All that day the Taku and Rikitea warriors fought along the coast of Kirimiro. The Taku warriors were gradually pushed backwards. When night came they tied torches in the trees so that they could fight in the dark.
The fighting continued the next day.
Tupou-eriki, the chief of the Taku warrior knew that he was being pushed back. But he told his side that as long as their chief warrior was alive that they could still win.
During that second day, the chief warrior advanced up a small hill to come behind some Rikitea warriors. But the strong son of Apeiti, the Rikitea chief, saw what this chief Taku warrior was doing. So the strong son of Apeiti was ready for him. When the chief Taku warrior made his attack the strong son of Apeiti threw him down in the midst of the Rikitea warriors who killed him.
The strong son of Apeiti called down to Tupou-eriki, his enemy/his relative, the chief of Taku and said, “Where is your chief warrior?” Tupou-Eriki replied, “He is fighting somewhere around here!” The oldest son of Apeiti yelled back, “Then who is this warrior lying at my feet?”
Tupou-eriki knew then that Taku was going to lose.
In the end the Taku people were pushed all the way back to Taku and beyond. Since it was apparent to the Rikitea people that the Taku people were totally defeated, the Rikitea people quit their attacking and returned to Rikitea.
Reference:
from Ethnology of Mangareva by Te Rangi Hiroa [Peter H. Buck].
Revised: March 26, 1997
Copyright © 1996 Daniel (Taniera) Longstaff