Glass Tui

Tūī imitate the songs of other birds, and can also imitate people. The birds were sometimes tamed and taught to speak. They were taught mihi (greetings) which they would recite when visitors arrived, as well as prayers and proverbs. They were often trained to sound like the loud and deep voice of a chief. A Tūī that spoke like this was called a manu rangatira – a chiefly bird. Sometimes a Tūī was named after a tribe’s famous ancestor, and kept by the chief.