A Moriori Tale: Ko Tahopuni rauu Ko Paonga

Middleton, John (2024) A Moriori Tale: Ko Tahopuni rauu Ko Paonga. Waka Kuaka: The Journal of the Polynesian Society, 133 (2). pp. 217-238. ISSN 2816-1599

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Abstract

The Moriori language has no native speakers, so any historical data from the language is invaluable. This paper presents an unpublished Moriori manuscript, with a new morpheme-for-morpheme gloss. The manuscript, Ko Tahopuni rauu Ko Paonga, is an eight-page handwritten document detailing the story of Tahopuni and his son Paonga, who invade the land of the monster Tchurawhateitei and eventually kill her. The manuscript was seemingly intended for the Journal of the Polynesian Society, where Shand’s other narratives were published (1894–1898), but it was not included among those. Unlike the original, this paper unites the Moriori and English translations so that it may be read line for line. This paper therefore presents historical
Moriori language data in a modern arrangement.

Item Type:	Journal Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Moriori Moriori language legend myth Polynesian narratives Alexander Shand MS-Papers-1187-139
Subjects:	P Language and Literature > PL Languages and literatures of Eastern Asia, Africa, Oceania
Divisions:	School of Pacific Arts, Communication and Education (SPACE)
Depositing User:	John Middleton
Date Deposited:	03 Jun 2025 04:16
Last Modified:	03 Jun 2025 04:16
URI:	https://repository.usp.ac.fj/id/eprint/14957

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