Page:Old Westland (1939).pdf/21

Rh and took it back to Hawaiki, where it was made into pendants and adzes. The latter were used in hewing out the Arawa canoe. By a number of writers Ngahue has been regarded as an historical character, and New Zealand school children are taught to regard him as one of the discoverers of New Zealand.”

The same writer further observes: “Another myth of the greenstone centres round Tama-ahua, whose wives were abducted by Poutini (greenstone). In his pursuit of them Tama was guided by a magic dart which led him to the Arahura River. Here he found his wives Hina-ahuka (syn. kahurangi), Hina-aotea, and Hina-kawakawa. These are all names of varieties of greenstone. S. Percy Smith, in ‘History and Traditions of the Taranaki Coast,’ was puzzled as to the interpretation of Tamaahua’s adventures in Westland, but he concludes a discussion of the point, page 23, as follows: ‘Whatever we may think of the peculiar story of Tama-ahua, and his search for the precious stone, the journey of Tumuaki, on the same errand, is historic, as will be seen.’ Tumuaki went from Taranaki to the Greenstone Country and found a boulder of pounamu. In breaking it up he struck his finger with the hammer. He thoughtlessly put his finger in his mouth, for which impious act he was turned into stone. His wife, Hine-tu-a-hoanga (Lady of the Grindstone, a name which we have already seen in a quite different