. Legends of Ma-ui--a demi god of Polynesia . llow feathers, the oo and the mamo,were a joy to both eye and ear and found high placesin Hawaiian legend and story, and all gave their mostbeautiful feathers for the cloaks and helmets of thechiefs. The Maoris of New Zealand say that Maui could atwill change himself into a bird and with his featheredfriends find a home in leafy shelters. In bird form hevisited the gods of the under-world. His capricioussoul was sensitive to the touch of all that mysteriouslife of nature. With the birds as companions and the winds as hisservants Maui must soon have
. Legends of Ma-ui--a demi god of Polynesia . llow feathers, the oo and the mamo,were a joy to both eye and ear and found high placesin Hawaiian legend and story, and all gave their mostbeautiful feathers for the cloaks and helmets of thechiefs. The Maoris of New Zealand say that Maui could atwill change himself into a bird and with his featheredfriends find a home in leafy shelters. In bird form hevisited the gods of the under-world. His capricioussoul was sensitive to the touch of all that mysteriouslife of nature. With the birds as companions and the winds as hisservants Maui must soon have turned his inventivemind to kite making. The Hawaiian myths are perhaps the only ones ofthe Pacific Ocean which give to any of the gods thepleasure and excitement of kite flying. Maui, afterrepeated experiments, made a large kite for was miuch larger than any house of his time orgeneration. He twisted a long line from the strongfibers of the native plant known as the olona. Heendowed both kite and string with marvelous powers 114. The Home of the Winds, Hilo Coast. and launched the kite up toward the clouds. It rosevery slowly. The winds were not lifting it into thesky. Maui remembered that an old priest lived in Waipiovalley, the largest and finest valley of the large island,Hawaii, on which he made his home. This priest had a covered calabash in which he com-pelled the winds to hide when he did not wish themto play on land and sea. The priests name was Ka-leiioku, and his calabash was known as ipu-makani-a ka maumau, the calabash of the perpetual called for the priest who had charge of thewinds to open his calabash and let them come up toHilo and blow along the Wailuku river. The natives saythat the place where Maui stood was marked by thepressure of his feet in the lava rocks of the river bankas he braced himself to hold the kite against the in-creasing force of the winds which pushed it towardsthe sky. Then the enthusiasm of kite flying filled hisyout
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1910, bookidlegendsofmau, bookyear1910
