MAORI MELODY.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVI, Issue 239, 9 October 1935, Page 5

MAORI MELODY.

PA SIDELIGHTS. CORONATION CELEBRATIONS. A BEER FOR A. KING. Maori men and maids sang lilting! melodies in celebration of the coronation of the young King Koroki when , 3000 representatives of the various North Island tribes gathered at the j Waahi Pa, near Huntly, yesterday. After the main part of the ceremony —an open-air religious service—was concluded yesterday morning, fiery hakas, poi dances and songs were given by teams from the various tribes. With all the enthusiasm that the Maori can command—and they know the art of enjoying themselves far better than the European —men and women, young and old, entered into the spirit of the celebrations. With the dispatch and facility of a trained army cook, the man in charge of the lunch-time kai satisfied the hundreds in under two hours. Most of them eat down to the feast at long tables in a big marquee and ate their Maori food in European fashion, with knives and forks. But the older school lived up to tradition. Old women sat with legs crossed alongside smouldering food cooked in the ground. They cut pieces of dried shark with a pocketknife, stabbed a kurnara or potato from the embers, and when they had finished their food, they lit their pipes and meditated. < It was with obvious disgust that one old Maori woman viewed the make-up operations of a pretty half-caste girl who for ten minutes carefully combed her hair and painted her face to go her way a minute later with a powerful, good-looking Maori youth. In the solemn way that Maoris have, there was much nose-rubbing by men and women alike. But when young Maori girls met they kissed in true European , style.

One of the big events of the afternoon was a basket-ball match between different tribes. The girls showed considerable ability, handling the ball from one to the other with unerring accuracy and playing the game better than many European teams. One side was dressed in colourful red, gold and white uniforms. They were the champions. There was one continuous roar of applause while the match was in progress, the onlookers dancing and jumping with delight as first one side and then the other went to the attack.

Some of the Maoris who had come scores of miles to take part in the celebrations did not even get across the bridge which leads to the pa. They held their celebrations, in the hotel, where dozens of gallons of beer were poured into dozens and dozens of handles and down dozens and dozens of Maori throats. Hero a member of the royal family watched the activities with impersonal gaze.

"A beer for the King. A beer for Koroki," cried one. And swaying Maoris cheered lustily. Some tottered away to nearby vacant sections and lay in the sun. They had celebrated Koroki's coronation —in their own way.