Tui calls on Ahuahu (No. 86)

The continuing story of Ahu and Ahuahu her husband in a Maori village in Aotearoa before European settlement of New Zealand. (Have you missed an episode? Click on Ahu in the labels bar for previous posts)                                  

 

 

This saga running now for some time is set in pre-colonial New Zealand (Aotearoa) during Queen Victoria's reign, monarch of the expanding British Empire. In this chapter Ahuahu now head man of the village of Black Sands has been procrastinating over the future of his eldest daughter Hekehoru who wants to marry a man in the village, while trying to appease the colonists to ensure his village stays secure.

                                                    

 

 

Tui and Hekehoru had been seeing each other for some time. Yet they had not married. Ahuahu had always told Hekehoru she should wait a little longer. Ahu grieved for her daughter Hekehoru as she knew she wanted to marry Tui and even she thought he would be a good husband but Ahuahu could not forget Tui’s elder brother Paikea and his treatment of Moana and his foolish opinions and decisions in his short life. Ahuahu considered himself to be a surrogate father to Moana and felt guilty that he had not prevented the outcome.

Tui loved Hekehoru tenderly and even other village council members thought he would be suitable to join them soon but Ahuahu was not convinced. Eventually Hekehoru spoke to Ahu.

“Help me Ahu, you are my mother, I am your elder daughter. I should be married. You know I have found the man to be my husband. You let me see him yet Ahuahu will not let me marry. Soon I shall surely bring his baby home. Please speak to Ahuahu for me.”

Later that night when Ahu and Ahuahu were together Ahu whispered to him. “It is time to let Hekehoru go. Tui is not Paikea, you know that. She weeps for him, they should be married and soon. Surely the trial you have put them through is over. He is sensible; he is faithful only to her. Please let him speak to you again.”

Ahuahu grunted, “Go to sleep Ahu, but I will tell Hekehoru to send Tui to me. But I will promise nothing.”

“Perhaps Hatiti and I will promise nothing either.” She replied.

Ahuahu grunted in reply “Let me think on it.”

The next morning before he went fishing Ahuahu spoke to Hekehoru. “Daughter you are very precious to me. You were born in the woods there” pointing to his left, “just up from the beach and I was there to see you take your first breath. I should not have been there but I was. I love all my children but with you I have that special bond. I will do anything to protect you but now I know it is time to let you go and it hurts me so much.”

“Why was I never told?” Hekehoru said as she burst into tears. She wrapped him in her arms hugging him tight.

“You are being told now. When is the best time to admit to breaking a tapu, Hekehoru? I have decided that this is the time for me. All my children are precious but with you it is different, the gods changed me that day. Send Tui to me after I have got back from fishing.”

Later that afternoon when Ahu returned Tui was waiting for him. Ahuahu looked him up and down and then said hearing the murmur of voices elsewhere in the whare. “We will talk in the meeting house there are too many ears in this house.” So they walked across to the village meeting house and then sat down together.

In the fading light of the afternoon Tui once again professed his love for Hekehoru. He promised to look after her and give as her many sons as she wanted. He would stay in the village, work hard and make her happy. He would even give Ahuahu some gifts that belonged to his father the old chief. Ahuahu merely nodded at all that Tui was saying. Then put up his hand for Tui to stop talking. “I need more, Tui.”

Tui looked around the meeting house and saw the old weapons and ornaments from years ago on the walls. He got up and seized a ceremonial club from the wall; it was a Toki Pou Tangata. This was weapon with an intricately carved handle and a greenstone blade affixed.

“This was a gift to my father Ahuahu. So you could say it is mine now as I am his only remaining son. It is my gift to you.” Here Tui paused then continued looking Ahuahu directly in his eyes, “If I ever I hurt Hekehoru you may kill me with it.”

There was silence for a few seconds then Tui continued “I will give up my life for her, I want none other than her.”

Ahuahu nodded, “Then she is yours. You may present me with this gift at the wedding ceremony. You need to give me nothing more.” He then leaned over held Tui by the shoulders and rubbed noses with him.

As they walked back out of the building Ahuahu said, “Arrange the wedding date with Ahu so that your sisters who live far away can come to the wedding with their families.” Then as an afterthought he said, “Come back with me now to tell Hekehoru and have a meal with us, but I expect it will be a noisy one with much woman’s talk.”

Tui nodded and said, “Ahuahu, I will not fail you.”

“Remember Tui how much Hekehoru means to me, I do not want to kill the man she loves, so do not test me.”

Read about Hekehoru's birth by clicking Hekehoru in the labels bar below.

Tapu - Taboo, forbidden.

Toki Pou Tangata - Intricately carved weapon with a greenstone blade

 

Ahu’s new baby (Part 21)

Ahu was near the time for the arrival of her new baby but as with all Maori women it was a natural process that did not disturb their usual work in digging the vegetable plot, going into the forest for leaves or picking up shellfish from the shore.

Ahu had wandered along the shore with Hatiti who was now great friends with her. Hoata, Hatiti's step mother stayed behind looking after her half brother Paikea and Ahu’s son Tangaroa as they played together.

Hatiti loved Ahu and Ahuahu and spent much time with them now that her sister Hinewai was married and living with her husband Tui. She knew she should not look on Ahuahu with desire but she said to herself that she must find a husband like him soon or burst with frustration.

She had been to see Hinewai living in her new home in the village close to the big river and was envious that they appeared happy, especially as Hinewai kept asking her when she would be married too. She looked on every boy of marriageable age in the hope that a spark of desire would inflame her, but she could only remember Ahuahu carrying her back after rescuing her and remembering the feel of his bare skin against hers and his voice as he spoke reassuring her that she would be safe.

As she and Ahu waded in the shallow waters of the outgoing tide watching for air bubbles from the shellfish in the sand she noticed that Ahu was walking much slower, then stopped altogether.

“Hatiti,” Ahu said, “The baby is coming very quickly, the waters have broken, and I must find a safe place in the trees up there.” She pointed to the dense woodland above the dunes.

“Should you not try to get back so the midwives can help?” asked Hatiti. “I can run back for them now,”

“This little one is in a great hurry. Mark where I go into the woods and run back for help.” She gasped with the need to find a safe spot. “Tell Ahuahu if you see him.”

Hatiti ran off along the beach and when she turned to see if Ahu was still there she had gone from the beach. As she ran along the beach she saw Ahuahu working on his canoe.

“Ahuahu, Ahu is having the baby!” She paused to get her breath, “I am going back for help.” She then ran on.

Ahuahu stopped what he was doing, stowed his tools in the canoe and set off up the beach to find Ahu.

He found her tracks in the sand and entered the undergrowth, and called out to her. “Ahu, it is your husband. Where are you?”

There was only silence apart from a slight rustling of the wind in the leaves. He stood very still and listened very hard. He could hear her panting a little way away. “I can hear you Ahu, I am coming.”

As he approached her, she looked up from her squatting position. “Ahuahu, you are here, you should not be. It is tapu…for women only.” She panted again then let out a little cry, turned to him. “The baby is nearly here; do not ever tell anyone, what you have seen.”

Ahu breathed heavily again, screwed up her face and pushed again. Her face relaxed as the baby was delivered and she let out a deep sigh.

“Ahuahu, come closer and see the baby. See it is a little girl.”

Ahuahu knelt down beside her and stretched out his hand to touch the baby. Ahu shook her head, “No, not yet, she must be cleaned up first,” She said. “Can you get me some fresh water and a shell to cut the cord later? And listen very carefully if the women are coming, you must disappear. You must not be seen.”

Ahuahu nodded then touched Ahu on the shoulder. She looked up at him and then said with a little smile. “And do not let anyone see you have been crying.”

Ahuahu returned to the beach, but it was deserted so he found some shells and filled the larger ones with water from a stream a little way away. When he emerged on to the beach again he could see Hatiti running back.

He couldn’t make up his mind whether or not to tell her that he had seen Ahu, so he kept quiet.

“What have you there?” She asked.

“You can give Ahu some water if you find her,” he said.

She looked at him a little strangely. “Have you seen her?”

He looked into her eyes, hers were laughing as she said. “Men should see, but don’t tell anyone that I said that. Come on let’s find her, the women will take ages to get here, and you will have gone by then.”

They rejoined Ahu; her face fell when she saw Hatiti and looked up at Ahuahu with a quizzical look on her face.

“Go now, Ahuahu, unless you want to be a real woman and bury the afterbirth too,” said Hatiti.

“Ahuahu, you must act surprised when we get back to the village,” called out Ahu as he went away through the woods back home, avoiding the beach. The women then started to clean up the baby.