MAORI CLUB

Evening Post, Volume CXXV, Issue 100, 30 April 1938, Page 15

MAORI CLUB

The Wellington Maori Club held its first monthly meeting of the 1938 session at the New Zealand Educational Institute Rooms, "Evening Post" Building, recently. The first part of the evening was devoted to the Maori language, when Mr. W. W. Bird began a series of lessons for students who wished to learn something of the speech of the Maori people. Mr. Johannes C. Andersen, president of the club, read an interesting story frorrt the late Elsdon Best's "Tuhoe." The origin of names of places inland from Whakatane were referred to and the story of the migration of the tribe Maruiwi was related at length. The tragic disappearance of many of the tribe into the deep gulch near Puhoe on the Napier-Taupo road left seven survivors to carry on the traditions of the once numerous people. Mr. H. M. Christie read a paper on the ancient Maori names applied to our country. Mr. J. Paterson gave an interesting talk on the twe Kupes of Maori history. The speaker had discussed the subject with a tohunga of Raro tonga and from remarks made by him said there was no doubt that two persons by the name of Kupe had visited New Zealand, one about forty generations back and another shortly before the great migration to our shores. Messrs. W. W. Bird and J. D. Peart exhibited interesting Maori relics found in the Pelorus district.