The story of the Kumara

Many years ago I wrote a number of stories in serial form about the early inhabitants of Pacific Islands before the white man came. Told by a woman storyteller Mahuika, this one is about the legends of why they should treat animals fairly.

Long ago a Maori man Pourangahua  sailed by boat to the land of Hawaiki, where his ancestors came from. There he visited friends and ate delicious kumara and stayed for many months for he was guest of the great chief named Raukapanga.

When it came time to return home, he asked Raukapanga if he could borrow two of his Toroa (or Albatross) that he kept as pets to help him take some kumara tubers home with him. Raukapanga was reluctant to loan his birds to Pourangahua because he loved them very much. Eventually he agreed but gave him instructions on how to care for them.

 

Pourangahua left with the birds carrying of kumara as a gift from the chief. The chief had explained to Pourangahua that once he reached the shore of his land Aotearoa, he would have to get off the bird and continue his journey on foot and carry the kumara himself. This is because the toroa much preferred flying over the sea as flying over the land would tire them out.

 

Pourangahua was lazy and made the birds fly all the way home over mountains and valleys to his village. They had to fly so far the bird that had carried him was very tired. When they finally were returned home the one who had had the most to carry flew slower than normal and was attacked and killed by a huge evil spirit. Luckily the other bird made it home safely, with tears rolling from his eyes as he lost his mate.

 

The Hawaiiki chief was furious when he learned about his pet birds and so he sent a plague of caterpillars to destroy the plants Pourangahua had planted from the kumara that he’d had as a gift; so Pourangahua gained nothing from his visit to Hawaiki.

 

Pourangahua knew the plague had been sent to destroy his crop because he’d done wrong, so he would never be able return to Hawaiki again for he’d surely be killed for his cruelty to the Toroa.

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As the Stories were meant for children I normally gave an explanation by Mahika the storyteller what they should learn from the story. (Don't read if you are counting words!)

Mahuika said "Nowadays if you are lucky enough to see a toroa (albatross) up close you will see that it still sheds tears every time it eats food as it remembers its mate so now they keep their distance from man. They do not trust us anymore.”

The children all looked back up the in the sky searching for a long time to see if the birds were still there but by now they had gone.