Research source

D plaintive flute song of the fair-skinned folk who lived on these misty mountains seems to have appealed to…

Date of account: Published 1923
Source: Maori folk-tales of the Port Hills, Canterbury, New Zealand
Reference: Maori folk-tales of the Port Hills, Canterbury, New Zealand · selected passage 23
Rights: public_domain
Language: English
Record updated: 2026-08-25

Record summary

d plaintive flute song of the fair-skinned folk who lived on these misty mountains seems to have appealed to the Native heart, for it is described as sweeter by far than the whakatangitangi, the “making sound upon sound,” of the ordinary Maori flute-players

Published source text

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Source passage

Source text · mention only

d plaintive flute song of the fair-skinned folk who lived on these misty mountains seems to have appealed to the Native heart, for it is described as sweeter by far than the _whakatangitangi_, the “making sound upon sound,” of the ordinary Maori flute-players. Distance, aided by imagination, no doubt lent it additional enchantment. And the _Patu-paiarehe_ men appear often to have made themselves agreeable to the _wahine_ Maori, for stories are told of women being taken as wives by the fairy chiefs, and of girls from the Maori villages wandering away into the woods to meet their fairy lovers. The offspring of such unions were always known by their extremely fair skins, unnaturally pale, and their light flaxen hair; they were _korako_ or albinos.

Historical context

Contextual commentary · mention only

This material belongs to a folklore tradition. Story type, collector, community, transmission and literary editing matter when comparing it with other sources.

Modern context

Contextual commentary · mention only

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