Minor elements of the Māui story in Aotearoa and Te Waipounamu and their cultural connections to wider Polynesia.

Abstract

This paper examines three minor narrative elements in the story of Māui, the trickster hero, as retold in Aotearoa New Zealand: the defeat of Tuna, games of dexterity and speed, and the invention of rope. These story elements are linked with similar narratives found elsewhere in Polynesia. The paper discusses the key cultural themes in each of these texts. Tuna is the source of eels and plants, in particular the coconut, and a phallic symbol. Māui is associated with various games found throughout Polynesia, notably juggling games including jackstones, as well as string figures and dart-throwing. In East Polynesia Māui is the inventor of rope-making. The paper elaborates on these various cultural practices, such as how the different games were played or how rope was actually manufactured, with a view to demonstrating the complexity of these various skills and techniques linked through Māui the trickster to the very beginnings of the Polynesian world. The paper’s overall intention is to use these minor elements to show the many threads which connect together the peoples and cultures of Te Moana-nui-a-Kiwa (Pacific Ocean).