TALE OF "OLD KATE"

Evening Post, Volume CXII, Issue 91, 14 October 1931, Page 13

TALE OF "OLD KATE"

SPIRIT OF BOADICEA

Long search ha 3 been successful in retrieving an interesting historical rerecord in the form of a photograph of a leading member of the Ngatiawa tribe, which resisted the land-purchasing Europeans at Waitara, in 1860. It is the only photo existing of "Old Kate," or Pamu (states an exchange).

The tale of Old Kate is very largely the tale of all that has happened to the Maori and. his lands, -ulture; and customs since the European came. Old Kate possessed something of the spirit of Boadieea of ancient Britain. On St. Patrick's Day, 1860, s'io led the party of Maori women who precipitated the Maori wars by pulling from the ground the pegs which were oeing placed upon the famous Teira block at Waitara during a state of t.artial law proclaimed by Governor Brown for,the purpose of enforcing completion of the disputed purchase of the block. That transaction's consequences have endured until the present day, following a Royal Commission in 1928. OVES 100 YEARS OLD. Pamu was a child when the first immigrant ships arived at Moturoa with the first settlers from Cornwall and Devon. She lived to be well over 100 years of age, and died in the ancient Hurirapa Pa, on the site now occupied by the pilot station at the. mouth of the Waitars Biver. There is growing on the old home site of Pamu a pohu^ tukawa tree which U stated to have been planted by Te Teira, the Maori who claimed to have a title to the land he presumably sold to th© Government. The sale was disputed by the chief ? Wiremu Kingi, leader of the Maori Land League, who exclaimed in his in^ terview with Governor.Brown: "I will not give it up! Never! Never! Neverl I have spoken." What followed is a matter of regretful history. In 1860 at New Plymouth there were nearly 3000 Europeans,, confined to an area of land 20 miles long and six or ei"ht miles broad. They fretted at the sight of 1750 Maoris holding and shutting up 2,000,000 acres afeainst them. Overtures were made for the purchase of "further land, but the Maori. Land League refused to sell, and coerced those Natives who wished to sell. There were fights between those Natives who were for and those who were against: sales to the pakeha, and it was no rare occurrence for that fighting to take place dangerously near to .settlers homesteads and for bullets .to pierce their houses. \ EFFORTS ALL VAIN. Then cama negotiations for the Teira block, named after Te Teira, who claim-; ed that he possessed a title to the land. The Maoris were, aware that" Wiremu Kingi had a right to veto any sale of what was regarded as ground charged with immemorial rights and customs which would fade upon sale; • Governor Brown decided to take a. strong hand upon receiving reports that Teira possessed a title to the land, on which at that time Wiremu Kingi. was living with his people. Surveyors were sent to work on the land; and martial law was proclaimed. The surveyors were driven off the field by the embarrassing: attention: of a party of Maori women led by Old Kate. Wiremu Kingi denied that he and his people were rebels,1 but Governor Brown ordered Colonel Gould, of the 65th Regiment, to take possession of the land, which was surveyed , under military protection. Wiremu Kingi then built a pa on the la^d and occupied it. The party of Maori women pulled out the pegs on 17th March, and the first fighting in the long Maori wars commenced, two men being killed belonging to the 65th Regiment and the Maoris escaping from, tho pa without casualties. Old Kate was well known in Waitara until the time of her death, and she lived long enough to see that the efforts of her ancestors had been in vain.