THE WAIREWA CELEBRATION.

Akaroa Mail and Banks Peninsula Advertiser, Volume XLIX, Issue 2454, 20 March 1900, Page 2

THE WAIREWA CELEBRATION.

Mr Geo. Robinson and his Maori colleague! are resolved to unveil their monument at the Maori Hall, Little River, on Thursday next, in spite of it being tbe day for the eleotion of the Ellesmere Licensing Committee. Writing on the subject, the " Lyttelton Times" says:—

"An interesting ceremony will be performed at Little River on Thursday next, when a monument to Tangata Hara, and commemorative of the great tribal war between the Natives of the two islands, will be unveiled. The monument was built by Mr J. B. Manßfleld, and is quite an im posing piece of sculpture. A base ot hewn bluestone, three feet square, by twenty inches high, carries a white marble pedestal, rising to a height of five feet, and twenty-four inches less in area than the blueßtone base. On the sides of this pedestal are inscribed, in the Maori language, the history ot the fighting and the names of the noted chiefs engaged. There are no fewer than 3000 letters in the story as told on the marble, and the letters are of metal beaten into the J Btone. Surmounting the whole is a figure of a Moari chief, in warlike attitude, armed with a tomahawk, and clothed with a Maori mat. The figure is five feet six inches high, is of pure white marble, and is a good p ccc of work, The whole monument is enclosed by an iron fence three feet six inches high. The unveiling ceremony will take place at two o'clock, and will probably be performed by Mr Parala, the member for the Southern Maori District. It is understood that about 300 Maoris will be present, and a bullock cooked Maori fashion, will be provided for the occasion. The monument is erected at the back of the Maori Hall." We understand the Premier has been asked to be present, but cannot find time io come. No doubt there will be a very great gathering to witness the most important Maori ceremony that has taken place on the Peninsula for many years past. The following has been sent us by a valued correspondent :— " The Maori Monument, which is to be formally opened at Little River on the 22nd inst., is erected to the memory of a fighting chief, namod Tangat»V a > :a > oi the Ngaitahu tribe. He was born at one of the villages round the head of the Bay, near Onawe, where he manied two wives, and had four children, three girls and a boy, all of whom are dead except one daughter, now living at Little River. She is the widow of the wellknown chief Eli Tihau, who died some ten years ago. Tanga'ahara seems to have made a name for himself at Kaiapoi, where he killed tbe celebrated chief Te Pehi, an uncle of Te Rauparaha, when that chief attacked the pah in 1827. This Te Pehi was a remarkable man, and to get guns to conquer his enemies with, he boarded a South Sea trader, named the "Urania," in Cook's Strait in 1824, and told the captain he wanted to go to England to see King George As he would uot leave, and sent his canoe away, the captain gave orders for him to be thrown overboard. Seeing their intention, he seized hold of two ringbolts, and the sailors conld not dislodge him, so the captain took him on. The vessel called at Monte Video, and here the captain fell overboard ; but Te Pehi jumped in after him and swam with him until picked up by a boat. On reaching England he saw King George, but did not succeed in getting any guns, but; was presented with a lot of agricultural implements and seeds, and sent out iv a ship to Sydney. Here he exchanged his presents for guns and ammunition, and came to New Zealand in the brig Queen Charlotte, just in time to join Ruaparaha in his expedition south, which consisted cf 700 men, with a fleet ot canoes. Kaikoura was the firßt pla=e attacked,then the OmthaiPdh, it both of which places largo numbefoVere killed. Going down the coast the/canoes were hauled up at tbe mouth of the Waipara and a friendly visit wai paid to the Kaiapoi natives, where To Mdirwiauut was chief. Barter was carriod on f r some days, when some of the survivoia from Orm\ht(,arrived, and gave an account of the terrible slaughter up north. Tins put the Kai»poi people on the watch, and a naive of the Bay of Islands, who was living with the Kaiapoi Maories, named Hakatere, overheard them plotting how the Pah was to be taken. The Northern Maories were to give a big haka at their camp, to which the Kaiapois were invited ; then, when the pah was deserted, at a given signal it was to be rushed, aud the guests at the haka were to be slaughtered. On hearing this, the Kaiapoi men were prepared to defend their pah, which was one of the strongest in the Island, and cousisted of three rows of pallisading ten feet high, with a fighting stage inside all the way round it. However, a few days before the haka was to be held, an incident occurred which precipitated matters. Several chiefs were visiting at the pah, amongst them Te Pehi, who had taken a very fine piece of greenstone and was dragging it away, when a chief named Moi Moi called out to him to have it. He stopped, and asked how a low Maori like him dared to question the act of so high a chief as himself. At this moment, one of Rauparaha's chiefs, named Pokaitara, waß entering the main gate, when he was killed by a stone axe by Ro.gotara, whose brother had been taken prisoner at Omaha. Te Pehi, seeing what happened, mide a rush to get out, when the chief Tangatahara grappled with him and killed him with a hatchet. The other Northern chiefs were then set upon, led by Te Maharanui, and eight of them werk killed, including Te Pehi, Pokaitara, Rangik'itutu, Ruatahi, Hnapiko, Aratangati>. Kohl and Kohu».

On hearing t,i the loss of his chieis, Rauparaba boko up his camp, and mnde for hie canoee, Railing back to Kapiii. Two years passed away before he got his revenge, when in 1830 he came to Akaroa in the Elizabeth, when he slaughtered mo«t of the natives of Takapuneke (Red Home Bay) and took Te Maibaranui prisoner. About a year after this Ruaparahu again came down and took the Kaiapoi Pah by settine fire to it. He then came on to Akaroa ami toe k the p_h known as Ooawe, where 1 ang-tahuca was chief in command. He was taken prisoner along wilh many other*, including Big William. On their way back to the north they called in at Okoruru (Gough'e Bay) where Tantatahara and some others escaped and made their way back to Akaroa. The Oiago Maories then came up the ooaßt with a force of fighting men in canoeß and whaltboats, and picking up Tangatahara and other fighting men, followed Rauparahu up to the Wairoa, where they had a great fight defeating him, when he retreated to the Sounds where another fight took place, and he again got the worst of it aud he crossed the Htraits, the South Island Maoris returning to their homes. Tuawhaki (known as Bloody Jack) and Taiaroa took part in this war, which was known as the Tawaiti war. Another war was fought later on, known as * Koko.' Tbe last war was fought in Otago at Mataura, where Toby shot the chief who came overland from the West Coa»t. This was tbe last war fought amongst the natives as the white people began to arrive, and tho whaling and sealing industries had started. Tangatahara died about the year 1833, and is buried at the edei Wainui Pah, on Mr. C. McDonald', land. ¥ It is expected that there will be from 300 to 400 Maoris pre«eut from all parts of the Island, also some from the North Island. Messrs Buchanan and Latter have given a

bullock each, whioh will be roaited in nativefashion, and if the weather Is fine, we expect to see a large attendance present."