MAORI LAND CLAIMS

Press, Volume LXXV, Issue 22680, 8 April 1939, Page 19

MAORI LAND CLAIMS

JAPANESE VIEW

i those who went off in A of military honours ** was a certain tohunga namgd Uirimahanahina, who left Akaroa for the seat of war near Moeraki, 311(1 was slain in the Battle of Tara-iapina-a-tea. This tohunga held the belief that Tiki made man, whilst the fathers had always -maintained that it was 10. Te Wera adopted a novel method to prevent the survival of this man’s creed —to stop his spirit escaping and influencing some later tohunga. . When the battle was over he made an oven capable of containing his whole body, and then carefully plugged his mouth, ears, and nose, and having cooked him managed, with the assistance of some of his warriors, to consume every portion of him. For those Ngaitahu who stayed on Banks Peninsula it was a healthy, happy, and busy life. There was an abundance of good food and each day had its allotted task for every member of the tribe, and there was little to disturb the pleasant life but illness and death. Although it is probable that in the early years of the nineteenth century European ships explored and fished the waters off Banks Peninsula, the Maoris have no record of trading with them until the era of the supremacy of the last great chief of the Ngaitahu before the proclamation of British sovereignty, Te Mai-hara-nui. Highest in rank of the great tribe, which had by this time spread its influence over practically the whole Of the South Island, he was dreaded by his people, who treated him with great reverence. There was little in Te Mai-hara-nui’s personal appearance to mark his aristocratic lineage; his figure was short and thick set, his complexion extremely Hark, and his features rather forbidding. He was distinguished in his early days as a great traveller, and spent much time travelling up and down the east coast of this island. He was amongst the first to discern the many advantages of trading with the pakeha and entered keenly himself into business transactions with the Sydney traders seeking flax fibre. The First Trader To facilitate negotiations with these early traders he took up resi- , dence at Takapuneke (Red House Bay) in Akaroa Harbour. But Te Mai-hara-nui’s tranquil existence of flax-hading was eventually disturhykby the outbreak of a terrible . hWjßfeud amongst his near relafeud marked not only by the incident which caused it but also by the deeds that were perpetrated after it—deeds of atrocity which shocked even those who had executed them. The Kai Huanga feud 'was the first serious outbreak on Banks Peninsula since the conquest of the Ngatimanhoe. The immediate cause of all this animosity must seem, to Europeans most trivial and inadequate, but there is little doubt that there were also mahy smouldering

(BPECXALLT WBITTEE FOB THE PRESS.} [BY G. H. JACOBSON] ’ old jealousies at work in the minds of the participants. “Irrevocable Insult” The quarrel began when Murihaka, the wife'of Potahi, putting on a dogskin mat belonging to Te Mai-hara-nui, and left in the charge of someone else while the great chief was lemporarily absent. This act was regarded as a deep and almost irrevocable insult by the immediate relations qf the chief, since all his garments were held to be sacred. Great consternation soon prevailed in the Waikakahi pa, where the deed occurred, and exasperated at the thought of Murihaka’s act fell, not upon her, but on a servant girl, Rerewaka. When her masters, Hapi and Rangi Whakapaku saw her dead body they were much enraged, but instead of wreaking their vengeance on those who committed the murder, they left for the village of Ngati Koreha at Tai TapU in search of members of the murderer’s family. , Te Mai-hara-nui was absent from the district, having gone to Kaikoura to fetch a large war canoe with which his relatives there had presented him. He first heard of the atrocities at Te Aka Aka (Saltwater Creek) and on reaching Wairewa (Little River) he raised a war party which he led against Taumutu, the chief Te Pori and several Kaiapoi women falling in spite of the.Kaiapoi warriors’ attempts to protect their kinswomen. The severe defeat of the Taumutu did not crush their spirits, but they were no match for Te Mai-hara-nui’s powerful clans. Consequently Hine Haka, a lady connected with Southern chiefs, was commissioned to proceed to Otakou and Muribiku to enlist sympathy there. One hundred warriors were also recruited from Kaiapoi to swell the force, but the resulting engagement, Kai whare-atua, was almost bloodless, but unique as being the first occassion on which firearms were used in this part of the country. Chief’s Treachery Later Te Mai-hara-nui, with treacherous intent, used every inducement to entice the people of Taumutu, who had fled to Otakou and Murihiku, to return to the home so abundant in food. He was so pressing in his entreaties that most of the people decided to return. The treacherous chief hurried back to complete one of his most dastardly crimes. When the advance Taumutu warriors entered Akaroa harbour Te Mai-hara-nui fell upon them, in spite of .protests of friends *and foes, and killed them by his own hand; and then cut up their bodies and sent portions to all the different pas and hamlets on the Peninsula. He then, ordered 200 warriors from Kaiapoi to come to his assistance. The slaughter at the resulting engagement at Onehu was very great. One result of the Kai Huanga feud was to drive all who could escape from the destroyed pas to

Ngaitahu Settlement Of South Island

take refuge in the bays on the north-east bays of Banks Peninsula, which because of the impenetrable forests were accessible only by the sea. About a year later, Te Mai-hara-nui was captured in Akaroa Harbour by Te Rauparaha, the famous belligerent Kapiti Island chief, who came, accompanied by 170 warriors, in an English" trading vessel with this express intention. Kapiti’s Revenge The anxiety displayed by Te Rauparaha for the capture of this particular chief was caused by the determination to obtain the most distinguished member of the Ngaitahu tribe as payment for his near relative, Te Pehi, and his companions, who were considered by him to have met death treacherously by members of that tribe at Kaiapoi. With the blood of slaughter fresh on his hands he arrived with his warriors at Kaiapoi as a guest. Rumour among the Kaiapoi natives that Te Rauparaha had treacherous designs forced them to strike the first blow. They seized and killea many northern chiefs. Te Rauparaha was enraged, but as his force was inadequate, he retired north to ponder out a suitable revenge. With the aid of Captain Stewart’s brig, he sailed for Akaroa, and on arriving he and his warriors concealed themselves. Captain Stewart invited Te Mai-hara-nui on board, and when this chief accepted he was seized by the concealed warriors. One hundred accompanying Ngaitahu warriors were also slain. “Nameless Tortures” " Te Mai-hara-nui was taken to Kapiti, where he was handed over to the widows of the chiefs killed at Kaiapoi, who put him to death by “slow and nameless tortures.” Te Rauparaha was - not satisfied with this, and returned later with large forces to surround Kaiapoi, which he captured after a six months’ seige. Meanwhile, the many reports had terrorised the Banks Peninsula natives, who hastened to build on Onawe Peninsula a ‘ powerful fortress. Their judgment in choosing this pearshaped peninsula for a retreat was erroneous, as was proved by the Kapiti chief when he arrived to continue his bloody revenge. He split his warriors, sending the parties to either side. When the Ngaitahu hastened to attack the Barry’s Bay 'party the other warriors who had landed at Duvauchelle made a spirited.bid for the fortress. In a short time it was all over, and the Ngaitahu had suffered their last great defeat. Later, two parties followed him up the coast, and inflicted two defeats on him before he reached his Kapiti home, but one of the victorious parties led by Taiaroa encountered a terrific storm off Cape Cafnpbell on the way home, and most of them were drowned. The deplenished population of Banks Peninsula spent many years recovering, and since that last defeat at Onawe, they have, as Mr E. T. Tirikatene, M.P., claims, never raised a blow against the sovereignty of Great Britain.

Next morning, half an hour’s better travelling took us out on to a natural clearing or “parkee” near the head of the stream. Steep bush walls surrounded the clearing in a semi-circle. Five streams well fitted with waterfalls cut the cliffs, but the one on our right was less steep and led up to a grassy saddle which the map indicated as the correct direction for the lake. Arrival: Anti-climax With misgivings we began to climb this creek. For. 100 paces we hopped boulders and crawled under branches, when suddenly, to our joy, the banks flattened out. They must have the deer, for they had made a good track. The road, though steep, was plain, and less than an hour later we had attained the saddle. When we were walking over the pass a steep face brought us to a stand. Below, more than 1000 feet below, lay Lake Christolpel. Its smooth clear waters, through which the bottom was plainly discernible in parts, was entirely surrounded by steep slopes of densest bush. Two little island?, also bush covered, dotted its further reach, and a tiny sandy beach connected the bush slope to the verge. Far away, beyond the outlet, we could see the farmed flats of the Grey river. Two miles from the outlet the inflowing stream disappeared into the fastnesses of the main range. In the widest part a mile separated shore from shore. We lunched with this panorama at our feet, soaking up the sunshine after our hours in the bush. The return journey was a joke. Acting on the principle that the other bank could be no worse, we selected it to go back. A good deer track led on to a main path blazed by the Government deer cullers two years before, and two hours of steady travelling saw us once again beside our car on the Reefton road.

There is a Japanese view on the invasion of China. One aspect of it is shown in the top photograph, received from Tokyo. It was sent with the caption: "Finding: that the city is calm and peaceful now, old residents of Peking- are coming back to their home again from their refuges, passing through the entrance gate of the city, where a Japanese soldier is keeping guard." The photograph and its caption seem to emphasise a Japanese opinion that life in Peking is not unattractive to the Chinese under Japanese domination, and that, as in Madrid, as recent cable messages report, life will go on very much as usual after the fighting is over. Another photograph from Tokyo shows a Japanese boy after taking part in the physical exercises in the Eleventh Prefectural Middle School at Aoyama, Tokyo, which it is stated, has adopted new methods of gymnastic exercises. The caption says: "Boys are robust-looking and happy, as seen in the photograph." ,