Polynesian Mythology · Chapter
The Story of Marutūāhu, the Son of Hotunui, and of Kahureremoa, the Daughter of Paka explained
Hotunui, a chief who arrived on the Tainui canoe, settles at Wakatīwai after being falsely accused of theft.
What happens
Hotunui, a chief who arrived on the Tainui canoe, settles at Wakatīwai after being falsely accused of theft. He leaves his pregnant wife, instructing her to name the child Marutūāhu if a boy. Marutūāhu later journeys to Hauraki to find his father, where he encounters the daughters of Te Whatu. Meanwhile, Kahureremoa, daughter of Paka (Hotunui's second son), travels to Otawa and marries the chief Takakōpiri, becoming an ancestor of the Ngāti Pāoa tribe.
Themes in this chapter
Migration and Discovery
Hotunui's journey from Kāwhia to Hauraki and Marutūāhu's subsequent journey to find his father highlight themes of migration and exploration.
Social Structure and Equality
The story contrasts the status of chiefs and slaves, as seen in the dancing scene and the marriage of Kahureremoa to a high-ranking chief.
Characters to notice
- Hotunui
A chief who arrived on the Tainui canoe, falsely accused of theft, and fled to Hauraki where he fathered Paka.
- Marutūāhu
Son of Hotunui, who journeys to Hauraki to find his father and meets the daughters of Te Whatu.
- Kahureremoa
Daughter of Paka, who travels to Otawa and marries chief Takakōpiri, becoming an ancestor of Ngāti Pāoa.
- Takakōpiri
Chief of the Waitaka tribe at Otawa, who marries Kahureremoa.
- Te Paka
Son of Hotunui and father of Kahureremoa, who sends her to visit Takakōpiri.
Key passages
“Hotunui was one of those chiefs who arrived in New Zealand from a land beyond the ocean. The Tainui was the canoe in which he arrived in these islands.”
Hotunui was a chief who came to New Zealand from across the ocean aboard the Tainui canoe.
Establishes Hotunui's arrival via the Tainui migration.
“The cause which made him come from Kāwhia to Hauraki was a false accusation that was brought against him regarding a storehouse of sweet potatoes belonging to another chief, a friend of his.”
Hotunui left Kāwhia for Hauraki after being wrongly accused of stealing sweet potatoes from a friend's storehouse.
Explains Hotunui's motivation for moving to Hauraki.
“Then Marutūāhu started with his slave, and travelled towards Hauraki, and they carried with them a spear for killing birds; this they took as a means of procuring food on the journey, as they came by way of the wooded mountains where birds are plentiful.”
Marutūāhu set out with his slave, carrying a bird spear to hunt for food as they traveled through forested mountains toward Hauraki.
Describes Marutūāhu's journey and survival methods.
“Before a month had passed she was married to the young chief, and she bore him a daughter, named Tuparshaki, from whom, in eleven generations, or in about 275 years, have sprung all the principal chiefs of the Ngāti Pāoa tribe who are now alive (in 1853).”
Within a month, Kahureremoa married Takakōpiri and gave birth to a daughter, Tuparshaki, whose descendants over eleven generations (about 275 years) became the leading chiefs of the Ngāti Pāoa tribe living in 1853.
Connects the story to the genealogy of the Ngāti Pāoa tribe.