DAGGER AND CAKE.

Auckland Star, Volume LVI, Issue 30, 5 February 1925, Page 12

DAGGER AND CAKE.

AND RATANA'S LOYALTY. TCRNED INTO POLITICAL CAPITAL. ;:' ii ', in \i: \\v.\ m i I.i i.st. . |..' ,1,, l in. llir' »;,!- ol • ii.- \,awa- have been ! ■ , --- ~,,.1 1',.,m Ihe Dnk" of I ... : ,' |''i „,-,. ..I Wall-. l-OMllly ... :.,. li. o, ': ... 1111,-! di-!,..\a11.\ ■ •'.. ■■': ...-v'-.-i'lan.l'-.-eli, to luue'beell ; ' ,;•■ ~..'■ ...IV,I!I -Uili, i,'III ,'.,u-,.. ' ..- :',.,- '. : ~- ~.„,„- i.,n of Mr. .. ~, i \ i: •:. an educated nalixe , .'. :'., ~'„; ii... niatiei Id I\. Mr. .-: -~ - -~.,. :• i- ~:! biinkin'n. l'ni- ■ .' ::,' meaning „l ihe .lapa.le.-e ■ -..,,: ... a .la'.s;er. and I lie "nuirriilgO .(.,,,., ii. -..- and Maori" in -~ine union I c .. ' :.. :',, I'.rlli-b -.notoiguty. I'll- ,- \i ami ..'.,-'. E.i! e\phliialion of

~.- ;„.!,.:,.,, capita!. V| "' •:•■»'■" »■» ■' '" ,!i, " ,n " -I* I ' " n ". ,iu ;- "";!,:;::,;;,"■ - ~ ;^.-....„''.1 ■!.', i : :',,.'.!.;,",','!!,„ V E!u', , !i!e. ,n!.i r!'Z.'''! J ~..-,.,,. it-,.,| rtere ill comic " .'U "it II §> ,;;.::;;,r;"r"n.'=":. ; ;!;;:.':;'-.,. -■.'.'';..," 1 .., . ;,,.„. , ,- I ~,.„i, „,' Waitaugi and j ,:,. ~-.,! laud-' in New /.cuhind." A ,-,. Mr. i;-».-ti. -h inu-i." 'in- I ,-d. -I.- admit.cd ci... grievances J l 1 '■: ■• <"xi-l eve, 11.......U-I all ,| ...... ~„',!,',■ Kim-penn- or Maori- Jj „, a,,' Ut.ilel an Empire, li -u-h -v- J i„.,s of dissatisfaction ho .da-sod * -,i -L.uil. I-.-, -.'.,„■.■.' .1 M."-i""-_ I ~-,; by cciuiiii in.- mi »• i ~ of Ihe A raw a - ,| i, niii-l :il-i" he ela-.-i-.l a- di-l-.Mil." ' I Mr, Eewi-ti tptoles (ob-grams sent by I he Aiju.i ill I.M I, prolc-iing against V bill then lief.ire Parliameiii. and the | isi of the protest was that if the bill i .ere por-d-tod in. then the Arawa would 4 , iihdiae I hei soldier recruit's from j .imp Appiircnlh in their keen hunt _ ft or di.-l ivallv ' down Wangauui way J ~, Ann/l- ' haw forgotten these f digram-, and Mr. lb-woti reminds ilirm | I ihe old -aving. "if ;«u tiirow mud nl * ihors, thai ' mud will turn into du-t A ud blow back up-ii you." i^ As fur as the wedding cake presented A >■ -omo uf Ihe dapanese people to liit.ina'- party ir- con.Trued, Mr. I'ewoti , tivs it i- itb-iirtl to try and i-mim-rt « I ' whh lislnvnltv He points out thai « in o\:n-,lv similar present was made by { In- Ivi-t toast Maoris to an Indian « ,'isliop, who recently visited New Zealand. ' J flic cti-toin is a well-known one. audit lie only meaning of ir "-s flint it is j j i commemoration of an important vi-it. i , As for the .lapancso dagger which was i ..res,uncd in Uatana. Mr. Uoweti mt that it is ridiculous to try and, lui-t ii into an emblem of war nnd l bloodshed. He says it would "bo jusT il- ridiculous in suggest that when Ilie j I Maoris pro-out .-nine distinguished I visitor with a taiaha, or a whalebone or | greenstone mere, or some other weapon,, there was symbolised a compact of war , iind bloodshed. The custom of presenting: j -uoh gifts was n very old one. and the j ( Arawa- themselves had followed it i .li./.cii- nf linns when notables had j visited Rotorua. As n matter of fact ' during the recent visit of Japanese tuen-i.'-wai" ollicors to the Hot Lakes District, the Ariiwas made gift-s. but no one was foolish enough to rush into print and suggest that, they symbolised a l.loodv pact between the Arawa and the ..ap.im-c! | ■Dining my three weeks' stay nt llatann's pa." -ays Mr. Kewoti. "1 never I -aw a -ingle foreign (lug llnwn. nor any | suggestion that the people wore anything. I,nt loyal subjects nf the British Empire. The whole aim and object of Kiltanit ] i- to uplift the Mauri people, lmtli liodily and spiriluallv: to forsake toliuuguisiii.! dni,king, and all had habits, and to' imitate all the best ways of their | I'lik.-lm brothers, llatiinn refuses to have' anything to do with political questions. I After hi- religious address at Christmas 1,, ihe people in the marae, or village ..ptiiii-. -omo of ihe visitors raised the l ,|uo-t'niii of nominating a ineniher for the next general election of members of tiie lliuise of Representatives, but j Itntaua refused lo have anything to do] with the mailer. The only advice he gave j was that all should work together to; j establish a brotherhood based on the j lli{_hi-.-t spiritiuil ideals." ' [ iin the othi-r band, coinphiins Mr. Kewoti. there wa- a st-ctioli of the .\rawaliiilic which seized on tho trivial incidents, '~f the Japanese present, distorted them. j tloliberiili'lv inanufacturcd political! i capital -iv of perfect ly innocent gifts, | ami impugned Hie loyalty of Maoris who j wore ju-t as loyal a- the re-i of the people nf New Zealand. j I _, i ...; „