’s telling of strandings is contextualized in a history of whaling and how it
has changed over the course of the land’s history.
The first part of the narrative in the exhibit concentrates on the period
before Europeans came to antipodean shores, when M!ori welcomed the meat,
bone, and ivory that could be gathered from stranded whales. Such events
provided enormous amounts of protein, “something not readily available in a
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!otherwise. We know so little about whales, so each stranding and dissection provides vital information. Van Helden will often take fresh samples back to the museum for further examination. 23 Gerard Hutching, The Penguin Natural World of New Zealand (Auckland: Penguin, 2004).
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place with no large, naturally occurring land mammals.”24 As time progressed,
M!ori began to understand when and where these gifts from the sea might appear,
developing rich traditions around stranding sites. When whales stranded they
came under the authority of the local chief. One account tells of an area where
whales were so revered that people had to find the spirit inside the head whale and
inquire as to why it had come, “to feed us, destroy us or sacrifice us?”25 This type
of harvesting, relying simply on stranded bodies, had minimal impact on whale
populations. Stranded whale harvesting continued through the centuries up until
the present day and usually involved the taking of bone and ivory from the whales
for customary uses such as carving.
The second part of Tohor!’s narrative complicates the whale-M!ori
interaction with the introduction of European contact. When Europeans whaling
ships started coming through New Zealand waters in the late 1700s, they hired
M!ori deckhands. With the staggering number of whales found off its coast the
country became a whaling center. By 1964, however, the small shore-based
whaling industry had collapsed as a direct result of overfishing by foreign fleets in
the previous decades. Almost all populations of whale species that had roamed
New Zealand waters – humpback, southern right, Minke, pilot, sperm, Bryde’s,
blue, fin, sei, and beaked among others – had dropped precipitously (over 80%) in
the preceding decades. The growth of the “green” movement in the 1970s
coincided with the recognition of whales as intelligent and sophisticated creatures.
People were shocked by the newly released footage of whale slaughtering. In
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!24 Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, "Whales Tohor!," (2007). 25 Haami, Discussion.
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1991, opposition to whaling became official with the promotion of a global ban
on commercial whaling that directed New Zealand governmental policy on
whales.26 M!ori have since asserted their rights under Article Two of the Treaty
of Waitangi to harvest resources such as bone from stranded whales that die.
Various iwi are also actively involved in the effort to recover their cultural
traditions related to beached whales. While these rights are afforded to M!ori, as
explored in Stewart’s tale, they must grapple with and balance the conservation
movement with tradition. The two are not mutually exclusive, but instead require
thoughtful consideration to properly
reconcile both in the context of
current day strandings.
Hape-ki-t"-!-rangi Te Warena Taua (Figure 16)27
can whakapapa back thirty-two
generations to Hape-ki-t"-!-Rangi,
the man who first set foot on the land
that Te Warena Taua still lives on
today in the Waitakare Ranges outside of
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!26 Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, "Whales Tohor!," (2007). 27 Te Papa Tongarewa, Te Warena Taua, Te Kawerau ! Maki, tells the story of Hape-ki-t"-!-rangi, From the Museum of New Zealand Collections, JPG, http://collections.tepapa.govt.nz/imagepopup.aspx?width=640&height=640&mode=zoom&irn=65735&title=Te+Warena+Taua%2C+Te+Kawerau+%26%23257%3B+Maki%2C+tells+the+story+of+Hape-ki-t%26%23363%3B-%26%23257%3B-rangi&ack=&oirn=790493.
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Auckland (Figure 17).28 His connection to his ancestors and the land speak to two
of the themes explored throughout this thesis – family and landscape. He was one
of three M!ori who contributed stories to the Tohor! exhibit put on by Te Papa,
and in a short video featured in the exhibit he tells the story of his ancestor in the
place it is based. Te Warena Taua’s tale begins with a priest named Hape Ki-T"-
!-Rangi (Hape) who lived in Rangiatea, in Hawaiki. Hape favored Hotorua’s
daughter but Hoturua wanted his daughter for someone else. Hotorua decided he
would leave the island and Hape behind, because he did not want his daughter to
marry this club-footed individual. Despondent, Hape wanted to find his true love
and called upon Tangaroa, the god of the ocean, for help. In the morning a whale
arrived. He hopped on the back of this whale and made his journey along the
same route his love’s canoe had taken. As Hape was a great tohunga, he used his
magical powers to ensure that he and the whale arrived in Aotearoa in advance of
the waka containing Hotorua and his daughter. According to custom, the land
became Hape’s because he was the first to walk on it. He turned to the tohor!,
now on the beach, and said, “e hoki e hoki te kainga,” (go, go back to our
homeland; your job is now finished). The whale refused to go. As Te Warena
Taua described it, they had developed a relationship over the waters and the
waves. The whale then died on the beaches in front of Te Toka o te Hape, and
today can be seen in the landscape in the form of a large rock.29
This tale highlights aspects of the previous two stories of Paikea and
Tinirau, pointing to certain universal elements of the human-whale relationship
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!28 Backpack New Zealand, Map Showing Location of Waitakere Ranges in North Auckland, JPG, http://www.backpack-newzealand.com/maps/area/36135-ak/waitakere-ranges.html. 29 Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa. "Whales Tohor!." (2007).
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within Aotearoa New Zealand. When Hape calls upon Tangaroa, he combines the
natural and the supernatural – the same melding that can be identified in Whale
Rider. Tangaroa, the supernatural god of the sea, sends a whale, a creature
naturally occurring in the world. The two create oneness with each other,
enriching the story and straddling two worlds. There is an explicit two-way
communication between human and whale, and they form a connection over their
time traveling across the sea. Some tales talk of a natural saddle that whales have
behind their eyes for human riders, which speaks to the close puzzle-like
relationship between humans and whales, perhaps even hinting at something
predestined.30 Hape literally straddles the whale that Tangaroa sends him,
creating a connection and blurring the line between whale and human.
Hape riding the whale to follow his beloved powerfully symbolizes the
bond between the whale and the human. When they arrive, according to the
legend, the whale sacrifices itself rather than leave the shores of Aotearoa and
Hape, thus reinforcing the notion of the great connection between the M!ori and
whales. As mentioned earlier in reference to multiple whale strandings, the
stranding of a whale for a human speaks to the person’s mana. The fact that the
whale decided to strand, references the all too common occurrence of whales
stranding on beaches, grounding it both in timeless and contemporary settings.
This is important to note, because it establishes a pattern of actions on the part of
the whales that can be seen today in the record number of whales that beach each
year in New Zealand. Previously discussed in reference to the death of a
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!30 “She felt a tremor in the whale and a rippling under the skin. Suddenly she saw that indentations like footholds and handholds were appearing before her.” (Ihimaera, 126)
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rangatira (chief), here it can be seen as the desire to stay with an individual. As
revealed before, the act of sacrificing life was seen as characteristic of a powerful
figure, and whales were seen as the highest form of sacrifice.31 The whale wishes
to honor the relationship with Hape and so will give up his life. This sacrifice is
commemorated in the landscape that the M!ori so treasure.
Commemorating the whale in the landscape through a solid physical entity
such as a rock, literally grounds the story in that specific place and community.
While it does not guarantee that it will not be forgotten over time, the rock offers
a tangible reminder for the people who know the tale. The rock, while inert,
serves as living history in the land of the people who live in the area. It is not
ephemeral, but instead will stay put for the years to come. The history of this
particular hapu (clan) is stuck in the land, important to note in a culture in which
most of the stories are conveyed orally. The rock serves as a physical token of the
tale. The existence of the symbolic whale in the land reminds the community of
the reasons for the whale stranding, and in particular helps connect them to their
ancestor, and preserve the unbroken line reaching down to the present from him.
This line of descent supports the view put forth by Hirini Moko Mead that no one
exist alone in this world, as each person is a current manifestation and
representative for ancestors and family. The rock serves as the anchor of the line
of whakapapa, grounding the present in the past, and reminding the current
generation of its history and relation to whales. The whale has literally become a
part of the landscape, patiently waiting to educate the next generation in stories of
place and ancestral connection, continually a reminder of those who came before. !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!31 Haami, Discussion.
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The rock has been in the same place for over thirty-two generations and has been
a presence in the lives of each one.
Whale Watch Kaikoura: Profitable Applications of Whale Stories
One of the principal sponsors of the Tohor! exhibit was Whale Watch
Kaikoura, an ecotourism venture based in Kaikoura on the western shore of the
South Island (Figure 15).32 Although whales put Kaikoura on the map,
Kaikoura’s lifeblood was the railroad, and the local M!ori were hit hard in a mid-
1980s recession. Bill Solomon, a leader of the local Kati Kuri hapu (part of the
Ngai Tahu iwi) believed that local sperm whales could provide the answer to the
unemployment problems of the M!ori community. Solomon looked to the past
and to the natural world to find a blueprint for the future. At a time when morale
was waning, Solomon searched inside his community and culture to find a
solution inspired by stories associated with the land; he founded Whale Watch
Kaikoura.
The submarine landscape of Kaikoura is particularly attractive to sperm
whales. The Hikurangi Trench is formed by a continental shelf that drops quickly
into a number of extremely deep underwater canyons harboring giant squid, the
favored prey of sperm whales. Nowhere else in the world are sperm whales so
accessible.33 There is also a warm current from the north that meets a colder one
from the south, causing nutrients from deep within the ocean to be carried
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!32 Kaikoura Whale Watching, Where is Kaikoura? From kaikourawhalewatching.com, JPG, http://www.kaikourawhalewatching.com/where-is-kaikoura.php. 33 Geoffrey J. Cox, Whale Watch: A Guide to New Zealand's Whales and Dolphins (Auckland: Collins, 1990).
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upward.34 These nutrients attract various organisms ranging from plankton and
krill, which attract baleen whales and fish, the latter of which attract squid and
dolphins, and the squid in turn attract toothed whales, creating a diverse marine
environment. The diversity of organisms, and specifically the presence of whales,
inspired a robust shore whaling industry in the mid-nineteenth century, that lasted
until the aforementioned collapse in 1964. Although the whaling industry
significantly depleted the whale population that visited the coast, it has slowly
been growing during the past several decades. The conditions are such that sperm
whales often stick around for long periods of time along the Kaikoura coast,
knowing that the ocean there will
provide a steady diet.
Starting out as a small
tourism venture in 1987, the
founding of Whale Watch
Kaikoura coincided with the
building of a new marae in the
community. Working on the
carvings in the marae helped
people reconnect with history of the place and its ancestors.35 One of the
ancestors of the Kati Kuri is Paikea, the famous whale rider. Many years after
Paikea landed in Whangara, one of his sons, Tahupotiki, travelled further south
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!34 Gerard Hutching, "Whales - Whales in New Zealand," Te Ara - The Encyclopedia of New Zealand, (2009). 35 Whale Watch Kaikoura, "Who We Are", Kaikoura, 2012, Webpage, http://www.whalewatch.co.nz/who-we-are.
Figure 14 Whale Watch Kaikoura logo Cop
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and became the founder of the Ngai Tahu iwi. The Ngai Tahu and Kati Kuri
claim descent from Tahupotiki and Paikea. Paikea soon became the symbolic
center of Whale Watch as the logo (Figure 14),36 representing the spiritual bond
between the human and natural world, and speaking to the “possibilities that
reveal themselves when the world of nature is revered rather than exploited.” As
noted in Whale Watch Kaikoura’s self description, it seemed appropriate for
Paikea’s descendants to again ride on the back of the whale to a new life.37
The Kati Kuri found inspiration in Paikea not only because he is their
ancestor but also because the narrative of the community and the ancestor mirror
each other. When Paikea was in trouble, lost in the middle of the ocean, he
invoked the help of spiritual guardians in the form of whales to save him. Also in
a difficult situation, and similarly without direction, the Kati Kuri found solace
and inspiration in the tale of their ancestor. Not only did the whales bring in
tourism business, but also created lines of communication between generations
and folded a new generation into tradition. In 1992, a documentary film was made
about the beginning of the Kaikoura whale-watching venture that framed the
venture as the triumph of a small but determined group of people with deeply
rooted ancestral and spiritual connections to the whales in this place. It set up the
narrative in the context of a people disconnected from their roots, and how the
marae brought them closer not only to their ancestors but also to each other.
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!36 Whale Watch Kaikoura, Logo, From Hotfrog.co.nz, JPG, http://www.hotfrog.co.nz/companies/Whalewatch-Kaikoura-Tourism-Attraction/images/Whalewatch-Kaikoura-Tourism-Attraction_4736_image.jpg. 37 Whale Watch Kaikoura, “Who We Are”.
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The story of Barbara Todd, an American woman who started a nature
observation business in the area, highlights the connection M!ori claim to the land
that holds their stories, a connection that is deeply entangled in M!ori land rights,
Treaty violations, and M!ori identity. While the story is shrouded in
contradictory details emanating from different sources, the fact that Todd no
longer runs a business in Kaikoura speaks to the authority M!ori in Kaikoura have
asserted over the land and whales that visit its coast. In 1986 Todd set up a
company called Nature Watch Charters, that introduced visitors to the whole
spectrum of nature in Kaikoura, from whales, dolphins, and seals in the water, to
the birds and flora of the land.38 Part of her tours included going out on the water
to see the sperm whales that would languidly rest on the surface close to shore
before diving down into the natural abyss to hunt. In a book on Kaikoura, Todd
emphasized that Nature Watch Charters was not started as a moneymaking
scheme but instead aimed to educate and increase awareness of the total marine
environment.39 Whale Watch Kaikoura, however, maintains that Todd started her
company in the same year as they did, and casts Todd in a slightly different light.
They emphasize her lack of connection and dedication to the area of Kaikoura,
pointing to her frequent trips around the world to study whales in Alaska and
California among other places.40 The two accounts point to the different ways
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!38 A Whale's Tale, VHS, directed by Haunui Royal (Kaikoura:ArohaFilms/Potiki Films, 1992). 39 Harold J. Anderson, Unique Kaikoura – Whales, Rails and Tales, (Invercargill: Craig Printing Co. Ltd 1997). 40 WhaleWatch Tour, Kaikoura New Zealand, July 19 2011.
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history can be portrayed, and which details can be included or omitted in the
service of a particular point of view.41
The Marine Mammals Protection Act stipulates that no more than three
whale watching vehicles – be they helicopters or boats – may approach a single
whale simultaneously.42 A balancing act between Nature Watch and Whale
Watch Kaikoura was required to make sure the whale would not be surrounded.
While the story of Nature Watch’s existence is inconsistent across reports,
Barbara Todd sold Nature Watch to the Kati Kuri under diverse pressures, saying
she was putting the whales first.43 Doing so kept the control of the industry in the
local community while maintaining the philosophy and ideas upon which the
company was based. One of the pressures she felt was that she was neither native
New Zealander nor M!ori, and thus did not share the same ancestral connection to
the whales and the land of Kaikoura with the Kati Kuri. The Kati Kuri also
initially hired only from within the hapu, specifically people who were otherwise
out of work, thereby creating a compelling story of the rights of the indigenous
population that was easy to rally behind and support.
Whale Watch now has a monopoly on whale watching in the Kaikoura
area, and tells the story of Paikea on each one of its tours. Instead of striving to
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!41 Having personally talked to both Todd and the staff of Whale Watch I can attest to the somewhat guarded tone of Todd’s speech and the dismissive tone of the staff when each referenced the other. My discussion with Todd occurred at a time when she was in Te Papa’s library conducting interviews for a companion book for the Tohor! exhibit. Most of these interviews were done with M!ori elders who were seen as cultural authorities on the subject. She was adamant that she was focused mainly on the biological aspects of the exhibit, as that was where her expertise lay, but that it was very important to consult the various M!ori involved and get their opinion on everything so as to incorporate it into the book. It was only upon reflection at a later date that I thought her previous experiences might have influenced her actions. 42 Whale Watch Tour. 43 A Whale's Tale, VHS.
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be railway conductors, M!ori children now want to be Whale Watch captains.44
The industry has created new heroes and educated a new generation through both
ancient and contemporary stories. The company’s existence was inspired and
motivated by the ancient tale of Paikea, and now it is the more contemporary tale
of Bill Solomon that motivates a new generation, continuing the legacy and
influence of past stories on the present. There is a feeling of M!ori asserting the
right to certain human-whale interactions because of the story’s connection to the
past in this place.
We tell ourselves stories to live, and the storytellers and people in this
chapter have been no exception. Stories help situate people not only culturally,
but also geographically. To associate with a particular story grounds one in a
particular landscape. Because each story is so specifically tied to a particular
place, each storyteller is explicitly connecting himself or herself to that place as
well. The stories that these people tell have been used in the service of creating
their own narratives that can then be passed along to future generations. Their
experiences can be understood in the context of the stories they tell and thus
become intertwined. Taking these tales of the past and re-appropriating them for
their own times, these tellers can share their influences through public venues
such as the Tohor! exhibit, establishing a connection between the story, the past,
the teller, and the present in the mind of the viewer or listener.
!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!44 A Whale's Tale, VHS.
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Conclusion: Ripples and Waves on the Land
In this thesis, I have endeavored to explore the connection between
whales, M!ori people, and land within Aotearoa New Zealand. Using the
example of Tinirau and the Whale I have shown that stories can serve to educate
their audiences, illuminating cultural attitudes and practices towards whales.
Familial relationships within and between species are established and help ground
the tale in a cultural sensibility of family, or whakapapa. Moreover, M!ori people
are continually making sense of landscape and making meaning of their sense of
place, and their role in it, as shown through the tale of Paikea and Whale Rider.
The tale of Paikea demonstrates how a balanced relationship encourages oneness
both between species and with the land in a specific geographic location. There
are numerous stories of human-whale interactions that are in the general
consciousness today, and as described in the cases of Ramari Stewart, Te Warena
Taua, and the Kati Kuri of Kaikoura, each one intrinsic to the place the stories
inhabit. The prevalence of places that hold whale stories exemplifies the strong
relationship between M!ori, land, and whales.
The lessons learned and extracted from these tales embedded in the
landscape can be applied to their lives and underlie land claims made in today’s
society and culture by M!ori. People live their lives in accordance with what they
glean and draw from these whale stories embedded in the landscape. The
examination of the stories told in the previous pages allows people to appreciate
current day considerations surrounding not only whales, but land as well. With
this perspective may come a better understanding of the strong impetus and
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rationale for land rights in Aotearoa New Zealand. The M!ori land rights
movement carries with it all the cultural values and worldviews learned from the
stories examined above and shows them at work in the present day.
In 2004, the New Zealand Parliament passed the Foreshore and Seabed
Act,1 which stated that the foreshore and seabed belonged to the Crown,
launching a debate across the country that addressed beach access, ownership,
public interest, customary usage, rights and title, the Treaty of Waitangi, and
Crown authority. The foreshore and seabed serve as one of the main meeting
places for humans and whales in a contemporary setting. As whaling has been
banned, stranding serves as the main way the two species interact today. Rights
concerning the use and ownership of the foreshore and seabed have recently been
under consideration on a national political level. The area between high and low
tides is known as the foreshore – takutai moana. It has some features of the land
it borders and some characteristics of the sea beyond, but essentially its
ecosystems, ecology, geology, and its mauri are unique. The foreshore is a
gateway to the bounty of the sea, a playground for countless land dwellers, a
source of food and wealth, and a site where local knowledge, tradition, and
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1 The issue of foreshore and seabed rights within the M!ori community is a complex issue that I cannot hope to fully explore in this thesis. It has been the subject of a number of graduate dissertations in New Zealand, some dealing with the cultural ramifications and others with the legal. It encompasses the long-term issue of “land rights” that manifests itself across the country in a myriad of ways. Most can be traced back to issues with the Treaty of Waitangi and the fundamental disconnect between M!ori and Pakeha interpretations of the founding document of the country. I bring up a simplified account as a current day issue that is still a source of great conflict between the M!ori community and the government. The debate is a part of a continuation of the M!ori protest movement that is mainly focused on regaining land lost in land wars of the mid nineteenth century. Because of backlash against the 2004 Act, Parliament passed the Marine and Coastal Area (Takutai Moana) Act in March 2011, replacing the Foreshore and Seabed Act 2004. It addressed two fundamental rights that were violated by the Foreshore and Seabed Act – the right to access justice through the courts, and property rights. There are still those who oppose the revision.
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custom have evolved over the centuries.2 The seabed is that which lies
completely submerged under water, just beyond the foreshore. The legal
definitions of both entities include the space occupied by the air and water above
the land, and the soil and rock beneath it.
The idea of land ownership versus stewardship was discussed in the
context of the recognition of rights and about the role and relationship that M!ori
have to the land. The foreshore and seabed were traditionally considered part of
the M!ori realm, and as such, under the jurisdiction of iwi and hapu, whereas the
decision-making processes rested with the local hapu and whanau. In their
interpretation of Article Two of the Treaty of Waitangi, M!ori believed they had
full and complete control over the area. For many, this new Act was seen as
another breach in a long line of Treaty injustices towards the M!ori.3 In a M!ori
worldview, M!ori are an integral part of nature with a relationship to every other
living organism. These relationships instill a need for kaitiakitanga (guardianship
or trustee) in which people must safeguard and protect natural resources for the
future. Therefore, M!ori have kaitiakitanga duties in respect to the foreshore and
seabed. Part of the debate centered on the need to protect the foreshore and
seabed for future generations and to sustain the resource to benefit the nation as a
whole. Entrenched in the landscape are stories of origins, epic narratives
fundamental to identity, and an understanding of one’s place in the world. When
connections to these landscapes are destroyed, an important context for
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!2 Mason Durie, Ng! Tai Matat": Tides of M!ori Endurance (Victoria: Oxford University Press, 2005). 3 Abby Suszko, "M!ori Perspectives on the Foreshore and Seabed Debate: A Dunedin Case Study," (BA thesis, University of Otago, 2005).
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understanding the stories, and a consequent sense of identity, is lost. The loss of
land rights triggers the loss of a long-standing bond to a place and ultimately to
the loss of a sense of self.
Land plays a monumental role in M!ori culture, not simply as a place to
live, but as the setting for and a factor in the epic narratives that define a people
most essentially. To tell a story in the place in which the events of the story
happened is a far more powerful experience than to tell a story about a far away
locale. The line of continuity between past and present, important in the context
of whakapapa, is frayed when the land is no longer a viable place of transmission.
The government’s actions endanger the status of tangata whenua (the M!ori
people), and customary rights coming out of tikanga (way of life) like mana
whenua4 are denied.
In an island nation such as New Zealand, the seas conveyed human
travelers and migrants to its shores. The foreshore and coastal waters nourished
settlements though trade and fisheries. The traditional M!ori worldview is based
in early Polynesian experience in which entire islands were sometimes lost
beneath the sea, placing a premium on land. As explored throughout this thesis,
and perhaps most strongly evidenced by Whangara, parts of the coast have
“indelible cultural and historical significance.”5 The passage of the Act
jeopardized M!ori access to these places of importance as well as the very
survival of long standing rituals and practices. Land rights are still a fiercely
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!4 Territorial rights, power from the land – power associated with possession and occupation of tribal land 5 Mark Hickford, “Law of the foreshore and seabed - The English legal tradition” Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, (2009).
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argued topic between M!ori and the government (and therefore the Crown) within
New Zealand and continue to be motivated by the stories found in the land. The
coastal land is even more important because it is a boundary encompassing the
two principal elements of the land and the sea that hold stories about whales.
The country abounds with place names that reference whales, some with
more fully embellished stories than others. M!ori are always “making sense of
their sense of place” and giving these places names from the stories creates part of
that sense.6 For some locales,
the story behind the name has
been lost over time, while for
others the name was created
simply because of the hill or
rock’s physical resemblance to
a whale. Many of the stories speak of tribal
ancestors who followed whales to New Zealand, or who settled in a place where
they have found a stranded whale, which they viewed as a sign of plenty. Such
places include Moutohor! (captured whale), an island off the coast at Whakatane
that is a former whaling station. Foveaux Strait (Figure 23)7 is known as Te Ara a
Kewa (the path of the right whale), and Whangaparaoa (bay of sperm whales) in
Auckland and the East Cape is so named for the pods of whales that frequently
swim in the bay. For places like these, the reference to whales is a direct and
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!6 Van Helden, Discussion. 7 Sport Dive NZ, Map 10, JPG, http://www.sportdive.co.nz/map_10.htm.
Figure 22 Te Ara a Paikea
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descriptive referencing to biological phenomena. Te Ara a Paikea, (the path of
Paikea), is a whale shaped hill on an isthmus on the Mahia Peninsula (Figure 22)8
which references the path Paikea took to travel around the country after he landed
in Whangara and combines the physical resemblance of the hill to the whale while
connecting it to a larger narrative.
The hills near Welcome Bay in Tauranga Harbour (Figure 24)9 are sacred
to several local iwi and hold a story that helps explain the natural phenomenon of
whale stranding. The story involves a mother and calf that swam too far into the
harbor and could not return to the ocean. Hearing their cries of distress, and
impelled to be by their side, the father stranded himself as well. Now the family
remains
together
forever,
memorialized
in the land as
hills. Whales continue to frequently strand in this area, and locals believe that
they are drawn to a spring at the base of the mother whale hill. It is said to run
milky white at times and is thus called Te Waiu o te Tohora – the breast milk of
the whale. Not only does the tale exemplify whales literally becoming a part of
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!8 Leanne Tamaki, Te Ara-a-Paikea, from Te Ara - The Encyclopedia of New Zealand, JPG, http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/te-whanau-puha-whales/3/1. 9 Te Awanuiarangi Black. Hills in Tauranga Harbour. From the Museum of New Zealand Collections. JPG, http://collections.tepapa.govt.nz/exhibitions/whales/segment.aspx?irn=251.
Figure 24 Hills in Tauranga Harbour
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the landscape, thus embedding their story within it, but it again emphasizes the
strong familial connections between whales.
On the Mahia Peninsula (Figure 21)10 in Hawkes Bay there is a rock
formation among the sandy hillocks close to the sea and at the base of an historic
promontory known as Mokotahi. Its general shape is that of a whale and is about
nine feet tall and forty feet long. Running right up next to the rock is a deep
channel approximately ten feet wide. The whale shape faces downstream, and
when the ancestors from Hawaiki settled at Te Mahia, they performed a ritual to
attract whales there, pouring out a bit of sand they had brought from Hawaiki.
The sand became the mauri, or life principle, of the whales and the next day one
was seen lying on the beach. Since then, whales have stranded regularly on the
beaches of Te Mahia. Whales are always trying to reach it, and come up onto the
beach in the process. It is said that the whales would come into the channel until
they were along side their grounded brethren. Large numbers of whales were
captured at this spot in the whaling era.11 In March 2008, a mother and calf
pygmy sperm whale came to Mahia and beached next to the mauri. On January 4,
2011, a pod of twelve to fifteen pilot whales visited the hillock, swimming only
hundred yards off shore for a day.12
The protocol surrounding the actions taken when a whale beaches itself
incorporates the desires not only of the government and scientific community, but
the M!ori community as well, and the museum once again serves as the setting
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!10 Virtual New Zealand. Mahia Peninsula. JPG, http://www.virtualoceania.net/newzealand/photos/coast/mahia/. 11 W.J. Phillipps, Ika Whenua, 40-45; Orbell, The Natural World of the M!ori. 12 Karyn Van Der Zwet, "When the Whales Came,” kloppenmum, (Napier, 2011), https://kloppenmum.wordpress.com/tag/whale-stranding/.
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for this intersection. The DOC is the Crown agency that has the legal mandate to
administer the MMPA and to determine what happens to any carcass that turns up
on the beach. If the whale is still alive, all efforts are made to refloat it, in
accordance with the “save the whales” conservation movement. If it is dead, they
must determine if they will dispose of it to an iwi or to a third party agency like
Te Papa or a university.13 Yet, the DOC recognizes that the local iwi have
manataonga over the animal and as such have the right to determine what
happens to it moving forward. Under the MMPA, however, no one can officially
own a whale. This caveat is a loophole that institutions like Te Papa take
advantage of to “manage whales on behalf of the nation.” Various iwi “gift”
whale skeletons and other taonga to Te Papa to manage through the museum’s
mana taonga policy, which ensures that the rights and stories associated with
those animals are protected and acknowledged in the context of the museum.14
Talking with Anton Van Helden, a whale specialist and marine
mammologist at Te Papa involved in Tohor!, I was struck by the consideration
and appreciation he displayed for the stories involved in the exhibit. For Van
Helden, it was important to let people know that the whale riding discussed was
not just a “one off thing,” but that these events have happened recently and
perpetuate the connection between whales and humans. He mentioned that a
short time ago there was a right whale in Pukeru Bay “where a guy went out in a
kayak and sat on top of it”. In the Chatham Islands a sperm whale just “rested up
in a rock pool for five days and some guy went out and stood on top of that.” Part
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!13 Van Helden, Discussion. 14 Van Helden, Discussion.
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of the joy of the exhibit, and what sets it part from other exhibits Van Helden has
seen, is the fact that Tohor! uses first person storytelling. The richness and
vibrancy of the show would not be the same had someone outside of the
whakapapa told the Paikea tale. The people who owned the stories told the
stories. Van Helden, while not M!ori, echoed throughout my discussion with him
the themes of this thesis: the meaning that M!ori derive from the stories told is
inextricably entwined in their understanding of their place in the world in relation
to the creatures that surround them and the land they stand on. While Van Helden
knows the story of Paikea and has grown up with it like all other New Zealanders,
he knew he could not tell it, for he claims he does not have that kind of deep
physical and spiritual connection to the land or to the story. “To hear the story of
Paikea told by Hone Taumaunu is riveting. Here is a beautiful and eloquent man
telling the story of his ancestors and he is the elder statesman of that iwi. It
doesn’t get better than that…you want it from the horse’s mouth as it were.”15
!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!15 Van Helden, Discussion.
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Wellington Harbour Sculpture. Personal photograph by Caroline Lowe. August 5, 2011
Male sperm whale tail off the coast of Kaikoura, New Zealand. Personal photograph by Caroline
Lowe. July 19, 2011
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Figures and Images
Figure 1 Tinirau, wife, and son
Figure 2 Kae
Figure 3 Tinirau riding Tutunui
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Figure 4 The origin of kapa haka (M!ori traditional performing arts) is often traced back to the troupe
of women sent by Tinirau, the ancestor of fish, to identify and capture Kae, who had killed his pet whale Tutunui. The kapa haka group pictured here performed at Kapahaka Rocks 2004, in
Wellington, and is a combination of three schools from "taki – Te Wharekura o Te Rito, Whakatipuranga Ruamano, and "taki College.
Figure 5 Tinirau is considered in some traditions to be the ancestor of all fish. In this illustration by Manu Smith, from the book Tinirau and his whale by Ron Bacon, Tinirau is riding his pet whale,
Tutunui.
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Figure 6 This southern right whale, with callosities, is surfacing in Te Waewae Bay, Southland. In one
tradition, Tinirau’s pet whale, Tutunui, was killed and eaten by Kae, a priest. Kae was ultimately killed by Tinirau for this deed.
Figure 7 Awhina Tamarapa (affiliated with the Ng!ti Kahungunu and Ng!ti Ruanui tribes) plays the p#torino. Raukatauri, the goddess of flute music, was one of the group convened by Hineteiwaiwa to
capture Kae, the priest who ate Tinirau’s pet whale.
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Figure 8 Kapa Haka performance at Te Papa M!ori Language Week Celebration using poi
Figure 9 The legendary voyager Paikea reached Wh!ng!r! after journeying from Hawaiki on the back
of a whale. The whale became the rock, Wh!ng!r! Island, at middle right in this image, with its distinctive ‘whale’ shape.
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Figure 10 Whangara
Figure 11 Kapa Haka performance at Te Papa M!ori Language Week Celebration using taiaha
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Figure 12 Paikea tekoteko on the Whangara wharenui
Figure 13 Ramari Stewart
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Figure 14 Whale Watch Kaikoura logo
Figure 15 Kaikoura
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Figure 16 Te Warena Taua in front of Te Toka o te Hape
Figure 17 Waitakere Ranges
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Figure 18 Kapiti Coast - Paraparaumu holds the coast's airport
Figure 19 Whakaari Island
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Figure 20 Whakatane
Figure 21 Mahia Peninsula
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Figure 22 Te Ara A Paikea, a whale shaped hill on the Mahia Peninsula
!!
Figure 23 Foveaux Strait
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Figure 24 Welcome Bay, family of three whales
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Appendix
Tinirau and his Pet Whale, M!ori Legends Tinirau was a great chief, famous throughout the land for his handsome looks and his noble bearing. But he was even better known for his school of whales. When he called them, they would come and play off shore, cruising round in circles and blowing spray through their vent holes. His favourite was Tutunui, the largest of his whales. Tinirau liked nothing better than to climb upon his back and ride him through the breakers, and out into the stormy sea. He would look down on the flying waves and feel safe, as if he were on an island. Now Tinirau had a son and, when the boy came of age, he wished to have him properly baptised, so that he would grow into a great warrior, like himself. His people made special preparations for a feast, and friends from miles around arrived to take part in the celebrations. Kae, who was a priest of the highest rank, was invited to conduct the service, and on the day of the feast he and his followers arrived in a canoe. After the service was over, there was much feasting and merriment, but at last the supplies of food ran out. Kae was about to depart when Tinirau rose and said, "Wait, there is more to eat." Then Tinirau stood on the shore and began calling, "Tutunui, Tutunui! Come at once. I need you." "Who are you calling?" said Kae, shading his eyes and looking out to sea. "There is nobody out there." But Tinirau went on calling, until the sea heaved and swirled, as the huge bulk of Tutunui, streaming with water, rose into view. Tinirau went up to him and, to Kae's astonishment, cut off a large slice of his flesh. "He is so big," said Tinirau, "he will never miss it." He gave the flesh to the women, and they cooked it, and gave a piece to Kae, who swore that he had never eaten flesh that had tasted better. But now it was time to go. Kae, who had an evil plan in his mind, went up to Tinirau and said, my home is far away, and my friends must miss me. Lend me your whale so that I can get home quickly." When Tinirau looked doubtful, Kae said, "Who baptised your son? Was it not I? Lend me your whale. It is but a small favour that I ask of you." Tinirau was very reluctant to lend his whale, but he did not wish to offend Kae by refusing, for as well as being a priest, Kae was a magician who had the power to harm him, if he chose to. "Very well," he said, "but you must be careful, especially as you approach land. The whale knows when it is not safe for him to go further. As soon as he gives a shake, you must get off. If you stay on his back, he will keep going until he becomes stranded in shallow water, where he will die." "I understand," said Kae. "I shall do nothing to exchange him." Then he climbed on to the back of the huge beast, and it seemed no time before he was approaching the shore of his village. There was his carved meeting-house looking handsome in the sunlight. There were his children running down to the shore, shouting and pointing their fingers at the strange sight of their father on the back of a whale. He felt the whale give a shake, but he took no notice. The children were close now, and were coming closer. The whale gave another shake, but now it was too late. He had gone to far and was well and truly stranded. What a feast was held that night in Kae's village! The rich smell of cooked flesh rose from the ovens, and was carried by the wind far along the coast to where Tinirau was standing, waiting for his pet to return. "Alas!" he said. "That is the sweet smell of Tutunui that the north wind brings to me." And he went to his house and wept, and his sisters gathered round and wept with him. When he had recovered from his grief, Tinirau resolved to avenge the treacherous killing of Tutunui. He ordered his sisters to go in search of Kae. "Search every village, if you must," he said. "But find him, and bring him to me alive. Travel as entertainers, and no one will suspect the true purpose of your mission." "We shall gladly go," said his sisters. "But you must tell us how to recognise him, for in his country there are many people." "Kae has such crooked teeth that he is ashamed of them, and rarely opens his mouth. Therefore, to recognise him you must make him laugh."
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Tinirau's sisters left by canoe. They travelled through Kae's country, performing at each village that they came to, but nowhere was there any sign of Kae. It seemed that their search would be fruitless, and then one evening they came to a village in a remote part of the coast. As they passed through the gate, they heard the rattle of bones. Something told them that they were the bones of Tutunui rattling in recognition of their presence. The sisters were made welcome by the people of the village, and asked to perform for them. They went into the meeting-house and there they saw a man whom they suspected was Kae himself. He was sitting at the foot of the main post that supported the ridge-pole. He was covered to the chin with mats, and his head was lowered. Determined to make laugh, the sisters performed their comic dances and told bawdy jokes. The audience roared with laughter but Kae's head remained lowered. They then put on their most grotesque performance, full of comic eye-rollings, grimaces, indecent gestures and contortions of the body, until even Kae could not contain himself, but burst out laughing. The search was over! Kae's crooked teeth had given him away. The sisters at once ceased their dance, and began to utter a powerful incantation. It grew louder and louder, until it sounded like a rushing wind, and when it died away everyone had fallen asleep - everyone, that is, except Kae. His eyes were still glinting in the flickering light from the dying fire. But the sisters were not deceived. They went forward and shook Kae gently by the shoulder, and his head slumped forward, and two pieces of iridescent paua shell fell on to the ground. He had placed them in his eyes to make them believe he was still awake. The sisters lost no time. They tied him up in a mat and carried him down to their canoe, and paddled back to their village. They took him to Tinirau's house, and placed at the foot of the main post that supported the ridge-pole, so that when he awoke he would think he was still in his own house. Then they woke him up. "Kae," they said, "where are you?" Kae woke up and said, "Why, in my own house! Where should I be?" "Kae, look about you, and tell us again where you are." And Kae looked about him, and nothing that he saw outside was familiar. Then he knew he was doomed, and he hung his head and began to wail. When he looked up, Tinirau was standing before him, a club raised in his hand. Before he brought it down, he cried, "Did Tutumui make so loud a noise when you slaughtered him?" Then Tinirau killed Kae, and afterwards ate him. And thus was Tutunui, his pet whale, amply avenged.
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Tinirau and Kae, as found in Te Ara The story of Tinirau and Kae is very old, and numerous versions exist in New Zealand and the Pacific Islands. Tinirau, ancestor of all the fish, lives at Te Motutapu-o-Tinirau (Tinirau’s Sacred Isle), which in some traditions is located under the sea. The priest Kae’s people are called Te Aitanga-a-Te Poporokewa (the descendants of Poporokewa – a type of whale). The baptism of T!huruhuru The story begins with the difficult birth of T!huruhuru, the son of Tinirau and his wife Hineteiwaiwa. Following the birth, Tinirau needed to find a priest to conduct the baptism. He travelled to Te Tihi-o-Manono, where he secured the services of Kae. They returned to Tinirau’s island, Te Motutapu-o-Tinirau, where the ceremony was performed. Afterwards, Tinirau summoned his pet whale, Tutunui, and cut off a piece of flesh, which he gave to Kae as payment. Tinirau also offered Kae a waka (canoe) to travel home in, but Kae asked if he could ride home instead on the whale’s back. Tinirau reluctantly agreed, giving explicit instructions that when they neared the shore and the whale shook himself, Kae must disembark. The death of Tutunui Despite these instructions, Kae drove Tutunui towards the shore and beached him. The whale was cut up and cooked in the village ovens, and the aroma of the flesh was brought by the winds to Tinirau’s home. Learning of the creature’s fate, Hineteiwaiwa convened a group of women, including Raukatauri, goddess of flute music, to travel to Kae’s home and capture him. Unsure what Kae looked like, the women were advised to make the villagers laugh – they would be able to identify Kae by his niho t"piki, a tooth that has grown over the top of another. Kae is captured When the women arrived at Kae’s village, people were gathered in the whare tapere for the evening’s entertainments. Kae assumed his customary place nearest the door. The women danced and told stories, but they could not get Kae to laugh. It was not until their dances became more erotic that they finally succeeded in spotting the tooth and confirming Kae’s identity. The women removed him from the house and placed him on a waka, taking him while he slept to Tinirau’s island and into a house identical to his own. When Kae finally awoke, he wondered why Tinirau was sitting in his house. Tinirau killed Kae and avenged Tutunui’s slaughter.
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Kae’s Theft of the Whale, collected by George Grey Soon after Tuhuruhuru was born, Tinirau endeavoured to find a skilful magician, who might perform the necessary enchantments and incantations to render the child a fortunate and successful warrior, and Kae was the name of the old magician, whom some of his friends brought to him for this purpose. In due time Kae arrived at the village where Tinirau lived, and he performed the proper enchantments with fitting ceremonies over the infant. When all these things had been rightly concluded, Tinirau gave a signal to a pet whale that he had tamed, to come on shore; this whale's name was Tutunui. When it knew that its master wanted it, it left the ocean in which it was sporting about, and came to the shore, and its master laid hold of it, and cut a slice of its flesh off to make a feast for the old magician, and he cooked it, and gave a portion of it to Kae, who found it very savoury, and praised the dish very much. Shortly afterwards, Kae said it was necessary for him to return to his own village, which was named Te Tihi-o-Manono; so Tinirau ordered a canoe to be got ready for him to take him back, but Kae made excuses, and said he did not like to go back in the canoe, and remained where he was. This, however, was a mere trick upon his part, his real object being to get Tinirau to permit him to go back upon the whale, upon Tutunui, for he now knew how savoury the flesh of that fish was. At last Tinirau lent Tutunui to the old magician to carry him home, but he gave him very particular directions, telling him: 'When you get so near the shore, that the fish touches the bottom, it will shake itself to let you know, and you must then, without any delay, jump off it upon the right side.' He then wished Kae farewell, and the old magician started, and away went the whale through the water with him. When they came close to the shore at Kae's village, and the whale felt the bottom, it shook itself as a sign to Kae to jump off and wade ashore, but it was of no use; the old magician stuck fast to the whale, and pressed it down against the bottom as hard as he could; in vain the fish continued to shake itself; Kae held on to it, and would not jump off, and in its struggles the blow-holes of Tutunui got stopped up with sand, and it died. Kae and his people then managed to drag up the body of Tutunui on shore, intending to feast upon it; and this circumstance became afterwards the cause of a war against that tribe, who were called 'The descendants of Popohorokewa'. When they had dragged Tutunui on shore, they cut its body up and cooked it in ovens, covering the flesh up with the fragrant leaves of the Koromiko before they heaped earth upon the ovens, and the fat of Tutunui adhered to the leaves of the Koromiko, and they continue greasy to this day, so that if Koromiko boughs are put upon the fire and become greasy, the proverb says: 'There's some of the savouriness of Tutunui'. Tinirau continued anxiously to look for the return of Tutunui and when a long time had elapsed without its coming back again, he began to say to himself: 'Well, I wonder where my whale can be stopping!' But when Kae and his people had cooked the flesh of the whale, and the ovens were opened, a savoury scent was wafted across the sea to Tinirau, and both he and his wife smelt it quite plainly, and then they knew very well that Kae had killed the pet which they had tamed for their little darling Tuhuruhuru, and that he had eaten it. Without any delay, Tinirau's people dragged down to the sea a large canoe which belonged to one of his wives, and forty women forthwith embarked in it; none but women went, as this would be less likely to excite any suspicion in Kae that they had come with a hostile object; amongst them were Hine-i-te-iwaiwa, Raukatauri, Raukatamea, Itiiti, Rekareka, and Rua-hau-a-Tangaroa, and other females of note, whose names have not been preserved; just before the canoe started Tinirau's youngest sister asked him: 'What are the marks by which we shall know Kae?'--and he answered her: 'Oh, you cannot mistake him, his teeth are uneven and all overlap one another.' Well, away they paddled, and in due time they arrived at the village of the old magician Kae, and his tribe all collected to see the strangers; towards night, when it grew dark, a fire was lighted in the house of Kae, and a crowd collected inside it, until it was filled; one side was quite occupied with the crowd of visitors, and the other side of the house with the people of Kae's tribe. The old magician himself sat at the foot of the main pillar which supported the roof of the house, and mats were laid down there for him to sleep on (but the strangers did not yet know which was Kae, for it did not accord with the M"ori's rules of politeness to ask the names of the chiefs, it being supposed from their fame and greatness that they are known by everybody).
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In order to find out which was Kae, Tinirau's people had arranged, that they would try by wit and fun to make everybody laugh, and when the people opened their mouths, to watch which of them had uneven teeth that lapped across one another, and thus discover which was Kae. In order, therefore, to make them laugh, Raukatauri exhibited all her amusing tricks and games; she made them sing and play upon the flute, and upon the putorino, and beat time with castanets of bone and wood whilst they sang; and they played at mora, and the kind of ti in which many motions are made with the fingers and hands, and the kind of ti in which, whilst the players sing, they rapidly throw short sticks to one another, keeping time to the tune which they are singing; and she played upon an instrument like a jew's-harp for them, and made puppets dance, and made them all sing whilst they played with large whizgigs; and after they had done all these things, the man they thought was Kae had never even once laughed. Then the party who had come from Tinirau's, all began to consult together, and to say what can we do to make that fellow laugh, and for a long time they thought of some plan by which they might take Kae in, and make him laugh; at last they thought of one, which was, that they should all sing a droll comic song; so suddenly they all began to sing together, at the same time making curious faces, and shaking their hands and arms in time to the tune. When they had ended their song, the old magician could not help laughing out quite heartily, and those who were watching him closely at once recognized him, for there they saw pieces of the flesh of Tutunui still sticking between his teeth, and his teeth were uneven and all overlapped one another. From this circumstance a proverb has been preserved among the M"oris to the present day--for if any one on listening to a story told by another is amused at it and laughs, one of the bystanders says: 'Ah, there's Kae laughing.' No sooner did the women who had come from Tinirau's see the flesh of Tutunui sticking in Kae's teeth than they made an excuse for letting the fire burn dimly in the house, saying, that they wanted to go to sleep--their real object, however, being to be able to perform their enchantments without being seen; but the old magician who suspected something, took two round pieces of mother-of-pearl shell, and stuck one in the socket of each eye, so that the strangers, observing the faint rays of light reflected from the surface of the mother-of-pearl, might think they saw the white of his eyes, and that he was still awake. The women from Tinirau's went on, however, with their enchantments, and by their magical arts threw every one in the house into an enchanted sleep, with the intention, when they had done this, of carrying off Kae by stealth. So soon as Kae and the people in the house were all deep in this enchanted sleep, the women ranged themselves in a long row, the whole way from the place where Kae was sleeping down to their canoe; they all stood in a straight line, with a little interval between each of them; and then two of them went to fetch Kae, and lifted the old magician gently up, rolled up in his cloaks, just as be had laid himself down to sleep, and placed him gently in the arms of those who stood near the door, who passed him on to two others, and thus they handed him on from one to another, until he at last reached the arms of the two women who were standing in the canoe ready to receive him; and they laid him down very gently in the canoe, fast asleep as he was; and thus the old magician Kae was carried off by Hine-i-te-iwaiwa and Raukatauri. When the women reached the village of Tinirau in their canoe, they again took up Kae, and carried him very gently up to the house of Tinirau, and laid him down fast asleep close to the central pillar, which supported the ridge-pole of the house, so that the place where he slept in the house of Tinirau was exactly like his sleeping-place in his own house. The house of Kae was, however, a large circular house, without a ridge-pole, but with rafters springing from the central pillar, running down like rays to low side posts in the circular wall; whilst the house of Tinirau was a long house, with a ridge-pole running the entire length of the roof, and resting upon the pillar in its centre. When Tinirau heard that the old magician had been brought to his village, he caused orders to be given to his tribe that when be made his appearance in the morning, going to the house where Kae was, they should all call out loud: 'Here comes Tinirau, here comes Tinirau', as if he was coming as a visitor into the village of Kae, so that the old magician on hearing them might think that he was still at home. At broad daylight next morning, when Tinirau's people saw him passing along through the village towards his house, they all shouted aloud: 'Here come Tinirau, here comes Tinirau'; and Kae, who heard the cries, started up from his enchanted sleep quite drowsy and confused, whilst Tinirau
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passed straight on, and sat down just outside the door of his house, so that he could look into it, and, looking in, he saw Kae, and saluted him, saying: 'Salutations to you, O Kae!'--and then he asked him, saying: 'How came you here?'--and the old magician replied: 'Nay, but rather how came you here?' Tinirau replied: 'Just look, then, at the house, and see if you recognize it?' But Kae, who was still stupefied by his sleep, looking round, saw he was lying in his own place at the foot of the pillar, and said: 'This is my house.' Tinirau asked him: 'Where was the window placed in your house?' Kae started and looked; the whole appearance of his house appeared to be changed; he at once guessed the truth, that the house he was in belonged to Tinirau; and the old magician, who saw that his hour had come, bowed down his head in silence to the earth, and they seized him, and dragged him out, and slew him: thus perished Kae. The news of his death at last reached his tribe--the descendants of Popohorokewa; and they eventually attacked the fortress of Tinirau with a large army, and avenged the death of Kae by slaying Tinirau's son.
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The Whale Brothers, collected by Frank Stimson Chapter I: A Terrible, Terrible Deed This is the family: Tinirau was the father and Puturua was the mother. They had two sons who were named Tutunui and Togamaututu. Although the parents were human these sons were not men, they were whales! These are the daughters of these parents. They were: Ruatamahine, Ruatohu (also known as Katouri), Ruatogaegae (also known as Katomea and Hinarehu.) It is said that those two sons were not men, they were whales. When they were born they were taken and thrown in the water, then they were nourished, and, when they were grown their fame went out to all the places in the world. Kae heard the words about these two fishes, Kae said, "I will go and see these two children, this is the first time this has happened, people do not give birth to fish." Kae started on his journey, Kae journeyed towards Vavau-nui, Tinirau saw Kae and said, "Oh Kae, what is the reason that you have journeyed here to Vavau-nui?" Kae said to him, "Because of the fame of the two children that I have arrived here in Vavau-nui." Tinirau said, "Come and see." The two of them went to the water, which was called Vaipunariki, and Kae saw! Kae marveled and said, "How did these two children become fish?" Tinirau said, "I went to Havaiki to the abode of K. . .! I saw the eyes of K . . . looking at me, K . . . said to me, 'Your two children, their appearance will be different from all people, for they will stand under the deep water that is Havaiki-Nui. No chief will trouble those two, for they are the shadow, they are Atea!'" Kae was overcome with laughing at Tinirau, Kae said, "What are the amusements for me?" Tinirau said, "There are lots of amusements; this is one sport: fighting, running about in the rain, swimming in the ocean, skipping stones, there many other amusements." Kae said, "There is one amusement for me, I want to play tag." Tinrau said, "I will go and speak to my daughters that are over there." Tinirau went and spoke to Ruatamahine and to all the rest of them, those young women came, when Kae saw the young women, he was overcome with laughter, Ruatamahine said to Kae, "O Kae, what is the amusement that you wish?" Kae said, "Playing tag." Ruatamahine said, "That is acceptable to me." Ruatamahine then started to count, this is the counting of Ruatamahine:- "E rari, e rua, e geti, e ha, e rima, e ruaono, e ruahi, e ruavaku, ragaiva, e gauru" (A one, a two, a three, a four, a five, a six, a seven, a eight, a nine, a ten.) When they were all done, Kae was 'it', Kae started to chase the young women, those young women ran all around, those young women ran all over the place. Kae ran in circles to chase those young women, Kae said, "Let's stop our amusement." They then stopped. Ruatamahine again said to Kae, "What other amusement do you want?" Kae said, "None." Kae said, "Finish our amusement." Ruatamahine said, "Are you bored?" Kae said, "Yes," They went as a group to the land, Kae was courting Ruatamahine. They arrived at the land, Ruatamahine started a conversation as an amusement for Kae; this was a custom of theirs to do those sorts of things. Ruatamahine started to sing a song of affection. Kae laughed. Kae was listening to this song and Kae said, "Start it again!" They started that song of affection again. Kae enjoyed these songs. Kae said, "Start a song of boasting." They started the song of boasting, this is the words of the song:- "The shades of Havaiki shade on you, my chief, Bathe at Tea-nake-nake." Kae was amused by this, Kae spoke again, "Say it again." They started the song of boasting again, and then they finished this thing. Kae said to Ruatamahine, "There are no other amusements." Ruatamahine said to Kae, "This is an apuke song, we are starting a kuheahea." Then she started the kuheahea song. Kae was very amused by the things done by these young women; then they finished. Kae said to Ruatamahine, he said, "I will return to Vavau." Ruatamahine said, "How will you return?" Kae said, "On these two children (The two whale brothers)." Ruatamahine said, "Go and ask Tinirau (the father) for these two children."
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Kae went and asked for these two whales; Tinirau permitted the request of Kae. Puturua (the mother) saw that it was permitted by Tinirau, Puturua said to Tinirau, "Why did you permit it? I know that these two children will die, Kae will play a cruel trick on one of these two children." Tinirau went and spoke to these two children (the two whale brothers), Tinirau said to them, "Which of you two will carry Kae to Vavau?" The older brother said, "I will." The younger brother said, "I will." Those two brothers argued. The older brother said, "You go behind, I will go before, so why should we argue?" The younger brother obeyed, the younger brother said, "We two will go." The older brother said, "Perhaps you should not come, you should stay for our parents." The younger brother argued a lot, the older brother permitted his younger brother to come. Tutunui stirred up the water so that it was immense, the whales went outside of the water hole which was called Vai-punariki, they arrived in the deep water off of the reef. Kae waited a little, Kae climbed on Tutunui, he traveled to Vavau, Kae went close to the island of Vavau, Kae said to his people, "Go and pull up one of those two fish (whales) over there, cook so it will be food for all of us." The group of people went and they pulled the whale in towards the shore, they took him and chopped him up. The younger brother was out in the sea, he was waiting for his brother to return; when the younger brother saw that his older brother was dead, he approached the reef, he gathered up the blood of his brother, and then, he put his brother back together again so that he was again a fish; those two returned to their homeland, the two parents saw that the journeying was finished, the two parents also saw that the older brother was cut and only blood remained, Puturua said to Tinirau, "Look and see what I told you, don't permit Kae to go with these whales, his desire was not the real desire, his desire was for the two children (whales)." Those two (the whale sons) arrived in the bathing pool, the younger brother rose up in the water, he was good, the older brother rose up in the water, he was chopped up, he was not a living thing, he was a dead thing, because he was gathered up, blood only, Puturua lamented her son, these are the words of that song:- "My son is dead in Vavau, Kae, you live, you breathe, you will be consumed, [rire: to be exhausted by sexual excesses, to die down, as the wind], you will live, The child that is loved by me is dead in Vavau, The breath of Puturua the woman is gone, The crying of Puturua subsides for her son who is dead in Vavau, You breathe, you will be consumed, My breath is used up." Puturua stopped her lamenting for her son, but Tinirau, he did not lament, he was wondering why one of his sons was dead, the war started, Tinirau started his war to go to the land of Kae to take revenge for his son. Ruatamahine saw that their father was going to take revenge for their brother, Ruatamahine spoke to her father, and said, "Don't you go, you are too old, you are tired, go and put up the spear, leave it to me to go and take revenge for my brother." Tinirau said, "Will you be able to do this?" Ruatamahine said, "I can do it." Tinirau permitted it, Ruatamahine started her journey with her younger sisters, they boarded the canoe of Tukihiti, they arrived at the land of Kae, Kae saw them. He was happy, Kae had been thinking that he should visit Ruatamahine because of his desire for her. Kae said, "I will not go, my woman has come to me." Kae took these young women, he led them to his hut, he showed them all the things in his place and the things that were done. Ruatamahine laughed at the things that Kae was doing. Kae said to Ruatamahine, "What is the amusement that you wish?" Ruatamahine said, "It's up to you, it's not up to me." Kae again said, "It's up to you to do all the things that you want, I will permit it." Ruatamahine said to Kae, "Juggling will be our amusement." They started to juggle kernels of pandanus fruit. The young women of Kae spoke to Ruatamahine, saying, "You start." Ruatamahine, "No, you start." Those young women argued, Ruatamahine yielded, Ruatamahine started, the young women of Ruatamahine also started, Ruatamahine obtained the victory. Kae spoke to his young women, "What sort of juggling was that?" Those young women did not answer a thing; they knew that Kae was angry.
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Ruatamahine spoke to the young women, "Finish this amusement." Ruatamahine could tell that Kae was really angry. Kae said to Ruatamahine, "What will finish it?" Ruatamahine said, "Leave it, I am bored of that amusement." Kae said, "What will be our amusement?" Ruatamahine said, "I want to play ake (fie ld hockey)." Kae said, "It will be done." The younger sisters of Ruatamahine started to play ake with the young women of Kae, the victory was again obtained to the younger sisters of Ruatamahine. Kae was really angry, Kae said to his young women, "What sort of playing was that?" Kae took a stick, he beat his young women until they were unconcious. The young women of Kae had all fallen. Ruatamahine said to Kae, "But I still wanted to playing ake." Kae said, "How will we do it now?" Ruatamahine said, "Just us two will play ake." Kae said, "Will it be acceptable?" Ruatamahine said, "It will be really acceptable." Kae permitted it, they went on to the field called Mahora-i-Havaiki (Field-at-Havaiki), those two started, Kae said, "You start." Ruatamahine said, "You start." Those two argued. Kae said, "It is acceptable to me." Kae took his bat which was called Raroraro- henua (Below-the-land), the legs of Kae stood spread apart, he hit his ball, the ball flew at Ruatamahine, but she was not hit. Kae spoke saying, "Ah! I missed!" Kae spoke, "It is your turn, Ruatamahine!" Ruatamahine took her bat which was called Roro-fau-i-matagi (Hibiscus-Circle-in-the-Wind), Ruatamahine raised her stick up, then Ruatamahine recited a spell, Ruatamahine said:- "I am, I am, I am Ruatamahine, Chase him above, chase him below, I will not protect, Fly onto the head of Kae." Ruatamahine struck the ball, the ball flew to the head of Kae. The head of Kae was split open, Kae fell down, Ruatamahine took Kae, carried him to Vavau-nui, they beached on the land, they took Kae up onto the land, and they sharpened a knife, Ruatamahine took a hand of Kae, then she cut it off. Then she cut off one of his legs. She cut off other parts, she pried out his eyes, cut off his nose, his ears, pulled out his teeth and all this time Kae was moaning, "Oh! Oh my hand oh my ears, oh my eyes." This is only words about all the things that happened to Kae, the work of Ruatamahine was finished; the revenge for her brother was completed, the war of the young woman is done, that is, of Ruatamahine-te-kaito (Ruatamahine-the-warrior). Chapter II: Togamaututu Makes Some Friends This is the English translation of a story which was written by Paea a Avehe of Vahitahi island. Togamaututu was a fish-son of Puturua. When he and his brother returned from Vavau they lived in their bathing pool. This is the bad-thing, his brother was not good because the brother, Tutunui, was dead. The dead thing is not like the living thing. And also the living thing is not like the dead thing. Then Togamaututu thought that he would go out and wander around to all the places. A day came that Puturua (the mother) went out and looked at those two. When Puturua saw them she saw that one of them was active and that the other one was just laying there. Then their mother wept. When Puturua was done with her weeping, Togamaututu approached to the shore, to their mother. This whale said to her, "I will go and wander around all the place in this world. When my desire is fulfilled I will return. Puturua said to him, "Why do you think of going?" Togamaututu said to her, "I am tired of living in my bathing-pool." If my brother was like me (alive not dead) I would have a friend." Puturua said to him, "If you go I will be really worried. Your brother is dead, you alone remain. If you are killed weeping will be my work through all the days." Togamaututu argued with Putura to permit him to go. The mother gave him permission for his plan. She permitted him to go.
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The concern of Puturua for her two sons was relieved concern-ing her two fish-sons. She returned to their house. When Puturua had gone, Togamaututu rose up outside of their bathing pool. He went out to sea. He travelled along the edge of the islet Mahina- tetahora. He met a school of iroiro (bonito) fish. He questioned them, "You are traveling over to where?" The iroiro fish said to him, "We are traveling over to Tonga-reva." Togamaututu said to them, "Where is Tongareva?" They said, "Underneath the deep bottom of the sea just beyond the reef." Togamaututu said, "Let's all go together." That school of iroiro fish said to him, "We do not want for you to come with us." That school of iroiro went on with their journey. Togamaututu called to them, "Go! There is a day that you will see me." Togamaututu travelled on along the islet Tukigahoro. He then met a school of popahi fish. He questioned them, "You are traveling over to where?" The iroiro fish said to him, "We are traveling over to Te Rehega (the offshore part of the reef where the ocean is shallow, but getting deeper)." Togamaututu said, "Let's all go together." That school of popahi fish said to him, "We do not want for you to come with us." That school of popahi went on with their journey. Togamaututu called to them, "Go! There is a day that you will see me." Togamaututu travelled on along the islet Tefatupenapena. He then met a school of tohoveri fish. He questioned them, "You are traveling over to where?" The school of tohoveri fish said to him, "We are traveling to sea on the high seas to search for our food." Togamaututu said, "Let's all go together." That school of tohoveri fish said to him, "We do not want for you to come with us." That school of fish went on with their journey. Togamaututu called to them, "Go! There is a day that you will see me." Togamaututu traveled to the ocean around Vavau. He met a school of totara (porcupine) fish, they were coming to him. Togamaututu questioned the school of totara fish. You are traveling over to where?" We are traveling to sea to the high seas and eat pakipaki (a kind of jellyfish without stingers). Togamaututu said to them, "Let's go there together and I will also eat pakipaki." The school of totara fish said, "Come, we will go." Togamaututu was very pleased with that school of totara fish. They went way out to sea. Then they ate pakipaki. Then they were full. Togamaututu said to the totara fish, "Then what do we do now?" The totara responded to him, "You go, we will stay here." Togamaututu traveled over to Vavau. He approached Vavau. Togamaututu saw the school of iroiro fish, they were being chased by a hakura (a kind of swordfish with its sword on the lower jaw). The school of iroiro fish saw him. They swam towards him by the shore and called to him, "Togamaututu, save us." Togamaututu answered them, "Keep running, I do not have a way to save you. If you had listened to my words to let me journey with you I would save you from the anger of the hakura." Togamaututu continued on his journey. It was not long and he saw the school of popahi fish, they were being chased by an upuupu (a kind of swordfish with its sword coming out of its upper jaw). Some had been eaten, the remaining ones were looking for an escape. They saw Togamaututu traveling. They swam towards him by the shore and called to him, "Togamaututu, Togamaututu, save us." Togamaututu answered like he had before to the iroiro fish. Togamaututu continued on his journey. It was not long and he saw the school of tohoveri fish, they were being chased by a shark. Some had been eaten. The same thing happened as before with the other schools of fish. Togamaututu arrived all the way to Vavau. This was the land where his brother had died. When this whale arrived near the shore, he rose up in the ocean. The people on the island saw this whale. He had risen up in the sea. The people on the island said, "That thing which has risen up towards our island cuts through all the lands!" This fish was listening to their words. Togamaututu approached them, up to the very edge of the reef. These people saw that whale and he was being picked up by the waves of the sea. If that had happened he would have been dropped down on the reef and stranded. These people said to themselves, "Let's climb onto the reef and wait for our fish to come and to be thrown by a wave onto the reef." The people gathered onto the reef and waited. Togamaututu was watching what these people were doing, standing on the reef. Then he jumped up in the ocean so that he was very high. Then he did his trick to make a wave break over the reef. This wave broke on the reef. All these people were killed. Their corpses were floating in the ocean.
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Togamaututu gathered them up. The corpses of these people were gathered by Togamaututu. Then he returned while carrying all the bodies of these people. He did not travel through all the places. As he was returning he met the totara (porcupine) fish and they were being chased by a shark to be eaten. The totara fish saw him. They swam to him and called, "Togamaututu, Togamautu, save us. Togamaututu said to them, "I will save you." The totara fish followed behind him. As they came the shark approached Togamaututu. Togamaututu called to him, "Shark, shark, turn away and go back. Do not bother my food. Stop your coming along, shark." Shark did not obey the word of Toga-maututu. Togamaututu called again just like he had called before. Shark answered just like he had answered before (he didn't answer). Then Togamaututu bent his tail. Shark was close to the shore. Then the tail of Togamaututu whipped up to Shark. Shark was completely dead. Shark's body fell down among the coral masses that grow on the ocean side of the reef. Then Togamaututu arrived in his land. The totara fish arrived with Togamaututu to his homeland. He said to the school of totara fish: "In this place you will live. I will go back into the bathing pool. For that is my place." The school of totara fish said, "All of us will go with you." Togamaututu said to them, "You will not like to go there and live. You will all die. You are not accustomed to living in the bathing pool." The school of totara fish accepted the words of Togamaututu. They dwell in the reef up until this day. Togamaututu entered into the bathing pool. For that reason it is said in ancient times, "When a whale is seen going by the edge of the reef." The old people said that it was "the totara fish." And that is how it is. It was not long and the totara fish went onto the reef. That was because Togamaututu guided the totara onto the reef and there they stay. When the whale had arrived into his bathing pool, Puturua, his mother, saw that he had returned. Then Puturua came to the bathing pool to watch her fish-son. When she arrived, Toga-maututu was swimming around in his pool. Puturua sang to her fish-son, until her singing was done. Then this son said to her, "My journey was successful." Countless people were killed by me at Vavau." Then he took the corpses of those people and cast them onto the land. Puturua sang while this was happening. When her singing was done, she returned to her house. Then she told her daughters. Her daughters came out and collected these corpses and they carried them away to be food for them. These words are done. Chapter III: Marautorea and Ruatamahine The original author of the Tuamotuan version of this story is unknown. The dialect of Tuamotuan that the original version was written in suggests that it is from Anaa island. A long long time ago there was a chief on the island of Vavau, which is probably the island of Hiva Oa in the Marquesas. The name of this chief was Marau-torea and it is said that he was descended from a man named Puna. Not only was he a chief, he was also a warrior. Marau-torea heard about a young woman, named Ruatamahine, who lived on the island of Motu-Tapu which is probably one of the islands which encircles the lagoon of Anaa. Marau-Torea gathered his people and they set off on a voyage to Motu-Tapu in a double- masted, double-canoe. As they were sailing the mother of this young woman saw by magic that they were coming to her island. The mother's name was Puturua. She was the queen of Motu-Tapu and the surrounding islands. Puturua was had a lot of mana (magic). When Puturua saw the canoe of Marau-Torea coming she sent some piherere fish to stop the canoe from coming to Motu-Tapu. When the fish got to the canoe they first crowded around the canoe. The people of Marautorea saw the fish and they told Marautorea about the fish. But he told them to ignore the fish. Then the fish started to jump into the canoe and to make it heavy. The people could not ignore the fish any longer because their canoe was going to sink. So, Marautorea told his people to take their scoop nets and to scoop up the fish so that they would have food for their journey. That is what the people did. When Puturua saw that the fish she had sent had been all scooped up by the people of Marautorea, she sent some jellyfish to hinder the voyage of Marautorea. When the jellyfish arrived at the canoe of Marautorea and his people they crowded around the canoe to slow it down. The first person on the canoe reached into the water and tried to pick up a jellyfish. Of course, his hand was stung by the jellyfish's tentacles. Then the second person on the canoe tried to pick up a jellyfish and he was stung too. Then the next person tried to pick up a jellyfish and so
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forth and so on, until all the people of Marautorea had tried to pick up the jellyfish and had gotten their hands stung. So all the people of Marautorea had been stung and they were all standing holding their hands. Some were yelling, some were crying. When Marautorea saw them holding their hands and yelling, he asked them, "Why are you holding your hands and shouting?" They told him that they had been stung trying to pick up jellyfish. Marautorea realized then that it was the work of Puturua and he was angry. So he took his fish poison and he scattered it into the ocean. After all the jellyfish were poisoned, he healed the hands of his people and they continued their journey. When Puturua saw that her second trick had not stopped Marautorea and his people, she sent some more fish like the first time. The fish crowded around the canoe of Marautorea and his people and they started to jump into the canoe. When Marautorea saw this he used his mana (magic) and he called on the birds of sky to come and eat the fish. The birds came and ate all the fish that had been sent by Puturua. When Puturua saw this third trick had not worked she decided to use another trick which was much more powerful than her other tricks. She went outside of her house to the bathing pool beside her house. In this bathing pool lived the son of Puturua, who was, of course, the brother of Ruatamahine, the woman that Marautorea was coming to visit. This son was not a human, he was a whale. His name was Togamaututu. Puturua was scared to ask her son for his help because he might not obey his mother. Puturua told her son that people on a canoe were coming to their island of Motu-Tapu and she also asked him to swim out into the ocean and to stop them from coming. Togamaututu told his mother that he would not go. So Puturua went back into her house with weeping. After she left with tears in her eyes Togamaututu thought to himself that he should obey his mother because if he didn't she might be so upset that she might die. Ruatamahine came over to vist her mother and saw that her mother, Puturua, was crying. She asked her mother why she was weeping. Puturua said, "I asked your brother to go out into the ocean and stop a canoe from coming here to Motu-Tapu and he would not obey me." Ruatamahine suggested that she should go and ask her brother to stop the canoe from coming. But Puturua said, "No! If you go he will be mad at you." Ruatamahine answered and said, "He will not be mad at me." So Puturua permitted her daughter to go. When Ruatamahine arrived at her brother's bathing pool he was swimming around in it. She told her brother that he should obey his mother and go out and stop that canoe from coming to Motu-Tapu. So Togamaututu, the whale, obeyed his sister's request and he left Motu-Tapu to go and look for the canoe of Marautorea. Beside Motu-Tapu there were three other islands: Mahina-te-tahora, Tukigahoro and Tefatupenapena. These islands all lay along the same reef so they were separated from one another by short channels of water that were shallow enough that you could wade from one island to another. When Togamaututu left Motu-Tapu he went along the path in the sea that goes in front of the first island, Mahina-te-tahora. He saw nothing. He went on to Tukigahoro and, again, he saw nothing. When he arrived by Tefatupenapena, he saw the canoe of Marautorea. Then he rose up in the ocean and swam along the surface towards the canoe. He was coming after the canoe like a gigantic wave that was going to crush them. When Marautorea saw this great whale swimming towards his canoe, cutting through the waves, he said to his people,"Kua mate tatou!" ("We are dead!") However, Marautorea called on the Tokerau (North) wind to blow. The wind came and filled up their sails and they started to run towards Tefatupenapena (the last island of the group). There was the whale following behind and the canoe sailing before. The whale almost caught them, but they ran up on to the land first. When Togamaututu the whale, saw that they had escaped he called out to them, "Kahiri, kaore e henua, kua mate koutou iaku!", which means: "If there was no land here, you would be dead to me!" When Togamaututu got home to his mother he told her that they had escaped from him by running up onto the land. When his sister, Ruatamahine, heard that the canoe had gotten away she told her mother and her brother that she would walk over to them the next day and kill them. The next day Ruatamahine and her three younger sisters started to walk over to Tefatupenapena. When she got to the end of Motu-Tapu she faced across the channel that faced over to Mahina-te-tahora. She did not want to wade over through the water so she said:
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Ko vau, Ko vau, Ko Ruatamahine, Ei aku ruga, Ei aku raro, Kunua mai te haga henua ake ra, Kia piri keta, It is I, It is I, Ruatamahine, Chase them by land, Chase them by sea, Push the islands, That they will be close together, According to the mana of Ruatamahine, the islands: Mahina-tetahora, Tukigahoro and Tefatupenapena moved over together so that she could walk all over the way from Motu-Tapu to Tefatupenapena without having to wade through the ocean. When Ruatamahine got close to Tefatupenapena, Marautorea the chief saw her coming. He said to his people, "If these are the women that I have come to visit I will be very pleased." When they got closer he saw that it was indeed, Ruatamahine and her sisters. When she got close to him he asked her where her canoe was at. She did not tell him about the magic that she had done, she simply said, "My canoe is around the point, out-of-sight." Marautorea said to her, "You should bring it around here, this is the best anchorage for a canoe." Ruatamahine answered that the place that her canoe was anchored at was good enough. Then she asked Marautorea why he had come to Tefatupenapena. He answered, "I did not come to Tefatupenapena. But I was coming to meet you at Motu-Tapu." Ruatamahine laughed and said, "Perhaps if my brother was gentle you would have made it to me." At this point, Ruatamahine was looking real hard at Marautorea. She was watching to see what kind of person he was. She liked what she saw and she was thinking that she would like to have someone like him as a husband. She was thinking, "I will not kill this person like I killed Kae." Ruatamahine confessed to Marautorea that she had come to visit him so that she could kill him, but she had decided that she wanted to marry him. Marautorea agreed to this arrangement. Ruatamahine told him to come and visit her the next day at Motu-Tapu. However, she warned him that he must walk over on land or else they would have to face her brother again. Then Ruatamahine returned with her sisters to Motu-Tapu. As they walked she told her sisters to tell their mother that they had found no one. When they got to their mother they told her that they had seen no one. She thought that perhaps they had gone back to their homeland of Vavau. That night all that Marautorea could think of was going over to visit Ruatamahine the next day. The next day he and his people started to walk over to Motu-Tapu. At the same time Togamaututu, the whale, swam out to sea to the place where the island of Motu- Tapu connected to the island of Mahina-te-tahora. He backed up to the place where the two islands connected and he started to chop them apart with his tail. Ruatamahine was also walking over and she saw that her brother was trying to split the islands apart. So she stood with one leg on Motu-Tapu and the other leg on Mahina-te-tahora and held the two islands together. Togamaututu couldn't see her because his head was turned the other way, so he kept chopping. After chopping for awhile he could tell that something was holding the islands together so he turned around to see what was holding the two islands together. When he saw that it was his sister he was really mad. He said to her, "Why are you holding this islands together and not telling me. I am out of breath from chopping! If you had told me that you liked this man I would not have come to make problems for him." Then he went back to his bathing pool. There was Togamaututu the whale in his bathing pool. He was mad and when Togamaututu was mad it was hard for him to talk about his anger so he would do things to show his anger. This is what he did. He pushed his head out of the water, then he splashed it down hard and made a gigantic splash. He did this over and over. His mother, Puturua, was sitting in her house and every time Togamaututu splashed his head in his bathing pool the water would splash onto her
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house and run down the roof. So there was Puturua looking out of her house and water was running off of her roof so she thought it was raining. But the water dripping off of her roof was stopping and starting, stopping and starting. She thought to herself that it must be real weird rain that starts and stops, starts and stops. Then she looked out further and saw that bright sunlight was shining on everything so she knew that it couldn't be raining. Then she peeked out of her window and saw that her son was splashing his head in his bathing pool and that was causing the water to splash on to her roof. She asked him why he was doing splashing so he told her what had happened. When Puturua found out what had happened she walked over to the end of Motu-Tapu and she asked her daughter, Ruatamahine, "What are you doing." Ruatamahine said, "I'm standing here." Then Puturua asked her daughter why she had not told them that she wanted to marry Marautorea. Ruatamahine did not answer. So Puturua told her daughter, "If you want to marry him you can, but you will have to move to his island." Then Puturua returned to Motu-Tapu and left her daughter standing between the two islands. After Ruatamahine heard these words of her mother she went over to where Marautorea and his people were coming over and she said to Marautorea, "It would probably be best if you just went back to Vavau." Marautorea answered and said that he would not go back to Vavau until he had married her. Ruatamahine replied, "Will the strength of my brother give way to yours? You may have to fight my brother. This is my word to you: do not kill him, but save him." Then she went back to Motu-Tapu and Marautorea returned the other way towards Tefatupenapena. That night Marautorea was thinking really hard about his trobles. He was not going to return to Vavau until he had married Ruatamahine. But he realized that he would have to fight Togamaututu and that if he did not kill Togamaututu then he would be killed. But if he killed Togamaututu then Ruatamahine would not marry him. He thought to himself: "If I do it the way that I want she will not marry me, if I do it the way that she wants I will die." That night he walked from Tefatupenapena to Motu-Tapu to visit the whale. Puturua and her duaghters were asleep in their house so they did not see the arrival of Marautorea. Marautorea stood beside the bathing pool of Togamaututu. Although it was dark Togamaututu could tell that someone was standing beside his bathing pool. He said, "Ko vai te kaito e tu nei i te hiti o taku tairua komo?" which means, "Who is the warrior who stands beside my bathing pool?" Marautorea responded, "It is I, Marautorea, the man that you chased on to Tefatupenapena. I am a kaito (warrior) who stands at the source of Vavau!" Togamaututu told Marautorea that he should go back home and not marry Ruatamahine. Togamaututu said, "It is probably best if you just return to your homeland." But Marautorea insisted that he would not return until he had married Ruatamahine. So Togamaututu said, "We will have to fight!" Marautorea agreed to this. Togamaututu took the first turn. He rose his head up high and crashed it down on the place where Marautorea had been standing. When Marautorea saw that he was in danger of being crushed by the head of this great whale, he jumped across the whale and landed on the opposite side of the bathing pool. When the head of Togamaututu, the whale, came down on the place where Marautorea had been standing it made a great hole in the earth. Togamaututu said, "Where are you?" To his surprise he heard Marautorea answer from behind him: "I am standing over here." Togamaututu groaned in his heart, "Perhaps, this man is a real kaito (warrior)!" Togamaututu then asked, "Where did the splash from the water go?" Marautorea said, "Tera e horu ake ra ki te moana tai raraha! (There it is curving over the high and distant seas!)" Togamaututu tried to kill Marautorea again. He raised his tail way up high over the head of Marautorea and he crashed it down where Marautorea was standing. But Marautorea stepped to the side and avoided the tail. Where the tail hit the earth, there was a great hole in the earth. Togamaututu then asked, "Where are you?" Again, he was surprised to hear an answer from Marautorea. Marautorea said, "I am here, I stepped to the side to avoid your tail." Togamaututu said the thing that he had been fearing. "You are a real kaito," he said. Then Marautorea said, "I think that I will take my turn now." Togamaututu said, "It is O.K. with me if you take your turn." So Marautorea said, "Here goes." Marautorea called on the sky by saying: Ahuahua te vai o Puturua, Ahuahua te vai o Togamaututu,
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E vai te one, E maraga te one i ruga, E kore e mau te purupuru o te vai o Puturua, Dry up the water of Puturua, Dry up the water of Togamaututu, The sand will be remain, The sand will rise up, The wetness of the water of Puturua will no longer remain, According to the words and mana of Puturua, a great white cloud came over the land. Then it passed on. Then a great grey cloud came in its place and covered the land. Then it passed on. At that point, Togamaututu said, "When will it start?" Marautorea repied, "It is coming." Then a great black cloud came over the land. Out of the cloud came the whirlwind and it touched down into the right side and then into the left side of Togamaututu and it sucked all the water out of the pool. Togamaututu was left wiggling back and forth on the dry sand, he was dying and his strength was gone. The battle between Marautorea and Togamaututu had made the earth shake and this awoke Puturua and one of her daughters. Puturua asked one of her daughters, "Why is the earth shaking like this? Go out and ask your brother what has been going on." The duaghter replied that it was too dark for anyone to want to go out, so she said that she would wait until morning. Ruatamahine was also awake and she heard what her mother and her younger sister were saying. She realized that perhaps her brother and Marautorea were fighting each other. So she quietly arose and went outside to her brother's bathing pool. When she arrived she saw that her brother was laying on the sand near death. She said to Marautorea, "Can you bring back the water?" He said, "Yes, I can." So then he called on the whirlwind to bring the water back and it did. The water filled up the pool of Togamaututu and restored the strength to Togamaututu. Ruatamahine asked her brother what had been going on and he told her. Then she said to him, "Now you see why I like this man. You did not understand before." Togamaututu responded by saying that he had no complaints about Maruatorea, but it was their mother who did not like him. The next morning, Puturua asked her daughters where Ruatamahine had gone because she was no longer in the house. One of the daughters said that she had seen Ruatamahine get up in the middle of the night and go out. So Puturua went out of the house to the bathing pool of Togamaututu. As she approached the pool, Togamaututu said to Ruatamahine, "Let me do the talking." Puturua asked her children what had been going on. Togamaututu told his mother about the fight and how he had lost. Then he said that if it had not been for Ruatamahine's intervention, that he would have been killed. Puturua then asked, "Where is this kaito?" The answer was that he was standing off a little bit under some trees. Puturua turned and looked over at him. Then she nodded her head to him for him to come. He came and she turned to her daughter Ruatamahine and said, "I am getting too old. Perhaps this is the best time for you replace me so that I can retire." By this, Puturua acknowledged to her daughter that she agreed to her marriage with Marautorea. Then they had this big feast to celebrate the marriage of Ruatamahine and Togamaututu. These words are done. !!
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