MAORI TYPES.

Auckland Star, Volume LV, Issue 249, 20 October 1924, Page 9

MAORI TYPES.

THE MISER AND SOME OTHERS ■ (By G. EDITH BURTON.) I have known many Maoris, but only "I? , , k " ow " who was called -The Mmi by his fc|i mv , Hl , WM m . lamy the most miserly creature and appeared not to ~„,.,.;, „ f , Tn the camp he „•„ , mre , rf almost a pariah ;„ fact . The other natives had a common food fund, but no, Ihaka. He lwtlßnt W| ate tllone-a most unusual thing for a Maori. Before and after buying he would go into some quiet corner and count his money over and over "lancing round most S u«piciou«ly .-very now and then. A younj? »wter of the storekeeper em,ld not bear to sec the old fellow shunned by h, camp „ he was , and the thought that perhaps if she could induce him to get rid of his dirt and raps he might he more popular. So one day she said to him, 'Thaka, I give you (he clean slnrt and the bucket of "hot water: spose you have a wash." The rid fellow looked doubtful. "You homai te hope (soap) toot" So he was given the hot water and soap and set off for his .hath. Half an hour afterwards he returned, wonderfully dean, but shivering miserably. -Too much te mihe (cold) mc now, kaipai you homai (°ive) te fat for te rub all over." The wretched old creature so mi sae d his coaling of dirt that he actually wanted I some fat to rub on to keep out the cold. Of a very different type were two handsome sisters of the same camp. , They were, I think, tho finest looking Maori women one could meet. Tall, with fine full figures, noble features, and well-shaped heads covered with glossy blue-black curls. They were wonderful workers and beautifully clean. So striking was their appearance that a photographer, seeing them on the wharf in their handsome feather mats, asked them to come to his studio to be photographed. They were having a hard-earned holiday in Auckland, and tho photographer was Mr. Martin, famous for his Maori studies. On their way up Queen Street they caught sight of a case of photos of women in evening dress. They were greatly struck by the low neck and short sleeves and immediately made a bargain with Mr. Martin. If they were to pose for him in Maori mats, then he must, for their pleasure, photograph them in evening dress. "You got that kine in your place?" one demanded, pointing {o the most decolette lady. And when the artist shook his head they made for the nearest drapery establishment to supply their needs-. Alas! there was nothing sizeable in evening frocks or blouses. Their untrammelled figures could not be squeezed into slim frocks. At last their roving eyes lighted ou the underclothing department. "Ah! Kaipai," they said and seized delightedly two extra large chemises. They bore them off in triumph to the studio. Later, arrayed in these garments and their full skirts, they posed for the photographer. Ludicrous though the portraits were, they were beautiful, too. while those taken in their mats with the picturesque huia featheTs in their beautiful hair were handsome in the extreme. It goes without saying that they prized the decollette copies moat. An old fellow of royal descent, named Eriatera, was a dreadful old nuisance to us. From him, ard a number of others, my father had bought his farm, and although all had'signed (after tho! usual tiresome waiting and haggling) and the title was clear, this old fellowstill thought he had a claim. About three times a year he would descend on us for storeß, produce, or whatever he could get. One duy, when he paddled up the river in his old canoe, the men were all away helping a neighbour to harvest his oats, and I, a girl of fifteen at the time, had to help tho octogenarian to the landing with his goods. It was dead low water, and I )iad almost to lift the withered old body into the canoe. He was most grateful, thanking mc again and again. On my next visit to the township, I was passing the one hotel where the crowd usually congregated, when old Eriatera caught sight of mc. With a regular war whoop he called his friends around, and presented mc as the "kotiro mo pikau te kai" (the girl who carried his food), and to the great delight of the "pakeha" onlookers I had to stand, crimson to the ear-tips, while each Maori solemnly shook mc by the hand, exclaiming fervently, "Ah, kapai te kotiro" (very good girl). This old man had a wonderfullycarved face (tattooed is the word, but "carved" ia what it appeared to be), the lines deep and beautifully regular. He might easily have been the model for Charles Goldie's fine Maori picture "A Summer's Day.' , Maoris, like little children, are very sensitive, and seem to know at once wbo has a friendly feeling for them. I have a very soft spot for this wonderful race, and liow well they know it. It is a rare thing for even a strange Maori to pass mc without a salute and an approving nod and smile, which is very heartI warming. It is deplorable to see how j rapidly their old customs, dress and dwellings are disappearing. "V cry few of this generation have learned the beautiful handcraft of their parents, -bven the foundations of many mats roarte to-day are factory made, and tourists buying these as curios will do well w examine them closely; and if the fibre in which the feathers arc woven is not a beautiful, creamy-looking substance they will know it is not hand-dressed flax, but an imitation made by the jara in some Kuglish factory. Truly a wonderful race-how bare I Xew Zealand would be without them.