Matariki by Reuben

Matariki

In an ancient Kauri forest, as old as time, there lived three brothers. One was in early manhood, one was nearly there, and the other was barely a child. One gloomy day, the eager brothers set off hunting for moa. Just as a moa came into their sight they noticed seven flourishing fantails in front of the moa. The seven birds swished past the moa, causing the leaves to flutter and obscuring the brother’s view of the moa.

Every day the fantails would divert the hunters from completing the hunt of killing the moa.

The moa and the fantails became great friends and were always playing around and fooling the hunters. Back at the village the oldest of the brothers, Tane Mahuta, was getting frustrated and decided to come up with plan. With determination and eagerness he started to construct the equipment needed to carry out the plan.

Back in the tree tops of the kauri tree a mother fantail with feathers like silk was warning her children, “Children, do not go out tonight for the hunters will be back with woven nets of magic and wisdom of the gods, they will be waiting for you.” Six of the children answered straight away apart from the oldest, his name was Matariki, with a beak as long and sharp as a spear tip and feathers the colour of a dying pohutukawa, he answered swiftly after while, staring at something to the left of him like he wasn’t paying attention.

Later when the misty day became a mysterious night the Tane Mahuta set out to hunt the seven graceful fantails. When he found the moa in its pile of leaves Matariki was first to see Tane Mahuta getting ready to spear a moa, but what Tane was really doing was trying to get the fantail down there so he could trap them in the magic woven net that he created. Matariki was luckily very persuasive and got all of his brothers to join him to save the moa but as they swooped down they realized that Tane Mahuta had taken all the leaves away so they couldn’t hide the moa. So the fantail had to get leaves from the tree which Tane knew take some time. Then as soon as the leaves started to fall and the birds couldn’t see Tane he casted the net on the seven foolish birds. Tane then grabbed the net and casted them into the sky and they became one with the stars. He named them Matariki. All seven stars are there today.

By Reuben