Construction of The Canoe
Eventually, a large tree was felled and from this the waka which eventually came to be known as Te Arawa was formed. The men who turned this log into a beautifully decorated canoe were Rata, Wahieroa, Ngaahue and Parata. "Hauhau-te-rangi" and "Tuutauru" (made from New Zealand greenstone brought back by Ngaahue) were the adzes they used for this time-consuming and intensive work (Stafford, 1967, p. 5). Upon completion, the waka was given the name Ngaa raakau kotahi puu a Atua Matua (also known as Ngaa raakau maatahi puu a Atua Matua).
The waka was eventually completed and berthed in Whenuakura Bay while Tama-te-kapua, in his capacity as rangatira (chief) of the canoe, set about trying to find a tohunga (priest) for the journey. Ngātoro-i-rangi and his wife Kearoa were tricked by Tama-te-kapua to board the canoe to perform the necessary appeasement incantations to the gods prior to the canoe's departure. However, while they were on board, Tama-te-kapua signalled his men to quickly set sail, and before Ngātoro-i-rangi and his wife could respond they were far out to sea (Stafford, 1967, p. 14).
Read more about this topic: Arawa (canoe)
Famous quotes containing the words construction of the, construction of, construction and/or canoe:
“No real “vital” character in fiction is altogether a conscious construction of the author. On the contrary, it may be a sort of parasitic growth upon the author’s personality, developing by internal necessity as much as by external addition.”
—T.S. (Thomas Stearns)
“There is, I think, no point in the philosophy of progressive education which is sounder than its emphasis upon the importance of the participation of the learner in the formation of the purposes which direct his activities in the learning process, just as there is no defect in traditional education greater than its failure to secure the active cooperation of the pupil in construction of the purposes involved in his studying.”
—John Dewey (1859–1952)
“There’s no art
To find the mind’s construction in the face.”
—William Shakespeare (1564–1616)
“The canoe and yellow birch, beech, maple, and elm are Saxon and Norman, but the spruce and fir, and pines generally, are Indian.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)