Kupe

Kupe

W.A.L.T Write a blog post about Kupe  

Who is Kupe?

Kupe was the great chief of Hawaiki (Tahiti). His father was from Rarotonga and his mother from Rangiatea. These were the three Islands where Kupe's Mana (Power) extended. So here is a little of one of the stories of Kupe.

One day Kupe’s fishermen went out with lines and hooks to their traditional fishing grounds. After a long time without any bites, the fishermen pulled up their lines and discovered that the bait had been taken. They put on fresh bait and lowered their hooks for the second time, but the bait was taken again and again until all of it was gone. They returned to shore and talked to Kupe about their lack of success.

After a time, on another day, the fishermen went out again. The result was the same. Their bait was taken from their hooks, and they returned home without a single fish. The fishermen reported their bad luck again, and much discussion took place as to the cause of it. They finally decided to tell the Priests about the problem. The priests said that if the people planned to go fishing again, the lines and hooks should be blessed.

When morning came, the people decided to go fishing again, so the lines and hooks were brought to the priests, who said the proper prayers (karakia) over them. Then the canoes went out to sea. The fishermen now discovered lots of octopus were taking the bait from their lines. They also saw the great octopus of Muturangi floating on the surface of the sea. They realized Muturangi was causing the trouble and fearing him, they all returned to shore.

I hope you enjoyed reading a little about Kupe. If you want to hear the rest of the story research the story of Kupe and you can read the rest yourself. 😀

By Ariana Burnett