Once his mother’Uahea had acknowledged him and presented him to his father, his brothers and sister, Māui delivered from the high seas lived with his parents. He savored the delicious food that his mother prepared for him, especially when she had been able to cook it. At the time, it was exceptional to have fire. Only if lightning struck dry wood was it possible. Even then you had to get there before it went out, to take it and keep it going. Fire guardians were put in charge of looking after it as embers kept in a small stone bowl while travelling or keeping it going from the ashes of a fireplace. Just a moment of distraction and the embers died, bringing sorrow to the heart of men. This is because they had to make do with raw food. When there was no more fire in the whole village grief set in. Mans did not yet know how to light a fire. This happened to the Māuis’village one tempestuous night of torrential rain and howling gales. They could no longer cook their food, nor light the darkness, nor warmthemselves on a cold night or on a gloomy rainy day. They were all miserable. But on the mountain, where Mahuike, Māui’s grandfather lived, they saw billows of smoke rising into the air. Sometimes carried on the wind, they wafted the marvelous smells of food cooking all the way to the villager’s nostrils, whose mouths watered with longing. They started dreaming enviously of a piece of nice fish cooked in the ahima’a, the earth oven, or grilled over hot stones on lightly caramelized bananas. A group of villagers came to see Māui, they asked him to go and bring some fire back from Mahuike. Māui did this by hiking along steep trails, carrying his fire dish on his belt. His grandfather welcomedhim with a kind air. FliR THHiTi Légende polynésienne/Polynesian legend Frotter deux bois pour faire du feu, une technique maitrisée encore aujourd’hui dans nos îles. Rubbing two sticks together to light a fire, a technique mastered and stillused today in our islands. 70 Māui steals fire and gives it to mankind Benthouard.com – Hello Māui. What brings youup here ? – Hello grandfather, I have come to gather fire for our village. Mahuike took the fire from his feet and gave it to the young man, who put it in his dish and went on his way. When he was out of sight of the old man, Māui threw the fire on the ground and stamped it out. Putting on a sorry demeanor, he returned to Mahuike and asked for more fire. The grandfather gave him the fire from his knees. Māui took it, left and stamped on it like the fire from his feet. He did the same with the fire from his stomach, chest and neck. When only the head fire remained, Mahuike refused to give it to him. And so they fought. The grandfather fell, he hit his head and the fire escaped, hiding in the trees, but without burning them. Then, he noticed two nearby sticks of wood rubbing against each other because of the wind, he saw a yellow flame shootup, Māui understood how it was done. Māui watched the phenomenon and satisfied he climbed back down the mountain empty-handed. When he arrived back at the village, the people gathered, disappointed, realizing that Māui had not brought fire with him. Māui pickedup two wooden sticks, one soft the other hard and started rubbing one against the other, taking care to leave some of shavings in the hole where he was rubbing the two sticks. Gradually a thin waft of smoke rose from the wood dust, he kindled it with some small woodchips to get it going. Fascinated and overjoyed, the men, women and children surrounding him started to shout and dance with happiness. Māui had given them a wonderful gift, the technique for mastering fire.