TIKAO THE SAILOR.

Akaroa Mail and Banks Peninsula Advertiser, Volume LXXXII, Issue 3708, 1 January 1918, Page 2

TIKAO THE SAILOR.

.STORY OP OLD AKAROA NATIVE. The following interesting story specially written for the Christ church "Star" by James Cowan. is of great interest:—• This is the story from Maori word of mouth, of an old Canterbury man of uncommon parts, an Akaroa Native who made a name Tor himself in enterprise, courage m<! intelligence, and who under die circumstances of a later generation might have assumed i position of high leadersrip among- the Maori people. A story that has not hitherto been written by any of our New Zealand historians, and that, slightis it is, is a contribution to our knowledge of the days when ilic.se islands were just emerging from the cannibal age and when 'Maori rights" had not yet been extinguished by the joint processes of honourable treaty and the huckstering tactics of thei official land-buyers. Ninety years ago the head man of a little Maori settlement of Ngai-Tahu people on the western ■

;ide of Akaroa Harbour near t what is now the Native reserve c if Opukutahi was a giantlike young warrior named Tikao. In T ± those wild days before the r British occupation there were no r Christian names going, in this',( part ..of New Zealand at least, 1 ] and it was not until lone; after- '. wards that Tikao took Hone, or < John, as the prefix to his ances- ' tral name. He must have been * a remarkable figure of a man, 1 judging by the description handed down in his tribe. In his prime he was a very tall, straight limbed fellow; he was about 6ft; 4in. in height, and so powerful that, it is narrated he could swing two men, supporting their entire weight on his outstretch-, ed right arm. His commanding height, his long- reach with the Maori taiaha and spear, and his immense physical strength made him a most formidable antagonist in battle: as will be seen, his mental endowments befitted his stalwart nobility of stature. A curious item in his facial appearance was his half finished tatoo ; he was "moko'd" in the blue spirals and wrinkle-following lines on one cheek only—like old Hanaero, of Taupo, a still-living veteran of the wars. THE CAPTURE AT KAIAPOI J In 1830, when Te Rauparaha made his terrible raid on the Maori tribes in what is now Can-! terbury Tikao and some of his family chanced to be on a visit to Kaiapoi, the greatquarters pah of Ngai-Tahu. When that strong-ly-stockaded town fell to the Ngati-toa leader, Tikao and those of his relatives who were with him were made, prisoners, ,and were carried away up north in the conquerors' war canoes up to Kapiti Island, iln that fortressisle of Rauparaha's Tikao appears to have attracted general attention because of his uncommon physique and strength, and he gained the respect that was his due even in exile, from his tribal enemies. TiKAO GOES TO FRANCE Tikao. like many anothci Maori of those savage early day.';, was attracted by the sight of the irresistible strange ships of the pakeha that anchored at Kapiti on trade intent, and the craving for travel seized, him. He determined to ship aboard one of those wonderful vessels, where his countrymen were welcomed , as daring and vigorous sailors and see for himself the amazing countries that lay beyond the far sky-line. So in 1832 or 1833,' he boarded a French ship which had called at the Waiorua anchorage at Kapiti, and boldly offered himself to the captain as a sailor. Impressed by the splendid athletic figure of the. Maori chief, as well as by his pleasant ftnd intelligent features, the French captain consented to ship Tikao and signed him on as one of the crew. Up came the-anchor, with the brown Hercules pushing a nimble capstan-bar with the white sailors and it was not longbefore Tikao was lending a hand out on the topsail yards or tailing on to the main-brace. Every thing came readily to his hand; by heredity and instinct he was a sailor, and he delighted in gathering in all he could of the pakeha science of seamanship. ; AT SCHOOL IN EUROPE. j At last, after a long voyage,' Tikao, the tattooed sailorman, found his ship sailing into his home-port of Bordeaux. There he left her, for be was to see something of the ''Whenua Wiwi"—the "Land of the Ouioui's." What new friends he made his descendants do not know, but they know this, that in some way or another he contrived to go to school in France. For two or three years he remained there gaining the sound', groundwork of an education, 1 learning French and mastering the mysteries of mathematics. Not only French but German he learned; then he crossed to London and. went to school there, determined to acquire μ-s nuiph as possible of the wisdom which had made the pakeha, whether Kiiglish or "Wiwi," so powerful, far-travelled und rich ,a tribe. But inevitably there eama a day when the Maori exile found the "wakainga," the far-off home land jjj thcs fipais, tUff* ging irresistibly at his heartstrings. So oil he set to sea again, and by about the end of 3839 he was boating gladly ashore from a French whaleship i delighted beyond expression at the siyht of his native shores. THE SIGNING OFTHK TREATY It is apparent from the tribal accounts, that Hone Tikao had had something to do while in France with i]w expeditions fitted out i'or the occupation of these islands by "Wiwi." He helped the promoters with information and had promised them his sympathy and assistance on Iheji , landing here when he returned. But on reaching New Zealand and discussing the coming of the two great pakeha nations wjth his fellow-Maoris, he decided to __ I

;hrow his influence on the side , )f the British, who, he was con- ; winced would be the better Ally. ; Then came the signing of the < Treaty, and the ship on which Pikao was making for the Southcalled in at Cloudy Bay, where he met Taiaroa, the Otago chief. British warship was even then coming down the c#ast on the. Treaty mission, and'Tikao became convinced that his tribe would obtain a '"square deal" and the blessings of peace if they consented to the terms upon which the Waitangi compact was based.; H.M.S. Herald Captain Nias, 1 was the ship that cruised into Akaroa aud Cloudy Bay on this signature seeking errand. At Akaroa Hone Tikao went aboard her with another chief, Iwikau. the brother of the captured and slain chief Tamaiharanui. They both signed the copy of the treaty put before them by Major Bunbury, but Tikao's name does not appear in the historic list of signatures. He had by this time taken the English name of "John Love." and that is the name which went down on the parchment beside Iwikau's Major Bunbury, in his dispatch recording the visit to j Akaroa, described Love as "a very intelligent ; well-dressed Native, who spoke English better than any I have met with." ! THE KEMP PURCHASE. Peace by this time had become established over Tikao's land; truculent Rauparaha's wiir.;d were clipped, and Ngai-Tahu were free to cultivate the friendship of the pakeha. "John Love" was soon established in his rightful place as a chieftain of his tribe.. The Governor made him a Native assessor, one of the first in New Zealand. In 1848 H.M.S. Fly came sailing into Akaroa Harbour from Auckland and dropped anchor off Takapureke near the southern end of the.present town. Tikao was then living at Tikao Bay, on the opposite side of the harbour. He .quickly discovered that the warship had come on a land buying mission, and when he learned the terms offered his knowledge on matters European ■ enabled him to form a more accurate estimate of the justice of the bargain than his untravelled tribes-' men. Mr Kemp, the Government land purchase agent, Avas aboard the Fly. His buying mission was a colossal one, in truth he wanted the whole South Island. He summoned the Akaroa chiefs to a conference. The first meetingwas held at Takapuneke, Taiaroa of Otago happened to be there , } he was a strong advocate of the proposed sale. Kemp offered on behalf 'of the Government the 1 sum of £2000 for the whole of the' east coast of the island from Kaiapoi to Foveaux Strait, and Taiaroa urged that this remark- ; able offer should be accepted. I Hone Tikao indignantly opposed the sale contrasting the rid-, iculous amount offered with the enormous area sought to be pur-; chased. "Two thousand pounds,": he cried in disgust, as he paced up and' down, pistol m handr"Rather should the Government pay us five million pounds ! That is nearer the value of our land! I will not consent —I will neverconsent to this robbery—this 'muru'—of our land for a paltry two thousand pounds of the pakeha!" ! Upon Taiaroa urging the people to take their share of the £2000 and sell, Tikao grew soj angry that he threatened the Otago chief with his pistol. I'll shoot you for your treachery!") he yelled, and had the people nut! interfered the partisan of the j Government might have suffered for his over-zealaus advocacy oi the Crown's spoliation scheme. THE MEETING OF THE FRIfiATR, I The next conference was held on board H.M.S. Fly, at MiKemp's request; there the chiefs would be under armed guard. Tikao's warnjng.-j had created a strong feelhjg of distrust among the people, but there was the desire, on the! other hand to share in the bags of two thousand y-ulden sover-j eigiis that Kemp dangled before 1 them. Tikao still strenuously! objecting to the bargain, the. Government a.p;en.t threatened that if the Maoris -would not : agree to his terms he would re-j turn to Wellington and give the! £2000 to Bfiujiarttha, their 1 ancient enemy. This astounding declaration so angered Tikao that he left the. Fly's deck and got into hia whale boat, which was lying alongside, with his men, intending to return to his village and have nothing more to do with the negoti&J tions. But'Taiaroa ?,nfl others callod al'tei- him, saying that if! the £2000 were given to Raupar-' aha'it would give an "iwi rereke,"' an alien tribe, a kind of "inana"' and authority oven the South W land. So Tikao reluctantly returned, realising that the unscrupulous strategy of the Government's agent had won the position but determined to protest to the Governor in Wellington,

The purchase deed was signed, t■ ' , and this portion of the South Is- ! 'M land, all except a few Native res- )f erves, went to the palceha for a [ tew handfuls of sovereigns. But \| Tikao interviewed Gevernor Grey t( in the north, and told him ail about Mr Kemp and his methods, and the Governor was so angry that he relieved Kemp of 'his J office and appointed Mr Mantel] to finish the purchase work in the South Island. : Tikao ever did his best to safeguard the interests of his people. ;He had. among other accomplish- ■ ments, learned something of land • ■ surveying, and could use a compass and chain, and whenever surveys were made by the pake- ': ha ili connection with .land purchases in his district the big chief would painstakingly check ' ? " the measurements in order to :/ make sure that his people were not being cheated ! ; Hone Tikao died in 1853. He was a remarkable man in his day k ' and generation, an enlightened and patriotic Maori. His memory ' is treasured by the Peninsula and £ ■ Lyttelton Harbour folk to-day, f " the few remnants of a once ■ ' ■numerous tribe, and by none • more proudly than his nephew.' ; Hone Taare . Tikao, of Kapaki, •who tells this story of old-time. '■ . &