MAORI PALADINS

Evening Star, Issue 25699, 24 January 1946, Page 7

MAORI PALADINS

RETURN OF NATIVE BATTALION TRADITIONAL TRiBAL WELCOME SOLEMN TANGIHAHGA FOR DEAD (P.A.) WELLINGTON, January 23. Eight hundred Maori warriors returned to their homeland to-day. For many weeks their people had prepared for the day which, for them, was one of the most significant in their history. A marae had been establshed on the Aotea quay, the chiefs and elders and other tribal representatives were assembled, and a feast for 1,500 guests was prepared in the traditional Maori manner. For six hours the people waited, and at last, just before 2 o'clock in the afternoon, the men of the* Maori Battalion appeared. Thoy ; had come straight from the Dominion. Monarch, the ship's late arrival having made it necessary to cancel the ceremonial parade through the city.. At the gate of the "marae they were met and challenged by Sergeant Anania Te Amoihau, brother of the paramount chief of the Arawa tribe. Sergeant Amob.au ■was : accompanied by the Ngati-tu-Wharetoa chiefs, Tureiti.lßauhina, and Turei Papanui. A distinguished figure at the head of the haka party was Taupo's principal chief, Te Heuheu VII. The wero, or challenge, completed, and .the men having, been accepted as coming upon a peaceful mission, they were admitted to the marae.- Elderly women greeted the men with the karanga, cryinc in ■unison,in the traditional manner. Then maidens and young warriors gave a welcome, and for some time afterwards there followed the most solemn part of the ceremony, the tangihanga, or the wailing for soldiers who did not return but lay dead in other lands. The people were led in prayer and a Maori hymn by the Rev. Wi Huata, senior chaplain of the battalion, assisted by his fellow padre, the Rev. Manu Bennett. . ■ , FORMER COMMANDERS PRESENT. The Ngati Poneke Maori Association was joined by other tribes in its welcome to the men. Ministers of the Crown, members of the 'Diplomatic Corps, and other official visitors were guests on the marae, and were keenly interested in the Maori ceremony. Probably none of them was •able to understand the speechmaking in Maori which followed, but the men of the Maori Battalion to whom this welcome in their native tongue was addressed listened intently to the proud emotional words of their chiefs and elders. Present, too, to hear these speeches were former commanders of the Maori Battalion. The former commanders were Brigadier G. Dittmer, Lieuten-ant-colonel F. (Baker, Lieutenant-col-onel C. M. Bennett, Lieutenant-col-onel H. H. T. Russell Young, Lieu-tenant-colonel A. Awatere. and Major R. Keiha. Lieutenant-colonel G. Bertraud. commander of the Second Maori Battalion, was also present. . Speeches of welcome were made on behalf of the tribes by their representatives, and on behalf of electoral districts by their representatives also. Then the men were addressed by Brigadier Dittmer as the first commander of the battalion, and by numerous pakeha speakers representing the Returned Services' Association,, the Government, a rid the Opposition.! The Minister in Charge of Native Affairs, Mr Mason, the Minister of Rehabilitation, Mr Skinner, and the Minister of Defence, Mr Jones, all thanked the battalion on behalf of the .Government and the people. Mr Jones formally handed back the battalion to the Maori people, and spoke of its magnificent achievements in battle. He said that five out of every seven mem- . bers of the battalion had figured In the casualty lists. This, in • itself, was evidence of the great and noble sacrifice the Maori people had made. The representative of the Maori people on the Executive Council, Mr V'i. T. Tirikatene, spoke to the men in Maori. The Acting Prime - Minister, Mr Nash, read a message from the Prime Minister. Mr Fraser, expressing his great regret that he was unable to t*ke part in the ceremony, and paying a

tribute to the Maori warriors who, he said, had taken their place with the best fighting peoples of the world. TRIBUTE TO THE FALLEN. Mr Eraser's message paid a special tribute to the men of the battalion who had fallen, in particular to Secondlieutenant Nganmu, V.C., Mr Nash slso spoke in tribute to the late Mr P, K. Paikea, who did magnificent work in bringing the Maori people together to form the battalion. He spoke of the main features in the battalion's career, and of the high percentage of casualties the men had suffered Lieutenant-colonel J. Henare, commanding officer of the battalion, in reply, thanked the Ministers and other speakers and those who had arranged tnc reception " I thank you from the bottom of my heart and for the whole aattalion." he-, said. Then he delivered an oration in • Maori for which the Maori people warmly applauded him. Tha men of the battalion were photographed, bearing a captured Nazi flag, and then they fell into their, ranks again to march into the wharf shed, where a huge feast lay before them. Ministers of the Crown and members of the diplomatic corps shared the traditional Maori foods which their hosts had spent long hours in preparing for them. The Maoris' day ended when the trains for the north, delayed_ three hours because of the late arrival of the troops, drew away from the quay to take the men to 1 heir various home districts where, on 'their local maraes, the Maori form of welcome will be repeated: