SKETCHES ANCIENT MAORI LIFE AND HISTORY.

Auckland Star, Volume XXV, Issue 143, 16 June 1894, Page 4 (Supplement)

SKETCHES ANCIENT MAORI LIFE AND HISTORY.

JOHN ALEXANDER WILSON.

lately a judge of the Native Land, Court of New Zealand, author of •Story of Te Waharoa.

[All -Eights Bpsebved.]

A Maori Duel.

"When the Chief Matua was murdered, a3 VI have said, while eel-catching at Waiirohia, ho left a little son named Tama te Rangi, who grew up to be a man imbued with the Btrongest hatred of his father's murderers.. This feeling had been carefully instilled into him by his widowed mother from earliest childhood, by songs and hakas, and by the persistenji character of remarks which were specially directed against Potaua, and she took care to have Tama te Kangi thoroughly trained to the use of arms. ' Potaua heard what the widow had.done, end he feard to approach Te Tiringa country, where she lived. At length he came to Puketapu, a-pa on the Kangitaiki, by the racecourse at Te Teko. Ho was encouraged to venture there by the presence of Karehare and two other chiefs, with ■whom he thought he should be safe from* 'insult and attack. Taana te Rangi heard that Potaua had come to* Puketapu in the Pahipoto country, and when he heard it he said to his people at Whakatane that he would go and see him. Taking two companions he went, and at night, he camped in the fern a mile or two irom Puketapu pa. He informed the chiefs of the pa by a messenger that he had come, iind they invited him to the pa for the .night. Tama te Rangi replied that they would see him come into their pa'by the light of -day. The next morning Tama was seen approaching, and the whole population turned out to see what he would do. He came and ■walked up the narrow roadway into the public place of the pa, all people respectfully making way for him and his companions. Here on an arena already formed and guarded stood Potaua. The chiefs of the pa were standing at the further end of the space, beyond Potaua. Tama te Rangi entered the arena at once, and advanced confidently upon his enemy, who had a presentiment that his hour had come. This unnerved him, and the young man's vigour and skill overcame him, and he fell, slain, by the avenger of blood, in the presence of all the people, Hatua, the father of the late Rangitukehu, leaped forward, and by his great influence saved the other Ngatimanawa visitors, who in the excitement of the moment Avould have been killed on the spot l>y the people of his tribe. Another Maoki Duel. It was in the lake country that Eke, a iaithljess fair, eloped to the forest with Utu, a. .middle-aged chief.; of considerable authority and weighty connections. The feeling of the tribe was very much roused against Utu, for Tua, the injured husband," •was a popular man, and one of their best fighting chiefs, whereas Utu had never distinguished himself in any way, excepting on the present occasion, which h&d proved him oblivious to the obligations due to a friend arid neighbour. The truant pair journeyed to other parts, and remained away until Utu, tired of his toy, and •wearied of the exile, determined to go home and face the consequences. So one morning an affair of honour came off on the sands of Kuapeka Bay, at Ohinemuta. JUtu, accompanied by his friend, Ana, were there on one side, and Tua, Avith four other principals, were there on the other side. Ana avos not a principal, and was not there to fight, but the four men who were with Tua had each of them come to get satisfaction as near relations to the husband, or to the wife, for the Maoris were communistic in their customs. Any of these principals could have taken Tua's children from liini, and they were equally entitled to avenge his honour, for was it not their .honour also? Utu sat before these fire adversaries on the sand, unarmed, provided only with a short stick called a karo, with which to •ward off any spears thrown at-him, or blows from other weapons that might be used. Had he been a slave he would not have been allowed to have' even a karo, but must lave defended himself with his hands and rins. Utu's karo had been well karakia-ed V the priest. 3A.11 being ready the duel began. Tua reI&ned inactive while each of the four men Wo had accompanied him advanced in tin and threw a spear at Utu, who Staged to karo, ward off, the four darts leiiout hurt to himself. The Tights of the were now exhausted. The Atua ar fag caused their attacks to fail, they swd ftot be repeated without danger to jselves ; any one of them who, contrary jll canons human and divine, should iew his attack, would be liable in himself *his family to misfortune (aitua) by sicksßß, acpident, or otherwise., Eyen against if slave attack could not be renewed. These assailants had had every chance. The choice of weapons and how to use them had been theirs. They had chosen spears. The weight of the weapon and the distance at which to throw it had been at their option. Any one of them for that matter might have walked straight up to Utu as he sat and speared him on the spot at short point, had he been able, but they were too experienced to attempt it. Utu would have defended himself easily in that .case. Rising at the right moment, and advancing a pace, he would have fixed his opponent's eye, and by a dexterous movement of his right hand would have seized and averted the thrust—thus to disarm an enemy to those who knew how was as simple as shaking hands with a friend. As we have disposed of the four in theory and practice, let us return to Tua, whom ■we left looking on, apparently almost an indifferent spectator. The four had failed, and this seemed suddenly to rouse his feelings, for he went off into a dance wholly scornful in gesture of his friends, and somewhat defiant of his enemies, treating all to an exhibition of agility as he darted from place to place, and skill in brandishing his weapon, and riveting attention, his own the while being fixed in semi-challenge to the bunglers, and thus he gained his point of vantage, and wheeling, struck a blow that killed the unsuspecting Ana, whom nobody wished to hurt, ana thus the duel ended as communistically as it had begun. I should say that Hea, a brother of Tua, being of a utilitarian disposition, had refrained from exercising his right at the encounter. The satisfaction he required was a bit of land. Utu rtfeogk the claim, and gave him a nice little H Ttown site overlooking the lake. ■ Maori Communism. I Ab in his private warfare, so in his

' general life, the Maori was a thorough communist. But through the warp of his communism woofs of chieftainship and priestcraft were woven into a texture strong enough to answer all the requirements,, of his simple civilisation. Where communal usage did not reach the case the chief's was the executive governing power that dealt with it. Thus, communal usage might require a muru,* and it would be made accordingly by persons having the right. If a man's wife went wrong her people would muru Mm for not taking better care of her, this was usage; but if the chief ordered a muru it would be for reasons known to himself, presumably for the benefit of the tribe. If a man gave much trouble the chief might have him murued, or he might take his wife from him. If he misconducted himself in warj the chief might strike him with his weapon. As a rule, however, these manifestations of authority were seldom needed, and very seldom exercised. The chieftainship of the tribe was an hereditary office, passing from father to son by the law of primogeniture; if the regular successor lacked the mental vigour and force of character necessary to the Sosition, then another member of the hereitary family would be put in his place. The chief generally consulted advisers, or was supported by a council. In any case the chief could not run counter to the will of the tribe. The priest performed many religious offices for the community. Questions of tapu were in his keeping. At times of sickness his aid was invoked. At births he was not absent, and at baptisms his presence was necessary. He advised the chief as to the will of the gods, and the greatest weight was attached to his utterances on such occasions. He always received fees in the form of presents. As a rule he snpported the governing power. If the priest (tohunga) stood high in his profession, and was sent for from a distance to peform an important function, his fee would be commensurate to the event. He did not neglect the requirements of the humble members of the community. The widow with her small offering received his conscientious attention. Her child's illness was diagnosed and prescribed for and ■;karakia-ed | the sapie as for a more prosperous pef son. The priest's office was hereditary. Although the chief carried himself with an air of authority, and the priest wore an appearance of superiority, each was subtly influenced by the communism of the body of which he formed a part. The former felt the pulse of the people before taking a step ; the latter did not run counter to their feelings and prejudices. Each lived in the s same way as the people around him.* Sometimes, however, a chief rose by violence or intrigue to such a commanding position among other tribes that his own tribe acquired perfect confidence in his judgment and ability, and followed him implicitly. ♦ Such men were Tuwhakairiora, the first Te Waharoa, Te Rauparaha, and Hongi Hika. As I have said, the Maori was a communist. Excepting perhaps, a patch of land he might own- privately, and his weapons and ornaments, the only thing he could draw the line at, and safely say, 'This is mine,' was his wife, who, before she blended her life with his, had been from earliest youth in principle and practice also a communist of the free love kind, not that much love had been involved, only that ' through some shades of earthly feeling,' she had tripped from pleasure to pleasure, not waiting to be wooed, and shedding in lieu of the ' meek and vestal fires,' ' a glow so warm and yet so shadowy, too,' upon her associates, ' as made the very darkness there more sought after than light elsewhere. 3 May Ibe pardoned for adapting the lines of the poet to my subject, who was neither a Delilah nor a Messalina, but a simple Eve of nature,' against whom in her own and people's eyes there was no law, nor fault to find— kahore he ture. But when she became a \vife she,rose to a higher sphere; Her animal habits changed as if by magic. Her communistic shell was cast, and she emerged an individual, a faithful Maori matron, with all the rights and obligations pertaining to her new condition. But to return to our Maori communist. He could not even claim his own Children exclusively. For his brother, if childless, might, and most likely would, come and take one of them away and adopt it, and his sister might come and take another; so also his wife's sister might assert a similar right, but they could not among them deprive him of all his children. Communism stepped in at that, point and took hi-s part, for1 was he not as well entitled as they to share in the offspring ? The house he lived in was called a wharepuni (living close together house). It contained but one room, in which both sexes, old and young, married and single, lived together night and day, fend, according to size it accommodated from say a dozen to four times that number of persons^ Again, when he went to cultivate the soil, he did not go by himself, taking perhaps his son, or sons, as a European would. No, when lie went he went with the commune. It was not his. motion, but the motion of a body of people, whom the chief apparently led, while instinctively following the democratic desire. Men and women, boys and girls all went together, as to a picnic, cheerful, happy, and contented, and it was a pleasant sight to see them ranged in rows, and digging with their ko-es (wooden Maori spades), as they rose and fell, and their limbs and bodies swayed rythmically to the working of the ko, and the chorus of an ancient hymn, invoking a blessing on the fruit of their labour. Still a large yield was not always a benefit, for it would sometimes induce friends and relations to come from a distance and eat the commune out of house and home. ' In the same way our communist was quite unable to keep any new thing, especially in the way of clothing. Did he sell a pig, and get a blanket in payment, his father presently paid him a visit, and was.seen returning with the blanket draped round his person, and if he sold some kits of corn for a shirt, a pair of trousers and a hat, his cousin would come from five or six miles away and the hat would be given to him. Of course, the custom cut both ways; for when reduced in circumstances he, too, made calls upon Ms 'friends at auspicious times. But the system he lived under discouraged individual effort, and those who tried individually to better themselves under it sooner or later gave up the attempt, and it was not until the example of the early settlers had fully influenced another generation, stimulating it to further action, and the Native Lands Court had individualised their holdings, that the ice that bound and chilled their every effort was broken, and the communistic element in their system of civilisation that had stunted enterprise and retarded material interests was greatly diminished, though not entirely removed. But when it came to fighting, the Maori's communism helped, him. When summoned to do battle for the commonwealth he instantly obeyed, without conscription or recruiting, and with no swearing in, no shirking, no grumbling, he appeared at his post a trained soldier, cheerful, willing,

*To muru a man was to strip him of his personal property or some of it, or communist property in which he had an interest might be muru-ed. tMore than fifty years ago the missionaries strongly discountenanced the wharepuni system amongst their converts. The Maoris, however, as was quite natural, could not understand their objection. Even their most devoted teachers were unable to appreciate it at first But time has worked a change. Missionary perseverance and the example of European civilisation have swept away the old Maori wharepuni. Each little family has now its own separate whare, and these are generally partitioned. The wharepuni of the present generation is a sort of town hall, in which strangers are lodged when visiting the tribe, and does not represent the old communism of the past,

and determined, in an" army where courtsmartial were unnecessary and unknown. He was animated by a living principle, he thought not of himself, but the body he belonged to was ever in his mind. The spirit that was in him inspired the whole, giving fierceness to the war dance, zest to the tuki* of the war canoe, and proved a powerful factor in war. Commnnism in war did not extend to the department of the Commander-in-Chief. The General was free to do his own thinking, and to issue his orders, and implicit obedience was rendered to him. With certain exceptions the Maori held his land as a member of the tribe. In the matter of this, his real estate,. the communistic element in his system of civilisation was well developed, and with the exception of slaves and refugees there was not a landless person in the community. As time advanced, and posterity increased, lands that had belonged to one passed into the possession of many persons, for after several generations there Avould be a hapu, where one man had settled. This tendency was counteracted on the other hand by fresh acts of individualisation within the tribal boundaries, and sales of land for valuable consideration by one individual to another were by no means unknown. The subject of ancient land tenure amongst the Maoris is interesting and instructive, and would in itself fill a small volume, if treated exhaustively, Their claims were often singularly complex, and very farreaching. . Thus Ngaiterangi, in the early days, claimed and obtained payment for Tawhitirahi pa when a European bought the land about there, and this notwithstanding they had not ventured to occupy it for three hundred years, and the natives living near the place approved of the transaction ; but not until they had, in justice to themselves, already taken care to be paid for the full value of the land. , A slave was the property of the person who captured him in war. A master could kill his slave. A husband could beat his wife. A man might have more 1 than one wife. The women worked more than the men, and had to do the more laborious work, such as carrying heavy burdens, which the men never did, for they had tapued their backs. When Christianity diminished the power of the priests, they, did not strive against the innovation. Many of them became converted, and the others appeared to accept without question the change in the mind of the commune.

*To tuki was to Rive the time to rowers in * canoe. To tuki to a war canoe required tac r< and Rklll. The chiefs prided themselves upon tho proper performance of this function. Prshinp; to and fro upon the narrow thwarts between the rows of rowers (itself an acrobatic feat), the kai-tuki gave tho time and inspired the crew by words, exclamations, short spooches. snatches of song, all delivered to timo, with gesture, attitude, and motions of his weapon, also in time. In very large canoes there were sometimes two kai-tulds, the senior of whom promenaded the after part of the vessel, while the other occupied the fore part. (To be Continued.)