MAORI SKELETON

Evening Post, Volume CXXV, Issue 127, 1 June 1938, Page 18

MAORI SKELETON

CLAIM BY DESCENDANTS POSITIVE OF IDENTITY . 4 - (Special to the "Evening Post.") , BLENHEIM, This Day. According to statements made yesterday ,by descendants of Te Ronga, the Maori woman whose death led to the Wairau massacre, it appears practical# certain that the remains found near Massacre Hill last week are those of Te Ronga.... A number of Maoris living at the Wairau pa claim relationship with Te Ronga, and one, Here Herangi, stated that his eldest brother, Graham Herangi, who died 30 years ago at the age of 80, told hini how Te Ronga was buried at Massacre Hill and how it had been intended to; remove, the body, probably to the North Island, for burial. The plan was prevented by the trouble which arose immediately after the massacre, ■, The burial place,iyas. never disturbed. until it was accidentally discovered last week, but its locality was known and had been kept a. close, secret. Probably not more than one or two persons living today actually, knew, of the burial place. To the knowledge of .those people, however, it seems that no other Maori woman, was buried at i the locality. It is understood that a claim to the remains of Te Ronga has been made by some of the descendants, and the bones will be buried later at the Maori burial place near the Wairau pa- ■' : ; " ; . v