MAORI PLACE-NAMES

Evening Star, Issue 18668, 24 June 1924, Page 10

MAORI PLACE-NAMES

CACOPHONOUS SUBSTITUTES SHOULD BE WIPED OUT, VETERAN M ISSIO-NART'S PLEA. Lately the veteran Maori missionary and author of the ‘ Story of Aotea,,’ the Uov. J. 0. Hammond, had brought under ids notice a number of place names in the dominion, and was asked if he would express his opinion upon them. Writing from the seclusion of his typical missionary’s home at Lichfield, in the Waikato, “ Father ” Hammond, as he is familiarly called by those who know him best, says that the move he hears of the mutilation of the old Maori place names lor commonplace British names of vulgar origin, the more his spirit- rises in rebellion against Ids paJccha brethren. “What "a shame it is to do away with the .Maori names,’’ he says: “but the pakeha is nothing but a ruthless creature in such matters.” Had the Education Department insisted upon correct. Maori pronunciation and retained Hu; proper names it would have all been to our credit-. How few people know that Otago is not the original name of that province, ami it should have, remained “ Otakou. T’o hear a well-educated Native pronounce the old name as it- should be pronounced is to know the difference between hardness and sweetness, Otago is a, hard-rounding name, and it suits some of the Scotsmen who people those prosperous parts because they were, trained to hardness and knew more of coldness and granite than they knew of warmth and softness. They loved the rugged outline of their native strath, and (hey called places tit-rathcairn, “ Uroinar.’ 1 with the emphasis oil the lasi syllable, Kirkwall and Dingwall are good names, bait they remind one of_ a wall of stone or granite. Otago is, indeed. a. good example of misplaced names which !i;m- lost their former meaning, and it. is (piotefl because -t is only one of hundreds of blunders. Mr Hammond had 'ived tor a long tame at Paten. which was his headlinin')ers when ha- was in charge the Methodist- West, (fust Mauri Mis■uori, and it- used to break lii-s lu-aii to he;,,- the way some of the immigrants o! enounced the name.; it. always soond-d tr, him like “ Part-ere," yd spoken by a Maori it was a. superb name with a. tar reaching meaning. At Oka to. near N-'W Plymouth, there were two beautiful nioun'am rivers side by side almost running down the. slopes of majestic Eginom. right dawn i o’ the sea. One'retained its Muon ■lame of Kaituhi, and Hie other was called hv the white man “ stony Ivi'er. VNli.it lid the latter name mean to the ordinary nan '< .Really nothing at all, except that -I].-, river nurd, be full of stones, and not ■mre snow water from the purest sources, "hilo the Maori name was .lull of those ■e-wel sounds which sounded in the ear ike music, and was full of romance Mr Hammond says that lie can look ’-ark and remember fully seventy years <-f Xe-.v Zealand's hi.-dory, ami. with Ihc c:t-.-eption <U one visit to Australia, has lived the whole of his life in the dominion ; but. addi that be feels almost young enough to

still lend a campaign or onslaught which would alter such place names at Hogbnni, iSo’.vlnmi, Eweburn, Fillyhurn, etc., etc., in Centra] Otago buck to their proper .Maori names. New Zealanders should know how such mimes came to be given, and the story is soon told how such vulgar names found (heir way on to the maps of our country, and to our .shame are allowed to remain there. The young surveyor who was sent out to survey the teiritory did want to perpetrate the original Maori place names, ami was a tine, poetic soul, full of imagination, and when he was told on to survey, map, and name the part of the country referred to. he spent many days, weeks, and months in going to endless trouble to find out the correct Maori names for the many hills, rivers, and valleys which it was his duty to marl; out. He sent his plans to headquarters in Wellington for approval, but got them buck .'main with a sharp note to put in other Hum Maori names. In disgust the young man sent back the plans with the horrid names attached, which he thought would never lie accepted, but instead would get him his walking ticket; bur, the new names actually pleased his chief, and (hey were put on the map, and lha.t is how “ Hogburu ” and similar names can bo. seen on any map in tHr dominion to-day. That any man in a high position in (lie State could have had power to do such a thing and throw into the waste-paper -basket the, euphonious Maori names, every syllable ol which meant so much and wa.-, so full of meaning. no one at this later dale can understand, and Mr Hammond says that now is the time to rectify the gruesome blunder, which is a stain on our past history for the pigstye names should be wiped off the map with one sweep of the pen. Mr Hammond says it is a mailer of congi at illation also I hat the scientific leaders are turning their attention t< i’olvnesia.n lore and Polynesians generalls as ii.-.cfiil .subjects for scientific invcHiga (ion. That we have lost far too unh matter of scientific worth in tin- past i whui- many people thin!;; but, the worst i f all is that some of our very best Maor place names have been lost or almost for golli-n. and as the years roll on the pre sent generation will be blamed for iheii undoubted part in whal is :r-t a credit'daehievemcni. V mmg New Zealandershould rise in I heir wrath and eh-an Ho escutcheon of our country of I lie nnlial lowed place names which now find an unsavory place Iher-v- -Auckland ’ Star.'