transcript

Speaker 1:
[00:13] Hello and welcome to Super Great Kids' Stories. Wise tales from storytellers around the world, which will make you laugh and sometimes cry. Recommended for ages 5 to 105. I'm Kim and I love stories. Today we have a slightly scary, Maori traditional tale called Hatupatu and the Bird Woman. It's told by Maori storyteller, Emmy Bidois. And it's from Outer Roa, also known as New Zealand. Hello, Super Great Kids. How are you? I've got three reasons to be cheerful. First, it's Playdate Friday and I'm going to visit my friend Jane. We've been friends since we met at school when I was ten. And second, the story today is good fun. And it's told by Emmy Bidois, who comes from a family of Maori storytellers. And my third reason to be cheerful is that when you hear this, I'll be sailing in the Shetland Islands, which are in the northern part of Scotland. I expect I'll be happy, but a bit chilly with cold fingers and a blue nose, and I'm hoping to spot a sea otter. Now, just before we get to our tail, can you think of three reasons to be cheerful? Ready? Hello, Super Great Kids, I'm back. How many reasons did you think of to be cheerful? Give yourself a big pat on the back if you thought of three. Now, are you ready for our story about a bird woman? Let's give a very warm welcome to Emmy Bidois. Feet open, story squawk out.

Speaker 2:
[02:21] Tēnā koutou tamariki mā, it's your favourite auntie Emmy here from Aotearoa, New Zealand. And hello, Super Great Kids, I'm so happy to be back. I come from a Māori family and I just love sharing stories. I'm going to tell you the story that my nana told me when I was little. It's a story from Te Arawa, our tribe. My family are what we call tangata whenua, which means the people of the land or people of Aotearoa. This story is a very, very old tale about one of our many chiefs, Hatupatu, and a supernatural magic being, Kurangaituku, who is a bird woman. Have you ever heard of a bird woman? Now don't be scared, it's a funny story with a happy ending. And maybe a few whizz, whoosh and bang sounds along the way. Well, let me tell you the story. Mouth open, story jump out. One sunny day, long, long, long ago, our clever hero, Hatupatu, was wandering through the deep dark forest. He was looking for some tasty birds to catch for dinner. Oh, I could go for some delicious kare-dou. Maybe a tasty tui.

Speaker 1:
[03:49] Mm, mm.

Speaker 2:
[03:52] He was creeping along quietly when suddenly, thud! He saw something very strange. There, not too far away, was a woman. But she wasn't like any woman he'd seen. She had feathers coming out of her arms that looked like she had wings on her arms and sharp claws where her fingers should be. And her mouth? Oh, where? Well, it was more like a bird's beak than lips. Clickety-clack, clickety-clack, tap, snap, snap, tap went to her beak as she snatched the birds out of the air. Munch, munch, crunchety-crunch. Now, Hatupatu was fast, but this strange bird woman, whose name was Kurangaituku, was even faster. He threw his spear towards the bird, but just as he did, the bird woman struck out with her beak, snap, and instead of the bird, Hatupatu's spear hit her right on the nose, smack.

Speaker 1:
[05:02] Uh-oh.

Speaker 2:
[05:05] Luckily, the spear bounced off her beak, but Hatupatu knew he was in trouble. His eyes went wide. His heart went thump, thump, thumpety-thump, and he turned on his heels and ran as fast as his legs could take him. Tappity-tap, tappity-tap, tappity-tap. Away from the scary bird woman, doof, doof, doof, doof, doof, doof, doof, doof, doof, doof, went his feet on the soft forest floor. But as you may remember, Kurangaituku wasn't just any woman. She was the bird woman. She opened her magnificent wings and soared into the sky. Wumpf, wumpf, wumpf. Seconds later, she swooped down from above, clutching poor Hatupatu in her steely claws before he could even squeak in fright. Kurangaituku carried him back to her cave, where she kept all her treasures, yes, treasures. And she had quite the collection. There were birds, lizards, and bats, all sorts of shiny beetles and many other wriggly shiny things. She looked at Hatupatu with her beady eyes and said, Kurangaituku. You'll be my treasure now. Squawk, squawk. Who's my pretty shiny now? And she fluttered her great wings in delight. Now, Kurangaituku was pretty mean. But at least she made sure to feed her family of shiny prisoners. She gave Hatupatu birds which she'd caught. But he wasn't about to eat raw birds still covered in feathers. Eww, yuck! So every day when Kurangaituku went out hunting, Hatupatu would secretly pluck and roast the birds over a little fire. And eat them nice and cooked, just the way he liked. Crispy skin on the outside and juicy and tender on the inside.

Speaker 1:
[07:16] Mmm-hmm. I could get used to this.

Speaker 2:
[07:22] It was an easy life for our chief, and frankly, his brothers were always picking on him for being the youngest. So he wasn't entirely sad about leaving them behind. The days passed, and Hatupatu grew a lovely round belly with all those sneaky snacks and very little exercise. He tried to race with his lizard friends, but they weren't any good at running in a straight line. And the birds were far too fast, flying from one side of the cave to the other. Come on, Hatupatu, try again. I can't beat you, and those wings, you need to run on legs like me. Time went on, and Hatupatu was bored. And you know what happened, don't you, Super Great Kids? Oh yes, I think you've already worked it out. Hatupatu started feeling homesick. He missed his mum and dad and his brothers and his sisters, even his annoying cousin John, who picked his nose and ate it. Yuck! He started to dream about the cozy fire at home and all the stories that his nanny Queer used to tell them before bed. So he made up his mind. He was going to try and escape. Now, every morning, Kurangaituku, The Bird Woman, warned him, Don't you even think about running away, little Hatupatu, because I'll catch you before you can even say, Dirty, party, moomoo monkey. Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha. But Hatupatu was smart, remember? He worked out that Kurangaituku's collection of shiny lizards and bats and beetles was growing bigger every day. And they all needed feeding. Each day, Kurangaituku, the Bird Woman, went further and further into the forest, looking for food. And each day, she took longer and longer to return. So one bright morning, he decided this was his big chance. Quick as a flash, Hatupatu grabbed one of Kurangaituku's beautiful red feather cloaks. Swoosh! And her favorite dayaha, which is a long spear used for fighting. Then he set free all of her treasures. The lizards, the birds, the bugs and the bats all came crawling and buzzing and flapping out of the cave, eager to return to their homes. But I'm sorry to have to tell you, that one little bird didn't want to leave her new mother. She always got bugs to eat and a warm safe bed to sleep, and she definitely didn't want to get in trouble. She, instead of flying away home, that little bird flew straight to Kurangaituku.

Speaker 1:
[10:29] Mama! Mama!

Speaker 2:
[10:31] Come quick! Everyone has escaped! That naughty Hatupatu let everyone go! Kurangaituku let out a shriek, Gah! and rushed back to her cave. But when she got there, it was empty. All her shiny treasures were all gone. She was furious! She took off after Hatupatu, her wings thumping in the air. Wumpf!

Speaker 1:
[11:03] Wumpf! Wumpf!

Speaker 2:
[11:05] Wumpf! Wumpf! As she closed it on him. Tappity-tap! Tappity-tap! Tappity-tap! Went Hatupatu's bare feet on the forest floor.

Speaker 1:
[11:14] Doof!

Speaker 2:
[11:14] Doof! Doof! Doof!

Speaker 1:
[11:16] Wumpf!

Speaker 2:
[11:17] Wumpf!

Speaker 1:
[11:18] Wumpf!

Speaker 2:
[11:19] Went the Bird Woman's wings as she chased after him. Hatupatu ran and ran and ran. Oh, how he wished he hadn't eaten such a big dinner the night before. He promised himself if he got himself out of this mess, he'd go on a diet and he'd lift weights with his brothers. He could hear her getting closer. Whumpf! And closer.

Speaker 1:
[11:42] Whumpf!

Speaker 2:
[11:43] And closer still.

Speaker 1:
[11:45] Whumpf!

Speaker 2:
[11:46] And suddenly, she lowered her claws to grab him. Just when he thought it was all over, Hatupatu saw a big rock in front of him. And he did something amazing. He shouted out a karakia, which is a magical prayer to the rock, asking, Rock, Rock, will you open up and hide me, please? The rock crackled, splitting down the middle and opened right up. Hatupatu slipped inside and snap! The rock closed behind him. Kura Ngaituku flew straight past the rock. Hatupatu stayed as still as a stone. Phew! Until the beating of the Bird Woman's wings disappeared into the distance. When he was quite sure she'd gone, he thanked the rock, which opened up again. Criiiiick! And Hatupatu continued running towards his home. Tapati-tap! Tapati-tap! Tapati-tap! Kura Ngaituku, the Bird Woman, was not about to give up so easily. Circling around the sky, she spotted him as he attempted to get away. She hurled rocks at him. Whizz! Bang! Crash! Whizz!

Speaker 1:
[13:05] Uh-oh!

Speaker 2:
[13:06] But Hatupatu was fast on his feet. Tapati-tap!

Speaker 1:
[13:09] Tapati-tap!

Speaker 2:
[13:10] Tapati-tap!

Speaker 1:
[13:11] He ducked.

Speaker 2:
[13:12] He dived. He jumped. He dodged every single one. Whilst running, Hatupatu had an idea. He turned and he ran towards the boiling pools. Of the scary bird woman. Finally, Hatupatu was safe. Hatupatu kept on running until he reached the shores of Lake Rotorua. He dove into the cool water, splash, and swam across to Mokoia Island, home to his parents. And that, my tamariki, is how Hatupatu escaped the bird woman, Kurangaituku. Sometimes you have to be clever. Sometimes you have to be quick. But best of all, be brave. Thank you for listening. Ka kite anō. See you again soon.

Speaker 1:
[14:46] Oh, thanks very much, Emmy, for sharing that story. I found the idea of a bird woman rather creepy. Did you think she was scary? What did you like best about that story? I think I liked all the sounds which Emmy made. And I liked the chase. I do love a good chase. Do you think you could draw a picture of the bird woman with like feathers on her arms and a beak instead of a mouth chasing after the hero Hatupatu? Send your drawings via our website to supergreatkidsstories.com and we can share them with other story lovers on our website picture gallery and on our Facebook page facebook.com/supergreatkidsstories. And now it's time to fly around the world with Story Owl to say hello and thank you to the Owlets who've recently hopped into our nest and joined our Storytelling Club. Let's start in Malaysia and say hello to Owlet Tommy, who is 7, and Harris, who is 5. Tommy and Harris are from the UK and they live in the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur. Tommy's favourite story is The Ghost of the Bloody Finger and Harris' is Eggshell Soup. Good choices. A very long flight east now over the Pacific Ocean all the way to Washington state in the US to greet Merle, who is 5 and lives in Olympia. Merle's favourites are Molly and the Skeleton and The Ghost of the Bloody Finger. Merle likes listening on the way to school or when doing chores. Good for you, Merle. And let's head south now to San Francisco Bay, where Clara, who's 8 and Conrad, who's 6, live in Benicia. Clara's favourite story is Why the Sea is Salty and Conrad's is Rumple's Stiltskin. And let's keep heading down the west coast of the US to Los Angeles to greet Livy, who is 6 and a half and who finally became an outlet because she really, really needed to listen to Long Red Fingernail's Ruby Red Lips. I hope you enjoyed it, Livy. Livy often listens in the car and her favourites are the Baba Yaga stories. Wild Jack and the Two-Headed Giant, especially the songs and the Ghost of the Bloody Finger. A short hop east next to Mesa, Arizona, where Abraham, who's 7 and 4-year-old Mac, listen while playing with toys before bed. Their favourites include Hey Ho! Off I Go! and The Hairy Toe. Their family has been listening since 2020. Wow! That is impressive! That makes you superfans! On now to Austin, Texas to say hello to Owlet Eric, who was 6 in March, and Lars, who is 3. They listen in the car on the way to school, and sometimes as a family in the evenings. How lovely! They were given the Super Great Kids Stories book for Christmas, and their favourites are The Three Bears Wrap, Molly and the Skeleton, the Ghost of the Bloody Finger, and all the Anansi stories. Let's fly north now, all the way to Kansas City, Missouri, to say hello to Owletts Harper and Nora. Six-year-old Harper has been a super fan from the age of two, and her favourite is Finn McCool and the Giant's Causeway. And Nora is three and a half, and she especially likes the story Anansi and the Talking Watermelon. Let's keep heading up to Illinois now to greet Vika, who's seven and lives in Rock City. Her favourite is the Japanese story, The Boy Who Drew Cats. Yes, I like that one too, Vika. I wonder if you like drawing cats. And east now to Connecticut, to say hello to Maverick, who is six and has been listening since the age of three. And Parker, who is three and has been listening since he was born, thanks to his big brother. Oh, what a nice thing to share the enjoyment of stories together. Their favourites are the Anansi stories. Let's stay in New England and say hello to Eleanor, who is four and a huge fan. Her favourite story is the Japanese story, The Boy Who Drew Cats. Good choice, Eleanor. I wonder if you have a cat. And finally, let's fly across the Atlantic to Ireland, which is sometimes known as the Emerald Isle because it is so green. To greet owlets, Riker, who is five, and Joanie, who is one and a half. They live in the capital, Dublin. Riker loves all the Anansi stories and any stories with animals in them. He and his little sister got the book for Christmas and love hearing their dada reading it before bed. What a lovely thing to end the day on. And our pick of the week picture was inspired by The Ghost of the Bloody Finger. It was drawn by Angus, who lives in Germany but comes from Australia. Angus tells us that he and his brother Zanny love listening to the scary stories. I really like the imaginative way you've drawn the picture exclusively with a black pen, except for the red blood dripping down from the ghost's finger. Yikes! Very dramatic. It made me smile to see the man lying under his bed and hiding from the ghost. Or maybe he's hiding from those huge spiders hanging down from their webs. Thanks very much for sharing it with us, Angus. It's super great. If you want to see that picture and others, go to our website, supergreatkidsstories.com and click on the tab, Artwork and Photos. Or go to our Facebook page, facebook.com/supergreatkidsstories. And if you follow us on Instagram, you can see our picture gallery at supergreatkids underscore art. Thanks to all outlets for your super great support. It's because of you that we can keep finding new storytellers in different countries. We really appreciate your kindness, especially at the moment when prices everywhere are increasing. If you'd like to support us on Patreon or on Apple podcasts, we'll say hello to you on the show. You can hear our stories advert free, and you'll have access to all the stories in our super great archive. Plus, depending on your level of subscription, you'll have access to at least 45 super great scary stories, and over 60 bonus stories. Plus, you'll get access to our Super Great Kids Stories Express, with short introductions, no adverts, purely story. Great for listening to stories back to back. Visit our website for more details. supergreatkidsstories.com That's it for today. If you like these stories, do tell a friend, and spread the news about storytelling in general and Super Great Kids Stories in particular. This podcast was produced at Wardour Studios in fabulous Fitzrovia in London.