HOW IT STRIKES THE MAORI MIND.

Auckland Star, Volume XLI, Issue 164, 13 July 1910, Page 8

HOW IT STRIKES THE MAORI MIND.

By: Aw A.: GRACE,;; (Author of "Folk-Tales of the Maori/ " Tales of a Dying Race," " Atareta" etc. ' ,

HONE TIKI ON THE TAUEEKAEEKA • PAKEHA. 'Tou don't seem to admire the-Pakeha woman, Hone," said I, with all the insular -complaisance of my countrymen, "bat I'm pleased to .think you have such a high opinion of the Pakeha man." . "Oh, no. You wrong," replied. Hone Tski. "I no likee t'e Pakeha pfeller ewerryone. Some Paekha pfeller werry good, some werry had. I tell you. T'e Maori he t'ink t'e Pakeha allasame t'e fish in t'e sea-—some werry good, some werry had. T'e Pakeha pfeller .Delonga free kind—t'e rangatira, t'e tutua, t'e taurekareka. T'e Maori likee t'e rangatira Pakeha: he no likee t'e tutua: he no likee t'e taurekareka." "But who are rangatira, who are tutua? How do you tell them?" "Oh, werry hard," said Hone Tiki. "T'e Pakeha pfeller allasame t'e tio in t'e shop." '«''•" "Te pfio?—that's the oyster, isn't it, Hone?" "T-that t'e'pfeller. .You not know if .'he t'e good tio* till t'e, man open him. T'e Pakeha allasame t'e tio." ■I felt humbled. To liken .the men of •my .glorious race to 50 many oysters which had 'been ptaken out of the water and lodged in a sack, seemed ignominy beyond expression. But I knew Hone Tiki meant no offence. He was merely illustrating his point. He continued:—''When t'e man an t'e shop open t'e tio, sometime he find t'e good one, sometime he find t'e bad one. He,no tell-iby t'e no tell till he open. Outshide, all t'e tio, oh! werry good—inshide 1 no tell till I open. Outshide, pall t'e Pakeha, oh! werry good— werry good clo'es, werry noo boot, werry ifine. potae—inshide, I don't know; I no tell.till-r.op.en;.; .T-that.it. Outshide, t'e ' rangatira, t'e tutua, /fc'e taurekareka be■longa t'e Pakeha allasame—t'e Maori'no tell; .t'e. - different. Py-an'-pye, when he i see. i'h~ inside, he know. "T'e rangatira Pakeha he t'e good man, 1 allasame t'e rangatira Maori. "When he say he do, t-that all. right—no use to make a ,shine t'e piece paper. He say he do; t-thapt enupp. He do. T'e tutua Pakeha when he say he do—no good, he no do: t'e Maori likee t'e tutua Pakeha to make a shine t'e piece paper. T'e Maori no likee t'e tutua Pake-ha—he, likee t'e rangatira. T'e taurekareka Pakeha he t'e worse 0! all: he t'e t'ieL ; You listen I .tell you. "Long time ago, I sell t'e piece land —-1 get plenty money. I go to Poneke to buy t'e taonga, to spend t'e money. I likee to buy t'e noo trap, t'e noo watch, t'e noo motor boat, t'e noo clo'es for t'e missis, all sort t'e taonga. Werra, 1 meet t'e Pakeha pfeller. He wear t'e good clo'es, he talk to mc -werry kind. He tell mc he t'e rangatira. I t'ink he t'e rangatira too. He tell mc he likee to show mc how to buy t'e taonga werry cheap, all t'e werry good, noo taonga — he likee to be my frien'. I tell him t-fchat werry good: I likee him to he my frien'. He say, 'You come, to my orpiee, tell mc all t'e taonga you likee. to buy.' He take mc into t'e orp'ree—l tell him I likee to buy t'e noo trap, t'e noo watch, t'e noo motor boat, an' t'e plenty taonga. He ring t'e hell, he talk to t'e pfeller t'roo t'e—t'e—what you call?" "The telephone?" ; - , "-! "T'e terapane—t-that It. He talk— t'e utter pfeller talk. He tell mc, 'T-that all right—l get you t'e taonga werry cheap. How much money you got?' " I tell him ' Pif e-him'red pounV "He say, ' T-that all right. T-that | werry good. I buy t'e taonga werry cheap for you. I t'ink we/go an' trinkee t'e wal piro.' I Werra, we trinkee t'e wai piro—not too much, on'y t'e werry small glass. T'e 1 Pakeha pfeller he say, ' You come to my 1 house; we have t'e kai.' I " I say to myse'f, ' T-this pfeller t'e ' rangatira Pakeha all right—t'e rangatira I Pakeha he takee t'e Maori into t'e house, show hini all t'e room, all t'a | 1 taonga, ewerryt'ing—t'e tutua Pakeha ,he no show.' i

" When we get to t'e house belonga t'e Pakeha pfeller, 'My wuiral' I tell him,' t-this t'e werry good house; you t'e rangatira all right, I t'ink.' He say, ' Oh, I t'e rangatira, you bet. He show mc t'e missis belonga him—werry fine, bik missis—he show mc * t'e cbil'ren—werry good boy an.gel. He say, 'T-this man Hone Tiki. He my frien'. I show hhn how to buy all t'e taonga werry cheap.' Werra, we" have t'e kai, t'e werry good kai. But I no eat werry much —oh, no. —I jus' eat werry small. I t'e rangatira. "Py-an'-pye, I tell t'e Pakeha pfeller, 'My Koray! you t'e rangatira, all-right. T'e tutua Pakeha he no show t'e Maori all t'e house, all t'e bed, an' all t'e taonga. Oh, no. He tell, t'e Maori to stop outshide. T'e rangatira Pakeha, he likee t'e Maori, he show t'e Maori all tfe house, all fe taonga, eweTryt'ing. You t'e rangatira. all right, I t'ink.' " Werra, py-an'-pye we go to buy t'e taonga; not .one day,.- not two day— plenty day. T'e pakeha pfeller go wit" mc ewerrytime. He buy t'e taonga—l pay t'e money. I tell him, 'I no t'ink t'e taonga werry cheap—l t'ink I pay too much.' He say," 'I buy you t'e werry good taonga. You got plenty money— you no likee t'e bad taonga.' I tell him, 'I likee t'e good taonga.' He say, 'T-that all right—l get you t'e good taonga.' "Py-an'-pye I spend all t'e money. 1 make" a finish. I tell t'e pakeha pfeller, 'I t'ink Igo back to t'e kainga.' He say 'All right. Good-pye.' I say 'Good--1 pye.' But when I get to %'c kainga, my . -svurra! I find t'e taonga no good. T'e watch _c no tell t'e time, t'e motor boat he StopI—sto1—stop —he got t'e bad en-shin mii shide. All t'e taonga allasame —no good. My brutter he larp. He say, 'I t'ink t'e Pakeha gif you t'e ole taonga, t'e >werry had taonga.' " Wer-ra, I go back to Poneke, I go to see mv frien', t'e rangatira Pakeha. 1 go to t'e orpice. But t'e pfeller in f c orpice he say t'e boss .out, he not t'ere. So I go to t'e house belonga t'e rangatira Pakeha. I knock at t'e door, I ask to see my frien.' He come to t'e'door. He no say to mc, ' Tena koe, Haere mai. Hone Tiki, I werry glad to I see you.' He say, 'Why you come here. What you want V ' "I tell Mm, 'T'e taonga no good—t'e watch he no tell t'e time, t'e motor boat he s t o p—he got t'e bad enshin inshide— all t'e taonga I buy no good.' "He laTp t'e werry bad larp. He say, 'Go an' buy some more.' I tell him, v, no got ;any more money.' He say; 'Why you talk-to mc? You talk to t'e utter pfeller. I no waste any more time. Good-pye.' . He no say to mc, 'Come in.' " I tell him, ' You t'e frien' belonga t'e Maori? You t'e frien' of Hone Tiki?' " He say, ' Oh, rati' "I tell-him, 'You t'e rangatira Pakeha?' _ _ *. . -. . 'Go away. You makee. mc. •too tire/"

"I tell him, 'You t'e tutua pfeller, 11 t'ink; you no t'e, rangatira; you t'e low man.' ' ..-. | "He no say nutting. He shut t'e door. T-that all. T-that t'e finish. Heno.fe 1 rangatira allasame mc an' you. Oh, no. He t'e werry'bad pfeller, he t'e taurekareka!" "And - when you say taurekareka, I Hone, what exactly do you mean?" Hone.Tiki, looked at mc; a sphinx-like "smile on his broad, brown face. • " You know t'e rotten fish on t'e beach?—wash up by t'e tide," he said. ."T'e taurekareka Pakeha allasame. * ISo different, ■ Wesry "bad tsmell. No .good to eat." "'/■:.' • And, turning on his heel, he left mc ■wondering what he meant. Then in the distance I heard him laugh a sardonic laugh. In a moment I had faihomed his meaning, and realising the depth of his barbaric scorn, I too laughed satirically, sardonically, ironically. « Nothing could 1 have been deeper than his contempt for the taurekareka Pakeha.