THE MANA OF MAHUTA.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 825, 25 May 1910, Page 6

THE MANA OF MAHUTA.

) REGARDING A BTJRIAI. ' WEIRD DEEDS IN THE WAIKATO. (By Telegraph.—Special Correspondent.) Auckland, May 24. A peculiar and interesting law case Is said, to bo likely to take place shortly : in connection with tho recent death at . Ngaruawahia of a Native chief of the . Tainui tribe. According to the story related by. a member ot the tribe a chief, named ' Honana, died at Ngarnawahia on April ' 26 last- A tangi was duly held, which ' came to a conclusion on the 29th, a ' Friday. Now Eamanu Nutana, the leading chief of the Tainui tribe, desired ' that Honana should be buried at Raglan, i where he had been born, and where his ■ parents were interred, while Mahuta i ordered that the remains should bo in- : terred in the "Royal" buryiag-ground on Taupiri. mountain. The mana of Mahuta was upheld by the burial of the late chief at Taupiri, but Ramana Nutana was not satisfied. He is said to have telegraphed to threo of his people at Raglan to join him at Taupiri," and they duly responded to the call, and, meeting Ramana Nutana, who meantime had armed himself with a shovel, the four renaired in a buggy in ■ tho dead of night on the Friday to the placo of burial at Taupiri. Arrived at tho graveyard, the four Natives dug up their late chief, and, : placing the coffin in the buggy, proceeded to transfer it to Raglan. En route Ramana Nutana is said to have called at his own house at Ngarnawahia at five a.m. on the Saturday, and to have told his wife to inform Mahuta that he had secured the tody. With his three assistants he reached Raglan-at 10 a.m: on the Saturday. A little later the constable at that place is staled to have received a telegram from Mahuta asking him to bring back to Ngarnawahia the living chief and the'dead one. It is stated that the police officer, however, could not discover any law under the provisions of which he could hold either Ramana Nutana or his resurrected friend. Tho benefit of the doubt consequently went in favour of Ramana,Nutana, who, on the Sunday afternoon, unobstructed by the be-ivildcved-guardian of the law and supported by.his tribesmen, roburicd tbo much-travpllcd body of Honana alongside liis parents' graves. The sequel to this interesting story consists in tho statement of an informant of an Auckland paper to tho affect that Ramana Nutana yesterday receive! word in Auckland that ho and his tlirm companions in tho midnight trip to the Taupiri graveyard aro to bo served with summonses issued at the instance of Ma-huta.