My Maui Story
One evening after eating a very nice meal Maui lay beside his fire staring into the flames. He watched the flames and danced and thought to himself I wonder where fire comes from.
Maui, being the mysterious person that he was. He decided that he needed to find out. In the middle of the night while everyone was sleeping Maui went to each village and put out all the fires until not a single fire burned in each village. He then went back to his home and the rested.
The next morning Maui heard somethings.
How can we cook our breakfast, there's no fire!. Called a worried mother.
How will we keep warm at night? Cried another worried mother.
We can't possibly live without fire! The villagers said to one another.
The people of the village were very frightened. They asked Taranga, who was their rangatira to help solve the problem.
Someone will have to go and see the great goddess Mahuika, and ask her for fire, said Taranga.
None of the villagers were eager to meet Mahuika, they had all heard of the scorching mountain where she lived. So Maui offered to set out in search of Mahuika, secretly glad that his plan had worked.
Be very careful, said Taranga. Although you are a child of Mahuika she will not talk kindly to you if you try and trick her.
I'll find the great Mahuika and bring fire back to the world, Maui assured his mother.
Maui walked to the scorching mountain to the end of the earth following the instructions from his mother and found a huge mountain glowing red hot with heat.
At the base of the mountain Maui saw a cave entrance. Before he entered, Maui said a special karakia to himself as protection from what lay beyond.
But nothing could prepare Maui for what he saw when he entered the sacred mountain of Mahuika.
Mahuika, the goddess, rose up before him, fire burning from every pore of her body, her hair a mass of flames, her arms stretched out and with only black holes where her eyes once were. She sniffed the air. She said who is this person that dares to enter my cave?
Maui gathered the courage to speak, It is me Maui the son of Taranga.
Huh, yelled Mahuika. Maui, the son of Taranga?
Yes the last born, Maui tikitiki.
Well then, Māui tikitiki welcome, welcome to the essence of the flame, welcome my grandchild.
Mahuika stepped closer to Maui, taking a deep sniff of his scent. Maui stood completely still even though the flames from Mahuikas skin. They were unbearably hot.
So Maui why do you come, Maui tikitiki ? Mahuika finally asked.
Maui said, The fires of the world have been out, I have come to ask you for fire. Mahuika listened carefully to Maui, and then she laughed. She pulled a fingernail from one of her burning fingers and gave it to him.
Take this fire as a gift to your people. Honour this fire as you honour me.
So Maui left the house of Mahuika taking with him the fingernail of fire.
As Maui walked along the side of the road he thought to himself, what if Mahuika had no fire left, then where would she get her fire from?
Maui couldn't contain his curiosity. He quickly threw the fingernail into a stream and headed back to Mahuika's cave.
I tripped and fell said Māui. Could I please have another?
Mahuika was in a good mood.
She hadn't spoken to someone in quite some time and she liked Maui. She gladly gave Maui another fingernail.
But Maui soon extinguished this fingernail as well and returned to Mahuika with another excuse.
A fish splashed my flame as I was crossing the river,Maui said.
Mahuika provided another of her fingernail not thinking that she was being tricked.
This continued for most of the day until Mahuika had used all her fingernail and had even given up her toenail. When Maui returned to ask for another, Mahuika was furious. She knew Maui had been tricking her and threw the burning toenail to the ground.
Instantly Maui was surrounded by fire in the cave.
Maui changed himself into a fast bird and escaped to the sky, but the flames burned so high that they signed the underside of the birds wings.
Maui dived towards a river, hoping to avoid the flames in the coolness of the water but the all the toenails and fingernails that he had put into the river made the river heat up and the water was boiling.
Maui was desperate. He called on his ancestor for help.
Then, a mass of clouds gathered and a torrent of rain fell to put out the many fires. Mahuika's mountain of fire no longer burned hot.
Mahuika had lost much of her power, but still she was not giving up. She took her very last toenail and threw it at Maui in lots of anger. The toenail of fire missed Maui and flew into the trees, planting itself in a tree. The trees cherished and held onto the fire of Mahuika, considering it a great gift.
When Maui returned to his village he didn't bring back fire as the villagers had expected. Instead he brought back dry wood from trees. The villagers were very happy that they have some dry wood to make the village warm and also they had enough dry wood for fires so they can cook. The villagers were very happy to be able to cook their food once more and to have the warmth of their fires at night to comfort them.
Maui was satisfied his curiosity in finding the origin of fire although he very nearly paid the ultimate price in doing that.
The villages and also Maui lived happily ever after.
