MAORI WARFARE.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 591, 20 August 1909, Page 6

MAORI WARFARE.

LECTURE BY'BE.' BUCK.

- ; . ; ' some good!' stbsiis' '■-':'.'■•'.' •.-'■ - The Garrison Officers' Club hie'uastevening and listened to •α-leoture on -'Ancient■-.. Maori Warfare," by Dr.; Buck. ,It;*as a most interesting discourse quite, a ohango, as the - president (Colonel, Dutbie) put it, ironi, the ■ someiVhar. • ■ i y 'i so often-heard. The .programme included also a number \of lriusical items ; ' v-'Xho-spirit of warfare was strong among the Maoris,, when 'rthoir country. waS: their own." lhat was one of Dr. Buok' lS chief points. He related- how defeated tribes wonld set about breeding warriors. On one occasion 'tho Ngatiawas were defeated jby .the Tarauaki tribe, and their h-ibol lands captured. .Tho Ngatiawa's went away to.the mountains, and came'back a -generation later, reinforocd by tho -youngwarriors who had. grown .up, conquered the tfaranaki tribe, ond: recaptured the. tribal-lands luis was one of many instances, in which'ken were bred and trained to.avenge, tribal-defeat- , Heavy feet go with;,a The old Maori saying meant' "that a,, clumsy: warrior would .soon lave his: skin his'ownBlood. Dr. Buck described the prowess of a number-of renowned warriors, whose physical attainments were extraordinary. A s Maori in tho-north ,was noted for his -fleetriessi of foot and some Hokianga, whalers wished .-to i tost his speed. They had no one to compete with him, and arranged a peculiar-method of-"draw-ing the rumor out." ■ A. tall- kauri tree, was selected in a flat place, and tho axe laid to its root. Then, when it was just beginning to' topple, the Maori had to'run out under the falling trunk. to say, he won,"-said' Dr. Buck. "He would have been a : good man to send to Australia with Woodger." (Laugh-

.Another remarkable incident which the Maoris spoke about was tito ohase of a , hostile warrior by a noted' chief. They were both' swift runners, and, so sudden was the blow of ■the chief, that the fleeing warrior was cut in half, and .the lower half of his body ran'; a considerable distance, as Dr. Bnok said, "before realised happened." ; . The training of the boys was considered a most important matter... Dr.: Buck told of a battle-scarred Maori, who .would-, sit with ,a, blanket'over his knees, and instruct the youths to strike at hirnXwith their spears.- -They very rarely hit him,' for he would.move just out of thb way of. the flyjrig spear. • ' <■ • "Maoris had their day of chivalry," "continued the doctor. "We- read of the- English splitting lances for their ladies'eyes,-and the Maoris sometimes took coses as trivial-as that for the purpose of'causing* war." •';■'■'• : There we're two, main .'systems of fighting among Maoris. They-wotild either fight breast' to breast, or one party,-would, draw out tho enemy by means , of an ambuscade, a bait being sent out. Tactics were not unknown, and as an example of clever planning, Dr. Buck narrated the capture of the village. on Bluff Hill, at Napier. The Taupo tribe had a debt to wipe out, andi assisted by : l;10 picked'Ta'ranaki men; nititohed on the Hawke's Bay pa. The attacking party found that the'-garrison far outnumbered them.; The Taranati. chief kept his 140 men in the rear,, and thb Taupp men drew out the defenders. , When the Taupo warriors were driven back, the\Taranaki party joined in the retreat, .which was kept up lur about two miles. The chief from Taranaki then gave tho word,-' and the .party, formed in the snape of a; wedge; cut their way back through the pursuers,; and captured tue ! pa. > -.. ■■■ Dr. Buck described the various weapons used by. the Maoris in their wars. Hβ explained that the haka was not a war dance, but was a posture , dance to interest the people, aud to do Honour '■ to visitors. The war . dances were always carried.: out with .spears and other weapons. '■'..-;■■" ' . ' . . : • In conclusion,Vthe lecturer urged that'.the Maori should be given a chance to help in the defence'-- of ■' the country. He referr«o/ to' the South African ;War, and remarked' that, if a Maori desired to be. included in one of the contingents, he had to make; out- that he was a Scotchman or an Irishman who had -been bronzed by a'tropical. 6Un.. (Laughter.) He would, like to see, ' if such' were possible, a return to, the old days,, the Maoris had had,every opportunity; to develop the that was in them. ; '■''.; '■ '~ -

On the motion of the chairman, the lecturer was accorded a lwarty vote of thanks. _ ■ Colonel Robin commended Dr.- Bqck on the clearness of his'lecture. The Tacts/That had been placed before them, he said,-showed that there was little new in-the shape; of tactics! As one'of the most notable of modern strategic writers had declared, tho overseas dominions In ordor to build up their defences, "must either breed men in plenty or'import .them quickly." Thoso were the principles which'.'the Maoris followed in the olden: days, as far back as the fourteenth-century. .' '.. ;-....•.,