Polynesian Mythology · Chapter
The Legend of Kae's Theft of the Whale explained
Kae, an old magician, is invited by Tinirau to perform enchantments over his newborn son Tūhuruhuru.
What happens
Kae, an old magician, is invited by Tinirau to perform enchantments over his newborn son Tūhuruhuru. After tasting the flesh of Tinirau's pet whale Tutunui, Kae tricks Tinirau into lending him the whale for his journey home. Ignoring Tinirau's instructions, Kae causes the whale to die and feasts on it with his tribe. Tinirau sends a party of women, including Hine-i-te-iwaiwa and Raukatauri, to capture Kae. Through cunning performances and enchantments, they identify Kae by his uneven teeth, put him to sleep, and transport him back to Tinirau's village. Tinirau confronts and kills Kae, leading to a later war in which Kae's tribe avenges his death by slaying Tinirau's son.
Themes in this chapter
Conflict and Reconciliation
The theft and killing of Tutunui leads to a direct conflict between Tinirau and Kae, culminating in Kae's death and a later war of revenge by Kae's tribe.
Resistance and Resilience
Tinirau's resourcefulness in sending a female party to capture Kae without suspicion, and the women's clever use of entertainment and enchantment, demonstrate resilience and strategic resistance.
Characters to notice
- Tinirau
Tinirau is the owner of the pet whale Tutunui and the father of Tūhuruhuru. He invites Kae to perform enchantments for his son and later orchestrates Kae's capture after the whale is killed.
- Kae
Kae is an old magician who tricks Tinirau into lending him the whale Tutunui, causes its death, and feasts on it. He is identified by his uneven teeth and is captured and slain by Tinirau's people.
- Hine-i-te-iwaiwa
Hine-i-te-iwaiwa is one of the women sent by Tinirau to capture Kae. She participates in the enchantments and the stealthy transport of Kae back to Tinirau's village.
- Tutunui
Tutunui is Tinirau's pet whale, which is killed by Kae after being lent for transport. Its flesh is cooked and eaten by Kae's tribe, leading to the conflict.
Key passages
“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.'”
After dragging Tutunui ashore, Kae's tribe cooked its flesh in earth ovens lined with Koromiko leaves, and the whale's fat soaked into the leaves, which are said to remain greasy ever since, giving rise to a proverb about the lingering richness of Tutunui.
This passage explains the origin of a Māori proverb linking Koromiko leaves to the whale's fat.
“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;”
When the women spotted whale flesh in Kae's teeth, they pretended to want sleep and dimmed the fire so they could secretly perform enchantments to put everyone to sleep.
This shows the women's cunning use of deception to carry out their plan.