Library Out Loud

The kupu this week is: hihi (he-he) Stitchbird

Legend has it that the hihi would not collect water for maui, after he had achieved the mammoth task of catching the sun and slowing it down, so he tossed the bird in a fire and its feathers were singed.  Hihi means ‘rays of the sun’ and from this we can take that the yellow feathers on the male make reference to the fire and sun from the historical incident between the little bird and the demigod.

Kupu o te wiki is brought to you by the Library’s Māori staff.