Sacred Texts  Pacific  Index  Previous  Next 

CHAPTER II

1 Gill, 1876, p. 51.

2 White, ii. 64, 110, 117, 119, 126; but cf. p. 121. See also Westervelt, 1910, p. 17; Gill, 1876, p. 64.

3 New Hebrides, Codrington, p. 168; Lamb, p. 215; Suas, 1912, pp. 33 ff.; Banks Islands, Codrington, p. 156; New Britain, Rascher, p. 233; von Pfeil, p. 150; Kleintitschen, p. 331; Meier, 1909, pp. 15, . 21; German New Guinea (Bilibili), Dempwolff, p. 69.

4 The relation between these Melanesian tales and the Maui cycle in Polynesia is by no means sure. In certain cases, doubtless, as in some of the New Hebrides versions, the myths may be comparatively recent importations by Polynesian immigrants, who have settled at various points within traditional times. Elsewhere they possess too strong a Melanesian flavour to be so easily explained.

5 White, ii. 63, 71, 92; Grey, p. 18; cf. Nieue, Smith, 1903b, pp. 92, 106.

6 Cf. the Melanesian tale of the child born to the woman abandoned in a tree, in Ker, p. 27.

7 White, ii. 79, 81.

8 White, ii. 72. Possibly a reflection of the Biblical story of Cain and Abel?

9 White, ii. 65, 72, 80; Grey, p. 16.

10 New Guinea (Goodenough Bay), Ker, p. 23; (Tami) Bamler, p. 537; (Nufoor) van Hasselt, p. 523.

11 Smith, 1903b, p. 94.

12 White, ii. 69, 100; Grey, p. 38.

13 Cf. Cook Group, where Vatea baits a hook with a bit of his own thigh; Gill, 1876, p. 48.

p. 316

14 White, ii. 88.

15 Westervelt, 1910, pp. 12 ff.

16 Cf. White, ii. 121.

17 Marquesas, Christian, p. 188; Lesson, ii. 211; Tuamotu, Young, p. 109; Society Group, Moerenhout, i. 446; Cook Group, Smith, 1899, p. 72; Manihiki, Gill, 1876, p. 72; id. 1915, p. 147; Tonga, Mariner, i. 228; Lawry, p. 248; Fison, p. 144; Fraser, 1897, p. 71. It has not been recorded at all from the Chatham Islands.

18 Stair, 1896, p. 35; Krämer, 1906, p. 54; cf. also von Bülow, 1898, p. 81.

19 Lawrie, p. 712; Macdonald, 1892, p. 731; id. 1898, p. 761.

20 Smith, 1892, p. 34.

21 Newell, 1895a, p. 233.

22 Kleintitschen, p. 336.

23 Westervelt, 1910, p. 42. For other versions see Forbes, 1881, p. 59 (reprinted in Thrum, p. 31).

24 White, ii. 99.

25 White, ii. 68, 76, 85; Best, p. 97; Grey, pp. 35 ff.

26 Marquesas, Lesson, ii. 211 ff.; Manihiki, Gill, 1876, p. 70; Society Group, Baessler, 1905, p. 920; Moerenhout, i. 446; Cook Group, Gill, 1876, p. 61; Chatham Islands, Shand, 18947 p. 123; Samoa, Turner, 1861, p. 248.

27 New Hebrides, Codrington, p. 368; Suas, 1912, p. 50; Macdonald, 1898, p. 767.

28 Nauru, Hambruch, p. 435.

29 Rotti, Jonker, 1905, p. 437.

30 This incident of cooking food by warming it in the sun's rays is also found in Melanesia: New Guinea (Goodenough Bay), Ker, p. 99; (Kerepunu) Gill, 1911, p. 125; Admiralty Islands, Meier, 1907, p. 653; it occurs likewise in Indonesia: Philippines (Bagobo), Benedict, p. 18.

31 Grey, pp. 22, 45; White, ii. 66, 72, 94.

32 Some versions state that Maui hid his mother's apron, so that she was thus delayed. See Grey, p. 23; White, ii. 72.

33 One version states that all Mafuike's fingers and toes were thus served, after which Maui sent rain to put out her smouldering fire, forcing her to reveal the secret of the method of fire-making. See White, ii. 74.

34 Chatham Islands, Shand, 1894, p. 123; Cook Group, Gill, 1876, pp. 51 ff.; Smith, 1899, p. 73; Marquesas, Radiguet, p. 230; Christian, p. 189; Tregear, 1887, p. 385; Manihiki, Gill, 1876, p. 66; Samoa, Stair, 1896, p. 56; Fraser, 1891, p. 82; Turner, 1861, p. 253; Stuebel, p. 65; Tonga, Lawry, p. 248; Nieue, Turner, op. cit. p. 255; Union Group, id. 1884, p. 270.

p. 317

35 New Guinea (Kai), Keysser, p. 202; New Britain, Rascher, p. 234.

36 See infra, pp. 114 ff., 187 ff.

37 R. Taylor, p. 156.

38 Shand, 1896, p. 209.

39 Leverd, 1912, p. 3.

40 Seligmann, p. 399.

41 Hueting, p. 278; van Dijken, p. 279; van Baarda, p. 455.

42 New Guinea, Seligmann, p. 379; Woodlark Islands, Montrouzier, p. 371; Hagen, p. 288.

43 Torres Straits, Haddon, 1904, p. 17; New Guinea, Seligmann, p. 379.

44 Nauru, Hambruch, p. 442.

45 Hambruch, p. 389; Torres Straits, Haddon, 1904, p. 13, 16, 20.

46 New Guinea, Seligmann, p. 380.

47 Forbes, 1879, p. 59 (reprinted in Thrum, p. 33); Westervelt, 1910, pp. 60, 120.

48 See supra, Note 38.

49 But cf. R. Taylor, p. 115, note. Taylor's material is, however, not always wholly trustworthy.

50 Westervelt, 1910, p. 31; Turner, 1861, p. 245.

51 While not a parallel, this form of the myth suggests one which occurs in the Philippines and New Hebrides, where the sky was so low, that it interfered with the pounding of rice or the use of the planting stick. As a result of this inconvenience to the woman, the sky was raised. See infra, p. 178.

52 Bastian, 1894, p. 32; Fraser, 1891, p. 266.

53 Society Group, Ellis, i. 100; Cook Group, Pakoti, p. 66; Smith, 1899, p. 64.

54 Cook Group, Gill, 1876, p. 59; Manihiki, ib. p. 71.

55 Samoa, Nieue, Rarotonga, Aitutaki, Mangaia, and Tahiti.

56 Op. cit. p. 54. For other versions see White, ii. 70.

57 This version, as well as most others, has been treated euphemistically; see Smith, 1913, p. 177.

58 White, ii. 70, 78, 112.

59 White, ii. 87, 90; Best, p. 96.

60 Moerenhout, i. 428.

61 New Hebrides, Suas, 1911, p. 907; Codrington, pp. 158, 266, 283, 286; Macdonald, 1892, p. 732; id. 1898, p. 764; Lamb, p. 216; New Britain, Kleintitschen, p. 334; Bley, p. 198; New Guinea, Romilly, 1889, p. 154.

62 See infra, p. 182.

63 White, ii. 89.

64 Stair, 1896, p. 57; Stuebel, p. 66.

p. 318

65 Shand, 1898, p. 81.

66 White, ii. 77, 86, 111, 118, 121, 124; Grey, p. 50.

67 The custom of dragging a canoe over a victim to kill him is fairly wide-spread in Polynesia, and is common in Indonesia as an incident in the mythology. See for Halmahera (Tobelo), Hueting, p. 293; (Galela) van Dijken, p. 274; (Loda) van Baarda, p. 454; Celebes (Todjo), Adriani, 1902b, p. 208.

68 White, ii. 76, 83; 115, 117.

69 Cf. Admiralty Islands, Meier, 1907, p. 659.

70 Turner, 1884, pp. 243 ff.; Stuebel, p. 67.

71 Gill, 1912, p. 128.

72 Gill, 1876, p. 77.

73 Baessler, 1905, p. 921.

74 Cf. Westervelt, 1910, pp. 99 ff. This may possibly be regarded as a related incident.

75 New Guinea, Seligmann, pp. 388, 397; Romilly, 1889, p. 100; (Nufoor) van Hasselt, p. 520; Admiralty Islands, Meier, 1907, p. 654.

76 See infra, p. 210.

77 Cf. Hawaii, Thrum, p. 256.

78 New Guinea (Wagawaga), Seligmann, p. 381; (Goodenough Bay) Ker, p. 96; (Nufoor) van Hasselt, 493; New Britain, Parkinson, p. 684; Bley, p. 200; New Ireland, Peekel, p. 73; Admiralty Islands, Meier, 1907, p. 661.

79 Nias, Chatelin, p. 117; Philippines (Visayan) Maxfield and Millington, 1906, p. 106.


Next: Part I, Chapter III