This pūrākau1 tells of the Chief Tinirau who avenges the death and slaughter of his pet whale Tutunui. An honoured guest is gifted a taonga2 from the tohorā3, but his greed sees him take much more. It is a tale of treachery, revenge and magic deeds. Many versions are known and told through Aotearoa4 and the Pacific Islands.
Transcript
Tinirau
Wooohooo!
Auē! Tutunui.
Kae
[Blessing in te reo Māori]
Nau mai e tama, kia mihi atu au i haere mai koe i te kunenge mai o te tangata. I roto i te āhuru mōwai. Ka taka te pai o huaki pouri.
Tinirau
Thank you for your blessing, Kae. Please accept this offering from Tutunui in gratitude.
Kae
Mmmm. [Burps] Thank you, Tinirau. Such a beautiful animal, may I ride him home?
Tinirau
I have a waka prepared.
Kae
Tinirau, did I not just bless your son?
[Laughs] Further, further! Don’t stop! I can’t reach the shore from here – further! I still can’t reach the shore. Further!
A gift from Tinirau!
Tinirau
Hmmm.
Hina
Don’t worry my darling. Tutunui will be back soon.
Kae
To Tutunui – Tinirau’s favourite whale.
Tinirau
[Wails in pain]
Hina
We come in peace – we’re here to entertain you.
Man
In that case, you’ll perform in the house of Kae tonight.
Hina
Oh … Tutunui!
Woman One
How will we know which one is Kae?
Hina
He has a large gap between his teeth.
Woman One
I see no one with a gap in their teeth.
Hina
Hmmm.
Woman One
[Squeals]
Men
[Laughing]
Woman Two
Only one man is resisting our magic.
Hina
Kae.
A good trick, Kae.
Kae
Auē! Where am I?
Hina
He will be part of our pātaka forever.
Tinirau
And now, Kae, I must do to you what you did to my friend …
Acknowledgements
Tinirau and the Whale, 2007. © Te Papa
