Maui is a trickster hero of the Maoris, the native islanders of New Zealand. Youngest of five brothers, his birth itself was a miracle. He went on to have many adventures...
Maui was the fifth child of his mother Taranga. But he was born so prematurely and half-formed that his mother thought him dead, wrapped him in a tuft of hair and threw him into the sea.
Entangled in sea weed, the baby floated along in the water. The kind sea god Tangaroa saw the unfortunate baby, nursed him and brought him up. When he grew up and found out how he came to be, he decided to seek out his family.
Maui made his way to the shore where great celebrations were on, with dancing and music. He saw his four brothers and his mother there. Hiding behind his brothers, he followed them home.
Every night, Taranga would count her sons before they went to bed. So she began counting as usual. “One, Maui mua, two Maui roto, three Maui taha, four Maui pae… ” That can be translated as Maui first, Maui middle, Maui side and Maui edge.
“And who are you? Why are you here?” she asked the small boy remaining. “I’m your son too,” he said hoping she’d recognise him. But the woman chased him out. “Get out of my house! I know of no other child that is mine!” “But I’m your fifth child,” said the boy. “You wrapped me in a tuft of hair and threw me into the sea, remember? After that, the sea weeds took care of me. Father Tangaroa nursed me back to health and brought me up. And now I’ve returned to you.”
Taranga was amazed. She remembered that she had indeed thrown away that half-formed child. And now he was back as if by magic. “Yes, I remember,” she said slowly. “The child I abandoned in a tuft of hair. You’re my boy too — and you shall be Maui tikitiki a Taranga, Maui born of Taranga’s topknot.” Embracing him warmly, she made him sleep on her bed that night, all wrapped up in blankets. His brothers didn’t like it of course, but did not dare say anything.
“There’s no point fighting. You know what happened to the children of the great gods Rangi and Papa who once talked of even killing their parents. Let’s accept him for he has powers for sure.” said Maui mua, the eldest. His siblings agreed. And that was how Maui tikitiki began to live with his family. Maui would perform many magic tricks. He could turn himself into all kinds of birds that lived in the forest, much to the amusement of his brothers.
One day he heard his mother complain that the bark skin they wore had not dried yet because the day had been too short. Yes, the day was short because the sun raced across the sky to the west and night fall was quick. Just as the evening meal was cooked and the brothers sat to eat, it was dark. “How can I eat my food in the dark?” scowled Maui.
“What can we do, little brother? The sun sets fast and we can’t finish the day’s chores before that,” his oldest brother said, patting him on the head.
“Well, in that case we have to slow him down. Let’s trap him first!”
Maui’s brothers looked at each other and then agreed for they knew he would have a plan.
“Let’s get some flax to make ropes first,” he told his brothers. After they had gathered some, he taught them to braid the flax into ropes. It took them five days to make the ropes. Then Maui chanted some magic words over them. Taking an enchanted jaw bone that belonged to their ancestor and the flax ropes, Maui and his brothers set off eastward, where the sun began his morning journey.
It took them many days to reach the east. They travelled by night, lest the sun saw them during the day. Maui told his brothers to collect water in calabashes. On the twelfth night, they reached the east end, where there was a red hot pit, inside which the sun lay fast asleep. It was like a furnace as the hot rays of the sun burnt everything around it. Maui wet the earth around the pit with the water they’d brought along. Then they built a mud wall around it and hid behind the wall.
“Make a noose with the rope. When the sun rises in the morning, his head and shoulders will be caught in it.”
“Is this such a good idea? What if the sun catches us? We’ll be scorched to death!” said two of the brothers, who were beginning to get scared.
“Don’t be foolish! If you run now, he’ll see you as soon as he’s up and that will be the end of your story. Now go hide behind the wall and pull the rope as he rises!” Maui sounded so confident that his brothers obeyed.
At dawn, the sun began to rise from his pit. As he came out, head and shoulders first, they slipped into the noose above. “Pull now!” shouted Maui, and his brothers pulled as he kept chanting some magic words.
As the sun rose over the pit, he saw Maui standing there and angrily threw fireballs at him. But Maui ducked and kept chanting, while tightening the noose. The sun realised that he was trapped and tried to break free. At that point, Maui took the enchanted jaw bone and began to hit the sun with it.
“Aw, don’t hit me!” cried the sun but Maui continued to beat him until he was really weak and feeble.
“Please let me go, boy! What is it that you want from me?” he asked.
“Don’t rush through the day like you do. We have no time to finish our chores!’’ shouted Maui.
“All right, I will slow down. In any case, I can’t go fast after the thrashing you’ve given me,” said the sun weakly.
Maui and his brothers released him from the noose. From that day on, the sun travelled across the sky slowly and everybody could finish all their work in the course of the day.