"Maui and Tuna

Here in the Tuamotu we tell of the rivalry of Maui and the eel-god known as Tuna. These two compared their force for Hina's sake, and Maui won. Afterwards, seeing grey hairs on his mother's head, Maui wished to conquer death; but men cannot do this.

Hina was living with Tuna in his land beneath the sea; but she became tired of her eel-husband, also of the coldness there. One day she said to eel Tuna that she was going out to fetch food for them. Then she travelled far away, to find a new man for herself. She came to the land of the Tane tribe. When she saw those husband-people Hina sang her chant about what she wanted:

Inland eel here - manly thing! / Eel of the sea there - watery thing! / I here am a woman for the eel-shaped one, / I have come to find him at Raronuku, / I have come to find him at Raro vaio. / Your fame, O Tane tribe, is known to me!

But the men of the Ngati Tane, Husband-tribe, all shouted to that woman who invited them, 'There is the road! Keep going on! We will never take Tuna's woman - he would kill us in a day!' Therefore Hina went on to the land of the Ngati Peka, and she sang her chant to them. But the men of that tribe answered in the same words as the Tane men. Therefore Hina went on until she reached the Tu tribe's land. They would not have her there; no man-erect of Tu would take her, Tuna's woman.

Then Hina passed the house of Huahega, sang her chant. And Huahega said to her last-born son, to Maui tikitiki a Ataraga: 'Take that woman for your wife.' Therefore Maui did so, and they all lived quietly together there. After a time the people of Tuna's land told Tuna: 'Your woman has been carried off by Maui.' Tuna replied. 'Oh! - let him have that woman to lie on!' But they kept on going to him, always telling him, 'Your woman is taken by Maui.' Therefore Tuna grew angry, and he said, 'What sort of man is this Maui tikitiki?'

'He is a small man, and the end of his ure is bent.' Said Tuna, 'Then just let him see this dirty cloth between my legs, and he'll be showing us his heels.' Then Tuna said, 'Go and tell this Maui that I am coming to have it out with him.' Then Tuna sang his song of lamenting for Hina:

First voice: Kua riro! Stolen from me! Second voice: Grieving for the wife is the heart. Chorus: Kua riro! Stolen from him! / The winds have brought the word / That she is taken. Now we go - First voice: We leave for Vavau, land of speeding wave / To see the loved one - Second voice: - Kua riro! / The wailing winds lament it! / Grieving love!

Then the people told Maui that Tuna was coming to have it out with him. 'Just let him come!' said Maui. But they continually told him of Tuna's threats; therefore he asked them, 'What sort of ure is this Tuna?' 'Aue! He is huge! He's as big as a whale's!' 'Like a standing palm-tree?'

They lying answered, 'Like a leaning one!' 'He is weak and bending?' 'Always drooping.' 'Then just let him see the crooked end of mine and he'll go flying for his life!' said Maui. Maui waited with his family, he dwelt there quietly in that place. One day the sky grew dark and thunder rolled, the lightning flashed. All the people, knowing this was Tuna, were afraid, their skin was trembling, and they cried out blaming Maui: 'This is the first time that one man has stolen the woman of another man! We will all die!' But Maui said to them, 'Just keep together. We will not be killed.'

On came the monsters, came Pupa vae noa, and Poroporo tu a huanga, Toke a kura, and Tuna nui himself - they all came rushing on the land. And Tuna stripped off his loincloth, and he held it up; at once a mighty wave reared up and swept toward that land. Then Huahega shouted to her son, to Maui tikitiki, 'Quick now! Show them yours! Pull it out!'

Did Maui then as Huahega told him, did as his mother said. That wave fell back, the great wave of the monsters soaked away. The bottom of the sea was bare, and all the monsters floundered on the reef, they flapped in pools. And Maui went out, he went with his weapon and he beat them dead, each one. He killed them all, excepting Tuna. Then Tuna went to Maui's house with him and they two lived together quietly. One day Tuna said: 'We two are to fight this out. When one of us is dead, the other can have the woman.'

Said Maui, 'What kind of combat do you wish?' Said Tuna, 'One of us enters into the body of the other, goes completely in. When it is over I will kill you, and take the woman back to my land.' So Maui agreed, and Tuna said, 'I will try it first.' He began his chanting:

Hiki tautau orea, / Tautau orea, / He tangata nui i whano mai / I tena motu ra ... It is I, Tuna, / That now enters your body, O Maui!

With this word Tuna went completely into Maui's body, he went through the place for entering and disappeared. After a while he came out again. Said Maui, 'Now it is my turn,' and he spoke a chant like that which Tuna said: Ko vau, ko Maui, e tomo ki roto / I ia a u, e Te Tuna! With this word Maui entered into Tuna's body, and all of Tuna's sinews came apart, he died.

Maui came out again; he cut off Tuna's head to take it to his ancestor. But Huahega his mother took it from him and she said: 'You must bury this head of Tuna beside the post in the corner of our house.' Maui did so, and that head grew up, it sprouted, it became a coconut tree. On the nut which is its fruit we see the face of Tuna, eyes and mouth. All coconuts have this ..." (Legends of the South Seas)