The Starry Bird-Snare.

There is a variety of Maori-Polynesian folk-belief concerning Puanga and his Band, as of that other wonderful star group the Pleiades (Matariki). By some the Three Friends and the neighbouring bright stars are called the “Pewa,” or “Bird Snare.” This fancy likens the constellation to the carved perch used for snaring the kaka parrot which we used to see in use in the Urewera Country and other bush districts. The rise of Puanga (in the South Island dialect Puaka) is regarded as a celestial sign to the cultivators to begin the preparation of the ground in readiness for the early spring planting.