by David Hair
Piupiu: A flax kilt.
Poai: Boy.
Pohoi: An earring — these might be made of stone, bone, or even cured hides of birds. A pohoi from a rare bird like the huia was highly prized.
Ponaturi: One of the many terms for fairy or goblin in Maori mythology. For the purposes of this story, ‘ponaturi’ denotes pale-skinned, man-like sea-fairies who prowl the coasts, occasionally glimpsed by men.
Pounamu: Greenstone — a jade found in New Zealand, often used for the most precious ornaments.
Rangatira: The chief of a tribe.
Ruanuku: A wizard; as in ‘tohunga ruanuku’.
Ruru: The native New Zealand owl, or morepork.
Taiaha: The traditional Maori long-club. A taiaha looked a little like a spear with a carved point, but this was deceptive. It was not a spear, and never thrown. In fact the ‘point’ was the handle, and the thick haft of the weapon was the striking part. It was used more like a two-handed sword, and had a tradition of fighting moves associated with it. In combat, the pointed end was often used to apply the coup de grâce to a stunned opponent.
Tangata whenua: The People of the Land. The term can take a wide meaning such as all Maori, or a narrower view such as the people of a certain region. It implies a right to dwell upon that land.
Taniwha: A taniwha is generally seen as a protective spirit, associated with (especially) waterways, but also with other natural landmarks like caves and hills. They commonly appear in tales as giant lizard-like creatures, or massive serpents. They are also associated with great white sharks (mako-taniwha). They are sometimes hostile, sometimes protectors of a village or place.
Tapu: Sacred. The term can apply to a place or a person or a thing. To break a tapu — by entering a place without the appropriate ritual actions, for example — was to court misfortune, and to pollute oneself spiritually.
Tikanga Maori: Maori customs.
Tiki (or hei-tiki): A tiki is a carving of a primal human form, usually male. Tiki are worn as a neck pendant, and can be made from wood, bone or stone. They have a great deal of cultural significance and mana, and are often treasured artefacts passed down through the generations.
Tipua: One of the many terms for fairy or goblin in Maori mythology. For the purposes of this story, ‘tipua’ denotes small, wiry, pale-skinned, goblin-like creatures, about a metre tall, with primitive weapons, living in wild places and mostly hostile to men.
Tipuna-tane: Grandfather.
Tohunga: A Maori priest or wise man (they were always male), similar to a druid or shaman. The tohunga preserved tales and legends, genealogies, and were the cultural repositories of their people. They were also looked to for guidance in astrology and as intercessors with the gods, and appear in legends as powerful ‘wizards’ with magical powers, some good and some evil. The term can also cover experts in skilled traditional fields like carving, navigation and canoe-making. The term tohunga makutu denotes a tohunga who uses black magic.
Tuatara: A native lizard-like reptile of New Zealand, typically up to a metre long from head to tail. (They are, in fact, a relic of the dinosaur era.) They are associated with boundaries in folklore, and women were forbidden to eat them. They were held to be found at the boundaries of tapu places.
Turehu: One of the many terms for fairy or goblin in Maori mythology. For the purposes of this story, ‘turehu’ denotes shape-shifting creatures, who appear goblinesque in their natural form. They are mischievous, and might be dangerous if antagonized, but friendly if respected.
Wahine: A woman.
Waiata: A song. Maori was not a written language in pre-European times, so songs and stories were an important part of retaining cultural identity.
Wairau: Spirit. In the context of a ‘tohunga wairau’ it designates one who acts as an intermediary with spirits, and is synonymous with ‘tohunga ruanuku’, except that a tohunga wairau is one who would not use makutu in any form.
Waka: A Maori canoe, generally a large canoe whose hull has been carved from a single tree trunk. Waka ranged in size from small unadorned river and fishing vessels to forty-metre war-canoes used by war-parties for water travel.
Whanau: Family; both immediate and extended family.
Whare: A house. The meeting house at the centre of a marae is generally termed the ‘whare runanga’, and is adorned with traditional carvings at the entrance and inside.
Acknowledgements
Many thanks must go again to my wonderful wife Kerry for reading the manuscript many, many times over! Also a big ‘kia ora’ to Arama for his comments and feedback, which were as always very much appreciated. Thanks also to ‘The Family Stone’ (Kate and Liz) for edits and keeping me on task, and Eva, Bonnie and everyone else at HarperCollins New Zealand for your continued support for, and belief in, this series.
Namaste to all the friends Kerry and I made during our Indian sojourn, especially Mike and Heather, Simon and Bettina, Harshal, Catherine, Melanie, Kelly, Tanuva, Vidhi, Stella and all the fabulous folk at the New Zealand High Commission in Delhi. We miss you all.
This book is dedicated to Hirini Johnston, whose cheerful courage is inspirational to all of us lucky enough to know him.
About the author
David Hair is a New Zealander living once more in Wellington, New Zealand, after nearly four years in India. He is the author of The Bone Tiki (winner of Best First Book at the 2010 NZ Post Children’s Book Awards), and its sequel, The Taniwha’s Tear. David is also the author of the Return of Ravana series, a four-book teen-fantasy set in India. David is married to Kerry, and has two children, Brendan and Melissa. He has a degree in History and Classical Studies, and a passion for football (real football, played eleven-a-side with a round ball).
Copyright
HarperCollinsPublishers
First published 2011
This edition published in 2011
HarperCollinsPublishers (New Zealand) Limited
P.O. Box 1, Auckland 1140
Copyright © David Hair 2011
David Hair asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publishers.
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National Library of New Zealand Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
Hair, David, 1965-
The lost tohunga / David Hair.
Sequel to: The taniwha’s tear.
9781-86950-827-2 (pbk)
978-0-7304-9489-8 (epub)
1. Maori (New Zealand people)—Juvenile fiction.
[1. Maori (New Zealand people)—Fiction. 2. Tohunga—Fiction.
3. Warlocks—Fiction. 4. Good and evil—Fiction. 5. Fantasy.]
[1. Pakiwaitara. reo 2. Tohunga. reo] I. Title.
NZ823.3—dc 22
Cover design by Louise McGeachie
Cover images: Tapotupotu Bay at dawn by Tony Pleavin/ The Travel Library/ Photolibrary.com; Greenstone hand club by Focusnewzealand.com/ Frank Gasteiger, Jade carving by Ross Crump/ JadeGallery.co.nz
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