Rapa Nui Corpus

Home

Texts

Search

List of texts

The Fight with Oroi

Alfred Métraux 1940 Ethnology of Easter Island, Bernice P. Bishop Museum bulletin, 160, Honolulu, p. 65-67

1Ko Oroi he piko mai i runga i te vaka o Tuu-ko-ihu, i oho mai ai mai hiva mai Marae-rengaOroi concealed himself in the boat of Tuu-ko-ihu, when he came from abroad from Marae-renga
2He piko mai Oroi i raro i te vaka o Tuu-ko-ihuOroi was hidden in the interior of the boat of Tuu-ko-ihu
3He oho mai tau vaka era, he tomo ki uta ki Hanga-o-hioThis boat arrived, it landed at Hanga-o-hio
4He oho mai te tangata, he marereThe people came [ashore], they scattered
5He oho ki uta i te po, i piko mai nei OroiOroi went ashore at night, hiding
6He tomo rua ki uta, he noho i uta neiHe also landed on the shore, he stayed ashore
7Ku tomo takoa ana te vaka o Hotu-matuaThe canoe of Hotu-matua had landed also
8He tomo ana, he poreko ana ko Tuu-ma-heke te poki, i poreko a Hotu-matua i te kainga nei ko te Pito-o-te-henuaWhen he landed, the child Tuu-ma-heke was born to Hotu-matua in the land [called] the Navel-of-the-land
9He poreko rua hoki te poki a Tuu-ko-ihu, ariki tamahahine ko Ava-reipua te ariki a Tuu-ko-ihu, o toona vakaA child was also born to Tuu-ko-ihu, the chiefess Ava-reipua of the chief Tuu-ko-ihu, on his canoe
10He noho te tangataThe people settled down
11He oho atu Tuu-ko-ihu, he hakahiti i te ata o te ariki o Tuu-ma-hekeTuu-ko-ihu went, he made magic for the chief Tuu-ma-heke
12He oho a Tuu-ko-ihu ki te pito nanangi o te ariki o Tuu-ma-hekeTuu-ko-ihu came to bite the navel cord of the chief Tuu-ma-heke
13He oti te nanangi e Tuu-ko-ihu, he hoki, he nanangi i te pito o taana ariki tamahahine ko Ava-reipuaTuu-ko-ihu finished the cutting, he returned, he bit the navel cord of his chiefess Ava-reipua
14He oti te nanangi, he rotuWhen the cutting was finished, there was a gathering
15He hue te tangata a Hotu-matua, te tangata a Tuu-ko-ihuThe people of Hotu-matua joined those of Tuu-ko-ihu
16Ai ka noho a Oroi, kai tikeaOroi stayed, he was not seen
17He porekoreko hakahou te poki o Hotu-matua, he nunuiAgain children were born to Hotu-matua, they grew up
18He turu te nga poki a Hotu-matua, he hohopu i te kona ko Roto-kahi ira te kona hohopu o tau nga poki era a Hotu-matuaThe children of Hotu-matua went down [to the shore], they bathed at a place called Roto-kahi, that was the bathing place of those children of Hotu-matua
19He tomo ki uta, he momoe te nga pokiThey went ashore, they lay down the children
20He vai i te tuaivi ki te ra, he haka mahana i te tuaivi ki te raaThey turned their backs to the sun, to warm their backs in the sun
21He noho era i te ra ananakeThey used to stay there every day
22Ka ui no mai a OroiOroi was watching them
23He tuu ki tetahi ra, he oho mai a Oroi, he piko atu i utaOne day, Oroi came, he concealed himself near the beach
24He hohopu no ana tau nga poki era a Hotu-matua e onoBathing were those children of Hotu-matua, six in number
25He totomo ki uta mai te hopu-hangaThey came back to shore after the bathing
26He vai i te tuaivi ki te raaThey presented their backs to the sun
27He hauru tau nga poki era, ku ngaroa ana te mahanaThey fell asleep [when] they felt the warmth
28Ku rerehu ana, i te vai kava oira i hauru aiThey were drowsy, [and] because of the salt water, they fell asleep
29He oho atu Oroi, e too mai i te vaero ura, he haka uru i roto ki te kauhaOroi came, holding the tail of a crayfish which he introduced into the anus
30He kume mai i te kokoma ki haho o te nga pokiHe pulled out the intestines of the children
31A ono nga poki he mamateAll six children died
32He po aika ui no mai Hotu-matua ki te maea o Roto-kani-pahenga poki oonga eraAt evening Hotu-matua was looking at the rocks of Roto-kahi-pahenga, [believing] they were his sons emerging from the water
33He oho mai Hotu-matuaHotu-matua came,
34He ui ika tuu atu neihe saw the bodies there
35Ku mamate ana tau nga poki era i haho te kokomaThe children were dead with their intestines outside,
36Ananake nga poki i haho te kokomaall the children had the intestines outside
37He ui Hotu-matua a Oroi tau anga era kokoma kumekume era ki hahoHotu-matua recognized the work of Oroi in this pulling out of the intestines
38Kai maa Hotu-matua ia OroiHotu-matua did not know that Oroi [was here]
39He manau era Hotu-matua i hiva ana i Marae-renga a Oroi, ika ui atu Hotu-matua ko tau anga era kumekume kokoma era a Oroi i hiva i Marae-rengaHotu-matua thought Oroi was far away in Marae-renga, but he had seen Oroi pulling out intestines in a distant land in Marae-renga
40He ki Hotu-matua hokotahi no, e ki era:Hotu-matua said to himself, he said:
41Tute nui no mai te taua ia koe, e Oroi e, mai hiva, mai te kaingaYou are going on with our fight, O Oroi, from abroad to here
42He tangi mo taana nga poki, ku mamate anaHe cried for his children who were dead
43He tere mai Oroi, he noho, he piko i Hanga-o-honuOroi ran away and stayed concealed in Hanga-o-honu
44He tuu ki toona tau;One year passed;
45he oho mai era te ariki ko Hotu-matua, he rarama erathe king, Hotu-matua, went on an inspection tour
46E ui era i te tangata i te hare koro, i te paina, i te hare hakama rongorongo, i te hare hakama tau, i te hare hakama kohau o te tangata mate, i te hare hakama o te ranga, ki te hare kohau kiri tuku ki te atua kia Rarai-a-hovaHe saw the people in the koro houses, at the paina feasts, at the houses where they taught the rongorongo, at the houses where they studied the calculation signs, at the houses with the sticks [records] of the dead people, at the houses where they studied the tablet for making prisoners, at the houses for prayers dedicated to the god, Rarai-a-hova
47He ui mai era te mata o Oroi ki te ariki kia Hotu-matua ka vari ro ahaha aro o te henuaOroi saw the king, Hotu-matua, going to the four parts of the land
48He ui era Hotu-matua raua ko Tuu-ko-ihuHe saw that Hotu-matua was with Tuu-ko-ihu
49He hiri Oroi i te taura kumi mo te ika ko te arikiOroi twisted a long rope to capture the person of the king
50He tuu ki tona ra, he too a Oroi, he oho i te pu o te taura hiri era, he haka pu i vaenga o te ara, he pua hai hatuoi maukuOne day Oroi took with him his rope in which he had made a noose, he put the noose in the middle of a path, covered it with soil and grass
51He pu mai a Hotu-matua, he ui Oroi kia Hotu-matuaHotu-matua came along, Oroi saw Hotu-matu
52He ki Oroi i roto ia ia ana:Oroi said within himself:
53He mate koe ia auYou will be killed by me
54He oho mai Hotu-matuaHotu-matua came
55He tike ra e Hotu-matua tau me puapua era hai hatuoi maukuHotu-matua saw the thing covered with soil and grass
56Ku maa ana te ariki a Hotu-matua, he oho koroiti maiHotu-matua knew what it was and walked very slowly
57He rei i te tapa o te taura a Oroi, i rei eraHe stepped beside the rope of Oroi, he stepped there
58He ka riti e Oroi i te taura, ina kai hiohio te vae o Hotu-matuaOroi pulled the rope with force, but the foot of Hotu-matua was not taken in it
59He ki hoko-tahino te ariki a Hotu-matua:The king, Hotu-matua said to himself:
60He mate a koe ia au i tona raaYou will be killed by me some day
61He oho Hotu-matua, he tu ki Ruahaua, ki OrohieHotu-matua went on, he arrived at Rua-haua, at Orohie
62He ui ana i te tangata ki Hanga-te-tenga, he hoki maiHe visited the people at Hanga-te-tenga, [and] he came back
63Ku haka pu ana Oroi i te taura mai roto mai toona hare ana, i haka pu, i oho ro mai ai te roaroa o te tauraMeanwhile, Oroi had made a noose in his rope in the interior of his house, he made the noose, the rope extended a long way
64He haka pu i te ara mo te ariki ko Hotu-matuaThe noose was in the path of the king, Hotu-matua
65He pu hakahou mai o Hotu-matuaHotu-matua came by again
66He tuu ki runga ki tau taura era a OroiHe arrived where Oroi's rope was
67He ui Hotu-matua i tau taura eraHotu-matua noticed the rope there
68He oho te vae o Hotu-matua, he eke, he reiHotu-matua's foot moved, he lifted it, and stepped on the rope
69He haro Oroi, he hinga, he haka hinga Hotu-matuaOroi pulled, he fell, Hotu-matua let himself fall
70He taliuti mai Oroi, he ea atu a Hotu-matuaOroi ran up, Hotu-matua got up
71He too mai ia Oroi, he tingaiHe seized Oroi [and] killed him
72He mate Oroi, he ariki Oroi o hiva o Marae-rengaThus died Oroi, a king from abroad from Marae-renga