At the gateways of the day

Introduction xiii The Boy Pu-nia and the King of the Sharks 1 The Seven Great Deeds of Ma-ui 7 How Ma-ui won a place for himself in the House 7 How Ma-ui lifted up the Sky 10 Ho...

Mr. Rice’s theory as to the origin of these legends is based on the fact that in the old days, before the discovery of the Islands by Captain Cook, there were bards and story-te...

Then Ma-ui made for himself another kite. He flew it, and rejoiced in the flying of it, and all who saw him wondered at how high his kite went and how gracefully it bore itself...

He went to the banana stumps and rubbed them together. But still no fire came. Then he gave the bird a squeeze that brought her near her death. She showed him then the trees to...

Soon afterwards they came in sight of land; Au-ke-le knew that this was the country that his mo-o grandmother had told him about. And, remembering what he had been told about th...

It floated the steadiest of all the boards. It floated in one place without being carried down the rapids. The crowd shouted for Pi-ko-i. Then the other boys got jealous of him;...

He was not able to have Paka killed, and he had to give him whatever Paka chose to ask for. And Paka asked for the Princess Mako-lea who had been stolen away from him. He asked...

He was to take the morning-glory vines, and he was to make out of them the longest ropes that had ever been made. And to each of the long ropes he was to fix the cross-piece of...

Ai-ai came back to his wife without any aku for her. Again she was sick, and she begged Ai-ai again to get her the aku fish. “It may be,” he said, “that the King has another pea...

The King would not have Mo-hi-ki-a stay behind. “We start on our journey to-morrow night,” he said. “All the Me-ne-hu-ne will leave the Islands, and the crop that is now grown w...

Mo-e Mo-e heard no more of the story then. He stood up. The two who were guarding him were so startled that they did not lay hands on him. He took up the spear that was between...

Then Ka-le-lea was sent for. He came, and he saw all the people gathered before the King’s house. He saw Ke-ino there in great state, with a bright feather cape on his shoulders...

The story of Au-ke-le is mythical: it is a story about the Polynesian gods. Au-ke-le and his brothers go from one land of the gods to another. The “Magic” that he carries in his...