Connor Donaldson -
Long ago, there lived a boy named Hatupatu. He was camping with his older brothers, both skilled hunters. Each morning they would set out to hunt, leaving Hatupatu to guard the pātaka (perched storehouse). In the pātaka, the brothers kept all the food they had accumulated.
One day, after his brothers had left, Hatupatu was overcome with hunger. Unable to wait for their return, he climbed into the pātaka and stuffed himself with all the food inside. When his brothers came back, they were furious. Enraged, the brothers chased Hatupatu into the forest where he quickly became lost.
Suddenly something moved in the foliage before him, startling him. He struck out with his taiaha (spear), but what he hit was no bird. At least, not as he knew them. What emerged, would have been a woman if not for the wings on her arms, talons at her fingernails and long beak where her mouth should have been. She was the Kurangaituku (Birdwoman).
Infuriated, the Birdwoman ushered a terrifying shriek, snatched up Hatupatu and took off with him to her dwelling, a cave filled with all kinds of little birds and lizards. Also inside, were three enchantingly beautiful kahu huruhuru (feather cloaks), each with its own unique pattern. Cloaks like these were great taonga (treasures) and Hatupatu imagined how majestic he would look in them.
Each day the Birdwoman left to hunt for food, threatening Hatupatu that if ever he ran away her pets would tell her and she would find him. Nevertheless, Hatupatu longed to return back to his brothers. One day, while the Birdwoman was out hunting, he killed each of her pets with his spear, grabbed up all three cloaks and ran for his life. He did not get far, however, before he noticed a fearsome shadow overhead.
In his desperation, Hatupatu had missed the smallest of the Birdwoman’s pets, a riroriro (grey warbler). Having escaped, the little bird had flown swiftly to the Birdwoman to tell her how Hatupatu had destroyed her home. Now, the Birdwoman had found him and was quickly bearing down.
With nowhere to run, Hatupatu fell to his knees and called out to the rock in front of him for some miracle to save him. By some strange magic, an opening appeared in the rock and Hatupatu rushed inside. The rock closed itself around him. He waited sitting in silence until he could no longer hear the Birdwoman’s claws scratching at the surface. Finally, in the dead of night when all was silent, he slipped out and ran again.
Although, before long he heard screeches overhead The Birdwoman had found him once again. Luckily for Hatupatu, he had made it to the waiariki (hot pools) he had grown up around. He knew them like the back of his hand and this time when the Birdwoman dived for him, he jumped nimbly out of the way, leaving her to plunge headfirst into the scalding water. A bloodcurdling scream rang out and from that day the Birdwoman was never seen again.
In the morning, his brothers found Hatupatu sound asleep, back in his bed at the camp. They forgave him for his previous misdeeds, in part, because of the two splendorous cloaks he had laid out for each of them.
DISCLAIMER: Multiple variations of Māori myths exist. The sources used are based on different Māori retellings. Writing and editing were undertaken by non-Māori and reflect the version the author was most familiar with.
Bibliography:
Te Papa Tongarewa. (Unknown). Kahu huruhuru style of cloak. Retrieved from https://collections.tepapa.govt.nz/topic/3633.
Te Arawa Stories. (Unknown). Hatupatu and Kurangitaku. Retrieved from https://gtas.nz/hatupatu-and-kurangaituku.
Rotorua Museum. (2019). Hatupatu and Kurungaituku the Birdwoman. Retrieved from https://www.rotoruamuseum.co.nz/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Legend-Hatupatu-and-Kurungaituku.pdf.
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