THE ANCIENT MOA-HUNTERS

Oxford Observer, Volume 1, Issue XXII, 28 December 1889, Page 6

THE ANCIENT MOA-HUNTERS

(By Lieut.-Colonel M'Donnell.) Read before the Wellington Philosophical Society. The date of the extinction of the moa has "always been a favourate theme for discussion among scientists m ■ New Zealand, some contending that it had long ceased to exist before the advent of the Maoris to these shores, Others arguing that it lived contemporaneously with this race down to -very recent . times. The former hypothesis has for its , champion and principle exponent Mr. Colenso, of Napier, who states that his belief is based or. the fact that there, is nothing m the proverbs! or stories ol the Maoris to show that they knew anything of this gigantic wingless bird' It seems, indeed, strange to me that an authority on Maori manners, language, and mythology of such eminence as Colenso should never have gleaned anything about the moa from the natives he met. This is contrary to my own experience that I cannot refrain from narrating an incident that came under my observation during the -native war on the west coast. It was some time m 1866, during a visit Sir George Grey,, at that ■

Governor, paid to the West Coast* that I, with Kawaua Paipai and othp** natives from Wanganui, accompanied Sir George to the mouth Of the Waingongoro River, where were the redoubts held by the Imperial troops. Here Sif George met Wiremu Hukanui, a chief of the Ngatiruanui, and supposed to be neutral ; he was also a relative of Paipai. After the talk was over Wiremu left, when a discussion arose about the ihoa, and Kawaua Paipai stated that m his youth he had joined m. hunting ; the moa on the Waimate Plains, which' are close by. On being questioned, he gave a description of how they used to hunt and destroy this grand old bird, which was as follows : " The young men,'* he went on to say, " stationed themselves m various parts of the plains, and when * a moa was started it was pursued by one of these parties with wild 'shouts, and sticks, and stones, until they Were tired, when another detachment would take up the running, and so on, until the moa. was exhausted,; when a chief would administer the coup de grace.' 1 Paipai said that great effort were made to drive it into the high fern, tile more easily to tire it out/ : " I," continued the old warrior, "was ayo'ungster at that time, and often used' to join m the chase,'': . .-:,..,:■■, - : I forget now whether,, it was Sir George or one of the officers who expressed doubts as to the absolute correctness of what Paipai ! had stated, thinking he was; simply relating what he had heard, which doubt roused the old man's., ire. . He. got, up, and, casting: his eye around asif seejcmg.aidftp, his memory, said, . "What it have, iploV is true ; and we used/ to bring ;' them liere to our fishi%- village, : &na Cook them m large ovens made expressly for them. Let some men bring spades, and I wilt show them where to uncover; the ovens. ' r Some six or ..seven fatigue-nien were assembled,, and Paipai pointied put where they were to clear away the satid. After shovelhng'away sbme u 6ft.' square of sand, 3ft.- in depthV a stone about the size of & 321 b. shot was' turned upy blackened and burnt by. fire^ and .then number, of other stones, that. had evidently been used for cooking, until a Maori oven some sft. m diameter was uncovered, containing over and under the blackened stones heaps of broken and partly-charred moa-bones-^portions of skulls, < and huge thighVbones* which, latter Paipai said had .been; broken, . sothat the oil, or fat, could be sucked, out of them. . The ring.-bones of the throaty or gullet, oyer an inch m diameter, were there in 'pie nty— -like curtain -ringsV I threaded a number onaflaxstick; '• More ovens were uncovered, and Sir George obtained some good ; specimens. I think Dr. Spencer, no»v ,m. papier, got a number, as did m^rtfy others. Paipai described the plumage, which he said was of a' bro\m' bol'our'.-ahcl' 1 uhlikothat'ttf tihe kiwi, ; the feathers being larger and coarseiVaad more like, those of the emu.- He;said ithe;. moa; fought fiercely when bronglit to, bay»,and that it struck out ; with its feet,, ; but was easily killed with clubs. . / ' Kawaua Paipai died some four or five years ago. He must liave :: beieii over ninety, at least, and by what he said he was about sixteen years old when these birds were killed and eaten;- so that would bring the time. to near the beginning of this century.