Matatoa's page

"Listen children let and the watchers watch. As you hear our tale. In the beginning. The People were big and strong. We called ourselves the Koka. We were masters of the land and the sweet waters. In this time all was at balance. Our cousins the Mango. Lived in the Salt water. Each stayed to his place. But our cousins grew jealous. The salt water had poisoned there minds. We had seen it among our own kind. When they would drink the salt water. How much worse for those who live in it.

One day the chief of the Mango. Grew hungry. Nothing could satisfy his hunger. He ate the great fish, that come to the surface to breath. He ate the small fish, that hid in the shallow waters. He ate the birds, that swim through the air. The more he ate the bigger his mouth got. The sharper his teeth got. Still he was hungry. Soon all the Mango got the Hunger. Nothing in the salt water could satisfy it. Their hunters started to come into the sweet water. The Koka called upon their cousins. "Cousins why do you take our prey?" The Mango responded. We are hungry. Nothing in the salt water satisfies us. We hunger all the time" The Koka were sadden by this. They brought them Beasts from the land and trees. Fruits and tubers. Hoping that something would cure the hunger. But nothing worked it only made them Hungrier. Then one moonless night. The Hungry mouths came and demanded all we had. The Koka had nothing left to give. Without starving themselves. The elders seeing that the Mango were no more. That all that remained was the Hunger. Quickly sent the young into the trees to hide.

The Hungry mouths grew angry. Demanding all that the Koka had. The Koka chief. Told the Hungry mouths chief. To leave and never to enter the sweet waters or the land again. The Hungry mouths chief. Could not contain his hunger anymore. He bit the hand of the Koka chief off. The Koka were outnumbered and surrounded. The Hungry mouths killed and ate the Koka. Only this satisfied the Hunger. The Hungry mouths being full. For the first time. Went back to the Salt water.

They would come to the land. When the salt water was highest. Looking for any Koka to survive. This happened for many generations beyond counting. We the Rakau. Would hide in trees. When one of our number grew to old to climb. Or grew into a Koka. We would send them to the salt water. To satisfy the Hungry mouths. Soon no more Koka were born. Only the Rakau remained.

Then when my father was a warrior of the Rakau. An I was but a hatchling. A great storm came upon the land. The elders said it was the fury of mother wind and father water. They were angry at the Hungry mouths. The elders heard in the thunder. That they had sent a son. To punish. The Hungry mouths for what they had become. We waited many moons. Never did we see the son. We almost gave up hope. Thinking that the Hungry mouths ate him. But one day a war party of Koka came from another island. They were being lead by a warrior with pink skin. Who wore the skin of a great turtle. We, fearing that so large a group of Koka. Would bring the Hungry mouths. Hid in the trees and shadow. When the Hungry mouths came. The Koka and the pink skin fought. They won, killing all the Hungry mouths. Seeing this we were happy, but still afraid. We decided to help. from the trees and the shadows. When the Hungry mouths tried to sneak up on the son. The next night. We woke them with whistling arrows. When they tried to spy on them we would sting them. With our hunting arrows. Till they bleed to death. When the son and the Koka could not find sweet water or food. We would leave it in their camp at night." Soon the Hungry mouths came no more. They learned to fear the land and the sweet water. But we know they would be back. We hear the pink skins talking. They say that evil unexplained things are happening. We know it is the Hungry mouths. So does the son. He has sent out a call. For the bravest and stongest. To form a new war party. We the Rakau. Hear his call. Thou he does not know it. Our bravest Matatoa. Will sneak aboard one of the pink skins big canoes. Go to the Village of the son. An fight beside him."