[1] Ko te tiheru

A view of four men, three sitting and one standing.

Pages 7-8 of the sketchbook (Library's numbering) contain Hutton's notes on pages 1-8 of his drawings (artist's numbering). His description of the scene on this page ([p.1]) is:

"Ko te tiheru – this is a curious natural stone called 'tiheru' or boat-ladle, from its likeness to that instrument. This stone was deprived of its handle by some of the iconoclasts; Mr Bolland, when passing by it restored the handle to its proper place to the great joy of the Maoris. They have an old song or chanted prayer which they used to repeat as they threw in a sort of fern leaf which they called a 'whakaau'. I give the song in the Maori words – what the translation of it is, the oldest natives cannot tell, and most of the words are obsolete:

Ka te Ki mataringu

Ka te Ki matarangi

Ka te Ki a whenua

He whenua ke tauhou

He Kai mau, te ate o te tauhou

Ihaka Kia mou

The meaning of the last two lines is something of the kind – 'Here’s a stranger in the land – Here’s the liver of the stranger for your food'. The piece of fern was intended to represent the liver. When I passed it in company with Mr Cotton on the 11th October 1844 there were some dry pieces of fern within the stone.

The figures are:

a. Mr Cotton writing the above song

b. A Wangaroa native 'Haki'

c. Te Piha – with provision box

d. Ko eru – my native leaning against his backload".

Inscriptions: Recto - beneath image - Ko te tiheru [in ink]; [letters a-d in ink]; Oct 11 1844 [in pencil]

Physical Description: Pencil on page of sketchbook, 160 x 200 mm