Hotunui, an account in English extracted from 'The Ancient History of the Maori' by John White
The following account in English of the life of Hotunui, ancestor of the Marutūahu peoples, was extracted from The Ancient History of the Maori by John White, Vol IX, Tainui, pp194-203. It is a translation of a Māori language text found in the same book. The Māori text can be read here: Hotunui, an account in Māori taken from 'The Ancient History of the Maori' by John White, Vol IX, Tainui, pp.187-196. The account of Hotu-nui (great sob) only shall be given in this part of this history. Hotu-nui took to wife a woman of the Kawhia tribes, who were descended from people who migrated to New Zealand before those who came in Tai-nui. When his wife expected her first-born he prepared his ground to plant a crop of kumara, but he could not complete his work for want of the kumara-tubers to set in his field. He went to plunder the storehouse of Mahanga, to procure some kumara. The big toe of Hotu-nui's foot was crooked and turned outwards. When Mahanga discov...