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 “This is the last month of the
year according to what the Maori says. On the nights of Tangaroa (i.e.
19th -21st May in 1922) Matariki (Pleiades star cluster) begins to sink
and when it finally rises up, it is the nights of Tangaroa of Pipiri
(i.e.17th to 19th June in 1922).”
(Paraire M. Tomoana of Ngati Kahungunu, Hastings from Te toa Takitini,
Maori Language Newspaper, 1922).
Matariki is in conjunction with the Sun (behind the Sun) on May 20th.
On and around this date as the evening twilight fades, due west you
will see an upright line of bright stars. This is the pole of
Hine-nui-te-Po, the great goddess of death. It marks the end (death) of
the year.
All crops are now placed in the storage pits; and the tasks of man are finished.
Bird-taking season (May, June) was the busy time among fowlers, was the
next important activity after the lifting and storing of the cultivated
crops. The hunters would begin to evaluate the bird-food supply as
early as March. If there were lots of berries March/April then there
would be a many fat birds by May. As the season progressed the experts
would continue to visit, examine and report on the condition of the
forest fruits, but the bulk of the people were not permitted to do
this. Kahikitea trees were often found in very large, dense stands
while miro, maire were scattered through the forest.
Miro, kahikatea, matai, and rimu are trees on which
taeke, mutu, tumu, tuke and pewa snares were set for kereru
(native pigeon) and tui (parson bird). The tahei (taeke) snares consist of
running-nooses set among the branches of trees or at streams, pools etc
(tahei koko). 
A tree in which such snares are set is called a rakau tahei,
taumatua or toka a manu When feeding on the berries of the kohe or miro
they put on a lot of weight. Miro berries made them so thirsty so that
they headed for the nearest water and could be caught with wai taeke and
weak snares (snares attached to feeding troughs or by water). 
When kereru became fat in the winter season or late autumn it was said
they had become whaturua (Kua whaturua te kereru). Any stream or pool
where birds are snared this way is called a wai tahei.
Mutu, tumu and pewa snares are perch snares and were set in any tree
such as the Miro that has foliage and fruits at the end of the branch.
The tumu had a noose that was pulled by a hidden fowler.
Kereru were speared on kahikatea and maire and miro. Tui were often
snared or struck down when feeding on smaller bushes and shrubs.
Birds were transported to camp in rahu (baskets). The first birds taken
were used as an offering to the mauri (life force) of the forest,
others were set aside for immediate use, but most were preserved. They
were made into huahua manu (birds preserved in their own fat). Huahua
manu was considered a great delicacy.
He huahua te kai, he
wai te kai.
Huahua is the food, water is the food.
This tutu (cooking and potting process) might be performed at or near
the kianga (village), or in the forest far from the kianga. When
Matariki (the Pleiades) rose in the dawn, it signalled the time of ahi
matiti (the fire used to cook the birds). It was also the first of a
series of events that marked the beginning of the Maori New Year.
The plucked, cleaned, boned and spitted birds were attached to a rack
over the fire, the fat being caught in a trough suspended below. When
cooked, the birds were usually packed into taha (special gourd vessels)
and their melted fat was poured over until all air was excluded.
The kiore (native rat) at the same berries as the tui and kereru and
supplemented this with flowers and bark. They were trapped during the
fowling season, being taken with (tawhiti papa) spring traps set on the
main rat tracks (or runs). The kiore was preserved in a similar way to
the birds, being termed huahua kiore.
Glossary
Trees and bushes
Miro Podocarpus ferrugineus, a tree
Kahikatea Podocarpus dacrydioides, a tree
Matai Podocarpus spicatus, a tree
Rimu Dacrydium cupressinum, a tree
Maire Olea spp.
Olea lanceolata, a tree
Olea Cunninghamii, a tree
Tawa Beilsmiedia tawa, a tree
Karaka Corynocarpus laaevigata, a tree
Kohe Dysoxylum specabile, a tree
Birds and rats
Kereru/kuku/kukupa Hemiphaga novae-zelandiae, native
pigeon
Tui/Koko Prosthemadera
novae-zelandiae (sometimes called the parson bird)
Snares and traps
Rakau tahei ] tree in which bird snares are set
Taumatua ]
Toka a manu ]
Wai taeke(tahei) a bird snare set near a pool or stream
Taeke/tahei a snare with a noose
Mutu a perch snare
Tumu a perch snare
Pewa a perch snare with a lure
Tuke a form of pewa snare
Tahei koko taking birds by means of setting snares on branches without
mutu or pewa
Preserving birds and rats
Rahu basket
Huahua manu Birds preserved in their own fat
Huahua kiore Native rats preserved in their own fat
Kianga village
Ahi fire
Ahi matiti Cooking fire used to cook the birds for huahua manu
Tutu The process of preserving birds or rats in their own
fat
Taha vessels used to contain huahua
Taha huahua calabash of huahua
Poha a vessel used to contain huahua that is made from seaweed or rimu
bark
Kiore Mus exulans Polynesian or native rat
Tawhti papa A spring trap or snare used to catch kiore
Associated star names
Orion’s Belt
Te-tuke-o-Tautoru (Williams)
Te tuke o Maui (Taylor; Stowell)
The constellation of Orion, or part of
it
Tuke-a-Maui (Tregear)
Pewa o Tautoru (Stowell)
Aldebaran
Taumata-kuku (Best)
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